Paris to Southhampton to catch QM2

Any advice on getting from Paris to Southhampton, England to catch the Queen Mary 2? What is the cheapest way- train or by water? We are going to Paris on Oct 19th and plan to leave Paris early in the morning on the 25th to get to the ship by 3 or 4 that afternoon.(it leaves at 5pm for New York) Is this enough time? Have only been to London so any suggestions are welcomed.

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I can%26#39;t help a lot with the Paris -%26gt; London leg, but a search of a random Thursday from London Waterloo -%26gt; Southampton Central gives:

Depart 13:20 13:35 13:39 14:05 14:20

Arrive 14:40 14:49 15:16 15:22 15:40

Changes 1 0 0 0 1

Duration 1:20 1:14 1:37 1:17 1:20

See http://southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains closer to your time. Schedules will undoubtedly change before you go.

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Your most direct and most reliable means of making the transfer from Paris to Southampton, within the time you wish to allow will almost certainly be the EUROSTAR from PARIS-Gare du Nord to LONDON-Waterloo and then a South West Rail train from LONDON-Waterloo to SOUTHAMPTON-Central. You will %26#39;..gain..%26#39; one(1) hour of local time en-route on the time difference between Paris and England.

I%26#39;m not sure if there are any direct cross-Channel ferry sevice between France and Southampton any longer...but even if there were, weather on the intended day of travel could be a deciding factor in whether you make your siling or not.

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You can fly directly from CdeG Airport to Southampton Airport.

http://www.southamptonairport.com/

If you can get a suitable flight, this might be more expensive but the most convenient.

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The only problem with flying in is the 23kg luggage restriction. It%26#39;s strictly enforced (cabin bag can be up to 10kg though). If you can get all your cruise clothes in that size bag then it%26#39;s by far the easiest - and cheap if you book early to get the best prices. See www.flybe.com. The port is a short cab ride from the airport (10 - 15 minutes if traffic is clear).

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thanks to you all for your replies. I ended up bookiing a flight after comparing prices and it was cheaper and less time to fly rather than take the Eurostar, though maybe not as much fun. I got an e-ticket. Are these as reliable in Europe as the US? Do I need to call airline to double check?

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As noted...you REALLY DO need to pay attention to intra-European airline baggage size, weight and piece limits / restrictions. These limits are usually pretty conscienciously observed and enforced...and baggage overage fess can often exceed you airfare.

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