So annoyed

[Janec16]

I am so annoyed, first cruise with P&O, booked online on 22/1/13 for cruise beg April under their vantage fare only fare available at the time, wasn't bothered about picking a cabin but it offered about 5 different numbers so picked one, right all booked, a week later I discovered a (getaway fare) had come out for £500 per person less (gutted), now we received free carpark worth £120 but because the booking was made within the 90 day period we had no low deposit we had to pay full fare upfront and again 90 days no changing or cancellation which is the benefits of the vantage fare.

 

Just phoned P&O and explained that I was no better off booking the vantage fare as none of the benefits applied seeing as we were sailing within 90 days apart from the bit about refunding if the vantage fare went down, which is not going to happen now the getaway fares are out, but they won't budge, won't even give me a upgrade to the better grade balcony which I could buy now for £250 per person less than the standard cabin booked.

 

Any ideas anyone.

 

Janec16

[Thejuggler]

You were happy with the price you were quoted and the terms and conditions so I can't see any issue.

 

Nearly every cruise has getaway fares, so your story could apply to someone who booked as soon as the brochure came out.

 

The only idea is if you are waiting until last minute wait for the last minute fares to be released.

[Oarsman55]

Well, I don't blame you being annoyed. This promotion was a misunderstanding waiting to happen and was widely discussed on the Cunard boards from the outset. It rapidly became obvious that the inexperienced/naive/busy/trusting were going to be led like lambs to the slaughter towards the Vantage fares and the rest planned to wait it out for the Getaways.

 

The current advertising by P&O, Cunard and many travel agents is misleading, to say the least. I got a flyer yesterday from one of the larger agents, telling me in bold print "by booking now you guarantee your cruise deal against any future price rise. And by booking as a Vantage fare, you guarantee you'll get the full benefit of any future price drop too...'. In tiny print at the bottom of the page were the weasel words 'Please refer to the supplier's latest brochure for their full terms and conditions' etc. I know for a fact that several of the cruises featured have been on Getaway since the beginning of February, at lower prices, long before this flyer was posted out to the poor old customers.

 

As more and more pax realise that they have been misled, this new brainwave is going to cause far more bad feeling than just leaving things as they were.

 

Peter

[Janec16]

You were happy with the price you were quoted and the terms and conditions so I can't see any issue.

 

Nearly every cruise has getaway fares, so your story could apply to someone who booked as soon as the brochure came out.

 

The only idea is if you are waiting until last minute wait for the last minute fares to be released.

 

Obviously you are an experienced cruiser who know when and where to book, but to the inexperienced I can't help feeling slightly miffed, we were not trying to get a cheap deal by waiting until the last minute, we just decided to have a holiday in a few months.

 

What I am annoyed about is the short amount of time between booking and the new fare coming out, and the fact that most of the benefit of the vantage fare were not even valid as it was within the 90 day period, perhaps they should stop selling the vantage fares when that 90 day period kicks in.

 

Janec16

[Janec16]

Well, I don't blame you being annoyed. This promotion was a misunderstanding waiting to happen and was widely discussed on the Cunard boards from the outset. It rapidly became obvious that the inexperienced/naive/busy/trusting were going to be led like lambs to the slaughter towards the Vantage fares and the rest planned to wait it out for the Getaways.

 

The current advertising by P&O, Cunard and many travel agents is misleading, to say the least. I got a flyer yesterday from one of the larger agents, telling me in bold print "by booking now you guarantee your cruise deal against any future price rise. And by booking as a Vantage fare, you guarantee you'll get the full benefit of any future price drop too...'. In tiny print at the bottom of the page were the weasel words 'Please refer to the supplier's latest brochure for their full terms and conditions' etc. I know for a fact that several of the cruises featured have been on Getaway since the beginning of February, at lower prices, long before this flyer was posted out to the poor old customers.

 

As more and more pax realise that they have been misled, this new brainwave is going to cause far more bad feeling than just leaving things as they were.

 

Peter

 

Yes thanks it is really misleading I think, like buying a car today and it going on sale for half price next week. Fingers crossed we might get an upgrade, I very much doubt it as the girl on the phone said nothing she could say would have any bearing on the people who sort this out and as we have never cruised with p&o before have no loyalty club history.

 

We really wanted the better grade balcony as well as it had a full bath which we both love but could not afford it, where as now we could book it for £250 per person less than the standard cabin.

 

Live and learn.

 

Janec16

[Oarsman55]

Yes thanks it is really misleading I think, like buying a car today and it going on sale for half price next week.

Live and learn.

Janec16

 

Sorry to be pedantic, but it's not really (and I'm in your corner) - that would be fair enough, unless the car dealer had told you, in writing, that he guaranteed you against any future price drop. This is the nearest equation to the headline of P&O's and Cunard's Vantage fare, with the horribly relevant caveats in such small print that I need a magnifying glass to read them. And even then, they simply refer the customer to the brochure.

 

Just to add, about four weeks ago I was told by a major P&O/Cunard agent (think gold pound coins) that "Cunard is not doing Getaways this year". To be fair, I didn't ask about P&O, but would wager that the reply would have been the same. When I questioned this, she said "this is what Cunard have told us". Fortunately, experience told me not to believe a word of it and I was proved right only about a week later, but I've been price-checking these two lines for six years, so like to think I know my stuff.

 

Sorry you had to learn the hard way, as have probably most on here. Notwithstanding all of this, have a wonderful time, hopefully with an upgrade.

 

Peter

[simonpjd]

I can certainly understand your annoyance and it doesn't seem fair. On the other hand, as someone said, you were happy with the deal you bought at that time.

It is one of the unwritten rules of cruising - don't discuss how much you paid for your ticket. You can bet that there are a multitude of different prices paid for the same cabins. There will always be someone who paid less than you.

Clearly Cunard and P&O may have to take another look at these getaway and vantage prices. The idea was to make them transparent and clear and fair - but this has not worked yet and needs a bit of tweeking.

But put yourself in the company position.

1 Brochure comes out probably 2 years before sailing date. So you give a book early incentive price.

2 This goes and a 'normal price appears'

3 They analyse bookings v sailing date. Getting closer to sailing date and lots spare - drop the price. This is simple economics - but anyone who booked just before that happens will be cheesed off.

 

So how would you play it to try and stop any unfairness. Tough one eh.

 

They cannot sell dirt cheap to everyone - read elsewhere on here and there are loads of whingers complaining about standards and the food etc - the same people who want to pay rock bottom prices. I am sure you get my drift.

[Denarius]

.

 

They cannot sell dirt cheap to everyone - read elsewhere on here and there are loads of whingers complaining about standards and the food etc - the same people who want to pay rock bottom prices. I am sure you get my drift.

Too true. Reminds me of a conversation I had with a Spanish hotelier in the 1970s. He said that visitors were mainly German or British. The Germans demanded high standards and were prepared to pay for them. The Briish wanted it cheap, and then complained that standards were not as high as they had hoped. In truth, both groups got what they paid for.

[annieuk]

I can understand you being miffed - but that's the way it is. On our last cruise we had a suite - booked it over a year ahead, got free car parking, good lot of on board credit and the specific cabin we wanted plus the dining sitting we wanted. When we were onboard we met a couple who were in the same suite as us but on the other side of the ship and they had booked last minute and got a fantastic deal as a suite had suddenly become available - I assume someone had to cancel last minute. We didn't spend the rest of our fantastic cruise angry that someone had paid less money for the same cabin. We got what we wanted, plus OBC and free car parking and, what is more important to me, we had over a year of looking forward to the cruise.

 

I'd never want to book very last minute as I enjoy all the preparing and looking forward to the cruise. I know some people would probably think I was mad but that's how it is. I know it's not quite the same but I saw a jacket on a website the other day - quite an expensive one - that I bought last Autumn, now it's half price and yes in my size - that's just the way of things. Don't let it spoil your holiday.:)

[landlady23]

Hiya, We booked a getaway cruise at our local travel agents and paid it in full there and then, The day after i got an email offering the same cruise at £200 each less than we paid, I phoned our travel agent and she contacted P&O and i was told nothing could be done about it. A couple of days later our TA phoned and said we had got an upgrade from OG grade to OE on A deck. so i am happy now.:cool::cool::cool:

[terrierjohn]

I am so annoyed, first cruise with P&O, booked online on 22/1/13 for cruise beg April under their vantage fare only fare available at the time, wasn't bothered about picking a cabin but it offered about 5 different numbers so picked one, right all booked, a week later I discovered a (getaway fare) had come out for £500 per person less (gutted), now we received free carpark worth £120 but because the booking was made within the 90 day period we had no low deposit we had to pay full fare upfront and again 90 days no changing or cancellation which is the benefits of the vantage fare.

 

Just phoned P&O and explained that I was no better off booking the vantage fare as none of the benefits applied seeing as we were sailing within 90 days apart from the bit about refunding if the vantage fare went down, which is not going to happen now the getaway fares are out, but they won't budge, won't even give me a upgrade to the better grade balcony which I could buy now for £250 per person less than the standard cabin booked.

 

Any ideas anyone.

 

Janec16

Janec16, You have my sympathy, when P&O and Cunard introduced these Vantage fares I was sceptical that this sort of situation would become the norm, and so far I have only heard about extra OBC or other perks for passengers who had booked prior to these fares being introduced; that is no further reductions have been made to Vantage fares, but as you have experienced there have been lots of getaway deals.

However Princess, another Carnival brand, are now offering to match price drops for UK passengers, same as they have done for years for US passengers. And they have made some spectacular reductions from their brochure prices of up to 45%, none of which are special offers, so all have been available for price drops for early bookers.

Similarly RCL & Celebrity offer price matching deals, but as their launch prices are generally so good there is little chance you would need a reduction, since their fares increase the later you book.

I expect you will avoid P&O in the future except for late deals, and I don't blame you.

[Clodia]

I booked early last year and then the lower fares came out, but we did get a very nice upgrade so I was quite happy.:)

[Essexlass2]

We booked today with a Getaway Fare and are very happy with the terms and conditions. Hopefully we shall get a nice balcony cabin. Its a case of 'you pay your money and take your choice'. We may be happy with what we get or we may feel not quite so happy, but we know we will have got what we paid for.

[sez809]

We've not cruised P&O before, so have no loyalty points or whatever. We booked our forthcoming Summer cruise with them at a Vantage fare, we have been given free car parking but no other perks. As we needed more than a cabin for two (we needed at least three, possibly four berth) we made our choice and are happy with it. In our heads, we had a ball-park figure that we would have been happy to pay for the cruise, and we booked within that. I have no doubt that, even though we booked over 12 months ahead of time, there will be many others who pay less for the same trip. Whether we could have left it later and got a four berth cabin, as required, nearer the time, I dont know. We have accepted that we paid what we were prepared to and that is, as they say, that!

 

Now we approach our cruise date with trepidation and anticipation, being Princess cruisers!! It will be very interesting to compare..... standards that is and not fees paid! ;)

[RobertNeath]

I've recently booked last month a 12 Night cruise on Azura to the Canaries in October.

 

I booked an inside cabin booked at Vantage Far (so that means you'll either get an upgrade or additional onboard spending money) I then decided to upgraded my cabin to a balcony. Even though doing this removes the Vantage Fare as you secure your cabin number.

 

At first I was offered a lower grade cabin on D/C Deck which I weren't too fussed about, But then the kind women then mentioned that for the same price I could have a cabin on A deck all for only £700 extra. I'm not yet sure If I've got extra onboard credit or not.

 

Just to note this is my first cruise and I am traveling alone but I know I've made the right with P&O as 1: They are one of the Cheapest UK lines out there. 2: They are HIGHLY recommended by friends and previous travelers.

 

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Robert

[terrierjohn]

I've recently booked last month a 12 Night cruise on Azura to the Canaries in October.

 

I booked an inside cabin booked at Vantage Far (so that means you'll either get an upgrade or additional onboard spending money) I then decided to upgraded my cabin to a balcony. Even though doing this removes the Vantage Fare as you secure your cabin number. All vantage fares should have a secured cabin number

 

At first I was offered a lower grade cabin on D/C Deck which I weren't too fussed about, But then the kind women then mentioned that for the same price I could have a cabin on A deck all for only £700 extra. I'm not yet sure If I've got extra onboard credit or not.

 

Just to note this is my first cruise and I am traveling alone but I know I've made the right with P&O as 1: They are one of the Cheapest UK lines out there. 2: They are HIGHLY recommended by friends and previous travelers.

 

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Robert

Robert, I hope you did not turn down balcony cabins on C or D deck in preference to A deck, if so you missed out on larger balconies on C Deck, or De Luxe cabins on d deck.

But I am sure you will enjoy your first cruise.

[southwinds]

This is where using a good cruise agent you could have been tipped off. Around the time of the final invoice many people cancel thats when the Getaway deals appear.... An agent would have known this.... as a first timer you now know this.........