Babybooface

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Drop your luggage off at the port... 

When you don’t drive and aren’t able bodied it isn’t as simple as that. Even more difficult being a solo traveller . Having to carry all the hand luggage myself .

17 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Why is it inconvenient? We go to Ikea or M&S/Sainsburys. No problem. 

As you can’t pull your suitcases around those places. I would imagine . Not everyone has a car to leave luggage in. 

1 hour ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I think comparing hotels and cruise lines might be more apposite.  Don't most hotels have an earliest check-in time of 3 or 4 pm?  People travel a long way to hotels, and they have families with them.  But, it's often impossible to check in until the designated time, although it can sometimes be allowed if you pay extra.  My wife was at a Premier Inn in London last week and arrived at 1445 and was told that she would have to pay £10 if she wanted to check in before 1500.  With P&O, you can effectively buy early check-in by paying for a suite or by achieving a sufficient level in the loyalty scheme.  I think it is also relevant that UK and US cruise lines - or all the ones I have travelled on - sell cruises by 'nights', rather than 'days'.  So, the argument that one is losing out part of the cruise one has paid for unless one can board as early as possible on the first day does not hold true - whatever time you board on that first day you are still getting the 7 or 14 night cruise you paid for.    I've also travelled on Costa - they sell 8 or 15 day cruises, so late boarders could have a fair point in respect of them - ironically, Costa's boarding is probably the most shambolic I've ever encountered.  

But when I arrive at a hotel before my check in. I will be able to sit in the lobby get a drink and use the toilets. They don’t say go wait outside till your time .P&O are expecting people to queue outside in all weathers without shelter or a seat and no access to the toilets . I know it’s me who is arriving early due to relying on public transport. Not everyone has the luxury of a car and timing their arrival to an exact time. I don’t expect to get on early but somewhere comfortable to wait wouldn’t be too much to ask. Considering it’s to get really hot over the next few weeks and the terminal has seats upstairs that are lying empty . 

Thanks everyone . So I just leave the early queue and go to normal boarding at my time I don’t wait on my time being called.. I shouldn’t have too long to wait then. 

Hi just wondering how the new system is working.  I booked a last minute cruise and been given 2pm check in . I’m traveling by train as a solo passenger and my train gets in at 1230. As I will have all my luggage myself I’m going to head straight to the port in a taxi. I know I’m going to be put in a queue of people who have arrived early. But what happens ? When it gets close to 2pm do I leave that queue and go straight to the normal boarding with people who have just arrived on time for the check in and not early. Or am I stuck in the early queue till it clears? 

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We had 3 cancelled. Could well have had the offer and completely missed it, as we weren’t remotely interested in cruising when it restarted with all the on board restrictions and fear of cabin confinement etc. Maybe they knew I was a lost cause at that stage, so they didn’t bother to send it to me 😂 

Who knows how they worked it . It’s long past now it was the start of last year I got the email. Yeah it was at a time when we weren’t sure if cruising was ever going to return to normal. 

12 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. I don’t remember that one. 

I don’t know what the criteria was some seemed to suggest it was people who has cruises cancelled  during covid. We had two cancelled for covid so could have been that .

7 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I must have missed that promotion? What does it entail?

It was an email send out last year to encourage people back on board. You had to book a seaview or above on select fare to get a free ultimate drink package. .

Wonder if  those of us with the  free ultimate package promotion  can pay to upgrade to this. 

Thank you for replies I will make sure to print off extra luggage labels to attach at hotel 

I’m sorry if this is a stupid question . We are staying in a hotel the night before our cruise. I was going to back our overnight stuff into a rucksack . When I get to port can I dropped off my rucksack in with the suitcases? To save me carrying it around as it will be bulky . Or is it only suitcases your allowed to drop off to be delivered to room? 

52 minutes ago, TigerB said:

Just eight days after booking and getting a bargain fare, we're on board and eager to get going.

Easy drive down from East Yorkshire, leaving at 07:00 and dropping our bags off at 11:50. Nipped to Asda for a couple of last minute bits, and returned to the terminal and hour before our scheduled check-in time. Waved through and were in the Keel & Cow bar area just twenty minutes later.

I took the advice of others on here and logged onto My Holiday while in the terminal and bagged a couple of 710 club shows.

 

The ship is rammed full. No chance of an upgrade! 

 

Whilst sat in the bar, at 13:45, heard the most obnoxious couple being so rude to a waitress. They walked right up to her, and the woman was right in her face. She said on a loud voice so all around could hear, "Why are we here, and not in our cabin"? The poor lass apologised and tried to direct them to Reception. And again, "I'm asking you, why isn't our cabin ready"? I was about to get up and intervene, but our lass looked straight at me and said, "B, leave it".   What a totally self important #@&# (rhymes with cat); the woman, not our lass.

 

Will check in later, hopefully.

Fantastic someone on another site has been saying those who turned up early today were made to queue outside until their time . Great you got on.

1 hour ago, Jennizor said:

We had the same free package last September. No problems with the drinks package but  spending the extra OBC took us a while at the end of the cruise. Finished up buying two Radley bags and a silver dress watch. 

Oh very nice . My last cruise we seen so many people clearing out the gift shops of sweets on the last night trying to use it all up .

Thank you part of me is worried it’s too good to be true .

Just wondering if anyone who received the free drink package promotion email sent out last year has cruised and got the package ok.  Can’t help but worry that there is no mention of it anywhere on the paperwork. But P&O have said that it’s fine and the extra onboard credit and package won’t show up on the confirmations. But will be applied on board.

Thank you so much for the reply’s looks like I was worrying for nothing .

Thank you so much for your brilliant reply. Yeah just the three of us . He will be in a wheelchair . I am just panicking I had visions of him been wheeled on and us left waiting at the terminal for a few hours  and he wouldn’t be able to cope on his own . It’s been so stressful organising all his medical needs and getting insurance for him to go etc. You have really put my mind at rest . Thank you so much . 

Hi we are travelling on Iona with my elderly father who I care for. We are booked in two different cabins next to each other and linked but we have separate booking numbers.  I have just emailed to ask for help for boarding for him . I’m just worried he will be allocated a different boarding time to us as we have separate booking numbers. Does anyone know what would happen If his assisted boarding was say 2pm but my husbands and I say were 4pm. I don’t know If we would be allowed to board with him as I’m his carer. I would be happy to all wait till the later time but would he still be able to get help to board if he didn’t arrive at the time allocated to him. Sorry if that is confusing . 

Thank you so much Michele. 

Hi thanks for replies it’s our honeymoon and my parents were asking if they could pay money for us to the account before we go . 

Is it possible to pay money into your onboard account before you leave please? 

Someone posted on Facebook that the DSC can now be removed for U.K. passengers at the end of the cruise if they wish I think they heard it from their travel agent 

Has anyone who hasn’t chosen to contact MSC actually heard a word from them about this? So many people will be blissfully unaware . I also wonder why MSC are offering people half price if paid upfront if your from certain country’s. If this was about the staff getting there fair share of tips why accept half won’t they get less money . Maybe others are happy to hand over hundreds of pounds before they receive a service and like sheep pay up no matter what kind of service they receive . 

4 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

OK, so are you confirming your intent was to remove the service charge? 

No but I want the option to modify it or remove it as I was told I could when I booked I specifically asked this question directly to them before I booked . When you are travelling with 4 in a cabin it sure racks up and if we had a waiter like we did on our last MSC cruise I should have the option to remove and MSC confirmed this to me before I booked . 

I’m disgusted with MSC and after this upcoming cruise I refuse to travel with them again. I emailed them stating I booked my cruise over a year ago and could they let me know that this applys to only new bookings and recieved this

We can confirm that for all cruises sailing from 31st March 2019 all passengers will be required to pay for our Service Charge on-board. These service charges are mandatory and cannot be removed.