P&O boarding times?

I'm very pleased for you of course, jaynekeful ...... but it does tend to show that the earlier you get there, the earlier you board. I rest my case. Am never waiting until 3pm again.

Just printed off my RCI set sail sea pass for Navigator in September, boarding anytime between 11:00 - 15:00, and never sailed with them before, although I have sailed on Celebrity giving me loyalty status of Diamond.

Thats what I call top class customer service.

Yes will do from now on...... I'm not waiting until my time any more. :)

Quite agree. have tried to adhere but it has been obvious many don't and get on early. Back to the old days soon I think..... still no one should really moan if it does.

We've only had 2 experiences but both have been terrible. Had 1430 first time so we got there about that time, kept waiting in the terminal for almost an hour waiting for our letter to be called.

Last time we had 1530, we arrived around 1540 and again we're waiting a good 45 minutes for our letter to be called.

Next time we are in a suite at least.

It's a poor system and we always score it badly on the questionnaire yet nothing changes

It strikes me that the only thing that has really changed is that, based on the last 2 Britannia embarkations, people have been kept hanging around in the terminal for less time. They haven't necessarily turned up any earlier. If I was P&O I would want passengers on board as quickly as was humanly possible. The earlier we board, the earlier we start to spend money. Other cruise lines adopt this approach.

Also, those of us who frequent this forum are probably in a small minority who study the details, are aware of the rules and try, in the main, to adhere to them. The vast majority of punters probably just turn up when their journey, travel time or transportation method dictates. Always have done, always will do. I'd put money on the fact that a good proportion are even oblivious to the fact that they have an allocated time slot.

Personally, I've never swallowed the theory that everyone will turn up at midday and anarchy will prevail if the process is relaxed. People are travelling from all over the UK and beyond by car, train, plane, coaches etc and any number of factors will determine staggered arrival times. Yes a proportion stay in hotels and will likely arrive early, but these facilities are designed to handle thousands of people and, as I say, other cruise lines manage it and many on here rave about the fact and comment on how archaic the PandO process is in comparison.

The only things I dislike about a cruise are embarkation and disembarkation, so anything that can be done to speed things up gets a huge thumbs up from me.

Selbourne - my observations have been based on several forums regarding several ships over several months and appear to show that they are starting to board earlier and are letting people on earlier as they turn up.... A lot of my observations are where, as in this case, the person has stated they are going to go a lot earlier and reported back that they are on and enjoying a glass of fizz or lunch - whilst the rest of us mugs are playing the game and doing as requested, turning up later and sometimes then having to wait. Indeed I was once informed when turning up at 3 pm for 3 30 that I might have to wait as ' some people have been waiting here for a long time'........... ... I really and honestly do not mind what they do, how they do it and also obviously like being onboard early too but also am not going to whinge if I have to wait. .... Just as long as we all know!!!! If there is a system, then adhere to it... if it is amended, then amend it for everyone... and if the system is to be ignored or scrapped then scrap it and allow us to come as we please. But not one rule for one and one rule for the others.

I've got a 15:00 board time and honestly I'll not be turning up at 14:30... At this point I've waited 2 years as we had to move last year's holiday right.... If I'm told rules are rules I'll go off and do something in town but if at 14:00 they can accommodate me I'll be on far earlier than formally instructed.

I've got a 15:00 board time and honestly I'll not be turning up at 14:30... At this point I've waited 2 years as we had to move last year's holiday right.... If I'm told rules are rules I'll go off and do something in town but if at 14:00 they can accommodate me I'll be on far earlier than formally instructed.

My last 2 cruises we have had 3 pm boarding times and several people posting here seem to have 3 pm boarding times too which sounds quite a coincidence?

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If anyone is after Britannia specifically, the boarding times are as follows. Except if you are in a Suite or have priority boarding.

Deck A: 15:30

DeckB: 13:30

DeckC: 15:30

DeckD: 15:00

DeckE: 14:30

DeckF: 15:00

DeckG: 13:00

DeckL: 13:30

The last time we had priority boarding (Ventura in Feb) we boarded at 12.10pm even though there had been delays in passengers disembarking the inbound cruise, which we thought was impressive

We were on that incoming cruise and we were delayed even on priority disembark though like you say not as bad as we expected. We were told we all had too much luggage. You can never have too much luggage. :')

We were on that incoming cruise and we were delayed even on priority disembark though like you say not as bad as we expected. We were told we all had too much luggage. You can never have too much luggage. :')

We were initially told that the ship had "docked the wrong way around (starboard side to dock) and all the luggage had been loaded assuming the usual port side to dock". We found this hard to believe but it did seem odd as every cruise we have been on from Mayflower the ship has been docked port side to dock. Funnily enough, when we returned on our cruise we docked starboard side to dock.

CMV enforced times on my two cruises. Arriving early made no difference. You sat and waited for your time (or perhaps ten minutes before if they got ahead). Passenger who arrived at their allocated time (or later) checked in and boarded immediately. I liked it that way as I arrived almost exactly at my time (which was a later time) and walked straight through the lounge to the ship. With P and O I had to wait in the lounge beyond my allocated time.

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CMV enforced times on my two cruises. Arriving early made no difference. You sat and waited for your time (or perhaps ten minutes before if they got ahead). Passenger who arrived at their allocated time (or later) checked in and boarded immediately. I liked it that way as I arrived almost exactly at my time (which was a later time) and walked straight through the lounge to the ship. With P and O I had to wait in the lounge beyond my allocated time.

 

 

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If P&O started to treat passengers as CMV do with regard to boarding then the problem would soon resolve itself because those who arrive at 11am for a 15:30 boarding would soon change their behaviour. It is difficult for those of us who have a distance to travel to get the timing right for arrival due to traffic being variable on the journey. We are often at the docks early because we either have to leave the hotel early or if we travel on the sailing day we build contingency into our travel plans but we do not expect to be allowed on board early, though we have been on several occassions. I don't know if CMV have as many passengers arriving by coach but I I hope that if people do arrive by coach then they are treated exactly as if they had arrived by any other method.

The only time I have been annoyed by P&O was when we arrived at 13:30 for a 14:30 boarding time and then at 14:20 coaches arrived and were boarded immediately while we were held back until 15:10. Coach passengers who arrive early should also be made to wait, they choose to arrive by coach.

We are fortunate because we are now Caribbean level and so get early boarding but I still think that P&O need to sort out this boarding fiasco, no other lines seem to have these problems.

My experience so far has been that you board immediately if you don't enter the terminal before your time slot. If you arrive early, you will be asked to sit and wait, and will then be called later on. I never quite understand the race to get onboard before everybody else.

On our last cruise in June, independent passengers had to wait for their allocated boarding times, but coach passengers were given grey cards and called to board immediately. Now call me a cynic, but I don't believe all the coach passengers had exactly the same boarding time.....

On our last cruise in June, independent passengers had to wait for their allocated boarding times, but coach passengers were given grey cards and called to board immediately. Now call me a cynic, but I don't believe all the coach passengers had exactly the same boarding time.....

No they don't, but the time of arrival of the coach over-rides the individually allocated times and they all board straight away.

P and O are really quite poor with embarkation. They seem to delay people even on ships like Oriana and Aurora. These are relatively small ships that worked well in the past. I can see that Britannia would present more of an embarkation challenge. Even if you keep to your time you are likely to be delayed and the whole experience has the charm of Heathrow (before they modernised the terminals). It really puts me off P and O.

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If P&O are starting boarding before noon what is happening to the people with 2pm to 3:30 boarding times. are their times being brought forward by 1 hour as well. If they don't do this them people will wise up and just come about 1pm instead of their published time when it should theoretically be empty as all the suites and priority boarders will be on board.

If P&O are starting boarding before noon what is happening to the people with 2pm to 3:30 boarding times. are their times being brought forward by 1 hour as well. If they don't do this them people will wise up and just come about 1pm instead of their published time when it should theoretically be empty as all the suites and priority boarders will be on board.

Yep.

No they don't, but the time of arrival of the coach over-rides the individually allocated times and they all board straight away.

Yes exactly. I had a boarding time of 2pm and the lady in front on the coach had priority boarding , earlier. Makes no difference if you are on the coach. We arrived at 2:30pm and all embarked immediately.

Just been on Britannia and our boarding time was 15:30 we arrived at 12:30 and where in our cabin,bags already waiting for us at 13:15 :)

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Just been on Britannia and our boarding time was 15:30 we arrived at 12:30 and where in our cabin,bags already waiting for us at 13:15 :)

 

 

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Be careful you're likely to be blackballed for not following the rules, or worse still encouraging everyone to turn up early and bring about Armageddon.;):cool:

So sorry to disappoint, John :D

Be careful you're likely to be blackballed for not following the rules, or worse still encouraging everyone to turn up early and bring about Armageddon.;):cool:

Indeed like what if 3000 odd pax turned up at 12.30pm and demanded to board?

Tis time the Embarkation Police were mobilised.:evilsmile:

Are people so desperate for a meal ? OR is a it a case of 'I have paid for it, I am getting it.' Same as those you see at breakfast on disembarkation day, making up their bacon sarnies, complete with HP sauce oozing out, to take off and eat on the way home, too mean to stop and buy a feed. When we were on the Eavesway Coach leaving Southampton coupe of years ago, it was like a mobile picnic, every second person had food from the ship.

Standby for incoming.

Indeed like what if 3000 odd pax turned up at 12.30pm and demanded to board?

Tis time the Embarkation Police were mobilised.:evilsmile:

 

Are people so desperate for a meal ? OR is a it a case of 'I have paid for it, I am getting it.' Same as those you see at breakfast on disembarkation day, making up their bacon sarnies, complete with HP sauce oozing out, to take off and eat on the way home, too mean to stop and buy a feed. When we were on the Eavesway Coach leaving Southampton coupe of years ago, it was like a mobile picnic, every second person had food from the ship.

 

Standby for incoming.

I cannot speak for others but for us we rarely eat lunch on embarkation day especially after what is normally a late breakfast in the hotel. However we do want to start our holiday as soon as possible, so to be on board early and able to relax is a priority for us, of course if all cruise lines operated similar to P&O then we would accept that this is the standard. But far from it the RCI group allow all their loyalty members to choose their own boarding time between 11:00 and 15:00, and strangely enough Les this does not result in the end of the world, or indeed huge queues and crowded departure lounges.

Which is why I fail to understand the P&O process, their main competitor at Southampton is able to cope with bigger ships and more passengers and they don't have anywhere near as long queues or crowded departure lounges. As a Carnival shareholder I want them to explain why they are so inefficient, and how they intend to improve things.