Cabins now ready on embarkation

Looks like P&O are trying to police the boarding times. According to an email our cruise on Britannia on Saturday, will be strictly boarded at the time stated on the boarding pass. Apparently this is a trial as cabins will be ready on embarkation. Thoughts people?

Sounds logical. I cruise next Wednesday so will let you know if it is introduced.

Maybe lots and lots of people crowding the terminal because, through no fault of their own, they arrive well ahead of their allotted time.

I wonder where they will corral the miscreants :rolleyes:

Surely people who arrive LATE should be forced to go to the back of the queue otherwise they may be depriving the innocent of their allotted boarding time.

ps - only early boarders will get a free lunch! therefore early boarding times please for select fare passengers only ;)

Personally don't like it. Impossible when travelling by car to predict traffic. Equally this year as 5 ships are in dock when we're travelling we're coming down a day early to avoid the chaos & need to leave the hotel by 10am. I don't really want to hang around Southampton for 4 hours, especially if the weather isn't good. I'm not bothered if my cabin is ready. Plenty to do on board before going to your cabin. I'd rather get on early and start relaxing!

I'd rather they sorted out disembarkation than embarkation!

It will be a slight problem to me too because I have to check out of my Venice hotel at 11 and my allotted boarding time is 12.30 and only a 10 minute trip away. Maybe we will request a late checkout or relax at the hotel for an hour pre moving to the terminal. Davecttr yes we booked a Select fare and coincidentally got an early boarding time.

I thought it would come. And I don't see it is any different from arriving at an airport? you have to drive to get there too, or take a train. Doesn't matter when you arrive, you just won't be boarded until your correct time. What's wrong with that?

People are arriving at 11 am for goodness sake. With a ship the size of Britannia, I'm not surprised that they are starting there. What would happen if all passengers arrived before noon. It would be chaos.

I thought it would come. And I don't see it is any different from arriving at an airport? you have to drive to get there too, or take a train. Doesn't matter when you arrive, you just won't be boarded until your correct time. What's wrong with that?

 

People are arriving at 11 am for goodness sake.

I totally agree.

Maybe they will extend the catering facilities at the terminal for passengers arriving too early for check in, although I doubt this would be inclusive, like at airports.

Yes that's how it worked with Fred O. Now I realize the ships are tiny compared to Britannia, but there was a small cafe. However, the food was horrible, so the next time we did it, we brought our own sandwich. Nobody boarded until 1400 and we were called by deck. I suspect that this is what will happen with P&O. It makes total sense to me. We usually arrive around 1300 and there is usually no queue by that time. Always on board within half an hour. Even on Azura.

I personally don't like this as I agree Dolphin Watcher.

We're travelling down on Sunday for the Ventura cruise and are setting off quite early as we never know what traffic or situations we'll meet on the way. We almost missed check in for a cruise last year when we got stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours due to an accident. We thought we'd have plenty of time, but we only just made it! That was so stressful and not the way we wanted to start our holiday and I never want to be in that situation again.

P&O made this empty threat a few years ago. It made jack difference as they didn't have any sanctions for those who turned up early.

If they want people to arrive later stop passengers boarding until 2pm, then cabins will be ready. Of course it means they then have to manage passengers landside, just like an airport.

I'm not expecting to big a queue at Venice (Oceana) since not all passengers from the previous cruise will disembark and being a fly cruise I imagine they will stagger the arrival of the airport buses, although I may be wrong :) provided I can get a coffee (or a glass of wine) at the terminal if there is a queue then it is fine!

I personally don't like this as I agree Dolphin Watcher.

We're travelling down on Sunday for the Ventura cruise and are setting off quite early as we never know what traffic or situations we'll meet on the way. We almost missed check in for a cruise last year when we got stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours due to an accident. We thought we'd have plenty of time, but we only just made it! That was so stressful and not the way we wanted to start our holiday and I never want to be in that situation again.

OK, so what would you do if you were flying? It's no different.

We are not talking about arrival time, we are talking about boarding!! You may be able to checkin, but you will not board until your allotted time.

OK, so what would you do if you were flying? It's no different.

 

We are not talking about arrival time, we are talking about boarding!! You may be able to checkin, but you will not board until your allotted time.

At airports I generally find a nice bar :)

We struggled to get picked up after our cruise on the Britannia because of people arriving early.

We were stood with our suitcases outside the terminal at 11.30am along with other passengers waiting for lifts and taxis. It was a struggle to get picked up as there were people being dropped off with their cases and no where for those collecting to pull in. :(

They will have to extend the terminals, so there is room for early arrivals to sit until their boarding time.

OK, so what would you do if you were flying? It's no different.

 

We are not talking about arrival time, we are talking about boarding!! You may be able to checkin, but you will not board until your allotted time.

Quite agree. There was a recent thread about chaos at boarding time in the terminal and a number of folk made it quite clear that for whatever reason they were going to arrive very early irrespective of what P&O asked them to do. However, you are right P&O can't have it both ways, if they are going to enforce boarding times then they will have to start offering better facilities for those who arrive early (as per airports). My guess (fear) us that nothing will really change and most will arrive and expect to get on when they want to. Most hotels will offer late check out if requested.

At airports I generally find a nice bar :)

Agree. At airports I can arrive early, check in & go through security and then wait with something to do. I don't see that as being different to going to the buffet or crows nest to wait for my cabin. I don't care if the cabin isn't ready, I just don't want the hassle of sitting in a boring terminal with nothing to do, or having to go into Southampton when I don't want/need to. This year is an exception for us as we don't normally stay the night before, so can work round it if I really have to, but after a long drive normally I don't want additional delays if the traffic has actually done me the favour of being decent.

I thought it would come. And I don't see it is any different from arriving at an airport? you have to drive to get there too, or take a train. Doesn't matter when you arrive, you just won't be boarded until your correct time. What's wrong with that?

 

People are arriving at 11 am for goodness sake. With a ship the size of Britannia, I'm not surprised that they are starting there. What would happen if all passengers arrived before noon. It would be chaos.

This is no different to what it was 10 years ago. P&O brought it forward as that's what passengers wanted. Now you want them to go back 10 year. Can not see that happening.

I still think the Fred way will come. You can check in when you like, but you will then sit in the lounge until your boarding time is called. You don't get lunch on Fred either - that will kill some! However, I was quite happy to wait and have tea and a cake.

Totally different than an airport. There is not a huge amount of seating available after security, in fact none at Ocean terminal where Britannia usually berths. At airport once you are through security there may well be thousands of seats available.

Lets work backwards, how long do the border agency reckon it will take to process all 3600 Britannia passengers plus children? If you want to have them all aboard by 4pm count forward from there, add contingencies and you arrive at a starting time. I guess that will be as near 11.30 am as possible.

how long will it take the check-in desks to process 1800 cabins? Count forward from 3.30, what time do you get? 11.30!

Say 450 check-ins per hour. What happens if 50 of the 11.30 batch do not turn up at the allotted time? Do you leave their 50 'slots' free and put everyine else back by the time lost? Or do you just call forward 50 of the next batch and they head for security early as happy bunnies?

Looks to me you will end up with the present system unless you rebuild the terminals so there are thousands of seats available after security. If you do that you can check in passengers as they arrive at the terminal but call them to board by deck.

Agree. At airports I can arrive early, check in & go through security and then wait with something to do. I don't see that as being different to going to the buffet or crows nest to wait for my cabin. I don't care if the cabin isn't ready, I just don't want the hassle of sitting in a boring terminal with nothing to do, or having to go into Southampton when I don't want/need to. This year is an exception for us as we don't normally stay the night before, so can work round it if I really have to, but after a long drive normally I don't want additional delays if the traffic has actually done me the favour of being decent.

Nothing worse when running an establishment that requires staffing at appropriate times particularly where catering is required. If the 200 people expected at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm etc., decide to turn up early how can the catering manager manage his operation satisfactorily?

How many people would complain after arriving early to find the buffet depleted and the bar staff run off their feet?

I booked select and have been given a 3pm boarding time. It was 2pm, but now has been put back an hour. Like others, I'm not worried that my cabin is not ready.

Carol

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Other cruise companies seem to manage this issue quite well. I don't know what the issue is with P&O. I like to get to the port as soon as I can. In most cases we've been on the ship before noon, sometimes earlier. How do they allocate boarding times? It seems unfair if some people can get on at 11.30 while others have to wait until 3.30. You miss half of the day! I also have a young child now and don't want to be waiting around. To avoid any issues etc we will leave home early giving us plenty of time in case of delays. Assuming all goes smoothly I really don't want to be waiting around until an arbitrary specified time. I don't care if my room is ready. There are plenty of things to do on the ship.

I still think the Fred way will come. You can check in when you like, but you will then sit in the lounge until your boarding time is called. You don't get lunch on Fred either - that will kill some! However, I was quite happy to wait and have tea and a cake.

'Fred, Fred, Fred.' You cannot compare Fred with a ship the size of Britannia. Plus to say extend the terminals is just silly as it would take years to plan, agree and build. We arrive early, around 12, not so much to get onboard early and have lunch but because we have a 5 hour journey down on some of the busiest roads and dont have the flexibility to travel the day before so we need some leeway in case of traffic or breakdown.. We wouldnt mind checking in and waiting to board but the terminal cannot currently cope and doesnt have the facilities of an airport departure lounge.

We board Eclipse on Saturday, no set boarding times, just flexible boarding times 11.15 till 3.30. Done it three times before with Celebrity and check in is a breeze. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean start boarding much earlier than P&O so by extending check in opening times it reduces pressure on the check in process. Officially 11.15 but weve checked in at 10.45 before. If they can turnaround their ships and make them ready for boarding so quickly why can't P&O.

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On my Britannia cruise I was about the last passenger off the ship at 10.15, and they kept me back because of illness. OK, the ship is empty of passengers and the buffet does not open until noon. What is wrong with boarding starting at 11am? The check-in desks can all be manned by then.

My cruise next week on Aurora leaves from Mayflower terminal with a boarding time of 13.00. i am planning on travelling by train and the 11.30 from Waterloo should get me to the terminal by 1pm with at least 3 hours spare time for emergencies. With 4 rail routes into London and 2 to Southampton hopefully everything will be fine :eek: