Select Fare Benefits

[Boatmans Lady]

As this is our first cruise with P&O and because we booked so early, we booked a select fare.

I know this gives us some extra benefits, like we booked our cabin at the time of booking [C deck on Azura to the Caribbean in December] but was wondering what other benefits there are?

I vaguely remember something about free shuttles? What would these entail and if so what ports would this be beneficial in?

 

This is probably a very silly question, but it has been puzzling me. Thanks

[majortom10]

You get your choice of dining for your evening dinner i.e. Fixed or Freedom and if there are any ports where P&O provide a shuttle bus from the ship to the nearest town then you will get these free others have to pay.

[mandylennon]

You get the choice of onboard credit, free coach travel or free car parking. Port shuttles can be £4 each person each way. You won't know how many ports you have to use the shuttles until you are onboard as in some ports ships dock in different areas. Also as has been said you select your cabin and select your dining preferences. We always book select as we like to choose our cabin.

[Florry]

As this is our first cruise with P&O and because we booked so early, we booked a select fare.

 

I know this gives us some extra benefits, like we booked our cabin at the time of booking [C deck on Azura to the Caribbean in December] but was wondering what other benefits there are?

 

I vaguely remember something about free shuttles? What would these entail and if so what ports would this be beneficial in?

 

 

 

This is probably a very silly question, but it has been puzzling me. Thanks

 

 

 

I think the best part about Select is the cabin and dining choice. You do get free shuttles, but in some ports the shuttles are free to everyone anyway because of port regulations, if they aren't I think they charge about £4 - so the cost saving of a saver far outweighs this as a benefit.

I tend to book Select these days, because of work and holiday restrictions, and I like knowing what I'm going to get - also the OBC often equalises the difference between the two fares anyway.

Have a great trip.

 

 

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[yorkshirephil]

It is unlikely that there will be any shuttle buses in the Caribbean, regardless of how far out of port you are. We have been many times and have never had shuttle buses. Personally I do not think select is good value for money, however that is taking into account our own preferences which I am sure will differ for others. We have booked select but rarely.

[jeanlyon]

If you take my upcoming cruise on Oriana for example. We booked Select right at the launch. The Select Fare is now £500 pp more than we paid. The Saver fare when it came out was still £200 pp more than we paid. Now with 7 weeks to go, there is no Saver fare and the cheapest is £500 more than we paid. Does depend on the cruise and ship. For instance is you are doing a Caribbean where there are lots of similar cruises, or a Fjords, then the Saver Fare might be less.

[terrierjohn]

Like jeanlyon we have found that all our P&O cruises over the last 3 or 4 years have proved cheaper, when booked on launch as select fares, than any subsequent saver fare offers. I imagine that some less popular cruises may still offer savings, and I number Nov. and early Dec. Caribbean fly cruises on this list, but the majority of Southampton sailings are best booked early.

But as others have said, Cabin location and dining choice are the only real benefits.

[Mrs Tinkywinky]

We booked a Select fare in March for a June cruise this year. With that fare we got BOTH obc, nearly the amount of the extra paid for select fare and coach( which would have been about £90 if we had booked it ourselves ) , 5 shuttle buses, freedom dining , cabin choice. No brainer . Not sure if the obc and coach was a deal the travel agent was doing or P and O to get more bookings.

[Boatmans Lady]

Thank you for your answers. We booked select on a pre launch registration deal that offered a hefty OBC plus premium flights for a Christmas cruise. Happy with the price and a quick look tells me it is now dearer on a select fare and roughly the same price on an early saver, but no premium flights on either.

 

Not long now to wait and we are really looking forward to it and hope that the ship is all Christmassy

[jeanlyon]

So you did well. I think out of 10 cruises, only the one on Azura ended up cheaper than we paid. All the others have been a lot more.

[Al the mot man]

there is no shuttle buses on the caribbean islands

[Mrs Tinkywinky]

We booked a Select fare in March for a June cruise this year. With that fare we got BOTH obc, nearly the amount of the extra paid for select fare and coach( which would have been about £90 if we had booked it ourselves ) , 5 shuttle buses, freedom dining , cabin choice. No brainer . Not sure if the obc and coach was a deal the travel agent was doing or P and O to get more bookings.

Sorry but ours wasn't a Caribbean cruise but a Baltic one ( should have said) and there were shuttles at every port except Kiel so that is why it was worth it for us on Select fare