P&O are still aiming for May cruises to go ahead ???

[cruisenewbie1976]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

That's because we are temporarily delaying, I doubt any are new bookings. 

Will all those passengers rebooked for next year be able to travel, or even want to? 

Andy 

I can only answer for me and the various people travelling with me and the answer is yes, we all absolutely want to travel next year.

The question about whether we can, I have no idea.  I'd hope we'll be in a much better position by then and that there'll be effective treatments and a vaccine.

Too many people are seeing the current situation as a permanent and that won't be the case.

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Wise words Andy. Even if the crisis were to end in a matter of weeks, which we all know it won’t, I fear that cruising will be damaged for many years to come. The constant horror stories played out in the media has seen to that and, for once, they aren’t exaggerated! The younger generation, who have been turning to cruising in their droves in recent years, will now pause for thought. The older generation, who have always seen cruising as a very safe form of holiday, will now be very nervous about the health risks. Insurance is a potential show stopper, but I’m sure I have read somewhere in the past that one or two cruise operators include insurance in the fare (Saga)? That might be a way forward for P&O, given that on our last half a dozen cruises on Aurora the average age of passenger has been mid 70’s. Without such an approach I fear for the adult only ships, especially if P&O can’t get out of ‘Iona 2’ as they will have an over capacity issue. It will pay them to get the ships as full as they can, as any profit will come from on board spend, so in either scenario I expect some very cheap cruises in the years ahead. 

It may all pan out lovely Selborne, but there has to be concern. 

I know many businesses who, just last week thought they could ride the storm without consequences, but if this carries on for a prolonged period, some of them will go... 

The travel industry will be the hardest hit, let's hope they get enough support to pull through. 

Andy 

 

[AndyMichelle]

2 minutes ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

I can only answer for me and the various people travelling with me and the answer is yes, we all absolutely want to travel next year.

The question about whether we can, I have no idea.  I'd hope we'll be in a much better position by then and that there'll be effective treatments and a vaccine.

Too many people are seeing the current situation as a permanent and that won't be the case.

We all want what was available before, and hopefully that will be the case. 

This won't last forever, but I think the ripple will be noticeable for a while after, let's hope I'm wrong. 

Lets hope all returns to normal without any knock on effect... 

Andy 

[wowzz]

Interesting to read on other sites, how many people are switching to 2021 bookings using their FCC. I have to say, that they are much more optimistic than I am. 

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

include insurance in the fare (Saga)

I wonder how long that will continue - given Saga's age range of passengers, if I was the underwriter for Saga travel insurance I would be getting very nervous. 

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Interesting to read on other sites, how many people are switching to 2021 bookings using their FCC. I have to say, that they are much more optimistic than I am. 

Good luck to them, I hope it works out well for all of us. 

I just panic about how quickly the attitude of businesses is changing daily from 'we can get through this unscathed' to ' how the heck are we going to get through this', almost overnight... 

P&O will be no different. 

Andy 

[grapau27]

9 hours ago, daiB said:

They have to give you your money back eventually it would make far more sense to put it against a cruise you have already booked or indeed one after March 22.

+1

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I wonder how long that will continue - given Saga's age range of passengers, if I was the underwriter for Saga travel insurance I would be getting very nervous. 

Interesting to see what their insurance actually covers.

After my heart attack in December I was quoted £2000 for worldwide travel insurance after our company instantly cancelled our current insurance when we informed them of the HA.

I waited 3 months after my HA and got the insurance for £650 from a different company.

[grapau27]

18 hours ago, AJ28 said:

Sitting here and wondering about transferring to a cruise next summer.  Oil industry is becoming dire again (hasn't really recovered since last downturn) and my husband, who was laid off for a couple of years until last October (self-employed engineer) is currently working from home but looking askance at the cost per barrel - it is looking unsustainable to keep projects going that he is working on.  Sigh.  We have always known that this could happen and planned financially for it, hence we have a 'holiday' fund handy, plus my income (support assistant in a school).  I so want something to look forward to and enjoy a ffiord cruise in particular.  Thing is, we would prefer something longer than a week, two weeks would be ideal, and a balcony because I spend a lot of time sitting in silence and watching the scenery (usually opt for a cheap inside).

 

What's everyone else's favourite type of cruise, and cabin type?

Port intensive cruise and balcony cabin.

[pete14]

16 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Port intensive cruise and balcony cabin.

Reasonable balance of port and sea days (60/40 split), comfortable cabin and definitely balcony for private outside space. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by pete14

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am usually extremely positive about everything, but I am also a realist... 

All these comments saying 'they have to', 'I will demand', ' my contract says' may well all happen, but realistically, they 'might' not.... 

 

 

Well said Andy.  

[bbtablet]

25 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Interesting to see what their insurance actually covers.

After my heart attack in December I was quoted £2000 for worldwide travel insurance after our company instantly cancelled our current insurance when we informed them of the HA.

I waited 3 months after my HA and got the insurance for £650 from a different company.

Would you be so kind as to let me know which that insurance company was. We have a Caribbean P&O cruise booked for late 2021 and have not yet taken out insurance (we tend to leave it until the final payment) and we are expecting horrendous quotes as we are both in our 70s with the usual blood pressure etc, and Type 2 diabetes.

Many thanks,

Bernard.

Edited April 1, 2020 by bbtablet
additional information

[grapau27]

5 minutes ago, bbtablet said:

Would you be so kind as to let me know which that insurance company was. We have a Caribbean P&O cruise booked for late 2021 and have not yet taken out insurance (we tend to leave it until the final payment) and we are expecting horrendous quotes as we are both in our 70s with the usual blood pressure etc, and Type 2 diabetes.

Many thanks,

Bernard.

Allclear travel insurance.

[Britboys]

At the end of the day, none of us know how long this is going to last or what long-term effect it is going to have on the travel industry.  I think all forms of holiday will ultimately be more expensive.  In the short term, either people will be afraid to travel and there will be lots of good deals or lots of folk will be desperate for a holiday and remotely decent deals will be hard to come by.  Travel Insurance Premiums will also no doubt increase significantly as that industry tries to recoup its losses.

We can only but hope that the worst of the effects of the virus are over by the Autumn and that things start to return to normal by early next year - and pray that the world doesn't get hit by a second wave of it later this year...

[terrierjohn]

After cancelling our April cruise we still have a further five booked up to Feb 2022, the next one is a B2B in September, which will require final payment in mid June, which will probably still be too early to have confidence it will take place and travel restrictions for over 70s have been lifted. I just hope that P&O see sense and reduce the final booking period, otherwise I think we might have to waive the deposit, unless P&O are going to be prepared to accept FCCs against existing bookings. 

Those are both possibly good concessions for them to make, since it would likely lead to more income as a result of fewer cancellations, and would be very good PR for them. 

[AJ28]

16 hours ago, pete14 said:

Today I booked what may the sort of cruise you require. 12 nights on Aurora to the fjords first half of August 2021. 

Yes, Pete, I saw that one.  Looks interesting.  There is also a sailing on 11th July (I'm in Scotland so our summer break starts from 26th June. Will have a think...

[Eglesbrech]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am usually extremely positive about everything, but I am also a realist... 

All these comments saying 'they have to', 'I will demand', ' my contract says' may well all happen, but realistically, they 'might' not.... 

P&O, like many others, are looking at ways of trying to save their business. 

What worries me is this could be very early days in a long period of suffering. 

If they are looking at this now, who knows where they will be if this completely knocks our confidence in cruising? 

Insurance will be a factor, over 70s may never be able to sail again and the new target audience will remember the horror stories... 

Something will have to give... 

Hopefully this is all nonsense and we are all back to work and sailing again in a few weeks time... 

Lets keep safe and hope for the best, it's all we can do... 

Andy 

 

Andy as you know I am one of the “my contract says” people and that would be because we still live in a country that is run by the rule of law. If organisations can just abandon contracts then we will end up in a complete legal mess at the end of all of this.

 

Now I am also a realist and I accept that ABTA are lobbying for change and may well get it (though personally I think they have a nerve). They have tried the Transport Minister and more recently made a direct plea to the PM so who knows what may change in the next few weeks. Then again nothing may change and the current laws apply.

 

What I would ask is why are the travel industry entitled to unilaterally make changes and if they do what’s to stop other organisations or sectors doing exactly the same. Where does this latitude then end?

 

I agree that confidence is cruising will have been knocked by all the horror stories on the news and new customers may be hard to find which is why companies should be looking after their loyal customers right now.

 

Let’s hope that things get better soon for everyone.

[AndyMichelle]

31 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Andy as you know I am one of the “my contract says” people and that would be because we still live in a country that is run by the rule of law. If organisations can just abandon contracts then we will end up in a complete legal mess at the end of all of this.

 

Now I am also a realist and I accept that ABTA are lobbying for change and may well get it (though personally I think they have a nerve). They have tried the Transport Minister and more recently made a direct plea to the PM so who knows what may change in the next few weeks. Then again nothing may change and the current laws apply.

 

What I would ask is why are the travel industry entitled to unilaterally make changes and if they do what’s to stop other organisations or sectors doing exactly the same. Where does this latitude then end?

 

I agree that confidence is cruising will have been knocked by all the horror stories on the news and new customers may be hard to find which is why companies should be looking after their loyal customers right now.

 

Let’s hope that things get better soon for everyone.

All I'm saying is these are not usual times, the world is changing. 

Who would have thought a couple of months back that we would effectively be imprisoned in our own homes and most industry would grind to a halt... 

If the government feel it necessary to change anything, they will. 

Hopefully they won't. 

I have a theory that P&O have given themselves 60 days to see if they can survive... 

Hopefully the amount of passengers taking up the FCC will give them the funds to survive. 

If P&O go bust, your contract is worthless.. 

Andy 

Edited April 1, 2020 by AndyMichelle

[wowzz]

37 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Andy as you know I am one of the “my contract says” people and that would be because we still live in a country that is run by the rule of law. If organisations can just abandon contracts then we will end up in a complete legal mess at the end of all of this.

 

Now I am also a realist and I accept that ABTA are lobbying for change and may well get it (though personally I think they have a nerve). They have tried the Transport Minister and more recently made a direct plea to the PM so who knows what may change in the next few weeks. Then again nothing may change and the current laws apply.

 

What I would ask is why are the travel industry entitled to unilaterally make changes and if they do what’s to stop other organisations or sectors doing exactly the same. Where does this latitude then end?

 

I agree that confidence is cruising will have been knocked by all the horror stories on the news and new customers may be hard to find which is why companies should be looking after their loyal customers right now.

 

Let’s hope that things get better soon for everyone.

Whilst I appreciate that under normal circumstances the law of the land should stand, these are not normal times. 

Loyalty counts for nothing,  if your business goes bust because you are haemorrhaging cash due to obeying the t&c's.

As a consumer, winning a battle is useless,  if you then lose the war.

Our kitchen was being renovated prior to the lock down  - it is 75% finished but perfectly useable  - am I going to demand a repayment of  a substantial part of my advance payment because it is not completed? Of course not,hence my earlier post about adopting a more pragmatic approach  

[mickrory]

Agreed Andy the stand still costs with little new revenue coming in must be horrendous and frankly unsustainable.

At 30 November CCLs debt was £9.675m and that was before Covid19 starting making the news.

We've 2 cruises booked, Iona in June and Coral Princess in October. I'm pessimistic either will go ahead, I've no plans to rush into booking further cruises in 2021 until the situation completely settles down and need to wait until the cruises get cancelled so I've a chance to recoup some cash.

Hard times ahead, don't want credit notes in this climate.

Edited April 1, 2020 by mickrory
Typo

[glittergal1]

3 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

After cancelling our April cruise we still have a further five booked up to Feb 2022, the next one is a B2B in September, which will require final payment in mid June, which will probably still be too early to have confidence it will take place and travel restrictions for over 70s have been lifted. I just hope that P&O see sense and reduce the final booking period, otherwise I think we might have to waive the deposit, unless P&O are going to be prepared to accept FCCs against existing bookings. 

Those are both possibly good concessions for them to make, since it would likely lead to more income as a result of fewer cancellations, and would be very good PR for them. 

This is the quandary we  are in At present we have some FCC from a cancelled cruise BUT we are unable to book a NEW cruise in order to use it , simply because over the next 2 years we have 8 cruises booked and  NO holidays left from work to be able to book a NEW cruise. So in order to use the FCC we will need to cancel another cruise to which we will lose the deposit, then re book it at the now over inflated cost just so we can use the FCC so we are losing our Money twice , Unless P&O sees sense and allows us to use FCC on one of the existing  booked cruises however every time I request they say NO . The way I feel at the moment about P&O is  I would rather cancel them all and lose the £300 in deposits rather than Keep the bookings  and Give them £5000 . I would rather take my money and custom to another line if they will remain so rigid with the New cruise only rule   

[tring]

22 hours ago, BrianI said:

The regulations may change going forward but this can only be done by Parliament

 

Though that is something to be hoped for, I am not convinced that is necessarily the case.  I have a  close relative who spent a working life in consumer protection, with much of that specialising on the legal work and taking court cases.  It seems it is not unusual for regulations to be "tweaked" without going through Parliament and he is not convinced the changes proposed could not be done without Parliament.

 

I saw mention on another social media yesterday that these changes are currently being looked into and a decision will be made in the next few days - no idea where that information came from, but was not posted on an 'iffy' site with lots of speculation etc.  The person also mentioned there are concerns re expecting customers to fund a loan for holiday companies when Government are stumping up for other things.  Thinking on it the customers have votes and there are a lot of them.........

 

Only time will tell, nothing is certain at this time, but does not stop us hoping.  We are waiting for a couple of refunds from another cruise line.

Edited April 1, 2020 by tring

[Jennizor]

We currently have 3 cruises booked. The first in June, the other 2 in 2021. We will wait for P & O to cancel the June cruise and hopefully get a refund. This cruise was booked for my 70th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary. We will celebrate at home instead. My concern is that we might have to cancel the other two because of my great age. My insurance company will currently insure me until I am 80, will this change as a result of COVID-19?

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, mickrory said:

Agreed Andy the stand still costs with little new revenue coming in must be horrendous and frankly unsustainable.

At 30 November CCLs debt was £9.675m and that was before Covid19 starting making the news.

We've 2 cruises booked, Iona in June and Coral Princess in October. I'm pessimistic either will go ahead, I've no plans to rush into booking further cruises in 2021 until the situation completely settles down and need to wait until the cruises get cancelled so I've a chance to recoup some cash.

Hard times ahead, don't want credit notes in this climate.

I have just read that Carnival are keeping all their ships 'hot', meaning ready to go with a near full crew. 

This costs up to $3 million per vessel, if in storage, $1million plus time and costs to get the ship ready. 

All sounds fine, if it is over reasonably quickly, but if prolonged, how long can they sustain it? 

The only positive we can possibly take from this is that Carnival must believe this could be over reasonably quickly... 

I wish I had their optimism... 

Andy 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, glittergal1 said:

This is the quandary we  are in At present we have some FCC from a cancelled cruise BUT we are unable to book a NEW cruise in order to use it , simply because over the next 2 years we have 8 cruises booked and  NO holidays left from work to be able to book a NEW cruise. So in order to use the FCC we will need to cancel another cruise to which we will lose the deposit, then re book it at the now over inflated cost just so we can use the FCC so we are losing our Money twice , Unless P&O sees sense and allows us to use FCC on one of the existing  booked cruises however every time I request they say NO . The way I feel at the moment about P&O is  I would rather cancel them all and lose the £300 in deposits rather than Keep the bookings  and Give them £5000 . I would rather take my money and custom to another line if they will remain so rigid with the New cruise only rule   

I think the dilemma that P&O face (along with other cruise  lines) is that if they allow FCC to be applied to future cruises, it will virtually guarantee their demise. You might not like the current situation,  but without it, you won't be going on any future P&O,  or indeed, any Carnival line, cruises again.

I believe you may need to look at the bigger picture.