Starting cruise in St Lucia

[jones721]

Anyone got any feedback on flying into St Lucia and the journey / timings from the airport to the ship and vice versa? Or is there another thread on here with any details? Sailing Britannia next December.

 

Thanks,

Tracey

[sueandphil]

Done it flying back last November and the journey to the airport was about an hour. It is quite a small airport compared to Barbados with limited seating

[Gymbod]

The journey seemed to be slightly longer than Barbados but that could be as it was an Airbus not Dreamliner?

Journey to ship about an hour as said previously and not sure where the drivers in St Lucia learned to drive😲

Check in a small affair, there wasn't any of embarkation photographer or at least we didn't see them.

Muster drill held in live lounge for all passengers about 6pm and you were then shown to your muster stations after the drill.

 

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[jones721]

That's not bad, an hour from the airport to the ship. Thought it would be longer given the narrow roads. We hit Barbados at a very busy time and traffic was dreadfuil so I seem to remember a fairly lenghty journey then. What time di you have to leave the ship?

 

Was it the main port in St Lucia? Looking for some duty free when we arrive.

 

Thanks,

Tracey

 

PS I think we fly Dreamliner.

[CCFC]

Castries, lots of shops outside the ship to buy duty free goods.

[mickey89]

Muster drill held in live lounge for all passengers about 6pm...........

 

At no point during the Muster Drill did anyone from P&O do a roll call or check that everyone attended - a very laxed approach. Safety is our No.1 priority, or so we were told !

[mkh999]

At no point during the Muster Drill did anyone from P&O do a roll call or check that everyone attended - a very laxed approach. Safety is our No.1 priority, or so we were told !

 

Never known a Roll Call or head check at any P and O we have been on.

[Gymbod]

Hi Tracey the port in St Lucia is great 😀🖒

 

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[dgs1956]

At no point during the Muster Drill did anyone from P&O do a roll call or check that everyone attended - a very laxed approach. Safety is our No.1 priority, or so we were told !

 

I have never been on a cruise where they did a roll call. I just can't see how that would be practical given the number of passengers.

[terrierjohn]

I have never been on a cruise where they did a roll call. I just can't see how that would be practical given the number of passengers.

Princess do one, they use a hand scanner on everyone's cruise card as they enter the muster station. It does add a little time to the queuing, but nothing major.

[jody75]

I have never been on a cruise where they did a roll call. I just can't see how that would be practical given the number of passengers.

 

I can't understand how Carnival allow P&O to be so laxed with regard to SOLAS. I can't recall any other cruise-line that fails to record attendance.

[silver surfer 2010]

They do a head count as there is always some one at the entrance using a clicker to count you in and they are supposed to check the cabins to see that no one is 'hiding'

[Fatchemist]

We sailed on RCL out of New York a couple of years ago, and they checked everyone off a list. I remember it well; we had to go to our actual deck station outside, next to the lifeboats and it was a freezing cold March day. Each group was dismissed once everyone turned up and their list was accounted for. Our group had a couple of last minute arrivals so we were made to wait in the cold!

On Britannia last year there was no individual check, can't say I recall anyone with a counter but I could have easily missed that.

[dgs1956]

It just makes me think about the safety drills on aircraft where a good proportion of people pay no attention and some sit reading or even talking throughout.

[mickey89]

It just makes me think about the safety drills on aircraft where a good proportion of people pay no attention and some sit reading or even talking throughout.

 

dgs - What YOU should be thinking and asking yourself rather looking for excuses to support P&O is -

Why is P&O out of step with the rest of the industry ?

Do they take safety seriously ?

[janieb1962]

We missed the muster when in Venice (on Oceana) this year and when we returned to our cabin there was a card saying as we missed the muster at 4pm we had to attend another one at 7pm that evening , they then called out everyone's name so the could record who attended. So they must be checking cabins during the original muster, maybe saw that the life jackets where still there and therefore knew we hadn't attended .

 

Can't say fairer than that!

[terrierjohn]

They do a head count as there is always some one at the entrance using a clicker to count you in and they are supposed to check the cabins to see that no one is 'hiding'

Never seen anyone with a clicker at the muster station on any of our P&O cruises, but they do say that the cabins are checked but as I am never there I cannot confirm this.

[dgs1956]

dgs - What YOU should be thinking and asking yourself rather looking for excuses to support P&O is -

Why is P&O out of step with the rest of the industry ?

Do they take safety seriously ?

 

Where did I say I was supporting P&O? I am simply making the point that some passengers on aircraft don't take safety seriously and it will be the same on a ship. Surely aircraft safety is of at least the same importance given that if an incident occurs then there is little time to respond? To suggest P&O don't take safety seriously is ridiculous just because they don't actually do a roll call.

[dgs1956]

We missed the muster when in Venice (on Oceana) this year and when we returned to our cabin there was a card saying as we missed the muster at 4pm we had to attend another one at 7pm that evening , they then called out everyone's name so the could record who attended. So they must be checking cabins during the original muster, maybe saw that the life jackets where still there and therefore knew we hadn't attended .

 

Can't say fairer than that!

 

You certainly can't. As someone already pointed out the Cabin Steward checks the cabins. Obviously they just check if the life jackets have gone.

[CCFC]

The cabin staff search every room and then put this on the door so they know who has done muster and who hasn't.

 

[dgs1956]

I'm sure those that thought P&O didn't take safety seriously will be pleased that it clearly isn't the case.

[Cozzyleicester]

Will attempt to bring this thread slightly back on topic.... we travelled on the first outbound flight fro Gatwick to pick up Britannia on 12th November 2016. Arrival at St Lucia was a bit chaotic given the aircraft arrived early and there were no buses to meet us. Plus the immigration was performed by a St Lucia border officer at the top of the aircraft steps, which meant for a very slow disembarkation. I second the feedback earlier that the trip on the bus was a bit hairy, only because on arrival the buses (lets call them minibuses) were totally inadequate for the length of journey / steep roads. At least on our return journey they were proper coaches and much more up to the job. Arrival at Britannia was pretty painless, I think it took us no more than about 20 minutes from arrival at the quay to reaching our cabin. Also our baggage arrived within about an hour of arrival in the cabin. Worth pointing out that we were in the Premium cabin on the Thomas Cook A330 from Gatwick; whether this made a difference to the speed of embarkation etc. I'm not sure. Plus at least for this season, only Thomas Cook are operating charter flights on behalf of P&O to St Lucia and not Thomson with their Dreamliner - but that might have changed for the 2017/18 season