New Cancellation Date upto 15th May

[kevcharben]

Now to make my decision on whether to go for cash or 125% FCC.

[Sussexboy]

I went for cash. Too much uncertainty at the moment and the FCC is time limited. I am not sure I want to cruise in the next couple of years. 

[kalos]

8 minutes ago, kevcharben said:

Now to make my decision on whether to go for cash or 125% FCC.

11:10

 

 

 

Cruise lines extend travel suspensions

Cruise lines P&O Cruises and Cunard have said they have extended the suspension of sailings up to and including 15 May.

They were previously due to resume operations on April 11.

 

As posted on other threads  Kev, Cash is king and will spend anywhere.

Credit on the other hand could prove worthless.Nobody could even guess the new prices if 

and when they do sail again .I'm sure they will but at what future cost ?

[Shirlthesinger]

Definitely take the refund.  That's what we have done.

[pete14]

37 minutes ago, kevcharben said:

Now to make my decision on whether to go for cash or 125% FCC.

We always book on launch when prices are cheaper. Looking at some options today, the extra 25% does not seem to match the price increases that have taken place since launch. I guess we will take the refund and as we have cruises already booked until Spring 2022, wait for the summer and autumn 2022 cruises.

[lindylooellalouise]

Hi we have decided on cash refund we would have preferred to have the refund paid off our  future  booked P&o cruise but that was not an option  given to us ☹️

[Red Ray]

We were due to do a 14 nighter on Oceana departing Malta on 23 April. This in itself was a replacement for 11 nights on QE - should be on a plane to Hong Kong right now ☹. We will take the refund as it will pay for the 100 Carnival shares we purchased last week - might live to regret that but just thought we would show a little bit of support.

 

We are booked on Iona on 27 September but I'm not confident for that either. Just hoping that a 28 nighter on Oceana in March 2022 - other half's significant birthday trip - will be OK!

 

Stay safe fellow cruisers.

[Tikka234]

Where did it say you could get money back for your cruise, I thought it was just for extras 

[dgs1956]

20 minutes ago, Tikka234 said:

Where did it say you could get money back for your cruise, I thought it was just for extras 

It clearly says for cruise before 15th May you can have full cash refund or 125% FCC. It also says if you accept FCC you can change your mind up until November and take the cash.

I think what P&O are offering is excellent.

[Scriv]

1 hour ago, Tikka234 said:

Where did it say you could get money back for your cruise, I thought it was just for extras 

There is a link in the first paragraph  for people who don't want to take up their FCC 125% offer.

[Selbourne]

48 minutes ago, dgs1956 said:

It clearly says for cruise before 15th May you can have full cash refund or 125% FCC. It also says if you accept FCC you can change your mind up until November and take the cash.

I think what P&O are offering is excellent.

I didn’t read it that you can change your mind. I thought that everyone got FCC by default, unless you opted for a cash refund, which you have until mid November to request. So, in other words, nobody accepts FCC. It’s given to you automatically unless you decline it and request a refund. Might seem like splitting hairs but that is different and might be important to those who have cruises beyond 15th May and didn’t receive the email. Happy to be corrected if I got it wrong. 

[Tikka234]

Thanks I hadn't clicked onto the link, will have to see what to do 

[tinkercat]

54 minutes ago, dgs1956 said:

It clearly says for cruise before 15th May you can have full cash refund or 125% FCC. It also says if you accept FCC you can change your mind up until November and take the cash.

I think what P&O are offering is excellent.

I think the offer this time is good also, however if I take the FCC will I be protected by ABTA

[tinkercat]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I didn’t read it that you can change your mind. I thought that everyone got FCC by default, unless you opted for a cash refund, which you have until mid November to request. So, in other words, nobody accepts FCC. It’s given to you automatically unless you decline it and request a refund. Might seem like splitting hairs but that is different and might be important to those who have cruises beyond 15th May and didn’t receive the email. Happy to be corrected if I got it wrong. 

Click on the video he explains that if by November you decide you want a refund you can

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, tinkercat said:

I think the offer this time is good also, however if I take the FCC will I be protected by ABTA

I think this is worth looking in to. As I have posted on another thread, I believe that if you accept an ‘incentive’ then you waive the right to a subsequent refund. FCC at an enhance rate (125%) would constitute an incentive, I would think. Too many ifs and buts and risks for me. I’ve gone for the 100% refund. Just hoping that P&O doesn’t go belly up before the 60 days that it can take for them to process the refund!

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, tinkercat said:

Click on the video he explains that if by November you decide you want a refund you can

Yes I know - that’s what I was saying. My point was that you don’t ‘accept’ FCC and then have the option to change your mind, as was suggested. Everyone gets FCC by default unless you request a refund by November. Slightly different. As I say, maybe splitting hairs, but important distinction for those who haven’t had the email. Perhaps it’s just me!

[tinkercat]

This is what my travel agent sent me, it says credit notes are protected by ABTA up to July this might not have been updated yet to take in account today’s news.

 

https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak

[Purdey16]

I've just gone for 100% refund too, also with the excursions and extras I purchased before as I have a few cruises booked right up to April 2022 , my next one booked is on Iona may 30th and I think that one will be cancelled too , but with all these refunds the money will pay for my Caribbean cruise in January , let's hope P & O will stay afloat and everyone gets their refunds .

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Yes I know - that’s what I was saying. My point was that you don’t ‘accept’ FCC and then have the option to change your mind, as was suggested. Everyone gets FCC by default unless you request a refund by November. Slightly different. As I say, maybe splitting hairs, but important distinction for those who haven’t had the email. Perhaps it’s just me!

No, not just you.

 

The legal default is a full cash refund. The P&O email is an inertia clause, do nothing and you get an FCC automatically,  not the cash refund which should be the default.

 

As an aside all my recent mail from P&O has gone into my junk mail for some reason, so easy to miss it.

 

 

[Selbourne]

49 minutes ago, tinkercat said:

This is what my travel agent sent me, it says credit notes are protected by ABTA up to July this might not have been updated yet to take in account today’s news.

 

https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak

As I was saying earlier, P&O aren’t offering credit notes. They are offering an incentive. If I have read the various briefings correctly, the rules for the two are different. Once an incentive is accepted it cannot subsequently be refunded. A credit note can. Doesn’t apply to me, as I have gone for the cash refund, but anyone going for FCC needs to do some research and go into it with their eyes open.

[tinkercat]

11 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

As I was saying earlier, P&O aren’t offering credit notes. They are offering an incentive. If I have read the various briefings correctly, the rules for the two are different. Once an incentive is accepted it cannot subsequently be refunded. A credit note can. Doesn’t apply to me, as I have gone for the cash refund, but anyone going for FCC needs to do some research and go into it with their eyes open.

It is a difficult decision, so you think that if P&O goes bust and I had chosen FCC i would lose all my money.

 

Sorry if i’m being thick lol

[Selbourne]

43 minutes ago, tinkercat said:

It is a difficult decision, so you think that if P&O goes bust and I had chosen FCC i would lose all my money.

 

Sorry if i’m being thick lol

You’re not being thick at all. It’s a really complex area and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. All I am suggesting is that those who don’t opt for a cash refund should read up very carefully on the law and how they would stand in any of several possible scenarios. All I know is that there is zero risk with a full cash refund whereas FCC is bound to carry a degree of risk, however small.
 

If you had asked me a month or two ago whether P&O would go bust, then I would have said no way. Now I wouldn’t put money on it not happening. To be clear, I think that there will still be P&O cruise ships in a few years time, but nowadays when companies get into real trouble they have a habit of going into administration and then resurrecting as a new company having written off all their debts and liabilities against whatever assets they have remaining. It’s a legal (if immoral) way of starting again with a clean sheet. In these situations, customers are always the losers as we come at the bottom of the list, with financial institutions at the top. I still think this is unlikely (unless P&O wishes to unburden itself from contractual obligations for Iona 2, which they may now wish they hadn’t ordered), but it’s a risk that I wouldn’t be prepared to take. Add to this the fact that the extra 25% still makes the cruises that it can be used against more expensive than at launch, I struggle to see the point in accepting it. I think that you might get better value for money in the future, either as new season cruises are launched (as has always been the case) or when cruises resume but cannot be filled. That’s just my view. There’s no right or wrong. We each must do what we feel comfortable with. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by Selbourne

[happy v]

Selbourne you really should have been a teacher. You always explain things so well. 

[tinkercat]

39 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You’re not being thick at all. It’s a really complex area and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. All I am suggesting is that those who don’t opt for a cash refund should read up very carefully on the law and how they would stand in any of several possible scenarios. All I know is that there is zero risk with a full cash refund whereas FCC is bound to carry a degree of risk, however small.
 

If you had asked me a month or two ago whether P&O would go bust, then I would have said no way. Now I wouldn’t put money on it not happening. To be clear, I think that there will still be P&O cruise ships in a few years time, but nowadays when companies get into real trouble they have a habit of going into administration and then resurrecting as a new company having written off all their debts and liabilities against whatever assets they have remaining. It’s a legal (if immoral) way of starting again with a clean sheet. In these situations, customers are always the losers as we come at the bottom of the list, with financial institutions at the top. I still think this is unlikely (unless P&O wishes to unburden itself from contractual obligations for Iona 2, which they may now wish they hadn’t ordered), but it’s a risk that I wouldn’t be prepared to take. Add to this the fact that the extra 25% still makes the cruises that it can be used against more expensive than at launch, I struggle to see the point in accepting it. I think that you might get better value for money in the future, either as new season cruises are launched (as has always been the case) or when cruises resume but cannot be filled. That’s just my view. There’s no right or wrong. We each must do what we feel comfortable with. 

Thank you I will think about it, it might be just easier to get my money back then its done with, I will only take the FCC if it’s 100% safe. I’ve sent a message on Twitter to P&O so I will see if I get a reply.

 

Im glad I only booked one cruise, but then I have booked a land holiday to Italy in October so will probably get that cancelled too.

[funinhounslow]

1 hour ago, tinkercat said:

...if P&O goes bust ...

 

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

 

If you had asked me a month or two ago whether P&O would go bust, then I would have said no way...

Surely the issue is whether Carnival goes bust rather than P&O? Don’t they “stand or fall” together? Surely Carnival can’t let one brand “go to the wall” and keep others on life support...?

 

I was minded to request a full refund but having received the email offering the alternative of 125% FCC I am tempted to go for this, and put the money towards a Norwegian cruise next year. 
 

The only thing that is giving me pause is the lack of protection if I go down the FCC route. I need to be confident the cruise will go ahead. 
 

I have plenty of time to make a decision so will sleep on it for a while. But I am relieved that the rumours on here of possibly having to wait for two years for a cash refund were “fake news”...!