Early morning in Southampton

[rula40]

A good friend of ours has just offered to take us to Southampton on the 24th when we join the Ventura as he will be working in the town, and that will save us having to get the train.

We will be arriving around 8am and then he will have to get on with his business meeting. Our tickets state that we can board around 11.30 am, so that will give us 3 hours to kill, but with at least 60 kilo’s of luggage it will not be possible to do a walking tour around the town.

Does anyone have any ideas on either where to pitch up and watch the commuters, or maybe there is an early bird waiting area in the terminal.

The weather here in the south has been brilliant recently, but I expect we would be seasonably autumnal next week, so I should imagine sitting on the waterfront will be out of the question.

Thanks in anticipation.

[tom_uk]

If you could get rid of your luggage and the weather is OK then a trip on the Hythe ferry is supposed to be fun; you'd get a good view of the docked ships, especially whichever is berthed at the QE2 terminal. But your luggage is the issue.

 

I have no idea when they will take embarkation luggage off you. When we disembarked last Friday we were told that all on-board luggage was in the baggage hall by about 8:30. However, I think I then saw many of the porters performing 'wheel chair' assistance duties, and even portering luggage out to cars in some cases, where the passenger was clearly not up to taking it themselves. So it's possible that they won't take luggage off you until 11:30.

 

But others may know better than me....

[KarenR_UK]

Hopefully someone will come up with an alternative but if the weather is bad all I can think of is to use the airport facilities - a few miles away, but it is undercover, they have a cafe / bar (though the bar might not be open at that time :D), & when ready, you can get the on-site cab people to arrange a cab to the docks - the fare will probably be in the region of £20-25 (you could call for a quote - Checker Cars - http://www.checkercars.com/Southampton%20Airport%20Taxi.html ).

As far as I know, no one checks to see if you are flying or have flown.

 

There are coffee places in the city centre shopping malls, but a) your arrival time could mean they aren't accessible & b) you still have to get your luggage there.

 

Karen

[rula40]

Karen,

That sounds like quite a good idea, I just did not want to stand on the side of the road looking like we had just been evicted from somewhere, and I did not think that the local Sainsburys would appreciate me using one of their trolleys to push my cases around.

If all else fails that’s what I think we will do. Thanks again.

Phil

[rula40]

Karen,

Just phoned Checkercars and they have quoted me £19.50, which is quite good. I have printed off the details and will put them with my papers.

Thanks again for the tip, and have a great autumn getaway on the QE2 .

Phil

[Rum Rat]

rula40, a couple of suggestions.

 

Would/could your friend leave your luggage in the car, drop you off somewhere in Southampton for you to look around and do that bit of last minute 'retail therapy' with a cuppa in West Quay and then meet up at a predetermined time and he could take you to Mayflower and drop you and the luggage. Of course this depends on the nature of his business appointment? During his/her lunch break????

 

OR, take a flyer and hope for the best, for him to take you to Mayflower and 'hope' that you can drop your luggage off at the 'hole in the wall', (Yes I know it's early and the luggage hall will be full of those leaving the ship, but I have seen luggage piled up outside) and then for him to drop you off in town, bid your farewells, do your 'retail therapy etc and for you to grab a taxi, or the crew bus if you know where to get it ;-) and go to the ship at 11.30

 

Means a lot of co-operation with your friend, but what are friends for? ;-)

 

Whatever, there is only one thing which is important ......

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Enjoy your cruise :-)

 

Mike

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Get your friend to drop you off at the Red Funnel Ferry.

 

Board as a foot passenger with your luggage (as if you were going on holiday there) and enjoy a trip to Cowes and back. You should be able to stow your luggage in a storage area there. Have your cases locked, though.

 

Nice way to kill 3 hours. Plenty of taxis to take you from the Town Quays to the Mayflower (a few pounds)

[Rum Rat]

If you go down this line, make sure you get dropped off at the Car Ferry Terminal and not the Red Jet Terminal. Red Jet passenger takes 22 minutes, but the car ferry takes 55 minutes and you can get a breakfast on board ;-)

 

55 minutes to the Isle of Wight, stay on board and 55 minutes back and there you have it, a cruise before a cruise AND you pass the QE2 terminal so will see anything on that berth :-)

 

Taxis to Mayflower cost about £6.00 and drop you off at the luggage 'hole in the wall'

 

Mike

[Pontius Navigator]

(Yes I know it's early and the luggage hall will be full of those leaving the ship, but I have seen luggage piled up outside)

 

I think great care is needed here. Too easy for luggage to get mixed up. No Southampton and not arriving but my wife had to wrestle my laptop off one couple.

 

The problem arises where you have a party of 4 - two couples - who do not know the other couples luggage and mistake yours for theirs.

 

While the weather may be fine it may also be cold and unnecessarily tiring. I would go with the plan of the airport terminal and a good book or somewhere similar in Soton, like a library or museum.

[Rum Rat]

We label everything. Not just with the P&O labels, but I have a programme for address labels on the computer and I run off a sheet of 24, or 2 sheets if required and put Deck and Cabin Number on in the appropriate deck colour and stick them everywhere. Computer, all cases receive 2 or 3 on the top, side, end. Camera case, wife's handbag, wheely trolly ........ if it moves, stick a label on it :-)

 

We also fix/tie brightly coloured ribbons on everything. Certainly makes finding our luggage in the baggage hall easy. The ribbons are a couple of incehs wide and about 18 inches long :-))

 

AND, the cases have permanent coloured tapes attached to them. 2 broad bands of self adhesive carpet binder, different colours side by side. I can see my case on the airport carousel as soon as they plop off the conveyor onto the roundababout and if I am not at the front I will ask the person in front of me to 'Would you grab the case with the yellow and red strips on please' ......... Never fails ;-)

 

 

Mike

[Pontius Navigator]

Mrs PN had what may be the best idea.

 

First, remember you are going on a luxury cruise. Airport terminals and luxury cruises are as far apart as you can possibly get.

 

Remember it is now winter time so really wet and windy tour of Southampton would rival a wet weekend in Wigan.

 

Mrs PNs idea was check in to the most luxurious hotel as near the terminal as you can manage. Warm, comfortable and a pleasant place to read a free newspaper and enjoy morning coffee - even breakfast perhaps. At random how about the de Vere Grand http://www.devere-hotels.com/our-hotels/grand-harbour/the-hotel

 

Looks good and is on Wesy Quay Road. Who knows, you might even be able to blag a curtesy car to the terminal.

 

'Don't ask don't want; don't want don't get.' :)

[rula40]

PN,

These ideas are getting better and better, and I appreciate the suggestions but I think Mrs PN has come up with an excellent one. I have just contacted the De Vere Hotel and they offer a full English breakfast for £15.95, and that includes Protection from any inclement weather, warmth and lighting and of course the newspapers, plus our cases will be watched over by the porter, who will also arrange a taxi for the 5 min journey to the terminal.

'Don't ask don't want; don't want don't get”

I asked because I wanted, and I got what I needed

Thanks for all your help and ideas

[Pontius Navigator]

Rula, well done :)

 

I will pass on to Mrs PN and also store in mind for the future.

[feebee_71]

Rula,

 

I too was going to recommend the De Vere as a possibility for the morning, I have used their facilities in the past when meeting up with friends before a cruise and they are happy for non guests to use their facilities.

 

I have met up with people there and also travelled from a ship and waited there with a friend who was going on from the cruise we had shared to an event onboard one of the ships in port and couldn't board until lunchtime though we had to be off the ship early morning.

 

They have a lovely conservatory that you can sit in and have a selection of newspapers - not very wide range though so if you don't want the Guardian or similar it is best to take your own.

 

Feebee_71 :)