Cabins now ready on embarkation

If I am travelling to Soton for a 4pm check in, what happens if I am held in a jam on the motorway? Everyone adds, or should, a by of leeway for possible delays but such a late slot doesn't give me much.

 

David.

We have a 4PM check in so we are leaving the bags in the hotel after check out and going to lunch, a bit of sightseeing and then taxi to the ship at 3pm.

Simples!! :cool:

When we disembarked the Britannia we were trying to get picked up in the middle of people being dropped off.

Us and many other passengers were stood with trolleys of cases waiting for taxi's, family or friends to pick up being swamped by new passengers arriving with all their cases making it impossible for the taxi's, family or friends to pull a car in and collect people.

Spoilt the end of the cruise this time. Never had this problem before.

This could be a reason for the later boarding time.

Just a though folks - those of you driving down to the port and using CPS should be aware that if you arrive too early you will be diverted into one of the short stay car parks adjacent to the terminal until security deems it time to let you proceed to the CPS lanes. What happens then is those diverted, although technically first in the queue, end up quite some time behind those arriving after them. I've seen a lot of frustrated folks joining the queues behind me!

______________________________________

111 P&O cruises - 12 in the pipeline

Yes that's why we never arrive until about 1 to 1.30.

When we disembarked the Britannia we were trying to get picked up in the middle of people being dropped off.

 

Us and many other passengers were stood with trolleys of cases waiting for taxi's, family or friends to pick up being swamped by new passengers arriving with all their cases making it impossible for the taxi's, family or friends to pull a car in and collect people.

Spoilt the end of the cruise this time. Never had this problem before.

 

This could be a reason for the later boarding time.

Alternatively they could take a clue from airports and have separate drop off and pick up points.

I wonder if we have all spent longer reading this thread than we do in the queue at check-in !!!

I suppose we are all different. We can't wait to get on the ship and have a wander around. Not too worried about the buffet etc, just being on the ship is magical for us. Neither view is right or wrong, just different.

We usually travel down on the day from Liverpool so it's awkward not to get there early as we leave with plenty of time to spare just in case. We also have 2 young children so when we arrive in Southampton we go straight to the terminal regardless of the time as we have been travelling for over 4 hours.

This year we are staying in the Premier Inn Southampton West so only 15 minutes away. When we get kicked out of there we are heading for the docks no matter what time our tickets say. There are a number of reasons for this, firstly we are one of 4 big ships in on the day so nearly 16,000 passengers boarding. Southampton are at home so probably another 25,000 people there for that. We are on Britannia and want to get on as soon as possible to see it and we have the 2 kids who will also be excited.

Interestingly our cruise brochure says our cruise is 15 days and 14 nights so if our boarding time is 4 we have been short changed as most of the day has gone!

That's my excuse anyway!

Have just checked our E Tickets and were meant to be embarking at 4.30pm, that will be after the muster drill!, don't expect to be on til 5.15pm, what time is the ship actually departing, c'mon P & O give us an idea!! We live in South Wales and will be arriving a lot earlier than the suggested hour......

just spoke to a quite stroppy P & O customer service advisor asking her if the ship would sail later than normal, I suggested that P & O offer customers peace of mind of knowing that the suggested embarkation times were well within normal parameters for sailing. At this moment there is no known delay to departure time, normally 5pm........she didn't like customer feedback! Do P & O listen to customers, I think not....

just got this off the P & O website

All passengers must be on board at least an hour before the cruise departs.

Given as we all know, the silly impractable times on many of the e tickets

Why not just say, check in available from 12 noon?

Yes, I know that invites everyone to turn up at the same time.

Because of people coming from all over, that would not happen.

Whilst I can understand some of the concerns expressed on this thread, (and I have read it all!) it is obvious - to me at any rate - that no one will be given an embarkation time after the ship is due to depart - so the ships "normal" departure time of 1700 is going to be later in these instances. With so many big ships in Southampton these days they cannot all depart at the same time. And maybe, just maybe , the Port of Southampton authority is calling some of the logistical shots. People constantly moan about congestion in Southampton - maybe staggering the times a bit more, and if people adhere a little closer to their allotted times, then congestion will ease. If all the passengers for all 4 big ships arrive at 12 noon to embark "because they want to get on the ship" Southampton will grind to a halt. Think about it.

If this continues, then I think p & o and the other cruise lines with big ships will have no option but to make passengers adhere to allotted check in time - how they allocate them is for another thread!

Muster drill will not take place before everyone is on board but will be before the ship departs. The actual time for this will be announced on board.

Come on some of you, be a bit more relaxed! It's your holiday....

Britannia sails later, usually at 6pm and muster drill was 5.15 when we were on board.

Tilly27

I just looked on the Southampton cruise ship schedule. Britannia is due to depart on 4th July at 17.30, so that check in time of 16.30 is one hour before departure. I note some other ships on the list depart as late as 20.00.

For anybody who wants it http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

I've been reading this thread with interest.

Our cruise isn't until September so we haven't received our joining instructions yet. I have to admit that in the past few years I've been one of the 'turn up at 11:30' brigade, mainly because although we come from Yorkshire, my wife prefers us to stay somewhere nearby overnight which in turn means that on the morning we feel that we might as well just go to the terminal. We've tried doing other things for the morning, but somehow they just don't appeal when what you want to do is get on the ship!

This year, however, I was going to try to persuade her that really, we'd be alright driving down on the day. Then I found I'd been bowled a googly: the day our cruise starts is the first Saturday of the Southampton Boat Show (I was wondering why it was almost £200 to stay in the Premier Inn....). So now we know that in addition to possible M-way problems on the way down, the roads in central Southampton that day will be rammed, what with normal Saturday traffic, boat show traffic and possible boat show diversions/road closures. So, we've booked a hotel near Reading, which means that once again we will be in Southampton by 11:30.

Out of interest, how long is your drive from Yorkshire. Ours is 3 hours and we usually leave at 9.30, dropping our dogs off on the way. We could, though leave at 8, and then even with a 2 hours delay, we would still be there at 1300?

Out of interest, how long is your drive from Yorkshire. Ours is 3 hours and we usually leave at 9.30, dropping our dogs off on the way. We could, though leave at 8, and then even with a 2 hours delay, we would still be there at 1300?

We drive down form North Nottinghamshire and we leave around 8am. Plenty of time but we meet up and lunch with friends before going to the terminal.

We drive down form North Nottinghamshire and we leave around 8am. Plenty of time but we meet up and lunch with friends before going to the terminal.

We leave about 9.00 from the North East it usually takes us ........ 2 days sometimes 3 to get to Southampton. Must get the car looked at. :) :)

I just looked on the Southampton cruise ship schedule. Britannia is due to depart on 4th July at 17.30, so that check in time of 16.30 is one hour before departure. I note some other ships on the list depart as late as 20.00.

For most if not all of those ships leaving at 20:00 Southampton will not be a turnaround port. The late departure is to allow their foreign passengers to visit London etc.

 

Interestingly our cruise brochure says our cruise is 15 days and 14 nights so if our boarding time is 4 we have been short changed as most of the day has gone!

 

!

We're still cross about the 4pm allotted time --- the same time as someone who has just booked on a saver fare. We booked last March 2014 on a select fare. No perks there then eh ?!

Sorry we are cross and annoyed. OK, some of you may not understand that, but it is OUR holiday (not meant as a shout) and WE are upset about it. It may not affect someone else's view of their holiday and they may chill out about it, but we are very disappointed to think that we can't get on the ship until an hour before muster at best. Have done that before on the Silhouette and we hated it.

Still cross, no matter what anyone says to chill us out. That's just us.

Feel like we've been cheated of half a day. :mad:

Oh for goodness sake, half a day? it's about 2 hours at worst. What does it matter what someone has paid whether they get on the ship before you? So someone gets on board one hour ahead of you - does it really matter? Sheesh! I don't care when I arrive at 1.30 whether someone has 2 more hours on the ship than I do. Can't believe this.

Oh for goodness sake, half a day? it's about 2 hours at worst. What does it matter what someone has paid whether they get on the ship before you? So someone gets on board one hour ahead of you - does it really matter? Sheesh! I don't care when I arrive at 1.30 whether someone has 2 more hours on the ship than I do. Can't believe this.

Jeanlyon, it is probably our favourite day - the excitement as we board and the thrill of the start of our cruise. Exploring the ship, checking out the dining areas etc etc .......... love that feeling.

Like I said, we are all different -- I don't understand why you don't understand us. We are all different and for every person who thinks we are nuts there is another cruiser who understands.

Can we still be friends now though as in all other threads??:) Don't like to 'fall out' ;);)

All I'm saying is if you arrive at even 2pm and you are on board by 3, does that spoil your day? And if you are on board by 4.30, you are still on board before she sails. It's our favourite day too, but just as we queued for hours to board Azura, we have been on board in 30 minutes on Oriana. It's just all part of the holiday.

apart from anything else. If you have paid for an inside cabin and somebody else has paid a last minute saver for a Balcony, should they board before you or after you? They have probably paid more for a saver Balcony than someone pays for an inside.

Actually, on our last cruise we were allotted 3;30pm and we were in an outside. Before that we were allotted 1.30 and we were in an inside. I think it's random.