Embarkation Times - Recent Experiences?

[daiB]

A thought has just occurred to me. For our next cruise, I shall post for assistance on our Roll Call. Perhaps someone will be arriving at a similar time to us and will be willing to push our wheelchair up the first slope and then the gangway.

 

 

 

There really are some very nice younger folks around - and yes, some still stand up and offer a seat on the bus:D:p

 

 

 

Pando should be ashamed of discriminating with allocation of wheelchairs. No other cruiseline does this. They all have priority check-in for all sorts of reasons, but no others do priority for wheelchairs. Actually, in their literature, they only state priority for check-in!! So I want to know what other priorities are there? i.e. priority to enter lifts, toilets on board etc.?:evilsmile:

 

 

You can repeat it as much as you like but P&O do not discriminate against disabled passengers. Either in the allocation of wheelchairs or anything else.

 

 

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[Florry]

I'm a bit confused about the wheelchair issue, I've always seen wheelchairs boarded as a priority and people here have always said how fairly they were treated. I think there was a post where someone suggested differently, which I can't find now, but I would suggest that if this were the case it was an isolated incident and people have nothing to fear, assistance will be there.

 

 

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[terrierjohn]

I'm a bit confused about the wheelchair issue, I've always seen wheelchairs boarded as a priority and people here have always said how fairly they were treated. I think there was a post where someone suggested differently, which I can't find now, but I would suggest that if this were the case it was an isolated incident and people have nothing to fear, assistance will be there.

 

 

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It does seem to operate differently at Ocean and Mayflower, I can manage to push my wife's chair now that we only have hand luggage in the W/c back pack, at our only visit to Mayflower I was asked if I needed assistance, when I said no I was directed into the normal departure area, at Ocean we normally get stopped as we exit the lift and corralled into the assistance waiting area.

Check in is then variable, but as we arrive quite a bit before our normal 3:30 C Deck check in time we are happy when we get on board earlier, which so far we have done.

[daiB]

I'm a bit confused about the wheelchair issue, I've always seen wheelchairs boarded as a priority and people here have always said how fairly they were treated. I think there was a post where someone suggested differently, which I can't find now, but I would suggest that if this were the case it was an isolated incident and people have nothing to fear, assistance will be there.

 

 

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The problem Florry is that there are a finite number of wheelchairs and of course pushers. This will be made worse by there being a number of ships in port at the same time.

 

Those requiring assistance are kept in one area so that when assistance is ready they can easily be identified.

 

As far as I can tell people are taken to checkin as per their boarding time. But that just provides the order in which they are boarded. Not the time this happens.

 

 

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[Florry]

I suppose the pushers are also insured, so they may not be keen on volunteers.

 

 

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[Selbourne]

It does seem to operate differently at Ocean and Mayflower, I can manage to push my wife's chair now that we only have hand luggage in the W/c back pack, at our only visit to Mayflower I was asked if I needed assistance, when I said no I was directed into the normal departure area, at Ocean we normally get stopped as we exit the lift and corralled into the assistance waiting area.

Check in is then variable, but as we arrive quite a bit before our normal 3:30 C Deck check in time we are happy when we get on board earlier, which so far we have done.

 

Based upon your experience at Mayflower, if you turn up early in your own wheelchair, would you suggest that you have a better chance of getting on board quicker by using the assistance service or by saying you will get on board yourself and going in the general queue?

[terrierjohn]

Based upon your experience at Mayflower, if you turn up early in your own wheelchair, would you suggest that you have a better chance of getting on board quicker by using the assistance service or by saying you will get on board yourself and going in the general queue?

An interesting question Selbourne but I have only have experience from one sailing, although I will be there again in mid May.

We had to wait until our card number was called, and we were on board before our designated time, but I do not know how we would have fared in the assistance area, and I did not keep track of how those in assistance fared.

[Winnie Witch]

It seems the majority of passengers have a 3-30 boarding time

 

.We drive from Lincolnshire so taking into account the chance that there may be delays etc,,,we always arrive early. So there's not much chance of us arriving close to our boarding time to limit the waiting,

[daiB]

It seems the majority of passengers have a 3-30 boarding time

 

.We drive from Lincolnshire so taking into account the chance that there may be delays etc,,,we always arrive early. So there's not much chance of us arriving close to our boarding time to limit the waiting,

 

 

No I think the people who moan are those with 3.30.

 

General boarding starts with boarding a t 13.30. This is often sooner when there are few higher tier passengers. As I have said much earlier the suite and Ligurian passengers now have checked in before 12.30 and so the system is speeded up.

 

 

 

 

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[stocktonmackem]

We usually have a 3:30 boarding time but usually go to the mobility section around 12 with the intention of just waiting for our boarding time. The guy with the clipboard usually takes our name and advises us that he will get us on as quickly as possible but that if someone comes with a time earlier than us they will be taken on first. We were sitting with a couple who had a 1:30 slot and sure enough once boarding started they went on before us. We didn't have to wait too long as they are usually very helpful and obviously want to get everyone on as quickly as possible.

As I stated at the beginning of the thread if you turn up early they will get you on as soon as possible.

[terrierjohn]

No I think the people who moan are those with 3.30.

 

General boarding starts with boarding a t 13.30. This is often sooner when there are few higher tier passengers. As I have said much earlier the suite and Ligurian passengers now have checked in before 12.30 and so the system is speeded up.

 

 

 

 

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Do you know Dai that on Celebrity by 12:30 the buffet is getting quite full and by 13:30 probably 60-70% of passengers are on board. All with very little queuing and no massed ranks sitting waiting, and all in the best possible Customer Service taste, to misquote Kenny Everett.

And I don't think they have many more check in staff on duty, but those that are work like demons and always with a ready smile and a can do attitude..................Just saying.

[daiB]

Do you know Dai that on Celebrity by 12:30 the buffet is getting quite full and by 13:30 probably 60-70% of passengers are on board. All with very little queuing and no massed ranks sitting waiting, and all in the best possible Customer Service taste, to misquote Kenny Everett.

And I don't think they have many more check in staff on duty, but those that are work like demons and always with a ready smile and a can do attitude..................Just saying.

 

 

Good for you so go with Celebrity and avoid P&O.

 

If I felt that strongly I would.

 

 

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[terrierjohn]

Good for you so go with Celebrity and avoid P&O.

 

If I felt that strongly I would.

 

 

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I would Dai if they did more Med cruises that didn't always include Rome and Florence, or more 14 night Canary cruises. I will just have to hope that we like Royal Caribbean in September, which do have better Med itineraries from Southampton.

[kevinyork]

I would Dai if they did more Med cruises that didn't always include Rome and Florence, or more 14 night Canary cruises. I will just have to hope that we like Royal Caribbean in September, which do have better Med itineraries from Southampton.

 

 

 

Ooh, we are on Independence on 2nd Sep. Is this your cruise?

 

 

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[terrierjohn]

Ooh, we are on Independence on 2nd Sep. Is this your cruise?

 

 

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Sorry Kevin we are on Navigator on 29th Sept., it would have been interesting to cross paths.

[Britboys]

I would be interested to hear from any Celebrity/RCI pax as to what time they disembark? I only have a journey of about 2 - 2.5 hours to get home so invariably have a late disembarkation and relax on board reading a paper until about 9.30/10.00 when they make an announcement asking all remaining pax to disembark :-).

[terrierjohn]

I would be interested to hear from any Celebrity/RCI pax as to what time they disembark? I only have a journey of about 2 - 2.5 hours to get home so invariably have a late disembarkation and relax on board reading a paper until about 9.30/10.00 when they make an announcement asking all remaining pax to disembark :-).

We normally ask for 8:30 whichever cruise line, but there are still plenty of people on Celebrity when we disembark, although they were running well ahead of timing the last time we went with Celebrity.

[BMT]

You can repeat it as much as you like but P&O do not discriminate against disabled passengers. Either in the allocation of wheelchairs or anything else.

 

 

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Of course they do - loyalty and suites get the first wheelchair to come along, regardless of how long other more lowly disabled have been waiting.

 

Even Pando don't dispute this!!

 

Explain why in your opinion, this is NOT discrimination?

[BMT]

I'm a bit confused about the wheelchair issue, I've always seen wheelchairs boarded as a priority and people here have always said how fairly they were treated. I think there was a post where someone suggested differently, which I can't find now, but I would suggest that if this were the case it was an isolated incident and people have nothing to fear, assistance will be there.

 

 

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Assistance is there - but priority is given to loyalty scheme and suite passengers. The others just have to sit and wait.....and hope that not too many priority passengers are pushed in front of them as happened to us. Only because my Mum was on the verge of passing out, was she allocated a wheelchair because the priority passengers just kept coming!!

[BMT]

I would be interested to hear from any Celebrity/RCI pax as to what time they disembark? I only have a journey of about 2 - 2.5 hours to get home so invariably have a late disembarkation and relax on board reading a paper until about 9.30/10.00 when they make an announcement asking all remaining pax to disembark :-).

 

Also Hertfordshire. We ask for 9.30am on Celebrity - works very well.

[kevinyork]

I would be interested to hear from any Celebrity/RCI pax as to what time they disembark? I only have a journey of about 2 - 2.5 hours to get home so invariably have a late disembarkation and relax on board reading a paper until about 9.30/10.00 when they make an announcement asking all remaining pax to disembark :-).

 

 

 

It's generally earlier than P&O. Last Sep on Celebrity self disembarkation started at 6.15 till 7.00 then the allocated slots started. The latest slot if I remember correctly was 9.45 however our experience has been they the slots are generally called earlier than timed with the 'all off' call coming around 9.30.

 

On Celebrity they don't make announcements to disembark. As we usually have a slot before 8am ( when you need to be out of your cabin) we generally have breakfast then wait in our cabin till our time then just walk off.

 

 

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[daiB]

Of course they do - loyalty and suites get the first wheelchair to come along, regardless of how long other more lowly disabled have been waiting.

 

Even Pando don't dispute this!!

 

Explain why in your opinion, this is NOT discrimination?

 

 

It's called equality. Meaning being treated the same as others sites and higher tier disabled people are treated the same way as able bodied. Being disabled does not mean getting on first. All disabled people want is to be treated the same as others.

 

 

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[wowzz]

Of course they do - loyalty and suites get the first wheelchair to come along, regardless of how long other more lowly disabled have been waiting.

 

Even Pando don't dispute this!!

 

Explain why in your opinion, this is NOT discrimination?

But if you arrived at your allocated boarding time, you would not have to wait.

 

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[Florry]

Well for what it's worth I think embarkation as far as disability is concerned should be in order of need. The degree of need isn't always apparent so I'd like to think that in today's society we could all be generous enough firstly to prioritise the very elderly and disabled above all other passengers and secondly within that category it would be good if human nature was such that if someone said they had an urgent need, that we just take that as good enough to get that person onboard. There may be some people who take advantage but I'd like to think that if I'd been with my Dad who would have needed to board quickly, that people would understand and just be thankful that their need was lesser. I would be more than happy for anyone to go in front of me if they told me they needed to do so.

 

 

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[Florry]

But if you arrived at your allocated boarding time, you would not have to wait.

 

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True but not always easy when planning a journey. Many people with disabilities can't easily just stop off at a pub or go and entertain themselves in Southampton.

 

 

 

 

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