Ocean Terminal Southampton

[mossie]

Hi,

hoping someone can help!

Got an embarkation time of 3pm from Ocean terminal.

Will be staying in hotel night before so when we check out around 11.30 we'll take a taxi and the plan is to drop off our luggage then get the taxi to drop us somewhere for a drink/light lunch rather tan waiting in the terminal.

 

Any suggestions of eating/drinking places near Ocean Terminal that we can then safely walk from (weather permitting!) or would it be safer to have another taxi to drop us back off nearer our embarkation time?

 

TIA

 

Mossie

[Cj hanlon]

Ennios is very nice Italian. Close to terminal too. 32 Bernard Street

Southampton

SO14 3AY

 

 

 

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[SoupPlease]

We treat the embarkation time as a guideline rather than an instruction. Having said that, it is over a year since our last cruise.

 

We board as a early as we can and enjoy lunch onboard.

[john watson]

We treat the embarkation time as a guideline rather than an instruction. Having said that, it is over a year since our last cruise.

 

We board as a early as we can and enjoy lunch onboard.

 

Obviously this will not be possible for everybody. An alternative is to book non-alcohol "Cruise Lounge" places at The Grand Harbour Hotel. This facility is open to residents and non-residents alike and includes them looking after your luggage as well as concierge transfer to quayside 7am to 7pm. Light snacks and refreshments are available without further charge.

 

I think it's generally best to checkout of hotels as late as possible and some offer a "late check out" at a small charge which can be useful. Sitting in the foyer post-check out is another option but 3pm is a bit long for that strategy.

 

You could turn up at terminal after lunch and they will try to slot you in earlier. They will always try to do this but they will prioritise travellers arriving closer to their allotted times. In which case ther is a little snack/drinks bar in the terminal.

 

Good Luck

 

John

Edited November 30, 2016 by john watson

[davecttr]

If you like a decent pint with your lunch the Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis (Wetherspoons) is about 750 yards away

[daiB]

We treat the embarkation time as a guideline rather than an instruction. Having said that, it is over a year since our last cruise.

 

We board as a early as we can and enjoy lunch onboard.

 

 

You may have gathered SoupPlease that things have changed.

 

 

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[Cruise Puss]

They are boarding passengers as near to their boarding times as possible and have been asking passengers to turn up at their allotted times for quite a while now so turning up nearer to, rather than further away, from your allotted time would seem to be the right thing to do.

 

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[mossie]

Thanks for the replies.

 

We've only cruised once since they started to enforce the embarkation times & were lucky to have 1pm then

 

Don't fancy sitting around for ages this time, we might just drop off the cases then go and kill time in Weatherspoons, especially if its dry not far to walk back to the terminal!

 

Mossie

[SoupPlease]

They are boarding passengers as near to their boarding times as possible and have been asking passengers to turn up at their allotted times for quite a while now so turning up nearer to, rather than further away, from your allotted time would seem to be the right thing to do.

 

Sent from my Sony Z1 Compact.

 

My last cruise from Southampton was July 2015, so am not clear if the process has changed. If for example I was provided with an embarkation time of 15:00 but arrived at the terminal at 12:00, is there any evidence that I would be treated any differently from a person with an embarkation time of 13:00 arriving at the terminal at the same time as me?

 

I appreciate that P&O are trying to smooth out the arrival of passengers at the terminal but not sure whether the stated embarkation times are a guideline or a rule which will be enforced.

 

Feedback from those who have had their check-in and/or boarding influenced by arriving at the terminal long before their stated embarkation time would be appreciated.

[john watson]

My last cruise from Southampton was July 2015, so am not clear if the process has changed. If for example I was provided with an embarkation time of 15:00 but arrived at the terminal at 12:00, is there any evidence that I would be treated any differently from a person with an embarkation time of 13:00 arriving at the terminal at the same time as me?

 

 

Yes; there is a major difference where you get given a big plastic letter. A year or so back as people arrived at top of escalator a couple of ladies gave you an "H" for example but they had a few "G" cards too and I always looked at the ladies and tried to walk left or right to try and get the earlier letter.

 

More recently the ladies inspect closely your check in time document and look at the time. They have the current boarding letter displayed on a TV and can seemingly allocate any letter A-Z in different colours from a big rack they have.

 

I suspect they routinely issue current letter to people arriving at the precise allocated time, give a letter one or two down the alphabet for people close to the allocated time etc. Very early arrivers probably get a letter several down the alphabet. I believe they also look at passengers on the basis of being a bit frail or having a multi pushchair problem etc. and being more lenient on those types of groups. If you are in the least bit rude or impatient you may well get the Black "Z".

 

Just my thoughts and ot all terminals run exactly like this.

 

Regards John

Edited December 1, 2016 by john watson

[daiB]

My last cruise from Southampton was July 2015, so am not clear if the process has changed. If for example I was provided with an embarkation time of 15:00 but arrived at the terminal at 12:00, is there any evidence that I would be treated any differently from a person with an embarkation time of 13:00 arriving at the terminal at the same time as me?

 

 

 

I appreciate that P&O are trying to smooth out the arrival of passengers at the terminal but not sure whether the stated embarkation times are a guideline or a rule which will be enforced.

 

 

 

Feedback from those who have had their check-in and/or boarding influenced by arriving at the terminal long before their stated embarkation time would be appreciated.

 

 

With regard to your first para. There is a big difference. For a start embarkation does not start until 12.30 to 12.45, depending on the ship. Suites and Ligurian go first then Baltic and Caribbean then after that the timed cards. Depending on the cruise this can be as late as 13.30. If you arrive at 12.00 for 15.00 you wait.

 

 

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[Cruise Puss]

My last cruise from Southampton was July 2015, so am not clear if the process has changed. If for example I was provided with an embarkation time of 15:00 but arrived at the terminal at 12:00, is there any evidence that I would be treated any differently from a person with an embarkation time of 13:00 arriving at the terminal at the same time as me?

 

I appreciate that P&O are trying to smooth out the arrival of passengers at the terminal but not sure whether the stated embarkation times are a guideline or a rule which will be enforced.

 

Feedback from those who have had their check-in and/or boarding influenced by arriving at the terminal long before their stated embarkation time would be appreciated.

 

I will try to explain, in concise a manner as possible, the old and new procedures:-

 

Old Procedure

 

1. You're given a boarding time.

2. You turn up at that time and go through check-in. On entering the waiting lounge you are given a card with a letter on it, A,B,C, etc.

3, An annoucement is made asking for all passengers with, say, the letter 'G' to board.

4. On boarding you cannot go straight to your cabin, but have to wait for an announcement that cabins are ready for occupation.

 

New Procedure

 

1. You're given a boarding time.

2. You turn up at or around that time, check in, and go straight on to the ship.

3. You're cabin is ready for you immediately.

 

 

There are exceptions to the above new ruling.

 

1. If you have booked a Suite, Mini-Suite or are a Ligurian member of the Penisular Club you will always get a boarding time of 12:30pm and should be on board by 1pm at the latest.

 

2. If you are a Caribbean or Baltic member of the Penisular Club you will be able to board at 1pm, even if you are given a different boarding time on your ticket.

 

 

Unfortunately there are still loads and loads of passengers turning up way before their allotted boarding times and, therefore, filling up the waiting areas, which is not particularly helpful, and this is when, I believe, they still issue letters.

 

P&O are, as far as I am aware, enforcing the new procedure.

 

However, I'm sure you will hear of instances where people have gotton on way before their allotted boarding time.

 

Hope this helps. :)

Edited December 1, 2016 by Cruise Puss

[SoupPlease]

Thanks Cruise Puss, very clear.

 

As indicated, the process has changed since I last cruised out of Southampton.

[FAB1]

This is what P&O have to say about the new boarding procedure. You will see that you are still welcome to arrive earlier than your boarding time, especially if you are checking out of a hotel or due to your travel plans. They also state that they will do their best to check you in as soon as they can 😊

 

So, what’s changed?

In the spirit of fairness, we will be giving priority to those who arrive at their allotted time. You are welcome to arrive earlier of course, but if you do we will ask you to make yourself comfortable in the terminal until we are able to check you in. This may well be before your allotted time, we promise we won’t make you wait around unnecessarily. Please note that the earliest possible arrival time is now 12.30pm, which is reserved for our Ligurian Tier and suite guests (please see below).

 

 

 

What if I can’t arrive at the allotted time?

We realise that it’s not always possible to arrive at a scheduled time, especially if you’re travelling a long way, or are checking out from a hotel. So if you do arrive early, please rest assured that we will do our best to get you checked in and on board as soon as possible. There are refreshments available at the terminal and plenty of seating to make you comfortable should you have to wait. Alternatively, feel free to drop off your luggage from 12pm and come back to the cruise terminal at your Arrival Time.

[gadabout60]

We were booked on Celebrity Eclipse at the end of October

We had a suggested boarding time of 1pm

 

Our taxi turned up early and our journey to Southampton was a dream - never have the roads been so quiet on a Saturday. We were at the terminal by 11.30.

We dropped the luggage and were ushered straight through security. We were then 4th in a queue feeding 6 desks so we only waited about 2 minutes

I mentioned to the security man that we had never had a smoother boarding and that last time with P&O had been a nightmare. His response was that P&O need to get their act together as all the other cruiselines can do boarding so much smoother than them. He told us that they did it their way to save costs.

 

We were on the ship sipping our prosecco at 11.45. We then had lunch and were in our cabin shortly after 1pm. Lovely relaxing start to our holiday. No cruise lien is perfect but Celebrity can certainly be pleased with their boarding procedures.