Banner for Red Funnel Ferries

Red Funnel Ferries Reviews 

1,037
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.6

While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 761 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the efficient service and friendly staff, highlighting their helpfulness and professionalism. The booking process is described as easy and straightforward, contributing to a smooth overall user experience. Many appreciate the punctuality of departures and the flexibility to board earlier sailings. However, some customers also noted concerns regarding pricing, describing it as expensive and inconsistent, with some finding the logic unclear. A few people also expressed dissatisfaction with the cost and quality of onboard food and drinks, mentioning specific items as overpriced.

What people talk about most

Service

People report positive experiences with service, often highlighting the efficiency and punctuality of the... See more

Staff

Users describe positive interactions with staff, consistently highlighting their politeness, helpfulness, and... See more

Booking process

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of the booking process, finding it easy and straightforward, especially... See more

User experience

Customers had positive experiences with user experience, describing it as smooth, easy, and stress-free from... See more

Price

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with price, with many finding the cost of services to be... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The ferry was on time-both ways. You have real people available to deal with issues - thank you. Plus food!! Appreciate in particular that you ask parents not to allow children to run around. May... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Arrived Southampton earlier than booking & got straight onto ferry & had excellent breakfast. On IOW side rtn again arrived early & got straight onto ferry. Service onboard was good with great selecti... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

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

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

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


Company details

  1. #2 of 18 best companies in Ferry service
  2. #25 of 38 best companies in Holiday accommodation service

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

4.6

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

1k reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 83% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 2 weeks

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

4.6

All reviews

(1,037)

777 reviews in the last 12 months

Write a review
Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great experience

Just by luck we arrived in time for an earlier ferry and were allowed on without fuss. Similarly on our return. We enjoyed the breakfasts and were looked after very well.

14 June 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Took a day return as a foot passenger on the red jet. Absolutely fantastic, very well organised, friendly staff and great boat.

3 July 2026
Unprompted review
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thanks for your review - we are pleased to hear that you had a fantastic experience with us!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

5* for Lisa in the amendments/bookings team

Some people are helpful, some people are really not… however, I phoned Red Funnel this morning and…

A lovely lady called Lisa answered and was top level on customer service, nothing was too much trouble for Lisa- she must be in the bookings/booking amendments team? I needed help rebooking a crossing for a hospital visit. The trip was originally cancelled and put on hold with the appointments rescheduled to August due to my Mum passing away back in May.

Lisa wasn’t in a rush, she listened carefully to what I needed and I was pleasantly surprised. I just thought it would be well worth noting here perhaps something her Management Team might hear of or see, and to know how brilliant she was.

Thank you Lisa, keep doing what you’re doing. This is worthy of 5* and I’d recommend Red Funnel over Wightlink every day of the week as they always look after their customers it seems to me 👍🏼

3 July 2026
Unprompted review
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are delighted to read your positive comments regarding your experience with Lisa, and I shall ensure that your feedback is reviewed by our management team.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The travel experience was on the whole…

The travel experience was on the whole pleasant. However we have a dog and so used the relevant lounge, the food and drink available in this lounge was underwhelming. Cold cheese and onion pasties, really. Your sales data should show the counter was barely used, the stairs are rather steep for carrying food and drink.

19 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear you found the range of options disappointing. I shall ensure that your feedback is reviewed by the appropriate teams.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

On time departures

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, especially in an EV.
Thank you for a great service.

9 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you had a positive experience with us, and we hope you enjoyed your visit to the Island.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

easy to deal with and on time

easy to deal with and on time performance. comfy trip. Ticket price high

22 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thanks for your feedback. We are pleased to hear that your crossing was on time. We frequently run promotions on the special offers page on our website, which we recommend checking before booking.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Yes on time each way BUT

Yes on time each way. BUT the price was far far too high especially for an Island resident. Even with a 15% residents offer it came to £159.38. (I had no big red book valid offers at time of booking)

12 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thanks for your review. We are pleased to hear that your crossing was on time. We frequently run promotions on the special offers page on our website, which we recommend checking before booking. We also send out a Big Book of Savings to Island residents every few months, and offer a fixed Island Resident discount year round for any periods there are no offers available.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very easy check in and loading

Very easy check in and loading; pleasant trip across; although we didn't buy food on board, the prices in the restaurant seemed quite reasonable.

14 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear that you had a pleasant trip and check-in was easy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Experience was easy

Experience was easy, very well organised

8 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thanks for your review - we hope to welcome you back on board again soon.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Adequate

Adequate. If you didn’t operate to the IOW you wouldn’t get away with the prices you charge. But the island is beautiful so you continue to rip us off. Hey ho, that’s life I guess.

8 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your pricing. We frequently run promotions on the special offers page of our website, which we highly recommend checking before you book.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

RedFunnel excellence

The loading of vehicles was really well organised, smooth and friendly.

12 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for your review. I'm pleased to hear that you had a positive experience with us!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Easy and smooth travel

The experience from booking on line, to boarding and disembarking was so easy and trouble free. The boat was clean, tidy and comfortable with a good range of drinks, snacks, refreshments and hot meals. Dog friendly deck was a big plus. Overall it was a fabulous experience.

12 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are delighted to hear that you had a fabulous experience with us, and we hope to welcome you back on board again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great customer service

Very easy to make changes to my booking online if needed. All staff friendly and very happy from Customer Services calls to port staff. Ferries clean and on time. Very happy.

25 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you found our staff friendly and our vessels clean and punctual. We hope to welcome you back onboard again soon.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

We have used Red Funnel for years but…

We have used Red Funnel for years but this was the first time there was a delay hence three stars. The 2.30 ferry left at 4 o’clock

26 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear that you were unable to travel on your booked departure. You may wish to review the service disruption page on our website, which can be found under the help section. Here you will find information on your rights during disruption, and for qualifying delays, information on compensation and how to claim it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Efficient crossing with dogs

I was particularly impressed with the announcement to be aware the outside metal walkway is hot for doggies paws and be mindful of that - great to consider health and safety for dogs too

12 June 2026
Red Funnel Ferries logo

Reply from Red Funnel Ferries

Thank you for your feedback. We love dogs, and the last thing we would want for any of our four legged passengers is for them to burn their paws when enjoying the fresh air on our outer deck. We ae pleased to hear these announcements are appreciated!

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.

Learn more about other kinds of reviews.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look