Arrival Times Cruise Terminal Southhampton

[JB9302]

I know its a good way off yet , we are booked on QE Q720 Cruise 27th May 2017, probably travelling by Train from Manchester to Southhampton Central on the Saturday (may consider a flight) .

In my Voyage Personaliser it says time will be on the tickets when available , just wondering roughly what time to arrive at the terminal so I can plan journey (train will be 4hrs+) .

Is boarding over a few hrs and we are allocated a particular time ? , I guess the ship leaves port late afternoon ?

 

Thanks

[pepperrn]

I know its a good way off yet , we are booked on QE Q720 Cruise 27th May 2017, probably travelling by Train from Manchester to Southhampton Central on the Saturday (may consider a flight) .

In my Voyage Personaliser it says time will be on the tickets when available , just wondering roughly what time to arrive at the terminal so I can plan journey (train will be 4hrs+) . Is boarding over a few hrs and we are allocated a particular time ? , I guess the ship leaves port late afternoon ? Thanks

Hi JB9302,

 

Boarding at Southampton usually starts around midday and continues until 4pm ish... Departure is usually between 5 and 6pm.

 

If I were coming from Manchester by train or plane I would seriously consider coming the afternoon or evening before so I was safely in Southampton and not travelling "on the day". Weekends are always tricky for travelling by road, rail or even 'plane. You don't want a stressful start to your cruise, and the ship won't wait for passengers stuck in traffic jams/rail engineering works/fog-bound runways etc.

 

(In the past I aimed to be at the terminal for 11.15-11.30. That way, although I had a wait, I would be amongst the early ones allowed on board, and could get lunch before the buffet became too crowded. However others here aim to arrive much later in the afternoon when the terminal is quieter and they can just walk on board with little waiting).

 

You will eventually be given a boarding time. If you arrive early, you may have to wait, there have been stories of people having to wait until their allotted time to board. But I've not encountered this issue once.

 

Hope some of this helps, have a great time :)

Edited October 15, 2016 by pepperrn

[JB9302]

Thanks for the quick reply , yes something to think about re travelling down the day before , how did you manage to get all those quiet pics ? ( empty rooms ) .

 

Thanks again

[pepperrn]

Thanks for the quick reply , yes something to think about re travelling down the day before , how did you manage to get all those quiet pics ? ( empty rooms ) . Thanks again

Just a suggestion. I only live just over 1 1/2 hrs from Southampton by train, I've travelled to the port on some occasions the day before, just to be on the safe side.

 

As for the photos... I'm an early riser. I love being up and wandering about the ship early, when it feels like I'm the only person on board.

It is the best time of day at sea, strolling the promenade. IMHO.

It also helps when I want to take photos of the ship; other than some members of the crew cleaning glass and brass, I don't usually see other passengers about.

 

Have a wonderful time on board, please ask if you've further questions, someone here will know the answer I'm sure :)

 

Bon Voyage!

[AllieBallie]

Our scheduled arrival time for our upcoming cruise on Queen Elizabeth is 1pm. We are travelling by train from Sheffield the day before. I always feel that it's too much of a risk to trust the trains on the same day as the cruise departure! Instead we get the train journey out of the way, have a relaxing meal in Southampton the night before and then a quick journey to the terminal on the day.

 

 

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[pepperrn]

Our scheduled arrival time for our upcoming cruise on Queen Elizabeth is 1pm. We are travelling by train from Sheffield the day before. I always feel that it's too much of a risk to trust the trains on the same day as the cruise departure! Instead we get the train journey out of the way, have a relaxing meal in Southampton the night before and then a quick journey to the terminal on the day.

Very wise, if I may say so AllieBallie.

 

I've friends who got stuck in traffic very near Southampton for over two hours. Nothing was moving. They only just made the ship :eek: . A few years back someone else had their 'plane diverted as there was an issue at Southampton Airport. You just never know...

 

Best wishes.

[JB9302]

Our scheduled arrival time for our upcoming cruise on Queen Elizabeth is 1pm. We are travelling by train from Sheffield the day before. I always feel that it's too much of a risk to trust the trains on the same day as the cruise departure! Instead we get the train journey out of the way, have a relaxing meal in Southampton the night before and then a quick journey to the terminal on the day.

 

 

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Starting think that way now , little difficult as wife doesn't finish school till 3.30pm , still going to look at that option .

We are not that far from Sheffield just over the Snake Pass .

 

Regards

[AllieBallie]

Very wise, if I may say so AllieBallie.

 

 

 

I've friends who got stuck in traffic very near Southampton for over two hours. Nothing was moving. They only just made the ship :eek: . A few years back someone else had their 'plane diverted as there was an issue at Southampton Airport. You just never know...

 

 

Thank you :) even with travel insurance, the weeks/months spent planning and saving for a fabulous holiday mean that I want to get on that beautiful ship without any stresses!

 

 

Starting think that way now , little difficult as wife doesn't finish school till 3.30pm , still going to look at that option .

 

We are not that far from Sheffield just over the Snake Pass .

 

 

 

Regards

 

 

If it was me I would still do the travelling even after 3:30pm, assuming you have train options for that day. I would prefer to have the leeway with travel time even if it meant arriving in Southampton really late :)

 

The good old Snake Pass :)

 

 

 

 

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[Lanky Lad]

I would recommend traveling down the day before if that is possible. A lot more relaxing :)

[Ray66]

I would recommend traveling down the day before if that is possible. A lot more relaxing :)

 

Not always. We travelled down the day before on our recent cruise and were stuck in a traffic jam due to a bad accident. We then drove off the motorway and did a detour. What should have been a 4 hour journey took us about 7 hours. :(

 

Is boarding over a few hrs and we are allocated a particular time ? , I guess the ship leaves port late afternoon ?

 

Grills passengers and Diamond members board first. Then Platinum members at 12.30pm. After that, times are given starting from the top decks down. So it all depends what deck you are on.

[pepperrn]

... We travelled down the day before on our recent cruise and were stuck in a traffic jam due to a bad accident. We then drove off the motorway and did a detour. What should have been a 4 hour journey took us about 7 hours. ...

Hi Ray66,

 

Imagine if that had happened on the morning of departure... :eek:

 

Best wishes :)

[Chunky2219]

The other obvious point is time of year. We are on the forthcoming Q620 this year, so I'm guessing Q720 is going to be at about the same date next year. Mindful of the risks of snow and bad weather in early-mid November we wouldn't contemplate traveling down on the day and we always go the day before and stay overnight. Also, as it happens, from Sheffield!

 

I wouldn't even be confident to go by train on the day at that time of year to be certain of getting there on time, un-hassled. In fact I've just checked up the train options for our sailing day. Two or three changes of train, 4-4.5 hours plus a taxi at each end and prices that make an overnight after a 3.5 hour drive a no-brainer.

 

There's plenty of affordable accommodation around Southampton within 30- 45 minutes of the dock gates, all using major roads that would be gritted and swept of snow, or else you can join the herd and stay in the town. In summertime we stay a bit further afield and have had some wonderful meals in delightful little places (and some fancy ones) prior to a cruise. Some offer car parking included and a shuttle service to and from the port. The only reason I use the official car valet service is to be sure of a quick getaway on disembarkation.

 

I hesitate to suggest aiming to get there a fair bit earlier on the day if going by train and just taking your chances on boarding. Plenty of people seem to do just that, judging by the number of people thronging the terminal at noon; there's certainly not that number of Grills & Diamond pax. Embarkation day is the law of the jungle and the worst case is that you'll find a comfy seat in the Ocean Terminal for an hour or so even if they do send you to the naughty corner.

 

 

 

 

 

.

[AllieBallie]

Not always. We travelled down the day before on our recent cruise and were stuck in a traffic jam due to a bad accident. We then drove off the motorway and did a detour. What should have been a 4 hour journey took us about 7 hours. :(

 

Grills passengers and Diamond members board first. Then Platinum members at 12.30pm. After that, times are given starting from the top decks down. So it all depends what deck you are on.

 

 

Of course, any travel problems are not relaxing but if that was on the day it would be awful! My point was that travelling the day before isn't a waste of time, it's usually a relaxing start to the holiday :) Get any stresses out of the way with time to spare [emoji846]

 

Times don't seem to be from top decks down, our travelling companions are on a higher deck than us and in the same grade - our embarkation time is 30 min before theirs.

 

The other obvious point is time of year. We are on the forthcoming Q620 this year, so I'm guessing Q720 is going to be at about the same date next year. Mindful of the risks of snow and bad weather in early-mid November we wouldn't contemplate traveling down on the day and we always go the day before and stay overnight. Also, as it happens, from Sheffield!

 

 

We will see you on board Chunky! We are also on Q620 - 3 weeks to go! Can't wait [emoji106]🏻

 

 

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[JB9302]

Q720 is 27th May 2017 , so little chance of snow but this was March this year ,

Edited October 16, 2016 by JB9302

[StLucia]

Starting think that way now , little difficult as wife doesn't finish school till 3.30pm , still going to look at that option .

We are not that far from Sheffield just over the Snake Pass .

 

Regards

 

We always travel down the day before and get a good deal on an hotel in Southampton. We would never risk travelling on the same day as the cruise departs to many possible traffic issues when you have a way to come. Normally takes us about 3 Hours. We check into our hotel park the car and then find somewhere for a meal. Makes for a relaxing start to to the holiday.