Boarding time Southampton

[cruzadict]

I have printed our boarding passes for short 4 night cruise in 2 weeks and even though priority (diamond and grills) our boarding time is 1pm.  Has normally been 12.  I have arranged transport to the terminal arriving around 12.  Will we be kept outside even tho priority.  TIA.

[Pear Carr]

No - you will have priority access given grills.

Edited October 15 by Pear Carr

[Planning to cruise]

The priority boarding usually happens although may be suspended if there are too many priority pax.  Those with priority will be called as soon as boarding starts but not before.  Those with approved assistance needs may also start boarding.  The waiting area is inside although there is sometimes queueing outside the terminal at peak times.  

[BigMac1953]

Never had the Priority suspended in 25 Cunard cruises.

[Pushpit]

Earliest boarding may be slightly later on this voyage, so your previous 12 midday may now be 1pm, it just depends on the expected arrival time and numbers getting off. If you turn up at 12 midday,  you would normally will only be outside for perhaps a brief period, just a few minutes perhaps. A lot of people do turn up early, so it's not the best time to avoid the crowds, but there will be a separate queue for Grills, Club, Diamonds and Platinums. If it's Mayflower that would normally be the right (west) side along from the baggage hatches, other passengers would be on the left (east) side and around to the bus areas.

 

After being checked in, you may be waiting in the seating area by blocks, until boarding starts.

 

[LadyL1]

5 hours ago, cruzadict said:

I have printed our boarding passes for short 4 night cruise in 2 weeks and even though priority (diamond and grills) our boarding time is 1pm.  Has normally been 12.  I have arranged transport to the terminal arriving around 12.  Will we be kept outside even tho priority.  TIA.

What you print of from "My Cunard" with luggage labels, is arrival time stated on the identification document!

We are shortly travelling from Southampton in QG and have a 12.30 arrival time. Not sure I ever remember having an a much earlier time given, but age may be affecting memory.🤔

I doubt you will be kept outside, but recently have seen others with no priority whatsoever, queueing outside in very inclement weather when they have arrived far too early.

Unless things have changed, there has been no change on the boarding process. Infact, the so called "priority boarding" for WC status is almost impossible to implement. As other threads have mentioned it is now priority at given time.

The WC status re boarding certainly needs updating!

 

[exlondoner]

If you are Grills priority, it is very unlikely you will be made to wait outside. However, last time, at the Mayflower, it was quite a difficulty making our way through the throng who had been told to wait outside, so we could actually get inside. After that it was fine.

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

If you are Grills priority, it is very unlikely you will be made to wait outside. However, last time, at the Mayflower, it was quite a difficulty making our way through the throng who had been told to wait outside, so we could actually get inside. After that it was fine.

Try negotiating the clustered throngs with a wheelchair and hand luggage.

 

Pre summer '23,  assistance helped. Now assistance is from the door of the terminal onwards only. After that, plain sailing!! 🙂

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Try negotiating the clustered throngs with a wheelchair and hand luggage.

 

Pre summer '23,  assistance helped. Now assistance is from the door of the terminal onwards only. After that, plain sailing!! 🙂

Though once you are in, it is pretty much plain sailing anyway. What you need the assistance for is to get in.

[Victoria2]

59 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Though once you are in, it is pretty much plain sailing anyway. What you need the assistance for is to get in.

As I indicated, once through the terminal doors, assistance is wonderful but getting to those doors...

 

Luckily last July, a very kind member of 'ground' staff' took our bags off us and so I only had to negotiate the outside congestion and yes, the bags arrived in the cabin! 🙂

[DreamingOfSunnyDays]

We’ve been given at 13.15 check in on our sailing. As platinum I’m guessing this can be earlier at 12pm?

[exlondoner]

12 minutes ago, DreamingOfSunnyDays said:

We’ve been given at 13.15 check in on our sailing. As platinum I’m guessing this can be earlier at 12pm?

You may have a long wait. The Grills and possibly Diamonds will all be ahead of you, and the ship may not be ready until after 12.30. I can’t see an advantage to turning up at 12.

[3rdGenCunarder]

In my experience, they let priority passengers into the terminal right away. I tend to arrive early, between 11:30 and noon, and have walked right in and straight to a check-in person. I do have to sit and wait, but at least I'm comfortable. I'm diamond and sometimes in PG, sometimes in Britannia. The only difference is when I'm called to board (QG, then PG, then Diamond).

 

Last two times at Mayflower terminal, I've seen the non-priority passengers queued along the side of the building. I don't know how the staff manage the assigned times once they start letting those groups in.

 

I guess they don't want to encourage people to turn up early, so they enforce the times. But it seems a waste of staff time--when I checked in, there were a lot of staff just standing around with nobody to check in. They could have let some non-priority passengers in. There was plenty of seating where they could wait to board and then there wouldn't be such a long queue outside.

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

In my experience, they let priority passengers into the terminal right away. I tend to arrive early, between 11:30 and noon, and have walked right in and straight to a check-in person. I do have to sit and wait, but at least I'm comfortable. I'm diamond and sometimes in PG, sometimes in Britannia. The only difference is when I'm called to board (QG, then PG, then Diamond).

 

Last two times at Mayflower terminal, I've seen the non-priority passengers queued along the side of the building. I don't know how the staff manage the assigned times once they start letting those groups in.

 

I guess they don't want to encourage people to turn up early, so they enforce the times. But it seems a waste of staff time--when I checked in, there were a lot of staff just standing around with nobody to check in. They could have let some non-priority passengers in. There was plenty of seating where they could wait to board and then there wouldn't be such a long queue outside.

Perhaps they do, which is why I have had to queue behind them when turning up for QG, as instructed, at 12.30.

[3rdGenCunarder]

32 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Perhaps they do, which is why I have had to queue behind them when turning up for QG, as instructed, at 12.30.

 

That's terrible! QG is supposed to get highest priority, not stand in a queue outdoors. I would be the grumpy one standing there saying "I paid a lot for this cruise and..."

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's terrible! QG is supposed to get highest priority, not stand in a queue outdoors. I would be the grumpy one standing there saying "I paid a lot for this cruise and..."

No, it wasn’t that bad, I’ve never had to wait outdoors, but I did have to stand in a queue to check in behind people who were not QG. The one in from of me had an arrival time of after 2pm, which I would have found very vexing, had I not been busy being excited about going on holiday.

[Planning to cruise]

8 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

Never had the Priority suspended in 25 Cunard cruises.

We have also done around 25 Cunard cruises.  Diamond priority has been suspended from time to time if there are too many of us.    

[BigMac1953]

1 hour ago, Planning to cruise said:

We have also done around 25 Cunard cruises.  Diamond priority has been suspended from time to time if there are too many of us.    

 

Our QG priority has always been the case. What follows, I have to admit, I don't know, because we embark, but we always note that the various categories are in their respective groups prior to boarding.

 

Are you suggesting that they just declare a free for all if it's perceived there are too many with priority entitlement?

[Winifred 22]

How can they know who is Diamond to know to suspend it ? There may be many folk who are Diamond but in Grills so won’t use their Diamond priority slot. I must admit I have never had it happen to me. Seen plenty of folk with hours later arrival times in the queue for security though. 

[Planning to cruise]

10 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Are you suggesting that they just declare a free for all if it's perceived there are too many with priority entitlement?

No.  If eg Diamond priority is suspended Cunard usually notifies in advance and the boarding time reverts to the appointed one for your room grade / deck irrespective of loyalty status. We have sometimes also had PG priority boarding if booked in that grade.     

[Pushpit]

I have never seen priority suspended for Diamonds or Platinums either. And that doesn't make sense - as I will explain.

 

But yes, if you don't like crowds / queues, best to avoid the midday to 1pm area - later on boarding becomes a breeze, and by about 3.30pm the staff are pushing you onboard so they can go home. If you are Grills and turn up at midday / 1 pm then you will be seen fairly quickly but you won't board until the ship is ready, and briefly you may be outside trying to get through the queues.

 

Just to clarify though: Diamond and Platinums get priority access to a set of check-in desks, but they don't get priority to arrive before their allocated time. Many of them / us still turn up early, and usually just get checked in swiftly, regardless of that. So formally CWC status not some sort of Fast Track, but unofficially it tends to work out like that.

[Planning to cruise]

3 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

How can they know who is Diamond to know to suspend it ?

The passenger info details specify status.  Presumably they have records.  If there is diamond and platinum priority the word priority is printed on the boarding pass.  The terminal staff check this before allowing you into the fast track, and later into security.  As Grills trumps world club status tiers a diamond or platinum passenger who is travelling in QG or PG gets earlier boarding anyway and the staus is irrelevant.       

[Winifred 22]

16 minutes ago, Planning to cruise said:

The passenger info details specify status.  Presumably they have records.  If there is diamond and platinum priority the word priority is printed on the boarding pass.  The terminal staff check this before allowing you into the fast track, and later into security.  As Grills trumps world club status tiers a diamond or platinum passenger who is travelling in QG or PG gets earlier boarding anyway and the staus is irrelevant.       

I understand that but I thought you meant the terminal staff suspended the priority boarding. Obviously Cunard would know the numbers and I am aware that your status is printed on your boarding pass.As someone who fast track applies to I also  know how it  all works.  You must have been unlucky as I have never  received such an email. 

[Pushpit]

11 minutes ago, Planning to cruise said:

The passenger info details specify status.  Presumably they have records.  If there is diamond and platinum priority the word priority is printed on the boarding pass.  The terminal staff check this before allowing you into the fast track, and later into security.  As Grills trumps world club status tiers a diamond or platinum passenger who is travelling in QG or PG gets earlier boarding anyway and the staus is irrelevant.       

I think it's slightly different to this: if you are in Club or Grills, the word "Priority" will appear on your boarding pass. If you are Diamond or Platinum then the word "Diamond" or "Platinum" will show, but not the word "Priority" - but in reality the signs displayed in Cunard locations put them all together anyway. Both groups gets to check in at the priority desks (so the first ones on the left in Mayflower) and get put into the same feeder queue. Formally the Diamonds and Platinums should not be there early, but in reality it happens.  Formally Diamonds and Platinums only get this check-in desks access in Southampton and Brooklyn, in reality it seems to happen everywhere.

 

The actual boarding for those already checked in, once the ship is able to take new passengers, is typically QG then PG then Diamond, then Platinum, then Club.

[Planning to cruise]

1 minute ago, Winifred 22 said:

I understand that but I thought you meant the terminal staff suspended the priority boarding. Obviously Cunard would know the numbers and I am aware that your status is printed on your boarding pass.As someone who fast track applies to I also  know how it  all works.  You must have been unlucky as I have never  received such an email. 

Thanks Winifred.  Understood. 

As so many had high loyalty status on the QA maiden and on some special anniversary sailings that we have been on clearly we could not all join any priority queue.  This situation is the exception not the norm but it does happpen.