Iona and Britannia departing same date

[Ginb56]

Hi folks. We’re booked on Britannia for 26 Sept 2020 from Southampton and now realise Iona is departing on the same day for her 14 day Canaries trip. So slight concerns over how the port will handle all those thousands of passengers simultaneously! Would they use both Ocean and Mayflower or stagger arrivals for both ships somehow? We use a hotel cruise package so don’t need to worry about port parking but I imagine it’ll be rather busy for those parking at the port. Any thoughts please as we might consider changing cruises if it’s going to be a bit of a nightmare embarking. I’m hoping P&O have a plan...

[Rupert2251]

They will be in different berths, it will be no different than when any other cruise ship is in port.

[Rupert2251]

Crown Princess is also in port that day.

[pete14]

There should be no problem. It is not unusual for two or three ships, admittedly smaller than Iona and Britannia, to leave Southampton on the same day. They will use different terminals and will probably follow each other down the Solent at around 5:00. Absolutely no reason to consider cancelling.

[winman14]

When we depart on the 23rd May on Iona we have Brittania, Ventura & Anthem of the Seas all in port on change around days! All will be fine and it will be exciting to have a precession of ships leaving that day.

[Rupert2251]

We also have Iona and Ventura when we sail on Britannia in Sept, we would of had Independence  of the Seas as well but she was pulled out of Europe. Like you say it is nice to see all of the ships sailing down the water.

[terrierjohn]

I imagine that Britannia will use Mayflower but I hope for the returning passengers that they have increased the size of the luggage hall by then, it was chaos when we returned on Aurora from a 19 day cruise earlier this year, so I shudder to think how they will cope with nearly 4000 passengers and their luggage.

[daveoc]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I imagine that Britannia will use Mayflower but I hope for the returning passengers that they have increased the size of the luggage hall by then, it was chaos when we returned on Aurora from a 19 day cruise earlier this year, so I shudder to think how they will cope with nearly 4000 passengers and their luggage.

We came back on Ventura from a 35 nighter in March so you can imagine the luggage on that. Chaos doesn't describe it, it was shameful that P&O allowed it to happen and I'm surprised there were not people hurt in the crush in the luggage hall.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, daveoc said:

We came back on Ventura from a 35 nighter in March so you can imagine the luggage on that. Chaos doesn't describe it, it was shameful that P&O allowed it to happen and I'm surprised there were not people hurt in the crush in the luggage hall.

Surely this has something to do with the port authorities as well. It’s their staff in the hall not P&O

[terrierjohn]

41 minutes ago, daiB said:

Surely this has something to do with the port authorities as well. It’s their staff in the hall not P&O

It really does not matter who is to blame, but P&O and ABP need to sort out the inadequate size of the Mayflower luggage hall now that this terminal is regularly used by ships with 3000-4000 passengers.

Edited October 5, 2019 by terrierjohn

[amajaa]

On 10/5/2019 at 9:21 AM, terrierjohn said:

I imagine that Britannia will use Mayflower but I hope for the returning passengers that they have increased the size of the luggage hall by then, it was chaos when we returned on Aurora from a 19 day cruise earlier this year, so I shudder to think how they will cope with nearly 4000 passengers and their luggage.

Iona will have 5200 passengers.

 

We have two cruises booked on Iona and have booked the coach travel option for both, that way if there is chaos parking we won’t have to worry. 

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, amajaa said:

Iona will have 5200 passengers.

 

We have two cruises booked on Iona and have booked the coach travel option for both, that way if there is chaos parking we won’t have to worry. 

I doubt that Iona will be required to use Mayflower terminal, at least I hope not until it undergoes a major upgrade.

[AndyMichelle]

On 10/5/2019 at 9:21 AM, terrierjohn said:

I imagine that Britannia will use Mayflower but I hope for the returning passengers that they have increased the size of the luggage hall by then, it was chaos when we returned on Aurora from a 19 day cruise earlier this year, so I shudder to think how they will cope with nearly 4000 passengers and their luggage.

I wonder if Britannia will now use City terminal now Indy won't be here anymore soon? 

I agree John, Mayflower struggles with medium sized ships, let alone the biggies. 

Andy 

[terrierjohn]

32 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wonder if Britannia will now use City terminal now Indy won't be here anymore soon? 

I agree John, Mayflower struggles with medium sized ships, let alone the biggies. 

Andy 

I think RCI, who paid for city terminal to be redeveloped, might have something to say about this, and maybe Carnival would not want to ask. It would also need all Britannia cruises to use this terminal otherwise the differing car parking systems would create problems, and in summer RCI would want to keep weekends free for their ships.

[amajaa]

Interestingly we have never found a problem when parking at Mayflower. Ocean on the other hand we have had to queue in the holding car park. 

[brian1]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I think RCI, who paid for city terminal to be redeveloped, might have something to say about this, and maybe Carnival would not want to ask. It would also need all Britannia cruises to use this terminal otherwise the differing car parking systems would create problems, and in summer RCI would want to keep weekends free for their ships.

Ah,I can see now why our Marella cruise in Sept sailed and arrived back on a Wednesday at City terminal.

[terrierjohn]

16 minutes ago, amajaa said:

Interestingly we have never found a problem when parking at Mayflower. Ocean on the other hand we have had to queue in the holding car park. 

You're lucky never to have queued, even though Mayflower does not have the Ocean holding car park we have had to queue before being allowed to proceed to the unloading area.

However using P4C there is no queuing at all, just a leisurely saunter back from the short stay car park.

[BrianI]

Ocean terminal was closed earlier this year for upgrades, notably LNG refuelling facility for Iona. I don’t think there is any LNG refuelling at the other terminals at the moment so Iona must berth at Ocean. Normally Britannia berths at Ocean but if both are in together then Britannia will have to go to Mayflower. It will become more of a problem when the second LNG ship arrives in 2022.

 

Brian

[majortom10]

We are sailing on QM2 in November from Southampton and we are embarking at City Terminal so Carnival i.e. Cunard definitely and P&O possibly do use City Terminal on occasions.

[Sotonian]

On 10/7/2019 at 12:20 PM, AndyMichelle said:

I wonder if Britannia will now use City terminal now Indy won't be here anymore soon? 

I agree John, Mayflower struggles with medium sized ships, let alone the biggies. 

Andy 

Ll

 

On 10/7/2019 at 12:20 PM, AndyMichelle said:

I wonder if Britannia will now use City terminal now Indy won't be here anymore soon? 

I agree John, Mayflower struggles with medium sized ships, let alone the biggies. 

Andy 

Basically the Mayflower terminal cannot cope with the extra luggage on the longer cruise trips

We came off the Azura last month which was 19 nights and were told that we would have to wait a little longer for our disembarkation time which was just over the hour as there were approximately over 16,000 items of luggage to be offloaded 

The porter who helped with our cases said that when the Iona comes into service, the Mayflower will be used by Britannia when both in port

As you say that the Independence will not be here next year, but can’t see P&O using City  berth, normally used for RC ships, as the Explorer of the Seas will still be operating here and also the return of the Anthem of the Seas

[terrierjohn]

46 minutes ago, Sotonian said:

Ll

 

Basically the Mayflower terminal cannot cope with the extra luggage on the longer cruise trips

We came off the Azura last month which was 19 nights and were told that we would have to wait a little longer for our disembarkation time which was just over the hour as there were approximately over 16,000 items of luggage to be offloaded 

The porter who helped with our cases said that when the Iona comes into service, the Mayflower will be used by Britannia when both in port

As you say that the Independence will not be here next year, but can’t see P&O using City  berth, normally used for RC ships, as the Explorer of the Seas will still be operating here and also the return of the Anthem of the Seas

I think only Anthem will be in Southampton next year, but even so I doubt that Britannia will use it, but I could be proved wrong. 

If it does and P&O passengers get a taste for just how much easier and faster City terminal copes with both embarkation and disembarkation, then I suspect the complaint level will reach Alpine proportions.

[Britboys]

On 10/7/2019 at 5:26 PM, majortom10 said:

We are sailing on QM2 in November from Southampton and we are embarking at City Terminal so Carnival i.e. Cunard definitely and P&O possibly do use City Terminal on occasions.

I suspect it is only on the odd occasion when there is no other option.  Assuming this is the 3rd November, there are 4 ships in but they are all Carnival brands.  Ventura is in Berth 46/Ocean Terminal, Aurora is at 106/Mayflower Terminal, and Queen Elizabeth at 38/QE2 Terminal.