Progressive check in at Southampton

[ann141]

We are sailing on the Emerald Princess in June and have been given a check in time of 2 15. Has anyone had recent experience of progressive check in at Southampton and if so how well is it working? E.G.If we turned up before our due time would we be able to join the queue or would we have to wait til 2 15? What happens if people have driven down and arrive early?

Any advice appreciated:)

[sunnyjw]

We are sailing on the Emerald Princess in June and have been given a check in time of 2 15. Has anyone had recent experience of progressive check in at Southampton and if so how well is it working? E.G.If we turned up before our due time would we be able to join the queue or would we have to wait til 2 15? What happens if people have driven down and arrive early?

Any advice appreciated:)

Great question...I would like to know that answer too. Thanks for asking :)

[moki'smommy]

I don't know about Southampton, but at US ports the progressive check in is a lot more of a suggestion than anything enforced. As you noted, passengers are allowed to join the queue when they arrive.

[Putterdude]

It's only a suggestion at Southampton as well. It designed to help reduce the length of queues but its also recognized that people have to be out of hotel rooms at between 11 and noon and to my knowledge no one has ever been turned away for arriving early. However, if you want to avoid the long queues then you will likely miss them if you arrive at 2:15 or so.

[Xrayal]

I sailed out of Southampton in 2014. The progressive check in times were published in the travel summary but we ignored them. We got to the port at about midday, checked in and were given a boarding group. Had about a 45 minute wait for our group to be called and then boarded the ship. Nobody even glanced that we were a few hours early for our decks boarding time. It's my personal belief the port authorities don't want every passenger arriving at midday so insist on the cruise lines sailing out of Southampton stagger the boarding. I can't believe that if i turned up a few hours early they'd make me wait until my 'official' decks boarding time, after all if I'm not on the ship I'm not buying their drinks! They're really a bit of a farse because the Princess transfers from London airports will have passengers all with different boarding times, can you imagine the uproar if they were enforced?

 

FYI at Southampton I carried on 6 bottles of wine, I asked several agents and ship crew about paying the corkage for 4 of the bottles and everyone looked at me as though I had 2 heads. Similarly when returning to the ship from Gibralter with 2 litres of gin they x-rayed the bag and then I carried it to my cabin, no surrendering.

 

Im sailing out of Civitavecchia soon and have progressive boarding times. I will ignore those too.

[Pink-belle]

With P&O now enforcing boarding times, and saying it was a "Port requirement" I expected Princess to be doing the same.

 

However, Mayflower terminal now has a nice sectioned off Elite area with refreshments. So we decided it was as good a place as any to wait, checked out of the hotel and arrived at port just after 11am (our suggested time was 1:30pm)

 

We were directed straight to the check in desk, and then ushered into the Elite waiting area. My husband had just decided on the pastry he would like and they announced boarding, we were in our stateroom by 11:30 am.

 

I do not know as fact how it worked for others arriving after us, but no one I spoke to had any issues with boarding, pretty sure it's how it's always been, with the times being a "suggestion"

[ann141]

Thanks for the information Pink Belle. We are not Princess elite but may arrive early and see what happens!

[Luvs2Crooze]

I am glad this has been posted as hubby and I was toying with the Idea coming down via Evesway coach as our time for boarding should be 2:30 based on being on deck A. We normally go down the day before. Although we can go in the elite lounge would not want to stay in it from 11:30 (boat show weekend). Has anyone else gone down by coach?

[Wellybeth]

We sailed out of Southampton in April and had 1:45 check-in, we have a fairly short drive but know what traffic can be like on. Saturday, so we always leave plenty of time. Checked in before 11:30 (no queues) and given a boarding group, 6 I think, so only shortly after priority. On board bags in cabin and 1st cocktail in hand before 12:30. Same experience last June - 2:30 allocated, arrived early, on board before 12:30.

 

Looking at a pando cruise later this year and not looking forward to the enforced times, though if we're to early will probably just go over to West Quay for something to eat (or a bit of last minute shopping [emoji6]).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Woobstr112G]

We are sailing on the Emerald Princess in June and have been given a check in time of 2 15. Has anyone had recent experience of progressive check in at Southampton and if so how well is it working? E.G.If we turned up before our due time would we be able to join the queue or would we have to wait til 2 15? What happens if people have driven down and arrive early?

Any advice appreciated:)

 

I don't remember our assigned time for last year's T/A in September. We arrived at the terminal about an hour after it had opened for embarkation. We were on the ship in under 30 minutes. Best embarkation ever.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ann141]

Thanks for all the encouraging advice:)

[ann141]

Hi Loves2cruise

 

We often travel to Southampton by coach (Eavesway) and the check in time stated on your travel docs is over rided and once the coach arrives passengers are allowed to join the queue. Relaxing way to travel though this time we are staying in Christchurch a few nights before and travelling to Soton by train on the day.Hopefully it sounds as if we might be on board a bit earlier than usual:)

[Luvs2Crooze]

Thank you ann141.

[cynbar]

We sailed out of Southampton on May 8th of this year, from the Ocean Terminal where the Emerald docks as well as our Caribbean Princess (we saw the Emerald there the day before.) The progressive check in times were not enforced at all, we arrived much earlier than our allocated 3:30 time and it was never mentioned.We were on the ship soon after 12:00. Thank goodness, as our check out time from our hotel was 11:00 !

[ann141]

Thanks, Cynbar. Great news!!