Vantage fares not worth the money

[soobs]

I agree carhirer, silly games just set a price and stick to it - if it's a fair price then so be it you can either afford it or not. It's time the whole travel industry started treating customer fairly!!!!!

[dodgydino]

Ive got no problem what so ever of paying Vantage fares but when im in a cabin with restricted views and others are in cabins with balconys and paid £600 less it just doesnt seem right...Surely P&O could contact Vantage Fare payers and offer them the upgrade to balcony and then sell the lesser cabins to Getaway fare payers.

Depending of course that the ship hasnt sold out completely. Some people I spoke to ( About 4 parties) had booked less than 3 week before cruising where as I booked 9 months before and they recieved better rooms for far less money.

Booking early on Vantage didnt even guarantee my 4 seat table at dining after all the promises made by P&O and they didn't even deliver the flowers ordered that should have been in my parents cabin when we boarded...

Booking early and paying a premium price I expect better or am I expecting too much?

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

[the english lady]

I agree carhirer, silly games just set a price and stick to it - if it's a fair price then so be it you can either afford it or not. It's time the whole travel industry started treating customer fairly!!!!!

I agree it is all silly games and ofcourse I would love to be paying less for our holiday. However I know the goalposts (at this moment in time-they will probably move!) and I know what I would like, so I am prepared to pay for it.

I guess I just get a tinsy bit irritated when people have paid a getaway fare (I still think it should be called " a leave it all up to us fare"), then come on the forums and complain about what they haven't got.

As has been said in the past people Pando used to rely on to cruise are now getting on a bit, so they have to try and get different people to come onboard , who are more used to not having a choice where your room is on and based holidays, so will not mind where their room is on a ship.I guess silly games are played by lots of companies, they just have different names for it. Also no use comparing USA with UK cruise companies as the T and C are totally different.

[majortom10]

I agree that Getaway deals booked should not have any complaints whatsoever with regards cabin position or dining choice. We booked a cabin on Azura last year on a Getaway and agree it wasnt the best cabin and would not have booked it under Vantage but for what we paid and the fact it was a Getaway that is the price you pay. The trouble is newcomers are booking Getaways as their first cruises and think they should have choices. End of the day if you want it a lot cheaper you must take the risk of being put anywhere on the ship and in any restaurant at anytime and have no complaints. P&O should if anyone complains at pursers desk about cabin/dining and they have booked a Getaway stick to there guns and say you cant have the best of both worlds.

[Winkster]

.........

 

Cabin location is important to us (port high mid) as is dining preference.

 

...........[/tQUOTE]

 

Just curious. Why Port? Why High?

 

Personal preference really. The Mid bit is for a smoother ride but we'd rather pay more to get what we want and what we like.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[kevinyork]

So you would be happier if PO play unnecessary and irritating games to pee off getaway bookers rather than offer vantage bookers real value for their excess money?

 

Well said.

 

We are in a no mans land with regards to thinking about any future P&O booking (after 5 sailings with them). We would not book a vantage fare. They are overpriced and we know lower getaway fares will come along for the cruise. We wont wait for getaway fares as we would at least like a choice over dining times. We are happy to settle for a gaurenteed cabin but not to be forced to eat at times which dont suit us.

 

The only reason P&O are going to restrict choice of dining for getaway fares are to make more people think about paying the vantage fare to secure their preference thereby increasing the differential. What next? Getaway fares have no bedding and have to bring their own........

 

It wont make me choose to book a Vantage fare. It will make me cruise with another cruise line.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Winkster]

I thing the whole Vantage vs Getaway system is daft but for us, it's pretty black and white.

 

We know exactly what we want and we're happy to pay an advertised price to know we've got exactly what we want. After that, we don't care what others have paid - we paid a price we were happy with for a cruise we were happy with.

 

Many others however are happy taking a chance on the cruise, cabin, dining choice etc in the hope of a lower cost - but at the risk, ultimately, of a less than ideal cabin, meal etc. If that risk works for you, great! They're the sort for who Getaway fares work.

 

I think when you book a vantage fare, you have to do so for the right reasons and you have to accept that the person in the next door cabin MAY have paid significantly less for the same experience.

 

If you can't handle that (we can!), wait and chance your luck with a Getaway.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[annieuk]

Winkster, that's exactly how we feel about it. There has to be a significant difference for those who book early under the Vantage and it does annoy me when I read of people who have booked a Getaway deal and then complain that they haven't got their choice of dining or that their cabin was in a position they didn't like.

[rubydoobydoo]

Our first cruise to the canaries in Oct 2008 was £1099, this was for 13 nights

 

This year we paid £899 for 12 nights this Oct, so I don't think the vantage fares are expensive, booked it last October

 

Our cruise today's price vantage £1129 getaway £999

 

if I was booking a getaway fare today I would be wishing I had booked a year ago to get my choice of cabin and on board spend, same goes for booking so late on a vantage

 

Who knows when the best time to book is, book when you are happy with what you are getting and leave it at that no point crying over spilt milk, you can't change it and and dwelling on it can take the edge off your cruise

 

I never listen to these late bookers who brag they got a balcony last minute for half the price we paid , they probably didn't, the braggers are usually exaggerators too !!

[Stix777]

I booked my cruise on Ventura in Febuary through a Travel Agent on a vantage fare and being a single got the full whamey, single supplement etc, etc, and since then a growing disenchantment has set in with the whole business, i'm not due to travel till January on a fly cruise deal but have desided to cancel before the final payment of £3,300 is due, i'd rather lose £300 than sit at a dinner table listening to someone who paid half that amount and got an upgrade into the bargain, so if you are on Ventura on 401 in January and get cabin r227 on an upgrade, have a great holiday!

[rubydoobydoo]

I booked my cruise on Ventura in Febuary through a Travel Agent on a vantage fare and being a single got the full whamey, single supplement etc, etc, and since then a growing disenchantment has set in with the whole business, i'm not due to travel till January on a fly cruise deal but have desided to cancel before the final payment of £3,300 is due, i'd rather lose £300 than sit at a dinner table listening to someone who paid half that amount and got an upgrade into the bargain, so if you are on Ventura on 401 in January and get cabin r227 on an upgrade, have a great holiday!

 

You must have been happy with that price when you booked or you wouldn't have booked

 

If you cancel the only one loosing out is you, on the holiday and £300

 

Don't let anyone who got a bargain ruin your holiday you may find there are people on your table who paid more than you, would you want to make them feel bad about how you paid less

 

Go and have a great time at the pice you were prepared to pay

[dodgydino]

Winkster.....The reasons you quote for booking Vantage are the reasons we booked so we could specify exactly what we wanted...But to turn up on the day and not quite get what you expect you start to wonder why you paid out the extra expense.

To some it may not matter but we specified we needed a 4 seat table because my mother being the nervous type wouldnt feel comfortable sitting with others she didnt know. ..We had it clarified numerous times by P&O them selves that we were definitely on a table of 4.

On arrival we were put on a table of 8 so we went to the resteraunt to try and sort it out but were told categorically there was no chance of moving to a 4 seat table.

After discussions the following day we managed to resolve the matter but thats after missing our 1st evenings dining.

Not a great way to start the holiday and after paying Vantage fares and having it clarified so many times should never of happened.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

[majortom10]

I booked my cruise on Ventura in Febuary through a Travel Agent on a vantage fare and being a single got the full whamey, single supplement etc, etc, and since then a growing disenchantment has set in with the whole business, i'm not due to travel till January on a fly cruise deal but have desided to cancel before the final payment of £3,300 is due, i'd rather lose £300 than sit at a dinner table listening to someone who paid half that amount and got an upgrade into the bargain, so if you are on Ventura on 401 in January and get cabin r227 on an upgrade, have a great holiday!

 

Wait until Getaway deals for that cruise become available because after September single cruisers can book Getaway deals and you might be able to cancel and book a Getaway and save a fortune.

[Winkster]

Winkster.....The reasons you quote for booking Vantage are the reasons we booked so we could specify exactly what we wanted...But to turn up on the day and not quite get what you expect you start to wonder why you paid out the extra expense.

To some it may not matter but we specified we needed a 4 seat table because my mother being the nervous type wouldnt feel comfortable sitting with others she didnt know. ..We had it clarified numerous times by P&O them selves that we were definitely on a table of 4.

On arrival we were put on a table of 8 so we went to the resteraunt to try and sort it out but were told categorically there was no chance of moving to a 4 seat table.

After discussions the following day we managed to resolve the matter but thats after missing our 1st evenings dining.

Not a great way to start the holiday and after paying Vantage fares and having it clarified so many times should never of happened.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

 

I do sympathise with you but P&O do make it very clear that there are no guarantees when it comes to table allocation.

 

While Vantage fares guarantee you a cabin choice, they only allow you to make a request for dinner seating. It'd be nice if it was guaranteed but it is made clear from the outset that it's a preference that you're expressing.

 

I don't think it's P&O's fault if people pay for something known up front but then complain because they didn't get something that was never offered in the first place.

 

What would be fairer though is if they guaranteed table choices for Vantage fare payers - but then what if everyone wants tables for 4 at 6.30pm?

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[rubydoobydoo]

Could you have booked freedom dining if you needed a small table, you could choose where you eat and how big the table size was?

 

I have always waited for a table for 2 or 4 to become available in the MDR if I didn't feel like sitting on a large table, quite often we enjoy dining on our own and it has never been a problem

 

I would never go for seated dining it just wouldn't suit me

[dodgydino]

This was only our second cruise and the first was only a taster so we are relatively new to how things work...Where we went wrong was believing our TA and P&O when telling us we had prebooked our table...at no point was it ever mentioned that it was just a preference.

My wife even spoke to our TA when on board and they confirmed they had it in writing from P&O about a 4 seat table being prebooked.

You can only believe what these people tell you and if they are telling you its set in stone you tend to believe them.

Never mind you live and learn.

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

[dodgydino]

Could you have booked freedom dining if you needed a small table, you could choose where you eat and how big the table size was?

 

I have always waited for a table for 2 or 4 to become available in the MDR if I didn't feel like sitting on a large table, quite often we enjoy dining on our own and it has never been a problem

 

I would never go for seated dining it just wouldn't suit me

 

At the time we didnt know anything about freedom dining.

Personally I dont mind sitting on a larger table although ive spoken to people in the past who've done this and unfortunately been lumbered with the guy who wants to be centre of attention and its ended up over the course of the week ruining thier dining experience. I know this is probably rare but it can happen.

Next year if we decide to cruise freedom dining will probably be the way for us to go.

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

[soobs]

Know what it's like if you get stuck on a fixed dining table with he/she who wants to be the centre of attention it's a nightmare we were stuck on a table on the QM2 we were stuck on a table with 2 men in competition with each other to see who could draw the most attention we put up with it 2 nights and asked for a move to a table for 2

[old nutter]

With Freedom Dining coming along and some cruises no longer giving a choice of cabin on Vantage Fares, we might just be seeing the creeping end of this price fiasco because that removes the two top reasons for booking Vantage Fares. If they were now to lose the meaningless "Price Guarantee" that makes no difference anyway, they could quietly dispense with the idea of Vantage Fares and the "one from three choice" perk left could just be stay as an early booking bonus. They could still have "Getaway Sale" fares if there is a need to fill up empty spaces cheaply and nobody would be any the wiser.

 

Seems like a plan to me.

[the english lady]

Bear in mind though some of the freedom dining venues are not that big.I assume that vantage payers will be asked what they would like and if the freedom reaches a certain limit anyone else who books later would have to go with what they are given. I have read on here of people requesting freedom, and when they got on board found they were on 2nd sitting club dining, on a table for 8. When they queried they were told freedom had reached it's limit a long time before. One guesses they will have limits to give everyone dining a chance to eat at a reasonable pace, rather than go in,eat up, out you go, so the next people can come in.

[High and Dry]

We booked our September cruise on Azura to the Eastern Med, when it first became available in the P&O brochure and we paid the Vantage fare. We wanted a particular cabin on a particular deck. We had cruised on Azura before and wanted the same cabin. (I wonder if that £5 note which I left in the bedside drawer is still there!) Our friends booked at the same time due to the fact that they need a disabled cabin and they get booked up very quickly. A few months ago P&O informed us that they had reduced the price of the cruise and therefore they were crediting our onboard account with nearly £1200 to compensate us for the price reduction. Thanks very much P&O. The downside is we can’t use it to pay for pre-booked trips and we don’t get our 7.5% discount when we spend it on the ship. Small price to pay I know but it means that for the first time ever – we’re waiting until we get onboard to book our trips when we’ll be able to use our onboard credit.

Discounting has always gone on in every aspect of the holiday trade. Hotels, airlines, travel agents and cruise companies have always reduced prices to fill empty rooms, empty airline seats, unsold package holidays and cruise ships. In the past, we wouldn’t know how much our fellow passengers had paid but these days everything is out in the open for the whole world to see. I always say that if you’ve got the holiday you want, at the price you’re willing to pay, then that’s the deal.

We can’t wait to join Azura on the 7th September in Southampton.

Bring it on..

[kevinyork]

We booked our September cruise on Azura to the Eastern Med, when it first became available in the P&O brochure and we paid the Vantage fare. We wanted a particular cabin on a particular deck. We had cruised on Azura before and wanted the same cabin. (I wonder if that £5 note which I left in the bedside drawer is still there!) Our friends booked at the same time due to the fact that they need a disabled cabin and they get booked up very quickly. A few months ago P&O informed us that they had reduced the price of the cruise and therefore they were crediting our onboard account with nearly £1200 to compensate us for the price reduction. Thanks very much P&O. The downside is we can’t use it to pay for pre-booked trips and we don’t get our 7.5% discount when we spend it on the ship. Small price to pay I know but it means that for the first time ever – we’re waiting until we get onboard to book our trips when we’ll be able to use our onboard credit.

Discounting has always gone on in every aspect of the holiday trade. Hotels, airlines, travel agents and cruise companies have always reduced prices to fill empty rooms, empty airline seats, unsold package holidays and cruise ships. In the past, we wouldn’t know how much our fellow passengers had paid but these days everything is out in the open for the whole world to see. I always say that if you’ve got the holiday you want, at the price you’re willing to pay, then that’s the deal.

We can’t wait to join Azura on the 7th September in Southampton.

Bring it on..

 

Hang on......this appears to be the first ever Vantage fare passenger that has benefitted from a Vantage Fare reduction.......surely not! No one has ever posted this as being a reality!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[dodgydino]

We booked our September cruise on Azura to the Eastern Med, when it first became available in the P&O brochure and we paid the Vantage fare. We wanted a particular cabin on a particular deck. We had cruised on Azura before and wanted the same cabin. (I wonder if that £5 note which I left in the bedside drawer is still there!) Our friends booked at the same time due to the fact that they need a disabled cabin and they get booked up very quickly. A few months ago P&O informed us that they had reduced the price of the cruise and therefore they were crediting our onboard account with nearly £1200 to compensate us for the price reduction. Thanks very much P&O. The downside is we can’t use it to pay for pre-booked trips and we don’t get our 7.5% discount when we spend it on the ship. Small price to pay I know but it means that for the first time ever – we’re waiting until we get onboard to book our trips when we’ll be able to use our onboard credit.

Discounting has always gone on in every aspect of the holiday trade. Hotels, airlines, travel agents and cruise companies have always reduced prices to fill empty rooms, empty airline seats, unsold package holidays and cruise ships. In the past, we wouldn’t know how much our fellow passengers had paid but these days everything is out in the open for the whole world to see. I always say that if you’ve got the holiday you want, at the price you’re willing to pay, then that’s the deal.

We can’t wait to join Azura on the 7th September in Southampton.

Bring it on..

 

£1200 is a hell of a lot of money to spend on board even with using it for trips....looks like you're in for a good time in the bars :-)

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

[rubydoobydoo]

We booked our September cruise on Azura to the Eastern Med, when it first became available in the P&O brochure and we paid the Vantage fare. We wanted a particular cabin on a particular deck. We had cruised on Azura before and wanted the same cabin. (I wonder if that £5 note which I left in the bedside drawer is still there!) Our friends booked at the same time due to the fact that they need a disabled cabin and they get booked up very quickly. A few months ago P&O informed us that they had reduced the price of the cruise and therefore they were crediting our onboard account with nearly £1200 to compensate us for the price reduction. Thanks very much P&O. The downside is we can’t use it to pay for pre-booked trips and we don’t get our 7.5% discount when we spend it on the ship. Small price to pay I know but it means that for the first time ever – we’re waiting until we get onboard to book our trips when we’ll be able to use our onboard credit.

Discounting has always gone on in every aspect of the holiday trade. Hotels, airlines, travel agents and cruise companies have always reduced prices to fill empty rooms, empty airline seats, unsold package holidays and cruise ships. In the past, we wouldn’t know how much our fellow passengers had paid but these days everything is out in the open for the whole world to see. I always say that if you’ve got the holiday you want, at the price you’re willing to pay, then that’s the deal.

We can’t wait to join Azura on the 7th September in Southampton.

Bring it on..

 

 

Did you book this before they introduced vantage and getaway fares ?

 

If so that is why you maybe got the credit, when they introduced the vantage fare it was lower than what you paid, or have they actually lowered the vantage fare ?

[davecttr]

£1200 is a hell of a lot of money to spend on board even with using it for trips....looks like you're in for a good time in the bars :-)

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

 

not a lot at all

 

On an Oceana 14 nighter last month i managed exactly £601.80 just for me. £465 of that was on board credit though :D