Boarding Time Southampton?

We are sailing on QE in Britannia Class. Our ticket says boarding @ 14.30 - are we able to board earlier?

Yes you are, but you will contribute to the chaos as many people will have the same idea.

We too have a late embarkation time which we will ignore. We have friends dropping us off who need to get to where they are going by a certain time. So we have no choice, unless we sit in a cafe with our luggage waiting for our allotted time.

In these days of traffic chaos, you have no choice but to allow several hours extra, just in case!

Yes you are, but you will contribute to the chaos as many people will have the same idea.

Because of so many "earlier" arrivals causing congestion, it is mooted Cunard will instruct the Southampton arrival desk to issue cards in strict accordance with the set sail pass. Therefore, some may be seated for up to 3 hours.

Do not understand the mentality of someone wanting to contribute to a potential problem. What difference does it make as to what time one boards?

You have your stateroom, and the ship is not going to run out of food or drink.

Aware some Hotel status rooms have a strict 12.00 check-out, so just take a light lunch before a taxi to the ship.

If you arrive early, the worst that can happy is that you have to wait at the terminal until it's your time to board.

I think with traffic nowadays it sensible to arrive earlier than take a risk. Friends of us got stuck in traffic for over 3 hours and missed their cruise.

Out of interest where do I find boarding times? Got our tickets and don’t recall seeing that anywhere.

I think with traffic nowadays it sensible to arrive earlier than take a risk. Friends of us got stuck in traffic for over 3 hours and missed their cruise.

 

Out of interest where do I find boarding times? Got our tickets and don’t recall seeing that anywhere.

Traffic? - Even better reason to book a pre-cruise hotel in or around Southampton.

Embarkation time is shown on the boarding pass.

Boarding time will be shown on your e-ticket.

It should look something like this -

> Because of so many "earlier" arrivals causing congestion.

I would have thought arriving at 2.30 would cause more congestion in the terminal. Are they not still dealing with the coaches? Particularly if the coaches have been caught in traffic.

When I have arrived before 1pm it is like the quiet before the storm. They seem almost pleased to get you onboard before the rush of coach passengers.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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I have taken the 10 am train from Waterloo, arrived about 11:30, taxied to the pier, checked in and was in my suite by 12:30 in time to change for a pre- lunch drink and then lunch when the Grill opened at 1 p.m. When I first started sailing with Cunard, in '05 they were not as organized as they are now, for both embarkation and disembarkation. Kudos to them.

We will be taking the Cunard coach transfer from Southampton the morning of our cruise. If the traffic is more or less "normal", we'll probably arrive in Southampton around 12:30 pm. We have no choice but to sit around with a terminal full of people while awaiting our turn to board. Too bad the embarkation terminal doesn't offer a nice cafe with light refreshments for all of the passengers who are essentially in the "same boat" as us. I'd be delighted to wait my turn in much more pleasant surroundings than waiting with a herd of people who are getting more tired and crankier with each passing moment.

For those passengers traveling within the U.K., they can easily adjust their arrival time at the port to more closely coincide with their boarding time. Those of us who coming from LHR, we have no choice of what time we want to board the transfer coach. The cruise line dictates what time the coach will leave and approximate arrival time at the port.

In the age when it‘s normal that flights are getting cancelled, I‘d never take the risk arriving by plane on embarkation day of a cruise.

i think with traffic nowadays it sensible to arrive earlier than take a risk. Friends of us got stuck in traffic for over 3 hours and missed their cruise.

 

Out of interest where do i find boarding times? Got our tickets and don’t recall seeing that anywhere.

on e ticket

I sailed on the Queen Elizabeth out of Southampton on 7/27. I arrived in Heathrow that morning. I was concerned because my ticket had a boarding time of 3pm. (I was also in a Britannia class cabin.) The airport transfer got my daughter and I to the port around 11am. I asked a Cunard rep if I needed to wait until 3 and was told no. I went right up to a check in desk (no line) and was on board within 10 minutes (no line at security either.). The one thing was that since we boarded before noon, our room would not be ready and we were asked to go directly to the Lido. We ate a small lunch and then went to our room about 12:30 where our luggage was already waiting for us.

...What difference does it make as to what time one boards?

 

You have your stateroom, and the ship is not going to run out of food or drink.

Makes a big difference to us as this is a really special trip for us having never cruised before, so I want to maximise my time on this amazing liner. We’re staying in a hotel in Southampton the night before, I’ll be up first thing to watch her arrive hopefully. If I could board at 0600 I would! So it’s not a case of worrying about food and drink, it’s just an excitement thing!

Apologies if I am adding to any congestion but I will take a chance and get to the terminal early. What else is there to do anyway?

We were on QV in June with a 12.30 boarding time. We stayed the night before in a Southampton and arranged for a taxi to get us to the terminal for 12.30 and were allowed to board immediately we arrived. Others who had been at the same hotel and left sometime before we did were still sitting around waiting to check in when we arrived. Also, as we got out our taxi we just happened to bump into people we knew, their boarding time was 1.30. We walked into the terminal together, they were given the lettered card and not called to check in until their allotted time.

Don't know if it was only our cruise but it certainly seemed that day they were keeping to the allotted boarding times. Confirmed I think by the numbers sitting waiting to check in.

Just my observations.

What else is there to do anyway?

A light lunch with a nice wine at the Hotel?

So, we need free embarkation time for:

- People that come thru Heathrow

- people that are dropped off by friends that can't make it othertime

- People that can't stay longer than 12:00 in their hotels

- People that are driving 3 hours and more

- People that are new on QM2 and want to maximise their time on board

I just want to collect reasons why the suggested boarding times don't apply so that we can then suggest Cunard to create a priority line.

Thank you!

That said: One of the things that amazes me everytime on a TA crossing are the people that are mainly not as pushy as on other cruises. They are more considerate.

Wish that would apply to the time before being on board.

I understand what you are saying and I agree that it’s quite annoying when people don’t stick to their allotted times in all manner of different circumstances, I only started asking the question after reading on here about people getting on board early. I hadn’t realised it was quite so structured. So I’m going to adhere to my check in time, which will hopefully be decent!

For those passengers traveling within the U.K., they can easily adjust their arrival time at the port to more closely coincide with their boarding time.

Not really.

If you drive anymore more than say 1 mile in the UK then it's almost impossible to predict with any great degree of certainty at what time you will arrive.

And the longer you have to travel, the worse it becomes. For ourselves, we are around 250 miles from Southampton. On a good day that would take you just over 4 hours. On a bad day, that could be 7 hours or so. So I would allow 7, not 4. And if I arrive 3 hours early then so it.

What else is there to do anyway?

In Southampton ? Nothing at all. You could wonder around the city centre and marvel at the graffiti covered derelict shopping centre if like !

In Southampton ? Nothing at all. You could wonder around the city centre and marvel at the graffiti covered derelict shopping centre if like !

You'd have a hard job, since it's been demolished. Some ideas here: http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/visit

Stuart

You'd have a hard job, since it's been demolished.

Well that's good. I could not believe my eyes last June.

I still fail to understand the issues of traffic etc.

We follow the cruise line‘s recommendations to arrive the day before embarkation.

It‘s just a one hour hop from Hamburg to London for us, but we would not take chances - we always stay the night before in Southampton - or NYC etc.

And when I look other boards, people from the US are doing the same in Miami or Ft Lauterdale. If you know better and don‘t give allowance in your itinerary, the only person to blame is yourself!

Not only we embark much more relaxed, the risks of running into trouble on the way are minimal.

Not really.

 

If you drive anymore more than say 1 mile in the UK then it's almost impossible to predict with any great degree of certainty at what time you will arrive.

 

And the longer you have to travel, the worse it becomes. For ourselves, we are around 250 miles from Southampton. On a good day that would take you just over 4 hours. On a bad day, that could be 7 hours or so. So I would allow 7, not 4. And if I arrive 3 hours early then so it.

To save any traffic concerns, stay overnight in a Southampton Hotel.