P&O B931 and B931a

[4lin]

This is the same cruise but with embarkation on either 8th or 9th November but embarking on the 8th is more expensive - can anyone please explain to me why ?  Is there some kind of advantage over embarkation on the 9th? Both show 14 nights.  Would apreciate some clarity!   Thanks.

[FiftyOnePlus]

If you embark a day earlier, youre getting an extra night accommodation, food and entertainment.

[PrincessPete]

You disembark a day later as well - it's what P&O do on the Caribbean cruises to spread the arrivals/departures. Therefore an extra day is not the explanation for the higher price as the cruises are the same length. You either have an overnight stay on the ship in Barbados the day you fly in or the night before you fly home

Edited October 29, 2018 by PrincessPete
To add a few words

[john watson]

1 hour ago, PrincessPete said:

You disembark a day later as well - it's what P&O do on the Caribbean cruises to spread the arrivals/departures. Therefore an extra day is not the explanation for the higher price as the cruises are the same length. You either have an overnight stay on the ship in Barbados the day you fly in or the night before you fly home

 

This is true throughout the whole Britannia Caribbean season, however not true for the first and last cruise.  This is because the season is composed of something like 14 night Friday to Friday Or Saturday to Saturday cruises but at the beginning and end of the season the ship sails to Southampton by the end of the final cruise and at the beginning of the season they need to split the flights into two big groups, giving Friday or Saturday flyers. At the beginning of the season people can stay on for and extra day to split the flights between Fridays and Saturdays.  So Outbound transatlantic some people stay on that extra day but only half can do this to spread the flight days.   It is significantly better to arrive in the Caribbean on the earlier day and get a longer cruise with your extra day in the Caribbean or stay on that extra day at the beginning of the season.  Not all cabins will be available for the Friday Transatlantic because penultimate cruisers on a Friday to Friday flight plan will still be occupying some cabins, possibly up to 50% of them.

 

Regards John

Edited October 29, 2018 by john watson

[PrincessPete]

That is right John for the end of the season - but the original posting about B931 and 931A refers to a November cruise so your valid points whenever the season ends don't apply to this question (unless I am missing something!).

So still not sure why the "two" cruises (really the same, with the overnight at the beginning or the end) are not the same price. Kind regards Peter

Edited October 29, 2018 by PrincessPete
Spelling mistake!

[john watson]

34 minutes ago, PrincessPete said:

That is right John for the end of the season - but the original posting about B931 and 931A refers to a November cruise so your valid points whenever the seasons ends don't apply (unless I am missing something).

So still not sure why the "two" cruises (really the same, with the overnight at the beginning or the end) are not the same price. Kind regards Peter

 

Possibly I did not explain this clearly; The designation "B" indicates Britannia, the "9" indicates it is a cruise departing during 2019 roughly after that the "30" indicates 30th cruise that ship is doing that year.

 

B930     is a Britannia cruise departing Southampton 25 October with flight home 8 November at £1272

 

B930A is a Britannia cruise departing Southampton 25 October with flight home 9 November at £1329

 

Your extra day is in port overnight with flight tomorrow so as to speak, others fly back the day the ship docks.  They arrange to sell roughly half of each to split the next cruises in the series onto Fri/Fri or Sat/Sat flights.

 

Conversely Eastbound Transatlantic has the extra day at the start of the cruise i.e fly out a day earlier.

 

Regards John

 

Edited October 29, 2018 by john watson

[john watson]

8 hours ago, 4lin said:

This is the same cruise but with embarkation on either 8th or 9th November but embarking on the 8th is more expensive - can anyone please explain to me why ?  Is there some kind of advantage over embarkation on the 9th? Both show 14 nights.  Would apreciate some clarity!   Thanks.

 

These dates are dates of flights back to the UK (i.e. getting off ship - disembarking - to fly home) on a single ship that sails out of Southampton on 25 October. 9th November means an extra day on ship in Caribbean.  Should have a different number of nights indicated.

 

Regards John

Edited October 29, 2018 by john watson

[PrincessPete]

John, I may be missing something here but the original poster was talking about B931 and 931A embarking on 8/9 November so I don't think the October sailing has anything to do with the original question. The holidays mentioned start 8/9 November and finish two weeks later, nothing to do with October. They are part of the "normal" season hence the question why embarking a day earlier is more expensive. Kind regards Peter

[john watson]

14 minutes ago, PrincessPete said:

John, I may be missing something here but the original poster was talking about B931 and 931A embarking on 8/9 November so I don't think the October sailing has anything to do with the original question. The holidays mentioned start 8/9 November and finish two weeks later, nothing to do with October. They are part of the "normal" season hence the question why embarking a day earlier is more expensive. Kind regards Peter

 

Yes Peter you are correct. I was thinking the OP was talking about  earlier cruises B930/B930A.  Apologies to all.  I have studied the P&O website and there is a B930B 22 night cruise also which unlike the other B930's continues on beyond Barbados to Curacao, Bonaire, Grenada, St. Vincent and finally St.Lucia. This cruise runs 25 October to 16 November.

 

They seem to be splitting the departures into different days i.e. day 1 or day 2 adding in 7 and 14 night cruises as well as the 22 transatlantic giving four different flight days to ease congestion at the airport. Alternative night alternative weekend.  The 14 night for each of the two original cruises mentioned seems to be "an overnight" in port on the longer cruise.  It might not give you a very long associated extra day.

 

Regards John

 

 

[PrincessPete]

No problem John, always a pleasure talking about cruising! Kind regards Peter

[4lin]

Thanks for the replies however I'm not really any wiser!  Having looked carefully at the itinery for this trip it appears that if you embark on the earlier date of 8th then your disembarkation is on the 22nd and if you embark on the 9th disembarkation is on the 23rd so no extra time for the earlier date.  The price for the 8th is approx £70 pp more expensive.  It is down to personal preference whether to have a day in Barbados at either the beggining or the end of the cruise but that still doesn't explain  why the price is different.

[terrierjohn]

26 minutes ago, 4lin said:

Thanks for the replies however I'm not really any wiser!  Having looked carefully at the itinery for this trip it appears that if you embark on the earlier date of 8th then your disembarkation is on the 22nd and if you embark on the 9th disembarkation is on the 23rd so no extra time for the earlier date.  The price for the 8th is approx £70 pp more expensive.  It is down to personal preference whether to have a day in Barbados at either the beggining or the end of the cruise but that still doesn't explain  why the price is different.

It could be due to higher costs from the airline for the earlier day, personally I would prefer the extra day in Barbados at the end so I would benefit both ways.

[john watson]

On 10/30/2018 at 9:47 AM, 4lin said:

Thanks for the replies however I'm not really any wiser!  Having looked carefully at the itinerary for this trip it appears that if you embark on the earlier date of 8th then your disembarkation is on the 22nd and if you embark on the 9th disembarkation is on the 23rd so no extra time for the earlier date.  The price for the 8th is approx £70 pp more expensive.  It is down to personal preference whether to have a day in Barbados at either the beginning or the end of the cruise but that still doesn't explain  why the price is different.

 

You have got the gist of what the difference is between the two different options are for B931/B931A.  This being in Barbados overnight day of arrival or day of leaving.  P&O prices are "fluid prices" we are told and react to booking trends,  this far ahead any trend the cruise line perceives would be based on experience of how the similar cruises sold last season.   On this basis if both prices were identical more passengers would book what they have priced £70 dearer, so they try to even out the bookings with a £70 higher price.  It is a comparatively small amount of money as a percentage of the total fare.  If it were me I should ask about the availability of the premium economy flight option and if I could get that go with the cheaper cruise tariff but then I am a large person.

 

Regards John

[4lin]

Thank you, yes I can see what you're saying makes sense - market forces and all that.  I'm planning to book in the next few days and I will ask for their explanation and your suggestion about premium economy.  For us which date doesn't matter but I was concerened about getting the maximum time in Barbados and not wanting to miss out.  It'll be our first trip with P and O as we've only sailed on the Queens which we love but sadly are not going anywhere we want to in November 19.

Thank you everyone for your help.

[Guest ccpm]

Is the more expensive cruise the one which departs and returns on  Saturday? If so that may factor in to the higher cost.

[4lin]

No in fact the opposite. ....8th is a Friday and the more expensive option.  I think John is probably right in that previously more passengers booked that option so the price has been geared to address the balance as they can only board a certain number of people in one go.  As long as we get to spend a few hours in Barbados we're not bothered if it's at the beginning or the end.   For some people the date may be important.