ChrisP

We booked the bus tickets online as recommended by the bus company. The cost was half of the cost of the cruise line transfer service from Heathrow to Southampton. We couldn't use the cruise line transfer service because we came in a day ahead of time. I would definitely use the bus service again if cruising out of Southampton if we had time. The bus depot in Southampton was within walking distance of our hotel (Moxy, a Marriott hotel) but we chose to take a taxi since we had luggage to carry. The ports we missed were the Orkney Islands because it was too windy to pull into port. We spent an extra day at sea instead. The other port we missed was in France. They were having a labor strike so we stopped at Portland England instead. It is a small fishing village and was very quaint. They were having a village fair while we were in port which made it quite lively and full of activities. If it wasn't for the fair I am not sure what we would have done there all day. Most of the ports had bus service into town so you did not have to take an excursion if you wanted the flexibility to go around on your own. Our favorite ports were Dublin and Edinburgh. There was so much to see and do in both cities. We took an excursion in Dublin but we did not get much free time to do things on our own. We took a local bus (which was waiting at our cruise port) to Edinburgh which gave us plenty of free time to explore and shop. The return bus to the cruise port ran frequently and was waiting at the designated location when we were ready to return to the ship. We used the cruise line transfer service to return to Heathrow airport when the cruise was over because they make sure you get back to the airport in time for your flight. The only problem was that we had to leave the ship early to make sure we got back to the airport in time for other people's flights that were earlier than ours. Southampton was larger than I thought and I would choose to spend a little more time there if I happen to go there again for a cruise or another reason.

We ended up not booking any excursions until we were on board. Some of the excursions were sold out, so we just wandered around the ports on our own. We still had a great time.

Update: We are back from our cruise. We had a great time, though the weather and a labor strike impacted our ports of call. For those with the same questions as ours, we chose to take the bus to Southampton. I booked the tickets ahead of time online. There were plenty of taxis at the bus depot in Southampton which made it easy to get to our hotel. The hotel called a taxi for us the next morning to take us to the cruise port. We chose the transfer option with the cruise line at the end of the cruise to get back to Heathrow for our flight home.

Thanks for your comments. My husband hates to travel, so if there is any confusion or difficulties it will be hard to get him on another vacation. I like to be prepared as much as possible as far ahead as possible to keep the anxiety and frustration to a minimum. I am still hoping for some first hand experience suggestions. We leave the U.S. on May 13th. Thanks again.

Thank you for your comments. I too like to plan ahead as some of the excursions on the princess website are already sold out. We have not traveled this itinerary before, so these ports will be new for us.

We will be taking the Regal Princess to the Bristish Isles in May 2024 and are wondering about the ports of call. We have not been to these ports and do not know where they are in relation to the city/village. Does anyone know if the ports are walkable or do you have to take a tour or transportarion to get to see anything or do anything? The ports are: Cork (Cobh) Dublin (Dun Laoghair) Belfast Holyhead Glasgow (Greenock) Orkney Islands (Kirk Edinburgh) Thank you! Chris P

We are flying in to Heathrow the day before our cruise and I am thinking about spending the night in Southampton as opposed to spending the night at a Heathrow hotel and taking the cruise transportation to Southampton the next morning. I am not sure of the best, easiest, and most economical way to get to Southampton the night before. I read that the National Express bus will take us from Heathrow to Southampton bus station but then I am not sure how to get to our hotel (it doesn't have a shuttle). I also read that people had trouble getting a taxi from the Bus station in Southampton. We are considering the Moxy hotel in Southampton and (on the map) it looks like it might be walkable from the bus station, but since we won't get in to Southampton until early evening, I am not sure if it is safe to walk and if it is truly walkable with luggage. There are only 2 of us. We don't want to drive ourselves and the car services I have seen are really expensive. Does Southampton have Uber/Lyft? Do they work the same way they do in the U.S. (phone app)? Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you! Chris