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P&O Cruises Online Check-in – how does it work?
Checking in online is now standard for preparing for a cruise, and P&O Cruises’ online check-in process is designed to make embarkation day smoother and less stressful. If you’re new to cruising or simply want to know exactly what to expect, understanding how and when to check in can help…
Read MoreChecking in online is now standard for preparing for a cruise, and P&O Cruises’ online check-in process is designed to make embarkation day smoother and less stressful. If you’re new to cruising or simply want to know exactly what to expect, understanding how and when to check in can help your holiday get off to the best possible start.
In this guide, we explain how to check in online for a P&O cruise, when online check-in opens, and what you’ll need to have ready before you begin.
What is Online Check-in for P&O Cruises?
Online check-in with P&O Cruises allows you to complete key pre-departure steps from home, rather than at the cruise terminal. By entering your details in advance, you’ll reduce waiting times on embarkation day and move through the terminal more efficiently.
The process is completed through My P&O Cruises, the cruise line’s online booking portal.
When Can You Check in on P&O Cruises?
One of the most common questions is when you can check in on P&O Cruises.
Whether you’re sailing from Southampton or jetting off to the Caribbean, online check-in typically opens 21 days before departure. Once check-in is available, P&O Cruises will usually notify you by email, prompting you to log in and complete the process.
It’s a good idea to complete online check-in as soon as it opens, as this can help ensure a smoother embarkation experience and allow time to resolve any issues before travel. P&O Cruises online check-in closes at 10pm GMT on the day before your holiday.
How to Check in Online for a P&O Cruise
If you’re wondering how to check in online to a cruise, the process with P&O Cruises is straightforward.
You’ll need to:
- Log in to My P&O Cruises using your booking reference.
- Confirm your personal details for all guests in your cabin.
- Enter passport information exactly as it appears on your passport.
- Complete any required health and travel declarations.
- Select or confirm your arrival time at the cruise terminal, where applicable.
- Upload or review travel documents if requested.
Once completed, you’ll receive confirmation that your online check-in is complete, along with instructions on what to bring with you on embarkation day.
What Do You Need to Complete Online Check-In?
Before starting the online check-in for P&O Cruises, it helps to have everything to hand. If you are embarking on a family cruise, you will need the following information for everyone who is travelling with you.
You’ll usually need:
- Valid passport details for each guest
- Emergency contact information
- Travel insurance details
- Any required visas, if applicable
Having this information ready will make the process quicker and avoid delays.
What Happens If You Don’t Complete P&O Cruises Online Check In?
While online check-in is strongly recommended, guests who are unable to complete it in advance can still check in at the terminal. However, this may take longer and could involve additional paperwork on the day.
Completing the online check-in with P&O Cruises in advance is the easiest way to ensure a smooth start to your cruise.
Can You Make Changes After Checking In?
In many cases, you can return to My P&O Cruises to review or update certain details after checking in, provided you do so before the final cut-off. If you notice an error or need to amend something important, it’s best to do so as soon as possible.
For more complex changes, contacting your travel agent or P&O Cruises directly is advised.
What to Expect from P&O Cruises Embarkation Day
Once you’ve completed online check-in, embarkation day should feel far more relaxed. You’ll arrive at the terminal with your documents ready, pass through security and check-in desks more quickly, and be on board sooner to start enjoying your cruise.
Your assigned arrival time helps manage passenger flow and ensures a smoother experience for everyone.
Book Your P&O Cruise with Bolsover Cruise Club
When you book your P&O Cruises holiday with Bolsover Cruise Club, you’re booking with a team that knows the process inside out. From choosing the right sailing and cabin to making sure you’re fully prepared for embarkation day, our Cruise Experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
If you have questions about online check-in with P&O Cruises, need help understanding when check-in opens, or would simply like reassurance that everything is in place before you travel, we’re on hand to help. Booking with Bolsover Cruise Club means expert advice, personal service and peace of mind from the moment you book to the moment you step on board.
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58 thoughts on “P&O Cruises Online Check-in – how does it work?”
We are flying to Tenerife to board azura for cruise do we attach the paper luggage details for the flight or can we attach them at the cruise terminal as they are only paper we already have labels attached for the flight
Hello! We recommend that you attach the paper labels before the flight, plus print out a couple of extra just in case of loss or damage.
Hi we have booked a cruise flying to Malta..
Printed luggage labels.
It’s Saying all complete to print boarding passes, but then says on my husbands photo he had to log in?
Hi Susan, If your husband’s photo is already loaded, but has the message underneath, please ignore and you’re OK to board with your boarding passes. It’s because you’re logged in under your details so cant amend your husbands photo.
I am about to go on my first cruise, tomorrow, and have printed off my boarding passes which seem to cover the ship but not the flight out from Manchester. Do these passes also act as boarding passes for the flight?
Hi Derek, which airline are you flying with?
I am a first time cruiser. i have booked a P&O fly cruise to the Caribbean departing flights are from Birmingham. However my flight is with TUI. I have printed off my cruise boarding passes. However i don’t have a reference number to print off my flight boarding passes.
Any advice would be appreciated
Hi Angela,
If you’d like to give our Cruise Experts a call and we can help you with this.
we have just had a email to say we can check in on line for our cruise.But when I try to it will not let me. I am on the j301 ship ,and we are doing a leg from bangkok to southhamton. it lets me print our luggage labels. can you give me some advice pleasa
Hi Lesley,
If you’d like to give our administration team a call on 01246 813133 and we can look into this for you.
I have printed boarding passes but it is just showing return flight from Barbados is this correct no details regarding flight from London
Hi Christine, your boarding pass is for the cruise and doesn’t show any flight details. You don’t need anything to check in at the airport, just your passport. All flight information can be found on your flight confirmation and Cruise Personalsier, including any seats purchased. Thank you.
Hi, printed out my Boarding pass for both of us, both both just showing my name and not my husbands.Is there 1 boarding pass per cabin?
Hi Jane, it should print out both boarding passes if everything is complete for all passengers. If you need any assistance with this please contact us. Thank you.
We are a party of 10 but booked as individual couples and did not link our bookings we have two booking in times 2 hours apart can we all arrive together thanks
Hi Christie, you can all arrive together at the latest check-in time you have. Thank you.
Hi
I have printed my outbound boarding passes but no option or showing return boarding passes.
How do I get my return passes
Paula
Hi Paula, if you’re travelling on a P&O charter flight, you don’t need a ticket for the flight, you can just check in at the airport. If it isn’t, please call us and we can confirm this for you. Thank you.
I have a question i want to book a cruise at 17 December to 2 January but my passport expire in 17 of January is ok to make chek in whit this passport?
Ia all right to go and come backin uk?
Is a Romanian passport not British.. Please let me now if i can book whith this passport, regards Stefan
Hi Stefan, please see link P&O Cruises passport requirements. https://www.pocruises.com/help/passports-and-visas
I’ve received an email telling me that I can check in online. I sail on 12th November. I can input my photos and credit card details, but the system will not let me input my passport information. Why is this? Thanks, Steve
Hi Steve, we don’t know of any errors with this. If you are still unable to enter these details before check in, you’ll be able to give them at port. Thank you.
Hi
I am trying to check in but it is not allowing me to do so
I am going on the cruise on the 19th November 2022
Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong and can you help me
Hi Juliana, Your check in should now be open unless your cabin hasn’t yet been allocated. However this is not a problem as check-in can be done at the port with boarding passes and luggage labels issued there. You’d just need to take your booking confirmation with you. If this is not the case, please get in contact with us. Thank you.
Hi, how do we get labels and arrival time at Southampton if not checking in on line, we sail on Nov 12th 2022
Hi Jackie, if your booking is set up to have all details by email, we would have emailed you some labels already, or posted them if you are set up to receive everything by post. If you have not received these, please do get in touch. Your arrival time will be on your cruise personaliser and you don’t need to check-in to view this. Thank you.
We are having problems printing off our luggage labels,we have managed to do the boarding passes though. It is now greyed out for the printing of our luggage labels.
Hi Christine, we always make sure passengers have luggage tags and we email/post these post 3 weeks before sailing. If you haven’t received these, please get in touch. Thank you.
My check in page that I will not be allocated a cabin until I arrive on board. Why is this?
Hi David, although P&O Cruises do advise cabins can be allocated up until day of travel, it is very rare that they are allocated this late.
Please send luggage labels for Cabjn B16 or send in sheet form and i will print my own
Cruise R217 Departing 11th Nov
Hi Peter,
If you’d like to give us a call on 01246 819 819 so we can take a look at this for you.
I’ve tried to book in on line but my wife’s passport expires 12 Apr 2023 and I get a message saying passport expiring soon and won’t let me complete the check in.
I’ve checked P&O requirements and Gov.UK and the passport is ok as it ‘was issued less than 10 years before the day of embarkation and still has at least three months left before the date of expiry of the passport, as at the date of disembarkation’.
Why won’t the system let me book in?
Hi, this might be a couple of things, when was the passport issued? Please get in touch with us privately with your booking reference and we can help further. Thank you.
When do I have to check in for my Tui flight to Malta on 15th, for my P&O Mediterranean cruise?
I’ve checked in for the cruise itself but not for the flight.
Do I just turn up at the airport with my cruise boarding pass?
Hi Chris, you don’t need to check in online for this one. You’ll be able to check in at the airport with your passport. Thank you.
I’ve checked in online and printed. However we sail 24 sept and cabin not yet allocated
Hi Christine, cabins can be allocated up until the day of departure, although it’s very rare it is allocated that late. Thank you.
Checked in online and printed boarding passes. Mine doesn’t show my middle name as per booking
Anyone else notice middle name missing
Hi Christine, P&O Cruises don’t show middle names on boarding passes. Thank you.
I’ve printed my boarding passes for cruise on 17th September, but won’t let me print e-ticket or luggage labels ☹️
Good morning Patricia, E-tickets are no longer required for boarding, you’ll only need your boarding passes. P&O are aware that there is a problem with printing docuemnts on certain devices. If you are able to ask family or friend to print these, if not, please do let us know and we can send you labels. Thank you.
Hi we have completed online check in and it says they are complete for my self and my husband however I can only print an e ticket in my name not for my husband also the same for the luggage labels. It will only allow me to login using my name and get details for myself is the e ticket only being in my name a problem. We are departing on September 8th so really need to get this sorted out. Thanksx
Good Morning, please use the following link https://checkin.pocruises.com/booking and you should be able to print both boarding passes from here. E-tickets are no longer needed, only boarding passes. With regards to luggage tags, these are absolutely fine in your name. I hope this helps, please do let me know if i can help further. Thank you.
Hi Gary, for cruises after 14th September, P&O Cruises will no longer provide E-tickets as they won’t be needed for check in. You’ll just need your boarding pass to embark your ship. If you are booked on a guarentee cabin, your luggage labels will be available when your cabin is allocated. If you’re still having problems with this, please get in touch and we can look at this further. Thank you.
Hi
We cannot get our e tickets up to print or our luggage labels
We have completed the boarding passess
Hi Gary, for cruises after 14th September, P&O Cruises will no longer provide E-tickets as they won’t be needed for check in. You’ll just need your boarding pass to embark your ship. If you are booked on a guarentee cabin, your luggage labels will be available when your cabin is allocated. If you’re still having problems with this, please get in touch and we can look at this further. Thank you.
Hi, the website says online check in is open 30 days before departure, we’re down to 27 days prior to departure and online check in is still not open.
Hi Phil, please try from 21 days, it should definately be open from then. Thank you.
Thanks that’s very helpful
Can the photo required for online check in be taken with an iPad? Do they need to be against a plain wall and just your face? Thanks for the help.
Hi Rita, these photos arnt as strict as passport photos, but we’d suggest a light background. An Ipad will be fine and it should be just of your face, we’d say shoulders and above. We hope this helps. Thank you.
HI IVE BOOKED IN ON LINE, BUT DONT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PRINT OF MY BOARDING PASSES, AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER, I DID PRINT OF MY E- TICKET HOWEVER IS THIS THE SAME THING, IF NOT HOW DO I GET MY BOARDING PASSES
THANK YOU RAY
Hi Raymond, if your in the Booking Summary, click Check in, it will redirect you to log into the check in site and then you can download and print your boarding passes from there. I hope this helps. Thank you.
Further to Mr Taylor’s earlier question, I really don’t get the photograph issue. You say that we should upload a photograph if possible when carrying out the on-line check-in. But then P&O will scan your passport photograph. What is the point of uploading photographs if P&O are then going to use your passport photo? If they already have a photograph on their system that you have uploaded what is the point of taking a second one? I’m not worried about identity issues but the system doesn’t seem to make sense…
Hi Andrew, this has always been the case, the change is now the photo is uploaded before hand where as before they were taken at the terminal. Thank you.
It seems from the above that you will have two photographs of me in your system taken at very different times.
The newer photograph I will provide for the on-line check in will be used by the staff when I go off and on ship but my older passport photograph will be used to print out my cruise card which is used when I go off and on ship.
Presumably the difference in age and photo quality doesn’t matter???????
Please advise.
Hi John, your passport photo will be accepted. Thank you.