What time is disembarkation in Southampton?

[abdullahhoneymoon]

I am hoping to book a day tour of the Isle of Wight, but the tour leaves at 10:00 a.m. Can one reasonably expect to be off the boat by say, 9 a.m., with their luggage collected?

[exlondoner]

Can you do self disembark? In any event you would probably be OK. They are pretty keen to get you off the ship, but you never know, because she might arrive late, or, as has happened to us a couple of times, the air bridges might go wrong.

[Pushpit]

Around about 09:00 hrs, the public address system can get a little insistent that anyone disembarking needs to do so soon. Self disembark, where you take everything off yourself, tends to start around 07:00 hrs or sometimes a little before then.  So in essence yes, it's a reasonable assumption. There again there is always the unknown factor of the weather, I've had a couple of disembarkations delayed by that, one delay being 7 hours. There have been longer ones than that. Now the chances of this happening are not high, but it's worth bearing in mind.

[Balticdream]

Would you be able to take all your luggage on the tour?

[Tattycoram]

I'm delighted to know more details about disembarking.  Maybe this is a good time to ask a tangentially related question.

 

Partly out of decision fatigue with the absurd logistics from our complicated family meetups this summer, I decided to pay for the Cunard transfer from Southampton to Victoria (then we'll hop a cab to Kensington) rather than booking our own even though I suspect it would cost about the same (for 2 people) or less.

 

So given that we are getting some kind of bus transfer through Cunard:

 

If there's one London-bound bus, when does it leave?

Do all London-bound buses (if there's more than one), leave at the same time?  

Do the buses usually leave on time?  (Since all it takes is one late person to make a whole group late . . . )

 

I guess it boils down to:  We wake early and travel light:  Would self-disembarking get us to London any earlier with Cunard's transfer or should we let them move our bags as well as ourselves since it wouldn't make any difference?

 

 

 

[bluemarble]

20 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

I'm delighted to know more details about disembarking.  Maybe this is a good time to ask a tangentially related question.

 

Partly out of decision fatigue with the absurd logistics from our complicated family meetups this summer, I decided to pay for the Cunard transfer from Southampton to Victoria (then we'll hop a cab to Kensington) rather than booking our own even though I suspect it would cost about the same (for 2 people) or less.

 

So given that we are getting some kind of bus transfer through Cunard:

 

If there's one London-bound bus, when does it leave?

Do all London-bound buses (if there's more than one), leave at the same time?  

Do the buses usually leave on time?  (Since all it takes is one late person to make a whole group late . . . )

 

I guess it boils down to:  We wake early and travel light:  Would self-disembarking get us to London any earlier with Cunard's transfer or should we let them move our bags as well as ourselves since it wouldn't make any difference?

 

Here are the coach transfer details I have from the past several crossings we've made on QM2 from New York the Southampton. Cunard operate coach transfers to Heathrow and Gatwick airports as well as to Victoria Coach Station and St Pancras International Station. There are separate coaches to each of those destinations and possibly multiple coaches to each destination depending on demand. The coaches to the airports were scheduled for an approximate call off time of 8:30am. The coaches to Victoria and St Pancras were scheduled for an approximate call off time of 8:45am.

 

You will be given luggage tags specific to the transfer you have booked. Most guests on the coach transfers will leave their luggage out for collection and then collect them in the luggage hall before proceeding to the coach. There wouldn't be much advantage to doing self-help disembarkation with a coach transfer other than to possibly assure yourself a place on the first coach to your destination if there are multiple coaches. It won't depart until it is full and most of the other guests on the transfer probably will not have used self-help disembarkation.

 

As you might expect, the time the coaches depart for London depends a lot on how prompt the process is for disembarking the ship, collecting luggage and proceeding to the coaches, as well as how prompt everyone is in disembarking the ship when called off for their transfers. Sorry, I can't recall the actual departure time the last time we booked the coach transfer to Victoria Coach Station several years ago.

[Tattycoram]

bluemarble, THANK YOU!   This information is so helpful!  I really appreciate you writing them all out.  I had been wondering if I should cancel and book privately so we could arrive more quickly  and reliably in London, but now I'm feeling comfortable just leaving everything in place and not having to plan a single more thing!

 

(I had also thought of walking to the station and taking the train . . . but that seemed maybe to be coming back to earth with a bit too much of a bump!)

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

bluemarble, THANK YOU!   This information is so helpful!  I really appreciate you writing them all out.  I had been wondering if I should cancel and book privately so we could arrive more quickly  and reliably in London, but now I'm feeling comfortable just leaving everything in place and not having to plan a single more thing!

 

(I had also thought of walking to the station and taking the train . . . but that seemed maybe to be coming back to earth with a bit too much of a bump!)

Not a pleasant walk, but a taxi would be quite cheap to the station. On the other hand the train fare in the morning rush hour would be high, and Waterloo is not as convenient for Kensington as Victoria, so I think the coach wins.

[D&N]

46 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

bluemarble, THANK YOU!   This information is so helpful!  I really appreciate you writing them all out.  I had been wondering if I should cancel and book privately so we could arrive more quickly  and reliably in London, but now I'm feeling comfortable just leaving everything in place and not having to plan a single more thing!

 

(I had also thought of walking to the station and taking the train . . . but that seemed maybe to be coming back to earth with a bit too much of a bump!)

I too would take a taxi to the station if using the train, but would change at Clapham Junction going to Kensington, which adds complication of multiple changes and making sure you had the right tickets.

 

If you did self disembark and booked your own taxi/limo you might save an hour or two on the coach time, mainly by leaving earlier. Unless that is crucial to your itinerary it seems a waste of effort.

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, D&N said:

I too would take a taxi to the station if using the train, but would change at Clapham Junction going to Kensington, which adds complication of multiple changes and making sure you had the right tickets.

 

If you did self disembark and booked your own taxi/limo you might save an hour or two on the coach time, mainly by leaving earlier. Unless that is crucial to your itinerary it seems a waste of effort.

Now that is a line I’ve never travelled on, and, though I should much like to do so, I don’t think I’d want to heft my luggage around Clapham Junction to achieve that.

[Pushpit]

For completeness, there is also a National Express coach service from Southampton, fairly close to the rail station and docks, which does end up at Victoria Coach Station. It also calls at Heathrow T5 en route, if the Piccadilly, Elizabeth or Heathrow Express lines are useful.

 

I would personally take the train since I find the Cunard link overpriced, given that my OAP or Military Veteran passes get me a hefty reduction on train fares. It's also worth considering if you are in a mad rush since the Cunard coach service isn't the fastest way of doing it. But still it's not clear what benefit you're looking for here, the Cunard service is well organised in Southampton, reliable and is convenient. Just not cheap or fast.

[Victoria2]

I wouldn't trust the trains to London at the moment if other methods of transport were on offer! Personally, we'd book a taxi/limo but that's for two of us.

If I didn't want to pay private transfer costs, I'd grin and bear the Cunard transfer.

[exlondoner]

54 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I wouldn't trust the trains to London at the moment if other methods of transport were on offer! Personally, we'd book a taxi/limo but that's for two of us.

If I didn't want to pay private transfer costs, I'd grin and bear the Cunard transfer.

I think that is rather harsh. I would certainly trust South Western to get me reliably from Southampton (or, indeed Bournemouth) to Waterloo on a non strike day. As the RMT have settled, there are only occasional ASLEF strikes, which are notified well in advance. Otherwise, it is pretty trustworthy.

[Victoria2]

10 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think that is rather harsh. I would certainly trust South Western to get me reliably from Southampton (or, indeed Bournemouth) to Waterloo on a non strike day. As the RMT have settled, there are only occasional ASLEF strikes, which are notified well in advance. Otherwise, it is pretty trustworthy.

Harsh maybe but given the number of times strikes, the weather and 'incidents' delay or  cause cancellations these days, I wouldn't want any possible angst at the end of a holiday.

For peace of mind, I'd go private transfer or take the Cunard connection.

[Pushpit]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Harsh maybe but given the number of times strikes, the weather and 'incidents' delay or  cause cancellations these days, I wouldn't want any possible angst at the end of a holiday.

For peace of mind, I'd go private transfer or take the Cunard connection.

But that's relative too, is it not? After all there could be a major accident on the roads (and private transfers are inherently much less safe than public transport), there could be roadworks, Extinction Rebellion idiots, poor weather affecting traffic flows, livestock on the motorway, infrastructure issues on a bridge, load shedding by HGVs, the list is endless. So I wouldn't say you get peace of mind here. It's all about one's own analysis of risk, cost and reward. 

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Harsh maybe but given the number of times strikes, the weather and 'incidents' delay or  cause cancellations these days, I wouldn't want any possible angst at the end of a holiday.

For peace of mind, I'd go private transfer or take the Cunard connection.

As I say, there are far fewer strikes, and there is reasonable notice. They did major upgrades to the problematical signalling a few years ago, and there is nothing much you can do about selfish and distraught people who throw themselves in front of trains. Every time we have used SWT this year it has proved completely reliable. I would certainly trust it rather than the M3. But, there is not much room for luggage, and the line ends up in Waterloo, nowhere near Kensington, unless you change. And, worst of all, they have abolished on train catering.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

But that's relative too, is it not? After all there could be a major accident on the roads (and private transfers are inherently much less safe than public transport), there could be roadworks, Extinction Rebellion idiots, poor weather affecting traffic flows, livestock on the motorway, infrastructure issues on a bridge, load shedding by HGVs, the list is endless. So I wouldn't say you get peace of mind here. It's all about one's own analysis of risk, cost and reward. 

There's more leeway to circumvent road issues than those involving trains.

 

 

[exlondoner]

Just now, Victoria2 said:

There's more leeway to circumvent road issues than those involving trains.

 

 

I would have thought the opposite, particularly as you get closer to London, but not easy, if you have lots of luggage to heft around.

[Victoria2]

Just now, exlondoner said:

I would have thought the opposite, particularly as you get closer to London, but not easy, if you have lots of luggage to heft around.

No hefting luggage around with private transfer but there again, what do I know as we gave up portering our own bags many years ago and let others take the strain

 

[Tattycoram]

I'm having my morning coffee, enjoying reading through these comments* on the train service and have some vaguely related reactions.  

 

Background:  In the States  the Northeast Corridor of Amtrak between Boston and DC has been the backbone of my adult life, and now I live in MetroNorth territory to get between CT and Manhattan.  These lines are convenient and subsidized but very limited in territory and they basically duplicate the long highway, I-95.

 

 Long, long ago in my 20s I traveled cheaply all over England (and bits of Scotland) on BritRail passes.  I loved the romance of changing at tiny stations and seeing the traces of historical lines (like GWR, etc.)--my specialty is the long 19th century, so I possibly get more excited by infrastructure like the Embankment and old sewage stations than other people

--and I loved the flexibility since there were so many trains all the time--it was obvious how many people used trains to travel all over the country rather than drive.  And if I had to wait for connections, I happily read my book.  Obviously it felt cheap because of my BritRail pass, but even when I didn't have one and just traveled between Huntingdon and London I could afford weekend jaunts on my college money. 

 

Now that I'm older with more money and less time to spend, I'm finding British train travel weirdly expensive especially for relatively short hops if you don't want to commit to a particular time--or perhaps just bewildering on the number of different prices for the same trip.  For instance, we often go from London to Portsmouth for the day to the Dockyards to see the Victory and the Mary Rose, etc.  We like to leave the return time open in case another interesting thing turns up and we stay longer or one of us just gets pooped and wants to go.  Last year a day open return was a bit more than $50--which was the same price as my son's round trip on Eurostar from Paris to London!  Ok, that was not an open return, but since that's international travel I think of the scheduling as being in a different category in my head.

 

On our TA, we arrive in Southampton on a Sunday, and I was definitely wondering if I should be worried about strikes or stoppages etc. based on recent news and anecdotes from friends.  I certainly didn't want to commit to a specific time because of the uncertainty of when we'd get off the ship.  The one-way Sunday fare varies so much--from 28 to 90 pounds!  Part of me wants my 16 year old to get the feel for the kind of potentially uncomfortable and uncertain travel that will be in her budget as a young adult, but the other part of me . . . !

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

I'm having my morning coffee, enjoying reading through these comments* on the train service and have some vaguely related reactions.  

 

Background:  In the States  the Northeast Corridor of Amtrak between Boston and DC has been the backbone of my adult life, and now I live in MetroNorth territory to get between CT and Manhattan.  These lines are convenient and subsidized but very limited in territory and they basically duplicate the long highway, I-95.

 

 Long, long ago in my 20s I traveled cheaply all over England (and bits of Scotland) on BritRail passes.  I loved the romance of changing at tiny stations and seeing the traces of historical lines (like GWR, etc.)--my specialty is the long 19th century, so I possibly get more excited by infrastructure like the Embankment and old sewage stations than other people

--and I loved the flexibility since there were so many trains all the time--it was obvious how many people used trains to travel all over the country rather than drive.  And if I had to wait for connections, I happily read my book.  Obviously it felt cheap because of my BritRail pass, but even when I didn't have one and just traveled between Huntingdon and London I could afford weekend jaunts on my college money. 

 

Now that I'm older with more money and less time to spend, I'm finding British train travel weirdly expensive especially for relatively short hops if you don't want to commit to a particular time--or perhaps just bewildering on the number of different prices for the same trip.  For instance, we often go from London to Portsmouth for the day to the Dockyards to see the Victory and the Mary Rose, etc.  We like to leave the return time open in case another interesting thing turns up and we stay longer or one of us just gets pooped and wants to go.  Last year a day open return was a bit more than $50--which was the same price as my son's round trip on Eurostar from Paris to London!  Ok, that was not an open return, but since that's international travel I think of the scheduling as being in a different category in my head.

 

On our TA, we arrive in Southampton on a Sunday, and I was definitely wondering if I should be worried about strikes or stoppages etc. based on recent news and anecdotes from friends.  I certainly didn't want to commit to a specific time because of the uncertainty of when we'd get off the ship.  The one-way Sunday fare varies so much--from 28 to 90 pounds!  Part of me wants my 16 year old to get the feel for the kind of potentially uncomfortable and uncertain travel that will be in her budget as a young adult, but the other part of me . . . !

Yes, I think it comes down to this. If you can book in advance and commit to a specific time outside the morning rush hour, the trains are pretty good value, especially if you can travel on Mondays and Fridays, when far fewer people go to work. I would never think of going to London any other way. On the other hand, if you turn up to buy an open return starting in the morning rush hour, you may need to take out a mortgage to cover it. 😀

[D&N]

26 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

On our TA, we arrive in Southampton on a Sunday, and I was definitely wondering if I should be worried about strikes or stoppages etc.

I think strikes are less likely on Sundays, but services may be slightly less frequent than a weekday. Roads may be better, particularly travelling early as there won't be an early morning peak period.

[Pushpit]

Britrail passes are still available, but yes it's a lot more complicated these days.

 

However it being a Sunday helps, since that means Super Off Peak singles - a flexible ticket at £45 without railcard reductions - can be used on all trains on that day of the week. I can't think of a reason to pay any more than that. You can save money by buying committing to a specific service and/or buying a split ticket, with a £5 fee for changes, but I guess you're trying to avoid that complexity.

 

If there is going to be a strike, the unions have to give at least 2 weeks notice by law, and in the case of the rail unions they tend to give a lot more notice than that.

[Megabear2]

There are a great deal of engineering works planned on SWR in the coming months.  It is probably a good idea to check the engineering website on a regular basis. It currently runs until July, the period shown is generally 12 weeks.

 

Emergency engineering on top of these plans can occur, for instance last week a major gas leak occurred in Salisbury resulting in two days with no trains between Salisbury and Andover.

 

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements/planned-engineering-works?year=2024&month=7

[Winifred 22]

On 4/21/2024 at 1:36 PM, D&N said:

I think strikes are less likely on Sundays, but services may be slightly less frequent than a weekday. Roads may be better, particularly travelling early as there won't be an early morning peak period.

Slightly less frequently is an understatement certainly where I travel around in the south around Southampton. Hourly services reduced to infrequent 2 hours and as others have said loads of engineering works at the weekend with the dreaded replacement bus service.