Beware that booking future cruises on board is not necessarily the best deal!

3 weeks ago, on a very enjoyable QV cruise, ( review in reviews section) we decided to book a future cruise on board because we were advised that it would be 'a special deal'. We booked a P2 with some on board credit.

This weekend, I thought that i would just check to see that i had a good deal. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that the website price was £1000 lower than that which we had paid in board!

Cunard were unconcerned and after recourse to a supervisor grudgingly offered an upgrade to a P1 (exactly the same cabin but 3 decks higher).

In the end by cancelling the original booking , losing my deposit and rebooking with a reduced on board credit - I am still £300 better off.

However, it has left a nasty taste and I feel ripped off!! - - a shame because QV is a very good product which suits us really well.

It's not really a case of being "ripped off ", prices change all the time.

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and look forward to reading your review.

I've never heard of there being special deals by booking on board. And I've never booked a cruise while on board. We pay the £50 future cruise deposit for the OBC but then go home and book with an online TA who gives a discount.

The advantages of booking on board are a $300 deposit, personal assistance with stateroom selection, and OBC. Other than that it's whatever is the prevailing rate at the time.

Hattie - Review is in QV review section - entitled 'Pretty Good'

Other posters - maybe I was naive on believing the spin from the saleslady that I was getting the best deal. She booked it all on board, including cabin allocation etc and sent an email to our travel agent. Rightly or wrongly - it has left a sour taste in my mouth but once we get on board I'm sure i 'll get over it - and the £300 I'v e saved will go some way towards our post cruise 3 nights stay in Venice.

Everyone offering a cruise deal, down a travel agents, on line or direct with a cruise line will offer a special top unique deal which you cannot get anywhere else. Funnily enough they never say this is the second best deal you will find and we guarantee it's mediocre. They typically contrive combinations of obc, transfers to the port, airfares, regional airports etc. in such a way as it is difficult to know which is the cheapest but it's always the best. Then on the run up to embarkation the price drops to just half what you paid but then sometimes it increases to double!

 

In the end you got to look at what you are booking and then be happy with it and book.

 

Regards John

I recently booked a future crossing while onboard. I choose the room that I wanted at an unheard of price. It's way too high, but I expect the price to drop over the next year. As an American I will be able to adjust the price when it does. If I could not have the option of rebooking at a lower fare I never would have booked while on the ship

In the USA we can book anytime and can cancel up to 90 days in advance of the trip with no penalty whatsoever.

 

I mostly look at transatlantic fares and find that they usually (but not always) reach their lowest level 100 to 50 days in advance of sailing.

 

So, you can book early and get the cabin you want and then if the fare goes down, just swap into the lower fare at a later date.

 

In addition, we can put $300 down (per person, per trip) on board for future sailings and receive $150 OBC. If for some reason we do not make a future trip we can be refunded the entire $300. Hard to lose with a deal like that.

Sadly Cunard UK do not adopt the same attititude. I ended up losing my deposit paid on the ship but I was still better off rebooking at the lower fare.

Seems unjust that the policy is different in the USA/UK?

Sadly Cunard UK do not adopt the same attititude. I ended up losing my deposit paid on the ship but I was still better off rebooking at the lower fare.

Seems unjust that the policy is different in the USA/UK?

There are more things built into the bookings in the UK that we do not get.

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There are more things built into the bookings in the UK that we do not get.

 

Such as what?

I booked a future cruise whilst on the Queen Victoria at the beginning of this month.

 

Advantages were £175 deposit as opposed to the usual 15%=£600+.

 

An additional discount on the cruise price plus extra OBC.

 

And since my return, the price for my category has increased.

Such as what?

 

Flights. And the UK has the three-tiered pricing structure - we don't have Early Saver in the US. It's pretty much a case of either paying the rack rate or waiting for a possible promotional fare.

We always do Southampton round trip cruises. So that doesn't concern us.

Whenever I've done a dummy booking for a fly-cruise, an amount is taken off if you don't want the flight.

 

You don't need an Early Saver fare in the US if you can re-book any discounted price without penalty.

Such as what?

 

You have more governmental requirements added into your pricing. I don't know if it is an EU standard thing or British however, UK bookers seem not to be able to get the upsells that we can get over here. Some have a U.S. travel agent and will book through them.

I booked a future cruise whilst on the Queen Victoria at the beginning of this month.

 

Advantages were £175 deposit as opposed to the usual 15%=£600+.

 

An additional discount on the cruise price plus extra OBC.

 

And since my return, the price for my category has increased.

I enquired whilst onboard the Q.E about a cruise on the Q.V (v619) & I had a quote for a BD Grade cabin of £3039 pp & $240 O.B.C with 15% deposit So I purchased a F.C.D instead & on the 1st of this month I purchased the very same cruise with Cunard for £2779 pp for a B.C Cabin & received $480 OB.C + $300 O.B.C from the F.C.D pp That's £280 pp cheaper than onboard + a higher grade of cabin +$240 O.B.C more pp & I also only paid a 15% deposit as well, So onboard deals are not always the best deal Edited January 26, 2016 by zider

My point exactly!

3 weeks ago, on a very enjoyable QV cruise, ( review in reviews section) we decided to book a future cruise on board because we were advised that it would be 'a special deal'. We booked a P2 with some on board credit.

This weekend, I thought that i would just check to see that i had a good deal. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that the website price was £1000 lower than that which we had paid in board!

Cunard were unconcerned and after recourse to a supervisor grudgingly offered an upgrade to a P1 (exactly the same cabin but 3 decks higher).

In the end by cancelling the original booking , losing my deposit and rebooking with a reduced on board credit - I am still £300 better off.

However, it has left a nasty taste and I feel ripped off!! - - a shame because QV is a very good product which suits us really well.

 

A very sad tale. We have only booked the "Future Cruise Deposit" and then wait for the sales brochures to arrive and book through a travel agent. Thanks for your warning - we'll be wary about doing a full booking onboard!