Eavesway travel to Southampton

[pennib]

We are thinking of taking a cruise from Southampton. As we live in Cheshire, we don’t really want to have to drive ourselves and have been looking at Eavesway who can pick up from 2 places quite close to us. Can anyone give any feedback on Eavesway. Are they reliable? Will the ship wait if the coach is delayed??

[Josy1953]

We have used them many times in the past from Keele and found them to be very reliable, with modern comfortable coaches.  We have not been on any form of public transport during the pandemic so I can't comment on how they have been recently.

[Ackworth Sue]

I cruised on Iona with friends in December. We used Eavesway to get to Southampton and were VERY impressed. Would definitely use again. Lovely drivers and very clean comfortable coach

[janny444]

I would recommend Eavesway....always been an enjoyable experience...much better than the hassle ....and expense.... of driving down the day before....sorting an overnight hotel out...much more relaxing.

[majortom10]

58 minutes ago, janny444 said:

I would recommend Eavesway....always been an enjoyable experience...much better than the hassle ....and expense.... of driving down the day before....sorting an overnight hotel out...much more relaxing.

We much prefer a leisurely drive down at our own pace and stay in a hotel pre cruise everybody to their own. The only time we used Eavesway, when it was P&O contracted coach not like now, we had to pick up coach at service station on M6 so had to go to a more northerly junction to access service station. We struggled to book a taxi because of school runs so ended up booking one for 8am for 10am pick up. When the coach arrived and loaded suitcases on very efficiently and left on time 2 service stations down we stopped for an hour for a break for driver and passengers who had been on coach since Glasgow. We left the service station at 1130am and we were not much closer to Southampton as were still only 10-15 miles from home. If we had left home by car at 8am and luck with traffic we would have been in Southampton by the time we left service station. If it is practical to use and convenient then coach transfer is fine but it isnt for us and would never travel to Southampton again by coach.

[hollyjess]

We have travelled with Eavesway many times and found them to be clean comfortable and reliable. However I read somewhere that the ship would not wait if coach delayed as P.O. Does not use them anymore.

[Rupert2251]

10 minutes ago, hollyjess said:

We have travelled with Eavesway many times and found them to be clean comfortable and reliable. However I read somewhere that the ship would not wait if coach delayed as P.O. Does not use them anymore.

I don't think there would be a problem with the ship waiting as Eavesway have their pickup times alot earlier than the P&O coaches. From Keele Services it is usually 8:30 - 9:00 whereas Intercruises are around 10:00. We have used both Eavesway and P&O but will now only use Eavesway.

[RJChatsworth]

BA lost my luggage on a Cunard package and we sailed from New York to Southampton without it. The QM-2 purser told me that most luggage losses are on coaches to the terminal in Southampton.  Most get off the coach and race to check-in without ensuring their luggage is off the coach.  Apparently the coaches have numerous cubby holes and it is not unknown that some don’t get unloaded.  This doesn’t come to light until the ship has sailed!

[Adawn47]

We have used Eavesway for every cruise we taken, 10 return journeys so far. The coaches are  clean and comfortable, with very good legroom, the best of any coach we've travelled on, and also with free onboard wi-fi. The drivers are friendly, and have constant information regarding any road hold ups/accidents etc, and have often taken a different route to avoid delays.  The driver keeps you regularly updated of your progress and timings, and we have never once been late.

I can only speak as to our own experiences with Eavesway, but I won't hesitate to use them again for our next cruise.

Avril

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, RJChatsworth said:

BA lost my luggage on a Cunard package and we sailed from New York to Southampton without it. The QM-2 purser told me that most luggage losses are on coaches to the terminal in Southampton.  Most get off the coach and race to check-in without ensuring their luggage is off the coach.  Apparently the coaches have numerous cubby holes and it is not unknown that some don’t get unloaded.  This doesn’t come to light until the ship has sailed!

That happened to us when we flew from Heathrow to JFK on Concorde and had 4 nts in New York prior to sailing back on QE2. When we were at the carousel waiting for our luggage we waited until the very end and one item of baggage containing my suits and formal wear was missing. Lady at JFK phoned BA at Heathrow and they confirmed it was there. But even then with 2 Concorde flights a day and numerous jumbos flying daily between Heathrow-JFK on a daily basis it still took them 3 days to get my baggage delivered to my hotel.

Edited February 13, 2022 by majortom10

[Josy1953]

4 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

BA lost my luggage on a Cunard package and we sailed from New York to Southampton without it. The QM-2 purser told me that most luggage losses are on coaches to the terminal in Southampton.  Most get off the coach and race to check-in without ensuring their luggage is off the coach.  Apparently the coaches have numerous cubby holes and it is not unknown that some don’t get unloaded.  This doesn’t come to light until the ship has sailed!

When I  worked I hated if the travel department booked me on BA because I  expected them to lose my luggage.  The worst occasion was when I  arrived in Bilbao and as usual no bag so I wandered over to the BA office and joined a very long queue only to be told that my bag was still in Heathrow because they had failed to load a baggage container but it would be delivered 3 days later.  After a long discussion they agreed that they would some how get my bag on a flight the next day.  It did arrive the next evening at my hotel covered in Iberia airline stickers.  I  learned a good lesson, don't travel in jeans and tshirt unless I had suitable office wear in my hand luggage.

[jeanlyon]

18 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

We have used Eavesway for every cruise we taken, 10 return journeys so far. The coaches are  clean and comfortable, with very good legroom, the best of any coach we've travelled on, and also with free onboard wi-fi. The drivers are friendly, and have constant information regarding any road hold ups/accidents etc, and have often taken a different route to avoid delays.  The driver keeps you regularly updated of your progress and timings, and we have never once been late.

I can only speak as to our own experiences with Eavesway, but I won't hesitate to use them again for our next cruise.

Avril

Do you know if they pick up from London for our friend?  Ah, not they don't.  Hmmm

Edited February 14, 2022 by jeanlyon

[Powellj3]

I WOULD NOT recommend travelling with Eavesway.  We have used them in the past and they have been acceptable.  Indeed reviews have generally been better for Eavesway than Intercruise.  However we have had one MASSIVE problem with them.  They wrote to us a couple of weeks before our cruise telling us that they had decided not to run our coach!.  Just like that.  After holding our money for many months and Ts&Cs threatening us that if we cancel we will lose varying portions of our money - they just decide they don't want to run it because presumably there weren't enough people on it.  So here we are, just about to travel, and because of Eavesway we have to pay premium last minute prices.  To say I am gutted is putting it mildly.  I will never use their services again.

 

Just to put this in context, I've used other companies before and, when numbers were low, they simply used smaller coaches.  On one, they just sent a VW Caravelle people carrier for us and another couple.  It seems other companies know what it is to keep a promise but Eavesway just couldn't acre less.

[FangedRose]

On 2/13/2022 at 3:36 PM, Rupert2251 said:

I don't think there would be a problem with the ship waiting as Eavesway have their pickup times alot earlier than the P&O coaches. From Keele Services it is usually 8:30 - 9:00 whereas Intercruises are around 10:00. We have used both Eavesway and P&O but will now only use Eavesway.

From Carlisle the pick up is much later for Eavesway than for cruise Connect/Intercruise

[FangedRose]

On 2/13/2022 at 4:25 PM, RJChatsworth said:

BA lost my luggage on a Cunard package and we sailed from New York to Southampton without it. The QM-2 purser told me that most luggage losses are on coaches to the terminal in Southampton.  Most get off the coach and race to check-in without ensuring their luggage is off the coach.  Apparently the coaches have numerous cubby holes and it is not unknown that some don’t get unloaded.  This doesn’t come to light until the ship has sailed!

Been told not to wait to check on luggage being unloaded as the luggage isn't unloaded at the same place as the passengers.  Last cruise got off and as we were being ushered into the terminal the coach moved off to the luggage hold.

Edited August 1, 2022 by FangedRose

[FangedRose]

Always travel on coach. Only problems I had was with Eavesaay. Moving pickup point two weeks prior to cruise. Adding 1 1/2 hrs to an already lengthy journey to pick up two passengers. Offloaded some luggage (not mine) at the wrong ship (never had Intercruise/Cruise Connect deliver passengers to different ships). On the return journey the driver twice unloaded my luggage at wrong place. (Luckily my seat was above the hold and i could see). Was then transferred onto a minibus which was late and then broke down!

 

Only trouble I've had with Intercruise has been caused by the passengers.  Late disembarking because they hadn't finished breakfast, late arriving at pick up points etc.