Lunch On Embarkation Day

Can anyone please say where/if lunch is served on Embarkation day. We are on the Boudicca sailing from Liverpool and are assuming embarkation will commence from noon

Can anyone please say where/if lunch is served on Embarkation day. We are on the Boudicca sailing from Liverpool and are assuming embarkation will commence from noon

Boarding usually starts at about 2pm with suite guests first, then Ocean Gold members. Embarkation then follows in deck order from the higher decks to the lower. First food served on board is usually afternoon tea.

You will be given a boarding time with your cruise documentation.

Unless you are with a specialist group such as the Ramblers Association you will

not get lunch on Embarkation day.

Sandwiches and cakes are usually available in the buffet/café restaurants during boarding.

Sandwiches and cakes are usually available in the buffet/café restaurants during boarding.

What time do they start serving this? Is the normal afternoon tea time or earlier?

What time do they start serving this? Is the normal afternoon tea time or earlier?

It's usually served from when boarding commences.

That's good, we have a check in time of 1.00 pm so if we get on fairly quickly we can class this as lunch :)

Just remember that check in time and the time they actually start boarding are different matters, though some cruises do leave a bit earlier than others so times will be adjusted. Check Fred's website on the day or ring the tel no given in your details which has a recorded message if there is going to be a untoward delay because of late arrival of ship etc.. I think 2pm is a reasonable estimate of the start of embarkation. If Ocean's gold members are booked on anchor fare they will not get priority embarkation nowadays. Be aware that afternoon tea service finishes shortly before the drill starts, so if you are late embarking you will need to head straight for the food after you have located your cabin.

We normally consider afternoon tea as lunch, but if someone has been up and travelling early, then it will only take a few minutes to walk into the town from Liverpool cruise terminal and there are a number of good hotels right by the terminal if you want an upmarket venue. We have usually found that luggage is being taken by about 12.30pm, but the baggage handlers there have told us they cannot take luggage until the ship can accept it - so do not expect to drop your case off at 11am there. We tend to drop off our big luggage. (and check in if poss), then ask someone if they know when our embarkation time will be, before heading off for a stroll along the waterfront and a coffee or perhaps into town.

I do like Liverpool cruise terminal for that - we do not see the point of sitting in a waiting room anywhere if it is not necessary. If you are traveling into Liverpool that day, it is not wise to leave the arrival until late anyway as it is so easy to find problems on the roads.

Thanks Tring re boarding times. With regard to the information about Liverpool we are sailing from Dover. Any confusion is entirely my fault for jumping in on someone else's thread:o

Timings will likely be similar in Dover, though individual cruises can vary of course.

Enjoy the cruise.