Azura - New Improved Embarkation Process

[staygulf]

I emailed P&O about the situation with coaches because we have decided to take the coach pin December and we have an embarkation time of 3:30pm. If it was likely that we would have a long wait to board we would change our plans and drive down the day before and spend the day in Southampton before going to the port nearer to 3:30. The following is the reply that I got from P&O :

 

 

Thank you for your enquiry.

 

Whilst it is fair to say that we are enforcing the embarkation times as a matter of course now, this is only for passengers travelling independantly of P&O.

 

If, as part of your booking you have selected complimentary coach transfers then we will not be enforcing the embarkation time as we appreciate this is something that is outside of your control.

 

Once the coach arrives at the cruise terminal you will not be subject to an extensive wait and can join the check in process straightaway.

 

Kind Regards Customer Services

 

As I am driving to Southampton, traffic delays or clear roads are outside my control, so if I arrive early because the anticipated traffic delays do not happen why does P & O seek to discriminate and hold me back from embarkation.

 

As has been said before on this thread, they haven't really thought this through properly. I have come back to P & O after many years cruising with other lines. If the waiting experience proves too much I won't be sticking around for future cruises.

[Presto2]

:confused:

I emailed P&O about the situation with coaches because we have decided to take the coach pin December and we have an embarkation time of 3:30pm. If it was likely that we would have a long wait to board we would change our plans and drive down the day before and spend the day in Southampton before going to the port nearer to 3:30. The following is the reply that I got from P&O :

 

 

Thank you for your enquiry.

 

Whilst it is fair to say that we are enforcing the embarkation times as a matter of course now, this is only for passengers travelling independantly of P&O.

 

If, as part of your booking you have selected complimentary coach transfers then we will not be enforcing the embarkation time as we appreciate this is something that is outside of your control.

 

Once the coach arrives at the cruise terminal you will not be subject to an extensive wait and can join the check in process straightaway.

 

Kind Regards Customer Services

 

So, other customers who may have chosen a Select Fare, but have decided to have on board credit instead of the coach transfer, are then penalised for not taking the coach option. Mmmm. Perhaps they should sell it as ' coach transfer and priority asap / early embarkation' perk...

 

I really don't think they have thought this through at all and keep digging bigger and bigger holes for themselves.

 

 

 

:confused:

[tartanexile81]

As I am driving to Southampton, traffic delays or clear roads are outside my control, so if I arrive early because the anticipated traffic delays do not happen why does P & O seek to discriminate and hold me back from embarkation.

 

As has been said before on this thread, they haven't really thought this through properly. .

 

I have to say that the fact we have to leave the hotel at mid-day is also beyond our control.

[staygulf]

I have to say that the fact we have to leave the hotel at mid-day is also beyond our control.

 

Exactly. So why the discrimination in favour of coach travellers?

[davecttr]

I live in Kent. As i understand it there are no P&O coaches from Kent. Therefore I am being discriminated against due to where I live....postcode lottery anyone?

 

Aargh! the whole thing is a load of *!%**^! :mad::mad::mad:

[daiB]

I live in Kent. As i understand it there are no P&O coaches from Kent. Therefore I am being discriminated against due to where I live....postcode lottery anyone?

 

 

 

Aargh! the whole thing is a load of *!%**^! :mad::mad::mad:

 

 

We are developing into the hot air brigade again. It is now very simple. You get a time to board, as you have for a while. You board at that time and no one queue jumps just because they can get to the port early.

 

But everyone wants to make it more complicated.

 

And of course there are those who are just stirring to pot.

[daiB]

Good idea :)

 

Again on a serious note, I have been reading someone's post on the P&O Facebook page and it seems that the main points of clarification are

 

1. whether pax are allowed to turn up early and park their car and give in their luggage, but advised not to go in the terminal until near their allocated time

 

2. whether there will still be a lunch onboard

 

Other questions are what happens if you miss your slot and how do the people arriving on coaches fit into the plan.

 

 

These have been answered about 3 times now

 

The answers again:- Yes

 

Yes

 

The coaches will arrive every 15 minutes of so and the cruisers will slot straight into checkin. The original communication said that over a month ago. All boarding times are superseded by the coach arrival time.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Exactly. So why the discrimination in favour of coach travellers?

 

Well, if you had an arrival time of 4 pm, would you car-share with someone whose arrival was noon? Everyone on P&O's coaches has to have the same embarkation time, because they will all arrive at the same time. P&O's systems apparently don't let the time allocation marry up with the means of transport to the port.

[Scriv]

I know, Dai - I am not asking the question, I am just reporting what people on the Facebook pages don't seem to know and are getting worked up about.

 

The disquiet is coming from people who have not yet tried the system since they have started to enforce it though.

[the english lady]

I live in Kent. As i understand it there are no P&O coaches from Kent. Therefore I am being discriminated against due to where I live....postcode lottery anyone?

 

Aargh! the whole thing is a load of *!%**^! :mad::mad::mad:

 

Don't know why you are worried in the wilds of Kent (are they wild)

We are near London. Only coach pick up points for us are London or Oxford. Both of these would take us as long to get to as it would driving down to Southampton..so we are car.

Having said that we now have to hire a taxi (cost multi hundreds:eek::eek:) We have an arrival time so I have told him when we need to get there , and our departure time from home will tie in with that.

Leaving hotels in Southampton have been done to death. You do not have to leave at the time you vacate your room.

Driving down...you are sensible. Look at road reports on the morning ..no problems ,factor in stops as and when...arrive there or thereabouts at your boarding time.

Do all the people who seem to have to arrive in Southampton late morning arrive equally early for anything else they have to travel to...weddings...funerals...trains....etc etc...do you arrive hours early for a wedding and if you do, what do you do until the appointed hour?

[Josy1953]

:confused:

 

So, other customers who may have chosen a Select Fare, but have decided to have on board credit instead of the coach transfer, are then penalised for not taking the coach option. Mmmm. Perhaps they should sell it as ' coach transfer and priority asap / early embarkation' perk...

 

I really don't think they have thought this through at all and keep digging bigger and bigger holes for themselves.

 

 

 

:confused:

 

You are once again right. The only time we take the coach is December because of the potential for the weather to cause problems, every other time we drive to Southampton the day before the cruise. I don't know whether you picked up on the wording "If, as part of your booking you have selected complementary coach transfers " my immediate thought was ,what about the people on the coach who are early savers or savers - will they be recognised in some way and made to wait for their assigned embarkation time.

 

Poorly thought out wording for the reply ? or is it just that my work over the years taught me that when writing anything down for someone to work from then there should be no room for ambiguity and most people don't read things in the same way as I do ?

 

Come on P&O sort out all of these difficulties in a clear way, we know that you can't please all of the people all of the time but at least get your act together and try to please some of the people some of the time.

[davecttr]

You are once again right. The only time we take the coach is December because of the potential for the weather to cause problems, every other time we drive to Southampton the day before the cruise. I don't know whether you picked up on the wording "If, as part of your booking you have selected complementary coach transfers " my immediate thought was ,what about the people on the coach who are early savers or savers - will they be recognised in some way and made to wait for their assigned embarkation time.

 

Poorly thought out wording for the reply ? or is it just that my work over the years taught me that when writing anything down for someone to work from then there should be no room for ambiguity and most people don't read things in the same way as I do ?

 

Come on P&O sort out all of these difficulties in a clear way, we know that you can't please all of the people all of the time but at least get your act together and try to please some of the people some of the time.

Yes, this is all about communication and confusion. I don't like the idea of having to wait until late afternoon to board, especially as i pay select fare. I don't want to see the P&O apologists writing stuff like use another cruiseline. I am entitled to my own opinion and make sure that if this new procedure impacts on my cruise experience P&O will know about it.

[Midsomer Madness]

Of course it should be a perk for select fares, it would possibly encourage people to book early which is what P&O want....I think it unfair that's someone who has paid a cheap saver fare, gets allocated a cabin and that cabin happens to be one which boards first....whereas someone who has paid a much higher select fares gets a late boarding....surely it makes sense to say the earlier you book the earlier your embarkation time...it's just far to simple though for p&o!

[terrierjohn]

 

These have been answered about 3 times now

 

The answers again:- Yes

 

Yes

 

The coaches will arrive every 15 minutes of so and the cruisers will slot straight into checkin. The original communication said that over a month ago. All boarding times are superseded by the coach arrival time.

 

I know, Dai - I am not asking the question, I am just reporting what people on the Facebook pages don't seem to know and are getting worked up about.

 

The disquiet is coming from people who have not yet tried the system since they have started to enforce it though.

Dai, not certain that Scirv's first point has been fully answered.

Can you turn up, drop off your cases and keep your car to return to the city, and if so could you use the taxi drop off rather than queueing as normal, then join the normal queue when you return.

Whilst P&O do seem to answer some questions on "facecloth", finding them amongst all the many posts on there is a nightmare.

Why can't P&O have someone give answers here on CC like Celebrity do, this is a much more adult forum, generally, than FB, and their customer age demographic is much closer to that of CC rather than "facecloth".

[jeanlyon]

Well, if you had an arrival time of 4 pm, would you car-share with someone whose arrival was noon? Everyone on P&O's coaches has to have the same embarkation time, because they will all arrive at the same time. P&O's systems apparently don't let the time allocation marry up with the means of transport to the port.

 

Is your booking linked with the other people? If so, you will get the same boarding time. We link our booking with our friend and so far we have always had the same boarding time.

[jeanlyon]

Of course it should be a perk for select fares, it would possibly encourage people to book early which is what P&O want....I think it unfair that's someone who has paid a cheap saver fare, gets allocated a cabin and that cabin happens to be one which boards first....whereas someone who has paid a much higher select fares gets a late boarding....surely it makes sense to say the earlier you book the earlier your embarkation time...it's just far to simple though for p&o!

 

Is it really such a problem? You are only talking about 3 hours difference at most?

[daiB]

Dai, not certain that Scirv's first point has been fully answered.

Can you turn up, drop off your cases and keep your car to return to the city, and if so could you use the taxi drop off rather than queueing as normal, then join the normal queue when you return.

Whilst P&O do seem to answer some questions on "facecloth", finding them amongst all the many posts on there is a nightmare.

Why can't P&O have someone give answers here on CC like Celebrity do, this is a much more adult forum, generally, than FB, and their customer age demographic is much closer to that of CC rather than "facecloth".

 

 

Quite clearly yes, as one of the things they say, all be it in passing, is drop off your luggage and then go and explore Southampton. You just need to take off the label from CPS and go to the drop off rank. A friend who lives near the terminal takes them round in the car early, goes home for lunch and then returns to board late afternoon.

 

From what I have experienced this forum is no more adult than FB and at times a lot less.

[Scriv]

Yes, John - that is a point that I don't think has been clearly addressed/communicated to all yet by P&O and it is what a lot of people on the FB pages have been asking. Comments 'in passing' are really not enough to reach everyone.

 

I also agree with you about communication via FB not being adequate. Not every one uses it for one thing and yes, it is always very difficult to find stuff.

 

I think an official statement and explanation issued to all is very much needed to clear up all the confusion that there clearly is. I would be putting a statement on FB, on these forums, on the website, on the Personalisers and also emailing it to passengers along with the booking/embarkation info.

 

But then I am a firm believer in communication! Yes, they do have to 'spell it out'. I was also schooled in that, Josy ie 'that when writing anything down for someone to work from then there should be no room for ambiguity and most people don't read things in the same way as I do.'

Edited November 3, 2015 by Scriv

[Scriv]

Another point from me and then I'll go... (I promise, lol)

 

I do think it is much easier to be objective about this issue if one has an early embarkation time and/or priority status.

[the english lady]

Of course it should be a perk for select fares, it would possibly encourage people to book early which is what P&O want....I think it unfair that's someone who has paid a cheap saver fare, gets allocated a cabin and that cabin happens to be one which boards first....whereas someone who has paid a much higher select fares gets a late boarding....surely it makes sense to say the earlier you book the earlier your embarkation time...it's just far to simple though for p&o!

 

Not sure that applies. The only ones who get any sort of earlier boarding are suites and mini suites. From experience them going down to saver fares are rarer than hens teeth. They tend to sell out at select fares...

[daiB]

Not sure that applies. The only ones who get any sort of earlier boarding are suites and mini suites. From experience them going down to saver fares are rarer than hens teeth. They tend to sell out at select fares...

 

 

Yes suites and mini suites are not sold on saver fares. They are only given as upgrades to those on select fares in the next grade down.

[Scriv]

Yes suites and mini suites are not sold on saver fares. They are only given as upgrades to those on select fares in the next grade down.

 

Yes, I can bear that out.

 

We have recently been upgraded to a Mini-Suite from a Select fare in the next grade down booked 11 months prior to sailing.

[jeanlyon]

We often have a lowly inside cabin and have been given 1330 for boarding. Last time in an outside cabin, it started out as 1430 and then changed to 1300.

[Scriv]

Our cabin last month on Ventura, Deck 5, P deck, had a boarding time of 1pm as did most of us down on that deck in the depths of the ship.

 

And have to admit that was a Saver fare (says she, ducking head down in case of flying missiles)

Edited November 3, 2015 by Scriv

[jeanlyon]

I personally think it's random. :-)