DISEMBARKATION IN SOUTHAMPTON

[hammsbear]

I’ll be on the 10/12/23 Getaway cruise out of Southampton returning to Southampton on 10/22. I need to be on a flight at 9:15 to Barcelona to hop on another ship. I’m a little confused because I was told by another cruiser that since the ship is due in at 5 am you should be able to get off by 6 am. I called NCL just to confirm and was told disembarkation time between 10-11??? I’ve been on over 75 cruises and have never gotten off that late on any of them . Is this something with the Southampton port?. Going to make a huge difference depending on when I can get off. Anyone familiar with Southampton ( which I’ve been to a number of times but was never in a rush to get off) with advice on times would be greatly appreciated!

[julig22]

I like NCL but NEVER believe what the call-center rep says about ship specifics.  Unless they have actually sailed they probably don't know.  Either stating a general policy or simply making up answers.

Last time I disembarked in London, the posted Self-Assist time started at 5:45 am. First NCL airport shuttle was 6:15 to LGW, 6:30 to LHR.  Priority tags 7am.

I think it took us about an hour to get to LHR but it was a Sunday morning, no traffic. So you are definitely cutting it close, even if everything is on schedule.

[UKstages]

i disembarked from the prima in southampton a few weeks ago.

 

arrived around 6 AM. some confusion with the gangway being too steep; they changed decks and went one lower. first off was closer to 8.  a 9:15 am flight, even if you were able to get off by 7 am, which is unlikely, is ambitious or foolhardy, depending how you look at it.

 

also, we had an oversea enroute immigration clearance onboard the ship a few days before arrival, which allowed us to just walk off the ship. assuming you have the same, or immigration clearance is not necessary,  i think the earliest you'd be off the ship, taking advantage of self assist, is 7:30 am, but it could be well past 8 am. 

Edited June 19, 2023 by UKstages

[tony s]

Only way to make it is if flying out of Southampton 

[KeithJenner]

I’m fairly sure there aren’t flights from Southampton to Barcelona so the OP is most likely talking about Heathrow or Gatwick.

 

It things go very well and it is a weekend then they could probably get to Heathrow by about 8am. On a weekday you would need to add about an hour. It’s possible to make a 9.15 flight, but I wouldn’t want to be trying this.

[UKstages]

conservatively, a car, taxi or bus to LHR, with no traffic, is 90 minutes... more like an hour and 45 minutes under normal conditions... two hours and fifteen minutes with heavy traffic.

[KeithJenner]

19 minutes ago, UKstages said:

also, we had an oversea enroute immigration clearance onboard the ship a few days before arrival, which allowed us to just walk off the ship. assuming you have the same, or immigration clearance is not necessary,  i think the earliest you'd be off the ship, taking advantage of self assist, is 7:30 am, but it could be well past 8 am. 

It is possible to get off very quickly in Southampton. Last time we were there we docked at about 5am and we were able to get off at 6am. We have always had very similar experiences there.

 

However, it does seem to be rather less reliable these days and I have heard a few stories of slower disembarkation, so you can’t rely on it.

[ziggyuk]

Can't see it's possible, the travel time to LHR, the time needed to get trough LHR, it's just not going to happen for a 9.15 flight.
A local flight from Bournemouth to Barcelona might be doable as its a tiny airport but not LHR.

[insidecabin]

12 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i disembarked from the prima in southampton a few weeks ago.

 

arrived around 6 AM. some confusion with the gangway being too steep; they changed decks and went one lower. first off was closer to 8.  a 9:15 am flight, even if you were able to get off by 7 am, which is unlikely, is ambitious or foolhardy, depending how you look at it.

 

also, we had an oversea enroute immigration clearance onboard the ship a few days before arrival, which allowed us to just walk off the ship. assuming you have the same, or immigration clearance is not necessary,  i think the earliest you'd be off the ship, taking advantage of self assist, is 7:30 am, but it could be well past 8 am. 

 

Southampton horizon terminal has a very modern airbridge with a very long zigzag to lessen a slope.

 

Someone messed up if they got that wrong to be too steep.

 

Agree with 9:15 to BCN which airport don't think there did anything from Southampton

Bournemouth is next closest.

[KeithJenner]

2 minutes ago, UKstages said:

conservatively, a car, taxi or bus to LHR, with no traffic, is 90 minutes... more like an hour and 45 minutes under normal conditions... two hours and fifteen minutes with heavy traffic.

It really depends on the day. Early morning on a weekend it can be done in around 75 minutes (it's 60 miles, almost all motorway), but during the week it can easily be double that.

[UKstages]

somebody on the prima crew messed up?

 

say it isn't so!

 

they are generally paragons of accuracy, virtue and honor.

[insidecabin]

2 minutes ago, UKstages said:

conservatively, a car, taxi or bus to LHR, with no traffic, is 90 minutes... more like an hour and 45 minutes under normal conditions... two hours and fifteen minutes with heavy traffic.

Not unknown for M3 to get blocked there has been ongoing roadworks that will probably still not be finished in October.

[KeithJenner]

Just now, insidecabin said:

Not unknown for M3 to get blocked there has been ongoing roadworks that will probably still not be finished in October.

Yeah, I meant to mention roadworks in my last post as another possible problem. That obviously slows you even at the weekend.

[UKstages]

well, we still don't know which airport the OP will be flying from.

 

my recent data point: an NCL bus transfer from southampton  to LHR on 4 june took 95 minutes. BUT that was on a sunday at 8:30 am or so.

[insidecabin]

57 minutes ago, hammsbear said:

I’ll be on the 10/12/23 Getaway cruise out of Southampton returning to Southampton on 10/22. I need to be on a flight at 9:15 to Barcelona to hop on another ship. I’m a little confused because I was told by another cruiser that since the ship is due in at 5 am you should be able to get off by 6 am. I called NCL just to confirm and was told disembarkation time between 10-11??? I’ve been on over 75 cruises and have never gotten off that late on any of them . Is this something with the Southampton port?. Going to make a huge difference depending on when I can get off. Anyone familiar with Southampton ( which I’ve been to a number of times but was never in a rush to get off) with advice on times would be greatly appreciated!

10am-11am is the regular embarkation time.

 

NCL try to kick everyone off early, when going well they are nearly done by 10am.

 

No zero count needed in the UK most cruises.

Edited June 19, 2023 by insidecabin

[luv2kroooz]

Southampton is a very large port with multiple terminals. You need to make sure you know which terminal your ship is using and then line up your transportation accordingly. No time for delay with such a tight connection. Good luck.

[insidecabin]

1 minute ago, luv2kroooz said:

Southampton is a very large port with multiple terminals. You need to make sure you know which terminal your ship is using and then line up your transportation accordingly. No time for delay with such a tight connection. Good luck.

Rare NCL won't be using Horizon unless multiple NCL ships or MSC grab it first.

 

Guess what MSC have grabbed Horizon  22 Oct 2023.

Getaway is relegated to Ocean terminal

 

City next to Horizon  was the other regular NCL terminal, Celebrity have got that.

 

4 ships in the 22 Oct 2023 busy but as a Sunday not as bad as mid week.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Southampton is a very large port with multiple terminals. You need to make sure you know which terminal your ship is using and then line up your transportation accordingly. No time for delay with such a tight connection. Good luck.

If you have a car hire, you specify a ship versus a berth. Not important if you are just getting into a taxi (expensive, but less than a private car hire). In any case, the OP will be challenged to get to the airport in time to make that flight. The last time we had a private car from Southampton. The driver had to stop at a rest stop to go to the loo. His tip went down significantly. 

[hlperez]

There's no way to make a 9.15 flight from any London airport.  Even a 11.15 flight would be a tight squeeze.

[UKstages]

part of the problem with southampton is that NCL insists on referring to it as "london" (which it is not) and so many assume it is an easy and quick transfer to the airport (which it is not). and that may influence some people's choice of flights.

 

when you book the the NCL transfer from southampton, they will not let you book it if your flight is prior to 12 pm, if the ship is scheduled to arrive at 6 am. i assume if the ship is scheduled to arrive at 5 am, they would not let you book a transfer if your flight is before 11 am, and so on.

[Asawi]

Borrowing this thread since it seems the OP's questions has pretty much been answered with "no, you probably won't make it"

I will disembark from Star in Southampton Oct 23 and my flight out of Gatwick (to Sweden) is 13.15. Should be enough time, but I still got worried reading here. I plan to handle my own small bag, walk to the train station (10-15 minutes) and grab a train (around 2 hours).If I get off the ship at 7-7.30 (or earlier!) I'd have plenty of time. I wasn't worried at all until I saw mentions of 8-9 am in this thread.  I know there is no garantee and sometimes sh.. happens. But would that 8-9 time be a common ocurrence or more of an exception?

Maybe booking an NCL transfer would be a better idea? (I suspect it's way overpriced, but sometimes spending some €£$ for peace of mind is worth it...)

[The Traveling Man]

On 6/19/2023 at 2:58 PM, hammsbear said:

I’ll be on the 10/12/23 Getaway cruise out of Southampton returning to Southampton on 10/22. I need to be on a flight at 9:15 to Barcelona to hop on another ship. I’m a little confused because I was told by another cruiser that since the ship is due in at 5 am you should be able to get off by 6 am. I called NCL just to confirm and was told disembarkation time between 10-11??? I’ve been on over 75 cruises and have never gotten off that late on any of them . Is this something with the Southampton port?. Going to make a huge difference depending on when I can get off. Anyone familiar with Southampton ( which I’ve been to a number of times but was never in a rush to get off) with advice on times would be greatly appreciated!

We have sailed into Southampton several times.  Some disembarkations have gone more smoothly than others.  Even under the most favorable conditions, however, as others have said, it is virtually impossible to make it to either Heathrow or Gatwick in time for a 9:15 AM flight.  Most airlines ask that you arrive at the airport three hours before departure for an international flight.  Remember that you may encounter traffic on the highway, you'll need to check your luggage, get your boarding pass, go through security, and walk to your departure gate which may be quite some distance from the security checkpoint.

[ziggyuk]

4 hours ago, Asawi said:

Borrowing this thread since it seems the OP's questions has pretty much been answered with "no, you probably won't make it"

I will disembark from Star in Southampton Oct 23 and my flight out of Gatwick (to Sweden) is 13.15. Should be enough time, but I still got worried reading here. I plan to handle my own small bag, walk to the train station (10-15 minutes) and grab a train (around 2 hours).If I get off the ship at 7-7.30 (or earlier!) I'd have plenty of time. I wasn't worried at all until I saw mentions of 8-9 am in this thread.  I know there is no garantee and sometimes sh.. happens. But would that 8-9 time be a common ocurrence or more of an exception?

Maybe booking an NCL transfer would be a better idea? (I suspect it's way overpriced, but sometimes spending some €£$ for peace of mind is worth it...)

 

Take the train to Gatwick it's 2 hours and you should have plenty of time to make a 13.15 flight, heck you might even make the recommended 3 hours before and enjoy a lounge.

£20PP ticket booked on Trainline in advance.

[KeithJenner]

4 hours ago, Asawi said:

Borrowing this thread since it seems the OP's questions has pretty much been answered with "no, you probably won't make it"

I will disembark from Star in Southampton Oct 23 and my flight out of Gatwick (to Sweden) is 13.15. Should be enough time, but I still got worried reading here. I plan to handle my own small bag, walk to the train station (10-15 minutes) and grab a train (around 2 hours).If I get off the ship at 7-7.30 (or earlier!) I'd have plenty of time. I wasn't worried at all until I saw mentions of 8-9 am in this thread.  I know there is no garantee and sometimes sh.. happens. But would that 8-9 time be a common ocurrence or more of an exception?

Maybe booking an NCL transfer would be a better idea? (I suspect it's way overpriced, but sometimes spending some €£$ for peace of mind is worth it...)

I have disembarked in Southampton a number of times and self assist has always started very soon after the published arrival time. Always within an hour of that time.

 

However, I have heard of more occasions lately where immigration have become involved for whatever reason, so maybe there is more chance of delays now.

[McGarrett5oh]

I’m wondering if anyone in this this thread EMBARKED from Southampton and has any tips regarding the check in process for our upcoming Prima cruise in the Haven?