Disabled guest arriving early for boarding

[Showingthatgame]

Hi All,

I have an upcoming cruise on Iona around the Norwegian Fjords. My partner is a wheelchair user and will need assisted boarding. The p&o website states we should stick to our boarding time however due to her condition we have to travel by train. Because of this our arrival into Southampton is out of our control. Does anyone have any experience in how p&o deal with wheelchair users arriving early?

[Cloudyrain]

They book assistance slots based on your boarding time, so if you are early you will be asked to wait in a holding area. If they have the capacity to get you on earlier they will, but this isn’t always possible.

[TigerB]

They appear to be tightening up on folk that arrive early to try and get onboard ahead of their allotted time. As Cloudyrain writes, you will likely be put in a holding queue; for you that will be the seated area on the ground floor of the terminal building, not in the snaking queue outside.

You may be lucky in that, if you can manage your partner's wheelchair and your baggage yourself, you may get sent directly upstairs to check-in. That happened to us in April when we were about an hour early.

 

If you don't already know, a taxi from the airport should be about £10 or less. If your partner can transfer, I would recommend a company like Radio Taxis who, although don't readily have fully accessible vehicles, will be able to provide an estate or large vehicle. We were quoted £25 for a wheelchair accessible van from another company, which is outrageous.

[Cloudyrain]

Yes like TigerB mentioned, no outside snaking queue: I should have added that there is an accessibility waiting area inside with seats. They used to do check in there too, but now they escort you up to the desks in the main area, and then along to security, and then on to the ship to your muster station.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Cloudyrain

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, TigerB said:

They appear to be tightening up on folk that arrive early to try and get onboard ahead of their allotted time. As Cloudyrain writes, you will likely be put in a holding queue; for you that will be the seated area on the ground floor of the terminal building, not in the snaking queue outside.

You may be lucky in that, if you can manage your partner's wheelchair and your baggage yourself, you may get sent directly upstairs to check-in. That happened to us in April when we were about an hour early.

 

If you don't already know, a taxi from the airport should be about £10 or less. If your partner can transfer, I would recommend a company like Radio Taxis who, although don't readily have fully accessible vehicles, will be able to provide an estate or large vehicle. We were quoted £25 for a wheelchair accessible van from another company, which is outrageous.

 

I wrote taxi from the airport; I meant from the train station.

[Showingthatgame]

Thank you both, its much appreciated.

 

When it comes to the theatre shows how early would you recommend arriving to get an accessible seat? And does the app have an option to specifically reserve accessible seats?

[Windsurfboy]

Ring them up and explain your situation 

[GOQ]

1 hour ago, Cloudyrain said:

Yes like TigerB mentioned, no outside snaking queue: I should have added that there is an accessibility waiting area inside with seats. They used to do check in there too, but now they escort you up to the desks in the main area, and then along to security, and then on to the ship to your muster station.

I had assisted boarding in January, I was checked in at the waiting area and then wheeled upstairs to security. 

[GOQ]

14 minutes ago, Showingthatgame said:

Thank you both, its much appreciated.

 

When it comes to the theatre shows how early would you recommend arriving to get an accessible seat? And does the app have an option to specifically reserve accessible seats?

I turn up just as they are opening the theatre doors and there are usually plenty available. I don't think the app has the option of reserving accessible seats. 

Different ships have designated disability seats in different places. On Britannia there are a batch near the stage and a few right at the back of the theatre. The seats near the stage always had available seats.

I can't remember where they are on the other ships.

[Cloudyrain]

3 hours ago, GOQ said:

I had assisted boarding in January, I was checked in at the waiting area and then wheeled upstairs to security. 

That’s how it was last year for us too (Britannia), but by April this year (Iona) they had changed it to check in upstairs. 

[Cloudyrain]

3 hours ago, Showingthatgame said:

Thank you both, its much appreciated.

 

When it comes to the theatre shows how early would you recommend arriving to get an accessible seat? And does the app have an option to specifically reserve accessible seats?

No facility to reserve accessible spaces for shows (although not sure if it’s different for Limelight as we have never been to a dining-show) but you can identify the need for wheelchair spaces for dining. For shows we always turn up just before they start and hope for the best and 9/10 we are fine.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Cloudyrain

[TigerB]

Further to the above, when we were on Arvia we used the wheelchair spaces and companion seats at the back, accessed from deck 7. I believe also there were wheelchair spaces right at the front too, accessed from deck 6.  I would expect the same layout exists on Iona.

As has already been stated, there is no facility to book wheelchair spaces or accessible seating.