Are Boarding Times Now Adhered To?

The thing is, how would it be possible to police a system like this? How do P&O know everybody's travel arrangements or what time check out is for every hotel in Southampton? If staying in a hotel gets you priority, then what's to stop everybody claiming that they're staying in a local hotel?

 

Whatever system is put in place it more than likely won't please everyone.

 

 

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Staying in a hotel does not get you priority. The priority boarders are high loyalty tiers and suite accommodation. Everybody elses boarding time is by deck in no particular order..the elves and goblins know how they do that. Different every ship and cruise.

If you are on a coach arranged by pando the coaches are given set times to arrive, and I believe try and stick to that. The people on the coach will all board when it arrives.

I guess the only way they could try and do it fairer would be to pick your time when booking. However I guess you could still have the possibility of staying in a hotel and only 3.30 boarding slots left.

For anyone interested, we arrived at the port at 12, were given red card 'E' and were on board 1.30.

No complaints considering our allocated time was 3pm

Does anyone know the earliest time you can drop off your cases?

Does anyone know the earliest time you can drop off your cases?

I think it's 11.30.

As OP, I would like to thank you all for your advice and sharing your experiences.

 

Like others have said, we have nothing else to do, so on Thursday, we shall arrive at the terminal about 12 (3pm, scheduled time) and take our chances .

 

if we have to wait a while, so be it, but we will have our books and iPads so it is a better option than plodding round Southampton (again!)

Yes we planned to not get there too early but we had a good run down the M25/M3 and although we went into town I was nervous about walking round with my passport etc in my bag in the crowds in the shopping centre. Decided we'd rather be "there" waiting. We had kindles and ipods. We were in our cabin unpacking just after 2pm and our time was 3.30.

Also we had a bite to eat in Southampton and it made a change not to be fighting in the buffet but sitting on the deck with a glass of wine :D

The following statement is from P&Os website with regards to dropping off your luggage-

"Alternatively, feel free to drop off your luggage from 12pm and come back to the cruise terminal at your Arrival Timeage- "

The following statement is from P&Os website with regards to dropping off your luggage-

"Alternatively, feel free to drop off your luggage from 12pm and come back to the cruise terminal at your Arrival Timeage- "

Does anyone have experience of doing this, and do the "jobsworths" on the gate allow you to use the taxi lane to drop off your cases, or do you still have to queue up?

Does anyone have experience of doing this, and do the "jobsworths" on the gate allow you to use the taxi lane to drop off your cases, or do you still have to queue up?

Never done this but I cant see why you cant do what the taxis do (as you would be doing similar) You stay in the car, other person gets out hands cases to one of the trolley guys, then you both drive off.

Never found them to be "jobsworths"? We use Parking for Cruises, so always drive in drop off 2 of us with cases and then drive out again to go to Parking for Cruises. Easy.

I've been on 4 cruises with P&O this year and each time I have turned up early and got onboard within an hour. I have also been on an RC cruise and boy what a difference. A boarding time of 3.00pm; I turned up at 11.30 and walked straight onto the ship. P&O have a lot to learn from RC's boarding arrangements as well as a far superior disembarkation routine. However I still prefer the quaint atmosphere of P&O but they are not perfect.

Regardless of what some people think we don't think they are perfect either.

It's just their imperfections suit us better than maybe other lines.

As an example a relative recently cruised with Celebrity. Yes they got on board ok. Come when they had to get off.their time was 7.30am..everyone else had to be off by 8am. Which kind of confirmed my thoughts that if you have early boarding, the previous cruisers are kicked off pretty sharpish.

Regardless of what some people think we don't think they are perfect either.

It's just their imperfections suit us better than maybe other lines.

As an example a relative recently cruised with Celebrity. Yes they got on board ok. Come when they had to get off.their time was 7.30am..everyone else had to be off by 8am. Which kind of confirmed my thoughts that if you have early boarding, the previous cruisers are kicked off pretty sharpish.

We generally aim to be off the Eclipse by 8:30, and we have never been the last ones off, however I do accept that they do aim to clear the ship by about 9:30.

But really at the end of a cruise an almost empty ship is a very depressing place to be, and we are more than happy to be on our way home immediately after breakfast.

Although that it great for you, I suppose you have the large majority of fellow passengers to thank. I presume that had they not arrived at the correct time, it would not have been possible for you to board early.

What we do not know Pete is whether the cruise line issues excessively large numbers of mid to late boarding times with the experience that say only 66% of people adhere to them and proportionately far fewer early times leaving ullage for the 33% that arrive earlier than allocated.

Regards John