Southampton - B2B / Turnaround

[Shiba_Lover]

I have searched and found some older posts pre-covid and from around 2009 and 2015 with Southampton as the turnaround port for a B2B.

We are doing a B2B cruise with Southampton as the turnaround day, and wondering if the procedure is the same?  Has anyone done this recently?

 

We are not in the same cabin, so I know we will need to be packed up the night before (not real worried about if we can leave clothes hanging or need to pack those as well).  More can we leave the ship early, or are we waiting until it clears and are last off if we want to go ashore?

In retreat if that makes any difference.

[pennys mum]

We did one in August. There is a letter telling you the procedure that arrived in cabin two days prior. We went to quasar. Swiped card and they were taken off us. There was a table with new passes which we were given and then we swiped them in. We could get off ship once we collected a transit pass.

[Jim_Iain]

We did it last year and the year before.    Both times it was the regular B2B process. 

 

Unlike many ports they usually put on a B2B tour or two.    When we did it the first time they had one B2B Tour to Windsor Castle and another to Stonehenge.     We chose the Windsor and was nice with about 20 people on a large tour bus.   If I recall they did immigration on the ship and afterward we met our tour and used our Pass in the package to get back in terminal and pick up our new keys.

 

Other time we just stayed aboard.   They processed us after the ship had completed disembarkation of regular guests. 

 

Like most B2B you have 2 choices -  Either leave whenever you want  and use your Transit Pass when back at terminal you go to a special desk for B2B's and pick up your new key card.    The other option is you stay and are processed with the B2B group and then either have full run of the ship until general boarding or can leave the ship and use your sea pass on return.

[Shiba_Lover]

Thanks both.  Our cruise is to Norway/ arctic circle.  Now I just need to try to figure out our first so after a sea day is Stavanger.  I am trying to figure out if we will have time to make it to a 10am DIY excursion.  Not sure if we will have to wait for some lengthy passport review onboard 😵‍💫

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Shiba_Lover said:

Thanks both.  Our cruise is to Norway/ arctic circle.  Now I just need to try to figure out our first so after a sea day is Stavanger.  I am trying to figure out if we will have time to make it to a 10am DIY excursion.  Not sure if we will have to wait for some lengthy passport review onboard 😵‍💫

We really didn't have any lengthy passport delay.   On our last stop we had a UK port prior to Southampton so no passport controls at all.   The previous time no big delays but we were in a suite which may have affected our experience.

We made a 8:30 train which included walking from the ship to the train station.

I'm sure  you will even in worst case be able to do a 10 AM excursion.      Usually 9AM is last call and the regular B2B process begins at 9:15.    You might even be able to do your B2B processing on the ship and get your new seapass before you leave.

[Shiba_Lover]

Thanks.  We will be in our usual sky suite.  I think you are normally in an upper suite?  Last time we did UK to EU, it took forever.  They had 2 agents come onboard and the entire ship Apex)  had to queue up for that.  It was hours...

 

This excursion is for the first leg of the trip.  First port.