mickey89 Posted February 27, 2017 #1 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Just compared Celebrity Eclipse, PO Britannia and PO Azura for February 2018. Completely gobsmacked PO are charging £1950 more for a balcony cabin than Celebrity. The Celebrity price includes the Classic Drinks package but excluding the flight which costs only £850 for a couple. HAL prices are even better, now that balcony smoking has been banned definitely worth considering. Both are a cut above P&O in all the cruise ratings. Why are PO Cruises prices so high ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallas16 Posted February 27, 2017 #2 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Just compared Celebrity Eclipse, PO Britannia and PO Azura for February 2018. Completely gobsmacked PO are charging £1950 more for a balcony cabin than Celebrity. The Celebrity price includes the Classic Drinks package but excluding the flight which costs only £850 for a couple. HAL prices are even better, now that balcony smoking has been banned definitely worth considering. Both are a cut above P&O in all the cruise ratings. Why are PO Cruises prices so high ? I think P &O believe that there are some people who would never cruise with anyone else apart from P & O and therefore think they can charge whatever they want because those people will pay the prices. Celebrity offer a much better standard of cruising than P & O and Eclipse is one of the highest rated ships on this site Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted February 27, 2017 #3 Share Posted February 27, 2017 The prices are high because the demand is high. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thejuggler Posted February 27, 2017 #4 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Prices change all the time. What is cheap one day can be expensive the next when compared to others, its the free market which gives us the choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierjohn Posted February 27, 2017 #5 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Not sure where you got the prices but checking a major on line TA I found that Eclipse cruise only prices are similar to P&O fly cruises, but £1000pp more for fly cruises. There are many Caribbean cruise only prices which are up to £1000pp less than P&O, but not sure I agree that flights to Florida, Dom. Rep or Puerto Rico can be had for only £850 per couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #6 Share Posted February 27, 2017 P&O are getting ridiculously expensive. We just got back from the Caribbean on Azura and went to the cruise desk for a deal they were offering. Even deducting the extra £100 each OBC they were offering, a cruise at the same time next year was £1000 more expensive for a balcony. It's a sellers market as far as P&O are concerned right now. Many people prefer the Britishness and they sell the whole package for the Caribbean. I think they are raking it in now, in case Branson undercuts them in 2020. But we worked out we could (if we wanted) afford three really decent holidays for the cost of one Caribbean cruise. If we cruise again in the next 12 months, we'll be looking elsewhere. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanlyon Posted February 27, 2017 #7 Share Posted February 27, 2017 That's why I take an inside cabin. Still great deals on those :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #8 Share Posted February 27, 2017 £1800 for an inside cabin. Not that great a 'deal' but not as expensive as a balcony. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted February 27, 2017 #9 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I'm returning to P&O because I found the Celebrity Eclipse poor compared to Britannia. The red wines they serve in the MDR on Celebrity is gross, no matter what it says on the bottle it's all the same bad blend AND all tastes like vinegar, best avoided unless you like cystitis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port out Posted February 27, 2017 #10 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Guess some folk go to Lidi and Aldi and are happy as Larry with their basket. Others prefer Marks and Spencer and Waitrose which is our preferred choice. Of course if cost is an issue go to the supermarket which meets your expectations but don't slag off M&S and Waitrose just because you can't afford to shop there. Left out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted February 27, 2017 #11 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I think P&O are now marketing their cruises further into the future than they previously used to do. The reason for this is that if your competitors launch six months, or whatever ahead of you they can catch the early doors bookings whereas you are offering nothing during that six months. Not many people book that early but cruise lines are not going to offer risky marginal prices that may work out around the break even point, they will offer premium prices for pick of the best cabins. If you look at other bigger lines which have more ships they are in a position to market on a regional basis which is less risky and also being global operators can put more cruising capacity into a different part of the world. I cant see P&O doing this with UK based sales being their customer base. Big players can also dump cruises on a specific market if they want to use that strategy for some sort of tactical reason. I wonder if the US Dollar, Euro and Pound have led them to be more cautious this coming season with Brexit and more difficult prices due to this. Nearer to sailing date the cruise line will more likely become sensitive to not selling sufficient cruises to date on their anticipated sales figures. In the fullness of time I foresee prices falling back to similar to last year but this wont happen until nearer sailing date. Meanwhile if people want to pay premium prices then they will continue for a bit. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #12 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I think P&O are now marketing their cruises further into the future than they previously used to do. The reason for this is that if your competitors launch six months, or whatever ahead of you they can catch the early doors bookings whereas you are offering nothing during that six months. Not many people book that early but cruise lines are not going to offer risky marginal prices that may work out around the break even point, they will offer premium prices for pick of the best cabins. If you look at other bigger lines which have more ships they are in a position to market on a regional basis which is less risky and also being global operators can put more cruising capacity into a different part of the world. I cant see P&O doing this with UK based sales being their customer base. Big players can also dump cruises on a specific market if they want to use that strategy for some sort of tactical reason. I wonder if the US Dollar, Euro and Pound have led them to be more cautious this coming season with Brexit and more difficult prices due to this. Nearer to sailing date the cruise line will more likely become sensitive to not selling sufficient cruises to date on their anticipated sales figures. In the fullness of time I foresee prices falling back to similar to last year but this wont happen until nearer sailing date. Meanwhile if people want to pay premium prices then they will continue for a bit. Regards John Basically, those saver fares that haven't been such good value for the last couple of years, will again become good value. People will stop paying those select fares (they've even removed the chance to pick your cabin on some cruises) and just wait and wait until prices are reduced. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted February 27, 2017 #13 Share Posted February 27, 2017 You have to compare like with like. P&O cruises on Azura in Feb will include all flights and transfers to the Caribbean whereas Celebrity's price is cruise only. We've cruised with Celebrity a few times ad we certainly spend significantly more onboard Celebrity ships than we do on P&O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolfman Posted February 27, 2017 #14 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I absolutely agree with Port Out - if you want to pay down-market prices and then pay them by all means, but stay away from P&O. I am happy to pay for a top-quality product… and it's not all about the accommodation/food/service. It's also about top quality health and safety. We recently had an issue whereby there was a fall crew alert - our first ever after 30 years at sea. My only thought at the time was; '....thank goodness we are on a P&O vessel!" You get what you pay for ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #15 Share Posted February 27, 2017 You have to compare like with like. P&O cruises on Azura in Feb will include all flights and transfers to the Caribbean whereas Celebrity's price is cruise only. We've cruised with Celebrity a few times ad we certainly spend significantly more onboard Celebrity ships than we do on P&O Fair point. But I'm not intending to go to the Caribbean with another cruise line. Out of principle, I'm not paying around 20% more for my cruise than I have this year. I haven't even looked at any other prices. By the way, most other cruise lines offer free internet and drinks packages. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #16 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I absolutely agree with Port Out - if you want to pay down-market prices and then pay them by all means, but stay away from P&O. I am happy to pay for a top-quality product… and it's not all about the accommodation/food/service. It's also about top quality health and safety. We recently had an issue whereby there was a fall crew alert - our first ever after 30 years at sea. My only thought at the time was; '....thank goodness we are on a P&O vessel!" You get what you pay for ........ You are talking as though P&O are the ultimate in cruising. But if you are actually saying that no matter how much P&O raise their prices, you will pay it, that makes you very gullible, with much more money than sense. Have you been on another cruise line where the crew went into meltdown due to an alert, or are you saying that because this crew dealt with it.....that makes their health and safety better than others? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted February 27, 2017 #17 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Basically, those saver fares that haven't been such good value for the last couple of years, will again become good value. People will stop paying those select fares (they've even removed the chance to pick your cabin on some cruises) and just wait and wait until prices are reduced. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk You can pick your cabin with a select fare on all cruises. If you book early enough. Saver fares are not going down because they are filling the ships. Most saver fares are not worth it because with a select fare the OBC often takes you down to the level of the saver. So you might as well book select in the first place. Clearly the price increase and the lack of late deals are an indication of how well sales are going. If you want a cheaper deal then cruise November or early December they are always cheaper than February. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted February 27, 2017 #18 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Fair point. But I'm not intending to go to the Caribbean with another cruise line. Out of principle, I'm not paying around 20% more for my cruise than I have this year. I haven't even looked at any other prices. By the way, most other cruise lines offer free internet and drinks packages. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk The cruise difference quoted by the OP was for Azura in February and therefore the Caribbean - hence my reply. A cruise is worth what you're willing to pay for it and as I only cruise from Southampton the choice is limited in the Winter especially and I've always been happy with what i've paid. It may not be obvious from the base line prices how much obc is offered - although no free internet or drinks. For our cruise next Feb on P&O we've got £1500 obc which, in anybody's book, is not to be scoffed at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted February 27, 2017 #19 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I think P&O are now marketing their cruises further into the future than they previously used to do. The reason for this is that if your competitors launch six months, or whatever ahead of you they can catch the early doors bookings whereas you are offering nothing during that six months. Not many people book that early but cruise lines are not going to offer risky marginal prices that may work out around the break even point, they will offer premium prices for pick of the best cabins. If you look at other bigger lines which have more ships they are in a position to market on a regional basis which is less risky and also being global operators can put more cruising capacity into a different part of the world. I cant see P&O doing this with UK based sales being their customer base. Big players can also dump cruises on a specific market if they want to use that strategy for some sort of tactical reason. I wonder if the US Dollar, Euro and Pound have led them to be more cautious this coming season with Brexit and more difficult prices due to this. Nearer to sailing date the cruise line will more likely become sensitive to not selling sufficient cruises to date on their anticipated sales figures. In the fullness of time I foresee prices falling back to similar to last year but this wont happen until nearer sailing date. Meanwhile if people want to pay premium prices then they will continue for a bit. Regards John John that may be true that they are getting their marketing in early But the cruises which started this discussion are in February 18 and have been on sale for 10 months. Looking at the brochure the inside price is at least £200 down on today's price. So booking on day in this instance would appear to be a winner. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #20 Share Posted February 27, 2017 You can pick your cabin with a select fare on all cruises. If you book early enough. Saver fares are not going down because they are filling the ships. Most saver fares are not worth it because with a select fare the OBC often takes you down to the level of the saver. So you might as well book select in the first place. Clearly the price increase and the lack of late deals are an indication of how well sales are going. If you want a cheaper deal then cruise November or early December they are always cheaper than February. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app You're wrong on a couple of points there dai. You cannot select your cabin on ALL select fares any more. Check out some of the recent P&O threads on here. Whilst on my cruise, about 10 days ago, after going to the loyalty desk, I went online to check availability on the P&O website. I chose a select fare, went all the way through to the section that said 'choose your cabin'. I clicked to proceed and got a message across the page saying I could only have a guaranteed cabin. The second point you are wrong on is that when you take off the OBC, it brings you down to the saver fare. I've never had that on any cruise and I've done a few. I got close once, but the gap is growing. If that was the case, they'd never need saver fares. You are right about the rest though. It is indeed down to good sales that the saver fares are few and not great value. But let me just clarify something, just for the snobs we have talking about Aldis and M&S, and those suggesting I go at a cheaper time. I can afford to go exactly when I like, but I am choosing not to pay 20% more than this year....this last cruise was about 10-15% more than the same one the year before this. Just because I take that stance and I use it as a debating point in a thread, doesn't invalidate my argument about P&O taking the p*ss. Now.....if you are saying that no matter what, I will pay it, you either have more money than sense or you're gullible. If it's the latter, I have some rocking horse dung to sell you for my garden. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallas16 Posted February 27, 2017 #21 Share Posted February 27, 2017 You are talking as though P&O are the ultimate in cruising. But if you are actually saying that no matter how much P&O raise their prices, you will pay it, that makes you very gullible, with much more money than sense. Have you been on another cruise line where the crew went into meltdown due to an alert, or are you saying that because this crew dealt with it.....that makes their health and safety better than I agree, I certainly wouldn't pay £000's more to cruise with P & O over other cruise lines. I like cruising with them however if the price and itinerary are right In regards to health and safety, I have never experienced any health and safety issue on any cruise line. The best example I have of a crew dealing with an incident was on a cruise with NCL. We had an announcement one day to say that a person needed rescuing from a stranded sailboat and we were the nearest vessel, we cruised for over two hours at full speed to get to the vessel, the captain then manoeuvred the ship to block the wind while the crew went out with the lifeboat to rescue the people from the yacht Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #22 Share Posted February 27, 2017 The cruise difference quoted by the OP was for Azura in February and therefore the Caribbean - hence my reply. A cruise is worth what you're willing to pay for it and as I only cruise from Southampton the choice is limited in the Winter especially and I've always been happy with what i've paid. It may not be obvious from the base line prices how much obc is offered - although no free internet or drinks. For our cruise next Feb on P&O we've got £1500 obc which, in anybody's book, is not to be scoffed at We got a total of £500 OBC on this cruise. Next year, we were offered a total of £700, but the cruise was £1200 more expensive. No matter how you look at this, that's a hell of a price hike in a single year. P&O are there to make a profit for their shareholders, so good luck to them for making money whilst they can. And yes, I know I have the choice to take it or leave it. But this forum has the word 'critic' in its title, so I'm here being critical of that strategy. That's what forums are for. It will be interesting when Branson comes in, if he chooses to discount cruises in the first year, to build the brand. One thing Virgin (the airline at least) excel at is customer service. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galeforce9 Posted February 27, 2017 #23 Share Posted February 27, 2017 We left p&o as Caribbean members 4 years ago. Tried seabourn and on a late booking basis £ for £ no comparison. Seabourn every time when comparing the whole cost of the holiday. The experience is on another level. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #24 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I agree, I certainly wouldn't pay £000's more to cruise with P & O over other cruise lines. I like cruising with them however if the price and itinerary are right In regards to health and safety, I have never experienced any health and safety issue on any cruise line. The best example I have of a crew dealing with an incident was on a cruise with NCL. We had an announcement one day to say that a person needed rescuing from a stranded sailboat and we were the nearest vessel, we cruised for over two hours at full speed to get to the vessel, the captain then manoeuvred the ship to block the wind while the crew went out with the lifeboat to rescue the people from the yacht Sent from my iPad using Forums Most of my cruises have been with P&O. I like the ships, the service and as someone else said, the Britishness. Particularly when it comes to the entertainment. The comedians are geared towards a British audience for example. I have no issue with the recent cruise we've taken. Maybe I wouldn't save too much going with someone else? We've been to the Caribbean on P&O for the last four years. Although I can afford the price they are quoting me, I also want to take other holidays. I want a few city breaks this year. So I look at the price increase and say, well as much as I enjoy it, a £1000 hike is £1000 I can spend on another holiday or city break. I then think what is the best value, and I reason that I could have three really decent holidays for the price of one balcony in the Caribbean. My choice and I accept that others would choose differently. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPBacon Posted February 27, 2017 #25 Share Posted February 27, 2017 We left p&o as Caribbean members 4 years ago. Tried seabourn and on a late booking basis £ for £ no comparison. Seabourn every time when comparing the whole cost of the holiday. The experience is on another level. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Are Seabourn one of those that throw in excursions and such galeforce? I haven't checked their prices, but if they are all inclusive, I wonder how close they are to P&O now. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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