Embarkation Day - a question for Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

I know that some cruisers occasionally check in late and have a catch up safety drill.

The underlined parts of the quote below from the Roll Call for The Journey on 17 June (post #148) prompt me to ask the question : can one check in and leave the ship again on Embarkation Day?

(We are B2B with the previous cruise from Lisbon and I know we can go ashore and explore.)

"What time is the safety drill planned? What is the plan for passengers who are out sight-seeing in London and not present for the scheduled drill - will they be allowed to attend a drill after departure (currently set to be the next morning at 4:45am)? I'm asking this question because we plan to check in as early as possible (we're in a suite), then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible.

As a follow-up to the previous question, what time will the last tender to the ship be from Greenwich pier on the evening of June 17 (we're hoping we'll be able to spend some "wee hours" in London)?"

Thanks Bonnie, in anticipation of your response, hopefully forestalling the upset of a cruiser.

Trish

I have done a make up drill at 9 pm i think 3 times. No clue with if any later than this. You might have to ask on board. maybe they can arrange a quickie drill for you somehow. one of my make up drills lasted 5 minutes.

Tenders- again this could be up to the ship. The one and only time i was anchored in greenwich several of us were at the theatre and I know we had a tender that we had to wait for in greenwich twice. They do not run as often but crew go out so i am sure there are some running but not sure if all night.

Hi Trish,

It depends on the embarkation port. Some don’t allow disembarking after boarding. I don’t know what the rule is in London. Hopefully someone reading this will have first-hand experience, and will reply.

PS I see Robin replied while I was typing.

I have done a make up drill at 9 pm i think 3 times. No clue with if any later than this. You might have to ask on board. maybe they can arrange a quickie drill for you somehow. one of my make up drills lasted 5 minutes.

Tenders- again this could be up to the ship. The one and only time i was anchored in greenwich several of us were at the theatre and I know we had a tender that we had to wait for in greenwich twice. They do not run as often but crew go out so i am sure there are some running but not sure if all night.

Thanks Robin, I said I know one can embark late and do a catch up drill. I am not personally interested in late tenders.

My question (for the original poster) was : can one check in and leave the ship again on Embarkation Day?

Hi Trish,

It depends on the embarkation port. Some don’t allow disembarking after boarding. I don’t know what the rule is in London. Hopefully someone reading this will have first-hand experience, and will reply.

PS I see Robin replied while I was typing.

Thanks very much Bonnie.

I did think that disembarking after checking in was not allowed, which is why I asked the question, hoping to avoid a big upset for the original poster who intends to check in as early as possible, then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible.

Perhaps I will suggest that she seek clarification from the Guest Relations Manager.

Trish

Thanks very much Bonnie.

I did think that disembarking after checking in was not allowed, which is why I asked the question, hoping to avoid a big upset for the original poster who intends to check in as early as possible, then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible.

Perhaps I will suggest that she seek clarification from the Guest Relations Manager.

Trish

I am reading this at you are the OP- thread starter. i wonder if a post got lost.The OP said they were on B2B. so they are already checked in. the new room key card comes the night before. if i recall you do have to swipe your old room card out. when you come back on board you swipe back in.

I have checked in -Athens-turned around and got back into a car and was gone for several hours. we sailed at 9 or 10. i did the make up drill that night. I never left at 5 am.

I mostly do B2B's and i am always off the ship on turn around day. I do know the B2B guest does the swipe out and in with new card on ship. no other check in is needed. Most of the top cruisers know the rules. "wee hours' is after midnight. very few tenders after that as only crew go out and guests are back from the theatre.

Robin, I'm afraid you have misunderstood my post.

Yes I started the thread to ask Bonnie :

Can one check in and leave the ship again on Embarkation Day . . . on behalf of another cruiser, who is starting her cruise that day and posted in the Roll Call for The Journey on 17 June (post #148)

and I quote again in part :

"we plan to check in as early as possible, then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible."

and

"What time will the last tender to the ship be from Greenwich pier on the evening of June 17 (we're hoping we'll be able to spend some "wee hours" in London)?"

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We, my partner and I are B2B as we have been on most of our 20 or so Azamara cruises and we are very familiar with the B2B processes.

Thanks for the information on Athens, but we will be in Greenwich, not in Piraeus.

As Bonnie said : "It depends on the embarkation port. Some don’t allow disembarking after boarding. I don’t know what the rule is in London."

I suggest the passenger email Richard Twynam, Head of Azamara in the U.K. His team should be able to answer these queries. RTwynam@azamaraclubcruises.com

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I answered this on the roll call when the poster originally asked

The question was could they drop the luggage off without boarding - yes. I see you’re asking about going ashore after boarding, well other lines in London permit this so one can presume it’s yes HOWEVER anything can change at ports on the day, and London is no exception particularly if security levels go up.

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I suggest the passenger email Richard Twynam, Head of Azamara in the U.K. His team should be able to answer these queries. RTwynam@azamaraclubcruises.com

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Thank you for the suggestion. I will pass it on.

I answered this on the roll call when the poster originally asked

The question was could they drop the luggage off without boarding - yes. I see you’re asking about going ashore after boarding, well other lines in London permit this so one can presume it’s yes HOWEVER anything can change at ports on the day, and London is no exception particularly if security levels go up.

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With respect, you answered point 1 of her post, but not point 3, the direct quote from post #148, which I repeat :

"we plan to check in as early as possible (we're in a suite), then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible"

for which I have sought to find clarification so that this guest does not find herself on board and unable to leave again. I am beginning to regret ever having sought to ensure that does not happen to her.

OK, fine I was working on the basis that check in and board were two very separate events and as there was also mention of dropping off luggage only I followed that route initially.

In relation to going ashore again after boarding, its only Australia that I have encountered that restriction (and pretty unreasonable restrictions on back to back guests) and its not something normally seen in the UK. However things can happen that affect "normal" that we will only become clear on the day, hence, if you want to go ashore again, always check with the check in agents before boarding or going onto the terminal.

With respect, you answered point 1 of her post, but not point 3, the direct quote from post #148, which I repeat :

 

"we plan to check in as early as possible (we're in a suite), then depart for London and stay there until late in the evening, if possible"

 

for which I have sought to find clarification so that this guest does not find herself on board and unable to leave again. I am beginning to regret ever having sought to ensure that does not happen to her.

First of all, thank you, Trish, for starting this thread. I have read all the replies to this one and the roll call thread. Here are my comments...

1) My husband & I have cruised Azamara many times, too (we're just shy of being "Discoverer Plus" LCV members), but have never done a B2B (yet). We have never been in a port that required us to stay on board after check in. If we arrived early, we've been able to drop off our checked luggage but might have to sit & wait to complete the check in process. In Greenwich, since there is no terminal, the question remains as to how the check in process will even work. Will it be in a tent (as is done with Viking cruises) or on board the chip (e.g., in the Cabaret Lounge)? That all remains a mystery at this point. I will send an email to Richard Twynam to see if he can clarify any of my questions regarding how check in will work in Greenwich and whether or not we can leave the ship after boarding.

2) In the description for this cruise, Azamara talks about London being an "overnight stay" and mentions things to see/do in London. The "Cruise Ticket Booklet" itinerary also shows we're "tendered" (T) in London on day 2 (vs. "cruising" © on the Thames River) - VERY MISLEADING! That is also the reason for one of my early posts in the roll call thread inquiring about the departure time from Greenwich (thinking it was a typo). We're disappointed that we, in effect, have a 3rd "sea day" vs. being able to visit Greenwich/London sites. :(

3) Regarding the safety drill, I am quite familiar with it but, for this cruise, I'm traveling with my sister - new to Azamara. I've told her the basics of how the drill works (& she's been through it before on another cruise line), but we know we still have to complete the drill at some point before departure per maritime law.

4) Regarding staying in London until "late evening" ("wee hours"), the question about the last tender is based on the last Thames Clipper arriving at the Greenwich Pier (12:23am). Most likely, we won't be out that late, but we what if we don't want to reboard until 10pm? :confused:

Thank you all for your help in trying to answer my questions.

Jean

There are no posts 148

There are two,pages here

Europe in general is easy compared to Au.

I was on and off several times in Greenwich. Tenders run late enough for guests or did theatre in the city. I even went out to eat. So tenders run late.

Does not matter to me Athens, London or anywhere in Europe I never had a problem getting off on turn around day as a B2B or getting in the first time.

Ann is correct AU is very strange there. I did several B2B in Au and NZ. Was able to come and go as a B2B person but later heard about problens with new guests

There are no posts 148

There are two,pages here

 

Europe in general is easy compared to Au.

 

I was on and off several times in Greenwich. Tenders run late enough for guests or did theatre in the city. I even went out to eat. So tenders run late.

 

Does not matter to me Athens, London or anywhere in Europe I never had a problem getting off on turn around day as a B2B or getting in the first time.

 

Ann is correct AU is very strange there. I did several B2B in Au and NZ. Was able to come and go as a B2B person but later heard about problens with new guests

Thanks for your insights, Robin.

Post #148 refers to my post in the roll call, not in this thread. ;)

Glad to hear about your experience in Greenwich. I have sent an email to Mr. Twynam for clarification, as was suggested in a post somewhere.

Jean :)

PS - why can't I "edit" my post? Found some typos I'd like to correct. ;p

Thanks for your insights, Robin.

Post #148 refers to my post in the roll call, not in this thread. ;)

Glad to hear about your experience in Greenwich. I have sent an email to Mr. Twynam for clarification, as was suggested in a post somewhere.

Jean :)

PS - why can't I "edit" my post? Found some typos I'd like to correct. ;p

That was never made clear on here. No where did it say roll call that i saw. The last several summers I did turn around as a B2B in Europe. Came and went as i wanted too. In AU we had to get off the ship at a certain time and could not go back on.

There has to be a make up drill at some point. The norm always been 9 when i am on the ship. There might be another one this time.

That was never made clear on here. No where did it say roll call that i saw.

Robin, read posts #1 and #7 again.

Thanks for your insights, Robin.

 

Post #148 refers to my post in the roll call, not in this thread. ;)

 

Glad to hear about your experience in Greenwich. I have sent an email to Mr. Twynam for clarification, as was suggested in a post somewhere.

 

Jean :)

 

PS - why can't I "edit" my post? Found some typos I'd like to correct. ;p

Are you in the app or on the website? If you use the website you should see a box marked ‘edit’ in the blue bar at the bottom of the post. Check that, then you should be able to edit your post.

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If you are using the App hold your finger on the post and the edit option comes up. However remember editing is time limited so if your post is 20 mins old it will let you type in the edit but won’t let you save it.

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If you are using the App hold your finger on the post and the edit option comes up. However remember editing is time limited so if your post is 20 mins old it will let you type in the edit but won’t let you save it.

That stinks! We should be able to edit anytime! :(

Just an update to my original post (in the Roll Call thread). I have yet to hear back from either Bonnie (via this message board) nor from Richard Twynam (to whom I sent an email).

Once again, here are the questions I posed in the email...

1) Will the check in process be done in a tent or completed on board the ship? Will we be able to drop off "checked" luggage prior to the check-in time (12:30 pm)? Once checked in, will we be able to board the ship, then leave to visit sites in Greenwich & London? We've been told on a message board that, in some ports, passengers are not allowed to leave the ship once they've boarded and we're hoping Greenwich is not one of them.

2) In the event we are allowed to leave the ship & go sightseeing, what is the latest time we would need to be back at the pier to board the ship (i.e., what time is the last tender)? We plan to be in London well into the evening, returning via the Thames Clipper (the last one arriving at Greenwich Pier at 12:23 am, though we most likely will be returning sooner than that). Our ship does not depart the port until 4:45 am the day after embarkation (Monday, June 18).

3) Because Maritime Law requires all passengers participate in the safety drill prior to departure, what is the plan for those passengers who are in London for the day and don't return to the ship until very late in the evening?

Hoping one of them will reply soon!

Jean (yn)

I also asked directly of the ship two days ago (for another reason) and they are not fully aware of the arrangements yet. I will be checking again the middle of next week when they expect to know.

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I meant to say based on the conversation I had and what I was doing I cannot see any problem about leaving the ship once boarded.

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I have been told that we should be abke to leave the ship after wehave checked in. We want to spend time with our son and girlfriend who live locally

We are overnighting in Venice on our embarkation day and someone from my roll call is planning to check in, have lunch, and leave the ship again. Still not clear if this is ok? When is the muster drill usually held?