Earliest check-in time?

[Harry Peterson]

Given a 1230 check in, but I'm sure we checked in an hour or so before that last time. 

 

Is 1130 the earliest feasible time to turn up, and does that go for Parking4cruises too? 

 

Thanks. 

[majortom10]

You will be able to arrive at 11-30 and check your car in with P4C and then proceed to departure lounge where you might be allowed to check in but P&O state on their website that those in suites and Ligurian Tier will be the first to embark the ship at 12-30. For those in suites you will be directed to a separate area of departure lounge where there will be free drinks and snacks available before you embark.

[Harry Peterson]

Thanks for that. Much appreciated. 

[Selbourne]

From our experience, 12.30pm boarding for suite passengers is usually the latest time. We have only been later than that once, when there was a problem with the air bridge. The earliest that we have been on the ship when staying in a suite was 11.45am

 

Edit - Also, 12.30pm is really the boarding time, not check-in time. I would say that, on average, we have boarded at around 12.15pm when staying in a suite, having checked in at around 11.30am and then enjoyed a cuppa and cake in the suite embarkation area (the millionaires shortbread is particularly nice)!

Edited March 27, 2019 by Selbourne

[daiB]

33 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

From our experience, 12.30pm boarding for suite passengers is usually the latest time. We have only been later than that once, when there was a problem with the air bridge. The earliest that we have been on the ship when staying in a suite was 11.45am

 

Edit - Also, 12.30pm is really the boarding time, not check-in time. I would say that, on average, we have boarded at around 12.15pm when staying in a suite, having checked in at around 11.30am and then enjoyed a cuppa and cake in the suite embarkation area (the millionaires shortbread is particularly nice)!

We arrived at 11.50 and were too late for the on shore lounge. Boarding well ongoing.

[Bell Boy]

My TA has just informed me that P&O will be trialing 'On Line Check-in'  on several selected P&O cruises in the next few months. if successful it will be implemented across the P&O fleet and later introduced on Cunard.  

 

(I'm a Cunarder, having never sailed P&O )   How do those of you who sail P&O feel about it, have you experienced on line check-in with any other cruise lines before. ?  

 

12th April Ventura is the first trial apparently. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Bell Boy

[majortom10]

What happens if you are not online and have access to a PC which I should imagine a lot wont.

[Bell Boy]

Exactly , there are still a lot of people around who are unable to access something simple as their voyage personaliser . I have friends who cruise a lot and they are forever asking their TA to print off everything for them.  

[jeanlyon]

Surely there would be touchscreens in the terminal and you check in that way?  I might be wrong, but that's how they do it at airports.

[terrierjohn]

Are there any indications yet as to how this might work, will P&O want passengers to input a photo like RCI do?

[Narrow boat girl]

We have now got our etickets, embarkation time says 3.30 do we arrive at 3.30 to go through the security etc. Or is 3.30 the time we will get on the ship?

[ozzysdad]

23 minutes ago, Narrow boat girl said:

We have now got our etickets, embarkation time says 3.30 do we arrive at 3.30 to go through the security etc. Or is 3.30 the time we will get on the ship?

There are no hard and fast rules, once you arrive you will be processed, even if that's at 1.30, arriving around your embarkation time should see you on board more swiftly but if your early and don't mind sitting around for ten or twenty minutes they will get you on board as soon as they can.

[phoenix1975]

With regards to online check-in, I've had my email about it today.

 

You go to the link on the email and input your booking details. Then your passport and payment card details and it issues you with a boarding pass. You can do it up until 10pm GMT on the night before you board and the email says that there will be shorter online check-in queues at the cruise terminal to get on board quicker.

[Narrow boat girl]

Yes I got mine but our passports were issued in 2009, and the earliest date on drop down box is 2010 daft really as we still have 9months on our passports, never mind will just have to wait in the queue, hopefully lots of others will have checked in online and our queue will be shorter

[P-L-B]

Re online check in.

How, when are you issued with your boarding card as this is essential to gain access to your cabin and for onboard purchases. Hopefully we won't have to queue at reception to collect it. !!

Edited April 5, 2019 by P-L-B

[CCFC]

P&O are well behind the times on this, Princess have been doing the online check in for years. Royal Caribbean have gone a stage further and let you take your own picture which speeds up getting onboard immensely. 

 

On a side note I see Ocean Terminal is being upgraded for the arrival of Iona next year, new stairs and two new air bridges allegedly. Hopefully they spot the big problem which is security scanning, I have yet to see all lines open at the same time.

[kruzseeka]

4 hours ago, Narrow boat girl said:

Yes I got mine but our passports were issued in 2009, and the earliest date on drop down box is 2010 daft really as we still have 9months on our passports, never mind will just have to wait in the queue, hopefully lots of others will have checked in online and our queue will be shorter

When were your passports issued?  Ours expired Mar 2020 but were issued June 2009 and they are now taking the six months validity from the issue date, not expiry date.  We nearly got caught out and have had to renew ours.  I hope you are ok but might be worth checking here.

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport

 

[hansol1966]

Narrow boat girl we had to renew our passports that had an expiry date of Feb2020 but our passports start date was September 2009 giving according to new rules now the passport actually will have expired in September 2019..6mths off leaving the passport valid to April 2019. The passport website has a checking facility with some basic details will tell you whether you should renew your passport.

[terrierjohn]

I am assuming this on-line check is only applying at present to Ocean Terminal sailings after its refurb., we sail in just over 2 weeks from Mayflower but have had no e-mail about on-line check in.

[Narrow boat girl]

Thanks Hansol I'm so glad I put this on here as if not I wouldn't have had a clue, checked our passports on the link you suggested and we do need to renew. CAn you image turning up on that day only to be told you can't sail.

We have spent the morning renewing on line using premium service as we sail in 4 weeks, cost an eye watering £177. 00 each and a trip to Durham passport office to collect on Friday. CHeck you dates

[jeanlyon]

I just renewed my husband's passport online, took a picture of him uploaded it, paid and then sent the old passport by Signed For.  The new one was back in 4 days.  £75.

Edited April 6, 2019 by jeanlyon

[hansol1966]

Post office do a service....they take your digital photo you give them your old passport and mobile number...pay £90-91 and they do the rest....all the paperwork and send your passport to the passport office...our passports were back within a week...no photos to be signed could not be any simpler. Only certain Post offices do this service just check online. I’m sorry Narrow boat girl should have posted this earlier...enjoy your trip.

Edited April 6, 2019 by hansol1966

[Selbourne]

Although this thread has gone massively off topic, this issue with passport dates  is fascinating. Perhaps I have missed it, but I have seen no advice from P&O (or other travel companies for that matter) that passports were only going to be valid for 10 years from issue. Everything that I have seen still just states that you must have 6 months validity to the expiry date. We are traveling again in a fortnight and I’ve just had a panic, but thankfully we all have at least 4 years remaining. This is surely going to catch an awful lot of people out. I am staggered that holiday companies (inc P&O) aren’t contacting customers to alert them to this change. I suspect that virtually every cruise will have a few customers travelling on the last 9 months or so of their passport. Will they be allowed to board? Perhaps the cruise personaliser triggers an alert, but knowing how rubbish P&O’s IT systems are I very much doubt it!

Edited April 6, 2019 by Selbourne

[jeanlyon]

Maybe that's because we haven't Brexited yet?!

 

Seriously you don't need to use the Post Office checking service any more if you do it online.  It's really simple.  You fill out the form online, take the photo, it even tells you if the photo is OK, pay your money and then send the old passport by Signed For.  Just too easy.  Only thing that was difficult was finding a blank wall in the house to take the photo against.  You can't have anything in the picture.

Edited April 6, 2019 by jeanlyon

[hansol1966]

The service I mentioned was not the check and send service which I used for our son on our last cruise 22nd March Amsterdam, the reason being, my sons passport had expired 18 months previously and we could not find it after moving from Surrey to Wales. We needed a photograph signed but we have not known anybody in this area for two years. We had to travel back to Surrey from Wales due to time constraints to have the photo countersigned. So there are many scenarios to a passport application.

The service I used is not available in all post offices but very easy to use and gives peace of mind.  You give the counter staff your old passport and mobile number pay the fee, they take photo in their digital booth and that is it...30 mins later the passport office emailed to say the application had been received with daily progress reports and a progress tracking number. A very good service if you want peace of mind. No photos or postage to buy as it’s in the service.