Our morning adventure was set in motion with an Uber pickup scheduled for 9:00 am, a quick 20 minute ride that would carry us from our current location to Victoria Station. Our ultimate goal? To board a bus destined for Southampton.

As the clock ticked towards our anticipated departure, our anticipation grew, but the journey to our rendezvous with the Uber was not without its share of unexpected twists and turns. The bustling backdrop of a prominent London hotel, surrounded by the ceaseless flow of traffic, added an extra layer of complexity to our Uber pickup. The driver's chosen parking spot became a topic of conversation, as in where was he? causing a momentary delay of about 10 mins. We soon found him just around the corner.

We met up with the other four at Victoria Station and checked in and were given a little green heart sticker to wear which would allocate to our correct bus at the right time. I must admit this part of the trip was a big disorganised. Waiting for about 2 hours is a bit uncessary, however we finally go to board our bus and settled in for our 2 hour bus trip which would take us to Southhampton for boarding the Island Princess.

The journey seemed to go fairly quick and before we new it we were at the terminal and as we stepped

into the bustling cruise terminal. The check in was remarkably hassle-free.  We were given our  OceanMedallions, and just whizzed through. (the marvels of modern technology right! These medallions transformed the check-in process into a seamless and efficient affair. The medallion to me became a golden ticket of sorts.

Here are a few pictures of the Port at Southampton and our first ship photos.