Embarkation question

[gadabout60]

I don't know yet. My last cruise with P&O was last September and that had a boarding time of 1.30. Worked perfectly. Also we were on D deck inside cabin and we are only Med tier.

 

If I had a boarding time of 1.30 I could live with that

Any later and I am not happy

[bee-ess]

Does anyone know the reason why boarding times have changed from midday to 12.30.This means there is less time to board more passengers.Would it not make more sense to start boarding at say 11.30am?

 

I think this is the fundamental problem, outside of the priority boarders the earliest time is 1:30 which is too late. It means that the 3:30 boarders have no time to have lunch, find their cabin and get settled, have a look around (quite important if it is your 1st time on the ship) before muster. You can still get food at the buffet but if you are eating dinner early you won't want much. It all seems a but rushed. Even if it all came forward an hour it would make a difference.

It just seems to me to be a change for no good reason.

Edited May 1, 2016 by bee-ess

[bee-ess]

If I had a boarding time of 1.30 I could live with that

Any later and I am not happy

 

We have 3:30 on Monday, it won;t spoil the cruise but it will spoil the day for us, all too much of a rush once on board.

[john watson]

The wife will be in a wheelchair, have sent the form to them, have a 1430 slot at the moment, will be arriving earlier than that so hoping as we will have assistance it will be before then.

 

Assuming "assisted boarding" has commenced, irrespective of your allocated check in time I suspect you will be diverted to the priority check in queue. This should get you on the ship more efficiently. This is simply my opinion.

 

Regards John

[Ecuador]

Jeanlyon

 

The change to embarkation started in October last year and we were on a cruise then and found it was longer than 30 minutes to board. It would appear from what other people are saying on this thread and in reviews ,things are a lot different from even then.

[Ecuador]

bee-ess

 

agree with your comments.

[john watson]

Realistically we cannot all get on first or indeed early. No matter how you contact P&O and ask or request to do so. This is harsh but somebody will have to get on last, it is as simple as that.

 

The main problems as I see it is the transition from either your car or public transport on the day or transition from your overnight hotel needing to be as smooth and convenient as possible.

 

If you turn up on official coaches you will likely be slotted in when the vehicle arrives at the terminal.

 

If you arrive in your private car you can put luggage into the hole in the wall system and then drive to Southampton park up there, and do the town or park in town with luggage beforehand. This will mean you can get to the terminal in a timely manner. I have noticed that the CPS parking queue is occasionally a problem and hotel stay and park with taxi transfer will get round this as if your taxi gets in a jam 200 yards short of the ship you can get out and walk the final bit. Other parking operators run different systems to the valet parking by CPS. Some have mini bus shuttles and others rendezvous at a nearby location etc.

 

Hotel stay overnight but wanting you out by noon is a problem. You can stay in the foyer in many places and have teas or other drinks and snacks. Then move your car and luggage as appropriate or get the taxi transfer.

 

The Grand Harbour Hotel does a "Cruise Lounge" where you can deposit cases, have non-alcoholic drinks and a cruise terminal transfer by concierge staff at £12.00 per person. This allows you to walk round the town and return to the lounge when the time is right. This service is available to residents and non-residents of the hotel. Check with hotel for precise details and prices an alcoholic package is available at a higher tariff.

 

An alternative to overnight stays in Southampton is staying a bit further out allowing the right amount of time between hotel check out and arrival at terminal. You just need to calculate how fast you can drive the final leg.

 

You can minimise the problems if you know the pitfalls of each strategy and have a nice arrival day. You need to go with the flow and see how you can make it easy for yourself. This is a lot better than complaining and feeling you are in a bad predicament.

 

Regards John

Edited May 1, 2016 by john watson

[gadabout60]

Realistically we cannot all get on first or indeed early. No matter how you contact P&O and ask or request to do so. This is harsh but somebody will have to get on last, it is as simple as that.

 

The main problems as I see it is the transition from either your car or public transport on the day or transition from your overnight hotel needing to be as smooth and convenient as possible.

 

If you turn up on official coaches you will likely be slotted in when the vehicle arrives at the terminal.

 

If you arrive in your private car you can put luggage into the hole in the wall system and then drive to Southampton park up there, and do the town or park in town with luggage beforehand. This will mean you can get to the terminal in a timely manner. I have noticed that the CPS parking queue is occasionally a problem and hotel stay and park with taxi transfer will get round this as if your taxi gets in a jam 200 yards short of the ship you can get out and walk the final bit. Other parking operators run different systems to the valet parking by CPS. Some have mini bus shuttles and others rendezvous at a nearby location etc.

 

Hotel stay overnight but wanting you out by noon is a problem. You can stay in the foyer in many places and have teas or other drinks and snacks. Then move your car and luggage as appropriate or get the taxi transfer.

 

The Grand Harbour Hotel does a "Cruise Lounge" where you can deposit cases, have non-alcoholic drinks and a cruise terminal transfer by concierge staff at £12.00 per person. This allows you to walk round the town and return to the lounge when the time is right. This service is available to residents and non-residents of the hotel. Check with hotel for precise details and prices an alcoholic package is available at a higher tariff.

 

An alternative to overnight stays in Southampton is staying a bit further out allowing the right amount of time between hotel check out and arrival at terminal. You just need to calculate how fast you can drive the final leg.

 

You can minimise the problems if you know the pitfalls of each strategy and have a nice arrival day. You need to go with the flow and see how you can make it easy for yourself. This is a lot better than complaining and feeling you are in a bad predicament.

 

Regards John

 

Or P&O can tale a leaf out of Celebrity/RCI books and give us a better, quicker, earlier stress-free embarkation process to the start of our holiday

Remember we are paying them thousands of pounds for this

[john watson]

Or P&O can tale a leaf out of Celebrity/RCI books and give us a better, quicker, earlier stress-free embarkation process to the start of our holiday

Remember we are paying them thousands of pounds for this

 

The point of my post was that you can try and get the cruise line to change and get het up doing so as you are unsuccessful or you go with the flow and have a stress free boarding system like I do using my recommendations.

 

Regards John

Edited May 1, 2016 by john watson

[gadabout60]

The point of my post was that you can try and get the cruise line to change and get het up doing so as you are unsuccessful or you go with the flow and have a stress free boarding system like I do using my recommendations.

 

Regards John

 

I do appreciate what you are saying John but accepting shoddy service makes it the norm

[P&O SUE]

Sensible post John.

I like the sound of the ipad check in, would be good if P&O adopted this. If not, john's advice is sensible.

[john watson]

I do appreciate what you are saying John but accepting shoddy service makes it the norm

 

I totally agree with you on this. I am letting other people sort out the improvements.

 

I think many people are exacerbating their plight by attempting a travel plan which will give themselves major problems which they would not have had if they were more experienced.

 

Last week end I was having the MDR breakfast before disembarking Emerald Princess on the final morning.

 

A lady with her teenage daughter, on their first cruise were dreading getting off because they had two huge suitcases which they could hardly lift into the car. After confirming that they had left them outside the cabin overnight and they had parked using CPS. I told them to collar porter at the bottom of the escalator; the people wearing yellow jackets, and ask if they are available. He will find your suitcase pile if you advise disembarkation label code you identify the cases which he lifts onto the barrow. Tell him your with CPS and he will locate kiosk. You retrieve the car key, tell him the row it is marked as in and he will head there. When you get to car open the boot and he lifts the cases in you give him the tip. She was shocked; "He actually lifts the cases into your car?". "Yes" I said "That's the system I always use because it it so easy".

 

Regards John

Edited May 1, 2016 by john watson

[Scorpio41]

If you were on Britannia then presumably you were at Ocean terminal, and AFAIK cars with new passengers arrive here at a different area to those collecting disembarking passengers, so the twain should never meet, and arriving passengers should drop off their luggage before entering the terminal.

What you might have seen was possibly new crew arriving, who do have to enter via the back door, so to speak, and presumably this will still continue.

 

I don't remember which terminal but they were definitely passengers as we spoke to some of them.

[Granny bee]

On our embarkation on Azura on 8 April I did mention about the problems. We had priority for the first time and may I say to those posters who think it is unfair for those to have priority boarding, wait till you have done as many cruises as we have and you might think 'well we might enjoy a little bit extra' and our friends on their second cruise with P & O did not. The whole terminal was full and p & o staff had great difficulty trying to direct cruisers to waiting areas and advising them of the available seating areas. Obviously having to queue is not the first instance of a happy holiday as at our age we get quite frustrated whether it is at airports, cruises or any other holidays so I would say to p & o keep everyone happy at embarkation by whatever means. I realise it is not easy and what they want is for everyone when they get on the ship is for them to get access to cabins so that they can then leave their hand luggage and then go to the buffet which is not full of passengers with luggage and have a nice lunch which is open all afternoon. And all those other higher tiers including us are in one of the restaurants waiting in a big queue for our lunch. We would probably have been quicker in the buffet. Still we enjoyed and would return [emoji568][emoji568][emoji568]

[pudd]

Not so bothered about our embarkation time but I would like to have my luggage before the ships sails. Does this happen or do you have to wait for it to come if you have a late boarding time? Would be tempted to dump cases early and go back to town . Trouble is we would have hand luggage on us.

[Mysticalmother]

On our embarkation on Azura on 8 April I did mention about the problems. We had priority for the first time and may I say to those posters who think it is unfair for those to have priority boarding, wait till you have done as many cruises as we have and you might think 'well we might enjoy a little bit extra' and our friends on their second cruise with P & O did not. The whole terminal was full and p & o staff had great difficulty trying to direct cruisers to waiting areas and advising them of the available seating areas. Obviously having to queue is not the first instance of a happy holiday as at our age we get quite frustrated whether it is at airports, cruises or any other holidays so I would say to p & o keep everyone happy at embarkation by whatever means. I realise it is not easy and what they want is for everyone when they get on the ship is for them to get access to cabins so that they can then leave their hand luggage and then go to the buffet which is not full of passengers with luggage and have a nice lunch which is open all afternoon. And all those other higher tiers including us are in one of the restaurants waiting in a big queue for our lunch. We would probably have been quicker in the buffet. Still we enjoyed and would return [emoji568][emoji568][emoji568]

 

I have read in several different places that the 8 April embarkation on Azura was a shambles. A friend of mine was also on that cruise but I havent managed to talk to her yet, and as she was a first time cruiser she may not know what the problems were. I advised her to turn up no more than 30 minutes before her 2.30 embarkation time, which she was planning to do. Was the shambles caused by people turning up early , much earlier than their time, or was it due to something else? Does anyone know?

[NauticalMiss]

Or P&O can tale a leaf out of Celebrity/RCI books and give us a better, quicker, earlier stress-free embarkation process to the start of our holiday

Remember we are paying them thousands of pounds for this

 

Two worst embarks I've ever had? Celebrity out of Fort Lauderdale and RCI out of Miami. Dreadful, both of them; and don't even get me started on the debark process from Celebrity at FL. Please don't pretend either of these lines offer the ideal embarkation experience.

[NauticalMiss]

 

You can minimise the problems if you know the pitfalls of each strategy and have a nice arrival day. You need to go with the flow and see how you can make it easy for yourself. This is a lot better than complaining and feeling you are in a bad predicament.

 

Regards John

 

I absolutely agree with you John. The only factor spoiling embark day is the unwillingness of some passengers to adjust. If everyone turned up at mid-day expecting to embark immediately, there would be chaos; and it would not be P&O's fault - it would be entirely the fault of the selfish passengers who all want to board first and have a 'free' lunch. Every post by these moaners has a sub-text - "what about my lunch?" People need to get a grip and take lunch elsewhere and enjoy a calm embarkation experience.

 

Now I am going to have a lie down in a dark room because I have failed to keep my promise to myself, not to get worked up about this subject again.

[gadabout60]

Two worst embarks I've ever had? Celebrity out of Fort Lauderdale and RCI out of Miami. Dreadful, both of them; and don't even get me started on the debark process from Celebrity at FL. Please don't pretend either of these lines offer the ideal embarkation experience.

 

Can't speak to Florida but they seem to deliver it out of Southampton

[terrierjohn]

I absolutely agree with you John. The only factor spoiling embark day is the unwillingness of some passengers to adjust. If everyone turned up at mid-day expecting to embark immediately, there would be chaos; and it would not be P&O's fault - it would be entirely the fault of the selfish passengers who all want to board first and have a 'free' lunch. Every post by these moaners has a sub-text - "what about my lunch?" People need to get a grip and take lunch elsewhere and enjoy a calm embarkation experience.

 

Now I am going to have a lie down in a dark room because I have failed to keep my promise to myself, not to get worked up about this subject again.

Why do you get worked up, if it works for you fine, but you don't need to berate those of us who have differing views.

[peteukmcr]

Two worst embarks I've ever had? Celebrity out of Fort Lauderdale and RCI out of Miami. Dreadful, both of them; and don't even get me started on the debark process from Celebrity at FL. Please don't pretend either of these lines offer the ideal embarkation experience.

Could you possibly elaborate on the problems you encountered in FL and Miami regarding embarkation? I've never experienced a problem regarding boarding delays at any of the Florida ports I've embarked from (Port Canaveral, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale & Miami) in 12 years of cruising with RCI/Celebrity. That also includes Allure of the Seas which until Harmony launches later this month, is the largest cruise ship in the world (5400 pax at double occupancy, 6296 maximum capacity), and which I checked in and boarded within 45 minutes of arrival at the port at 11 am (20 minutes waiting to board in a huge seating area).

 

With regard to disembarkation, I can agree that FL is not the quickest, having very recently disembarked there. However, this has never been the fault of the cruise line, but the lack of immigration officials provided by US Homeland Security. However, the latest only took 1 hour from our tag numbers being called, although 45 minutes was due to waiting in line for the 3 out of a possible 16 immigration officials on duty!

 

Can't speak to Florida but they seem to deliver it out of Southampton

As above, no problems in Florida, Barcelona, Civitavecchia nor Venice to that matter. All ports where I have boarded ships that hold as many, if not more passengers than the largest P&O ships and in most cases even faster than in Florida!

 

Last year in Civitavecchia we literally walked into the terminal, filled in a health questionnaire, passed through the security scanner, straight to a check in desk, checked in and walked onto the Celebrity ship! Kerbside to being greeted on board with a glass of sparking wine in 10 minutes at 11 am!

 

And despite being considered a high level in Celebrity or RCI's loyalty schemes, nor sailing in a suite, we didn't need to use the priority lines.

Edited May 2, 2016 by peteukmcr

[gadabout60]

I absolutely agree with you John. The only factor spoiling embark day is the unwillingness of some passengers to adjust. If everyone turned up at mid-day expecting to embark immediately, there would be chaos; and it would not be P&O's fault - it would be entirely the fault of the selfish passengers who all want to board first and have a 'free' lunch. Every post by these moaners has a sub-text - "what about my lunch?" People need to get a grip and take lunch elsewhere and enjoy a calm embarkation experience.

 

Now I am going to have a lie down in a dark room because I have failed to keep my promise to myself, not to get worked up about this subject again.

 

I answered your last post in haste as was going out and now have had time to read it in more detail

 

You are getting worked up!

 

FYI I hate lunches on P&O - or at least the ships I have been on to date

The buffet has to be the most uninspiring ever. This issue is not about a free lunch for me.

 

I don't know why you can't grasp that we are asking P&O to provide the same embarkation process as other companies using Southampton. Not a better service, note - the same service.

 

Getting on just before muster, lucky to get a seat in the terminal, hanging about for hours is poor customer service.

 

You may be prepared to put up with it. In my job I pride myself on the job I do and the service I provide. When I am paying a lot of money for a holiday I expect a certain standard. P&O are far far short of acceptable at present

 

And yes it would be easy to say then don't use P&O - and for those of us who care I expect that ultimately that is what it will come to. However you should be grateful that some of us don't put up with shoddy service and try to get it improved.

[judge62]

Hi all,

On this thread I have seen many people quote their embarkation times, some for cruises in 2017, how do you know these times so far in advance?

In regards to timings, our next cruise will be our fourth, I have never waited more that 15 - 20 minutes from arriving at the dock to first sip of drink at bar.

In regards to perks, I booked a royal suite last year as it was a big family celebration and although nice surprise to have priority boarding and embarkation at each port, we felt embarrassed going to the front of the queue when everyone else had to wait. The looks you got and comments were extreme and to do that regularly, you would have to o be thick skinned.

I agree that just because you have paid more or been on more cruises doesn't mean that you should be treated differently in the basic items. Private areas, yes, boarding etc no.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Presto2]

I answered your last post in haste as was going out and now have had time to read it in more detail

 

You are getting worked up!

 

FYI I hate lunches on P&O - or at least the ships I have been on to date

The buffet has to be the most uninspiring ever. This issue is not about a free lunch for me.

 

I don't know why you can't grasp that we are asking P&O to provide the same embarkation process as other companies using Southampton. Not a better service, note - the same service.

 

Getting on just before muster, lucky to get a seat in the terminal, hanging about for hours is poor customer service.

 

You may be prepared to put up with it. In my job I pride myself on the job I do and the service I provide. When I am paying a lot of money for a holiday I expect a certain standard. P&O are far far short of acceptable at present

 

And yes it would be easy to say then don't use P&O - and for those of us who care I expect that ultimately that is what it will come to. However you should be grateful that some of us don't put up with shoddy service and try to get it improved.

 

Have been sitting on my hands reading this thread to date as I've been quite 'vocal' in the debate in the past and didn't want to keep repeating myself. Have to say, I read this post and had to let my hands free to type and say that I agree 100% :)

Edited May 2, 2016 by Presto2

[Josy1953]

I answered your last post in haste as was going out and now have had time to read it in more detail

 

You are getting worked up!

 

FYI I hate lunches on P&O - or at least the ships I have been on to date

The buffet has to be the most uninspiring ever. This issue is not about a free lunch for me.

 

I don't know why you can't grasp that we are asking P&O to provide the same embarkation process as other companies using Southampton. Not a better service, note - the same service.

 

Getting on just before muster, lucky to get a seat in the terminal, hanging about for hours is poor customer service.

 

You may be prepared to put up with it. In my job I pride myself on the job I do and the service I provide. When I am paying a lot of money for a holiday I expect a certain standard. P&O are far far short of acceptable at present

 

And yes it would be easy to say then don't use P&O - and for those of us who care I expect that ultimately that is what it will come to. However you should be grateful that some of us don't put up with shoddy service and try to get it improved.

 

Absolutely agree.