More Cancellations Imminent?

[bee-ess]

3 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Grrr, wish they had done it to end October.  Mine is the 18th!!

I think they have done the 15th because the Azura transatlantic to Caribbean season goes on the 16th

[zoe sproodle]

3 hours ago, ozzysdad said:

Will Iona be seen this year or will they hold her back till 2021? I'm booked to go on her on the 24th October cruise so theoretically could be on her maiden voyage.

We are booked on this cruise too and the same thought had occurred. I'm not being too hopeful but will see how things develop before the balance is due towards the end of July. Personally I think that if there's any way they can get Iona cruising they'll try it, and to use her to get things started again could be seen as a decent bit of publicity.  There's a while to go until October though and I'm not even going to try to guess what could happen here or internationally between now and then.

[molecrochip]

21 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

I think they have done the 15th because the Azura transatlantic to Caribbean season goes on the 16th

Correct.

[zap99]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Care to rethink your forecast  for Norway cruises in August?

Isn't it strange, I can't remember saying that😂. We have been off to the coast, so listening to DW's music in the car and no news, bliss. If I have missed that Norway have banned us all,of course I apologize profusely. We all get stuff wrong sometimes, but still hope to be off on Iona at the end of August. Perhaps just a round-trip Newcastle, Non-Landing🚢.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

Isn't it strange, I can't remember saying that😂. We have been off to the coast, so listening to DW's music in the car and no news, bliss. If I have missed that Norway have banned us all,of course I apologize profusely. We all get stuff wrong sometimes, but still hope to be off on Iona at the end of August. Perhaps just a round-trip Newcastle, Non-Landing🚢.

Zap - you've missed the news. Cruises cancelled until the middle of October. 

[zap99]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Zap - you've missed the news. Cruises cancelled until the middle of October. 

Thanks, missed that

 We are working on a plan B and probably plans c-g, just in case. A nice sunny, but breezy day at the Solent today, not too many people, but the blighters have started to charge for parking again.

[zap99]

5 hours ago, wowzz said:

Care to rethink your forecast  for Norway cruises in August?

All a bit sneaky from P&O. Our balance was due on Friday. Having a suspicion, reinforced by the experts on this site that it wouldn't go, We moved our booking to next August,so if I had paid the balance on Friday, they cancel on the following Tuesday . I could be joining the refund queue. That seems a little underhand. Looks like Iona to the Canaries in November. I wonder if they will rebook Gary?. He must have some FCC to use up.

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, zoe sproodle said:

We are booked on this cruise too and the same thought had occurred. I'm not being too hopeful but will see how things develop before the balance is due towards the end of July. Personally I think that if there's any way they can get Iona cruising they'll try it, and to use her to get things started again could be seen as a decent bit of publicity.  There's a while to go until October though and I'm not even going to try to guess what could happen here or internationally between now and then.

I think that the problem they will have with Iona is her fuelling requirments. There are still a limited number of ports which can fuel her, hence the decision to debut with a season in Norway. If Norwegian ports are still closed to cruise ships, difficult to see where else she could go.

[zoe sproodle]

16 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I think that the problem they will have with Iona is her fuelling requirments. There are still a limited number of ports which can fuel her, hence the decision to debut with a season in Norway. If Norwegian ports are still closed to cruise ships, difficult to see where else she could go.

This one is Hamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge so Norway won't be a problem. Those ports not accepting cruises may well be though so I'm not going to be too optimistic.

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

Looking at this news from a wider context, Carnival have sufficient liquidity  (after securing $6bn or so in loans) to last them until the end of 2020. 

If other Carnival lines follow P&O 's lead, the cash pile will be getting perilously low by the end of October. I think I would be looking  for a refund rather than FCC at present!

Presumably wowzz you are assuming that the govt will not underwrite ABTA if P&O fail, which is what should happen.

[terrierjohn]

27 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I think that the problem they will have with Iona is her fuelling requirments. There are still a limited number of ports which can fuel her, hence the decision to debut with a season in Norway. If Norwegian ports are still closed to cruise ships, difficult to see where else she could go.

She was also due to do a winter season in the Canaries, the Med and N sea ports, so the fuelling will have already been sorted out.

[Dinglebert]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

All a bit sneaky from P&O. Our balance was due on Friday. Having a suspicion, reinforced by the experts on this site that it wouldn't go, We moved our booking to next August,so if I had paid the balance on Friday, they cancel on the following Tuesday . I could be joining the refund queue. That seems a little underhand. Looks like Iona to the Canaries in November. I wonder if they will rebook Gary?. He must have some FCC to use up.

If you think P&O are sneaky try Cruise and Maritime who are still selling 1st July cruises.

[zap99]

18 minutes ago, Dinglebert said:

If you think P&O are sneaky try Cruise and Maritime who are still selling 1st July cruises.

I thought that about them with their BOGOF, with the first fare being about double what it should be. Some companies marketing departments think their customers came up the Thames on a barge.😁. 

[No pager thank you]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

All a bit sneaky from P&O. Our balance was due on Friday. Having a suspicion, reinforced by the experts on this site that it wouldn't go, We moved our booking to next August,so if I had paid the balance on Friday, they cancel on the following Tuesday . I could be joining the refund queue. That seems a little underhand. Looks like Iona to the Canaries in November. I wonder if they will rebook Gary?. He must have some FCC to use up.

I was suspicious why my balance (due at the end of the week) wasn't requested through the automated polite reminder emails, so I decided to leave it until the last minute.

 

The next cruise that we are supposed to have is Christmas in the Canaries on Iona.  50/50 I'd say.

 

As early Christmas presents I would be happy as follows:

 

-- P&O to confirm if Christmas is cancelled before September.

-- P&O to arrange alternative Christmas activities for Barlow (and possibly Manilow, if the duet comes off)!!

 

I won't be greedy and ask for a refund 😃

[amfc_lenny]

We were booked for the 12th Oct, and have moved our cruise till the end of nov, not ideal temperature wise, but we’d like something to look forward to this year.

[Bertie Doe]

9 hours ago, No pager thank you said:

Yes have had the same email, mercifully a few days before the final balance was due, so less refund trauma coming this time.  No doubt "hunt the missing FCC" will become the new thread at some stage.

 

Obviously P&O trying to pick up the traditional half term period for schools in October.

 

https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/update-po-cruises-extends-pause-in-operations-until-october/

 

There's talk of limiting future capacity on cruise liners, ditto aircraft capacity reduced. These and other measures is bound to push up the cost of cruises. If you get a FCC, I would quickly tie it in to a particular 2021 cruise before prices increase, rather than risk deferment for say 'X' months.

 

[No pager thank you]

18 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

 

https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/update-po-cruises-extends-pause-in-operations-until-october/

 

There's talk of limiting future capacity on cruise liners, ditto aircraft capacity reduced. These and other measures is bound to push up the cost of cruises. If you get a FCC, I would quickly tie it in to a particular 2021 cruise before prices increase, rather than risk deferment for say 'X' months.

 

Thank you.  Yes, the discussion outlined in this article mirrors what I asked about on a thread around how will P&O reduce passenger numbers should this become necessary for the purposes of safely restarting cruising?

 

I do worry that the more that the late 2020 / early 2021 cruises get filled up in particular, there is a risk of bookings being cancelled, including redeemed FCCs by P&O as booked capacity may exceed permitted levels of carriage.

 

For this reason, and also because the FCCs do not really have 25pc added value (sometimes negative), I would consider redeeming my cancelled deposit either a long way in to 2021/22 or alternatively wait until the 2022/23 brochure comes out. 

 

If prices / customer service has improved, and P&O Cruises exists in a form that I am happy with then rebook from the new 2022/23 brochure at base price, without any FCC bookings in the way.  If they do jack up the prices to compensate for FCCs, or customer service continues to deteriorate, then request a 100pc cash refund at that point, using ABTA and Travel Insurance as protection in the meantime in the unlikely event of administration.

 

I could just request the refund now, but I will have a three month wait anyway I would suggest from current patterns, so I can't see the point.

 

Thankfully, by P&O cancelling the cruise, I no longer have to move my deposit to a sailing that I may not wish to go on to avoid losing the cash deposit.

[mercury7289]

23 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

 

https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/update-po-cruises-extends-pause-in-operations-until-october/

 

There's talk of limiting future capacity on cruise liners, ditto aircraft capacity reduced. These and other measures is bound to push up the cost of cruises. If you get a FCC, I would quickly tie it in to a particular 2021 cruise before prices increase, rather than risk deferment for say 'X' months.

 

I think the opposite, I would wait until the itinerary is properly known, and then that you are happy, that you can get insurance, and also until the new brochure is out.

Do not see the need to rush in.

[happy v]

Well I've had two cancelled. I was rather hoping we would get to go around the British Isles but knew it was a bit soon.

I had mixed feelings about the Med cruise as I feel I should spend my money here to help our economy rather than Europe.

I think if things improve they may do a couple around Britain just to see how things go.

[Turn the Tide]

9 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

Ours is November 6th so I'm having the same issue Jean. I've already been looking at next year though. The Baltic looks interesting in May.

Avril 

I am using my FCC from my cruise cancelled for this month to go on next May's Baltic cruise.

[Adawn47]

14 minutes ago, Turn the Tide said:

I am using my FCC from my cruise cancelled for this month to go on next May's Baltic cruise.

I was impressed with the price as well. It'll probably have gone way up by the time we go to book it. Sods law really. I can only hope.

Avril 

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Presumably wowzz you are assuming that the govt will not underwrite ABTA if P&O fail, which is what should happen.

In extremis, I imagine that the Government will have to bail out ABTA when/if Carnival  fail. However,  I can see the refunds for Princess, Cunard, P&O,  Seabourne  taking much longer to come through than the current 60 days.

I just cannot see why people are so desperate to book a cruise  with a company that is on the brink of bankruptcy.  

Get your money out while you can,  and book another cruise once the financial situation is clear.

[wowzz]

36 minutes ago, Turn the Tide said:

I am using my FCC from my cruise cancelled for this month to go on next May's Baltic cruise.

You are of course assuming that P&O will still be operating in May 2021 !

[Turn the Tide]

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You are of course assuming that P&O will still be operating in May 2021 !

That's true, but if everyone believes they may not be operating so waits and sees before booking, they definitely will go down. I have to hope that doesn't happen.

[zap99]

2 hours ago, Bertie Doe said:

 

https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/update-po-cruises-extends-pause-in-operations-until-october/

 

There's talk of limiting future capacity on cruise liners, ditto aircraft capacity reduced. These and other measures is bound to push up the cost of cruises. If you get a FCC, I would quickly tie it in to a particular 2021 cruise before prices increase, rather than risk deferment for say 'X' months.

 

When we asked to move our deposit the same time next year Iona cruise was. +£60. They didn't call back . By the time I got to speak to them it was +£260. They Honoured the lower price. I don't know if underhand or incompetent. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter .