booking future cruise

[tiny47]

After several cruises i have noticed that everyone seems to pay different prices for the same type of cabins on the same decks also different amounts of on board credit given. I am looking at booking a cruise with P & O for Feb 2013 i have already paid £100 for myself & My Husband while on this years cruise as a deposit on for my future cruise, but unsure who to book with to get the best deal avaiable i have been given one quote but they say P & O have changed the way they allocate to different companies so they are unable to offer us the type of deals that we have had in the past. Has anyone else come across this?:confused:

[BrianI]

P&O have reduced the amount of commission given to travel agents from around 15% to 5% and as such all agents are quoting brochure prices. The future cruise deposit you have paid gives extra on board credit over and above any other given but the amount depends on length of cruise booked and ranges from £25 (7 nights) to £100 (22+nights) per person. You will of course have the £100 to pay to your deposit.

You can book through any travel agent and the deposit comes up automatically when they enter your Portunus number

Brian

[jodanuke]

If I was booking for 2013 I would book in 2013! Therefore saving myself literally hundreds of pounds.

[feebee_71]

Hi Tiny,

 

It's always possible that people have bought their cruises at different times so been subject to different offers leading to price changes - if you require specific cabins in set locations or want to go on 'one off cruises' or need multiple berth cabins then the suggestion is to book early.

 

If you simply need a cabin for 2 and are happy to be located anywhere in the ship then waiting for offers nearer sailing date may be your thing - if you can also deal with the offers not being there for the cruise you're interested in.

 

As you have FCD's you can use them for any cruise - so long as you book within a year of purchasing them. As you say you bought them this year you currently have less than 12 months to use it or you will lose it. While you may save more waiting for a deal to come up towards the end of next year you would also lose any OBC that you would have got with it.

 

As Brian has said, the way commission is paid to TA's has changed and they are no longer permitted to offer us customers discounts or incentives to book cruises through them. This does mean prices are standardised across the board but doesn't mean prices won't change with time. There will probably still be people onboard who have paid a full range of different prices for the cruise when the time comes.

 

Now the only real benefit to booking with an agent is their customer service levels, their credit/debit card charges and how soon before P&O want the balance you have to pay it to them - this could be 2-8 weeks before and that can represent a long time that your money is earning someone else some interest!

 

On this site we're not allowed to recommend specific TAs so you may have to look at other cruise enthusiast websites to see who get the recommendations.

 

Feebee_71

[Denarius]

P&O have reduced the amount of commission given to travel agents from around 15% to 5% and as such all agents are quoting brochure prices. The future cruise deposit you have paid gives extra on board credit over and above any other given but the amount depends on length of cruise booked and ranges from £25 (7 nights) to £100 (22+nights) per person. You will of course have the £100 to pay to your deposit.

You can book through any travel agent and the deposit comes up automatically when they enter your Portunus number

Brian

I understand from my (small local) travel agent that P&O used to pay more commision to the big operators than the small, which enabled the former to offer discounts which the latter could not afford. P&O have now standardised all at the lower level and created a level playing field. You can now expect to pay the same price regardless of who you book with, which should encourage travel agents to compete on customer service rather than price.

[tom_uk]

I understand from my (small local) travel agent that P&O used to pay more commision to the big operators than the small, which enabled the former to offer discounts which the latter could not afford. P&O have now standardised all at the lower level and created a level playing field. You can now expect to pay the same price regardless of who you book with, which should encourage travel agents to compete on customer service rather than price.

 

I just wonder how much customer service is involved, these days? You used to go into a travel agent to get advice and information; make bookings (possibly complicated, multi-flight or stay); pay for it all; and eventually collect the tickets, and in all of these areas a TA could be good or bad. These days there are so many other, better places to get the info (e.g. Cruise Critic for advice and operator websites for hard info); you can make bookings, and pay, online; and you probably get the tickets from the operator, or you print them yourself. So what is there left for the TA to do? I used to book cruises with a TA to get a bit of discount, but if that's not going to happen then the arguments for booking direct with the operator become overwhelming.

 

When was the last time anyone used a TA to book a flight? I haven't for more than ten years.

[feebee_71]

I would say the most important thing the TA does for you (or for me at least) is take the hassle out of booking cruises on the day they go on sale - I would have gone nuts on Saturday trying to get through for a single cabin on Azura.

 

And imagine trying to get through today - when the systems have gone into meltdown yet again!! Far more pleasant an experience waiting for a call from the TA who know's your requirements, how much you are prepared to pay and what alternative cabins etc you'd be prepared to accept.

 

Think of all the people who are at work today and can't spend many hours trying to get through on a system that is highly unstable!!

 

I think ALL the TA's out there will have earned their 5% (or whatever the level is)commission with the hurdles placed in their way today!!

 

Feebee_71