Heathrow <--> Southampton UK

Disney Cruise Line
1

UK tips: Planning travel for July 2027 with DAS DD, would like advice on the easiest arrival/departure plan with a 24hr layover from Heathrow (flight from US) to our DCL cruise at Southampton.

Should we book a night near Heathrow on each end? I understand it’s about 1 hr 15 min by train to Southampton?

Time for a possible day excursion into London? I expect our flight in will arrive very early morning. Drop luggage at hotel and take a train into the city?

Thanks in advance for any local knowledge and advice!

1 Like
2

We did a transatlantic cruise last November and had about 24 hours in London. We stayed at a hotel at Heathrow. We just took a train into London and hopped on one of the double decker tour busses! It was fun and easy since we were very travel weary.

I highly recommend using DCL transport if possible. They picked up our luggage around 7am then we met in the lobby at our 9:30 assigned time and were pulling out of the hotel by 10:00. It was a beautiful drive to Southampton and we walked in, checked in and right onto the ship!

3 Likes
3

I had to look it up, Sofitel Heathrow. You can book yourself and then call DCL to add transportation.

3 Likes
4

Aha! I’m booking on my own, without a travel agent, so I didn’t know there were select hotels that have DCL transport. Heathrow Sofitel sounds perfect! I’ll give DCL a call within a few days to nail down details. Thanks!

2 Likes
5

I think you are relatively travel sophisticated. I would recommend the Elizabethan line to get yourselves into London. The Heathrow Express is unnecessarily expensive and is not that much easier/simpler.

6

:rofl: this is the one we took!

1 Like
7

The Elizabethan line to the airport is less than a decade old, so for a long, long time the Healthrow Express was the way to go. I think they just cornered the advertising market!

2 Likes
8

:smiley: I don’t know about sophisticated, but I did travel overseas a lot YEARS ago in the 1980s and 1990s, before my kids were born.

Now I’m daydreaming about squeezing in a London show on our day of debarkation, which should get us tired enough to sleep on the flight home the next day. Hmmmmmm…

4 Likes
9

I really wanted to do this but couldn’t fit it in!

1 Like
10

No sleeping on the flight home! Stayyy awakeeee (queue Mary Poppins!)

1 Like