Cruise Parking - Iona

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

In fairness that may happen on occasions when the ship is returning to the same terminal and there are no other ships in or out of that terminal in the intervening period - but that will be the exception and certainly, in my experience, is not the general procedure.

Might happen on very short cruises but in general especially in the summer when P&O and Cunard have ships docked at Ocean on an almost daily occurence.

[david63]

23 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Might happen on very short cruises but in general especially in the summer when P&O and Cunard have ships docked at Ocean on an almost daily occurence.

Agreed

[devonuk]

On the 3 occasions I have sailed on the Iona from Southampton I can 100% say that my car was moved from the spot it was initially moved to as I boarded. I could also track it’s movements nearing the end of my cruise and where it was parked on my return awaiting collection. 
I can also say that parking4cruises are now parking cars out the port area in Totton. 

[majortom10]

9 hours ago, devonuk said:

On the 3 occasions I have sailed on the Iona from Southampton I can 100% say that my car was moved from the spot it was initially moved to as I boarded. I could also track it’s movements nearing the end of my cruise and where it was parked on my return awaiting collection. 
I can also say that parking4cruises are now parking cars out the port area in Totton. 

P4C have always parked there cars out of the port area on an industrial estate.

[david63]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

P4C have always parked there cars out of the port area on an industrial estate.

Not always on an industrial estate - I have had mine parked about a mile from the port in a private car park.

[majortom10]

54 minutes ago, david63 said:

Not always on an industrial estate - I have had mine parked about a mile from the port in a private car park.

Well I have used them many times over the years when not getting a deal with CPS. I rang them once and asked where they parked the cars and was told east of  Ocean Terminal  and in a private secure compound on an industrial estate. They gave me their address to check on Street View which I did. Definitely an area they either own or rent where they have a secure compound on industrial estate with many other businesses. They even tell you it is no more than 3 miles which might be from Mayflower from  Ocean Terminal it is about 1.5 miles and the address is Millbank St Southampton.  Check on Street View it is industrial estate with loads of different businesses. The other side of Millbank Street is blocks of private flats.

Edited September 2, 2023 by majortom10

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

P4C have always parked there cars out of the port area on an industrial estate.

They have recently moved according to one of their staff in july, and the new car park is no longer subject to as much seagull fouling as the old one.

 

[devonuk]

1. The first pic is where mine was parked by p4c last month and

2. The second pic is where it was parked on the previous 2 occasions 🤷‍♂️

[Pine Man]

1 hour ago, devonuk said:

The first pic is where mine was parked by p4c last month

I was considering P4C as an alternative to CPS but that site you show appears far from secure. It looks like it may have a gate but when I looked it was wide open. Not too sure now🤔

[Selbourne]

46 minutes ago, Pine Man said:

I was considering P4C as an alternative to CPS but that site you show appears far from secure. It looks like it may have a gate but when I looked it was wide open. Not too sure now🤔

I agree that it doesn’t look good, but I guess that the higher value / more high risk cars aren’t left right at the front (given that’s the only cars a thief could get to)? I’m more concerned about how closely the cars are to each other!
 

It would be very interesting to see a comparable aerial photo of how CPS park their cars. I’ve used CPS far more times than P4C but have had damage to vehicles twice, and both times were CPS. 

[Pine Man]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

given that’s the only cars a thief could get to

Unless they use the wooden fence from the housing area at the back! Nice place to get in and hide at the back of the car park and remove all sorts of bits from your car which wouldn't be noticed for weeks.

 

I also share, not only, your concern about the proximity of cars to each other but also the location of the 'secure' parking area and its surroundings.

 

I've only ever used CPS and never had any issues whatsoever. However one of the cruises I've booked for next year doesn't subsidise the parking like P&O so its a bit of a toss up whether to pay CPS or get a taxi, which might actually work out fractionally cheaper and my car would then be in my own 'secure' garage at home!

 

 

[Selbourne]

23 minutes ago, Pine Man said:

Unless they use the wooden fence from the housing area at the back! Nice place to get in and hide at the back of the car park and remove all sorts of bits from your car which wouldn't be noticed for weeks.

 

I also share, not only, your concern about the proximity of cars to each other but also the location of the 'secure' parking area and its surroundings.

 

I've only ever used CPS and never had any issues whatsoever. However one of the cruises I've booked for next year doesn't subsidise the parking like P&O so its a bit of a toss up whether to pay CPS or get a taxi, which might actually work out fractionally cheaper and my car would then be in my own 'secure' garage at home!

 

 

I think if people had experienced problems with their cars then we would have heard about it on here. If you are close enough to use a taxi then that does sound like a very sensible idea though. 

[Pine Man]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

It would be very interesting to see a comparable aerial photo of how CPS park their cars.

This is an aerial shot of CPS Parking at Ocean Terminal. They do reserve the right, however, to move vehicles within the port.

[majortom10]

16 minutes ago, Pine Man said:

This is an aerial shot of CPS Parking at Ocean Terminal. They do reserve the right, however, to move vehicles within the port.

That is where they are returned to Ocean Terminal and not where they are stored for duration of your cruise. They are stored elsewhere during cruise and returned there for your disembarkation.

[Windsurfboy]

7 hours ago, devonuk said:

1. The first pic is where mine was parked by p4c last month and

2. The second pic is where it was parked on the previous 2 occasions 🤷‍♂️

 These pictures are making me reconsider.  

[majortom10]

Cheapest isn't always the best.

[CarlaMarie]

7 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I agree that it doesn’t look good, but I guess that the higher value / more high risk cars aren’t left right at the front (given that’s the only cars a thief could get to)? I’m more concerned about how closely the cars are to each other!
 

It would be very interesting to see a comparable aerial photo of how CPS park their cars. I’ve used CPS far more times than P4C but have had damage to vehicles twice, and both times were CPS. 

 

I agree. Our family normally use CPS, but used P4C this year for the first time as CPS had no availability. They are parked incredibly close to one another, and from that photo it doesn't look very secure. Naively I would have thought they would be parked in their own parking spaces.

Edited September 2, 2023 by CarlaMarie

[ParisHilton]

Just park and a cab might well be an option? Not sure if cabs discouraged from getting close to the ships to help cps monopolise.

[CarlaMarie]

This is what it states on the P4C website - 

 

"There's no need to worry about your car while you're away. Our secure parking facility is monitored with CCTV, and also features steel entry barriers to prevent any unauthorised access, as well as security lighting and perimeter fencing.

Our car park is under 3 miles from all cruise terminals, so we won't be added on hundreds of miles to your odometer. Unlike some other cruise parking companies, we don't park your car on the street, in public car parks, or ANYWHERE other than our secure car park - so you can be sure that your pride and joy is left in good hands".

[CarlaMarie]

Here are some photos from Google street view. The two compounds in that first photo which @devonukposted are opposite National Tyres on the commercial road. 

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

I agree. Our family normally use CPS, but used P4C this year for the first time as CPS had no availability. They are parked incredibly close to one another, and from that photo it doesn't look very secure. Naively I would have thought they would be parked in their own parking spaces.

If you check out the CPS parking near to Mayflower on Google maps, you will see that they are also tightly packed. At least that makes stealing them extremely difficult.

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If you check out the CPS parking near to Mayflower on Google maps, you will see that they are also tightly packed. At least that makes stealing them extremely difficult.

With space costing money, I’m sure that they all pack them like sardines. I would never worry about the car being stolen, as there would be far easier and much less secure places to steal cars.
 

The issue with how these places park cars is the risk of dents in the side of your car when a driver squeezes out of an adjacent car, pressing the car door against the side of the next car as they do so. Over the years I have used CPS this has unfortunately happened twice to different cars of mine.

[david63]

I can confirm that CPS park the cars close together.

 

A few years back I inadvertently left the passports in the car and had to go to the compound to retrieve them. Had I been five minutes later then there would have been no way for me to get to my car without other cars being moved.

[ParisHilton]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

I can confirm that CPS park the cars close together.

 

A few years back I inadvertently left the passports in the car and had to go to the compound to retrieve them. Had I been five minutes later then there would have been no way for me to get to my car without other cars being moved.

 

I was wondering, if they are parked deliberately like this. For security and to maximise cars per slot.

If they drive them all in for the same ship in a line, and peel them off from the end of the line, then the driver door should be fine when , and only when, the previous car has been moved back to the 'pick up' point?

[terrierjohn]

41 minutes ago, ParisHilton said:

 

I was wondering, if they are parked deliberately like this. For security and to maximise cars per slot.

If they drive them all in for the same ship in a line, and peel them off from the end of the line, then the driver door should be fine when , and only when, the previous car has been moved back to the 'pick up' point?

Most car parking companies have been operating for some time, and will have developed a procedure to ensure they can maximise the number of cars but still ensure they can easily access them when needed.