Embarking Azura

[georgegirl]

I received our ETickets today and noted that embarkation time is 3.30pm. This is our first time with P&O and also sailing from Southampton. I thought for some reason we'd be able to embark earlier than this.

We will be arriving at the docks at 12pm.

My questions are, if we embark at the time of 3.30 I assume it could be a lot later than that by the time we have boarded? How quick is boarding generally? Do we therefore miss lunch?

 

Many thanks. All other cruises been on, we have been allowed to board midday

 

Thanks

[john watson]

There has been a lot of refurbishment going on at Southampton Cruise Terminals recently which I think is due to the need to cope with larger ships and greater numbers of passengers. Associated with this is cruise lines trying to get people to arrive at terminal over a wider period of time. There is nothing new in this however some people have been speculating that they are going to become more strict in trying to enforce "staggered boarding". To find out which terminal your ship departs from http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk is a good tool at the foot of the page "Passenger cruise ship schedule and terminal information" gives all the information when you scroll down. This also gives you an idea of how many other ships depart that day albeit from different Terminals. Azura seems to be scheduled for Mayflower Terminal Berth 106 which has just been refurbished. Ocean Terminal seems to use the Coloured Letter A - Z, system given to you when you arrive at the terminal. Then you sit in the big hall at noon "A" is called and those people are invited to check in then "B" and so on. Pretty certain Mayflower is going to be using that system.

 

There are about 40 to 50 check in staff operating and they cope well, however the security scanners are where the bottle neck occurs. In May when I visited Ocean Terminal they seem to have clear all the space around the two scanners and I think it looks like they are installing one or two more. I think this is likely to be happening at the terminals generally.

 

In my opinion arrival at terminal is best 12.30 to 1.30 and boarding will be reasonable.

 

Regards John

[Gerko]

You're in the wrong forum. This is P & O Australia, so you may not get much info back.

[Host Walt]

You're in the wrong forum. This is P & O Australia, so you may not get much info back.

This thread was moved here from the P&O Australia board.

[dgs1956]

Go and board when you get there at 12.