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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Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
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
Company replied
On time departures. Discount for EVs. Accommodated early arrival before booked time, which was helpful since had travelled down from Warrington, which makes timing logistics more difficult, especiall... See more
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Always friendly accommodating staff - if we arrive earlier than our booked ferry they have always let us board , no problem at all ! The signature lounge is comfortable and quiet and makes the c... 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
4.6
Excellent
944 reviews
Asks customers to review
This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative
Replied to 76% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 2 weeks
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The service was excellent
The service was excellent. We managed to get on a earlier trip inbound & outbound
June 13, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we are pleased to hear you found our service to be excellent!
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Transfer
From the time we arrived in the waiting area to boarding and sailing everything went smoothly
June 5, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your review - we hope to welcome you back onboard again soon.
Poor accessibility
Travelling with a large elderly dog we wanted to avoid the steep steps up from the card deck. On arrival we asked if we could use the lift and we were positioned so we were close to it. So far so good but unfortunately we needed a second lift to take us up to the pet lounge and this was out of order. So we still had to tackle a steep flight of stairs. The lift was still out of order on our return trip 4 days later.
June 8, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that you and your dog had to struggle with the steps between the main passenger lounge and the pet-friendly north lounge. We are currently waiting for the arrival of replacement parts for our lifts to return to full operation. We understand that not all passengers with pets may be able to head to the designated pet lounge as a result of this, and should you or any other passenger experience difficulty with the stairs, please speak with our Onboard Service Officer who will advise of a suitable location in the main lounge for your travel.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
The staff are helpful and friendly in…
The staff are helpful and friendly in all aspects of the journey.
June 17, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
I have used Red Funnel for years
I have used Red Funnel for years, they have always been good to travel with, only issue this time, and I don't want to reduce the star rating for it, is that there was no coffee available in the Pet Lounge. Otherwise all good.
June 14, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - I shall ensure that your feedback regarding the availability of coffee is reviewed by the appropriate teams.
Highly recommended
Very well organised loading cars and on time. Comfortable seating on board. Would recommend.
June 14, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Nothing . Great journey as normal
Safe journey both ways. Great customer service received
June 22, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
A very pleasant journey
We sailed on time, and coming back they managed to put us on an earlier ferry. The staff were helpful, there was a good choice of food and drinks. Both journeys were smooth and made for a pleasant crossing. I would certainly book again.
June 8, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Everything
Everything. Friendly staff , clean toilets . We always go in the signature lounge. Really relaxing . Very professional staff.
June 11, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your feedback - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
Booking system etc
Booking system. I had a code from a hotel but it wasn't clear if this was taken into account. Southampton terminal very very poorly signed, so many cars going down the wrong road to access the car terminal entrance.
June 9, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. I shall ensure that your feedback is reviewed by the appropriate teams.
Constant delays, obscene prices and rude staff
If you are a regular traveller to and from the Isle of Wight then the chances are you’ve experienced their awful service which is delayed or cancelled on a very frequent basis. On top of this the staff are rude and disrespectful, I have probably been on 20+ delayed journeys with red funnel and not once has a member of staff even apologised for the delay, which you would assume is basic customer service. They also offer no compensation for delays (I guess they would make no profit if that was the case as they are company is so poorly run). The prices are also of course absolutely obscene, but this is common knowledge. Real shame to see foreign companies with no connection to the Isle of Wight exploiting island residents and tourists
June 26, 2026
Unprompted review
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 service.
Despite our best efforts, there may be times when our service experience disruption. during periods of disruption, our teams have always worked as efficiently as possible to ensure our service resumes. We offer compensation inline with UK regulations, of which further information can be found under the help section of our website.
We operate around 30,000 crossing between Southampton and the Isle of Wight every year, the majority of which run as scheduled. Further information on our performance can be found here: https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/about-us#performance
Red Funnel is owned by Njord Partners, who are committed to investing in Red Funnel.
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear you think our pricing and timetable are terrible.
We aim to operate a round-the-clock service, even operating some sailings on Christmas Day. There may be times when cancellations or delays are inevitable, although we do our best to minimise these.
We frequently run special offers and have a wide range of discounts available. Should you wish to know more about our current offers or discounts, please visit the special offers page of our website or contact us at post@redfunnel.co.uk
Very convenient
All went very smoothly, and was able to switch return ferries for a nominal fee.
June 7, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear that you had a smooth crossing with us.
The staff was great and they made sure…
The staff was great and they made sure there was a smooth onboarding
May 17, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your feedback. It's great to hear that our staff were great and your boarding was smooth.
On time sailings and very helpful staff
Both ferries ran absolutely on time, and we were able to make a last minute booking change to our return sailing, which helped immensely. Staff at Cowes were very helpful.
May 30, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are pleased to hear that your sailing departed on time, and that you were able to amend your return crossing.
Never had a problem in all of the years…
Never had a problem in all of the years I have used them, and will continue to use them.
June 13, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your review! We are happy to hear that you shall continue to travel with us!
Costa coffee cups on Red Funnel ferries
We boarded the ferry with our fresh hot Costa coffee which we had bought from a cafe. While we were chatting and drinking our coffee, a female staff came over and asked us if we had paid for the coffee. We were shocked when she said she didn’t see us paying for coffee at the till. Apparently Red Funnel uses Costa coffee cups for their coffee and ours look like theirs. We were deeply insulted when she suggested that we had brought our own Costa coffee cups on board and filled them up at their coffee machines!! She said that many of their customers do that!! Well, we will be doing that in future since we now know that is possible!! Incredible!
June 21, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Hi Tom,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear that this occurred. I have sent you a request for further information through Trustpilot.
I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know the date and time of the crossing this happened on so we can investigate further.
Should you wish to get in touch with us, please drop us a line at customerservices@redfunnel.co.uk
Kind regards,
Elizabeth
Allowed on the earlier ferry and…
Allowed on the earlier ferry and comfortable journey with no hitches.
June 7, 2026
Reply from Red Funnel Ferries
Thanks for your review - we are happy to hear you had a comfortable journey with us!
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