Southampton Embarkation Experience

[buchanan101]

We arrived about an hour before recommended time (timing of ferries from Isle of Wight). Check in was very quick. We were in QG. Early probably works..

[Victoria2]

On 4/27/2023 at 5:04 PM, 4-2-N-8 said:

Great. TY. I presume at check in, passengers are identified by said staterooms then managed accordingly?

 

Want to avoid every queue and mass crowd possible. 

 

Much appreciated. 

We have an arrival time of 12.30pm  for our next cruise. but in keeping with 'arrive earlier' mantra, we will arrive around noon as we don't want hours waiting in the embarkation lounge.  I anticipate 1pm or later boarding, and we will be amongst the first to board, the same as last August.

[exlondoner]

38 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

We have an arrival time of 12.30pm  for our next cruise. but in keeping with 'arrive earlier' mantra, we will arrive around noon as we don't want hours waiting in the embarkation lounge.  I anticipate 1pm or later boarding, and we will be amongst the first to board, the same as last August.

Yes, we have 12.30 too, and will do much the same, though, even from as close as Bournemouth, it is strangely hard to predict how long it will take to get to Southampton.

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Yes, we have 12.30 too, and will do much the same, though, even from as close as Bournemouth, it is strangely hard to predict how long it will take to get to Southampton.

Allowing for traffic situations is why I think 'arrival time'' is a bit fluid.

 

Embarkation time [usually] isn't.

 

 

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Allowing for traffic situations is why I think 'arrival time'' is a bit fluid.

 

Embarkation time [usually] isn't.

 

 

Well, embarkation time is dependent on how long it takes to get the ship ready, which seems to be a bit longer these days. Over the years we have been on at 11.30, and later than 1, during Covid. One time, unusually, we were let on and told to wait in the QG lounge, but snuck off on Deck 7, to find our cabin ready, apart from the chocolates.

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Well, embarkation time is dependent on how long it takes to get the ship ready, which seems to be a bit longer these days. Over the years we have been on at 11.30, and later than 1, during Covid. One time, unusually, we were let on and told to wait in the QG lounge, but snuck off on Deck 7, to find our cabin ready, apart from the chocolates.

Sorry, I was referring to timed slots for guests, not embarkation Cunard time.

 

eg, just because you arrive early, doesn't mean you will [necessarily] be allowed to board outside your 'grade slot'.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Sorry, I was referring to timed slots for guests, not embarkation Cunard time.

 

eg, just because you arrive early, doesn't mean you will [necessarily] be allowed to board outside your 'grade slot'.

Quite. That time we were let on and told to wait in a lounge was, I think, because the terminal was getting very crowded.

[Victoria2]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

Quite. That time we were let on and told to wait in a lounge was, I think, because the terminal was getting very crowded.

We boarded 11.30am on QE once and were told to wait on deck 11. I dropped off hand luggage and the cabin was ready so we went down and settled in.

Last August, the post check in lounge was so full, it was standing room only by 12.45pm and there were a few short tempers, which of course, gets you nowhere.

That was at the Mayflower terminal. It's a bit claustrophobic and not my first choice of terminal! 👎

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Yes, we have 12.30 too, and will do much the same, though, even from as close as Bournemouth, it is strangely hard to predict how long it will take to get to Southampton.

I have been reading that the journey time to Southampton is unpredictable. 

 

As much as I'd prefer to stay in London until the morning of QM2 departure, I'm half inclined to stay night before in Southampton.

 

The only thing holding me back is accommodation options.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

I have been reading that the journey time to Southampton is unpredictable. 

 

As much as I'd prefer to stay in London until the morning of QM2 departure, I'm half inclined to stay night before in Southampton.

 

The only thing holding me back is accommodation options.

What date?

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Sorry, I was referring to timed slots for guests, not embarkation Cunard time.

 

eg, just because you arrive early, doesn't mean you will [necessarily] be allowed to board outside your 'grade slot'.

Well, if I must stand in the dock at Southampton, I'll have John's song on repeat in my mind, even if going to America versus Holland or France. 😄

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

What date?

I'm a planner.

 

I have two crossings booked, one in autumn 2024 and the other in spring 2025. For the first journey, stateroom in front of the ship. For the second journey, stateroom is aft.

 

Going to compare the season and the staterooms for future travel.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

I'm a planner.

 

I have two crossings booked, one in autumn 2024 and the other in spring 2025. For the first journey, stateroom in front of the ship. For the second journey, stateroom is aft.

 

Going to compare the season and the staterooms for future travel.

Well, the journey time by road may be unpredictable, by rail on a weekday it should be all right, unless it is a strike day. I was actually talking about the time from Bournemouth, which is close to Southampton, but on the two-lane A31, which is very prone to delays.

[Victoria2]

21 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

I have been reading that the journey time to Southampton is unpredictable. 

 

As much as I'd prefer to stay in London until the morning of QM2 departure, I'm half inclined to stay night before in Southampton.

 

The only thing holding me back is accommodation options.

If I could post photos without 'us' in them [or post photos full stop 😁] I'd post some of a Marina suite at the Southampton Harbour and Spa hotel.

This link might do instead. https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton/rooms

 

August temps were very pleasant to utilise the balcony [think small terrace rather than just balcony]. Not sure we'd bother early Spring/late Autumn or Winter. The beds are the most comfortable ever experienced in a hotel and the young staff are exemplary in all aspects.

Not too keen on the casual dining restaurant, too noisy. Next time, we'll eat out.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

16 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

If I could post photos without 'us' in them [or post photos full stop 😁] I'd post some of a Marina suite at the Southampton Harbour and Spa hotel.

This link might do instead. https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton/rooms

 

August temps were very pleasant to utilise the balcony [think small terrace rather than just balcony]. Not sure we'd bother early Spring/late Autumn or Winter. The beds are the most comfortable ever experienced in a hotel and the young staff are exemplary in all aspects.

Not too keen on the casual dining restaurant, too noisy. Next time, we'll eat out.

That looks very interesting. Thank you.

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

That looks very interesting. Thank you.

 

[Victoria2]

Whooo Hooooo

 

Did it!

[techteach]

Ditto @Victoria2 We enjoyed the deck even in August.

[gentlemancruiser]

We are on QM2 Jun 23rd  I've embarked in NYC several times but not really familiar with Southampton embarkation procedures.  As a WC Platinum we've had a sepearate "grill area" in NYC to wait.  Do they have a "grill area" at the Mayflower terminal?  As a Britannia passenger I'm expecting we'll be given a 2pm or later time slot for embarkation. 

I'm trying to avoid being seated for hours in a crowded terminal.  Partner cannot be seated for long hours at a time.   

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, gentlemancruiser said:

We are on QM2 Jun 23rd  I've embarked in NYC several times but not really familiar with Southampton embarkation procedures.  As a WC Platinum we've had a sepearate "grill area" in NYC to wait.  Do they have a "grill area" at the Mayflower terminal?  As a Britannia passenger I'm expecting we'll be given a 2pm or later time slot for embarkation. 

I'm trying to avoid being seated for hours in a crowded terminal.  Partner cannot be seated for long hours at a time.   

There is a Grill area, but it is usually just a few rows of seats to wait in until the call comes. Diamonds and Plats are later, I think. Even during the worst of Covid, we weren’t seated for hours waiting. Much worse was standing waiting for the security queue to grind forward, exacerbated by it being a cold day, and people having to remove several layers.

[neeuqdrazil]

On 5/7/2023 at 9:10 AM, 4-2-N-8 said:

I'm a planner.

 

I have two crossings booked, one in autumn 2024 and the other in spring 2025. For the first journey, stateroom in front of the ship. For the second journey, stateroom is aft.

 

Going to compare the season and the staterooms for future travel.

 

I'm also a planner. 🙂

 

One of my TAs I took the train to Southampton the night before and stayed at a random hotel (I can't remember which one it was, but it was outside of the city itself), while the other, I stayed in London the last night and took the train to Soton the morning of embarkation. If you're taking the train, going the morning of is probably ok (if worst comes to worst, you can get on the National Express coach, which should only take a couple of hours) - just make sure that you check the schedule for the train you've booked. My last TA (when I stayed in London and took the train the morning of), the original train I had booked was scheduled to be replaced by a coach partway through the trip (so half by train, then at some random station switch to coach for the rest of the trip), so I rebooked onto a different train that was still running the entire way to Soton. (This was last November.) 

Edited May 9, 2023 by neeuqdrazil

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

6 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

 

I'm also a planner. 🙂

 

One of my TAs I took the train to Southampton the night before and stayed at a random hotel (I can't remember which one it was, but it was outside of the city itself), while the other, I stayed in London the last night and took the train to Soton the morning of embarkation. If you're taking the train, going the morning of is probably ok (if worst comes to worst, you can get on the National Express coach, which should only take a couple of hours) - just make sure that you check the schedule for the train you've booked. My last TA (when I stayed in London and took the train the morning of), the original train I had booked was scheduled to be replaced by a coach partway through the trip (so half by train, then at some random station switch to coach for the rest of the trip), so I rebooked onto a different train that was still running the entire way to Soton. (This was last November.) 

TY. I'll be arranging private car transfer.

[SPacificbound]

We have always stayed in Southampton the night before boarding and will do the same on our 2024 crossing on Queen Mary2.

[Victoria2]

14 hours ago, gentlemancruiser said:

We are on QM2 Jun 23rd  I've embarked in NYC several times but not really familiar with Southampton embarkation procedures.  As a WC Platinum we've had a sepearate "grill area" in NYC to wait.  Do they have a "grill area" at the Mayflower terminal?  As a Britannia passenger I'm expecting we'll be given a 2pm or later time slot for embarkation. 

I'm trying to avoid being seated for hours in a crowded terminal.  Partner cannot be seated for long hours at a time.   

I don't recall a specific area for Grills' folk to wait after check in but maybe we were in it and didn't realise. I find the Mayflower embarkation lounge a tad claustrophobic when it's crowded as it was last August when boarding was put back to 1pm.  Masks 'r us in crowds like that.

[Petulia]

On our last September cruise, we arrived at the Mayflower (which sounds better than it is!) between 12 and 1 it was very busy and very few empty seats left. We were told that boarding would commence at 1pm, which it did…..roughly. The QG passengers were called first and seemed to be seated in a specific area, but then we noticed a bit of a surge from other parts of the room. Hmm. 
 

After being called it was a very slow walk in a narrow corridor and Disney style zig zagging to reach security. 
 

I first visited the Mayflower terminal in 2001 and it doesn’t look as though it’s been  updated since then. We very much prefer the newer Ocean Terminal which Cunard use to use.