Valiant Lady Embarkation times

[DeclanDiamond]

Hi, we have been given an embarkation time of 2.30pm for our Valiant Lady cruise out of Barcelona in October. We are staying the night before in a hotel by Las Ramblas, which is only a few minutes by car from the port. However, my TA has included a private transfer from the hotel to the ship for 11am. Are the embarkation times absolutely strict, or should I get the private transfer pickup time changed to say, 1.30pm or 1.45pm?

 

TIA

[jon81uk]

4 minutes ago, DeclanDiamond said:

Hi, we have been given an embarkation time of 2.30pm for our Valiant Lady cruise out of Barcelona in October. We are staying the night before in a hotel by Las Ramblas, which is only a few minutes by car from the port. However, my TA has included a private transfer from the hotel to the ship for 11am. Are the embarkation times absolutely strict, or should I get the private transfer pickup time changed to say, 1.30pm or 1.45pm?

 

TIA

the earliest embarkation time for rockstar suites is about 1.30pm so there is no point you arriving before 2pm. You might be able to  only be able to drop luggage and then wait to check in. Probably better to move the pick up time, check your luggage with reception and wander Barcelona for an extra hour.

[DeclanDiamond]

10 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

the earliest embarkation time for rockstar suites is about 1.30pm so there is no point you arriving before 2pm. You might be able to  only be able to drop luggage and then wait to check in. Probably better to move the pick up time, check your luggage with reception and wander Barcelona for an extra hour.

Rockstar suites eh? .... I wish! Haha. Yeah, Thanks for your response, much appreciated.

[cantgetin]

For our cruise in a few months, the earliest time is 2:00 (a year ago it was 1:30).  Barcelona was strict--if you show up more than 30 minutes before your assigned time, you will be sent away.  We got there at 12:45 and were able to check our luggage. Then we were told we could wait at the piazza next to the terminal, the coffee shop next to the piazza, a nearby hotel lobby, or walk around the area; they would begin allowing people in 30 minutes before scheduled time.  The other side of things is that most hotels have an 11 or 12 check out time and are not as flexible as US hotels.  

Bottom line--either change your time or plan to drop luggage and then leave the terminal area.

[DeclanDiamond]

8 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

For our cruise in a few months, the earliest time is 2:00 (a year ago it was 1:30).  Barcelona was strict--if you show up more than 30 minutes before your assigned time, you will be sent away.  We got there at 12:45 and were able to check our luggage. Then we were told we could wait at the piazza next to the terminal, the coffee shop next to the piazza, a nearby hotel lobby, or walk around the area; they would begin allowing people in 30 minutes before scheduled time.  The other side of things is that most hotels have an 11 or 12 check out time and are not as flexible as US hotels.  

Bottom line--either change your time or plan to drop luggage and then leave the terminal area.

Appreciate your input yet again. Yes, I am about to contact my TA and change the hotel pick up time to 1.45pm, aiming to get to the ship at 2pm.

 

I've also noticed that our flight back home is at 1pm, but the private transfer from the ship to the airport has been arranged for 9am. There's no point in us being at the airport at 9.30am for the flight home, so will change that to 10am pick up (and enjoy a last, leisurely breakfast on board)!

 

Thanks again.

 

[cantgetin]

3 minutes ago, DeclanDiamond said:

Appreciate your input yet again. Yes, I am about to contact my TA and change the hotel pick up time to 1.45pm, aiming to get to the ship at 2pm.

 

I've also noticed that our flight back home is at 1pm, but the private transfer from the ship to the airport has been arranged for 9am. There's no point in us being at the airport at 9.30am for the flight home, so will change that to 10am pick up (and enjoy a last, leisurely breakfast on board)!

 

Thanks again.

 

Sounds like a plan.  And totally agree with a good breakfast before flying home.  The nice thing is that you can leave your luggage in your cabin, have breakfast, and then go to retrieve it--no need to drag it to the restaurant or The Galley. You don't have to be out of your cabin till 10:45.  That last breakfast is much more pleasant on VV than on other lines!

[DeclanDiamond]

Just now, cantgetin said:

Sounds like a plan.  And totally agree with a good breakfast before flying home.  The nice thing is that you can leave your luggage in your cabin, have breakfast, and then go to retrieve it--no need to drag it to the restaurant or The Galley. You don't have to be out of your cabin till 10:45.  That last breakfast is much more pleasant on VV than on other lines!

Result!

 

Cheers

[DeclanDiamond]

Private transfer times now changed as mentioned above.

 

Thanks to you all for commenting and helping me out again.... much appreciated.

[Shaded Lady]

7 hours ago, jon81uk said:

the earliest embarkation time for rockstar suites is about 1.30pm so there is no point you arriving before 2pm. You might be able to  only be able to drop luggage and then wait to check in. Probably better to move the pick up time, check your luggage with reception and wander Barcelona for an extra hour.

So this raises a question for me- my 'Arrival Time Slot' in the Virgin app is 1:30... and I'm definitely not a Rockstar! So is my "arrival" time different from embarkation?

[rebeccac]

9 minutes ago, Shaded Lady said:

So this raises a question for me- my 'Arrival Time Slot' in the Virgin app is 1:30... and I'm definitely not a Rockstar! So is my "arrival" time different from embarkation?

 

Yes.  Arrival time is simply the approximate time they will let you in the terminal.  Boarding shouldn't be too long thereafter, but in your case there are a few other categories that would go before you, such as rockstars, those with deep blue extras or the touch of romance package, etc.  

[Shaded Lady]

39 minutes ago, rebeccac said:

 

Yes.  Arrival time is simply the approximate time they will let you in the terminal.  Boarding shouldn't be too long thereafter, but in your case there are a few other categories that would go before you, such as rockstars, those with deep blue extras or the touch of romance package, etc.  

So based on this does the OP have an arrival time of 2:30 or an embarkation time of 2:30?

[rebeccac]

4 minutes ago, Shaded Lady said:

So based on this does the OP have an arrival time of 2:30 or an embarkation time of 2:30?

I would guess that is the arrival time as they don't actually give you an exact embarkation time.

[jon81uk]

4 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

So this raises a question for me- my 'Arrival Time Slot' in the Virgin app is 1:30... and I'm definitely not a Rockstar! So is my "arrival" time different from embarkation?

You may get to basically board alongside the first of the rockstars. The arrival time is when you can begin the check in process. But any rockstars who arrive before you will get priority. At Barcelona I think it’s unlikely you’ll get held back after check in, but you won’t be able to start check in until 1.30.

 

Virgin don’t give the embarkation times, just the arrival slot time which is when bag checks and check in can start from. At Barcelona it’s bag check then check in, at Athens and Miami it’s check in then bag check. 

[cantgetin]

The problem is that, like everything they do, VV seems to complicate this.  They called the time a "terminal arrival time" and told sailors to not arrive more than 30 minutes before that time or they wouldn't be allowed into the terminal.  This used to start at 1:30, meaning that those with the earliest time could arrive at 1.  The problem was that everyone called the time an "embarkation time," and VV recently changed the earliest time to 2pm.  And there are TAs out there telling their clients to "just show up at 1 anyway,"   Bottom line....we had a 1:30 time, showed up at 1, were allowed to check in and then wait till they started boarding at 1:30.  So 1:30 wasn't arrival time, it was boarding time.  We were in our cabin and our luggage had been delivered by 1:45.  

Provided you have filled in all the info on the app, check in takes all of maybe 2 minutes and then you are boarding.  The order for boarding is rockstars, then people who purchased the romance package, then Sailor's Club (loyalty program), then others..  We were Sailor's Club, but for all practical purposes, there was no delay for the other groups.  Each group started up the gangway when notified to do so.  We were on our feet and in line about 1:35 and the line just moved with them scanning each bracelet as the person walked by.

 

My suggestion would be to show up 30 minutes before your assigned time and expect to very quickly to thru the process.  If you have a late time, something after 3 or 3:30, I'd show up around 3 as from that point on, they really don't pay attention to times.

[lisabucsfan1]

On 7/27/2023 at 9:14 AM, DeclanDiamond said:

I've also noticed that our flight back home is at 1pm, but the private transfer from the ship to the airport has been arranged for 9am. There's no point in us being at the airport at 9.30am for the flight home, so will change that to 10am pick up (and enjoy a last, leisurely breakfast on board)!

 

I saw a subsequent post that said you already changed your transfer time for your flight home... so take this with a grain of salt...

 

But when we flew home out of Barcelona after a cruise, it literally took us over 3 hours to wind our way through the lines to get through security and this was with having benefit of going through a faster line because of a premium ticket. We had planned to get to the airport early so we could claim our VAT, but that line was so long as well and had I chosen to stand in it, we would have never made it. I'm not sure what caused such a delay that day for us, but I was certainly glad that I had allowed ourselves all of that extra time.

[cantgetin]

I have no idea what caused your airline delay, but I have read of similar happening to others.  When we departed from Barcelona in May, it took less than an hour from arriving at the airport entrance to being at our gate, and most of that was standing in line waiting to check in.  When we walked away from the check in counter for our airline, the line was much longer than when we had entered it.  There were initially only 2 agents, and then a third appeared, but there were at least 2 empty slots that people could have been working.  

[Hoya2112]

I have a 3:45 embarkation time in Piraeus.  Are you saying @cantgetin that arriving at 3 should be east enough to get on the ship? First time VV cruiser so not sure how I have so late a time..

[cantgetin]

47 minutes ago, FRMinBG said:

I have a 3:45 embarkation time in Piraeus.  Are you saying @cantgetin that arriving at 3 should be east enough to get on the ship? First time VV cruiser so not sure how I have so late a time..

Yes...if you arrive at 3, you should have little or no waiting.  Check in is very quick provided you have completed the info in the app in advance.  The reason you have a later time is that other people did their app check in and grabbed the earlier times. You can complete the check in on the app as soon as you book in the future.  Also, if you are cruising in 2023 and have loyalty on any other line, apply for the status match.  If you qualify, you'll get priority boarding.

Your TA should have told you all of this.  If you didn't use one, you are likely leaving onboard credit on the table as well as great service if you have a good TA.