Boarding time help

[sjf]

We are setting off next week on a 5-day Scottish Islands cruise on Balmoral. This will be our first time sailing with Fred Olsen. Our tickets say we can board between 2.30 and 3.30pm. On cruises with other lines, we normally board about mid-day/1pm and start the trip with lunch onboard.

 

Do you experienced FO sailors think we need to stick absolutely to the times they have given us? Could we check in a bit earlier? Would lunch be available?

 

Thanks for any info.

[Azamazingal]

Lunch will not be available.  But afternoon tea will! (in the afternoon)

I would guess that boarding might start around 1.30pm with the more expensive cabins given priority.

No idea if you might have to wait if you arrive early.

[nb125]

Buffet lunch always available on embarkation.

 

[tring]

Fred only used to have afternoon tea, but more recently they have started providing lunch (up to a certain time so could end before you board).  They do embark later than some other cruise lines and, as said by others, they will prioritise certain cabin grades/decks when boarding first starts.  They used to have Anchor fare passengers as the last priority, but not sure if that still happens - embarkation seems to be more streamlined now.  They used to prioritise Gold members but that is no more, so only the very top loyalty levels get priority and there are not many of those.

 

Arriving earlier will put you higher up in your priority level though, so perhaps worth arriving by 2pm or a bit earlier, unless you are on the upper decks, but may have to wait.  You can arrive soon after 1pm, but would likely have to wait then, even to check in.  

[sjf]

Thanks for the replies. Seems it'll be safer to grab a bite of lunch somewhere before checking in.

Looking forward to being able to board at Rosyth, not much more than an hour from home! ☺️

[tring]

3 hours ago, sjf said:

Thanks for the replies. Seems it'll be safer to grab a bite of lunch somewhere before checking in.

Looking forward to being able to board at Rosyth, not much more than an hour from home! ☺️

 

You will not starve with Fred's afternoon tea (sandwiches, savory rolls + cakes galore), if you do not get lunch on embarkation.  So no probs once on the ship, but perhaps a bit of a snack with you in case it looks like you can be in for a long wait at the terminal, or if you have had a light, early breakfast.

 

The only prob would be if you do not arrive until near to 3.30pm, which will be the latest arrival time, as they close the buffets half an hour before the safety drill, which usually happens round about the time they sail, or just before then.  Make sure you ditch your bags in your cabin and go straight to the buffet though on embarkation - standard practice with us now 🙂

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by tring

[Azamazingal]

Lunch will not be available.  But afternoon tea will! (in the afternoon)

 

I stand corrected.

[WeeCountyMan]

On 7/23/2019 at 9:48 PM, Azamazingal said:

On 7/23/2019 at 2:42 PM, sjf said:

Looking forward to being able to board at Rosyth, not much more than an hour from home! ☺️

 

 

An hour ?

Just "up the road" for us !!!

Edited August 3, 2019 by WeeCountyMan

[sjf]

On 8/3/2019 at 4:17 PM, WeeCountyMan said:

 

An hour ?

Just "up the road" for us !!!

 

Even better!

 

We just got back today. Arrived at 10 past 2. Very slow embarkation. We had afternoon tea, which was nice. However, for future cruisers, lunch was available for those who arrived earlier.

 

Disembarkation was brilliant. We carried our own suitcases off and it was a breeze as we were parked at the port. The whole process took about 10 mins.

 

Anyway, thanks to all of you who responded to my query.