Has your attitude to P&O changed?

[Eglesbrech]

The recent cancellations and the way they have been handled have really annoyed some pax. While those opting for FCCs seem to have been treated fairly well, those requesting a refund have not going by the number of complaints on here and elsewhere.

 

Broken promises about refund timescales, lack of communication and a general refusal to answer perfectly reasonable questions eg which date have refunds be made up to.

 

So will this impact future booking or will people huff and puff for a it - then book again next year?

[Harry Peterson]

If the price is right, people have very short memories. 

[NoFlyGuy]

26 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

The recent cancellations and the way they have been handled have really annoyed some pax. While those opting for FCCs seem to have been treated fairly well, those requesting a refund have not going by the number of complaints on here and elsewhere.

 

Broken promises about refund timescales, lack of communication and a general refusal to answer perfectly reasonable questions eg which date have refunds be made up to.

 

So will this impact future booking or will people huff and puff for a it - then book again next year?

I'll huff and puff. After our two cancellations still got 5 booked from December onwards. Might have to cancel one or two with dividend income drying up.

But hey/ho we are alive and well!

[TinyDavid]

The Ryanair 2017 pilot holiday farce shows how long peoples memories are. 

[Selbourne]

36 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

The recent cancellations and the way they have been handled have really annoyed some pax. While those opting for FCCs seem to have been treated fairly well, those requesting a refund have not going by the number of complaints on here and elsewhere.

 

Broken promises about refund timescales, lack of communication and a general refusal to answer perfectly reasonable questions eg which date have refunds be made up to.

 

So will this impact future booking or will people huff and puff for a it - then book again next year?

I can’t help but feel that the far bigger threat to P&O is the ‘new to cruising’ market that P&O has been targeting with their advertising campaigns, new build ships and brand repositioning. This market is far more important to P&O than us ‘traditional’ cruisers and I think that all the bad press about cruise ships and Coronavirus problems over the past 3 months will put a lot of those potential customers off cruising. 
 

I have never felt that the users of this forum, in total, are representative of the market that P&O will rely on going foreword. Most of us are seasoned cruisers, P&O loyalists and often older, all of which will result in greater loyalty (and tolerance of P&O’s shortcomings) than the average punter. Most users of this forum will continue to cruise when it’s safe to do so (which will only be after we are all vaccinated IMO) and, much to my surprise, an awful lot on here are even prepared to cruise before it’s safe to do so! 
 

We had started to go luke warm on P&O prior to this crisis, mostly due to the brand repositioning. For the last 3 or 4 years we have done several P&O cruises a year and have usually had around 5 future cruises booked - all P&O. It is telling that we had two cruises booked for this summer (both now cancelled) and none beyond that. Given the choice of FCC or a refund the choice was simple for us. A cash refund. We now have no future cruises booked and won’t set foot on any cruise ship until we are vaccinated, so unlikely before 2022. At that point we may well try another brand, which in a way is a shame as we are now Caribbean tier, but the limited loyalty perks aren’t enough to retain our loyalty. The whole refund debacle has probably made that decision to consider moving away from P&O a little easier. 

[No pager thank you]

Yes, I tend to agree with the remarks so far.  Memories can be short lived, particularly when the carrot of a cheap deal is made available to make you put aside your doubts around quality, customer care, and even insurance / safety in current circumstances.

 

However, I do think that P&O will be hit harder because they are trying to entice new cruisers with brand repositioning; those who's previous experience of holidays may be traditional beach holidays / package deals etc.  With some notable exceptions, these providers are doing much better.  I even received one group email from a CEO of one such firm today saying that they were pushing ABTA to back the customer even beyond their own refunds; stretching the 14 day period not acceptable etc.

 

Non cruise lines treating their customers better in these times (no doubt offering the same price incentives (and no overbooking!)) may well dis-incentivise first time cruisers from choosing P&O in the future.  That will hurt P&O.

 

By trying the patience of even previously loyal customers (such as myself) they are going to pick up a sustained hit, of that I'm quite sure. 

 

[grapau27]

25 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I can’t help but feel that the far bigger threat to P&O is the ‘new to cruising’ market that P&O has been targeting with their advertising campaigns, new build ships and brand repositioning. This market is far more important to P&O than us ‘traditional’ cruisers and I think that all the bad press about cruise ships and Coronavirus problems over the past 3 months will put a lot of those potential customers off cruising. 
 

I have never felt that the users of this forum, in total, are representative of the market that P&O will rely on going foreword. Most of us are seasoned cruisers, P&O loyalists and often older, all of which will result in greater loyalty (and tolerance of P&O’s shortcomings) than the average punter. Most users of this forum will continue to cruise when it’s safe to do so (which will only be after we are all vaccinated IMO) and, much to my surprise, an awful lot on here are even prepared to cruise before it’s safe to do so! 
 

We had started to go luke warm on P&O prior to this crisis, mostly due to the brand repositioning. For the last 3 or 4 years we have done several P&O cruises a year and have usually had around 5 future cruises booked - all P&O. It is telling that we had two cruises booked for this summer (both now cancelled) and none beyond that. Given the choice of FCC or a refund the choice was simple for us. A cash refund. We now have no future cruises booked and won’t set foot on any cruise ship until we are vaccinated, so unlikely before 2022. At that point we may well try another brand, which in a way is a shame as we are now Caribbean tier, but the limited loyalty perks aren’t enough to retain our loyalty. The whole refund debacle has probably made that decision to consider moving away from P&O a little easier. 

As usual a very detailed reply.

We are very disappointed with their customer service but these are unusual times and the ships and entertainment are worth giving another chance.

P&O loyalty program is poor compared to Princess and abysmal compared to RCL Crown & Anchor society's fantastic loyalty program.

[wowzz]

We are slightly strange  - we cruised with Celebrity and Princess in the 90s, and then didn't cruise  until a few years ago,  when we cruised with Princess again and a few times with P&O. 

We have no loyalty,  but, as we get older,  we prefer not to fly, so cruising from Southampton suits us.  But,  given the way Carnival ( because I believe Carnival, not P&O have determined the strategy) have handled the current situation, we will not be rushing back to P&O anytime soon. 

We will go on holiday less often, but with more luxury,  on Saga or Viking.  

[Eglesbrech]

I agree with much of what has been said. People do have short memory’s and if the price is right they may well rebook at some time in the future. I may do so myself as I have said on others threads but only as a cheap very last minute cruise (if and when cruising is safe which could be some time off). We tend to book with a number of different lines anyway but P&O are now firmly at the bottom of that list.

 

There may be a little tolerance from people who have actually cruised with P&O and know that the experience onboard is far better than the service on land. Their issue will be the new, younger audience who are perhaps trying cruising for the first time, the cheap prices on Iona would have been a draw. This could be their first experience of dealing with P&O and they are unlikely to be impressed if they have requested a refund.

 

This group is also more likely to need a quick cash refund if they have been furleoghed / made redundant.

 

Many people will choose not to cruise until a vaccine is available, they will find other types of holidays. P&O may have the triple whammy of people who just do something different, those who wont book with them again because of the poor customer service and less money in the economy.

 

Only time will tell how it will work out.

[daiB]

I agree with much of what has been said. People do have short memory’s and if the price is right they may well rebook at some time in the future. I may do so myself as I have said on others threads but only as a cheap very last minute cruise (if and when cruising is safe which could be some time off). We tend to book with a number of different lines anyway but P&O are now firmly at the bottom of that list.
 
There may be a little tolerance from people who have actually cruised with P&O and know that the experience onboard is far better than the service on land. Their issue will be the new, younger audience who are perhaps trying cruising for the first time, the cheap prices on Iona would have been a draw. This could be their first experience of dealing with P&O and they are unlikely to be impressed if they have requested a refund.
 
This group is also more likely to need a quick cash refund if they have been furleoghed / made redundant.
 
Many people will choose not to cruise until a vaccine is available, they will find other types of holidays. P&O may have the triple whammy of people who just do something different, those who wont book with them again because of the poor customer service and less money in the economy.
 
Only time will tell how it will work out.

Again I feel that some on this forum are outside the general feeling about cruising. On different forum there is still a great easier to continue cruising and with P&O. Questions like this have been put elsewhere and received replies from hundreds of posters and not just 5/6. Often within a couple of hours of the question being put.
Personally we will cruise again with P&O if we can. We have given up on Oct and are looking to meet March or our next fix.

It is quite clear that cruising is in for a rough ride. None of the cruise lines has come out well in this so I see no point in going elsewhere as they have all used the same methods of FCC’s and long waits for refunds. You only have to look at other lines forums for that.

The main complaint now seems to be the uncertainty of everything that is happening but then again that is across the board.


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[Eglesbrech]

43 minutes ago, daiB said:

Again I feel that some on this forum are outside the general feeling about cruising. On different forum there is still a great easier to continue cruising and with P&O. Questions like this have been put elsewhere and received replies from hundreds of posters and not just 5/6. Often within a couple of hours of the question being put.
Personally we will cruise again with P&O if we can. We have given up on Oct and are looking to meet March or our next fix.

It is quite clear that cruising is in for a rough ride. None of the cruise lines has come out well in this so I see no point in going elsewhere as they have all used the same methods of FCC’s and long waits for refunds. You only have to look at other lines forums for that.

The main complaint now seems to be the uncertainty of everything that is happening but then again that is across the board.


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Dai I obviously can’t comment on the other forums you frequent, all I have seen is what is posted here (limited audience) and on other social media (massive audience) and many on there are spitting nails about how they have been treated. Many long term customers say they won’t be back. So no, the views on this forum are not completely different to a lot of the main stream views and represent a range of feeling, all be it on a small scale.
 

As I said at the start of this thread some will huff and puff a bit but book with P&O again at some point in the future.

 

I am also keen to cruise again but only when I feel it is safe for me to do so. I genuinely think that a lot of people will need to consider the health implications before cruising again. The foreign office did not advise against it for certain groups for no good reason, a restriction which is still in place.

 

I can only go on my personal experience and every other organisation has refunded me in a fairly timely manner, except for P&O. Their communication has been poor and they are now simply playing games. If people are prepared to accept that kind of treatment then that is their prerogative.

 

I’ve absolutely no doubt there are other cruise lines which have not dealt with refunds well either but thankfully I was not booked with any of them (and this is the P&O forum after all). I also never understand the argument that everyone is treating their customers shabbily so that somehow makes it more acceptable.

I agree that cruising in general is in for a difficult time. Insurance cover may be an issue, the “Petri dish” headlines about Princess won’t have helped with new cruisers and there will be a lot less money in the economy for holidays in the first place,

 

I hope you can get your “fix” in March, it will feel like a long time away at the moment but it is something to look forward to.

 

 

 

 

[PandNo Refund]

Carnival are going to have to yet answer questions about the 700 cases and 22 deaths onboard The Ruby Princess. Apparently there was a lot of due diligence missed.... I hope for my money back before the house of cards collapses

[Josy1953]

I think that many people will start to cruise again when they feel that it is safe to do so.  For my husband and me it will not be with P&O this decision is not because of the current situation but was decided when we got back from our last disastrous cruise on Oceana on March 8th.  We may go with Princess or more likely Celebrity but we have cancelled all of our planned future cruises.  I will not say never given that my husband cannot fly but it is very unlikely that we will cruise again.  I accept that we are probably in a minority because I have seen that many people have taken FCCs so are obviously hoping to cruise when this is over.  If we do ever cruise again it will not be planned in advance, it will be a last minute booking.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Josy1953

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, PandNo Refund said:

Carnival are going to have to yet answer questions about the 700 cases and 22 deaths onboard The Ruby Princess. Apparently there was a lot of due diligence missed.... I hope for my money back before the house of cards collapses

There are incipient legal actions and enquiries about to hit Carnival across the world over the way they handled Coronavirus on their ships.  Their insurers will be trying to wriggle out of it, of course.  Makes little difference to the people at the top personally, of course - unless they can make corporate manslaughter or equivalent charges stick.

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, grapau27 said:

As usual a very detailed reply.

We are very disappointed with their customer service but these are unusual times and the ships and entertainment are worth giving another chance.

P&O loyalty program is poor compared to Princess and abysmal compared to RCL Crown & Anchor society's fantastic loyalty program.

Interesting to hear about other lines Graham. I would agree with the views of many that whilst the land based service of P&O is absolutely dire, the service on the ships is usually excellent and one of the reasons we have used P&O for every cruise we have done since 1996. We have a different view to many regarding the entertainment though. We find it to be terribly dated, with evening entertainment akin to holiday camps and what passes as daytime entertainment to be what I would expect to find in a nursing home! The sole exceptions are the occasional excellent guest speakers and classical recitals that we have enjoyed on Aurora but, as I have said, I appreciate that we are no longer P&O’s target audience. On the one hand it seems an odd approach, as we were cruising around 3 times a year with them where’s the ‘new to cruising’ audience will cruise once a year at most but, of course, there are a lot more of them to go after. 

[Harry Peterson]

8 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We have a different view to many regarding the entertainment though. We find it to be terribly dated, with evening entertainment akin to holiday camps and what passes as daytime entertainment to be what I would expect to find in a nursing home!  

With you on that.  That's one of the biggest single factors putting us off today's P&O.  Really miss the quality of the speakers that used to be provided for daytime talks and lectures - what's left isn't a patch on what it used to be, and it's all dumbed down to the lowest level.

[bee-ess]

9 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

The recent cancellations and the way they have been handled have really annoyed some pax. While those opting for FCCs seem to have been treated fairly well, those requesting a refund have not going by the number of complaints on here and elsewhere.

 

Broken promises about refund timescales, lack of communication and a general refusal to answer perfectly reasonable questions eg which date have refunds be made up to.

 

So will this impact future booking or will people huff and puff for a it - then book again next year?

Not sure that people who have taken FCC's have been treated fairly well. 

Our July cruise has been cancelled and we have chosen an FCC which we immediately used against a 2022 cruise. Apart from the email telling us that the cruise had been cancelled we have heard nothing from either TA or P&O. We have no way of knowing how much we have as an FCC as TA cannot tell us for sure how much it is until P&O apply it to the cruise, at the moment our balance is the full cost. There is nowhere to look up how much the FCC is and no way of knowing when (or if) it will be applied. I would have expected some details of how much it is by now, but as the FCC's are being applied in date order of the new cruise I think it may be sometime never.

[Eglesbrech]

24 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

Not sure that people who have taken FCC's have been treated fairly well. 

Our July cruise has been cancelled and we have chosen an FCC which we immediately used against a 2022 cruise. Apart from the email telling us that the cruise had been cancelled we have heard nothing from either TA or P&O. We have no way of knowing how much we have as an FCC as TA cannot tell us for sure how much it is until P&O apply it to the cruise, at the moment our balance is the full cost. There is nowhere to look up how much the FCC is and no way of knowing when (or if) it will be applied. I would have expected some details of how much it is by now, but as the FCC's are being applied in date order of the new cruise I think it may be sometime never.

I was basing the comment on the fact that on other media P&O are all but ignoring questions from people asking about refunds but immediately answering anyone who wants an FCC. Some on here also indicated that the FCC process was fairly easy. Apologies if my assumptions were wrong.
 

It is interesting (and unfortunate) that the communication seems to be just as poor for this group as well in your experience.

 

There have also been comments that the 125% is fairly worthless as the prices have gone up so steeply for some cruises.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Interesting to hear about other lines Graham. I would agree with the views of many that whilst the land based service of P&O is absolutely dire, the service on the ships is usually excellent and one of the reasons we have used P&O for every cruise we have done since 1996. We have a different view to many regarding the entertainment though. We find it to be terribly dated, with evening entertainment akin to holiday camps and what passes as daytime entertainment to be what I would expect to find in a nursing home! The sole exceptions are the occasional excellent guest speakers and classical recitals that we have enjoyed on Aurora but, as I have said, I appreciate that we are no longer P&O’s target audience. On the one hand it seems an odd approach, as we were cruising around 3 times a year with them where’s the ‘new to cruising’ audience will cruise once a year at most but, of course, there are a lot more of them to go after. 

We enjoy the comedians and some of the Tribute acts.

We don't usually watch the guest speakers but did see Marco Pierre White a couple of years ago on stage and he was excellent.

The kids clubs,golf putting greens,sports courts and slides on some RC ships totally cater for the family audience much more than P&O.

Adult only ships as well as family ships sailing from Southampton (no fly)no gratuities on everything,£Sterling on board,great selection of Beers,good food,kettles and biscuits in every cabin,lunch time main dining and a good selection of entertainment venues and artists make a great USP imo.

Our last Princess cruise last November our Elite benefits were very welcome and the food and service in bars and restaurants far exceeds RCL and P&O.

RCL high tier loyalty benefits plus the choice of amenities on board are their USP for us.

Edited May 13, 2020 by grapau27

[Son of Anarchy]

Back when the cancellations first started, I was pretty fizzed off with PandOs attitude, and at that point none of our cruises had even been cancelled!

As time has moved on, PandOs stance has become even worse.  However, rather a lot of companies in the travel industry are behaving in a similar manner.  As someone has pointed out earlier, that doesn't make it right. It is however the reality.

Following the cancellation of two cruises by PandO, we chose to re-book.  I found the staff member to be very helpful.  The FCC hadn't been applied to our account, the lady calculated it and put that towards our re-booking and is shown on the invoice we received that day.

We accepted years ago that the shoreside operations could be better, but nonetheless tend to book direct these days (extra OBC due to occupation).  We check T & Cs, do a bit of research and don't usually have any questions.  The on-board experience has always been good and value for money.  The most "dramatic" issue we have had on board was last year when Ventura broke down in Tenerife, and our following back to back was cancelled.  The OBC for the break down could have been better (£25pp) but we got a 50% refund.  The cancelled b2b was fully refunded and a 20% FCC applied.  And we got to say on Ventura for the journey back to Southampton anyway.  So in effect, we still got our b2b, just not to Ijmuiden!  Both refunds were received within 14 days of the cancellation.  The previous year, we were on Oriana when she lost electrical power for over 2 hours, and propulsion for about 7 hours.  The staff did a fantastic job of rustling up lunch which was deck BBQ for hot food or cold stuff in the MDR. Oh and £100pp OBC because we missed a port.

 

So overall, the on-board side of things outweighs the shoreside stuff, apart from the current issues re refunds which I still find deplorable, but we probably would have been treated the same by other companies.  As has been said, just because others do it does not make it right, but it is the reality.

 

So yes my attitude towards PandO has changed, but not sufficiently to take my money to another cruise company.

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Really miss the quality of the speakers that used to be provided for daytime talks and lectures - what's left isn't a patch on what it used to be, and it's all dumbed down to the lowest level.

The best thing about our last cruise earlier this year was one of the speakers,  his name was Geoff Hughes and had worked in the prison service.

 I can honestly say that he was the most interesting speaker that we had seen in years and I think that judging by the numbers going to his talks every sea we were not the only ones who thought this.  When was the last time you saw a speaker where if you didn't go early, you struggled to find a seat ?

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

we have used P&O for every cruise we have done since 1996

Selbourne - because you have not cruised with any other line for 25 years, you may not appreciate how P&O now compare to other lines. We only took our first P&O cruise in 2017, and were disappointed at the service levels on board, compared to our previous Princess cruisers.

As a new generation of cruisers come through, with no loyalty to any one brand, P&O need to significantly up their game in terms of all round quality.

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

To some extent, I suppose it depends on whether you have been directly affected by the virus situation, having had cruise(s) booked or wanted to book, and whether you've got your preferred outcome from that. 

 

For those like me who haven't got anything lined up for a year, or lined up at all, and won't be affected (probably lol), then it'll feel like business as usual. Well, at least until the next cruise is actually experienced, and seeing what that brings. 

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

A friend, for example, booked with a well known travel agent for an RC transatlantic in April. He wants several thousand refunded, but found that the travel agent hasn't actually requested the refund from RC on his behalf. As a result, he's done with that travel agent for good. 

[Snow Hill]

My wife and I were discussing this over the weekend after a P&O Brochure for cruise up to April 2022 dropped through the letterbox, we both feel that cruising will be off the agenda for sometime.

 

We love going France, we were planning to retire there however financial crash of 2008 put an end to that, so we will probably go there once it is safer to do so. We generally rent a cottage and base ourselves around the pool, with trips out, but we have thought about hiring a motor home and wandering around a France for a month or so. The motor home has its advantages in that we can bring back more wine, assuming government are not killjoys and stop us doing that.