Cabin allocation and Muster

[Cruising _Newbie]

Yep, another question!! my planning is coming along but i can't seem to find any info on the following:

 

1. We are arriving via plane to Malta and transferring on the P&O Coach to Port - do we have to collect luggage at the terminal in Malta and take it to the coach?

2. We should arrive approx 12.30 at the Port.  Is it likely that our cabin will be ready for us and how long after that does it take for the luggage to arrive?

3. What time do they usually do muster?  We are due to leave the port at 9pm and i'd like to see Malta for a bit of the day so just trying to plan around check in, luggage and muster to see what time (if any) we will have to look around Valletta! 

 

Thank you :) - and apologies- I warned you I was a planner!

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, Cruising _Newbie said:

Yep, another question!! my planning is coming along but i can't seem to find any info on the following:

 

1. We are arriving via plane to Malta and transferring on the P&O Coach to Port - do we have to collect luggage at the terminal in Malta and take it to the coach?

2. We should arrive approx 12.30 at the Port.  Is it likely that our cabin will be ready for us and how long after that does it take for the luggage to arrive?

3. What time do they usually do muster?  We are due to leave the port at 9pm and i'd like to see Malta for a bit of the day so just trying to plan around check in, luggage and muster to see what time (if any) we will have to look around Valletta! 

 

Thank you 🙂 - and apologies- I warned you I was a planner!

1. If you arrive on a P&O charter flight your luggage will be taken direct from the plane to the ship. If you are on a scheduled flight, you will need to collect it at the airport in the usual manner and take it to the coach.

2. You cabin may be ready but your luggage may take several hours to arrive in your cabin.

3. When I sailed from Malta on Oceana last October safety muster was after 8pm but this depends on when the last flights are due to land. You will be informed of the time when you join the ship.

[HappyGiraffe]

We sailed from Valletta on Oceana about 18 months ago so will do my best to answer!

 

1. See above! 

 

2. We were on-board midday-ish, went straight for lunch in the buffet and from what I remember the "cabins are ready" announcement was at about 12.40. Could be a bit later another time as there were lots on our cruise who had also been on board the week before so less cabins to change over! As Denarius says, our luggage didn't appear until later while we were out exploring but our cabin steward took it in for us. Also allow for a bit of time between arriving at the port and getting on board as you need to check in and have passports checked, and though they're very efficient if several coaches arrive at the same time it could take a bit longer.

 

3. Muster was scheduled for 8pm (although ended up being pushed back a bit as a flight was late). I would think it's unlikely to be much earlier but double check when you are boarding or ask your cabin steward. There's also always a board as you leave the ship showing the time everyone must be back on board.

 

There should be plenty of time to visit Valletta before you sail, especially as the town is an easy walk from the port and there's a lot of interesting things quite close together. Was there anywhere in particular you hoped to go?

 

Just as an example of how much can be crammed in to an afternoon, we dumped our hand luggage in our cabin and were off the ship again at around 1pm,  walked along towards the town, took the Barrakka Lift up the hill, saw the Malta Experience cinema show and Sacra Infermeria tour, stopped for a quick ice cream, explored the war museum at Fort St Elmo, walked back down by the harbour, did a harbour tour in a motorised-gondola water taxi, walked back to the ship and still managed to fit in supper in the buffet before muster! It was probably a bit too much, but we enjoyed it. Thank goodness we had a sea day after to recover! 

[Cruising _Newbie]

On 2/11/2020 at 5:58 PM, Denarius said:

1. If you arrive on a P&O charter flight your luggage will be taken direct from the plane to the ship. If you are on a scheduled flight, you will need to collect it at the airport in the usual manner and take it to the coach.

2. You cabin may be ready but your luggage may take several hours to arrive in your cabin.

3. When I sailed from Malta on Oceana last October safety muster was after 8pm but this depends on when the last flights are due to land. You will be informed of the time when you join the ship.

Thank you so much that makes it much clearer, we are on a charter flight booked through P&O as part of our cruise package so that will make things much easier for us.  A general muster time is what i was looking for so that is perfect, thank you for the information! 

[Cruising _Newbie]

On 2/12/2020 at 12:53 AM, HappyGiraffe said:

We sailed from Valletta on Oceana about 18 months ago so will do my best to answer!

 

1. See above! 

 

2. We were on-board midday-ish, went straight for lunch in the buffet and from what I remember the "cabins are ready" announcement was at about 12.40. Could be a bit later another time as there were lots on our cruise who had also been on board the week before so less cabins to change over! As Denarius says, our luggage didn't appear until later while we were out exploring but our cabin steward took it in for us. Also allow for a bit of time between arriving at the port and getting on board as you need to check in and have passports checked, and though they're very efficient if several coaches arrive at the same time it could take a bit longer.

 

3. Muster was scheduled for 8pm (although ended up being pushed back a bit as a flight was late). I would think it's unlikely to be much earlier but double check when you are boarding or ask your cabin steward. There's also always a board as you leave the ship showing the time everyone must be back on board.

 

There should be plenty of time to visit Valletta before you sail, especially as the town is an easy walk from the port and there's a lot of interesting things quite close together. Was there anywhere in particular you hoped to go?

 

Just as an example of how much can be crammed in to an afternoon, we dumped our hand luggage in our cabin and were off the ship again at around 1pm,  walked along towards the town, took the Barrakka Lift up the hill, saw the Malta Experience cinema show and Sacra Infermeria tour, stopped for a quick ice cream, explored the war museum at Fort St Elmo, walked back down by the harbour, did a harbour tour in a motorised-gondola water taxi, walked back to the ship and still managed to fit in supper in the buffet before muster! It was probably a bit too much, but we enjoyed it. Thank goodness we had a sea day after to recover! 

Fantastic thank you so much for the information, that is exactly what i was looking for!  I'm excited to see Valletta now as i think even if there are delays in checking in etc we should still get a couple of hours. 

I was hoping to hop in a taxi and visit Mdina, it's a 20 minute taxi ride each way so would need to decide on the day if we can actually do it.  Failing that Valletta itself looks like a beautiful place to visit you certainly managed to fit in a hectic itinerary, that's pretty much our speed so if we can do Mdina in a 2 hour turnaround (want to be as close to the ship as possible on our first day, just in case 🙂 ) then we can still cover a little ground in Valletta! 

I didn't know that the buffet restaurant would be open on embarkation, great to know as i'm diabetic so need to make sure i fit lunch in (always travel with a 'just in case' pack too). 77 Days to go now!! 

[HappyGiraffe]

I can't help with Mdina as haven't been, although I've seen it from a distance and it looks impressive! 

 

If you end up in Valletta, the Barrakka lift from bottom to top of the hill is only costs 1euro return and saved us a lot of time and walking!

 

Just found our souvenirs from last time on Oceana in Valletta and thought you might like to know some more of the first day timings. Everyone had to be back on board for 7.30pm for muster at 8.15pm. The buffet was open from 11.30am - 3pm for lunch with afternoon snacks from 3pm-5pm, and the poolside grill grab and go food place was open from 11am - 6pm. There were also guided tours of the public areas of the ship at 4pm and 6pm (we've always just explored on our own) and the evening theatre shows were at 9.15pm and then repeated at 10.45pm. 

[Cruising _Newbie]

That's perfect thank you! i understand that every cruise is different but a guide to timings is what i was looking for so that gives me a great place to start.  I think like you i'd like to explore the ship on our own, all part of the fun.  If the times are the same for me then we will have plenty of time for Mdina which is exciting - all depending on what time our cabin is allocated now!  Thank you!

[Sousa60]

Mdina is lovely but may be difficult to cram into the half day you will have, which cruise are you on?