Your questions answered

How do I join my Fly-Cruise?

If you are flying from London Gatwick or Manchester and have a long journey to the airport, we can arrange an overnight hotel stay for the night before your flight, from £119 per room. If you would like to take this option, please let us know at the time of booking. Please note that hotel bookings are subject to availability, no refunds can be given for cancellation within 7 days of your stay and that the price excludes breakfast and transfers.

Details of airport parking facilities will be sent to you 2-3 weeks before travel. Please note that for cruises P814, E827, N818, N818A, P922, E928, N925 and N925A where you sail from Southampton and fly back to the UK, we offer a complimentary coach service from the designated airports to Southampton on embarkation day so that you can park at the airport and your car will be awaiting you on your return. For cruises J806, P906, E803, E906, N906, N906A, P006, E006, N006 and N006A where you fly to the ship and sail back to Southampton, we offer a complimentary coach service from the docks back to your airport of departure on disembarkation day. Please note these may not be Eavesway operated services.

What are the arrangements for Fly-cruises?

For all fly-cruises until March 2010, we’ll arrange dedicated charter flights using aircraft of reputable carriers such as Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomsonfly. On all cruises we offer flights from London Gatwick and Manchester and we offer flights from various regional airports too.

Flights to Acapulco, Barbados, Manaus, Montego Bay and New Orleans normally depart the UK in the morning and arrive the same afternoon, whilst inbound flights are overnight departing in the afternoon and arriving in the UK the following morning, except in the case of Acapulco and Manaus where the arrival may be early afternoon. We’ll send you provisional flight timings 10 –12 weeks before you travel.

Can I upgrade my seat on a charter flight?

We offer upgrades to a premium seat on a number of our charter flights from £199 per person return. For transatlantic cruises we offer upgrades at a cost of £99 per person one-way. Benefits include larger, more comfortable seats and extra legroom. Upgrades to premium seats are subject to availability, must be purchased on a roundtrip basis where available, and are not always offered on all of our UK regional departures. If premium seats are withdrawn from a particular flight for any reason, the upgrade supplement for that flight sector will be refunded in full.

Can I pre-book my seat on the charter flight?

We cannot pre-book seats on any charter flight.

Is there a scheduled flight alternative?

If you would prefer not to take our charter flights, our Flights Department can arrange scheduled economy flights to/from Barbados at a supplement from £379 per person one-way or £699 per person return. They will also be pleased to provide a quote on your preferred carrier for upgrades to premium economy, business or first class. We regret that we are unable to offer scheduled flights to/from Acapulco, Manaus, Montego Bay, New Orleans or Fort Lauderdale/Miami. Please note that scheduled flights are subject to availability and from/to London only, and that depending on flight schedules it may be necessary to arrange overnight hotels before or after your cruise at your own expense. You will need to check-in and collect your own baggage, and we can only provide transfers to/from the ship where scheduled flights coincide with our charter flight arrival and departure timings.

What should I be aware of before my fly-cruise?

a) Airlines reserve the right to refuse travel on medical grounds. You must notify us of any medical conditions or other requirements for airport assistance (only available after check-in) or special arrangements on your flight. You may be required to provide additional information to the airline in order that they can assess your fitness to fly. Please note that several airlines are unable to carry passengers who require oxygen during part or all of the flight. Those that do require advance arrangements to be made at additional cost.

b) If you have any special dietary requirements including child meal requests, please advise us at the time of booking or at least 7 days prior to travel. We are unable to guarantee that all requests can be met.

c) Only fully fit and able-bodied passengers may occupy exit row seats. These seats may therefore only ever be assigned at the discretion of the airline at check-in.

d) Due to the configuration of the aircraft, it may not always be possible to obtain seats together.

e) All flights are non-smoking.

f) Air carriers and flight routings are subject to change and will not necessarily be direct or non-stop.

g) P&O Cruises will determine the city airport i.e. for London, either Heathrow or Gatwick may be used. Where a choice of UK departure airports is offered, this is subject to availability.

h) Please note that air credits are not applicable to passengers booking consecutive cruises during our fly-cruise season.

i) All flight times given are approximate and are subject to change.
P&O Cruises has no control over changes airlines may make to flight times but will inform you of any changes.

How do I know what time to arrive at the cruise terminal?

To ensure you embark your ship as quickly and efficiently as possible, we run a staggered check-in system at the cruise terminal. All passengers are asked to arrive at a particular time between 2pm and 4pm. We will advise you of your allocated check-in time on your ticket pack that you will receive 2-3 weeks before your holiday.

How can I get to Southampton?

Click here to download a map of the cruise ports in Southampton (PDF 0.4MB)

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the map. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

By Car
The majority of our cruises leave from and return to the cruise terminals in Southampton. If you are driving, you can leave your car in a secure car park near the terminal. This service is operated by Cruise & Passengers Services.

Contact Cruise & Passenger Services Ltd to arrange car parking: visit www.candps.com/parking or call 023 8033 4883.

Addresses of the ports:

Ocean Cruise
Terminal Berth 46/7
Cunard Way
Dock Gate 4,
Eastern Docks
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 3QN

Mayflower Cruise Terminal
Berth 106
Herbert Walker Avenue,
Dock Gate 10,
Western Docks
Southampton
Hampshire
SO15 1HJ

City Cruise Terminal
Solent Road
Dock gate 10,
Western Docks
Southampton
Hampshire
SO15 1AJ  

QE2 Terminal
Test Road
Dock Gate 4,
Eastern Docks
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 3GG

By rail
Southampton Central Station is on the Wessex Main Line, the South Western Main Line and the West Coastway Line. There is a taxi rank at the station and the cruise terminals are each a short journey from the station.

By Coach
Alternatively, if you live a distance from Southampton, then you may wish to travel to Southampton by coach. Arrangements can be made with Eavesway Travel Ltd.  

Eavesway Travel Ltd operates coach services from departure points across the UK direct to the cruise terminal and return for 2009 cruises which depart from and/or return to Southampton. A service will also operate to Southampton for cruises P922, E928, N925, N925A and from Southampton for cruises N906, N906A, E906, P906, P006, E006, N006 and N006A.

Reservations should be made with:

Eavesway Travel Bryn Side,
Bryn Road,
Ashton in Makerfield,
Wigan
WN4 8BT
Tel: 01942 727985
Fax: 01942 271234,
Email: sales@eaveswaytravel.com

What is the luggage allowance on a charter flight?

We have recently been advised that from 23 October 2008, the luggage allowances for all Charter flights will be reduced to 23 Kilos per person hold luggage. This change was brought about by the governments Health & Safety Officers, to ensure that baggage handlers in the UK do not have to lift any item exceeding 23kgs. However, the hand luggage allowance will remain at 5kgs per person with a size guideline of 43 cm x 28 cm x 23 cm.