QM2 Southampton Disembarkation July '08

[rambler-dhaka]

According to the Cunard itnerary QM2 will arrive at 7 AM in Southampton.

 

Can anyone please give me an idea how long the disembarkation formalities take? Our cabin is on Deck 6.

 

Would it be possible to catch the 9.55AM train to London Waterloo from Southampton Central or is that cutting it fine?

 

Thanks all.

[transatlantic fan]

According to the Cunard itnerary QM2 will arrive at 7 AM in Southampton.

 

Can anyone please give me an idea how long the disembarkation formalities take? Our cabin is on Deck 6.

 

Would it be possible to catch the 9.55AM train to London Waterloo from Southampton Central or is that cutting it fine?

 

Thanks all.

Yes if you do self help.

[david,Mississauga]

My wife and I took self-help disembarkation from the QE2 recently and were at Southampton Central before 8:30. We were booked on a 10:15 train; although we could have taken an earlier train it would have involved a change at Birmingham, so we waited because the 10:15 was direct.

 

Regarding booking seats on trains in Britain, I discovered that bookings made in North America are costly. We paid (Canadian)$14 per seat plus an $18 delivery charge for our first trip. But once in Britain, all seat reservations were free upon presentation of our Britrail passes. National Rail says that bookings must be made at least three hours before the departure of the train from its original point.

[lannp]

I think you will have to do self-help. After self-help and special arrangements, they do the decks starting from the top down.

[rambler-dhaka]

Could someone please explain the normal disembarkation procedure-that is, when one is not doing "self help".

 

Does someone come and collect the luggage from the cabin or does one have to deliver it to some point oneself.

 

Thanks.

[hansol1966]

Hello rambler-dhaka. In answer to your question luggage is picked up from outside your cabin on the last night between the hours of 5.00pm and 12.00pm (midnight). Identification tags to attach to your bags will be in your room on the last day, colour coded according to the deck you are on.

As was said previously there is an hierachy of disembarcation roughly translating to ... self help(must be able to carry-pull all luggage through customs to the exit-taxi rank),then by floor from the top down 12 to 4 interspersed with passengers with any Cunard provided connections.

We were on deck 4 and were in the last 100 off the ship at about 10.30am, i did notice there was a bit of a queue at the taxi stand.

Self help is the way to go for speedy disembarcation and first to the taxis, but obviously means having limited luggage and being reasonably able bodied...good luck

Fred & Sian

[steveinthecity]

Hi,

 

WE were on deck 6 two weeks ago. Wished we had done self help - had 2 large cases with wheels but thought it wouldnt take too long doing it the "leisurely" way. Oh boy. Deck 6 was at 10.05, easy to get off, but then you have to find your bags - not as easy as it sounds - amongst 200 others in a line even with two of us looking. Long line at taxi rank - took 25 minutes to get to front. In all one hour 30 minutes from being asked to leave to getting in taxi - and there was still a big queue of deck 6 behind us.

[nitwit]

Self help is the way to go if you don't have too much luggage:)

Glenn.

[80486]

Would it be possible to catch the 9.55AM train to London Waterloo from Southampton Central or is that cutting it fine?

 

Thanks all.

 

Ah, well we'll wave as we fly by, because we are attempting to get the 12:30 euro-rail to paris... which means I really want the 9:00 am train.

[cruiseluvva]

Are Cunard flexible at all about disembarkation? We will be on deck 8 but really need to be off early for my husband to get to work at lunch time - and we'll have a way to drive. Is self help the only way, or will they allow us a different colour slot?

[Toffeegirl68]

Bearing in mind that, with regards to disembarkation, lots of people say that they are 'special cases' (no offence intended), self disembarkation really is your best option.

 

For general disembarkation, you will find that the luggage is grouped according to its luggage label colour. The earlier you disembark within your colour group, the more luggage you will have to look at to identify your own! You generally need to show your luggage label 'receipts' to get off i.e. to prove that you are in the colour disembarking at that time. (particularly true for the earlier groups, i.e. to stop the deck 5 folk insisting that they are deck 12!!!)

 

Finally, one thing to bear in mind for general disembarkation.... if you loiter in the Kings Court, you are rather in the way of the staff trying to clean up after breakfast and prepare for the lucky newcomers. Do them a favour and proceed to your designated waiting area and get out of their way!!!!

 

Jo

(who only disembarked on Monday and is still trying to get over the shock of having to shop, cook, clean.....)

[garigoun]

Are Cunard flexible at all about disembarkation? We will be on deck 8 but really need to be off early for my husband to get to work at lunch time - and we'll have a way to drive. Is self help the only way, or will they allow us a different colour slot?

 

Two of our table guests had a pressing reason to get off early, we were all deck 4 and so the last off, they simply went to reception and explained and got a higher colour ticket issued there and then.

Garigoun

[Toffeegirl68]

Two of our table guests had a pressing reason to get off early, we were all deck 4 and so the last off, they simply went to reception and explained and got a higher colour ticket issued there and then.

Garigoun

 

Hopefully this will work for you......

[clazz8]

We recently needed to disembark QE2 in Southampton as quickly as possible in a genuine emergency and arranged with the Purser's Office to do 'self help'. We were clear of the terminal and into our car (we had used the CPS dockside parking service) by about 7.45am.

I have no idea whether that is exceptionally fast as we have never done it before (so don't rely on it!) but it was really very easy provided you can manage your own luggage. The only downside was a not very good 6.30am continental breakfast in the Lido.

 

J.

[gentlemancruiser]

We recently needed to disembark QE2 in Southampton as quickly as possible in a genuine emergency and arranged with the Purser's Office to do 'self help'. We were clear of the terminal and into our car (we had used the CPS dockside parking service) by about 7.45am.

I have no idea whether that is exceptionally fast as we have never done it before (so don't rely on it!) but it was really very easy provided you can manage your own luggage. The only downside was a not very good 6.30am continental breakfast in the Lido.

 

J.

 

The QE2 is much faster then the QM2. Several years ago disembarking the QM2 in Ft Lauderdale we waited 2.5 hours to be called to disembark and then 55 minutes to get a taxi. The disembarkation was a total nightmare!

On the inaugural Caribbean QM2 cruise we did the self disembarkation and the line for stretched from the A elevator bank all the way back to the C elevators.

The best advise it to give yourself plenty of time.

[PRINSENDAM]

According to the Cunard itnerary QM2 will arrive at 7 AM in Southampton.

 

Can anyone please give me an idea how long the disembarkation formalities take? Our cabin is on Deck 6.

 

Would it be possible to catch the 9.55AM train to London Waterloo from Southampton Central or is that cutting it fine?

 

Thanks all.

 

 

 

First problem you have to overcome is that the QM2 will be in New York on 8th July NOT Southampton!!!! :eek:

 

Well, she had better be, I'm joining that day!

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

First problem you have to overcome is that the QM2 will be in New York on 8th July NOT Southampton!!!! :eek:

 

Well, she had better be, I'm joining that day!

 

Stephen

 

 

 

What an idiot! (Me that is!) I see that you message was July '08 and not July 08. :o

 

Stephen