What to expect when travelling with us

At the very start of this outbreak of coronavirus, we reviewed our systems and procedures to make sure we were following all official guidance from the Government, the NHS and our regulators, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

We installed more hand sanitisers at our ports and on our ships and emphasised the importance of good hygiene to everyone. This includes frequent hand washing, using tissues to catch coughs and sneezes and keeping your distance from others as per the Government guidelines.

Crew members are continually cleaning our vessels and passenger terminals. All our ships are well-ventilated with fresh, not recycled, air, and you can choose to travel on the outside decks of our car ferries (subject to weather conditions) if you prefer.

We have made changes to some of our services because of extremely low volumes of traffic following the outbreak of Coronavirus and the Government direction requiring people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes. These changes were made to reduce the risk of the disease spreading to Wightlink colleagues and further into the community.

Wightlink continues to work closely with the relevant authorities including local councils and the NHS through membership of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum.

The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and we are following all the advice and guidance issued by HM Government.

The official advice highlights that the most effective way to avoid contracting the virus is to wash your hands with soap and hot water and practice social distancing. We are therefore reminding travellers and colleagues of the importance of hygiene, such as frequent hand washing, through notices in our bathrooms. We have increased the number of hand sanitisers around ships and ports.

Although some of the rules of what you can and cannot do changed on 12 April, many restrictions remain in place. Please follow the Government’s guidance and help our communities continue to contain the virus.

The Government has made it mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings when using public transport in England. All our customers, except for children under the age of 11 and those that are exempt, are now required to carry a face covering with them at all times. Customers will be required to wear their face covering when travelling on our ferries (inside and outside) and when using facilities inside our customer buildings.

Why do we have to start wearing face coverings on ferries?

On 15 June 2020 the Government made it mandatory for passengers over the age of 11yrs to wear face coverings when using public transport in England.

When it is necessary to use public transport, people may be more likely to be in enclosed spaces for longer periods of time where there is a greater risk of the spread of coronavirus.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has set out that using face coverings in this setting can provide some small additional protection to fellow passengers and can help people to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus if they are suffering from coronavirus, but not showing symptoms.

What if I don’t have a face covering or I forget mine?

Whether you are travelling on foot or in a vehicle, unfortunately you will not be permitted to travel if you are not wearing a face covering.

We will also not be able to permit you inside our customer buildings without a face covering.

There are some circumstances, for health, age or equality reasons, whereby people are not expected to wear face coverings. Please refer to the Government’s advice for more detail.

There’s plenty of advice for making your own face coverings on the Government website.

Do I need to buy a face mask?

Face coverings are not the same as face masks. It is important that you do not use medical grade PPE masks and ensure that these remain available for frontline staff.

Face coverings should cover the mouth and nose while allowing you to breathe comfortably and can be as simple as a scarf or bandana that ties behind the head to give a snug fit.

There’s plenty of advice for making your own face coverings on the Government website.

Will you be supplying face coverings or masks for customers?

No. You must bring your own face covering in order to travel or visit our customer buildings.

How will you be policing this?

If you’re travelling on foot, you’ll be asked to put your face covering on before boarding the ship. If you don’t comply, unfortunately you will not be permitted to board the ship.

If you’re arriving in a vehicle, you will be asked to put your face covering on when you leave your vehicle for the the lounges or if you use our customer buildings.

Are certain people exempt from this?

Some people don’t have to wear a face covering for health, age or equality reasons. Children under the age of 11 also do not have to wear a face covering.

Please refer to the Government guidelines for more information.

Can I take of my face covering to eat or drink?

We would prefer our customers to eat and drink on the outside decks rather than inside the lounges. All customers must put their face coverings back on when they are not eating or drinking.

To protect others, please do not travel if you are experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus or self isolating.

Furthermore, if you recently had a test because you had symptoms, you and anyone you live with must stay at home (self-isolate) until you get your result. Anyone in your support bubble must also self-isolate until you get your result.

Please do not travel across the Solent for a COVID-19 test. If you are offered a test on the other side of the water, please request a home testing kit or try the booking service again in a few hours to find one locally to you.

No, customers are required to leave their vehicles after embarkation and cross the Solent in our spacious passenger lounges. There is plenty of room on board for everyone to find seats and respect social distancing.

Ships are cleaned frequently and to high standards, hand sanitisers are available and there are facilities for customers to wash their hands in both passenger lounges. Everyone over the age of 11 will be wearing a face covering on board.

If you have a specific medical condition which requires you to remain in your vehicle, you need to tell us at least 48 hours before you intend to travel and we will try and accommodate your request. It is up to the Captain to decide whether to allow this on any particular sailing, taking account of the other freight we are carrying and passengers on board. You may be asked to travel at a slightly different time to allow us to meet your request.

We have closed our ticket offices to reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus to members of staff and the wider community.

If you’d like to book during this time, you can easily do so here on our website and ticket vending machines are available at all our ports for foot passengers. Our Contact Centre is currently open 09:00-18:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00-17:00 Saturday and Sunday. Our Sales Team are available 07:00-17:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, 09:00-12:00 Sunday.

If you need to pay for amendments to your booking while at one of our ports, you’ll need to use your card – we’re currently not accepting cash.

Even though our ticket desks are closed, customers can still access our customer buildings. The toilet facilities at our Portsmouth Harbour port are closed.

The Government is not advising transport companies to screen customers as it is not an accurate way of detecting people with the illness.

We ask that all our customers continue to respect the official advice on social distancing by staying a metre or more away from other people at all times.

Our services could be changed at short notice due to the coronavirus pandemic. Please check back to this page, which is updated regularly, for more information before you travel and check our live timetables page.

See the Government website for more information about Coronavirus and advice for travellers.

You can also email [email protected] to ask us any questions related to ferry travel.

Under current UK COVID-19 regulations you can only travel internationally from England where you have a reasonable excuse to leave the UK, such as work. International holidays are not permitted.

If you are legally permitted to travel abroad and are planning travel in the future, even if you are returning to a place you’ve visited before, you will need to follow the rules for entering the UK before travelling to the Isle of Wight.