Azura - New Improved Embarkation Process

[silver service]

Thanks Florry!,regards, Mike.

[wilson2579]

I am going in three weeks on Oceana, so I will let you know how I get on. My embarkation time is 3pm....

 

and I will let you know when I come back after my sailing in 6 days time. Hope it has all settled down by the time you go Scriv.:cool:

[wilson2579]

SS, I would hope wheelchair users needing assistance would always be given priority whatever time they arrive. I know and understand how it is so much more difficult for you and your wife making any sort of journey, you just don't have the same options as the rest of us and there are so many other things you need to consider and cope with. So let's hope common sense prevails on that point.

 

Totally agree. I am sure wheelchair users will still have priority.

[silver service]

Thanks, wilson! Regards, Mike.

[Scriv]

Have a great trip Trish!

[wilson2579]

Have a great trip Trish!

 

Thanks Scriv. Fingers crossed that the BOB behaves:eek:

[silver service]

Hello all. My cruise on aurora is one week tomorrow. If I can find this on return, will report the embarkation experience. Failing that, will start a new thread, to bring it back to the top! Regards, Mike, oh so close, here in Southampton!

[Dorset Cruiser]

Just had info from P&O about our Azura 30 October cruise. We are on deck A and our stated embarkation time is 1500 hrs. However we are being picked up from Bournemouth Airport on a coach and the information clearly states that coach arrival time supercedes individual arrival times. As we are probably going to arrive before 1230hrs I assume we will be sitting in the terminal for a while.

 

 

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[silver service]

Yes another unknown quantity, Dorset cruiser. Why did they not

Leave well alone!

[wilson2579]

Just had info from P&O about our Azura 30 October cruise. We are on deck A and our stated embarkation time is 1500 hrs. However we are being picked up from Bournemouth Airport on a coach and the information clearly states that coach arrival time supercedes individual arrival times. As we are probably going to arrive before 1230hrs I assume we will be sitting in the terminal for a while.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

From what I can gather on Ventura on Saturday most are 3.00 or 3.30 pm:confused: Going to be a busy time:eek:

[flapjack62]

Just had info from P&O about our Azura 30 October cruise. We are on deck A and our stated embarkation time is 1500 hrs. However we are being picked up from Bournemouth Airport on a coach and the information clearly states that coach arrival time supercedes individual arrival times. As we are probably going to arrive before 1230hrs I assume we will be sitting in the terminal for a while.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

We've had the same notification today, we are on B deck with a 14:30hrs embarkation time, our daughter is on A-deck with 15:00hrs as her time. We had already booked a taxi transfer and will be expecting to arrive around 12:30 so it could be a long wait for us too! :cool:

 

Diane

Edited October 20, 2015 by flapjack62

[the english lady]

We've had the same notification today, we are on B deck with a 14:30hrs embarkation time, our daughter is on A-deck with 15:00hrs as her time. We had already booked a taxi transfer and will be expecting to arrive around 12:30 so it could be a long wait for us too! :cool:

 

Diane

 

Could you not contact the taxi co and request a later pick up. We have booked our car down, but I have explained that until I have recd my boarding time it may change to later.

Ours is a 2hr+ journey down, so would be taking the driver out for a lot of the day anyway.

Much rather wait at home than in a crowded terminal .

[flapjack62]

Could you not contact the taxi co and request a later pick up. We have booked our car down, but I have explained that until I have recd my boarding time it may change to later.

Ours is a 2hr+ journey down, so would be taking the driver out for a lot of the day anyway.

Much rather wait at home than in a crowded terminal .

 

We are coming from Devon and I would prefer an earlier pick-up to be sure that we avoid any possible delays en-route, just don't want to take a chance on it. Only today a colleague returned to work after a trip to China, they had a taxi transfer booked to London Heathrow, picked up at 8.00am for a 3.30pm flight - ran into problems on the M4 and sat in traffic for 2.5hrs, made it to the Boarding Gate with just 5 minutes to spare :eek:

 

Think I'd prefer to wait at the terminal after hearing that story! :o

 

Diane

[silver service]

Yes, that is the problem. You never know for sure,if the journewill be problem free.our last cruise in April, after the return of Arcadia and aurora from

Their long trips, created massive traffic jams in west quay road.

I live 30minutes from dock gate 4. Took one and a half hours to get

There!

[kruzseeka]

And that's the worry! I would rather have to sit and wait even if it's a long time and be sure I will be embarking rather than sitting in a traffic jam in a panic with visions of the ship sailing without us. With a 15.00 check in time and possible 16.30 departure, I would never risk planning my journey to arrive at around 3pm as you can't predict traffic conditions. .

[Scriv]

kruzseeka and silverservice - I agree completely. It is the late embarkation allocated times that are a worry for a lot of us who have experienced such delays on the road no matter how near or far away we live.

[AnnieC]

Agreed.

 

In September we hit a huge traffic jam on the M11 which was due to an accident 11 miles ahead at the Stansted turn off. This was the sort of traffic jam where people were sloping off into the woods to spend a penny, and all out of their cars chatting to each other. We were travelling to Soton the day before our cruise so weren't too concerned, but many were heading for the airport.

 

We were stuck there for about four hours and many of those we spoke to must have missed their flights.

 

The other point, which I think I've raised before, is that if there's a problem at Soton, eg the previous cruise being late back, Norovirus deep clean, then one would arrive to a packed terminal with no seats left; this has happened to us twice in about 12 cruises, and never again - like many others, I cannot stand for long.

Edited October 21, 2015 by AnnieC

[Beachmad]

Shame they cant have a waiting area for the waiting area, especially those that are worried about being stuck in traffic jams.

Its not just traffic either, all sorts of reasons you could be late.

 

Seriously Im not worried now when I get on board as this year we had a dreadful scare with one of the party bringing the wrong passport, good job we were early approx 12.30 and about 10 minutes later when we realised.

 

We got the passport (good old son in law) and were on (the last passengers, for ages we were in an empty terminal waiting and waiting for him to arrive with the passport) at 4.20pm

This was Oriana btw.

 

So getting on at all next year at any time will be a pleasure.

 

I think we'll be coming down the day before and hope we'll have the luxury of rocking up at the allotted time.

[Josy1953]

Shame they cant have a waiting area for the waiting area, especially those that are worried about being stuck in traffic jams.

Its not just traffic either, all sorts of reasons you could be late.

 

Seriously Im not worried now when I get on board as this year we had a dreadful scare with one of the party bringing the wrong passport, good job we were early approx 12.30 and about 10 minutes later when we realised.

 

We got the passport (good old son in law) and were on (the last passengers, for ages we were in an empty terminal waiting and waiting for him to arrive with the passport) at 4.20pm

This was Oriana btw.

 

So getting on at all next year at any time will be a pleasure.

 

I think we'll be coming down the day before and hope we'll have the luxury of rocking up at the allotted time.

 

Until I saw that you had been on Oriana I thought that you were the person on our Azura cruise this year who had exactly the same situation. The captain kept us entertained with his announcements about where the missing passenger's son in law was with the passport, apparently the passenger was in touch with the son in law by phone and the shore staff kept telling the ship where he was. When the passengers eventually boarded everyone cheered, I was just glad it wasn't me, I am sure I would have been very embarrassed. It makes me wonder how often this happens.

[kruzseeka]

And what's worse, if it's a Transatlantic, not much chance of catching up with the ship at the next port in a hurry!

[Midsomer Madness]

Totally agree. I am sure wheelchair users will still have priority.

 

I asked this very question of P&O recently to a customer services manager who I have had dealings with and she advised that wheelchair users were requested to arrive at the time on their etickets and then to ask for assistance....

[jeanlyon]

Well that sounds fair enough. I wouldn't have thought that every wheelchair passenger wants to board at 12.00. they might want a later checkin as we do.

[Scriv]

I've got an interesting scenario to put by you... I have today been upgraded to a Mini Suite on B deck Oceana from a Balcony cabin on C deck where my embarkation time was 15.00.

 

Will my embarkation time be changed now, do you think?

Edited October 21, 2015 by Scriv

[jeanlyon]

Hee hee Scriv, well at least 1.30 I would think :-)

[Florry]

If you are in a chair life is so much more difficult, but not all chair users have the same difficulties. They have the same issues as everyone else in that they may have to stay in a hotel the day before, or, they may arrive early as they have had to plan for all eventualities on their journey - but having long periods of waiting at a terminal when you are: exhausted from the effort of getting in and out of cars, getting to the loo, finding something to eat, making sure you have enough medication such as oxygen, carry luggage which could be more excessive due to the need to carry extra things linked to having a disability, having to push/be pushed (without taking into account age - we all know how much more tired we feel than we did 10 years ago!) etc. makes things challenging without the worry of not knowing when you will be allowed to board. When you think about it people in chairs and those who care for them do remarkably well to cruise at all! It is my opinion that P&O will have a blanket rule about adhering to times BUT the staff at the terminal also have the ability to make a discretionary decision on the day. I would hope they would therefore allow wheelchair users to board as a priority on arrival. If they don't, I suggest the decision makers try life in a chair for a couple of days.....