Questions about My journey
You're all booked, but what comes next? What do you do if you have accessible travel needs? Find the answers to your journey questions here.
Frequently asked questions
You're all booked, but what comes next? What do you do if you have accessible travel needs? Find the answers to your journey questions here.
If you need to travel from the Isle of Wight to the mainland for an NHS-funded hospital appointment, you can get 50% off your ferry crossing with Wightlink.
You will pay a maximum of £35 per single crossing in a vehicle ensuring you a low price, even at peak times of travel.
If you’re an Isle of Wight resident that meets the eligibility of ‘low income’, the Discounted Fare Scheme will provide a fixed price on car, motorbike and foot passenger travel on all our routes across the Solent.
Find out more about this scheme and whether you are eligible on our special offers webpage.
If you’re referred to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).
We understand that you may need extra support when travelling to or from your hospital appointment and staying in your vehicle during the crossing may help you.
The legal requirement (MSN 1823 – Regulation 25.14 and The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of all Classes III to VI (A)) Regulations 1998 (SI1998/2515) Reg 71)) is for passengers to vacate vehicles during a ferry crossing and we cannot guarantee a request to stay in your vehicle under any circumstances. Each request is considered only in extraordinary circumstances and added to your booking if there are no other restrictions already in place.
Each request is considered only in extraordinary circumstances and added to your booking if there are no other restrictions already in place.
At the time of sailing only, the Captain of the ship will conduct a Dynamic Risk Assessment to determine if it is safe for the request to be authorised based on the ships load, crew and weather conditions.
If it is determined that it is not safe to remain in your vehicle, you can either choose to travel on the booked sailing and make your way to the passenger lounges or we will offer you an alternate sailing time.
Call our dedicated Assisted Travel line on 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm to discuss your requirements.
If we experience delays or disruption to our car ferries or FastCat services, we will make sure you are contacted and advised if we need to move your sailing time to make sure your travel requirements are accommodated.
When you arrive at our port, let our team know you have booked your Accessible Travel needs at the Customer Service Point. Check in is up to 15 minutes before your booked sailing time.
You will be directed to our waiting area and when it is time to board our team will provide your booked assistance.
When you arrive at our port, let our team know you have booked your Accessible Travel needs at the check in booth. Check in is up to an hour before but no later than 30 minutes before your booked sailing time.
You will be checked in and sent to a lane ready to board with a green hanger to display on your rear view mirror.
The green hanger will have your requirements box ticked, the date and time of travel and which port you are travelling from. You will be given a different hanger for each leg of your journey.
You will also be asked to turn on your hazard lights while waiting in the car lane to board. The team ashore will communicate your requirements to the team on board.
If we experience delays or disruption to our car ferries or FastCat services, we will make sure you are contacted and advised if we need to move your sailing time to make sure your Accessible Travel needs are accommodated.
If you need assistance getting on board or extra space when parking for wheelchairs, for example, call us at least 48 hours before you plan to travel, and we will do our best to help. We need to assess your needs and make sure we can accommodate them on your chosen sailing or, if necessary, recommend an alternative sailing.
Call us at least 48hrs before you plan to travel if you need assistance getting on board, extra space to exit your vehicle, remove a wheelchair or mobility aid from the car or boot, have mobility issues that make it difficult to walk to the lifts or if you’re bringing any specialist equipment on board.
We need to assess your needs and make sure we can accommodate them on your chosen sailing or, if necessary, recommend an alternative sailing.
If we are unable to assist you, we may ask that you bring someone with you to help. If this happens your companion can travel for free.
When you arrive at our port let our staff know you have access needs so they can make their colleagues on board aware.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
We do have wheelchairs available to use while travelling with Wightlink but to ensure it is available you must call 48 hours before travelling to advise us.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
All our terminals have an Induction Loop facility.
No. The Blue Badge scheme is only a discount on our ticket prices. If you need travel assistance, you must advise us at least 48 hours before travelling to make sure we can accommodate your needs on your chosen sailing.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
Yes, they are. Our gangways are wide enough for mobility scooters and there is no extra charge to take them on-board. However, we would recommend checking before travelling on our FastCats between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head as sometimes we need to move our berth and on these occasions Mobility Scooters cannot cross the gangway.
There are lifts on all our car ferries, but we would advise you to check before travelling if you must use the lift as they are sometimes unavailable if we are carrying out maintenance.
If you need lift access, you must call and book this at least 48 hours before you plan to travel. We need to assess your needs and make sure we can accommodate them on your chosen sailing or, if necessary, recommend an alternative sailing.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
Call us at least 48hrs before you plan to travel if you need assistance getting on board, extra space to exit your vehicle, remove a wheelchair or mobility aid from the car or boot, have mobility issues that make it difficult to walk to the lifts or if you’re bringing any specialist equipment on board.
We need to assess your needs and make sure we can accommodate them on your chosen sailing or, if necessary, recommend an alternative sailing.
If we are unable to assist you, we may ask that you bring someone with you to help.
If you are travelling by foot, companions can be booked to travel for free if you require assistance with breathing, feeding or toileting and will not be charged. When you arrive at our port let our staff know you have access needs so they can make their colleagues on board aware.
When you arrive at our port, let our team know you have booked your Accessible Travel needs. You will be checked in and sent to a lane ready to board with a green hanger to display on your rear view mirror. You will also be asked to turn on your hazard lights. This will make sure the team on onboard are aware of your requirements.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to find it. Fill in our Lost Property form online and we will get it back to you as soon as possible.
We love hearing our customers’ suggestions and comments. We continually use the feedback to improve our services. Fill in the Feedback form and our team will respond as quickly as possible.
There is so much to do on the Isle of Wight. For all the details, visit the Explorer section of our website – it’s a handy interactive map with loads of attractions, events and places to stay across the Island. You can also download our Wightlife magazine for free – it’s the ultimate guide to the Isle of Wight.
Travelling around the Island couldn’t be easier and there are a range of options to help you cover every inch of its 23×13 miles! For all the ways to get around simply visit the Getting Around section of the Visit Isle of Wight website.
No. We don’t allow any small e-vehicles to travel on our ships or enter our customer buildings due to the growing number of reports from local and national fire services of fires caused by the batteries on this type of vehicle.
This is because there is a lack of legislation and testing of the lithium-ion batteries used on non-approved vehicles. The batteries on these vehicles also tend to be situated under the board where users stand on e-scooters and e-skateboards, which makes then more susceptible to damage form hitting kerbs or other surfaces.
This ban will remain in place until there is better understanding and legislation of their use.
E-bikes, electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not affected by the ban as they are legally approved for use in the UK. E-bikes, like all bicycles, are not permitted in the lounge’s onboard ferries.
Our Portsmouth car ferry port has an Amazon Locker available. To locate the locker delivery address, click on ‘See nearby locations’ and search PO1 2LA. Find ‘Amazon Locker – gur’ and click ‘Pick up here’.
We have a gluten free, dairy free and vegan range of corn, peanuts, olives and lentil or quinoa crisps in our retail outlets at our ports and on board our ships. We also have vegan sandwiches from an Island bakery, Graces, in Yarmouth and vegan Sausage Baps and vegan Cheese & Caramelised Onion Toasties.
We also offer Flora portions as an alternative to butter.
It’s important you let us know as soon as possible or at the time of booking by calling our Contact Centre team. We can then make special arrangements for you while you travel to make sure you are not in an area where you may come in to contact with the allergen.
If we are unable to accommodate you on your chosen sailing, we will offer you an alternative sailing time.
You can contact us on 0333 999 7333 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm.
Yes, they do. Most of our products are pre-packaged and clearly labelled. If they are not pre-packaged, the allergen information is clearly displayed next to the product.
If you need more information when you visit one of our retail outlets, please speak to one of our team who have an allergen guide on hand.
All our ports have comfortable seating areas, toilets with baby changing facilities, disabled toilets and either a Wight Taste café, Costa or Costa Express.
We have four car ferry ports, Portsmouth Gunwharf to Fishbourne (Isle of Wight) and Lymington to Yarmouth (Isle of Wight). Our FastCat service runs from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head (Isle of Wight).
You can reach all our ports by vehicle, foot and public transport. For full details, you can visit our Routes and Destinations page.
There are car parks at all our ports excluding Yarmouth and Portsmouth Harbour. Yarmouth has a large public car park 5 minutes’ walk from the port and Portsmouth Harbour is 15 mins walk from our Gunwharf Car Park (opposite the car ferry terminal).
The car parks at Gunwharf, Fishbourne, Lymington and Ryde Pier Head are managed independently by Gemini. Customers have the first 20 minutes free to drop off but must buy a ticket if staying longer than this.
All of our car parks are cashless. You can pay for your parking of up to three days using the RingGo app on your phone, meaning you no longer need to put tickets on your windscreen. You can even extend your session through your phone if you plan on staying a little longer.
Alternatively, you can use the designated ticket machines in the car parks to pay with your card for up to 24 hours parking.
Ryde Pier Head and Fishbourne parking is pay and display.
Parking spaces cannot be reserved. Our Parking guide will give you full details.
Taxis are usually outside our FastCat port and all our Customer Buildings have numbers of local taxi firms. Just ask a member of our team.
No. For security reasons, we are unable to offer any storage facilities at our ports. However, there are independent short and long term storage units on the Island and mainland.
If you’re travelling by foot you need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled sailing with a valid ticket. If you have a Disabled or Accessible Travel foot ticket you will need to arrive 30 minutes before your sailing.
If you’re driving, you need to arrive at the port between 30 and 60 minutes before your scheduled sailing, even if we are experiencing delays.
If you have a Wightlink Pass of any type or have a discounted ticket you need to make sure you have photo ID available if requested.
We have a gluten free, dairy free and vegan range of corn, peanuts, olives and lentil or quinoa crisps in our retail outlets at our ports and on board our ships. We also have vegan sandwiches from an Island bakery, Graces, in Yarmouth and vegan Sausage Baps and vegan Cheese & Caramelised Onion Toasties.
We also offer Flora portions as an alternative to butter.
It’s important you let us know as soon as possible or at the time of booking by calling our Contact Centre team. We can then make special arrangements for you while you travel to make sure you are not in an area where you may come in to contact with the allergen.
If we are unable to accommodate you on your chosen sailing, we will offer you an alternative sailing time.
You can contact us on 0333 999 7333 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm.
Yes, they do. Most of our products are pre-packaged and clearly labelled. If they are not pre-packaged, the allergen information is clearly displayed next to the product.
If you need more information when you visit one of our retail outlets, please speak to one of our team who have an allergen guide on hand.
Yes, you can. Bikes are free of charge to take on board when you buy a foot passenger ticket but must be left on the vehicle deck of ferries or the bike store of FastCats and not taken to the passenger lounges. You can now book in advance as a foot passenger with a bike – this is recommended during busy times of the year.
No. For safety reasons all passengers must leave their vehicles and make their way to the lounges or open decks.
Our vehicle vessels and FastCats have comfortable lounges, outside seating, toilets with baby changing facilities and disabled toilets. FastCats do not have disabled toilets.
Our vehicle ferries and FastCats don’t have access currently but we’re working on it. Our Portsmouth Harbour, Ryde Pier Head and Portsmouth Car Ferry terminal do have customer WiFi.
No. Wightlink do not accept cash. Payment can be made only using debit or credit cards and contactless payments.
No, Wightlink is now a smoke-free service, including all e-cigarettes.
While certain substances are allowed on board passenger vessels, others are restricted. Our vessels are limited in what we can carry by the IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods) Code. Some restricted/dangerous goods including, but not limited to, petrol, canisters, gas bottles and empty container used for carrying dangerous goods can only be carried on certain sailings. See Restricted/Dangerous Goods for more information.
Please call our Restricted/Dangerous Goods Office for further details at least 24 hours before your scheduled sailing.
There’s no limit to luggage on board, however, if you are travelling by foot you must be able to carry your luggage as staff will not be able to assist. If you’re in a vehicle you can leave your luggage in the vehicle during the crossing. Remember to take what you need when leaving your vehicle as we will not allow passengers back on the car decks whilst the vessel is sailing.
There are lifts on all our car ferries, but we would advise you to check before travelling if you must use the lift as they are sometimes unavailable if we are carrying out maintenance.
If you need lift access, you must call and book this at least 48 hours before you plan to travel. We need to assess your needs and make sure we can accommodate them on your chosen sailing or, if necessary, recommend an alternative sailing.
You can book Accessible Travel and Customer Assistance here, call us on our dedicated Assisted Travel line 0800 093 8236 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm or visit our Customer Service Point at port.
XL Bully dogs can travel with Wightlink, but from 31 December 2023, it is a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public. From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offense to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless your dog has a Certificate of Exemption.
Failure to comply with the law or failure to produce your Certificate of Exemption when requested by a Wightlink colleague may result in a travel ban on all Wightlink services.
Pets are only allowed to travel in our Pet Friendly areas on board our car ferries. If you’re seated in a Pet Free area, our teams will direct you to the Pet Friendly Area.
Pets are allowed in all areas on our FastCats.
Registered guide dogs are permitted in all passenger lounges.
If you’re not sure where our Pet Friendly areas are when you’re on board, please speak to a member of our team who will be happy to show you.
Please remember, pets are not allowed on any seats, even in the Pet Friendly areas.
For more information on travelling with your pet, please click here.
No, customers are not allowed to remain on the car decks during the crossing.
If you’re pet doesn’t like crowds or becomes distressed or aggressive during the crossing, a member of our team will direct you to a quiet outside deck or isolated stairway where you and your pet can remain until you’ve reached your destination or until your pet has calmed down.
If our team feel your pet is causing a disturbance or may pose a risk to other customers we will ask you to remain in an isolated area until the ship has berthed ready for disembarkation.
For more information on travelling with your pet, please click here.
There are many things to see and do with your dog on the Isle of Wight and many of the Island attractions are happy to let dogs in. Check out our guide to taking your dog across to the Island.
Of course, but we do not provide walking or toilet areas for pets, although you can walk in passenger areas. However, if your dog does go to the toilet in the port, it is your responsibility to clean up. If you need cleaning materials, please use our pet cleaning station facilities or ask a member of staff for help. If you don’t clean up after your pet, we may charge you a £50 cleaning fee.
For more information on travelling with your pet, please click here.
All Wightlink vessels are pet friendly, allow pets to travel for free and don’t need to be booked in advance. We do ask that all pets are secured in a suitable container or restrained in an appropriate way at all times. We would prefer that pets remain in vehicles with suitable water and ventilation but understand if this is not always possible.
We have pet friendly areas that are clearly marked, and these are to be used by all passengers travelling with pets. If you’re seated in a Pet Free area, our teams will direct you to the pet Friendly Area.
For the comfort and convenience of other passengers no pets are allowed on any of our seats.
Pets are not allowed in any of our retail outlets.
Owners are responsible for ensuring all pets are well behaved on board and all toilets accidents are the owner’s responsibility to clean up. If you require cleaning materials, please use our pet cleaning station or speak to a member of staff for help.
If you don’t clean up after your pet, we may charge you a £50 cleaning fee.
For more information on travelling with your pet, please click here.
Registered guide dogs are permitted in all passenger lounges and retail outlets.
Wightlink works hard to run a reliable service. When problems do occur, we do our best to minimise the impact on our customers.
For more information, visit our ferry disruption and compensation page.
Normally we will notify you using the email address or phone number you gave us when you made your booking, so make sure your details are always up-to-date.
If you don’t have a booking for a specific sailing (e.g. because you have a season ticket or buy tickets on arrival) we recommend you download our Wightlink App to receive the most up to date travel information.
Sometimes we can’t let you know in advance about delays at short notice. You can still see the position of our ships and our service updates.
Even if our service is delayed make sure you arrive on time, following the check-in rules on your ticket. Delay information is only a guide based on the best information we have at the time and the length will be different for every sailing as our team work hard to reduce the delay.
If your sailing is cancelled, we will do our best to make sure you are on the next available sailing. If your sailing is cancelled or delayed by at least 90 minutes and you decide not to travel you can claim a full refund.
If you are delayed by more than 60 minutes to your scheduled arrival time, then you may be able to claim some of the cost back as compensation. You can’t claim compensation if you didn’t arrive or check in on time or if the delay was caused by problems Wightlink can’t control (like harbour movements or the weather).
For long delays (over 90 minutes) you may also be offered refreshments, such as a hot drink or water.
Check our compensation page for more details and to apply.
Normally we will notify you using the email address or phone number you gave us when you made your booking, so make sure your details are always up-to-date.
If you don’t have a booking for a specific sailing (e.g. because you have a season ticket or buy tickets on arrival) we recommend you download our Wightlink App to receive the most up to date travel information.
Sometimes we can’t let you know in advance about delays at short notice. You can still see the position of our ships and our service updates.
Even if our service is delayed make sure you arrive on time, following the check-in rules on your ticket. Delay information is only a guide based on the best information we have at the time and the length will be different for every sailing as our team work hard to reduce the delay.
Harbour movements is the traffic moving in and out of Portsmouth Harbour. Watch Captain Matt Baxter explain exactly what this involves.
Late arrivals will be required to amend to an alternative sailing time and payment for any resulting increase in costs, and any amendment fees, will be required before your sailing time.
If you are en route and think you might miss your sailing let us know, if it is safe to do so, at least one hour before your scheduled sailing time and we may be able to amend your booking for you. Amendment fees may apply and must be paid at the time of amending.
Smoking is not permitted in our ports and onboard our ships. Please ensure you have had a cigarette before entering the terminal as you won’t be able to smoke until you have completed your journey.
If you have children or infants on your ticket, we will need to check you in manually, just look for the bright yellow Wightlink high viz coat or vest or ask at the Customer Service Point.
Customers with train tickets that don’t have barcodes will be checked-in manually by a member of our team, just look for the bright yellow Wightlink high viz coat or vest or ask at the Customer Service Point.
Hovertravel will provide you with a ticket for travel on the FastCat service that can be used on our Check in gates. Once all Wightlink customers have boarded, you will be able to check in through the gates.
Don’t worry, a member of our team will be on hand to help you if you have any difficulties checking in at the gates. Just look for the bright yellow Wightlink high viz coat or vest.
Yes, the café facilities are still fully accessible once you’ve checked in through the gates.
Our check in gates are one way, if you need to leave the port after check in, please speak to a member of our team.
You will need a ticket to pass through the check in gates and access the toilets at Portsmouth Harbour. At Ryde the toilets will be before the gates. We have toilets available on our FastCats.
Don’t worry, a member of our team will be on hand to help you if you have any difficulties checking in at the gates. Just look for the bright yellow Wightlink high viz coat or vest or visit our Customer Service Point.
The gates are set to allow lots of time to walk through before closing behind you but if they do start to close, they will automatically stop if they sense any obstruction.
Yes. We will continue to support our customers that need Accessible Travel or Assistance to board and disembark the FastCat. Just speak to a member of our team on arrival at the port and they will direct you to an area to wait ready to board.
There is a wide gate available at all times so you can easily take your pram or pushchair through with you.
There is a wide gate available at all times so you can easily take your luggage through with you.
Yes, there is a wide gate available at all times that can be used for customers with Accessible Travel needs.
The ticket holder can scan each person through and then scan themselves to enter the waiting area or you can speak to a member of our team who will be able to check you in manually. Just look for the bright yellow Wightlink high viz coat or vest.
You will need to purchase a ticket before checking in at the gates. You can buy your tickets online, at our self-service ticket machines or the Customer Service Point at the port.
Your ticket will only be scanned, not put through the gate itself. You will keep the ticket for the return journey.
No, the ticket will be scanned and not put through the gate itself.
Yes, you can scan your pass at the gates using the QR code on your phone or hold the paper pass against the scanner. The journey details will be read, and the gates will open for you.
If your ticket is damaged our team can reprint a new one at the Customer Service Point for you.
Yes, you will need to purchase a ticket before checking in at the gates. You can buy your tickets online, at our self-service ticket machines or the Customer Service Point at the port.
Simply open your phone to the QR code for your ticket or pass and hold it against the scanner. The journey details will be read, and the gates will open for you.
Our new ticket gates will help make the check in process quicker and easier, keep our port secure and help our teams focus on assisting our customers.