Azura disembarkation chaos

[Invincible]

We returned to Southampton on Azura last Sunday, all the cruises we've been on previously have given out coloured luggage tags to determine the order of disembarkation, for some unknown reason Azura and I don't know but it may be happening on all P&O ships has gone over to assembling groups in various lounges. I'm sure the theory is good but in practice people seeing a queue join it irrespective of requests not to and it finished up as one enormous seemingly endless queue. We waited until we were told we could go then were told to go to the back of the queue although we were the only remaining passengers in Malabar, everyone else had filtered into the queue even when asked to remain seated.

 

We really enjoyed our cruise but this did spoil the end and as a system it simply doesn't work, it may have been compounded by the strong winds which led to Azura being 30 minutes late getting back into Southampton but I would still urge P&O to ditch this system and go back to coloured luggage labels.

[Brayman]

Does sound a retrograde step.

 

I also preferred the coloured cards relating to disembark time as I always ask for the latest one so that when I get to the baggage hall there aren't too many cases amongst which to find mine! :)

[tom_uk]

Does sound a retrograde step.

 

I also preferred the coloured cards relating to disembark time as I always ask for the latest one so that when I get to the baggage hall there aren't too many cases amongst which to find mine! :)

 

We're the opposite - once we're back, we like to be off and away home as quickly as possible.

 

Invincible: did you notice whether 'self-disembarkation' was possible or not? That's what we do.

[DamianG]

Coloured cards were still being used on our recent Ventura cruise that returned on 2nd April, though we chose to self-disembark and it worked a treat. Funny though, one lady saw the self-disembarkation queue and decided to join it only to be turned away at the exit. She hadn't arranged to self-disembark and didn't even have her belongings with her (coat, overnight bag etc.). A classic case of joining a queue just in case she was missing out on something!

[Invincible]

Self disembarkation was still an option but unfortunately my wife has back problems and humping three suitcases through the ship on my own didn't appeal.

[Jenna109]

This will be our first cruise with P&O on Azura - hopefully we will not have your problems. On Princess, Cunard and Celebrity we have been given coloured and numbered tags - plus details of departure time (as requested) then we had to be at an assigned lounge 15 minutes before - coffee, snacks, etc available for those who wanted more!. At the given time we were told we could disembark - collecting luggage as we got off the ships - they were in areas noted by colour and number. So far we have had no problem finding luggage and no queues to get off. Always been quickly away from the docks in whichever country we have ended our cruise. Perhaps P&O just need to refine it a little and 'encourage' passengers to follow instructions.

[mickatkirkby]

We are on Azura this Sunday (A210). I can't imagine why they have changed the process, it seems crazy. I always thought P&O had the best facilities at Southampton and with the parking right outside it couldn't get any better. You mean that they are trusting 3000 passengers to sit where they are told and then sit still while they see other groups just walk off without scrutiny? Will let you know how we get on (I mean off) I sincerely hope that they simply forgot to stow the cards !!!!

 

Tom-Uk.....have never heard this one before, how clever.......and are your bags always there ??? Daughter had her bag (standard black) stowed on a Glasgow bus once.

[Invincible]

Self disembarkation last week you didn't have to register for just arrive at deck6 at 7.15 with your luggage, as I said we didn't use it so don't know how well that worked.

[tom_uk]

Self disembarkation was still an option but unfortunately my wife has back problems and humping three suitcases through the ship on my own didn't appeal.

 

Self disembarkation last week you didn't have to register for just arrive at deck6 at 7.15 with your luggage, as I said we didn't use it so don't know how well that worked.

 

Thanks for the information, Invincible.

 

I wasn't suggesting that you should have done it, btw - I fully recognise that other people either don't want, or aren't able, to take advantage of it. We can still manage it, though it is a hard work. But it gets us in the car by 8 o'clock at the latest and home by lunchtime.

 

MickAtKirby:

Tom-Uk.....have never heard this one before, how clever.......and are your bags always there ??? Daughter had her bag (standard black) stowed on a Glasgow bus once.

 

No, the point with self-disembarkation is that you have to take all your bags off yourself - you don't put anything out for the porters.

 

DamianG:

Funny though, one lady saw the self-disembarkation queue and decided to join it only to be turned away at the exit. She hadn't arranged to self-disembark and didn't even have her belongings with her (coat, overnight bag etc.). A classic case of joining a queue just in case she was missing out on something!

 

Yes, we saw exactly the same thing ourselves last year on Ventura!

[chiapetti]

This will be our first cruise with P&O on Azura - hopefully we will not have your problems. On Princess, Cunard and Celebrity we have been given coloured and numbered tags - plus details of departure time (as requested) then we had to be at an assigned lounge 15 minutes before - coffee, snacks, etc available for those who wanted more!

[philipsw285]

i wasn't bothered by silent disenbarkation only the fact that they didn't anticipate how many passengers would be wanting to get of as early as possible. we had our cars there and were intending to get of at 9.45 but realised early on we would be sitting round so went for the 8am one in malabar when we got there the bar was full and we got sent to the penisular resturant below where they mixed us with passengers waiting for coaches then they called us to go and the coach passengers thought it was their turn. i think we should have been move to the playhouse theatre which is where we would have ended up if we had gone at 9.45. i know carnival have been doing silent disenbarkation for about 2 months now john heald the senior cruise director raves about the peace when he's on a ship that is dissenbarking because no ones calling out.

the cases were set out in floors i found min straight away and had no marking on it but i did spend about 10 minutes looking for my parents cases. The thing i've decided is to mark my case so i can see it which is what i have done in the past putting union jack straps on it in both directions this time i just had a plain black case and walked straight up to it i think a lot of luck came into it....