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Best price guarantee
This service is available on all dates (April to November) when Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, Azamara, Cunard & Princess cruise ships are visiting Southampton. This service is also available to passengers on other ships, when dates and arrival times coincide with ships listed.
You will be driven in an air conditioned executive vehicle to your Southampton Cruise Terminal via the world famous Windsor Castle.
After pick up from your London or Heathrow address, we will make our way to Windsor Castle, where over 900 years of royal history await you. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest continuously occupied castle in the world and official residence of our present King, Charles III. Here, you will have a chance to visit the lavish state apartments, the Grand Reception Room and the Royal Chapel of St George, which serves as the resting place of many of our Kings and Queens, and also provided the setting for the 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
After our visit to Windsor Castle, we begin the journey to Southampton, a journey of approximately 90 - 120 minutes. When we arrive in Southampton, you will walk straight to the check in desk. Porters will take care of your luggage, ensuring it is delivered to your cabin. Please make sure you use the luggage label in your cruise pack to facilitate this. We plan to drop you at your cruise terminal between 1:30pm – 2:00pm.
How long will my journey take?
Pick ups in Central London begin at 07:00am and are completed by 08.15am. We will then collect from Heathrow airport accommodations between 09:00am - 09:45am. The journey to Windsor from Heathrow takes approximately 30 minutes. The journey will take approximately 90 - 120 minutes or slightly less to travel from Windsor to Southampton, arriving between 1:30pm and 2:00pm.
How much luggage can I bring?
Each person is allowed a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 2 items of carry on luggage (10kg each).
Should you wish to bring any mobility aids (wheelchairs or walkers) you MUST contact us in advance to let us know. We will require full dimensions and weight. These items must be able to be folded and stored in the luggage hold. Wheelchairs must be counted as 1 item of your hold luggage.
Additional charges will be incurred should you bring additional items of luggage or for items weighing more than the maximum weight stated above.
How much walking is involved in this tour?
Your tour manager will meet you inside the hotel lobby of your chosen pick up and will assist you with your luggage. The vehicle will park as close as is safely and legally possible.
Please note that entry to Windsor Castle does involve a walk of approximately 15 minutes from the coach park. Parts of this walk are uphill and may not be suitable for passengers with mobility issues.
Once you have arrived at the port there will be a typical walk of about 100 yards from the vehicle to the terminal.
My chosen hotel is not on your list of pick up points, can I take this service?
We collect from all London city centre and selected Heathrow airport hotels. Occasionally we are unable to pick up at certain hotels because they are not in London city centre or Heathrow airport. Please email us at cruise@internationalfriends.co.uk and we will advise if we can collect at your hotel, or direct you to the closest pick up point.
My flight arrives at Heathrow in the morning of my transfer, how can I join this service?
This will depend upon the arrival time of your flight. On average it takes around 40-60 minutes to get through passport control and collect your luggage. This can vary depending on how busy the airport is at any given time. Once you have your luggage you will need to make your way to the nearest hotel pick up either by taxi or by using the regular airport Hoppa bus service:
Arriving at Terminal 1, 2 or 3 - Please go to Park Inn Heathrow, Bath Road, UB7 0DU.
Arriving at Terminal 4 - Please go to Hilton Heathrow Terminal 4, Hounslow, TW6 3AF.
Arriving at Terminal 5 - Please go to Sofitel Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow, TW6 2GD
A taxi journey from the terminal to the hotels listed above would take 5-10 mins, the Hoppa Bus will take 15-20 minutes. You will need to ensure you have enough time to get to the meeting point for the earliest pick up time stated on the itinerary. This means if our pick up is 09:00am - 09:45am at a particular hotel, you MUST be at that pick up point 09:00am.
What happens if my flight is delayed and I cannot get to the meeting point on time?
When you book you will be given an emergency contact number on your E-ticket. We advise that you contact us on this number to inform us of your new arrival time so that we can best advise the options available to you. At Heathrow airport our collections take place in a 30-45 minute time period. If you do contact us and are running 10-15 minutes late we would advise you to go to one of the hotels scheduled for a later pick up time.
Please note our scheduled Shore Excursions and transfers are shared options and the final departure times cannot be delayed for late arrivals, however we will always assist you in making your way to the ship. As a general guide we would not recommend our shared service for anyone arriving at Heathrow less than 2 hours before the pick up time. In all cases, refunds on shared transfers cannot be applied to missed transfers due to late flight arrivals or delays in luggage collection or passport control. In this situation you will need to check if it is possible to make a claim through your airline or your travel insurance.
Will I get to my ship on time?
Our Shore Excursions and Transfers are all designed especially for passengers going to and from the cruise ship. Our itineraries are based on the ships arrival and departure times. Many ships will give allotted check in times, this is to help stagger passenger arrivals at the terminal and is more an indication of the earliest time they wish you to arrive. All of our tours aim to have passengers at the ship by 2:00pm. In the unlikely event of there being delays out of our control, such as traffic problems, we will liaise directly with the ships ground handling team and keep them updated on our progress and expected arrival time at the port.
We would not offer an itinerary that did not allow passengers to get to their ship in time for its departure.
