The services re information re lines to get into on arrival worked great quick and easy . Was bit of a worry as turning into Red Funnel off the main road was slow then I could see why as two point... See more
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My Emails always get answered , dad has been ill on two of our trips and staff on the phone and via email are always helpful changing ferry time making sure we are next to a lift , also extra space... See more
All very straight forward from the booking to the final disembark. Arrived at port and checked in instantly with registration recognition. Arrived slightly early so was put on the early transfer, whic... See more
Company replied
Experience was good, managed to get a seat at the front. Being disabled, it was nice to have extra leg room. Prices are quite high though, I always book my ferry in November on Black Friday, if I can’... 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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Replied to 86% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 2 weeks
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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.
Very well organised the ferry was clean…
Very well organised the ferry was clean and a smooth journey
July 11, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Lift was not working so had to climb…
Lift was not working so had to climb lots of stairs as we were on the lowest deck. As we and several members of our party have mobility issues it was not ideal to say the least. Went to purchase some coffee and the milk in the coffee machine wasn’t working as a previous customer had mentioned it tasted off and it hadn’t been replaced. This was on our return journey. Outward journey was issue free
July 7, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear that you had to use the stairs. We do have lifts on both of our vehicle decks and we ask that passengers who require lift access let us know when making their booking. This allows us to place notes on your booking to ensure that you are placed near a lift, and where needed make any additional arrangements required such as additional room to open a door fully.
I shall ensure that your comments regarding the coffee machines are reviewed by the relevant teams and I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this caused.
Really straightforward forward to board…
Really straightforward forward to board lovely crossings always use Red Funnel
June 22, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Smooth journey on time
June 27, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Overall good
Booking in was ok, but could have done with both booths open, loading went well but drivers could have been reminded to turn off their alarms.
Need some covering on the decks, it was really hot, and this would apply in damp weather too, so some sort of roofing for people to sit under,
Staff were pleasant
Aircon had malfunctioned making the dog area inside stupidly hot.
Not enough toilets
Would be good if smoking was banned on the whole ship as some people were vaping in the non smoking areas
July 3, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your constructive feedback. We do suggest to passengers that they disable their alarm on the safety information on the back of the hanger that is provided to passengers upon check-in. I shall ensure that your suggestions are reviewed by the relevant teams.
Efficient check in and good service on…
Efficient check in and good service on board despite the heat
July 10, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Smooth and easy
Easy booking, swift boarding and always on time. Pleasure to travel with them
July 17, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Easy to be reached
Easy to be reached, on time departure and arrival, clean ship and friendly staff!
June 24, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Great trip staff efficient and works…
Great trip staff efficient and works well
But the cost is far too high It will make me think if I want to go back IOW As the place we stayed lovely but extra cost £228 for justc2 people and car far too much
July 4, 2026
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.
A relaxing start to our holiday
Booking online was an easy, straightforward process.
Checking in was easy and both ferries left on time. Facilities/toilets were clean.
All in all it was a stress free experience.
July 5, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review. We are delighted to hear that you had a stress free experience with us, and we hope you enjoyed your holiday.
It was good to see one sun deck open
It was good to see one sun deck open. We have had several crossings, but this was the first time we had been able to use one. We are always impressed with the efficiency of the staff when we arrive at the kiosk and the loading and unloading procedure.
June 29, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are happy to hear that you were able to use the sun deck and we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Booking is easy online
Booking is easy online, we were allowed to alter our time on return crossing to an early one, only disappointment was there was no hot breakfast items available apart from drinks. Prices to use the service remain questionable.
July 11, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you were able to travel earlier than planned, although I am sorry that our full hot breakfast range was not available.
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
Thanks for your feedback - we are happy to hear that you were able to travel earlier
Love red funnel car ferry
Love red funnel car ferry, never had a delay in 30 years of using it on out peaky holiday. The only thing I would change is the food is not very nice. I’m sure they could do better on the hot food front. I had sausage in a bap, was asked if I wanted fried onions but when it came they were like dried onion flakes, disgusting. The chips are tasteless, have never had a decent meal on the ferry. Chef pls take note. Staff are lovely though.
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 you love travelling with us, and that you have never experienced a delay is 30 years. We have recently changed our food supplier, as well as introducing new options. We hope that you find the new items to be an improvement on our previous options, however, I shall ensure that your feedback is reviewed by the appropriate teams.
Excellent customer service and ease of…
Excellent customer service and ease of amending our return journey time to an earlier slot! Good management of the onboarding of cars and equally as efficient on off loading in destination ports. Clean communal areas onboard the ferry too.
July 4, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Total and utter chaos at Southampton
Total and utter chaos at Southampton. One ferry earlier cancelled…..absolutely no plan or organisation for the backlog
June 26, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. I am sorry to hear that you were impacted by a cancellation to our services. I shall ensure that your feedback is reviewed by our operations manager for Southampton, and I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
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