P & O Iona - Use of the Coach

[MUFC 1963]

I've read that you've given a time to embark the ship and that if you turn up early then you have to wait outside the cruise terminal until your time is called.

 

What happens when you decide to use the coach option and have no control over the time you arrive at the cruise terminal? 

 

In the past when we've used the coach we've arrived late afternoon and just walked through security, no waiting.  I would be interested what people's experiences are.

 

TIA

[FangedRose]

Coach arrival time trumps embarkation time. Ignore any arrival time on your boarding pass.

[Denarius]

Coach drivers are all given a target time to arrive at the ship. Coach passengers are then embarked as a group, I recall that someone from P&O came onto the coach and gave everyone numbered cards.

[Jazzytelly]

Interestingly when we were waiting to board Iona the Intercruise passengers were put straight through off the coach ( they were all given numbered cards) but the passengers on Eavesway were put in the holding pen with everyone else to wait for their boarding time. 
 

I don’t know if that happens all the time now.

[FangedRose]

35 minutes ago, Jazzytelly said:

Interestingly when we were waiting to board Iona the Intercruise passengers were put straight through off the coach ( they were all given numbered cards) but the passengers on Eavesway were put in the holding pen with everyone else to wait for their boarding time. 
 

I don’t know if that happens all the time now.

Intercruise are the 'preferred partners' of P&O, and provide the included coach travel. So they should get priority. Those travelling on Eavesway are independent travellers and treated as such.

[JeanieC,Aston]

P&O did play silly b*****s with Eavesway after their dispute a few years ago.

Now they are treated equally as Intercruises coaches.

Before COVID they did hand out lettered cards to those on the coach,,not in my experience since.

 

All coaches now get the same disembarkation time.

I remember when coaches where in touch with terminal agents and if there was a big queue the coach driver was asked to pull in at the nearest services to wait for a call up.

 

 

[Jazzytelly]

40 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

P&O did play silly b*****s with Eavesway after their dispute a few years ago.

Now they are treated equally as Intercruises coaches.

Before COVID they did hand out lettered cards to those on the coach,,not in my experience since.

 

All coaches now get the same disembarkation time.

I remember when coaches where in touch with terminal agents and if there was a big queue the coach driver was asked to pull in at the nearest services to wait for a call up.

 

 

As per my previous post #4,  This was in April this happened on Arvia . I know this as we were in the holding pen waiting for our time spot. We were all chatting to each other and loads of our fellow queuers were many of the Eavesway coach passengers. We saw people getting off the Intercruise coaches going through carrying lettered cards, the Eavesway people couldn’t understand why they hadn’t been waved through as well. 

[snaefell]

On May 14th cruise on Arcadia our Intercruise coach arrived slightly early,we were given cards & then dropped off at the doir,led straight to check in & security & were on board in 10 minutes,very impressive!

[stocktonmackem]

I was on the last Arvia cruise and our coach should have arrived at 1.45. Unfortunately there was a mix up at Leeds and we left an hour and a half later. We eventually got to the terminal at 3.15 and then sent to a terminal just along from Ocean terminal because too many coaches were waiting to board. We eventually got permission to board at 4,15 ish. Not the best experience for a first time coach user.