9:30 am from Southampton too early?

[john watson]

6 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

The couple that were in front of us were carrying a single small bag. They were stopped by a steward in the terminal who asked where their luggage was. "We are going to collect it now" was their answer. At this point they were directed to a waiting area and advised that general disembarkation had not yet commenced as luggage was still being unloaded and moved to the baggage hall.

 

So they had either missed or deliberately chosen to ignore the disembarkation information that would have been left in their cabin for them to read.

 

I do not think you will have any problems self disembarking and if challenged you will be able to demonstrate that you are carrying all your luggage (if you really need to).

 

 

It is not a good idea to participate in the organised luggage carry off by the crew and them try to self-disembark.  This is because once in the baggage hall the staff expect passengers to  leave the area immediately.  The organised luggage will be coming into a separated off area in large pallet type containers and spread out in piles.  They do not tolerate people waiting in the baggage hall who have disembarked before they are told to. This is all part of organising things Only passengers whose luggage has been laid out in the hall are wanted in the hall and the staff keep in contact on progress by radio.

 

Regards John

Edited April 22 by john watson

[DamianG]

23 minutes ago, john watson said:

It is not a good idea to participate in the organised luggage carry off by the crew and them try to self-disembark.  This is because once in the baggage hall the staff expect passengers to  leave the area immediately.  The organised luggage will be coming into a separated off area in large pallet type containers and spread out in piles.  They do not tolerate people waiting in the baggage hall who have disembarked before they are told to. This is all part of organising things Only passengers whose luggage has been laid out in the hall are wanted in the hall and the staff keep in contact on progress by radio.

 

Regards John

I completely agree, sadly there were a load of passengers being intercepted on that particular cruise. 

[9265359]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

It is not a good idea to participate in the organised luggage carry off by the crew and them try to self-disembark.  This is because once in the baggage hall the staff expect passengers to  leave the area immediately.  The organised luggage will be coming into a separated off area in large pallet type containers and spread out in piles. 

 

Whenever I have self-disembarked (with my luggage) it has involved walking though the normal hall, and all the normal disembarkation luggage had already been already set out for collection in the hall and none of the staff were engaged in putting any more out.

[john watson]

39 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

Whenever I have self-disembarked (with my luggage) it has involved walking though the normal hall, and all the normal disembarkation luggage had already been already set out for collection in the hall and none of the staff were engaged in putting any more out.

 

I suspect if you were really early the forklifts would still be unloading. Once all the cases are laid out they ten start calling colour groups in the set sequence. I accidently disembarked one cruise due to a misunderstanding and was invited to disembark. The gangway guy, I assume thought we were self-disembarking when we were not and quite happy to wait.. We were just moving from one lounge to another and passing the disembarkation gangway.  Once in the hall our cases were still on pallets and they did not like us waiting.

 

Regards John

 

 

Edited April 22 by john watson

[9265359]

11 hours ago, john watson said:

I suspect if you were really early the forklifts would still be unloading.

 

They were not at the times that I self-disembarked, which tended to be around 7.30 to 7.45am.

 

11 hours ago, john watson said:

Once all the cases are laid out they ten start calling colour groups in the set sequence. I accidently disembarked one cruise due to a misunderstanding and was invited to disembark. The gangway guy, I assume thought we were self-disembarking when we were not and quite happy to wait.. We were just moving from one lounge to another and passing the disembarkation gangway.  Once in the hall our cases were still on pallets and they did not like us waiting.

 

Hence the people that ignore the disembarkation time slots - all the bags are out and waiting, and nobody is actually checking that you are in that particular slot, they just want you gone from the ship to get it ready for the next load of passengers.

[ohnonotmeagain]

Genuine question, not being snarky, what is the position of asking for self disembarkation (7.30_8.00ish) but actually getting off the ship at say 9 and just walking off? Would anyone actually stop you/ care?

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, ohnonotmeagain said:

Genuine question, not being snarky, what is the position of asking for self disembarkation (7.30_8.00ish) but actually getting off the ship at say 9 and just walking off? Would anyone actually stop you/ care?

You don’t actually register for self disembarkation and nobody ever checks what disembarkation time you have been allocated when you leave the ship during normal disembarkation, so technically this is possible. However, this would only work for those with hand luggage who are relaxed about what time they leave, given that there can sometimes be a pause between self and standard disembarkation if baggage trolleys are still being offloaded. However, if you attempted to do this with suitcases then you would rightly be challenged, as lifts are at a premium during normal disembarkation.

[9265359]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

However, if you attempted to do this with suitcases then you would rightly be challenged

 

No experience of this, but I am sure that the crew would be rightly grumpy with you about it, and I suppose that possibly they might tell you to wait until all the other disembarkation groups have left.

 

However I rather suspect that they would just want rid of you and you would be ushered off in a gap between the groups with a flea in your ear and told not to do it again.

[happy v]

On our last cruise. We were coming down just before 8am. After 3 lifts had passed full. We got in one which went up then came back down. It stopped on most floors but was already full. There was however a bloke waiting on one with three cases, each one larger than me! I suspect he was there rather a long time.

[MyriamS]

Many people in this thread blame the selfish and unruly passengers who do not respect their disembarkation time. However, it does look like P&O could do more to make the disembarkation process more pleasant, which would increase compliance.

 

First, I would have the self-disembarkation and disembarkation happen simultaneously, just in two different lines. For regular disembarkation, take the leftmost line which leads you to the luggage hall to find your suitcases. For self-disembarkation, take the rightmost line which goes through the luggage hall but is roped off. This means that self-disembarking passengers are not blocking regular passengers from finding their items, nor are being blocked by them from exiting the hall asap.

 

Then, ask passengers to opt for regular disembarkation or self-disembarkation, and choose a disembarkation slot in the "app". Regular disembarkation time slots could be 30min long because it takes time for passengers to locate all their luggage. Self-disembarkation slots could pack the same amount of passengers in only 15min, because the only bottlenecks to self-disembarkation is the crew scanning your card.

 

Wishes could be granted in order of loyalty. People who have cruised with P&O for years would have their wishes granted almost always, and be rewarded for their loyalty. People who are new to P&O would still stand a chance to get their preferred disembarkation time, especially if they are willing to self-disembark.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, MyriamS said:

Many people in this thread blame the selfish and unruly passengers who do not respect their disembarkation time. However, it does look like P&O could do more to make the disembarkation process more pleasant, which would increase compliance.

 

First, I would have the self-disembarkation and disembarkation happen simultaneously, just in two different lines. For regular disembarkation, take the leftmost line which leads you to the luggage hall to find your suitcases. For self-disembarkation, take the rightmost line which goes through the luggage hall but is roped off. This means that self-disembarking passengers are not blocking regular passengers from finding their items, nor are being blocked by them from exiting the hall asap.

 

Then, ask passengers to opt for regular disembarkation or self-disembarkation, and choose a disembarkation slot in the "app". Regular disembarkation time slots could be 30min long because it takes time for passengers to locate all their luggage. Self-disembarkation slots could pack the same amount of passengers in only 15min, because the only bottlenecks to self-disembarkation is the crew scanning your card.

 

Wishes could be granted in order of loyalty. People who have cruised with P&O for years would have their wishes granted almost always, and be rewarded for their loyalty. People who are new to P&O would still stand a chance to get their preferred disembarkation time, especially if they are willing to self-disembark.

Self disembarking is done before normal disembarkation to enable those passengers wanting an early departure and willing to handle their own luggage to achieve it. If you dont need an early departure, but still prefer to carry your own luggage, then I am sure P&O will be happy for you to do just that. But dont expect them to provide a queue free line for you, you would have to patiently wait in the queues, which can slow you down, quite significantly.

Edited April 23 by terrierjohn

[MyriamS]

39 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Self disembarking is done before normal disembarkation to enable those passengers wanting an early departure and willing to handle their own luggage to achieve it. If you dont need an early departure, but still prefer to carry your own luggage, then I am sure P&O will be happy for you to do just that. But dont expect them to provide a queue free line for you, you would have to patiently wait in the queues, which can slow you down, quite significantly.

Now I'm confused because I was told by most people in this thread that I cannot just join a queue to leave the ship. Either I need to self-disembark early, or wait for my normal disembarkation slot (that is assigned to me a couple of days before arrival and that I might not be able to change). 

 

Anyway my earlier post were just suggestions of things that could ease the queues for everyone. It makes sense that self-disembarkation starts before normal disembarkation, but I don't see why it has to end before it. You could have both happening at the same time with no congestion if you would split the queues.

 

[happy v]

I think the point is. To get everyone with lots of luggage away from the lifts so there is room for passengers.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, happy v said:

I think the point is. To get everyone with lots of luggage away from the lifts so there is room for passengers.

Exactly and this point has been made several times. Me thinks someone is being deliberately provocative 🤔

[MyriamS]

If you're referring to me, I assure you I was not being provocative. I just assumed self-disembarking passengers would not have much luggage (it would be highly impractical to drag several large suitcases around the ship and terminal, even with lifts!) and disembarking passengers would have almost none (since they left it outside their cabins) so the lifts would not be too crowded. But clearly I am wrong. I'll keep my suggestions to myself in the future. 

[Selbourne]

6 minutes ago, MyriamS said:

If you're referring to me, I assure you I was not being provocative. I just assumed self-disembarking passengers would not have much luggage (it would be highly impractical to drag several large suitcases around the ship and terminal, even with lifts!) and disembarking passengers would have almost none (since they left it outside their cabins) so the lifts would not be too crowded. But clearly I am wrong. I'll keep my suggestions to myself in the future. 

You are wrong I’m afraid. Many folk using self disembarkation are carrying suitcases, not just hand luggage. They use the facility as they wish to get off early, not necessarily just because they are travelling light. Furthermore, as the husband of a full time wheelchair user, I can assure you that trying to get in a lift during normal disembarkation can be the most challenging time of the cruise, even when people just have hand luggage. If suitcases are added into the equation it adds another level of problems. That’s why self disembarkation is always early, to get those folk out of the way before the peak period of lift usage kicks in. 

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, MyriamS said:

Now I'm confused because I was told by most people in this thread that I cannot just join a queue to leave the ship. Either I need to self-disembark early, or wait for my normal disembarkation slot (that is assigned to me a couple of days before arrival and that I might not be able to change). 

 

Anyway my earlier post were just suggestions of things that could ease the queues for everyone. It makes sense that self-disembarkation starts before normal disembarkation, but I don't see why it has to end before it. You could have both happening at the same time with no congestion if you would split the queues.

 

Since very few numbers normally self disembark, then splitting the queue would result in doubling the time taken for standard disembarking passengers  which I think you will agree would be grossly unfair.

[john watson]

4 hours ago, MyriamS said:

Now I'm confused because I was told by most people in this thread that I cannot just join a queue to leave the ship. Either I need to self-disembark early, or wait for my normal disembarkation slot (that is assigned to me a couple of days before arrival and that I might not be able to change). 

 

 

 

I believe if you wish to self-disembark you are really saying that you and all your companions are able to carry all your luggage off the ship unassisted. That is all. If you leave at a time when a large crowd of people are disembarking and they have very little luggage you will impede them to some extent. This is not the best idea when you look at the overall picture.  In addition if you have heavy suitcases and feel it is unsafe to go down escalators etc. and want to opt for the lifts this is a bit selfish insofar as people in wheelchairs have no option but to use the lift. I should not do this as getting off later with traditional night time collection of cases is easily organised by talking to reception.  There is never a fight to get the last disembarkation group by huge numbers of passengers.

 

Regards John

Edited April 23 by john watson

[Golfwidow100]

We have self disembarked several times from different cruise lines/ships when on fly cruises to the USA/Americas and on every occasion we have each had a large suitcase, soft cabin bag and backpack. We self disembark to maximise our time prior to going to the airport and usually hire a car to do some more sightseeing. We do enjoy the formal nights and dressing up for dinner so for us it's not an excessive amount of luggage.

Sailing from/to Southampton we usually have far more! 

[purplesea]

On 4/21/2024 at 4:48 PM, Selbourne said:

They always get back on time, so you needn’t worry about that! The ships are usually docked by around 6am. We’ve never done self disembarkation, so others can confirm the precise timings, but I think it’s usually between around 7.15 and 8am. If you intend to stay in your cabin until 8am and then go for a quick breakfast you will be too late for self disembarkation and will have to wait for regular disembarkation. Your best bet is to grab a very early breakfast in the buffet and self disembark. It’s quite a walk to the station, especially with luggage, but you will be fine with a 9.30am train if you self disembark. 

We sailed on Britannia in September last year and due to bad weather didn't dock in Southampton until 10am.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, purplesea said:

We sailed on Britannia in September last year and due to bad weather didn't dock in Southampton until 10am.

In March Iona was nearly 2 hours late back because of a helicopter  medevac, and main disembarkation did not start till about 9:45.

[Harryjacobs]

We self disembarked on our last 2 cruises.  1 was with Arcadia and 1 with Iona.  We had 1 x suitcase each and I also had a daybag on my back.  The procedure is actually well thought out and very slick.  Both times we had early breakfast at 6am then on Arcadia we went straight off the gangway at 7am.  Iona had a queue to get off the ship at at 7am but took around about 10 minutes.

On both occasions the crew were still putting luggage off the ship into the baggage hall.

As others have said the reason self disembarkation is given a very early slot is to get those people with lots of luggage (us) off the ship and out of the way.

As you are a light traveller my reccomendation to you is to do as we do and self disembark at around 7am to 7.30 am in order to for you to walk to the station in time.

Edited April 24 by Harryjacobs

[david63]

The self disembarking/timed disembarking problem could easily be solved by having two exit points - this is done when the ship is in port.

 

The self disembarking exit would go straight to customs bypassing the baggage hall, which would have the added benefit of delaying queue jumpers, whilst the timed disembarkation would be as normal. The two could then quite easily operate side by side.

 

I do think though that at some point in the future self disembarkation will be stopped and all luggage will go into the baggage hall and anyone trying to disembark with cases will have to wait until the end. The reason why I think that this could happen is that more passengers appear to be wanting to self disembark with the result that the ship becomes gridlocked with passengers and cases everywhere.

 

To be honest I have never understood the need to rush to get off the ship at the earliest opportunity rather than in a calm orderly manner.

Edited April 24 by david63

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

The self disembarking/timed disembarking problem could easily be solved by having two exit points - this is done when the ship is in port.

I’m not sure that’s practical in Southampton, where they use an air bridge at all terminals.

We’ve not used self disembarkation but, as mentioned, one of our daughters used it disembarking Iona in August school holidays, when the ship was packed, and had no issue with it all. Any issues with regular disembarkation could easily be solved if P&O adopted the much better system that sister company Cunard use 🤔

[9265359]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

The self disembarking exit would go straight to customs bypassing the baggage hall, which would have the added benefit of delaying queue jumpers

 

Those who want to jump the queue will simply leave whenever they want anyway.

 

2 hours ago, david63 said:

I do think though that at some point in the future self disembarkation will be stopped and all luggage will go into the baggage hall and anyone trying to disembark with cases will have to wait until the end.

 

No chance. At the moment the slot before normal disembarkation gives those who want to self-disembark (for whatever reason) an opportunity to do so, just they need to do it at that time which virtually all accept - and I would actually bet that a significant number of those few people disembarking with bags during the normal disembarkation are not 'self-disembarking' but new cruisers who simply didn't realise the process of leaving bags outside.

 

And if they did change and said there was no disembarkation with the 'punishment' that if you didn't you had to wait until the end, then it would just be more hassle for the staff as people argued with them.

 

As before, the crew want you gone. If that is done at your allocated time that is great, but if it isn't they still want you gone.