Lothlorien

I will be arriving in Southampton via cruise ship on Wednesday, June 4th and should be able to disembark by 9:00 am. Does anyone know how long it will take to drive to Heathrow? Is a noon flight home realistic?

Thanks!

Lori

No .. we were at Heathrow 3 hours prior to our flight last week and it was just about enough time. You never know - they say be there 2 hrs ahead, but sometimes more is better. Lines were long to checkin and security is always a crap-shoot. If you are there early you can always shop or get something to eat (as we did), if you miss your flight you have one vast inconvenience.

janis

Arriving at 9AM at Southampton, I would not risk a flight earlier than 3 or 4 PM. it is only about a 2 hour drive - but traffic anywhere around LHR can be really bad and most transatlantic airlines are now requiring 2+ hours advance check-in, and some like Virgin require 3 hours.

Bootman4U

Is a cruise-ship-sponsored transfer an option for you or is it too expensive, etc., etc. You say driving so I assume you're the one doing it and you'd have to factor in the time to pick up and drop off a car.

Lothlorien

Janis - I'm trying to decide between Virgin & American flights, so that's good to know Virgin requires a 3hour advance check-in. I could take the cruise's bus to Heathrow, but wanted to know how much time to allot for the drive and check-in. Thanks for your input!

Angelika

Hi,

I drive from southampton to london and it takes no longer than 1 and a half hours. Heathrow is nearer and I guess would only take 1 and a quarter hours on a good run. Hopefully by the time you near heathrow the morning traffic should be quieter. I still wouldn't go for a noon flight though. I guess you would go M3/M25/M4 The M3 & M4 can be busy on the work run mornings and evenings. M25 can often be conjested, but it has never slowed me down too much. Be careful to keep to the variated speed limits as they are strictly enforced.

Angela