The ferry was on time-both ways. You have real people available to deal with issues - thank you. Plus food!! Appreciate in particular that you ask parents not to allow children to run around. May... See more
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Review summary
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Arrived Southampton earlier than booking & got straight onto ferry & had excellent breakfast. On IOW side rtn again arrived early & got straight onto ferry. Service onboard was good with great selecti... See more
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Excellent journey both ways. Quick and efficient at boarding and disembarkation. Clean and comfortable lounges to use whilst sailing. We only had drinks, so can’t comment on food options. The drinks w... See more
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Although I’m an Island resident and should know better (!) I made a silly error when booking on line which I realised only when attempting to board in East Cowes. My Southampton destination was a cr... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
We are proud to be the original Isle of Wight Ferry, with over 164 years of experience sailing between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. We aim to deliver a First-Class customer experience from start to finish and operate more than 35 crossings a day. Use our easy online booking service to secure your Vehicle Ferry spot and step aboard to enjoy a range of facilities during your crossing. Customers can enjoy our premium Signature Lounge, pet-friendly lounge, licensed bar, café and retail shop plus outdoor sun decks before arriving at your destination in just 1-hour. Foot passengers can turn up and go via our Hi-Speed Red Jet service, arriving in just 30 minutes.
Discover the Isle of Wight with Red Funnel Ferries
Written by the company
- Just 1-Hour from Southampton
- Discover the wonderfully different Isle of Wight with Red Funnel Ferries. Set sail for sandy beaches, dramatic coastlines, rolling countryside, dazzling dark skies and charming villages; the Isle of Wight packs a lot of adventure and natural beauty into its modest size. Within an hour’s drive time, you can bask on 25 different beaches, visit more than 50 attractions, and experience the UK’s favourite Island holiday destination from end to end. Not only are we the original Isle of Wight Ferry, transporting visitors between Southampton and the Isle of Wight for over 164 years, but we also offer a fantastic selection of places to stay and visit, all bookable online via our website. Book your hotel, holiday park, cottage and your attraction tickets with us, and save on your ferry travel.
Contact info
12 Bugle Street, SO14 2JY, Southampton, United Kingdom
- 02380019192
- customerservices@redfunnel.co.uk
- www.redfunnel.co.uk
4.5
Excellent
1K reviews
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This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative
Replied to 88% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 2 weeks
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Efficient operation
Efficient operation
Would have given 5stars but the lift wasnt working and my elderly mum had to struggle with the stairs
June 22, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry to hear that your mum struggled with the stairs. Our lift works between the vehicle deck/passenger gangway to the main passenger lounge, but currently is unable to reach our upper lounge. We are waiting on replacement parts to arrive and we hope to have the lift fully functioning soon. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with our fares. We recommend checking the special offers page of our website before booking, as we frequently run promotions throughout the year. We work with many accommodation providers on the island to encourage visitors to the island, and can sometimes provide discounted rates to their guests.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
As usual a well organised crossing
As usual a well organised crossing. We turned up on time and we were loaded on to the ferry timously. The crossing was good and we came off the other side easily. The ferry was clean and tidy staff were busy but professional. A brilliant service. I would have given five stars but it is starting to get expensive.
June 26, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are pleased to hear that you had an enjoyable crossing with us.
Great experience
Great experience. We arrived early and the staff were helpful to get us on an earlier crossing. The staff in the cafe were friendly and a good laugh. Crossing was great, so much to see. Same experience coming back. Brilliant.
June 29, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to lave us your feedback. We are delighted to hear that you were able to travel earlier than planned, and that our colleagues were friendly. We hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
good experience
Easy to book had to make amendments to the booking staff really helpful and friendly
Nice and easy getting on and off ferry
June 29, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Staff were very helpful and friendly…
Staff were very helpful and friendly made our trip
July 3, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Very easy and efficient service.
July 4, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Great service throughput our ferry…
Great service throughput our ferry arrival and travel experience.
July 5, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your reviw- we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Excellent service
July 3, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Everything was good..they even let us…
Everything was good..they even let us go on an earlier sailing.. they have the timings down to perfection..
Good facilities on board.. good cafe and plenty of seating..
June 28, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to hear that you were able to travel earlier.
We turned up early for our ferry
We turned up early for our ferry. We were found a place on the next ferry. So accomodating.
July 2, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we are pleased to hear that you were able to travel earlier than planned, and we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Lovely trip both ways as always
July 3, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
The ferry was on time-both ways.
The ferry was on time-both ways.
You have real people available to deal with issues - thank you. Plus food!!
Appreciate in particular that you ask parents not to allow children to run around.
Maybe you could ask customers to use headphones and not subject everyone else to their choice of entertainment and double sided phone calls (a menace in society generally!)
July 2, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are pleased to hear that your crossings departed on time and that you appreciate being able to speak with a real person when needed. I shall ensure that I pass your feedback on to the relevant department and see if we can include your suggestion in our 'welcome aboard' announcement.
Overall a great service
July 17, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Extremely helpful staff
This is our second visit to the IoW on Red Funnel and we have found both the boarding , disembarking staff and crew members on all occasions extremely helpful.
July 11, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are delighted to hear that our colleagues have been helpful on all occasions, and we hope to welcome you back on board again soon for a third visit!
A pleasant journey across the Solent
A pleasant journey across the Solent. Loaded & unloaded efficiently.
July 4, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Trip to Wootton Bridge
Arrived early and went straight on as room on ferry. No fussing with tickets just number recognition. Quick unloading other end
July 4, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
So easy
Drove straight on to the ferry when we arrived both at Southampton on the way and Cowes on the way back - both times also managing to get on the earlier crossing. Our dogs felt safe, and we enjoyed the break from driving and the good tea!
July 2, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review. We are delighted to hear that your dogs felt safe while travelling with us, and we are pleased to hear you were able to travel earlier.
Satisfactory service as usual
Satisfactory service as usual, but the price seems either out of control or exploitative of unrelated events on the Island such as IoW Festival, Cowes Week, Round the Island Race or major holidays. I'm a frequent traveller on the route and have never been able to understand (or able to take advantage of) the apparently opaque pricing logic. Return trips with my car have varied between around £75 and over £200. Car ferry fares on a route from Seattle in the US North-west to a Puget Sound island at a similar distance for a car and 4 passengers were $10 each way a decade ago and less than double that now. Go figure.
July 13, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. Like many other transport providers, our fares are based on demand, which may cause fares to increase around busy dates and times. If you are a frequent traveller, you may wish to get in touch with post@redfunnel.co.uk where we can provide further information on the most cost effective approach based on your frequency of travel.
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