Disembarkation Question

We recently booked our first cruise on Azamara, Cities of Northern Europe. The cruise ends with an overnight in London. We arrive on September 9, 2018 and the last day of the cruise is September 10th.

I found a mileage award for a flight leaving London Gatwick at 11:25 am on September 10th. For those of you that may have experienced overnights or who know London better than we do, is that doable? I probably wouldn't risk it on a ship coming in that same day, but since we come in the day before, is this a reasonable option?

I appreciate any wisdom that could be shared on this issue. I need to make a decision by Friday, but I don't want to risk booking a flight we may not be able to make.

Thank you so much for your insights.

Kathy

We recently booked our first cruise on Azamara, Cities of Northern Europe. The cruise ends with an overnight in London. We arrive on September 9, 2018 and the last day of the cruise is September 10th.

 

I found a mileage award for a flight leaving London Gatwick at 11:25 am on September 10th. For those of you that may have experienced overnights or who know London better than we do, is that doable? I probably wouldn't risk it on a ship coming in that same day, but since we come in the day before, is this a reasonable option?

 

I appreciate any wisdom that could be shared on this issue. I need to make a decision by Friday, but I don't want to risk booking a flight we may not be able to make.

 

Thank you so much for your insights.

 

Kathy

You might like to find out your check in time at airport (e.g. 8.25 am for 11.25 am flight). Then check the time required to travel from the port to the airport.

Then ask Azamara whether you could disembark at ? time in the morning.

To me it is doable, if Azamara approves and if you are a morning person.

Why not stay at a hotel near airport the night before. You can get off the ship around 7 or 730 with carrying your own suitcase. have your TA check on this.

Why not stay at a hotel near airport the night before. You can get off the ship around 7 or 730 with carrying your own suitcase. have your TA check on this.

This is a similar situation to Quest overnight in Montreal September 2016. I heard a number of passengers had booked flights back to UK on the evening before the cruise completed. The advantage to them was that they could have the day in Montreal, meal on the ship and then make for the airport. They did have to inform the ship of their intention.

We recently booked our first cruise on Azamara, Cities of Northern Europe. The cruise ends with an overnight in London. We arrive on September 9, 2018 and the last day of the cruise is September 10th.

 

I found a mileage award for a flight leaving London Gatwick at 11:25 am on September 10th. For those of you that may have experienced overnights or who know London better than we do, is that doable? I probably wouldn't risk it on a ship coming in that same day, but since we come in the day before, is this a reasonable option?

 

I appreciate any wisdom that could be shared on this issue. I need to make a decision by Friday, but I don't want to risk booking a flight we may not be able to make.

 

Thank you so much for your insights.

 

Kathy

Hi Kathy

It’s a good 2 hour drive from the Southampton Cruise Terminal to Gatwick Airport, for an 11.25 Flight you would need to be there by 8.25 as it will be a busy.

Our roads in the south of the England can also be very busy on a Monday morning with commuters to London and Gatwick is located on a very popular motorway!

We sometimes use the Hilton Gatwick for early flights rather than try to beat the traffic.it is right next to the terminal.

I hope this helps in your decision making

Steve

Hi Kathy

 

It’s a good 2 hour drive from the Southampton Cruise Terminal to Gatwick Airport, for an 11.25 Flight you would need to be there by 8.25 as it will be a busy.

 

Our roads in the south of the England can also be very busy on a Monday morning with commuters to London and Gatwick is located on a very popular motorway!

 

We sometimes use the Hilton Gatwick for early flights rather than try to beat the traffic.it is right next to the terminal.

 

I hope this helps in your decision making

 

Steve

We will be docked at Greenwich, not Southampton, if that makes a difference.

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Ahh, didn’t realise that, Greenwich is certainly closer to Gatwick, but you will be subject to the vagaries of the M25 on a Monday morning, having commuted along it for many years from Kent to Heathrow, I think my previous suggestions still apply!

Google is showing the travel time today as 1.5 hours with slow traffic on the M25 and M23, the two major roads on the route to Gatwick from Greenwich.

It does make a difference. With normal traffic a taxi to Gatwick would take about an hour. If you booked a cab for say 7 am that should get you to Gatwick in plenty of time. The M25 can be busy (we use it in this direction every week) but providing you allow extra time there should not be a problem. The route would be A2 to M25 Junction 2 to 7, then M23 to Gatwick. You can look online.

Cost would be about £60. Cheaper than an airport hotel and will allow you to have an evening in lovely Greenwich.

It does make a difference. With normal traffic a taxi to Gatwick would take about an hour. If you booked a cab for say 7 am that should get you to Gatwick in plenty of time. The M25 can be busy (we use it in this direction every week) but providing you allow extra time there should not be a problem. The route would be A2 to M25 Junction 2 to 7, then M23 to Gatwick. You can look online.

Cost would be about £60. Cheaper than an airport hotel and will allow you to have an evening in lovely Greenwich.

Do you know if Azamara will let people disembark that early? I wouldn't mind getting up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport, but it's all for naught if we can't get off the ship.

Thank you so much for your feedback.

As the ship is in the port the day before you should be OK, but you need to tell customer relations what your plans are ( and your cabin steward too). It may be a good idea to take your luggage off yourself, rather than leave it out to be collected the night before, because you might not be able to get access to it early in the morning.

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I have left the night before and flown home. Others have slept in a hotel for an early flight. the only place i know could be a problem is AU. I would do two things. 1. have your TA tell AZ. does not mean ship will know. 2. tell ship. there a form that comes around to cabin to fill out halfway thru cruise. it says right on it early walk off. but i would prefer to leave the night before and sleep in hotel. not a morning person

Mrs Miggins - if "docking" in Greenwich, would that not have the ship, as we had with Viking this year, tied up to a pontoon in the middle of the river? Unless Boris gets his pier built by then! ;)

If this is the case you will need to find out what time the "tender" boats start in the morning. In Greenwich they use the Thames Clipper boats for tenders. We disembarked on an early tender which was around 0730 but we watched them set up (staff arrivals etc.) on the transfer pontoon from just before 0700. The transfer itself is very quick, 3/4 minutes and our luggage was waiting for us to be collected from the marquee.

Definitely need to pre-book a taxi as the taxis are not allowed to access the area adjacent to the Cutty Sark but realistically, at that time in the morning, there should be no problem and our taxi did come into that street to pick us up.

Absolutely right, its all about what time you can get on the first tender. As you know its a very short trip of only a couple of hundred yards but only Viking would be able to answer the question.

I still think it should be easily possible as the flight isn't until 11.25 and the trip would normally only take one hour - say one and a half hours in peak time.