Selbourne

I guess it’s like most consumer products Jean. Take cars for example. All will get you from A to B, essentially doing the same job, so many people are quite content with the budget brands as they cost less. Others will happily pay considerably more for a premium car, as they prefer the improved quality, refinement etc that they offer. Many dismiss premium cars as being for ‘badge snobs’ etc yet have never driven one themselves to understand the difference! P&O are now positioning themselves as the budget cruise line, whereas Saga price point makes them premium. Having driven hundreds of cars from many brands, I know that I’m happy to pay more for something that I know is better. I’m just keen to know if those who have cruised both P&O and Saga feel the same!

I asked about that John as my wife is in exactly the same position. If I understood correctly, it seems as though they can provide wheelchair adapted vehicles if necessary. My wife can transfer into a car, but her wheelchair takes up most of the boot, so we fold the back seats down for our luggage, so I’m not sure how that could work sharing! In the end, we decided that we would probably prefer to drive in our own car (so that we are comfortable and can stop when we like) and get the free parking. The only negative is that most Saga cruises go from Dover, which is a dreadful journey from where we live as it involves the M25 and is considerably further than Southampton. Some Saga cruises go from Portsmouth, which would be better.

It’s true that the prices aren’t comparable Jean but, by all accounts, neither is the overall experience. Hence my question in my earlier post, as I don’t believe it’s a case of comparing like with like.

Your feedback seems to be consistent with every review I have read about Saga and is the reason why we are keen to try them. We are in their pre launch registration system. As you have done both Saga and P&O can I pick your brains (and any others who have cruised with both)? Whilst we have a number of concerns about the direction of travel with P&O and the gradual erosion in the quality of the ‘included’ experience, their prices seem to be reflecting that. We have four P&O cruises over the next 11 months and all 3 that have been booked recently are costing under £100 per person per night for a balcony cabin booked under a Select fare with free parking etc included. Admittedly these are on Britannia and Ventura, rather than the more comparable Aurora and Arcadia, but whilst we love Aurora we don’t like Arcadia and we like the additional and more modern facilities of the newer ships. The cheapest Saga cruises, even with maximum discount, seem to be coming in at around £225 per person per night. Most are more. I appreciate that a lot more is included as standard with Saga, but we aren’t particularly bothered about free transfers (as we’d have to share) or wifi (never pay, use it free in ports) and we don’t really like doing excursions, so the main additional benefit is the free drinks. Even drinking more than we do on P&O, this would probably only ‘save’ us around £60 a day. So, netting all of that off, Saga will still cost us around double what we can now get P&O cruises for. We are happy to pay more for a better experience than P&O now offer, but based on your experience would you say that the overall quality difference (included food, cabins, general cruise experience) warrants double the price? EDIT - Just after posting I remembered that speciality dining is also included on Saga. Due to the drop off in MDR standards on P&O we do use them more on P&O nowadays, which obviously erodes some of the cost saving versus Saga. However, the price difference is still substantial (albeit not double) so my question still stands. Thanks.

Very refreshing to hear that you’ve had a positive experience. I have always found the call centre staff who deal with bookings and questions to be fantastic. Sadly, on the few occasions that I’ve had to raise a compliant, the way that they have been dealt with has been appalling and left quite a bad taste in the mouth. Perhaps they are learning at last that customers should not be taken for granted.

From that very helpful photo I’d say your Mum can save her money. Looks like bags of room, even taking the wheelchair into account.

That’s fantastic and I’m pleased to hear that solos can get the bargains as well.

Me neither. I’d very much prefer the comparisons with P&O to be on the P&O board.

The week before may not be the lowest price, as most cabins are secured by then, even for Savers. From our most recent experience, the week after balance due date can be a good time to book. Seems like some people who book with very small deposits just let them lapse and don’t pay the balance. As an example, Accessible balcony cabins are usually difficult to secure. We tried twice before balance due date and nothing available. The week after balance due date a choice of two and a very keen price.

Not stayed in one (we use accessible balcony cabins) but if you are OK with accessing a Pullman bunk, the other two beds will be good size singles, one of which will have the Pullman berth above. I should think it would be a bit cosy but perfectly possible. The Northern Lights cruise is one of our favourites and is quite an experience, even if you don’t get to see the lights themselves. We’ve done it twice. First time a spectacular display for 2 nights. The next time absolutely nothing! Mother Nature 🙄

I’m eagerly awaiting your feedback on Saga. Summer 2025 would be the earliest Saga cruise for us.

Sit tight. It seems as though the days of launch prices being the cheapest have long gone. I anticipate that Fjords cruises in 2025, as with this year, will be heavily discounted to get bums on seats. School holidays more challenging though.

Exactly. I know us Brits love to queue, but if that’s a tried and tested system used by other cruise lines (including within the Carnival group) then you have to question why P&O don’t adopt it. This would also alleviate the current nonsense of couples travelling in the same car ending up with boarding times that are hours apart.

Although when I googled I ended up with the same info sheet as you, Carnival have updated it in their latest annual report and the 2023 dates are now 2024.

No waiting outside for 3 hours for you then! I believe that coach passengers get priority when they arrive?

Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Nobody else needs know 😉

Naughty naughty. Brace your self for incoming. There are some on here who get very agitated about folk who arrive earlier than their legitimate boarding time, let alone doctoring the documentation!

I think the trick is to arrive either before or after the coaches, as they get priority once they start piling in.

Very wise. We are certainly very glad that we did a lot when our kids were young. None of us know what the future holds.

I’d urge caution. If I recall correctly, once you bid you are committed, so you can’t then pull out if they say it’s £220.

The ‘boarding pedants’ seem to be out in force for Iona and Arvia, but I notice that your next cruise is Britannia? As far as I can recall, I’ve not read any 3 hour queue horror stories for any other ships, so you might be OK if you turn up early.

Still a lot to look forward to though Vamps, as well as Florida (we had a few great holidays there). We will be Cunard virgins next year. Will be very interesting to compare.

🤣 If only! We remain rank amateurs compared to many on this forum who seem to spend as much time on holidays as they do at home! That being said there is some truth in what you say, as we have booked 2 cruises in the last 2 weeks, so now have 5 cruises in the next 13 months! We haven’t booked any beyond that, as we are hoping that the late deals will continue and we also need to see what the ‘post Covid’ P&O looks like before committing longer term.

Sounds like it. You’d think they’d have introduced a system like their competitors for the two new mega ships. They are targeting the ‘new to cruising’ market and as I said previously, you only get one chance to make a first impression!

Ah right. So I guess that if those on Savers aren’t being charged every time then they’ve stopped promoting it as a benefit of Select fares 🤷‍♂️