Do they hold cabins back?

[shallwe]

I've just tried a mock booking for a cruise next year online. When it got to the page for 'Choose a cabin' it gave me choices of lots of cabins on the floor below the one I was interested in. So I went for the option of putting my own choice of cabin in for the floor I wanted.

Unfortunately each time I put in a cabin number (and I chose a few) the page kept telling me that the cabin didn't exist, when it was quite clearly on the ships plans and of the appropriate grade.

I will probably go through to their phone booking system but wondered if anyone else has had this problem?

[Raych_C]

Our travel agent said that they block off large quantities of the cheap cabins until a couple of months before sailing so that everyone who particularly wanted to go pays for a higher grade and they can then sell the cheap cabins off for sale prices making a minimum loss.

[groovechick]

I've just tried a mock booking for a cruise next year online. When it got to the page for 'Choose a cabin' it gave me choices of lots of cabins on the floor below the one I was interested in. So I went for the option of putting my own choice of cabin in for the floor I wanted.

Unfortunately each time I put in a cabin number (and I chose a few) the page kept telling me that the cabin didn't exist, when it was quite clearly on the ships plans and of the appropriate grade.

I will probably go through to their phone booking system but wondered if anyone else has had this problem?

 

That would tie in with my experience shallwe. Despite having booked Select 12 months ago, we have not been allocated a cabin and have been told we will not be until about 4 weeks before sailing (and yes I am sure it was Select, not Early Saver). Two different P&O agents have confirmed that they have overbooked/held cabins back (in this case an Inside) in the hopes that lots of people will drop out and they will have a full ship on sailing. They tried to upsell us an obstructed view balcony. I guess if not enough people drop out they will have to upgrade some people to higher grades of cabins that have not sold.

[majortom10]

That would tie in with my experience shallwe. Despite having booked Select 12 months ago, we have not been allocated a cabin and have been told we will not be until about 4 weeks before sailing (and yes I am sure it was Select, not Early Saver). Two different P&O agents have confirmed that they have overbooked/held cabins back (in this case an Inside) in the hopes that lots of people will drop out and they will have a full ship on sailing. They tried to upsell us an obstructed view balcony. I guess if not enough people drop out they will have to upgrade some people to higher grades of cabins that have not sold.

 

If you book a Select price you pick your cabin of your choice when you book that is why you pay a higher price. If whoever you have booked with has told you your cabin will not be allocated until about 4 weeks before cruise it is an early saver price which will have been cheaper and you will not have picked your dining sitting and not get free shuttle buses at ports of call. If I was you I would ring your TA or P&O if you booked direct to confirm.

[the english lady]

I think we have had enough instances posted to confirm that people can and do book select fares ,and do not get cabin choice. Guarantee basis. Brittania bookings being a case in point. P and o sold more cabins than they had at select fare prices, on the assumption that people would drop out.

[Brayman]

I think we have had enough instances posted to confirm that people can and do book select fares ,and do not get cabin choice. Guarantee basis. Brittania bookings being a case in point. P and o sold more cabins than they had at select fare prices, on the assumption that people would drop out.

 

Well that doesn't make any sense at all, if I want a particular cabin I book Select and if the "system" doesn't allow that then I don't book.

 

Or are you all only talking about INSIDE cabins?

[the english lady]

Well that doesn't make any sense at all, if I want a particular cabin I book Select and if the "system" doesn't allow that then I don't book.

 

Or are you all only talking about INSIDE cabins?

No across all the grades.

I cannot really see the point of paying that fare and not having that choice but people have posted on CC that is what they have done.

When I am next on the grown up PC ,rather than my gadget, I will see if I can find any of the threads and cross ref them with this one.

[Scriv]

I once couldn't find the cabin I wanted on the system, so I phoned up and booked it with P&O direct. There was no problem at all.

[wilson2579]

I once couldn't find the cabin I wanted on the system, so I phoned up and booked it with P&O direct. There was no problem at all.

 

Yes I did that when I booked yesterday. I didn't want any of the cabins that they were offering online but were able to choose from more when I phoned.:cool:

[jeanlyon]

Travel Agents have access to all the cabins, unlike when you book online.

[shallwe]

Yes I did that when I booked yesterday. I didn't want any of the cabins that they were offering online but were able to choose from more when I phoned.:cool:

 

I once couldn't find the cabin I wanted on the system, so I phoned up and booked it with P&O direct. There was no problem at all.

 

That's the confirmation I was looking for. Many thanks for your help.

 

So, on to the phone it is :)

[the english lady]

Well that doesn't make any sense at all, if I want a particular cabin I book Select and if the "system" doesn't allow that then I don't book.

 

Or are you all only talking about INSIDE cabins?

Bayman I am now on the grown up PC, this is one of the threads about paying select fare and having no cabin choice

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2170464

 

I know there are other threads out there. Any one about Britannia bookings probably will mention it somewhere as well

[groovechick]

If you book a Select price you pick your cabin of your choice when you book that is why you pay a higher price. If whoever you have booked with has told you your cabin will not be allocated until about 4 weeks before cruise it is an early saver price which will have been cheaper and you will not have picked your dining sitting and not get free shuttle buses at ports of call. If I was you I would ring your TA or P&O if you booked direct to confirm.

 

Major Tom, please see the link posted by the English lady, where I made a couple of posts about our Britannia booking. It is Select, we have our choice of dining on the cruise personaliser and our other benefits are confirmed, just no cabin no. I was going to pursue this, because Trading Standards confirmed that P&O are in breach of contract and breaching at least a couple of consumer laws, but DH has asked me not to, as he feels it is taking the gloss off our anniversary cruise.

[Dryce]

Trading Standards confirmed that P&O are in breach of contract and breaching at least a couple of consumer laws,

 

Just exactly what are they in breach of? Which laws?

[P&O SUE]

I've just tried a mock booking for a cruise next year online. When it got to the page for 'Choose a cabin' it gave me choices of lots of cabins on the floor below the one I was interested in. So I went for the option of putting my own choice of cabin in for the floor I wanted.

Unfortunately each time I put in a cabin number (and I chose a few) the page kept telling me that the cabin didn't exist, when it was quite clearly on the ships plans and of the appropriate grade.

I will probably go through to their phone booking system but wondered if anyone else has had this problem?

 

Just tried it myself this morning and exactly the same problem. I had it last year too - very frustrating! It wasn't the cheapest either as I was trying to get midships and it kept offering me midships but higher up which I didn't want. It happened to me last year too - can't remember how I resolved it I either phoned or waited a few days and then they appeared!

Edited April 16, 2015 by P&O SUE

[groovechick]

Just exactly what are they in breach of? Which laws?

 

I no longer have the copious notes I made during lengthy telecons with CAB/Trading Standards, but they gave me the section/articles and names of the applicable laws, one of them from 1975 (I think). They are in breach of their own terms and conditions for Select bookings, which clearly say that you get a choice and allocation of cabin, first choice of dining arrangement, onboard credit/free parking, etc. Although the T&Cs say subject to availability, it doesn't count if P&O make your choice of grade of cabin unavailable and refuse to allocate one because of (deliberate) overbooking, which P&O have admitted on two separate occasions. The words "sharp practice" were used by Trading Standards.

[PurpleMoonlight]

Would overbooking increase the chance of an upgrade, or do they eventually cancel peoples holidays?

Edited April 16, 2015 by PurpleMoonlight

[the english lady]

Would overbooking increase the chance of an upgrade, or do they eventually cancel peoples holidays?

 

Which is what I thought of when Britannia went on sale. I thought they would probably upgrade

either the people paying select who had cabin numbers and were happy to upgrade, and move the gty people into that cabin

or

upgrade the gty people to a better cabin, direct.

No idea which option P and O are going for.

Maybe people who have cruised on Britannia ,paid for select gty, will come on here and let us know.

[Dryce]

I Although the T&Cs say subject to availability, it doesn't count if P&O make your choice of grade of cabin unavailable and refuse to allocate one because of (deliberate) overbooking, which P&O have admitted on two separate occasions. The words "sharp practice" were used by Trading Standards.

 

'Availability' means anything P&O want it to.

 

Sharp Practice? No not at all *if* at the time of booking they don't offer a cabin number and *you choose* to accept that variation in their offer. Then it's all above board.

 

As for Trading Standards? Well they can be hard hitters some times - but my feeling is that they're a bit like sleepy valley - quite happy to let you think that they're agreeing with you for an easy life. But ask yourself - if it was so obvious that laws were being broken then what did they do to deal with it. Let me guess. Nothing. Therein lies the truth of the matter.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Dryce

[groovechick]

'Availability' means anything P&O want it to.

 

Sharp Practice? No not at all *if* at the time of booking they don't offer a cabin number and *you choose* to accept that variation in their offer.

 

Had it been left to me we probably would not have booked, but my husband particularly wants to take this cruise for several reasons, not least that it fits in with the fact that we both work full time, as does our daughter, and have a son in school. School holidays and restrictions on when my husband and daughter are permitted to take holiday severely constrain our cruise choices. If P&O had not messed up by quoting us for a cruise in November 2014 rather than December 2014, we would have been on Ventura last year, not Britannia this year and would not have had the same problem because we would not have been booking for Britannia's maiden Caribbean season. P&O will not even guarantee that the children will be in a room near us - we could be at opposite ends of the ship, which would be a nightmare given what I am reading about the problems caused by the lack of a central staircase and inadequate lifts. P&O might as well not bother with T&Cs if they can tear them up and throw them away whenever they fancy.

[majortom10]

Had it been left to me we probably would not have booked, but my husband particularly wants to take this cruise for several reasons, not least that it fits in with the fact that we both work full time, as does our daughter, and have a son in school. School holidays and restrictions on when my husband and daughter are permitted to take holiday severely constrain our cruise choices. If P&O had not messed up by quoting us for a cruise in November 2014 rather than December 2014, we would have been on Ventura last year, not Britannia this year and would not have had the same problem because we would not have been booking for Britannia's maiden Caribbean season. P&O will not even guarantee that the children will be in a room near us - we could be at opposite ends of the ship, which would be a nightmare given what I am reading about the problems caused by the lack of a central staircase and inadequate lifts. P&O might as well not bother with T&Cs if they can tear them up and throw them away whenever they fancy.

 

I certainly would not under any circumstances pay a full price "Select" and let P&O choose the cabin for you at a later date I would want the cabin of my choice and at the time of booking that is the whole idea of paying the extra of "Select" fares. At the end of the day if they dont tell you what cabin you are in until 4 weeks before the cruise everybody else who has booked a "Select" fare will have had their cabins confirmed months before and you will get what is left which is exactly what the "Early Saver" and "Saver" fare is with reduced prices but you will have paid full price for the privelege. I would be on the phone straight away to P&O or my TA and ask as I have booked a "Select" fare and as advertised on there website and in the brochures want my cabin number confirmed now because by 4 weeks before the cruise you will only have cabins left that nobody wants because of poor position or noisy cabins.

[the english lady]

I certainly would not under any circumstances pay a full price "Select" and let P&O choose the cabin for you at a later date I would want the cabin of my choice and at the time of booking that is the whole idea of paying the extra of "Select" fares. At the end of the day if they dont tell you what cabin you are in until 4 weeks before the cruise everybody else who has booked a "Select" fare will have had their cabins confirmed months before and you will get what is left which is exactly what the "Early Saver" and "Saver" fare is with reduced prices but you will have paid full price for the privelege. I would be on the phone straight away to P&O or my TA and ask as I have booked a "Select" fare and as advertised on there website and in the brochures want my cabin number confirmed now because by 4 weeks before the cruise you will only have cabins left that nobody wants because of poor position or noisy cabins.

 

 

But people who have booked this way in the past and have phoned up and said I want my cabin no NOW, have been told the same thing. No can do.

 

It is what T and C people CHOOSE to accept at the time of booking.

 

Like you I would not pay a select fare price and not be able to say which cabin I wanted. I would probably not even go for early saver because I don't think they are a good deal. I would wait for saver , and if they did not appear I would not go.

 

One assumes when people phone up they are told at that time you can pay the select fare but not have cabin choice, or you can not book it. It is entirely up to them if they decide to proceed.

[PurpleMoonlight]

But people who have booked this way in the past and have phoned up and said I want my cabin no NOW, have been told the same thing. No can do.

 

It is what T and C people CHOOSE to accept at the time of booking.

 

 

One assumes when people phone up they are told at that time you can pay the select fare but not have cabin choice, or you can not book it. It is entirely up to them if they decide to proceed.

 

Sounds like a bait and switch scam to me which is unlawful.

[the english lady]

Why do you say that?

If it was against the law would p and o do it-highly unlikely.

If it is explained at the time of booking what the situation is, who decides whether to proceed with the booking. Is it p and o , or the customer. Surely it is the customer who decides what they want to do.

As others have said in this thread-me included.. If this was what was on offer we would not book.

What you should not do is accept the t and c on offer, then complain about them.

[Dryce]

Sounds like a bait and switch scam to me which is unlawful.

 

It's not and therefore it's not.