Check in time allocated 30 mins before departure? (Tomorrow, 30 July)

[cardiffmatch]

Hi all,

V grateful for advice from recent Azamara cruisers. We are departing Barcelona tomorrow on the Journey. I have completed online check in and been allocated a time to arrive at the port of 1600-1630hrs (this was the only slot on offer).

However - the ship is due to depart at 1700hrs and my cruise documentation says we must board no less than 90 mins before the departure or will be denied boarding. The Azamara website puts this in very stark terms.

Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t want to arrive at the port and wait for two hours, for all the reasons outlined in other threads, but arriving 30-60mins before departure fees like a recipe for disaster.

[andrcan]

22 minutes ago, cardiffmatch said:

Hi all,

V grateful for advice from recent Azamara cruisers. We are departing Barcelona tomorrow on the Journey. I have completed online check in and been allocated a time to arrive at the port of 1600-1630hrs (this was the only slot on offer).

However - the ship is due to depart at 1700hrs and my cruise documentation says we must board no less than 90 mins before the departure or will be denied boarding. The Azamara website puts this in very stark terms.

Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t want to arrive at the port and wait for two hours, for all the reasons outlined in other threads, but arriving 30-60mins before departure fees like a recipe for disaster.

We were departing from Barcelona some 2 months ago, were allocated the 4pm slot as well. Went to the terminal at 2:30pm and just joined the queue - no one was checking the time assignment. The embarkation was fast and smooth.

[travelberlin]

I suggest you go at 14.30. Azamara does not have that many passengers that will have you waiting two hours to board.

Ivi

[cardiffmatch]

Thank you for the very rapid responses! Based on your v helpful info and as we are staying in the city tonight I think we will go to the port between 2:30 and 3:00 tomorrow.

 

Worst case scenario we drop our bags and go back into town to shop, I think.

 

Looking forward to trying Azamara’s spa suite, thanks to the upgrade auction which we only discovered via this forum. You are all fonts of knowledge!

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

I suggest you go at 14.30. Azamara does not have that many passengers that will have you waiting two hours to board.

Ivi

That's what I'd do too. 

 

Phil 

[cardiffmatch]

Hi all - an update to close the loop here. We arrived at 3pm. There were ten or so groups/pens of people waiting indoors in the port. We were put into group ten, for suites and people who needed mobility assistance. We were brought onboard with the first of the groups to be called.

 

once onboard, the new embarkation procedures were dead easy.

 

All in all, it worked really well.

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, cardiffmatch said:

Hi all - an update to close the loop here. We arrived at 3pm. There were ten or so groups/pens of people waiting indoors in the port. We were put into group ten, for suites and people who needed mobility assistance. We were brought onboard with the first of the groups to be called.

 

once onboard, the new embarkation procedures were dead easy.

 

All in all, it worked really well.

Enjoy your cruise!😎

 

Phil 

[voyager1964]

Sorry, perhaps I misunderstood something but it looks like the "normal" embarkation time now is ~2 pm and later. Is it the new normal because of the pandemic? I think ~ few years ago embarkation would start at 11am-12pm, and it still this way on some larger cruise lines. What do people do if they have an early flight in or have to check out from a hotel before the embarkation?

[andrcan]

2 hours ago, voyager1964 said:

Sorry, perhaps I misunderstood something but it looks like the "normal" embarkation time now is ~2 pm and later. Is it the new normal because of the pandemic? I think ~ few years ago embarkation would start at 11am-12pm, and it still this way on some larger cruise lines. What do people do if they have an early flight in or have to check out from a hotel before the embarkation?

On embarkation day, we checked out of our hotel in the morning, left our luggage in the storage room and went sightseeing, then picked up our luggage and boarded our ship in the afternoon. 

[wjfan417]

2 hours ago, voyager1964 said:

Sorry, perhaps I misunderstood something but it looks like the "normal" embarkation time now is ~2 pm and later. Is it the new normal because of the pandemic? I think ~ few years ago embarkation would start at 11am-12pm, and it still this way on some larger cruise lines. What do people do if they have an early flight in or have to check out from a hotel before the embarkation?

In April we stored our bags at hotel and walked around.