What to know about cruising out of Portsmouth UK port with Virgin Voyages. In this video I walk you through the full embarkation process so you know exactly what to expect. From luggage drop off and check in to security, shuttle transfers, and finally boarding the ship, I share helpful tips to make embarkation smooth and stress free.
I also cover how to get from London down to Portsmouth, including train and taxi options. Whether you are sailing on Brilliant Lady or any future voyage from Portsmouth, these tips will help you start your vacation the right way.
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REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO…
– Where the free shuttle takes you
https://www.gunwharf-quays.com/en
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3XRKj4mmP5aDHVUD6
– Citizen M Shoreditch https://booking.stay22.com/christinelozada/6PzeFPZYRu
– Virgin Hotel Shoreditch https://booking.stay22.com/christinelozada/g2cahdl8YR
– Trainline https://www.thetrainline.com/
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ā° WHATāS IN THIS VIDEO
0:00 Whatās in this video
0:19 Intro
0:39 Arriving to Portsmouth Cruise Port
0:58 I recommend checking your luggage
1:22 Go into the embarkation area inside
2:17 Upstairs check in
3:02 You can buy bar tab
3:27 Getting onto the shuttle for the ship
4:30 Info about staying in London
5:30 Getting to Portsmouth via train
#virginvoyages #virginvoyagescruise
If I’m honest, it was kind of more walking andĀ
a little bit not varied, but more confusing than I thought it would be. So, in this video, I’mĀ
sharing with you what to know about embarking on Virgin Voyages out of Portsouth, UK, so that youĀ
can know what to expect and have the best cruise vacation possible coming up. And if you’re newĀ
here, aoy. I’m Christine Lozada. I love Virgin Voyages. I’m currently on Brilliant Lady for herĀ
first sailing. I’m so excited to be here. Ah, be a smart traveler. Book your sailing with us.Ā
we get a better deal than on the ship, a better deal than other travel agents, and even if you’reĀ
already booked, make sure you have a good amount of sailor loot on your voyage. Let’s dive in withĀ
the first thing to know. If you arrive via taxi into Portsmith, what happens is the taxi willĀ
pull into a specific area for Virgin Voyages, and the luggage drop off is exactly where you’reĀ
going to get dropped off. Some of the ports, it’s not so bad. If you want to carry in whichĀ
you can, you can carry on your big luggages, you can. But this is a port where I wouldĀ
actually recommend that you check it. That of course I still had my own small carry-on, butĀ
my big luggage, I check that. And I recommend you do it here. They will have porters outĀ
there that will tag your luggage for you. So, you can just simply show up and make sure thatĀ
you have the app downloaded with your boarding pass ready because they’re going to be asking youĀ
for your cabin number. So, you’ll take care of your luggage there and then you’ll take the very,Ā
very short walk into the port. And here’s what you can expect there. As you come into the indoorĀ
port area here, you’re going to see the lineup of boarding times. And you need to just VirginĀ
Voyage is just like airlines, right? You board with your boarding group. So, you’re boarding atĀ
your boarding time. Yes, sometimes they will be ahead of schedule and will be letting people onĀ
early, but that’s not guaranteed. It is helpful to know that you can drop off your luggage earlierĀ
and then go. There’s a free shuttle that will take you to an area with dining and shopping. SeeĀ
the info in the description below as well as book your sailing with us. All that info is inĀ
there as well. But you’re going to line up with your boarding group. You still need to have thatĀ
boarding pass out. And then when it is your time, you will be taken upstairs. There are elevators.Ā
You’ll be taken upstairs where you’re going to start the check-in process. When you comeĀ
upstairs, you’ll find they do have like a waiting area with like food and things like that. It kindĀ
of feels like an airport. So downstairs there are like restrooms and upstairs there’s restroomsĀ
and there’s a little shop and things like that, but for the most part, this isn’t really aĀ
port that you hang out at. So I would actually recommend just arriving at your boarding time, goĀ
through this process, and as you come upstairs, have your passport ready because now it’s time toĀ
check in. So, there are elevators at the ready. But one thing that’s helpful to know is thatĀ
after you go through your check-in and you’re getting your band, the next portion is you’reĀ
going through security and it just feels exactly like the airport, right? Feels like TSA security.Ā
And on the other side of this and newer for Virgin Voyages in the last, I don’t know, 6 or 8 monthsĀ
or so is you can buy Bar tab before you finally board the ship. I bought Bar Tab. I know contraryĀ
to popular belief, Virgin Voyages does not pay for all of my Moet, but one thing that is helpfulĀ
to know is that even if you are a non US citizen, we can book you no matter what country you areĀ
sailing out of or from. So, book your sailing with us. So, normally this is the part where it’sĀ
time to get on the ship, right? You just scoot onto the ship. No, not in Portsouth. But wait,Ā
there’s more. I uh regret taking the stairs down, especially since I had my huge camera bag. Uh, butĀ
there are elevators available and you’re getting onto a shuttle. It’s not a long shuttle ride, butĀ
given like the traffic and construction going on, I don’t think you can actually walk from the portĀ
onto the ship. So, the shuttle is going to take you the short distance from the port over to theĀ
ship. And then you have a pretty long walk up the gang way. And what’s helpful to know is if youĀ
need help with a wheelchair or some assistance, the crew is there ready to assist you.Ā
So this, if you’re listening to this and you’re familiar with Terminal V, Miami, forĀ
example, this is a very different experience than that. And knowing what to expect so thatĀ
you can be prepared is helpful. At this point, you’re simply scooting onto the ship and you justĀ
need to make sure you’re wearing your wearable, your band, so they can scan it upon entry. AndĀ
for Portsouth, you come on via the sixth deck. And then you know what time it is? It’s time to startĀ
your voyage. In this next section of the video, I try to make the video I wish I got to see. AndĀ
it would be helpful for me to know what’s it like coming in from London down to Portsouth. How doĀ
you take the train? And some tips around that. But if you’re getting some value, cheers that likeĀ
button. Consider subscribing. And I had flown into Heathrow and I stayed in Shortitch. I choseĀ
this location because it’s amazing for walking around and just super easy to get around London.Ā
Absolutely love this experience. I did hang out at the Virgin Hotel a lot. Awesome experience,Ā
especially in the bar area. Love the champagne selection there. But I stayed at the Citizen M,Ā
which is a slightly less expensive experience, but equally a vibe and just around the corner.Ā
Absolutely loved that. See the info in the description for more info on both hotels.Ā
And it’s helpful to know that within London, Uber is available. And so, yes, you could takeĀ
the normal tube to your train station. I chose to go out of Waterlue, but find the one that’sĀ
closest for you. What the heck is this train called? Southwest Railway something something.Ā
But since I had so much freaking luggage, even though my business partner and travel agent, thankĀ
you, JC, carried half my luggage for me, even with what I had, it was so much, there was no way IĀ
was going to take the tube. So, I took an Uber to the Waterloo station and I bought my ticketsĀ
in advance via train line. All of this info is in the description below. When I was bookingĀ
my ticket, there’s lots of train options and several of them were requiring a connection. So,Ā
I chose a time that would get me at the port close to my embarkation time, but was a direct routeĀ
so I never had to transfer trains. It took me an hour and a half and I took the train from WaterlooĀ
down to Portsmouth and South Sea. So, some people will take it down to Portsmouth Harbor, which isĀ
the last stop. It’s not that much further away, but I do recommend getting off at Portsmith andĀ
South Sea. I was feeling super lucky because on the train, it wasn’t that busy. And given how muchĀ
luggage I had, there isn’t really an easy space to put everything there. And so, getting on andĀ
off the train, I don’t want to say it was hard, but I had a decent amount of luggage. And if I hadĀ
two huge luggages plus my huge camera luggage plus my purse, that would have been a lot. But gettingĀ
on and off, there’s actually quite a large gap. I was very lucky in that. H, thank you DouglasĀ
and Beatrice and Abba for helping me with my luggage. I think those doors would have closed onĀ
me otherwise. But it’s just something to be aware of so you know what to expect. And when you getĀ
to Portsmouth and South Sea here, you’re going to be able to jump into a taxi and they’re just linedĀ
up right out front. And there was a little it was kind of busy. It was a Thursday afternoon and theĀ
ride in the taxi took about maybe 12 minutes or so. Didn’t take that long and cost about 15 what?Ā
15 whatever the London money is. It’s not euros. Uh pound. It’s 15. So don’t forget if you doĀ
arrive way before your embarkation time, you can simply take that taxi in, drop off your luggage,Ā
and then get on the free shuttle to go to the area where they have the shopping, dining, etc. and youĀ
can hang out and all those things. I’m Christine Lozada. If this video is helpful, cheers that likeĀ
button. Consider subscribing. Book your sailing with us. Even if you’re a non US citizen, we gotĀ
you with the best deal out there. And by popular demand, I I tried to film this video yesterday.Ā
Uh the door people were knocking at the door. People were calling me on the phone. There’s justĀ
it all it all went to ship. But I’m on Brilliant Lady. Check the playlist. There’s tons of videosĀ
in there. And I’ll see you in the next one. Ciao. as shown on the back of your cabin doorĀ
or in the Virgin Voyages app. All right, so the phone’s ringing a ton. I’ll I’ll pick up on this I’ll pick up on this video later.Ā
Feel knocking at the door of things.
22 Comments
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Aww Bless you Christine for this video as I'm boarding from Portsmouth in the next few weeks for my my 2nd Voyage this year after bumping into you in Puerto Rico in Aprilā¤
Ahoy! Thanks for the info!
AHOY
Yay, a new video on Brilliant Lady. Yayyyyy. You rock will.
Going next week on the comedy fest from portsmouth so this video was really useful! – Wonder if we'll see one of the youtubers there š
Hi Christine is it a relatively new thing that you and JC can now book non US Citizens? I made contact a little while ago for our Brilliant Lady Cruise out of Miami in January 26.. flying in from London. But JC got back to me saying he couldn't help with a non US booking.
Another way to get to Portmouth from Heathrow / London is by bus to Sputhampton. Goes dorectly to Southampton central and Portmouth is only about 25 mins in a taxi. Fairly economic, and not souch worry about moving a lot of luggage of you fly in from outwode of the UK.
I found Portsmouth wasnt really prepared for VV last year – there was chaos at boeding and even the port staff hadnt a clue ehat was happening, so im glad to see its a bit clearer now.
Ahoy!
Fantastic information! Thank you.
I live in Portsmouth. If I was travelling with luggage Iād get off at the harbour. Itās step free to the street. Portsmouth and Southsea has a lift but itās often broken.
Uber is also available in Portsmouth too
Ahoy
AHOY
AHOY! I'm going on my first ever cruise leaving from this port very soon, thank you for the tips! <3
I would get off at Portsmouth Harbour its a short step-free walk to Gunwharf Quays (Outlet shopping and bars etc) where the free shuttle bus runs to the port and back, saving you taxi/uber costs. (although then I'd spend money at the GunWharf shops and get like 60% off Molton Brown products etc and not really save money at all ) š
AHOY!
Wow Christine, this is super helpful!
AHOY
Ahoy š
AHOY
I just disembarked the UK comedy fest from Portsmouth arriving and leaving via Portsmouth and Southsea station. The locally regulated taxis were £8 each time. Maybe the apps were dearer ("£15") as it was a bit busy but I only had to wait 5 minutes max both times
Ahoy! Such a great help, just back from the 2025 Comedy Fest.
Giving Christine a hand here ā¤ļø: trains to Portsmouth and Swansea leave from London Victoria and London Waterloo, so staying in Shoreditch puts you on the other side of the city. If you want to stay near these stations, aim for areas like South Kensington* for London Victoria and South Bank for London Waterloo. (* Hotels nearby the station are $$$ and South Kensington has the infrastructure for tourists).
I would catch the train the day before the ship leaves as English trains can be cancelled or be on strike. Day before or on the day will depend on what makes you comfortable. There is a lot to do in Portsmouth, so you can add a couple of tourist days to the cruise. Keep in mind, Portsmouth is a naval and university town, which can make booking accommodation tricky. The difference between Portsmouth and Swansea and Portsmouth Harbour is location; Portsmouth and Swansea is more in the city centre, while Portsmouth Harbour is near Gunwharf Quay and historic shipyards.
If you are booking your trains with Trainline, you are charged a fee and managing refunds can be tricky as you are not dealing with railway company directly. I would use the apps and websites for Southern railway and Southwest railways. (The southwest railway website and app is annoying when it comes to buy and managing tickets.) Depending on your situation, I prefer first class and flexible ticket in case you get caught out. Book in advance as you can get cheaper prices at around 90 days before travelling, and this includes the Heathrow express.
If you are catching the tube to these stations, double check accessibility as not all stations have lifts. London Victoria is a large transport hub, so give yourself time to find the platform. There are different services at different entrances. A taxi from South Kensington to London Victoria was about 20 pounds at around 9am. (Please use London cabbies and not uber š¤). I will be catching the train from London Waterloo in August, so I can add an update.
If you are catching the train from London Victoria make sure you are in a carriage going to Portsmouth and Swansea. Yes, they split the train in half to go in different directions⦠Also, first class carriages wonāt be where you think they will be so do ask staff. There isnāt much room for large cases. And enjoy the 1.5 hour trip as the views are lovely.
I arrived at the port terminal at the time of my boarding. Dropping off my bag was smooth and getting my wearable and security was fine. The only annoying thing was how the queuing groups were managed i.e. they werenāt. The terminal is small ish, so I would minimise time at the terminal and turn up at your time, drop off the bag and queue. Catching the bus to the ship was quick and low fuss. I loved the walk up the ramp to get on the lady ship as it added to the anticipation.