Southampton - check in time and latest boarding time differential

[Gizmo19]

Hi. We are sailing from Southampton this month. Our E Ticket and Boarding Pass say 14:45 check in time and that our latest time to get onboard is 16:00. That is a 1 hour 15 minute differential. We are on B Deck.

 

This 1:15 time frame seems tight. We are using CPS, so will need to arrive at testing area at 14:45, get tested, park up, get all cruise paperwork checked, await results of Covid Tests, drive to CPS car pick up alongside ship  (which is probably also at Mayflower for our cruise), get into terminal and get on ship by 4pm.

 

What are others cruisers experience of actual elapsed time between testing at Southampton and actually getting on the ship ?

 

[johnnylikely]

6 minutes ago, Gizmo19 said:

Hi. We are sailing from Southampton this month. Our E Ticket and Boarding Pass say 14:45 check in time and that our latest time to get onboard is 16:00. That is a 1 hour 15 minute differential. We are on B Deck.

 

This 1:15 time frame seems tight. We are using CPS, so will need to arrive at testing area at 14:45, get tested, park up, get all cruise paperwork checked, await results of Covid Tests, drive to CPS car pick up alongside ship  (which is probably also at Mayflower for our cruise), get into terminal and get on ship by 4pm.

 

What are others cruisers experience of actual elapsed time between testing at Southampton and actually getting on the ship ?

 

If I'm not mistaken the latest time shown is the latest you can show up to check in not the latest time you have to be onboard... I think!

I think check in process is going to be a long one! 

[Gizmo19]

49 minutes ago, johnnylikely said:

If I'm not mistaken the latest time shown is the latest you can show up to check in not the latest time you have to be onboard... I think!

I think check in process is going to be a long one! 

Its strange, as the 1600 says Final Boarding Time. Boarding to me means actually getting on board the ship 😄. The departure time for the ship is not yet schedule (TBA), but I am aware that Deck A is around 1300 check in. So if B is around 1445, it sounds like the actual sailing time may be quite late in the evening that day. I am sure all will be clearer once the actual sailing time is known.

 

I think Ventura on the 11th is sailing around 1700 (that is what the Southampton cruise movements say).  

[Fionboard]

Check in not allocated by deck. It is quite random although higher loyalty grades, suites, etc tend to get priority.

[majortom10]

Dont worry if you arrive at the covid test area on time or a little time before there will not be a problem and doesnt take that long to do the test or to get result off covid test by text. I dont think they will sail without you.

[Gizmo19]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Dont worry if you arrive at the covid test area on time or a little time before there will not be a problem and doesnt take that long to do the test or to get result off covid test by text. I dont think they will sail without you.

😄 I am sure it will be fine. We have a long drive down the day before but just a 25 minute drive (we hope) to the advised gate on the day. When it was 20th Feb, it was a Sunday, so minimal traffic, but now its changed to Monday 28th (delayed departure and loss of some ports), we have daytime traffic. Our TA has just said arrive earlier, as testing can take up to an hour at the moment. That's cutting it too fine. Unless of course the ship isn't sailing until later in the evening.

 

[Gizmo19]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Check in not allocated by deck. It is quite random although higher loyalty grades, suites, etc tend to get priority.

Yes, I think there will be a lot of guests on high loyalty tiers on this cruise.

[Lesanne]

when we sailed at Xmas the drive through testing was smooth and quick, by the time we got to Ocean terminal and unloaded our cases the result was there, no one that used CPS had any issues you should be fine. We are on Ventura on the 11th and i expect a similar experience

[daiB]

4 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Check in not allocated by deck. It is quite random although higher loyalty grades, suites, etc tend to get priority.

Not sure where you got your information from but boarding has been by deck order for the past 5+ years. True higher tier peninsular and suite passengers get priority but everyone else boards by deck order. But the order is not A,B,C,D, Etc. It is mixed and different for each ship. The list has been posted on here a number of times.

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

[Bell Boy]

6 hours ago, Gizmo19 said:

Hi. We are sailing from Southampton this month. Our E Ticket and Boarding Pass say 14:45 check in time and that our latest time to get onboard is 16:00. That is a 1 hour 15 minute differential. We are on B Deck.

 

This 1:15 time frame seems tight. We are using CPS, so will need to arrive at testing area at 14:45, get tested, park up, get all cruise paperwork checked, await results of Covid Tests, drive to CPS car pick up alongside ship  (which is probably also at Mayflower for our cruise), get into terminal and get on ship by 4pm.

 

What are others cruisers experience of actual elapsed time between testing at Southampton and actually getting on the ship ?

 

Don't be worrying over these times!  The time on your boarding card (14.45) is the time you present your self at the CPS testing centre ( usually adjacent to/near the Mayflower terminal) 

Once you have arrived ( at the test centre)  and have been administered the test 'you are already in the System' as en- route to the CPS drop off area at the terminal and check-in.

P&O  ( same as Cunard) will be well aware you are on your way,  the ship WILL NOT  sail without you , nor will boarding be denied .

 

I have been on three cruises post covid and twice the ship has not departed until 7pm ...a few weeks ago guest were still walking up the gangway at 5.15pm . 

[Bell Boy]

7 minutes ago, daiB said:

Not sure where you got your information from but boarding has been by deck order for the past 5+ years. True higher tier peninsular and suite passengers get priority but everyone else boards by deck order. But the order is not A,B,C,D, Etc. It is mixed and different for each ship. The list has been posted on here a number of times.

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

That was pre Covid, The procedures are completely different at the moment  'in the present climate' both for P&O ( and Cunard) 

[paulatsea]

I have always arrived several hours earlier than my check in time - usually from about 1200  regardless of what my e-ticket says and have had no problem just joining the testing queue. 

As said once you are checked in for testing you will make it.

 

my advice is to get there early - and hang about after testing - if you have to - in the waiting area - coffee / toilets !! Etc 

 

 

[Fionboard]

Re boarding times, have done over 20 cruises in past 5 years and not noticed everyone going to same deck at same time. If that were so, queues for lifts would be horrendous!

[reic0002]

Always thought it was by loyalty tier.  Higher the loyalty, earlier boarding time.

 

BTW, yet another port cancellation for all going on Ventura on 11th Feb.  Now Belize has been cancelled and replaced by going round in circles at sea.😐

[Fionboard]

Mystery cruise!

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, paulatsea said:

I have always arrived several hours earlier than my check in time - usually from about 1200  regardless of what my e-ticket says and have had no problem just joining the testing queue. 

As said once you are checked in for testing you will make it.

 

my advice is to get there early - and hang about after testing - if you have to - in the waiting area - coffee / toilets !! Etc 

 

 

There has been mentioned recently since cruising restarted that on some occasions if you arrived early at CPS testing site at dock gate 10 than what was on your boarding pass they were turned away.

[paulatsea]

38 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

There has been mentioned recently since cruising restarted that on some occasions if you arrived early at CPS testing site at dock gate 10 than what was on your boarding pass they were turned away.

I was on Iona and Marella explorer 2 and was ok - suppose it depends on who is manning the testing site entrance and how busy it is maybe.

[Son of Anarchy]

2 hours ago, reic0002 said:

BTW, yet another port cancellation for all going on Ventura on 11th Feb.  Now Belize has been cancelled and replaced by going round in circles at sea.😐

That's a shame.  We jumped ship from that cruise when they cut the USA ports.  We had a trip booked for Belize to one of the Mayan sites.  Certainly no longer the cruise booked for anyone who booked before January this year. ☹️

[Fionboard]

People not turning up at their allotted check in time is what causes the queues.

[bobstheboy]

19 hours ago, paulatsea said:

I have always arrived several hours earlier than my check in time - usually from about 1200  regardless of what my e-ticket says and have had no problem just joining the testing queue. 

As said once you are checked in for testing you will make it.

 

my advice is to get there early - and hang about after testing - if you have to - in the waiting area - coffee / toilets !! Etc 

 

 

If we all did that, it would be chaos.

[amajaa]

20 hours ago, daiB said:

Not sure where you got your information from but boarding has been by deck order for the past 5+ years. True higher tier peninsular and suite passengers get priority but everyone else boards by deck order. But the order is not A,B,C,D, Etc. It is mixed and different for each ship. The list has been posted on here a number of times.

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

 

I'v still got the list from before Covid and I started a thread on here last year to see if the list was still operational. I didn't get that many replies but those I did get didn't correspond to the list anymore.  Hopefully this link will work to that thread.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2795363-boarding-times-by-deck/

 

I think I will resurrect the thread and check for all ships as it looks like the thread mainly referred to Iona 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by amajaa

[Gizmo19]

23 hours ago, Lesanne said:

when we sailed at Xmas the drive through testing was smooth and quick, by the time we got to Ocean terminal and unloaded our cases the result was there, no one that used CPS had any issues you should be fine. We are on Ventura on the 11th and i expect a similar experience

Thanks. We are on the Aurora on 28th for 32 nights (was originally meant to be 20th for 41 nights).  

[Gizmo19]

20 hours ago, reic0002 said:

Always thought it was by loyalty tier.  Higher the loyalty, earlier boarding time.

 

BTW, yet another port cancellation for all going on Ventura on 11th Feb.  Now Belize has been cancelled and replaced by going round in circles at sea.😐

Yes you are right about the loyalty matter. We are not there yet on P&O, as we used which ever cruise lines itinerary fits our preference at the time.  After this next cruise, we will be on a level so to speak 🤣 

 

I feel for you re loss of Belize. We will keep our fingers crossed that your 11th sailing goes smoothly. We will be monitoring your cruise as it reaches the caribbean as we have already lost several ports on ours ( Guadalupe, St Vincent, Bonaire, St Kitts and Tenerife) - and duration cut from 41 to 32. They have added Azores though on the way back 😅

[Gizmo19]

18 hours ago, majortom10 said:

There has been mentioned recently since cruising restarted that on some occasions if you arrived early at CPS testing site at dock gate 10 than what was on your boarding pass they were turned away.

Thats what I have heard. When we did a staycation from Southampton on Explorer in late June 21 , the queue for the paperwork checking alone outside Mayflower was about an hour. Once we got inside, for the LFT testing, I think we had another 45 minutes  elapsed for the testing, check in at desk and walk to ship.

[Gizmo19]

1 hour ago, amajaa said:

 

I'v still got the list from before Covid and I started a thread on here last year to see if the list was still operational. I didn't get that many replies but those I did get didn't correspond to the list anymore.  Hopefully this link will work to that thread.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2795363-boarding-times-by-deck/

 

I think I will resurrect the thread and check for all ships as it looks like the thread mainly referred to Iona 

 

Interesting link thanks. That is pre covid as it reflects our B Deck on Britannia in 2018, when we had a 13:30 check in.

 

We are on B deck on Aurora and check in at 14:45. We are using CPS. Others on A Deck are 13:00.  But, my comment is that P&O will not know we are using CPS, they may have the 14:45 thinking we are going straight into the terminal and doing tests and paperwork checks there.  But, if we are in a virtual LFT queue when we get to CPS testing, thats fine. As someone has said, if we are recorded as arriving, it should not leave without us 🤣

As a point of interest, Ventura is shown on Southampton cruise port movements as sailing at 17:00 on 11th February. If one was to go by that, a check in time at CPS testing of 14:45 would be quite tight - just over 2 hours for everything to be done and be on ship including muster. Many ships will not sail unless all guests have confirmed muster done. When we were on Marella Explorer (June 21 staycation and Dec 21 in Canaries), you had to register with your cruise card at specific locations on the ship that you had watched the muster drill video in your cabin before sailing.

It will be interesting to see what time its sailing on 28th. Once that shows on Southampton port cruise movements I will hopefully feel a little more comfortable with the 14:45.