Turn around day in Southampton

[AndyTheK]

We just booked a B2B for 2014. Embarkation, Debarkation and turnaround are all in Southampton. I've read here that when turnaround is in a US port, you are required to leave the ship (though only for a short time).

 

What's the situation or the UK? Can we stay aboard while the crew does its thing? We have the same cabin for both legs.

 

Also, since the total length of the B2B is 28 (11+17) days, are there any unusual entry/exit considerations? We travel on US passports.

 

TIA and shalom from Tel Aviv.

[hillslife]

We are doing this exact thing in April. I will let you know when we get back....unless you get an expert answer before then...

[silvaner]

I have done it on the Crown Princess. Provided that the previous port was a European one you have no immigration obligations. You can stay in your cabin or wonder around the ship. It is a fantastic opportunity to take photos of the public rooms without any passengers in the way and even take a peek at the suites while they are empty.

 

If you want you can go into Southampton and do some shopping etc. Princess normally provides a free crew shuttle bus to West Quay shopping mall. If you do not want to ride on that, you could always take a taxi. Before you leave the ship, you should get an in-transit pass from Guest Services which will allow you to bypass the embarkation lines.

[skynight]

We did this turnaround at Southhampton. We choose to leave the ship and walk to the downtown shopping area, which was very nice. The walk is a good distance. Taxis are also available. We were provided with an intransit card. We actually returned to the pier prior to the start of general boarding. We were directed to a special gate where we walked right on through, we did not have to wait. Would recommend looking around, it's a nice town.

[2Canucks]

Princess offers some tours for "B2Ber's only" on the turnaround day.

 

We did "The Stonehenge Tour" last time and will be doing "The Winchester" tour this time. No hassle and No fear we'll miss the ship's departure. There are other tour options offered as well but the above were the 2 we picked. The tours are also a great way to see some english countryside/villages along the way.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :D

 

Pat :)

[woohooTOO]

We just booked a B2B for 2014. Embarkation, Debarkation and turnaround are all in Southampton. I've read here that when turnaround is in a US port, you are required to leave the ship (though only for a short time).

 

What's the situation or the UK? Can we stay aboard while the crew does its thing? We have the same cabin for both legs.

 

Also, since the total length of the B2B is 28 (11+17) days, are there any unusual entry/exit considerations? We travel on US passports.

 

TIA and shalom from Tel Aviv.

I believe that we booked the same two cruises yesterday. Good information to have.

[AndyTheK]

Thanks for all the answers. We've done touring in the UK before, and the thought of just having the ship to ourselves sounds fantastic!

 

I believe that we booked the same two cruises yesterday. Good information to have.

 

Hey great!!! I think it's just a little early to start roll calls this far in advance... probably do it in a week or do if nobody else does.

 

Shalom. Andy.

[cnd crsr]

Something we did last spring (on turn around day) was take a taxi to the new Titanic Museum. It was interesting and we still were back on board well before the new passengers came on.

[Mike11]

2Canucks, were the Southampton shore excursions for those on B2Bs offered on the ship only? This year we are doing a TA followed by a British Isles cruise and have a turn-around day in Southampton. I have looked at the Princess Personalizer, but it only shows transfers to airports. Thanks for any info.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

Princess offers some tours for "B2Ber's only" on the turnaround day.

 

We did "The Stonehenge Tour" last time and will be doing "The Winchester" tour this time. No hassle and No fear we'll miss the ship's departure. There are other tour options offered as well but the above were the 2 we picked. The tours are also a great way to see some english countryside/villages along the way.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :D

 

Pat :)

Pat,

My TA and the Princess 1 800 folks have not been able to give me any information regarding a tour on a turn around day. We have B2B on the Ruby coming up. I would appreciate any further information you might have on ship sponsored tours on a turnaround day in Southampton. I also asked the same question on another thread. Many thanks in advance. Patric :)

[Hlitner]

We have a turnaround day in Southampton next month...but it is on a Sunday! The last time we had one of these days we had friends, who live in Brighton, drive up and take us out to a nice pub. But this time, we will probably just stay on the ship. Walking to the central shopping area might be fun, if the weather cooperates, but just about everything will be closed :(.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Pat,

My TA and the Princess 1 800 folks have not been able to give me any information regarding a tour on a turn around day. We have B2B on the Ruby coming up. I would appreciate any further information you might have on ship sponsored tours on a turnaround day in Southampton. I also asked the same question on another thread. Many thanks in advance. Patric :)

 

Hi Pat,

We happen to be on the same cruise but are puzzled by your question. If you simply log on to the Princess web site and pull up the "Cruise Personalizer" for our cruise, and then click on "reserve excursion" tab you will see that they have 8 tours posted for the day in Southampton. In fact, those tours have been posted for many months. They include things like a tours to Stonehenge, London, Windsor, etc.

 

Hank

Edited April 12, 2014 by Hlitner

[newport dave]

We have a turnaround day in Southampton next month...but it is on a Sunday! The last time we had one of these days we had friends, who live in Brighton, drive up and take us out to a nice pub. But this time, we will probably just stay on the ship. Walking to the central shopping area might be fun, if the weather cooperates, but just about everything will be closed :(.

 

Hank

 

The West Quay Mall will be open 1100-1700 on a Sunday, the pubs will be open all day too.

[caribill]

Hi Pat,

We happen to be on the same cruise but are puzzled by your question. If you simply log on to the Princess web site and pull up the "Cruise Personalizer" for our cruise, and then click on "reserve excursion" tab you will see that they have 8 tours posted for the day in Southampton. In fact, those tours have been posted for many months. They include things like a tours to Stonehenge, London, Windsor, etc.

 

 

If a B2B is booked under a single booking number, then the turnaround day tours will be available to you.

 

If a B2B is booked under two booking numbers, you will usually not see the tours for turnaround day.

Edited April 12, 2014 by caribill

[Hlitner]

The West Quay Mall will be open 1100-1700 on a Sunday, the pubs will be open all day too.

 

We actually were just talking about that mall and might hike over there is the weather is good. You might be interested to know that there is an Auntie Anne's Pretzel kiosk in that mall which is a business that was started by a couple that lives in our "neck of the woods." But you mention one of my favorite British words which is "Pub." Can you recommend any pubs with decent food (and we are not talking about bangers and mash) that are within walking distance of the port?

 

Hank

[cboyle]

From my review (http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=247192) of our slightly ill-fated Canary Islands/Transatlantic B2B last fall:

 

26 OCT (SAT) CRUISE DAY 12 SOUTHAMPTON AND BATH, UK (7:00AM – MIDNIGHT)

 

Our turnaround day dawned dark and rainy –- very, very rainy. We received our new cruise cards last night along with a letter stating that in-transit passengers (1) could leave the ship with the first group disembarking in the morning and (2) would not be required to attend the muster drill before sailing this afternoon. This was tremendously good news because we wanted to make an excursion to Bath. Our Cruise Critic friend, Bob (BobTroll) from the UK, had warned us that, earlier this summer in Southampton, Princess was not allowing in-transit passengers to leave the ship until mid-morning and was requiring them to be back on board an hour before sailing to attend the muster drill. Bob knew that with such a short port day, there would not be enough time to enjoy Bath because off the long (1-1/2 hours each way) train ride. Nevertheless, Bob graciously took the time to provide us with the train schedules for a trip to Bath as well as for two alternative destinations (Salisbury and Winchester) that are closer to the Southampton.

 

We were allowed to leave the ship at 7:05 a.m. By then the rain had stopped, although it would continue on and off all day. We quickly made the short (0.5 mile) walk from the Ocean Terminal, where the “Crown Princess” was docked, to the stop for the free shuttle bus from Ferry Terminal 1 to the Southampton Central Station. We had to wait for the 7:45 a.m. bus but the trip to the train station took less than 10 minutes.

 

Now we were especially glad that we had acquired a PenFed credit card that has the chip-and-PIN technology used throughout Europe. The ticket office was closed and we needed to buy our tickets from a ticket machine. Our other credit cards would not have worked in this machine; however, the PenFed card worked just fine and we soon had return tickets for the 8:10 a.m. train to Bath Spa. There were some delays, so our train arrived late at Southampton Central and was about 20 minutes late arriving in Bath Spa. (Hint: Be sure that you purchase tickets with the “Via Salisbury” option; tickets for trains that go through London cost twice as much.)

 

Our first sight in Bath (visitbath.co.uk) was Bath Abbey (2.5 GBP donation requested, http://www.bathabbey.org). This is a small Gothic church with gorgeous stained glass windows and fan-vaulted ceilings. We took the Tower Tour (6 GBP pp); there were only three of us on the 10:00 a.m. tour. This 212-step tour climbs up to the ringing chamber (where various machines currently and in the past used to operate the bells are on display) and the bell chamber. It continues to a spot atop the vaulted ceiling (where you can look through a peephole to the nave below) and to another spot behind the clock face. You also go out on the roof of the Abbey for great views of the town and to the balcony in front for views of the Abbey Church Yard. Our young guide, Holly, was very informative and gave us lots of fun facts and anecdotes about the ringing machines, the bells, the clock and the Abbey.

 

We visited the Abbey first because we thought it would be hard to get tickets later for the Tower Tour. However, the primary sight we wanted to see in Bath was the Roman Baths (http://www.romanbaths.co.uk). Admission to the Roman Baths (12.75 GBP pp, senior price) includes an audioguide. There are also animated exhibits and live actors portraying Romans (think Williamsburg in togas). The Romans built these opulent baths over 2000 years ago and they were built upon and renovated over the following centuries. In the 18th century, Bath was THE place to be for the rich and famous and there were many bathhouses built to accommodate them; there were also “Assembly Rooms” for those who wanted to socialize without getting wet.

 

There are various rooms at each end of the largest pool, the Great Bath: changing rooms, smaller pools of various temperatures and steam rooms. However, this complex was not just for bathing and socializing; it had important religious significance. Adjacent to the baths was a temple dedicated to the healing goddess Sulis Minerva. The water from her Sacred Spring (the only hot spring in the UK) flowed into all of the other pools. Portions of the temple pediment, altar and courtyard have been uncovered. The most impressive find is undoubtedly the gilded head from a statue of Sulis Minerva, which was discovered during the construction of a sewer in 1727. At the end of the tour, there is a fountain where visitors can taste (not awful despite the minerals) and touch the 46C water from the spring. Excavation is ongoing to find more artifacts and reveal more ruins of the baths/temple complex beneath the streets of Bath, so this site will continue to expand and change over time.

 

Bath is also celebrated for its 18th-century Georgian architecture. The two most famous examples are the blocks of identical row houses, the Circus and the Royal Crescent, designed by the John Wood the Elder and the Younger, respectively. After walking past these buildings, we went to see the Pulteney Bridge. This is one of the few bridges in the world that is lined with shops. In fact, it is so completely lined with shops that, from the street, there is no indication at all that you are on a bridge. However, we crossed the bridge and descended to the Riverside Walk along the Avon River. From here it obvious that the Pulteney Bridge is a bridge and there are some nice views of Bath Abbey. We crossed back over the river at North Parade Road and enjoyed some views of the Parade Gardens.

 

From there it was back to the train station for the 1:00 p.m. train to Southampton Central, the free shuttle bus to the ferry terminal and the short walk back to the ship. At 3:00 p.m., there were still a large number of people checking in for the cruise. Fortunately, our in-transit cards let us skip to the head of the long security queue. When we got back to our cabin, we found a letter from the Captain explaining that, because of the impending storm, we would not be departing from Southampton; instead, we would be remaining in port for 1-3 more days. The letter also mentioned that we would be receiving some sort of unspecified compensation. Thus it was likely that our cruise would be changing from 5 port days and 8 sea days to 2 port days and 11 sea days. I emailed to cancel our car rental for Sunday in Le Havre and to alert the wineries in Spain (which we had planned to visit on Tuesday) that we would probably miss our appointments with them.

 

Later in the evening, there was an announcement from the Captain about the weather forecast. Apparently the wind would increase to hurricane force by Sunday night, accompanied by heavy rain; the storm would probably pass out of this area by Monday afternoon. In anticipation of the storm, the ship would be moved from the Ocean Terminal to a more favorable location at the Mayflower Terminal. That way the expected high winds would blow the ship towards the dock instead of away from it. The new terminal is much farther from the city center than the Ocean Terminal, so Princess would be providing a free shuttle bus. The “Independence of the Seas,” however, departed for parts unknown.

 

During the night British Summer Time would be ending, so tonight we set the clocks back an hour to GMT.

 

27 OCT (SUN) CRUISE DAY 13: SOUTHAMPTON, UK

 

Today we were supposed to dock in Le Havre, France, from 7:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. John had rented a car and we had planned to drive to Mont St-Michel, with a possible side trip to Bayeux. Instead, we caught the Princess shuttle to the drop-off point on Harbour Parade, opposite the West Quay Shopping Centre. The shuttle was to run continuously from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. We intended to spend 3 or 4 hours in town, then return to the ship before the heavy rain started. As we left the port, we saw that the “Adventure of the Seas” was also docked at the Mayflower Terminal but closer to town.

 

We walked over to the East Park to see the memorial to the “Titanic” engineering officers and the nearby memorial to the “Titanic” musicians. Then we walked across West Park to the SeaCity Museum (http://www.seacitymuseum.co.uk; 7GBP pp, senior price for museum and special exhibition). The special exhibition showcased works made from cut paper. The paper was found paper or from old maps, books, currency, shopping bags, etc. John and I particularly liked the flock of birds cut from maps and “Stellar Spire in the Eagle Nebula” by Andrew Singleton, a large composition of black cut out patterns and suspended forms that was inspired by Hubble Telescope images of nebulae. I wondered whether another work, inspired by the 2012 tsunami in Japan, might be a good symbol for this leg of the cruise.

 

Because Southampton was the last port where she docked, the SeaCity Museum naturally has a large “Titanic” exhibit. There are a few artifacts from the passengers and crew but most of the artifacts are from the sister ships of the “Titanic.” An interesting graphic showed the amounts of various necessary provisions (coal, towels, shelled walnuts, oyster forks, celery glasses etc.) superimposed on an outline of the ship. Other good exhibits included a courtroom with audio dramatizations of testimony from the inquiry into the sinking and another that included reminiscences by survivors about the immediate aftermath of the sinking. The remainder of the museum deals with Southampton's history as a port city.

 

After the museum, we walked to the Bargate, the medieval entrance to the city, and climbed some sections and towers of the old city wall. Then we went to the Tesco in the West Quay Retail Park to pick up some inexpensive wine (Buy 3 get 15% off!) for those long sea days ahead. Back at the shuttle pick-up point, we had a short wait to board a bus back to the ship. At the Mayflower Terminal, we were confronted with an immense queue of passengers trying to pass through the security checkpoint. It turned out that only one metal detector and one parcel x-ray machine were available to screen the 900 passengers who had gone ashore. The Port Authority was not expecting to deal with cruise ship passengers on this day which was a Sunday to boot! They eventually found more staff and another x-ray machine and the line moved a little more quickly. Nevertheless, it was over an hour after we stepped off the bus until we stepped onto the ship.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

Hi Pat,

We happen to be on the same cruise but are puzzled by your question. If you simply log on to the Princess web site and pull up the "Cruise Personalizer" for our cruise, and then click on "reserve excursion" tab you will see that they have 8 tours posted for the day in Southampton. In fact, those tours have been posted for many months. They include things like a tours to Stonehenge, London, Windsor, etc.

 

Hank

 

Been there, done that! My Cruise Personalizer only lists a transfer to Heathrow.

I would be very happy to find this to be an option. Any other suggestions anyone? :confused:

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Been there, done that! My Cruise Personalizer only lists a transfer to Heathrow.

I would be very happy to find this to be an option. Any other suggestions anyone? :confused:

 

I just went onto our Princess personaliser and clicked on Southampton tours...... It is the same... can only get the transfer via Buckingham Palace. We booked as two separate tours so maybe that is the problem. I would ring your TA or Princess and see what they can do for you.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Billy and Charlie's Mum

[Hlitner]

Ok, I went back and clicked through the offerings and the Personalizer is a bit cryptic. It lists all the regional sites but when you try to get to the actual excursion info it only lists one excursion (which is to Windsor). But when I click on that excursion is gives a beautiful description of the tour but then has some "Special Notes" at the bottom. When one reads through the "Special Notes" is says (in the fine print)

 

This tour is available to passengers disembarking in Southampton with flights departing Heathrow after 4pm.

 

So, one could conclude that there are actually no ship excursions available to those doing back to backs. One wonders why they list this excursion for us when we cannot take it, but I guess we have to realize that its on the Princess web site :). For those that like organized ship excursions (not us) you might hold out some hope that there will be some excursions offered aboard.

 

Hank

Edited April 13, 2014 by Hlitner

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

I just went onto our Princess personaliser and clicked on Southampton tours...... It is the same... can only get the transfer via Buckingham Palace. We booked as two separate tours so maybe that is the problem. I would ring your TA or Princess and see what they can do for you.

 

Drat! (or worse). :( I was hoping you or Hank would have the option to book a Stonehenge tour. Then I would know that was available. Since I posted the original query' date=' my TA got back to me and said[/font'] "As per Princess representative they have a tour on 5/11 that is only available to be booked onboard but they cannot give me any information on it." Not sure who to be upset with, my TA for not getting a definitive answer or Princess for husbanding information. Tomorrow I will try again with Princess direct. This close to sailing, it should be available. We will get there, it is a question when. I would like this detail to be settled. Thanks to you both for checking. See you both on board. Patric

 

A side for Hank. Back in the day,... I worked at NCAD, Mechanicsburg and met my bride while at Carlisle. :)

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

This close to sailing, it should be available. We will get there, it is a question when. I would like this detail to be settled. Thanks to you both for checking. See you both on board. Patric

 

I just checked the Princess website under available excursions for northern Europe and found that there are five excursions offered from Southampton that return passengers to the ship. Sadly these are still not available to book under the personalizer.

[caribill]

I just checked the Princess website under available excursions for northern Europe and found that there are five excursions offered from Southampton that return passengers to the ship. Sadly these are still not available to book under the personalizer.

 

Turnaround day excursions for B2B passengers are rarely available for booking before the first cruise starts.

 

There should be information about these tours available at the shore excursion desk once you board or within a couple of days of boarding.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

 

Turnaround day excursions for B2B passengers are rarely available for booking before the first cruise starts.

 

There should be information about these tours available at the shore excursion desk once you board or within a couple of days of boarding.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. About 60% of the CCers that responded said the same. The other 40% swore there were no tours on turnaround day!! I'm going to keep a happy thought and wait until we are aboard and head for the tour desk. Thanks again.