We have been married 54 years but P&O says she is a different class to me!

[Presto2]

7 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

In the old days scoundrel men would look to find a wealthy widow they could marry

 

Nowadays they are just looking for someone who's earnt priority boarding and Captains Welcome lunch on P &  O!!

 

 

 

Thanks for this.. made us laugh after a long week. Classic

[Selbourne]

On both our recent cruises (Iona and Britannia) we weren’t given a card, nor were we even told about the priority lunch. We asked on board. Had we not known about it we would have missed it. We used assisted embarkation, so that might be the reason. 

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

On both our recent cruises (Iona and Britannia) we weren’t given a card, nor were we even told about the priority lunch. We asked on board. Had we not known about it we would have missed it. We used assisted embarkation, so that might be the reason. 

I don't remember us having one, once we reached Baltic and maybe even before, so maybe there is something that triggers an invite for newbie Caribbean level loyalty members.

Or is that asking too much of P&Os IT dept?

Edited September 30, 2023 by terrierjohn

[Selbourne]

8 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't remember us having one, once we reached Baltic and maybe even before, so maybe there is something that triggers an invite for newbie Caribbean level loyalty members.

Or is that asking too much of P&Os IT dept?

You know the answer to that one John 😂 

[Cruising Nomads]

The cards are now placed in your cabin. Not much use as you have usually had lunch before you are allowed access to your cabin. Another covid precaution.

[redabby]

 I  also had the same issue as  bbtablet, and rang P@O shoreside.  I have been told an that if you are a higher grade and qualify for the early boarding but are sharing the cabin with a lower grade and you all wish to all board  on the higher grade members earlier time that it is an  unequivocal no , you will all have to board at the lower grades later time.  As this information is different to    bbtablet's email so  I will e-mail them myself and see if the response is different to the phone response. 

bbtablet  make sure you print your e-mail and bring it with you.

[CarlaMarie]

7 hours ago, redabby said:

 I  also had the same issue as  bbtablet, and rang P@O shoreside.  I have been told an that if you are a higher grade and qualify for the early boarding but are sharing the cabin with a lower grade and you all wish to all board  on the higher grade members earlier time that it is an  unequivocal no , you will all have to board at the lower grades later time.  As this information is different to    bbtablet's email so  I will e-mail them myself and see if the response is different to the phone response. 

bbtablet  make sure you print your e-mail and bring it with you.

 

It sounds as if you have been given the wrong information. Like @molecrochip has confirmed, if one of you in a cabin has a higher loyalty tier than the other and are given an earlier boarding time then you board together using the priority embarkation time. My parents have experienced this on several occasions whilst my Mum was a higher tier than my Dad, and hence she was given the early embarkation time as compared to him. They always boarded together according to the time that my Mum was given. 

 

I am wondering if there has been some crossed wires as they have used the word grade and not loyalty tier. 

[FangedRose]

18 hours ago, redabby said:

 I  also had the same issue as  bbtablet, and rang P@O shoreside.  I have been told an that if you are a higher grade and qualify for the early boarding but are sharing the cabin with a lower grade and you all wish to all board  on the higher grade members earlier time that it is an  unequivocal no , you will all have to board at the lower grades later time.  As this information is different to    bbtablet's email so  I will e-mail them myself and see if the response is different to the phone response. 

bbtablet  make sure you print your e-mail and bring it with you.

Never experienced, or talked to anyone, that this happened to. If one person in the cabin is entitled to priority boarding everybody in the same cabin boarded with them at the earlier time.

 

I personally have boarded early as I happened to be talking to someone who had priority boarding as we entered the terminal. Despite my protestations that I was not entitled to be in that particular lane i was told "Ithink you are assisting her therefore you board with her", I stopped arguing then and went with the flow 😁.

[redabby]

 The women I spoke to on the phone was extremely brusque, she also said to me "  Every-one wants to get on early we can't just let them all on, you will just have to wait until your time ". I've emailed  P@O and have spoken to a lady who deals with all the ships at Southampton and she said she has never heard such a thing. If I don't hear from P@O in time i am just going we are just going at the earlier time. I was unlucky I spoke to a jobsworth .

[CarlaMarie]

2 hours ago, redabby said:

 The women I spoke to on the phone was extremely brusque, she also said to me "  Every-one wants to get on early we can't just let them all on, you will just have to wait until your time ". I've emailed  P@O and have spoken to a lady who deals with all the ships at Southampton and she said she has never heard such a thing. If I don't hear from P@O in time i am just going we are just going at the earlier time. I was unlucky I spoke to a jobsworth .

 

If you were in separate cabins and your bookings not linked, then that is different and you would expect to board according to the different times allocated. In your case you are in the same cabin, so turn up for the earlier time like many of us have suggested. 

 

If you do get an email response, then please do share it with us because it will be interesting to see the reply.

Enjoy your cruise!

[bbtablet]

THE SEQUEL.

Readers of this thread may be interested to hear what actually happened on embarkation day – cruise R309, October 3^rd 2023. If you have not read this thread before, I suggest you start at the very beginning – the plot thickens!

We duly arrived outside the check-in building at 12.30pm – the Priority Boarding time given to my wife (mine was 2.45pm) – and in accordance with the email received from P&O Customer Services the previous Thursday – see earlier posting #15 on this thread.

The first P&O representative we met with outside the check-in building looked at the two Boarding Passes and said “You can’t come in.”

I told him he was wrong.

“Well, that’s what we’ve been told.”

I pointed out that I had received an email definitively stating P&O policy on the situation, but all he would say is “Well, that’s not what we have been told.” I asked him to fetch his supervisor and off he went – we did not see him again.

We stood to one side while waiting for his supervisor so that other passengers could pass through to the next two P&O “checkers” – two ladies. After a minute or so, with a lull in arrivals, they noticed us holding back and beckoned us forward to show them our two passes.

They seemed to be delighted that they had caught us! – “They are for different times so you can’t go in” in unison. I told them that we had received an email from Customer Services saying that we could both go in at 12.30.

“Well, they are wrong.”

“How can they say one thing and you say another? – don’t you communicate with each other?”

“Yes, we are always telling them that they are wrong, but they don’t do anything about it.”

“But I received this definitive statement of policy from them only last Thursday.”

Then this!: “P&O change the rules every day.”

One of the ladies, perhaps wisely, then moved away to deal with other arriving passengers, leaving the remaining one to continue:

 “Where is this email then?”

“It is on my computer at home and also on my phone which I packed in my case that has just gone through the luggage pod entrance” (I don’t use my smart-phone much so had seen no need to carry it with me at boarding).

“Why didn’t you print the email off?”

“As it was a definitive statement of policy, not a “turn up at 12.30 and see if you can wing it!” communication, it did not occur to me that its content would be challenged.” (Redabby – I did not see your post in time as we went down to Southampton via an overnight stay)

She then called me a liar: “You would be surprised how many people try to quote so-called communications from Customer Services just to get past us.”

Then: “In any case, even if you had such an email, they are wrong so you still can’t go through.”

At this point I told her I wasn’t listening to her anymore and my wife and I started edging forwards towards the entrance. She barred our way again and got right in my face. I decided to engage full beam and played my ace: “Tell me what you want me to do then” – no reply, just silence.

I asked her again “Tell me what you want me to do then” – again, no reply, just a staring silence.

I think she must have finally become aware of how far away from her training she was getting. The only answer she could give that fitted her stance was that my wife, late 70’s, delightfully shy, recent replacement knee, severe shingles-induced sciatica, should make her way alone through check-in, then passport control, security, boarding, muster station, then find our room (phobia of lifts), and then attend the Priority booking buffet, still alone, whilst I, 80 next month, dodgy knees and hip, should stand outside the building (there is no seating), case gone, car gone, phone gone, wife gone, for the next two and a quarter hours.

This silent, staring impasse was suddenly broken by the appearance of another P&O lady (the sent-for supervisor perhaps?) who, without comment, immediately ushered us through the doors and into the check-in building – we were on our way at last!

Our Boarding Passes were inspected a further 6 times during the process, all without any comment regarding the difference in times.

My wife was left shaky by the confrontation, whilst my main emotion was one of bemused astonishment that, after doing everything right by the book in asking Customer Services for advice, spending over £100,000 as customers of P&O over the years, and my wife being, at least in theory, a particularly valued priority customer, we could be treated this way.

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

[Selbourne]

Well I’m staggered. I appreciate that they have to follow the policies, but this is a classic case of left hand, right hand. Also, a distinct lack of common sense.
 

In all honesty, had it been me I would have printed off a copy of the email or kept my phone with me, anticipating that this could happen, but of course hindsight is a wonderful thing. I hope that you managed to enjoy your cruise in spite of the challenging start?

[bbtablet]

Yes, Selbourne, we had a great time with fantastic upper-70s calm sunny weather all the way until before the last port (Gibraltar) when we hit our own particular storm - a constant force 10 - and kept with it for nearly 5 days at sea (Gibraltar lost).

Room Service was fun. Our personal statistics were:

Chances of:

1) nothing arriving at all - 25%

2) at least one ordered item missing - 40%

3) missing cutlery - 10%

4) order not even collected, even though put out on door handle in good time - 15%

5) chased missing items promised but never arrived - 15%

 

They were all delivered with a smile and all got a tip of course, in any case - it was a source of amusement rather than anything else.

p.s. Strawberry smoothie to die for!

 

Not such fun was a non-flushing toilet for a 24 hour period early on, despite best efforts of crew - but then more fun with free automatic continuous sequences of bonus flushes, sometimes as many as 6 on the trot (if you pardon the expression) when no-one was even in the bathroom.

 

We all got coughs along our corridor and we used to cough each other to sleep every night.

Edited October 23, 2023 by bbtablet
more comment

[Presto2]

47 minutes ago, bbtablet said:

THE SEQUEL.

 

Readers of this thread may be interested to hear what actually happened on embarkation day – cruise R309, October 3^rd 2023. If you have not read this thread before, I suggest you start at the very beginning – the plot thickens!

 

We duly arrived outside the check-in building at 12.30pm – the Priority Boarding time given to my wife (mine was 2.45pm) – and in accordance with the email received from P&O Customer Services the previous Thursday – see earlier posting #15 on this thread.

 

The first P&O representative we met with outside the check-in building looked at the two Boarding Passes and said “You can’t come in.”

 

I told him he was wrong.

 

“Well, that’s what we’ve been told.”

 

I pointed out that I had received an email definitively stating P&O policy on the situation, but all he would say is “Well, that’s not what we have been told.” I asked him to fetch his supervisor and off he went – we did not see him again.

 

We stood to one side while waiting for his supervisor so that other passengers could pass through to the next two P&O “checkers” – two ladies. After a minute or so, with a lull in arrivals, they noticed us holding back and beckoned us forward to show them our two passes.

 

They seemed to be delighted that they had caught us! – “They are for different times so you can’t go in” in unison. I told them that we had received an email from Customer Services saying that we could both go in at 12.30.

 

“Well, they are wrong.”

 

“How can they say one thing and you say another? – don’t you communicate with each other?”

 

“Yes, we are always telling them that they are wrong, but they don’t do anything about it.”

 

“But I received this definitive statement of policy from them only last Thursday.”

 

Then this!: “P&O change the rules every day.”

 

One of the ladies, perhaps wisely, then moved away to deal with other arriving passengers, leaving the remaining one to continue:

 

 “Where is this email then?”

 

“It is on my computer at home and also on my phone which I packed in my case that has just gone through the luggage pod entrance” (I don’t use my smart-phone much so had seen no need to carry it with me at boarding).

 

“Why didn’t you print the email off?”

 

“As it was a definitive statement of policy, not a “turn up at 12.30 and see if you can wing it!” communication, it did not occur to me that its content would be challenged.” (Redabby – I did not see your post in time as we went down to Southampton via an overnight stay)

 

She then called me a liar: “You would be surprised how many people try to quote so-called communications from Customer Services just to get past us.”

 

Then: “In any case, even if you had such an email, they are wrong so you still can’t go through.”

 

At this point I told her I wasn’t listening to her anymore and my wife and I started edging forwards towards the entrance. She barred our way again and got right in my face. I decided to engage full beam and played my ace: “Tell me what you want me to do then” – no reply, just silence.

 

I asked her again “Tell me what you want me to do then” – again, no reply, just a staring silence.

 

I think she must have finally become aware of how far away from her training she was getting. The only answer she could give that fitted her stance was that my wife, late 70’s, delightfully shy, recent replacement knee, severe shingles-induced sciatica, should make her way alone through check-in, then passport control, security, boarding, muster station, then find our room (phobia of lifts), and then attend the Priority booking buffet, still alone, whilst I, 80 next month, dodgy knees and hip, should stand outside the building (there is no seating), case gone, car gone, phone gone, wife gone, for the next two and a quarter hours.

 

This silent, staring impasse was suddenly broken by the appearance of another P&O lady (the sent-for supervisor perhaps?) who, without comment, immediately ushered us through the doors and into the check-in building – we were on our way at last!

 

Our Boarding Passes were inspected a further 6 times during the process, all without any comment regarding the difference in times.

 

My wife was left shaky by the confrontation, whilst my main emotion was one of bemused astonishment that, after doing everything right by the book in asking Customer Services for advice, spending over £100,000 as customers of P&O over the years, and my wife being, at least in theory, a particularly valued priority customer, we could be treated this way.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shocked to be honest .... 

[Son of Bare]

1 hour ago, bbtablet said:

THE SEQUEL.

 

Readers of this thread may be interested to hear what actually happened on embarkation day – cruise R309, October 3^rd 2023. If you have not read this thread before, I suggest you start at the very beginning – the plot thickens!

 

We duly arrived outside the check-in building at 12.30pm – the Priority Boarding time given to my wife (mine was 2.45pm) – and in accordance with the email received from P&O Customer Services the previous Thursday – see earlier posting #15 on this thread.

 

The first P&O representative we met with outside the check-in building looked at the two Boarding Passes and said “You can’t come in.”

 

I told him he was wrong.

 

“Well, that’s what we’ve been told.”

 

I pointed out that I had received an email definitively stating P&O policy on the situation, but all he would say is “Well, that’s not what we have been told.” I asked him to fetch his supervisor and off he went – we did not see him again.

 

We stood to one side while waiting for his supervisor so that other passengers could pass through to the next two P&O “checkers” – two ladies. After a minute or so, with a lull in arrivals, they noticed us holding back and beckoned us forward to show them our two passes.

 

They seemed to be delighted that they had caught us! – “They are for different times so you can’t go in” in unison. I told them that we had received an email from Customer Services saying that we could both go in at 12.30.

 

“Well, they are wrong.”

 

“How can they say one thing and you say another? – don’t you communicate with each other?”

 

“Yes, we are always telling them that they are wrong, but they don’t do anything about it.”

 

“But I received this definitive statement of policy from them only last Thursday.”

 

Then this!: “P&O change the rules every day.”

 

One of the ladies, perhaps wisely, then moved away to deal with other arriving passengers, leaving the remaining one to continue:

 

 “Where is this email then?”

 

“It is on my computer at home and also on my phone which I packed in my case that has just gone through the luggage pod entrance” (I don’t use my smart-phone much so had seen no need to carry it with me at boarding).

 

“Why didn’t you print the email off?”

 

“As it was a definitive statement of policy, not a “turn up at 12.30 and see if you can wing it!” communication, it did not occur to me that its content would be challenged.” (Redabby – I did not see your post in time as we went down to Southampton via an overnight stay)

 

She then called me a liar: “You would be surprised how many people try to quote so-called communications from Customer Services just to get past us.”

 

Then: “In any case, even if you had such an email, they are wrong so you still can’t go through.”

 

At this point I told her I wasn’t listening to her anymore and my wife and I started edging forwards towards the entrance. She barred our way again and got right in my face. I decided to engage full beam and played my ace: “Tell me what you want me to do then” – no reply, just silence.

 

I asked her again “Tell me what you want me to do then” – again, no reply, just a staring silence.

 

I think she must have finally become aware of how far away from her training she was getting. The only answer she could give that fitted her stance was that my wife, late 70’s, delightfully shy, recent replacement knee, severe shingles-induced sciatica, should make her way alone through check-in, then passport control, security, boarding, muster station, then find our room (phobia of lifts), and then attend the Priority booking buffet, still alone, whilst I, 80 next month, dodgy knees and hip, should stand outside the building (there is no seating), case gone, car gone, phone gone, wife gone, for the next two and a quarter hours.

 

This silent, staring impasse was suddenly broken by the appearance of another P&O lady (the sent-for supervisor perhaps?) who, without comment, immediately ushered us through the doors and into the check-in building – we were on our way at last!

 

Our Boarding Passes were inspected a further 6 times during the process, all without any comment regarding the difference in times.

 

My wife was left shaky by the confrontation, whilst my main emotion was one of bemused astonishment that, after doing everything right by the book in asking Customer Services for advice, spending over £100,000 as customers of P&O over the years, and my wife being, at least in theory, a particularly valued priority customer, we could be treated this way.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

To play devils advocate here.

I find it interesting that by your own admission you have spent over 100k with PO but are not yet in Carribean tier (or above). If wifey has only done 'a couple more cruises' than you, a combined total of not much more than 400 nights seems a reasonable assumption?

Do the maths and that equates to a minmum of £500 per cabin pn (at todays prices). That's mostly Suite territory which have early embarkation anyhow.

And the further back you first cruised, the lower the average per cabin pn cost would be....

#confused.

 

I do however agree that it's ridiculous that a couple sharing the same cabin would be expected to board at different times.

 

As an aside, on a recent Azura fly cruise from Valletta, my wife and I were not sat together for the flight (we didn't pay the surcharge to choose our seats). She was several rows behind me.

This was not what we were expecting. It was difficult ordeal... we've only been together for 44 years, but we managed to get through it. 🤣

 

 

 

 

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, Son of Bare said:

To play devils advocate here.

I find it interesting that by your own admission you have spent over 100k with PO but are not yet in Carribean tier (or above). If wifey has only done 'a couple more cruises' than you, a combined total of not much more than 400 nights seems a reasonable assumption?

Do the maths and that equates to a minmum of £500 per cabin pn (at todays prices). That's mostly Suite territory which have early embarkation anyhow.

And the further back you first cruised, the lower the average per cabin pn cost would be....

#confused.

 

I do however agree that it's ridiculous that a couple sharing the same cabin would be expected to board at different times.

 

As an aside, on a recent Azura fly cruise from Valletta, my wife and I were not sat together for the flight (we didn't pay the surcharge to choose our seats). She was several rows behind me.

This was not what we were expecting. It was difficult ordeal... we've only been together for 44 years, but we managed to get through it. 🤣

 

 

 

 

But you had the chance to sit together if you wanted to and chose not to. 

 

Feel for the original poster on this one as they had checked with P&O and obviously wanted to be together to practical and other reasons.... basically we're a couple and want to board together please

 

Note to self - make sure you take any evidence with you to use incase it is needed.

[bbtablet]

1 hour ago, Son of Bare said:

To play devils advocate here.

I find it interesting that by your own admission you have spent over 100k with PO but are not yet in Carribean tier (or above). If wifey has only done 'a couple more cruises' than you, a combined total of not much more than 400 nights seems a reasonable assumption?

Do the maths and that equates to a minmum of £500 per cabin pn (at todays prices). That's mostly Suite territory which have early embarkation anyhow.

And the further back you first cruised, the lower the average per cabin pn cost would be....

#confused.

 

I do however agree that it's ridiculous that a couple sharing the same cabin would be expected to board at different times.

 

As an aside, on a recent Azura fly cruise from Valletta, my wife and I were not sat together for the flight (we didn't pay the surcharge to choose our seats). She was several rows behind me.

This was not what we were expecting. It was difficult ordeal... we've only been together for 44 years, but we managed to get through it. 🤣

 

 

 

 

Not sure what you are trying to prove - we have done about 440 nights now.

We have only had a suite once, all the rest were higher-end balcony cabins. No Priority Boarding until this time.

You don't appear to have taken into account our on-board spending, purchases of artwork, and jewellery, or the P&O tours which we buy at every port on every cruise.

You also do not know about the cruises we have paid for for other people.

I did not realise I was going to be challenged on here as well as at check-in! Otherwise I would have said "at today's prices" and "I know the artwork and jewellery are not being sold directly by P&O", but hey - ho!

[Son of Bare]

7 minutes ago, bbtablet said:

Not sure what you are trying to prove - we have done about 440 nights now.

We have only had a suite once, all the rest were higher-end balcony cabins. No Priority Boarding until this time.

You don't appear to have taken into account our on-board spending, purchases of artwork, and jewellery, or the P&O tours which we buy at every port on every cruise.

You also do not know about the cruises we have paid for for other people.

I did not realise I was going to be challenged on here as well as at check-in! Otherwise I would have said "at today's prices" and "I know the artwork and jewellery are not being sold directly by P&O", but hey - ho!

Not trying to prove anything.

As soon as I saw your headline figure of over 100k spent with PO I naturally compared it to our own spend. We are both Carribean tier members having mostly used balconies, spending a reasonable amount onboard, with excursions, select restaurants and bar bill and have only just gone past 50k.

I found the discrepancy startling but then we've not bought from the gallery or paid for anyone else.

 

 

 

[Son of Bare]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

But you had the chance to sit together if you wanted to and chose not to. 

 

Feel for the original poster on this one as they had checked with P&O and obviously wanted to be together to practical and other reasons.... basically we're a couple and want to board together please

 

Note to self - make sure you take any evidence with you to use incase it is needed.

Not quite the case. We chose not to pay extra to pick our seats, but we still expected to be sat together or across an aisle though as has happened previously. Those people we were sat next to were as surprised at the situation as we were, but as I rather sarcastically said, it wasn't a problem we managed it.

I agree with you, as said, it's a ridiculous position for the OP to be put in by PO.

Regards carrying evidence, absolutely, though I'm a bit non plussed that anyone who chooses to carry a phone does not have it on their person at all times, especially when travelling to a point of departure for a holiday with what that could potentially entail.

[david63]

5 hours ago, bbtablet said:

Any thoughts?

Take your business elsewhere where you may be treated as valued customers.

[mklions]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:07 PM, molecrochip said:

That’s wrong. A cabin boards together. If she is Caribbean then you can join her at 12.30. P&O don’t board separate members of cabins separately.

 

Where you may come unstuck is the embarkation lunch which technically you don’t qualify for. I suggest that you both attend with your wife checking in, and play ignorant of not qualifying. Whether you have luck depends upon how busy it is.

Do they still do the embarkation lunch at Southampton for suite guests and high ranking loyalty customers? If so how do you get to know about it?

[Selbourne]

10 minutes ago, mklions said:

Do they still do the embarkation lunch at Southampton for suite guests and high ranking loyalty customers? If so how do you get to know about it?

Yes, it’s in one of the ships main dining rooms. On some ships it’s a buffet. On others it’s a waiter served lunch. It’s for suite passengers and Caribbean and above loyalty tiers. They should tell those who qualify about it when you board, but they often don’t. There may be a card in your cabin which you come across having already had lunch! If you know that you qualify, ask which dining room it’s in when you board. The restaurant host will know that you are eligible. 

[Bill Y]

6 hours ago, bbtablet said:

THE SEQUEL.

 

Readers of this thread may be interested to hear what actually happened on embarkation day – cruise R309, October 3^rd 2023. If you have not read this thread before, I suggest you start at the very beginning – the plot thickens!

 

We duly arrived outside the check-in building at 12.30pm – the Priority Boarding time given to my wife (mine was 2.45pm) – and in accordance with the email received from P&O Customer Services the previous Thursday – see earlier posting #15 on this thread.

 

The first P&O representative we met with outside the check-in building looked at the two Boarding Passes and said “You can’t come in.”

 

I told him he was wrong.

 

“Well, that’s what we’ve been told.”

 

I pointed out that I had received an email definitively stating P&O policy on the situation, but all he would say is “Well, that’s not what we have been told.” I asked him to fetch his supervisor and off he went – we did not see him again.

 

We stood to one side while waiting for his supervisor so that other passengers could pass through to the next two P&O “checkers” – two ladies. After a minute or so, with a lull in arrivals, they noticed us holding back and beckoned us forward to show them our two passes.

 

They seemed to be delighted that they had caught us! – “They are for different times so you can’t go in” in unison. I told them that we had received an email from Customer Services saying that we could both go in at 12.30.

 

“Well, they are wrong.”

 

“How can they say one thing and you say another? – don’t you communicate with each other?”

 

“Yes, we are always telling them that they are wrong, but they don’t do anything about it.”

 

“But I received this definitive statement of policy from them only last Thursday.”

 

Then this!: “P&O change the rules every day.”

 

One of the ladies, perhaps wisely, then moved away to deal with other arriving passengers, leaving the remaining one to continue:

 

 “Where is this email then?”

 

“It is on my computer at home and also on my phone which I packed in my case that has just gone through the luggage pod entrance” (I don’t use my smart-phone much so had seen no need to carry it with me at boarding).

 

“Why didn’t you print the email off?”

 

“As it was a definitive statement of policy, not a “turn up at 12.30 and see if you can wing it!” communication, it did not occur to me that its content would be challenged.” (Redabby – I did not see your post in time as we went down to Southampton via an overnight stay)

 

She then called me a liar: “You would be surprised how many people try to quote so-called communications from Customer Services just to get past us.”

 

Then: “In any case, even if you had such an email, they are wrong so you still can’t go through.”

 

At this point I told her I wasn’t listening to her anymore and my wife and I started edging forwards towards the entrance. She barred our way again and got right in my face. I decided to engage full beam and played my ace: “Tell me what you want me to do then” – no reply, just silence.

 

I asked her again “Tell me what you want me to do then” – again, no reply, just a staring silence.

 

I think she must have finally become aware of how far away from her training she was getting. The only answer she could give that fitted her stance was that my wife, late 70’s, delightfully shy, recent replacement knee, severe shingles-induced sciatica, should make her way alone through check-in, then passport control, security, boarding, muster station, then find our room (phobia of lifts), and then attend the Priority booking buffet, still alone, whilst I, 80 next month, dodgy knees and hip, should stand outside the building (there is no seating), case gone, car gone, phone gone, wife gone, for the next two and a quarter hours.

 

This silent, staring impasse was suddenly broken by the appearance of another P&O lady (the sent-for supervisor perhaps?) who, without comment, immediately ushered us through the doors and into the check-in building – we were on our way at last!

 

Our Boarding Passes were inspected a further 6 times during the process, all without any comment regarding the difference in times.

 

My wife was left shaky by the confrontation, whilst my main emotion was one of bemused astonishment that, after doing everything right by the book in asking Customer Services for advice, spending over £100,000 as customers of P&O over the years, and my wife being, at least in theory, a particularly valued priority customer, we could be treated this way.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am shocked that this sort of thing is still happening. I was aware that there were reports a year ago that port employees were not allowing priority boarders to enter, but I thought that all was was well and truly behind us. In May at Mayflower we approached the doorman he asked about boarding passes and I went to remove them from a plastic document carrier but he saw "priority" on one though the plastic and invited us in, although if I had produced them they were both the same. A lady inside looked at them more closely and told us to proceed to check in, were they were stamped "OK to board" I can't remember if they were checked as we boarded but it was a very smooth operation certainty not inspected seven times. Suggest expressing your shock and dissatisfaction to "Executive correspondence" etc as they need to get a grip on their contractors or indeed their staff issuing emails that do not reflect the companies position,

Edited October 23, 2023 by Bill Y

[zap99]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

Do they still do the embarkation lunch at Southampton for suite guests and high ranking loyalty customers? If so how do you get to know about it?

Not being at those lofty heights I don't know the answer to a question ' a friend asked '. At these suite and high ranking customers exclusive lunches, do they all discuss what level they have reached and how much they have spent ?. On a Royal Caribbean cruise a fellow guest enthralled us all with his Crown and Anchor society pins.....What pin have you achieved ? he asked. I just opened my dinner jacket and showed him the C&A label....jeez , how many nights to get a C&A tux.

[Fionboard]

In my experience, a passenger not eligible for embarkation lunch can attend if sharing a cabin with someone who is eligible and same goes with boarding times. P&O need to sort this out.