Southampton- how quick is walk off?

[LindyDis]

We are taking a cruise that returns to Southampton. We had a lovely 3:40 pm flight time set up but the airline has changed our departing flight to 1:05 pm from Heathrow. How quickly will we get off the ship if we do the walk off option? Disney has told me disembarkation starts at 7:00 am but user stories are reporting later times. What time are walk off individuals allowed to leave the ship?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

We are taking a cruise that returns to Southampton. We had a lovely 3:40 pm flight time set up but the airline has changed our departing flight to 1:05 pm from Heathrow. How quickly will we get off the ship if we do the walk off option? Disney has told me disembarkation starts at 7:00 am but user stories are reporting later times. What time are walk off individuals allowed to leave the ship?

I have done 4 Disney cruises from Southampton and I have flow out of Heathrow.

A 1.05pm flight means being at the airport for check in 10.30am latest. Yes you will need all that time for a transatlantic flight. They start boarding about an hour before the flight and Heathrow is huge, with a lot of walking. You will need all that time to do check in , security , and getting to the gate area.

The next question is how are your getting from Southampton to Heathrow?

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We were concierge and the walk off was quick, around 7:30, maybe a few minutes later. We took DCL transport to airport, but the traffic was crazy. Bus left about 8 as soon as it was full. We were one of the first buses to leave. 90 minutes + to Heathrow. The traffic was crazy. Many times we were stopped in traffic along the highway. I think we got there about 9:45/bus leaving about 8 from Southampton. By the time you check your bags, our status gave us expedited security... Then we had to take a little underground tram to the gate-up several flights of stairs. Might be a bit tight with any issues. We were lucky, but our flight was 2:40, after DCL recommended time. Heathrow is a huge airport!

 

[RedHead0186]

DCL recommends flights no earlier than 2:15 pm: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/ground-transportation/. If all goes well, you might be able to make 1:05, but Heathrow is far(ish) from Southampton so traffic can be an issue, plus security at Heathrow can have long lines (and, as PP noted Heathrow is large, so there's a lot of walking).

Disembarkation starts when the ship is cleared, so while DCL may give estimated times, that time can vary if there are delays at port.

 

[LindyDis]

Initially we followed the DCL recommendation for flight times; our airline had other ideas though- LOL.

We have a private cab from a reputable company set up for 8:00 am. Hence the subject of the thread as I am wondering if I should change the time to 8:30 am.

The airline we are flying doesn't open for airport check-in until 10:35 am (2.5 hours before the flight). Although I have seen reports there may be a self-serve option which allows an earlier bag drop. Bag drop stops at 12:05 pm and the boarding gate door closes at 12:50 pm. To aid us in managing our tight timeline, we have Heathrow security fast track set up. Our home airport is one of the largest in the world so we are familiar with long slogs to a distant gate with an occasional 50 gate dash mixed in due to gate changes.

We have done 2 Disney cruises previously. The disembarkation from the first one was very chaotic. We did the standard process where the luggage is picked up the evening before and then left the ship as scheduled. However, one of our suitcases was not in the correct area. It was a 45 minute search with crew assistance through all of the bags to locate it. The second cruise we did walk off disembarkation and it was a breeze. Hoping for the same as our second cruise this go around.

Making our flight time will be tight and rushed. It seems like it will boil down to rush hour traffic conditions. Maybe I can acquire some pixie dust for the cab.

Appreciate the insight and looking forward to hearing more whether good, bad or ugly.