Megabear2

Well done. Did you see the very good points from the guys just above your reply? As they say if you had P&O excursions they should have been repaid immediately by P&O. If however your excursions were non refundable personal bookings I would suggest you obtain written proof of them being non refundable and try to negotiate their cost as extra compensation. Your insurance costs unfortunately will not normally be refundable.

Not feasible I'm afraid. We offered to pay 200% for my friend and they said no. I have heard of someone on a Cunard cruise who's travelling companion cried off on the morning of departure and she was unable to travel. In June last year on our Princess cruise my aunt and I travelled without her now partner. Although two cabins for 3 persons fares we had to fight to get me to be able to use the empty cabin and I couldn't have it until day 3.

Yes the age old singles problem is one I encounter all the time on Cunard and Princess. I've never had it on P&O but then I never normally travel on the small ships, this will be my first time on Aurora as every time I've booked her something got in the way like covid or the ship going out of service. I've moved my friend in with me which of course means no cabin is being used for a single now but I note it still doesn't allow a booking for someone else. My Iona cruise was booked to use up what I thought was my last FCC but I've since found another £1,000 sitting in my account but from where I have no idea!!! I had a large sum tied up in an Arvia Christmas cruise with my husband but he is refusing to travel P&O again - I'm trying to sort that one out. I was going to go for the Aurora 65 night 2024 cruise as a replacement and thats why I've booked Aurora in April to see how I get along on her. Spanner in the works has appeared over on the Cunard board though with a leaked 2025 itinerary showing Queen Victoria is going to South America in January 2025 and i just love that ship! How lovely to have so many choices, I'm sure it will all get sorted in the next month or so.

Well they say no more singles. However we are going to share and I'm very happy with the result. My booking was £1,998 for an inside saver but making it for 2 we have moved up to an outside for £3198 so I'm making a nice saving. I wasn't aware but I also have a gift from P&O of £100OBC to "welcome me back onboard - I thought that had to be on a select fare but its apparently not the case. I'm well pleased. My 18 March select outside on Iona which I booked onboard Britannia at Christmas was £1299 with £350obc so the Aurora cruise now looks like my big bargain (excuse the use of that emotive word please!).

On the subject of the smaller ships, is it normal to stop selling cabins to solo travellers at a certain point? I'm booked on Aurora in April solo and a friend mentioned yesterday she'd like to travel with me but wanted her own cabin rather than share. Looked this morning availability for several types/grades of cabin but if you put 1 passenger rather than 2 it shows sold out. I assume this means no singles should apply but I've never seen it on P&O.

My OH swims every morning as the pools open, normally at 7.00am so he wanders up to the pool around 6.40. At Christmas the staff on Britannia very helpfully opened the pools at 6.45 to allow him and a lady who swam every morning to train for a sports event in as they were there. Most mornings there were 30 to 40 people waiting to grab sunbeds at 6.40 and some of them moaned vociferously at the staff for opening the pool before setting up the beds. Never before seen so many hopping around and twitching like greyhounds in the traps. Perhaps this is the future of cruising.

Thank you. That's great. I just wanted to check confirmed booking was before September. At the point you booked you could assume FCC was in place. Your cruise timing was unfortunately inside the problem period. However unless you were notified of the policy change you wouldn't have been aware of it as your My P&O wouldn't refer to it.

As I say I'd no idea of its existence but I'm very glad that someone who always posts nice things is at the top of any list. Restores my faith in human nature.

Well there you go, I had no idea. Congratulations on being Top of the Pops Graham, all that beautiful food speaks volumes along with the lovely wishes you send to people.

I've no idea, actually I'm not a follower of P&O but since I learned of the existence of following I joined up as a Cunard follower. Apparently all of us can have followers as individuals as well, perhaps I should follow you? I quite like the idea of a boat full of followers but maybe Ben Hur's barge complete with oars and rowers is more my scene! I think "followers" are notified if the person or group they are following makes a post, a bit like FB although I doubt individuals on these boards accumulate hundreds as a sign to boast of their popularity.

Bill, did you just rebook the cruise back when it was obvious you couldn't travel, or did P&O put FCC into your account to be used at a later date? Your course of action will be different depending on this and the date of your actual booking for the cruise you were denied boarding on, basically what date does your booking confirmation for the 2022 cruise state?

I apologise. Unfortunately in recent times you and I don't appear to be anywhere near being able to have a civil conversation and my comment was because i believed that yet again you were about to tell me I'm wrong, misleading, biased etc. As I say, I'm sorry for assuming. I had however assumed that "followers" were those most interested in P&O and that I in fact had been slow to realise this when others have mentioned the figure 70 In other threads. I've no idea how you unfollow though but I have noticed recently the number went down.

Until beginning of September 2022 anyone failing the health questionnaire - which was identical to the one you completed - was refused boarding but automatically issued with a FCC for the full cost of their holiday. If you booked prior to September of course assumed you had booked on terms acceptable to you in the event you could not travel - my family and I could not travel last April as several of us caught covid at a wedding. Not all caught it but all 10 were disbarred from travelling and we received within 48 hours FCC into our accounts. The new policy started around 6 September telling passengers they no longer qualified for FCC for denied boarding or quarantine and had to claim on their travel insurance. At that time I was travelling in December so wrote to Holiday Extras on behalf of my family as quite a few of us held policies with them and they were recommended by the cruise lines. Mr Edinburgh had been most helpful to us earlier in the year explaining his company's role. The reply from him is the one I posted here and referred to. Immediately after the new policy and terms went live the number of people here and on social media stating they'd been refused boarding and lost their money escalated enormously. Myself and others started putting pressure on P&O to explain how people could claim on a non existent insurance policy citing unfair trading terms. Although they never actually replied directly I was in contact with their lawyers - ongoing from February. Suddenly out of the blue long past the promised reply date it was announced that for cruises departing after 9 December the health questionnaire was dropped and no one need complete it. A few posted here to say P&O settled things with them. Social media generally had others but all appear to have been forced into non disclosure agreements. However the advice I personally took was the terms were unfair and should be challenged legally if necessary. In the event my family cruised on 9 December and myself on 16th so I did not pursue the matter further. In light of the advice I received I would say your case is good.

The number of followers of P&O, currently showing 68. No doubt this is wrong but I'm sure as usual you'll make sure I'm put in my place!

Sorry to keep questioning but did you send Staysure's response to both ABTA and P&O? If so have either of them commented - assumedly not P&O but ABTA possibly? If you did send it to ABTA they appear to be condoning P&O knowingly selling an uninsurable holiday and stating it's buyer beware. If that is the case I would challenge them again. Not to do with this issue but I had cause to argue with ABTA on a matter last year and did eventually prevail despite them stating nothing to do with them originally. Some staff are better at understanding problems than others. If ABTA still say nothing to do with them I suggest telling them you will be in touch with the media to inform them that ABTA are failing travellers on an extremely difficult situation causing uninsurable loss. State it's a matter of confidence issue for the overall travelling public not just cruisers. Their name is used to sell confidence to the traveller, just letting P&O ride roughshod over those who have fallen foul of this is simply not acceptable. Also if it was a fair policy why did P&O only operate it from September to December? Play devios advocate and mention the Holiday Extras reply from September.

That is the best and most useful post I have seen here or on any other thread for a long time! I totally concur with you. Very well said.

It might be worth checking your household insurance policies, bank accounts and credit cards in case there is legal advice attached (union membership too). I'm assuming as the 28 days had passed you have been using email as your chosen medium. I would suggest a recorded letter to Carnival House that has to be signed for would be a good step. Certainly don't give them another 28 days. You don't mention your insurers, did you try to claim and were rejected? If so I'd go back to ABTA stating you're not happy - telephone and ask why you're being treated differently to others who have received FCC or refunds. Point out that you booked under different conditions- assuming it was not a late booking after September 2022 - and tell them it's not a question of terms and conditions more an avoidance of liability on a term they know to be uninsurable. The letter from your insurer plus any explanation you can wrangle out of them will be invaluable if you do need to go to a lawyer.

You misunderstand. I didn't mean you, I meant Tablelamp! I clicked to quote you by accident. Tablelamp appears to be having problems with nearly all P&O's email instructions.

You and I will never agree on anything, we come at things in totally different ways. You assume budget is an insult, I assume it means suitable for someone with a limited sum of money they wish to spend. I refer to a generalised "some on these boards" to not cause offence to individuals, some of whom I personally find very rude and opinionated. As I say, I'm one of those some on these boards and yourself and several other posters are quite happy to take aim at me personally and that is completely your right. However I stand by my belief we are all responsible for how our posts are perceived including shouting people down when our experiences are different to someone elses. We can't all be right all of the time though we are often guilty of believing we are! The OP has told us many times she is elderly and has not sailed since the pandemic. We and others are responsible for the opinion she has built up. She might be totally right or totally wrong but all of us are helping build her trepidation by the constant sniping and arguing amongst ourselves. I'm willing to put my hands up to being one of those. The fact is you never have a bad experience and are happy with the product on offer along with most who post here. For my part I'm happy with the product at the moment but my last expensive (for me on a P&O cruise) was a big disappointment. That is hopefully a one off experience but again I reiterate it's my experience no one else's and I found the food and service inferior it is my right to say so.

This is a perfect example of someone who is not totally technically adept asking a question. A large number of US corporations refer constantly to iPads when they mean a compatible tablet or device which accesses the internet. Those writing emails and websites understand what they mean, many who are just about managing with technology don't. The writers of instructions try but are often raised in the technology age and as such won't understand how some from other groups may be confused.

Delighted you had a good holiday as I'm travelling on her for the first time in March. Hopefully this holiday will be as good as yours as my last one on Britannia did not live up to expectations. I guess everyone's experience is different as many clearly enjoyed my cruise when I didn't.

I'm one of those on these boards, if you are offended by my referring to the 70 odd of those who follow it as some on these boards nothing I can do about it. Those of us who post and comment have to accept responsibility for the opinions we give. I've no idea what your £5k refers to as it isn't my business. However you recently posted about another booking at around £800pp for a week on Azura in a balcony with a hotel and flights. I'd say that's a very good deal and if I was looking for a holiday I'd call it budget. I hope that helps.

I appreciate that, hence I said I think the thread renamed could lead to discussion. My point is that the OP isn't the only one using that description albeit in an exam book. However she has beyond any doubt gone from someone really looking forward to her cruise to someone who is now very doubtful to what she has committed to - reading back over her posts that is glaringly obvious. A lot of her worries and comments are a direct result of things posted on these boards. Carelessly we have apparently worried her that her cruise will be a bit of a nightmare. Despite all this it's a valid point, are P&O now a budget cruise line, what exactly is a "budget cruise line" and how should they be looked at in the apparent star ratings travel agents use? The lady in question might have worded it badly and her post is ill named but it remains a big question many on these boards have been consistently hinting at.

Looking at Harry's post above yours, that seems pretty definitive if it's in a September 2022 publication - I just checked - for education of those looking to be travel experts. However I do believe the thread has validity if renamed and think this lady should be given a break now. For the avoidance of doubt: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-international-as-and-a-level-travel-and-tourism-9395/

I think she is an elderly lady using a definitive statement she has personally made, hence why I think it isn't based on fact but rather what posters on here (myself included) have led her to believe. Apart from reports from her friend on Iona she appears to have read every negative comment on every P&O thread and built it into a catastrophe waiting to happen, at least in her mind. Sadly CC board posters are probably culpable in her forming this opinion. If we are honest she has been ridiculed over shellfish, bananas, face masks and covid tests. Those jokes have been at her expense when she raised what to her were issues impacting her personal experience.