Brittania Fjords 23rd july chage

IS anyone aware of itinerary change and why please

Have you had Flam dropped? We did on our 18 June cruise. Now going to Andalsnes

We have had Flam and Olden dropped, i informed my TA, who are still advertising it on website, told too many ships and not enough room!!! very frustrated!!

We are on this cruise and are absolutely furious about this itinerary change. This is no longer a Norwegian Fjords cruise, but a Norwegian Coastal cruise. Two ports at the end of very long fjords have been dropped and replaced by one North Sea port and another within a minor (short) fjord. We have complained to P&O who aren't interested. We like Britannia but will not book her again as we can't help but feel that she has been 'bumped' due to her size. One port change is bad enough. Two (within a one week cruise) is unacceptable, especially when it is sold as a Fjords cruise and now isn't. Can't overstate how upset we are about this and seriously considering moving away from P&O after 22 years loyal custom. We booked this as a scenic cruise with prolonged cruising time down spectacular fjords, not coastal port hopping. Can't re book to another cruise due to work commitments etc so feel completely ripped off and desperately let down by P&O.

We are on this cruise and are absolutely furious about this itinerary change. This is no longer a Norwegian Fjords cruise, but a Norwegian Coastal cruise. Two ports at the end of very long fjords have been dropped and replaced by one North Sea port and another within a minor (short) fjord. We have complained to P&O who aren't interested. We like Britannia but will not book her again as we can't help but feel that she has been 'bumped' due to her size. One port change is bad enough. Two (within a one week cruise) is unacceptable, especially when it is sold as a Fjords cruise and now isn't. Can't overstate how upset we are about this and seriously considering moving away from P&O after 22 years loyal custom. We booked this as a scenic cruise with prolonged cruising time down spectacular fjords, not coastal port hopping. Can't re book to another cruise due to work commitments etc so feel completely ripped off and desperately let down by P&O.

Oh dear, you have kind of answered yourself as to why she might have been bumped. After cruising for 22 years, all the ships would have been a lot smaller than Britannia.

Go with any line and as the ships get bigger this could always happen.

Maybe time to try Fred. Their ships are all small, and they seem to get to their ports.

We are on this cruise and are absolutely furious about this itinerary change. This is no longer a Norwegian Fjords cruise, but a Norwegian Coastal cruise. Two ports at the end of very long fjords have been dropped and replaced by one North Sea port and another within a minor (short) fjord. We have complained to P&O who aren't interested. We like Britannia but will not book her again as we can't help but feel that she has been 'bumped' due to her size. One port change is bad enough. Two (within a one week cruise) is unacceptable, especially when it is sold as a Fjords cruise and now isn't. Can't overstate how upset we are about this and seriously considering moving away from P&O after 22 years loyal custom. We booked this as a scenic cruise with prolonged cruising time down spectacular fjords, not coastal port hopping. Can't re book to another cruise due to work commitments etc so feel completely ripped off and desperately let down by P&O.

I would be very disappointed with this, we have been on the fjords cruise twice and for me the cruise down the long fjords watching the passing scenery was the highlight of the cruise. I would be tempted to call P&O to see if I cancel as it is a significant change to the itinerary, if you could do this you could book with another line and get to see the fjords. P&O seem to be changing itineraries far more often than they used to and they seem to assume that we will all just accept their decision. As others have said it is probably down to the size of the ships but talking to my neighbour, who works in a large high street TA , P&O change more itineraries than any of the other mainstream cruise lines.

Oh dear, I feel so sad for you and that your cruise has had such severe changes.

We have just come back from the Fjords on Britannia B613 and had such a fantastic time, even the weather was fantastic all week.

Loved Bergen, Flam, Olden and Stavanger.

As you rightly say, a Fjords cruise is a Fjord cruise !

Oh dear, you have kind of answered yourself as to why she might have been bumped. After cruising for 22 years, all the ships would have been a lot smaller than Britannia.

Go with any line and as the ships get bigger this could always happen.

Maybe time to try Fred. Their ships are all small, and they seem to get to their ports.

TEL, this probably has nothing to do with Britannia's size since that was known when the cruise was planned. It seems as though its because of too many ships wanting to visit at the same time, and a rather specific P&O problem in that they they invariably seem to draw the short straw.

We are on this cruise and are absolutely furious about this itinerary change. This is no longer a Norwegian Fjords cruise, but a Norwegian Coastal cruise. Two ports at the end of very long fjords have been dropped and replaced by one North Sea port and another within a minor (short) fjord. We have complained to P&O who aren't interested. We like Britannia but will not book her again as we can't help but feel that she has been 'bumped' due to her size. One port change is bad enough. Two (within a one week cruise) is unacceptable, especially when it is sold as a Fjords cruise and now isn't. Can't overstate how upset we are about this and seriously considering moving away from P&O after 22 years loyal custom. We booked this as a scenic cruise with prolonged cruising time down spectacular fjords, not coastal port hopping. Can't re book to another cruise due to work commitments etc so feel completely ripped off and desperately let down by P&O.

I bet they did not tell you until you had paid in full - they seem to do this a lot in the Fjords. Happened to us with Geiranger a couple of years ago, it was a late saver and the email for the change came at the same time as the confirmation, which is sharp practice I think, they should have told me of the change when I booked and before I paid. Like your situation they will have known about the change for a while.

We are on this cruise and are absolutely furious about this itinerary change. This is no longer a Norwegian Fjords cruise, but a Norwegian Coastal cruise. Two ports at the end of very long fjords have been dropped and replaced by one North Sea port and another within a minor (short) fjord. We have complained to P&O who aren't interested. We like Britannia but will not book her again as we can't help but feel that she has been 'bumped' due to her size. One port change is bad enough. Two (within a one week cruise) is unacceptable, especially when it is sold as a Fjords cruise and now isn't. Can't overstate how upset we are about this and seriously considering moving away from P&O after 22 years loyal custom. We booked this as a scenic cruise with prolonged cruising time down spectacular fjords, not coastal port hopping. Can't re book to another cruise due to work commitments etc so feel completely ripped off and desperately let down by P&O.

In law, if they make a change which is so material as to change the nature of the cruise, they ought to offer a full refund. Have you contacted ABTA? A small claims court case might be worth going for. The only question would be, if they offer a fjords cruise and then remove all but one fjord, is that a major change? I would have thought it would be.

I had a slightly more obvious, but similar, change with Voyages of Discovery once. They advertised an Eclipse + Spitzbergen cruise, and then (because of timing problems) cancelled Spitzbergen. I objected and was instantly given a full refund, no hesitation.

Oh dear, I feel so sad for you and that your cruise has had such severe changes.

 

 

 

We have just come back from the Fjords on Britannia B613 and had such a fantastic time, even the weather was fantastic all week.

 

 

 

Loved Bergen, Flam, Olden and Stavanger.

 

 

 

As you rightly say, a Fjords cruise is a Fjord cruise !

So it's not down to Britannia's size then as the ship has already visited both ports.

If I were the OP I would not let this rest. I'm guessing this is a 5 port itinerary so this would be 40% of ports changed.

I would contact the port authority for both Ports and ask why Britannia 'isn't being allowed to visit'. Phrasing it like that might prompt a defensive response such as 'she was planned to visit but P&O changed it'. Then the OP would have very strong evidence to cancel and receive a refund or at least get a goodwill gesture. The email addresses for the respective port authorities are:

Flam - http://aurlandhavn.no/contact/

Olden - http://www.geiranger-nordfjord.no/

(I know Geiranger is in the email address but it's the same port authority for Olden)

We had an email on April 6th about the changes and that was 2 or 3 weeks before we paid the balance. As mentioned earlier the reason given was "due to the volume of ships in the area". We have never been to Norway before so are still happy to go along with the new itinerary. It may be that we consider a smaller ship for the fjords in the future. I will follow this thread with interest!

I was all for cancelling the holiday when we heard, but my wife and daughters would have been devastated. P&O asked if we'd like to transfer to another cruise that WAS going to the Fjords, but we had prior commitments (work and otherwise) that prevented us being able to do so (different situation if you are retired I guess but we aren't). Besides, what's to say that the replacement cruise won't have a late itinerary change as well?

We booked this cruise over a year ago and paid top dollar for a forward facing suite (to get the best of the fjord views, which we won't now have) and an adjoining balcony cabin for our daughters. Total cost around £6k. All of these points were made to P&O in several letters of complaint. Their response? A welcome on board package costing £55 (probably costs them £20). Appalling.

We have started investigating other operators and agree that Fred Olsen looks good. They have much more interesting itineraries than P&O, who are now becoming very repetitive as the bigger ships can get in to fewer and fewer ports. Unfortunately, they still allow smoking on balconies and that's a definite turn off for us. A balcony would be ruined for us if we could smell cigarette smoke, so I refuse to book with any cruise operator until they adopt a smoking ban on all balconies (which they will all do in time as it's becoming less and less tolerated these days).

We are going to go on the cruise and make the most of it as we have no real alternative without causing huge dissapointment, but P&O has gone massively down in my estimation. Having recommended them to dozens of new cruisers over the years - no more.

We have had Flam dropped from our itinerary. However as there were going to be FIVE ships in port we were pleased P&O did this as there would have been far too many people in this small town. Check the port timetables as this could be the reason.

Selbourne. I would have one last bash and email the ceo at david.dingle@carnivalukgroup.com point out its a Fjords cruise, point out you've booked suites and point out it put you off P&O. Whilst the emails are forwarded the respondents seem to take a much more professional attitude to resolving them as they have been routed via the CEO. Be clear about what you want i.e. Cancellation, goodwill, recognition of your disappointment.

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Flam has also been dropped from the 2 July Azura departure and replaced with Olden. I only found out by accident as neither P&O nor my travel agent had told me of the change. Not happy!

Bit concerned with our trip now as there are 4 ships in port at Bergen and Stavanger, already lost Flam.

Firstly I would put your complaint in writing and at that time state your concerns - if you want a refund ask for it. P&O will respond in writing. If you are not satisfied with the response then you can go to the regulator (if necessary). I would think a complaint in writing would be amicably resolved before it gets to that stage, if they refund or compensate you then you will probably have to sign an agreement not to disclose the arrangement. In your case where the itinerary change has significantly altered the description of what you paid for i.e. the contract you have, then I think you would have a good case - despite the small print which usually caveats such itinerary changes. Good Luck!

Perhaps with all the unrest in parts of the Med more cruise lines are going to Norway and the Baltic so more ships generally. Personally I feel the fjords are best seen from a small ship anyway as you get a better feel for their size and splendour.

A lot of other lines, are on regular 7/10/14 night cruises all the same calling at the same ports on a regular basis. I think these lines get preference as they are calling on this regular basis. This is having an effect on P&O as they do not do this as we know. This was apparent to me when we were on Ventura in the Caribbean in January as we were on a one off cruise we did not get the best berths. We had already had some change of order of the cruise.

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Cruise ports of call are planned 2-3 years in advance. Confirmation is received 12 months in advance at which point the cruise company begin to make detailed plans.

Last minute changes do not just happen. I suspect the P&O contract is flexible on behalf of the Norwegian ports leaving late changes possible and the company are recompensed handsomely for this flexibility.

Remember many other lines have lots of US passengers who book under different consumer laws.

However if I had two fjord ports changed so it becomes a North Sea cruise I'd be researching what constitutes a significant travel change from ABTA and Court cases, pushing for a full refund and be prepared to go to small claims Court. Remember you have 6 years to bring an action, 5 years in Scotland, so plenty of time to work on a case.

Firstly I would put your complaint in writing and at that time state your concerns - if you want a refund ask for it. P&O will respond in writing. If you are not satisfied with the response then you can go to the regulator (if necessary). I would think a complaint in writing would be amicably resolved before it gets to that stage, if they refund or compensate you then you will probably have to sign an agreement not to disclose the arrangement. In your case where the itinerary change has significantly altered the description of what you paid for i.e. the contract you have, then I think you would have a good case - despite the small print which usually caveats such itinerary changes. Good Luck!

We did put our complaint in writing to the CEO (twice) but it gets directed to an office that deals with complaints addressed to him.

We didn't ask for a cancellation or refund (which I am sure we would have been entitled to) as to do so would have meant no holiday for the four of us this year.

Something is better than nothing, but out of 4 scheduled ports, 2 have changed. That's 50%. Furthermore, the 2 that changed were the only fjord ports, the other 2 being coastal ports. The 2 fjord ports have been replaced with another coastal port and a very minor fjord (in comparison to Flaam and Olden) which, to add insult to injury, we were due to visit for the first time on a Northern Lights cruise that we have already booked!

I asked for 25% compensation, which I thought was reasonable given the fact it is no longer the product they advertised (I.e. a fjords cruise). Their response? Refusal and a £55 welcome on board package, which we get anyway as we are in a suite!

The excuse that it is because there are too many ships in the area doesn't wash. This would have been know when the cruise was scheduled. Also, the ship size was known and Britannia has visited these ports before. Begs the obvious question as to why P&O's flagship is the one to be bumped - twice.

For me, the port itself is secondary to the cruise down the fjords. Flaam and Olden are at the end of very long fjords, hence why we chose this cruise and selected a forward facing suite to enjoy the spectacle from the large panoramic forward facing window, where you can place two comfortable chairs and soak it all in (we have used this suite before).

All of these points were made to P&O. Not interested. They are frankly treating us with contempt. If the decision was mine alone, I would cancel and get a full refund, taking legal action if necessary to reclaim 100%. Having discussed this with my wife and daughters, they were very upset at the prospect of not having a holiday that they have been looking forward to for over a year.

So, there we are. I'm sure that all the legal arguments are on my side, but I am trapped in an unacceptable situation that I can do nothing about.

Thanks P&O.

Selbourne, I really do feel for you :(

We did put our complaint in writing to the CEO (twice) but it gets directed to an office that deals with complaints addressed to him.

 

We didn't ask for a cancellation or refund (which I am sure we would have been entitled to) as to do so would have meant no holiday for the four of us this year.

 

Something is better than nothing, but out of 4 scheduled ports, 2 have changed. That's 50%. Furthermore, the 2 that changed were the only fjord ports, the other 2 being coastal ports. The 2 fjord ports have been replaced with another coastal port and a very minor fjord (in comparison to Flaam and Olden) which, to add insult to injury, we were due to visit for the first time on a Northern Lights cruise that we have already booked!

 

I asked for 25% compensation, which I thought was reasonable given the fact it is no longer the product they advertised (I.e. a fjords cruise). Their response? Refusal and a £55 welcome on board package, which we get anyway as we are in a suite!

 

The excuse that it is because there are too many ships in the area doesn't wash. This would have been know when the cruise was scheduled. Also, the ship size was known and Britannia has visited these ports before. Begs the obvious question as to why P&O's flagship is the one to be bumped - twice.

 

For me, the port itself is secondary to the cruise down the fjords. Flaam and Olden are at the end of very long fjords, hence why we chose this cruise and selected a forward facing suite to enjoy the spectacle from the large panoramic forward facing window, where you can place two comfortable chairs and soak it all in (we have used this suite before).

 

All of these points were made to P&O. Not interested. They are frankly treating us with contempt. If the decision was mine alone, I would cancel and get a full refund, taking legal action if necessary to reclaim 100%. Having discussed this with my wife and daughters, they were very upset at the prospect of not having a holiday that they have been looking forward to for over a year.

 

So, there we are. I'm sure that all the legal arguments are on my side, but I am trapped in an unacceptable situation that I can do nothing about.

 

Thanks P&O.

I feel very sorry as well as you had obviously put some effort into planning exactly where you wanted to go. We have had issues with P&O in the past and the overwhelming message I get is that they don't care if they lose you as a customer or not. We now only book on P&O if we feel we have a good deal but don't feel any loyalty towards them as they certainly don't respect our past loyalty. They can be very stubborn at times and reading between the lines in your case I think that they have probably lost a loyal customer.

We did put our complaint in writing to the CEO (twice) but it gets directed to an office that deals with complaints addressed to him.

 

We didn't ask for a cancellation or refund (which I am sure we would have been entitled to) as to do so would have meant no holiday for the four of us this year.

 

Something is better than nothing, but out of 4 scheduled ports, 2 have changed. That's 50%. Furthermore, the 2 that changed were the only fjord ports, the other 2 being coastal ports. The 2 fjord ports have been replaced with another coastal port and a very minor fjord (in comparison to Flaam and Olden) which, to add insult to injury, we were due to visit for the first time on a Northern Lights cruise that we have already booked!

 

I asked for 25% compensation, which I thought was reasonable given the fact it is no longer the product they advertised (I.e. a fjords cruise). Their response? Refusal and a £55 welcome on board package, which we get anyway as we are in a suite!

 

The excuse that it is because there are too many ships in the area doesn't wash. This would have been know when the cruise was scheduled. Also, the ship size was known and Britannia has visited these ports before. Begs the obvious question as to why P&O's flagship is the one to be bumped - twice.

 

For me, the port itself is secondary to the cruise down the fjords. Flaam and Olden are at the end of very long fjords, hence why we chose this cruise and selected a forward facing suite to enjoy the spectacle from the large panoramic forward facing window, where you can place two comfortable chairs and soak it all in (we have used this suite before).

 

All of these points were made to P&O. Not interested. They are frankly treating us with contempt. If the decision was mine alone, I would cancel and get a full refund, taking legal action if necessary to reclaim 100%. Having discussed this with my wife and daughters, they were very upset at the prospect of not having a holiday that they have been looking forward to for over a year.

 

So, there we are. I'm sure that all the legal arguments are on my side, but I am trapped in an unacceptable situation that I can do nothing about.

 

Thanks P&O.

Selbourne, rather than cancellation or refund, which reading the t and c

ALTERATION AND CANCELLATION BY P&O CRUISES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

40. Whilst P&O Cruises will do its best not to cancel or to make any significant alteration after a booking has been made, it shall nevertheless be entitled at any time prior to departure to cancel the Contract or to change and/or curtail the Package where this reasonably becomes necessary on operational, commercial or other grounds. P&O Cruises will inform the Passenger of any such cancellation or change of Package as quickly as possible (with, where appropriate, written confirmation as soon as reasonably possible thereafter). If P&O Cruises makes a significant alteration to the Package it will inform the Passenger or his travel agent as soon as reasonably possible. The Passenger will have the choice of either accepting the alteration, accepting an offer of an alternative Package of comparable standard if available (P&O Cruises will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value) or cancelling the Package and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. The Passenger recognises and agrees that it will not normally be possible for P&O Cruises to offer an appropriate substitute Package which is available at about the same time as and/or with a similar itinerary to that originally booked, but P&O Cruises will do its best to provide a suitable alternative Package of similar duration and value. The Passenger must notify P&O Cruises of his decision as soon as reasonably possible and in any event not later than 14 days of being informed of the significant alteration.

Could you not transfer your booking to another cruise.. Is there nothing suitable going at a similar time. You would still be in the period where this is possible.

Your family would still be having a holiday this year then.