A day in Southampton?

[MrsPeel55]

We will be sailing from Rome. flying with Cunard, but a couple of days early as their original schedule would mean I would be extremely tired and in no condition to get through boarding,

Our sailing is 7 nights West Med, then disembarking in Southampton, for what I have read of many of you here, most of the time disembarking is early morning.

I have mobility issues, can move around a bit, still not completely wheelchair bound but have other health issues that mean I can't stand up for longer than a few minutes, can walk a bit with the crutches at home, sometimes 2, sometimes one, in a very, very good day I can do without, but after I had on Thursday evening two falls, one after another in our kitchen (which is quite small), I'm not keen on trying again, so at least one crutch is with me all the time.

So anything that wont require a lot of energy or queuing (even though some places do give priority to disabled people, pregnant women and the elderly, I think this is more common in Europe and around the world than what I have seen in almost 35 years in London) we would not hesitate if it wasn't for the manual wheelchair...

We have done a few places that have cobbled bits but also some flatter roads, can cope with my daughter pushing the chair reasonably, latest we did was a week in Seville in June and hardly ever got a taxi, only at the end of the day to go back to the hotel if we were far from the Alameda

At a glance, I see walking tours of the old town, I know the city's history and the Sea Museum are worth it, but considering we are coming back from a couple of days in Rome + 7 nights on Queen Victoria....all of the above considered:

 

Is it worth us staying the day and sleeping over going back to London outside the rush hour?

 

Is the Titanic model worth exploring/ accessible for wheelchair?

 

 what would you do in a day before getting a night sleep to return to Central London?

 

As always, grateful for any info/opinions.

[NE John]

We did the opposite, as many do, spend the day before sailing in Southhampton and enjoyed the maritime museum: https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/
With your concerns, email the museum; they were very helpful with my questions. The museum has an engrossing Titanic story and worth seeing. 
Also, make sure your hotel you choose also suits your mobility needs. The one we stayed in required us to walk to a next door building then up 12 steps - with luggage!  I’ve had four back surgeries myself and was not happy…

Good luck and great that you’re getting out and about. 

[MrsPeel55]

@NE John thanks so much!!!

yes, I think definitely worth staying then!!!!

Oh we always have a look at all the details before booking hotels, we discovered it by own experience like you did....

So sorry to hear about the surgeries....I know well how dealing with chronic pain can affect us... I had 9 operations as a child (birth to 8yo) didn't walk till I was 5, normal ish life, very active until I had pain in my knees when I was 15/16, family doctor said not to worry, take aspirin, there is an operation on experimental phase now, will be routine when you need it.

All of it was in South America, then in my early 40s (here in England) at one of London's best hospitals, a failed hip replacement followed by 3 more surgeries trying to fix the initial error which failed miserably, have been living with the consequences for 20 years 😞

Hope you have good pain relief to deal with it.

 

 

[NE John]

Lordy! I’m glad we both are out and about!!

[techteach]

@NE John Thanks for the link to the museum in Southampton! We’re doing a 19 day TA with 2 stops in Southampton. DH has already looked at the museum and added it to our itinerary. I assume we can get off the QM2, go to the museum, and then re-board. Hope all is well with you.

[NE John]

2 minutes ago, techteach said:

@NE John Thanks for the link to the museum in Southampton! We’re doing a 19 day TA with 2 stops in Southampton. DH has already looked at the museum and added it to our itinerary. I assume we can get off the QM2, go to the museum, and then re-board. Hope all is well with you.

Very easily. The museum is close to the docks for walking or a quick cab ride. 
 All is going well. 

[NE John]

3 hours ago, NE John said:

Very easily. The museum is close to the docks for walking or a quick cab ride. 
 All is going well. 

Looking at Google Maps, depending on which terminal, the museum is about two miles away. Taxi would work best. 
The museum was very close to rental car drop-off/pickup facility. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by NE John

[Lanky Lad]

If you are in Southampton overnight I recommend checking the Mayflower Theatre to see what's on. It can be a lovely start or end to your cruise. 

[MrsPeel55]

@Lanky Lad Stephen you are a star! Thanks!!!!! 

they ll have The Drifters Girl which we have not seen, now staying is definitively what we' ll do!!! 

[paulco]

There’s also a memorial to the Titanic engineers in the park right in town as well a nice small art museum.  Also it’s possible to walk the medieval walls in spots.  And you can have a pint at the Titanic Pub near the docks!

 

[MrsPeel55]

Thanks @paulco !!!

We are most definitely staying! 

[paulco]

You are welcome. I’ve really enjoyed Soton.

[NE John]

On 8/20/2023 at 10:02 AM, MrsPeel55 said:

@NE John thanks so much!!!

yes, I think definitely worth staying then!!!!

Oh we always have a look at all the details before booking hotels, we discovered it by own experience like you did....

So sorry to hear about the surgeries....I know well how dealing with chronic pain can affect us... I had 9 operations as a child (birth to 8yo) didn't walk till I was 5, normal ish life, very active until I had pain in my knees when I was 15/16, family doctor said not to worry, take aspirin, there is an operation on experimental phase now, will be routine when you need it.

All of it was in South America, then in my early 40s (here in England) at one of London's best hospitals, a failed hip replacement followed by 3 more surgeries trying to fix the initial error which failed miserably, have been living with the consequences for 20 years 😞

Hope you have good pain relief to deal with it.

 

 

@MrsPeel55 Thank you for sharing your story and I can truly empathize with my similar situation. My back surgeon took out the wrong disc leaving the bad one in my spine needing subsequent surgeries to correct the mistake leading to 20 years of pain too. In fact my first Crossing in 2008 was after my second corrective surgery; I wanted a week of calm and relaxation on QM2 -it was exactly what I needed.
But, we keep moving and don’t stop!

Also, Accupuncture from a reputable person in NYC has been a huge help for me. Try to find a good one in London. Also, I had a very beneficial reflexology session onboard my June Crossing and highly recommend that therapy. A Chinese woman named Zhan, I believe, was her name. Check out that therapy on your Med cruise. 
 

Edited August 22, 2023 by NE John

[MrsPeel55]

@NE John  we do indeed keep moving!!!! 

Oh the disc!!!! I feel you!!!!!

yes to alternative therapy, I did a few sessions of acupuncture at the Royal Homeopathic in London in the early 90s, it does indeed depends on getting the right professional, reflexology most definitely works for me, and we already have the massages in our list, didn't book before hand as we want to see how we feel, probably will do after a port day!

 

Can't wait to do a crossing, we are leaving to book on board so we get the perks...is the kind of cruising we enjoy, the sea life is what appeals to us the most.

One of my daughter's friends cruises Marella, we had a look here in the boards (wasn't among the ones we looked before we booked Cunard) the minute we saw is full of port's stops, we knew is not for us.

We have 5 itineraries that we want to cruise, but the crossing and something that will take us to Bruges are first on the list....  not long to go now for us to board!!! I also feel blessed with all of you who share your info and experiences (and put up with all my talking LOL!) it is making the whole thing a much better experience already ❤️

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by MrsPeel55
grammar horrors !

[tv24]

We spent the night in Southampton in a good hotel in the center.  We enjoyed walking up and down the high street and having a drink in the pub.  But the best part was an excellent dinner in Coriander, an outstanding South Asian restaurant on the high street.  Delicious.  It was a relaxing way to prepare for boarding the QM2 and we did not have to fuss with travel in and out of London.

[SwankPooch]

I will be doing a back-to back with Southampton as a turn-around port.  Where does Cunard usually dock?  Will it provide a shuttle for in-transit guests?  thanks

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, SwankPooch said:

I will be doing a back-to back with Southampton as a turn-around port.  Where does Cunard usually dock?  Will it provide a shuttle for in-transit guests?  thanks

At the moment it seems to be using the Mayflower Terminal mainly, unless there are two ships in. They provide shuttles.

[ExArkie]

6 hours ago, exlondoner said:

At the moment it seems to be using the Mayflower Terminal mainly, unless there are two ships in. They provide shuttles.

As I recall, walking from the Mayflower Terminal into the city is not allowed, so shuttles would be necessary.

[exlondoner]

20 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

As I recall, walking from the Mayflower Terminal into the city is not allowed, so shuttles would be necessary.

I saw people walking when we embarked. I can’t imagine anyone would want to though.

Edited August 23, 2023 by exlondoner

[terry&mike]

We have walked from the Mayflower Terminal to the Old Town area of Southampton, West Quay Mall, and around some other areas of town. 

[Winifred 22]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

As I recall, walking from the Mayflower Terminal into the city is not allowed, so shuttles would be necessary.

You can walk to and from Mayflower Horizon or City Terminal. On embarkation day you see plenty of folk trundling their suitcases either from the station or local hotels. Equally any transit folk could do it if thy wanted. For the price of a Taxi or a possible shuttle bus I personally would not walk. 

 

[Pushpit]

20 hours ago, ExArkie said:

As I recall, walking from the Mayflower Terminal into the city is not allowed, so shuttles would be necessary.

I normally do walk from the station or John Lewis to Mayflower, so far I've never taken a taxi in that direction (and only once in the other direction thanks to heavy rain). The section between Dock Gate 10 and the terminal building is a bit boring, and you need to choose which side of the road to walk due to various very slow roadwork projects. Sometimes it's a bit interesting, like seeing a neatly lined up series of Mr. Musk's vehicles recently imported into the UK. The only thing to note in the station to the Terminal station direction is that once you are by the Mayflower you are not allowed to cross the road immediately - and someone will stop you if you try. The crossing point is some way down, but there again so is the entrance for departing passengers, so it's quite sensible.

 

Dock Gate 10 to Mayflower is 1.2 km, Station to Mayflower is 1.6 km / 1 mile, and it wouldn't occur to me to take a taxi for a distance that short. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pushpit

[nybumpkin]

On 8/23/2023 at 7:47 AM, SwankPooch said:

I will be doing a back-to back with Southampton as a turn-around port.  Where does Cunard usually dock?  Will it provide a shuttle for in-transit guests?  thanks

When we sailed B2B in 2019, there was a shuttle that took us to the West Quay Mall. A number of crew members used the shuttle to go shopping while we were in port.

[frankp01]

4 hours ago, Pushpit said:

it wouldn't occur to me to take a taxi for a distance that short.

I realize that it's not the most scenic of a walk, but thanks for confirming that it can be done. I prefer to walk, when I can and there are suitable accommodations for walkers.

[Pushpit]

16 minutes ago, frankp01 said:

I realize that it's not the most scenic of a walk, but thanks for confirming that it can be done. I prefer to walk, when I can and there are suitable accommodations for walkers.

There is a pavement  / sidewalk through out, it is safe to walk it. Gate 10 is a bit impressive, dates from the 1930s, one vaguely expects the security staff would want to know what you are up to but just follow the sign through the pedestrian gate.

 

This is the last stretch of the walk, showing something interesting behind the Mayflower. But it is a good representation of what the rest of the walk looks like, and obviously a sense of anticipation as the vessel gets nearer......