Embarkation Question

[Architect]

A helpful friend just alerted me to the check-in time for my next trip.

 

It's shown as 11am to 3pm even though embarkation isn't until 10pm.

 

My question is: which of the following stipulations actually governs?

 

One says check-in closes at 3pm; the other says guests must be checked-in by 90 minutes before the scheduled sailing time, or (in this case) 830pm.

 

 

Does Bill Lieber read these threads and if so, can he offer an authoritative response? I despair of phoning up Azamara's customer-service reps.

 

Failing that, does anyone else have specific experience with a similar situation?

This matters greatly to me because--using the embarkation time as a guide--my travelling companions and I have already scheduled activities in Madrid that day, including a fairly costly high-speed rail trip to Malaga in the early afternoon. RENFE isn't very user-friendly and I can only imagine trying to get a refund from them. Advice appreciated.

[Bill Leiber]

A helpful friend just alerted me to the check-in time for my next trip.

 

It's shown as 11am to 3pm even though embarkation isn't until 10pm.

 

My question is: which of the following stipulations actually governs?

 

One says check-in closes at 3pm; the other says guests must be checked-in by 90 minutes before the scheduled sailing time, or (in this case) 830pm.

 

 

Does Bill Lieber read these threads and if so, can he offer an authoritative response? I despair of phoning up Azamara's customer-service reps.

 

Failing that, does anyone else have specific experience with a similar situation?

This matters greatly to me because--using the embarkation time as a guide--my travelling companions and I have already scheduled activities in Madrid that day, including a fairly costly high-speed rail trip to Malaga in the early afternoon. RENFE isn't very user-friendly and I can only imagine trying to get a refund from them. Advice appreciated.

 

Hello Architect -

 

I understand the importance of your question and will get back to you with a definitive explanation about the statement that "all guests must be checked in 90 minutes to the scheduled sailing time at 10:00 PM. Guests arriving late will not be permitted to sail."

 

I'll be checking with our hotel operations department for the clarification. You'll hear from me soon and I appreciate your patience, especially in light of management's involvement with the forthcoming dry docking efforts that will start very shortly in Cadiz, Spain.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[Architect]

Thanks for the quick response Bill. I won't try to change anything until I hear back from you. As things now stand our train is scheduled to arrive in Malaga (fairly near to the cruise port) at 3:25pm so it's not as though we'd be cutting it close wrt the actual sailing. But I want to do whatever Azamara requires. Thanks again.

[Architect]

The more I think about this, the weirder it gets. Given the frenzy with which cruise lines try to 'turn around' their ships in port to get them ready for the next cruise, you think Azamara would take advantage of the more than 12 hours between sailings available on 2nd December. Instead they're specifying check-in at the pier starting at 11am? Then passengers will no doubt have to wait for their staterooms to be ready. What's the purpose of that?

 

Further, in addition to the "all guests must be checked-in no later than 90 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time" stipulation referenced above, my OLCI instructions state the following:

 

The suggested arrival time at the cruise ship terminal is generally 3 to 4 hours prior to the ship's scheduled sailing time.

 

Given this, I'm sure you'll agree it's only natural that I scheduled an arrival in the mid-afternoon rather than in the morning.

 

Now, I aim to include comic relief with every post, so I'll also note that one of the options available in OLCI for 'Departure Airline' is UPS :D

[Bill Leiber]

Thanks for the quick response Bill. I won't try to change anything until I hear back from you. As things now stand our train is scheduled to arrive in Malaga (fairly near to the cruise port) at 3:25pm so it's not as though we'd be cutting it close wrt the actual sailing. But I want to do whatever Azamara requires. Thanks again.

 

Hello Architect -

 

The "official" embarkation time starts at 2 PM in most ports and I've been informed that time should actually have been shown on the documentation. So your point is well-taken.

 

In reality, however, boarding starts around 11:00 - 11:30 AM when guests line up at the embarkation ports. As a gesture of goodwill, we welcome guests onboard although we do not like to encourage guests to come to the ship too early since the vessel is still engaged in its turn-around procedures. The staterooms and suites are available to guests from 2 PM.

 

With that said and with the expected time of your high-speed rail trip from Madrid to Malaga at 3:25 PM, you will find that a full check-in team will be available if you arrive around 4:30 PM. Plus, you can embark until 90 minutes prior to departure.

 

Wishing you a very happy Azamara voyage ahead!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[Architect]

Thanks very much for your attention to this, Bill. As the train station is close to the pier I'm sure we'll have no trouble getting there before 430pm. Since the actual sailing isn't until 10pm we are looking forward to getting back off the ship for a bit of sightseeing in Malaga before the sun goes down! Thanks again!