More Cancellations Imminent?

[No pager thank you]

Thanks, just got me wondering, as a few weeks ago people were (rightly) complaining of getting the polite reminders whilst being politely asked to wait a bit longer for their March Refund.  Maybe just the IT system again - we'll see!

[P&O SUE]

I am in the same position of having an early October cruise and not knowing what to do yet, I booked it on launch so very good price, looking at similar cruises next year the prices have shot up!

Balance due first week in July so would really like to hear something from P&O soon, they do seem to have gone quiet lately!

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

That will be even less cost effective than not paying out refunds on time. Anything less than 90% capacity, at previous prices, and I assume the ships operate at a loss.

I have not seen any forward pricing on any cruise lines that indicate anything other than the normal modest cost increase, so I am assuming they all intend to operate at similar levels in the future.

I read on the RCL threads that Royal could Break Even on the larger ships with 30% Capacity.

[No pager thank you]

4 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I am in the same position of having an early October cruise and not knowing what to do yet, I booked it on launch so very good price, looking at similar cruises next year the prices have shot up!

Balance due first week in July so would really like to hear something from P&O soon, they do seem to have gone quiet lately!

Agree.

 

I looked at six like for like cruises (dates, season, itinerary, ship) etc around five weeks ago.  On all six occasions, my cruise would have cost more to book, and on five out of six, by more than the 25pc FCC too.  All of my current cruises would cost more to cancel and rebook.

 

The cynical side of me suggests that they know this too i.e. people will feel "forced" in to cancelling August and September with balances paid and have no option but to trade up on to a higher priced like for like holiday some time in 2021.  Pay twice, get less mantra.

 

The best thing that P&O could have done was to either reduce balance payment dates or introduce some sort of price promise for 2021 - it would have engendered much more sympathy to their position.  Plus make refunds better.

[Rupert2251]

3 hours ago, Ginb56 said:

Our end of Sept cruise hasn’t been cancelled yet and I doubt we’ll continue with it due to lack of Covid insurance cover now. The balance is due in 3 weeks so hope we hear news before then so can go down the refund route. But I’ve a feeling P&O will be wanting autumn cruises to go ahead.
 

Also has anyone heard mention of any likely price reduction as a sweetener to encourage any remaining passengers to keep their booking, considering the likely restrictions on board and perhaps itinerary limitations? We’re paying full whack currently for a deluxe balcony and it won’t be the holiday experience we’d originally booked, but may consider still going with a healthy token discount. 
 

Need a crystal ball to see what plans P&O are making for the new normal life on board (and new Covid victim care) so we can make an informed decision later this month. Anyone else in a similar situation with Sept/Oct cruises and the do we/don’t we feeling?

We are due to sail on 12 Sept, we will continue and pay our balance on 14 June with fingers and everything else crossed!! Doubt very much that there will be any sweeteners I have just done a dummy booking for the exact same corner suite and the price is £3000 more than we paid. OK yes we did book at launch but £3000??

[terrierjohn]

26 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I read on the RCL threads that Royal could Break Even on the larger ships with 30% Capacity.

If that were correct then Royal should have been posting monster profits in the past.

[No pager thank you]

11 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

Doubt very much that there will be any sweeteners I have just done a dummy booking for the exact same corner suite and the price is £3000 more than we paid. OK yes we did book at launch but £3000??

I'm not hopeful about our September cruise, but fingers crossed too.

 

Clearly £3,000 extra is a price seeking to discourage bookings - insurance companies sometimes do the same.

 

Someone quoted a similar example of a price hike on P&O Facebook page to Customer Services.  The response was to suggest that the price of fuel had increased 🤔

[Son of Anarchy]

3 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Someone quoted a similar example of a price hike on P&O Facebook page to Customer Services.  The response was to suggest that the price of fuel had increased 🤔

 

The response must have been Dominic Cummings.  Apart from the fact that fuel prices have decreased, apparently a lot of the cruise industry managed to fix their future fuel prices at a very low price.

 

At one point I feared that cruise ships were going to be converted into tankers as at least one oil company was reported as paying someone to store unsold fuel!

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, Rupert2251 said:

We are due to sail on 12 Sept, we will continue and pay our balance on 14 June with fingers and everything else crossed!! Doubt very much that there will be any sweeteners I have just done a dummy booking for the exact same corner suite and the price is £3000 more than we paid. OK yes we did book at launch but £3000??

Having read your post I thought I'd have a quick look at our November 2020 cruise (we've not cancelled ). Up £740. Did a check on our October 2021 as well. Up £496. Both outside cabins.

Avril 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Adawn47
Added text

[jeanlyon]

No way I am paying a final balance for October, having waited nearly 70 days for a refund for April.  I will take an FCC for it and keep moving it.  We have 2 cruises already in 2021, so can't use it there.

[Rupert2251]

What we plan to do is pay the final balance, if it gets cancelled the new brochure should be out for 22/23, if so, book one of those and use the FCC. If it isn't out by then we can request a refund before the end of Nov and wait (I'm a very patient person lol) there is no way I would cancel and lose the deposit!

 

 

 

 

[jeanlyon]

You don't need to, you just take an FCC for the deposit and put it on any cruise until end March 2022.  Then move it when one you want to do comes up.

[No pager thank you]

2 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

What we plan to do is pay the final balance, if it gets cancelled the new brochure should be out for 22/23, if so, book one of those and use the FCC. If it isn't out by then we can request a refund before the end of Nov and wait (I'm a very patient person lol) there is no way I would cancel and lose the deposit!

 

 

 

 

Seems to be a reasonable plan.

 

Trust that you are also aware of the alternative possibility of choosing not to pay the final balance now, instead moving your existing deposit on to a cruise already on sale (up to March 2022, already allowed without penalty), and then subsequently looking for any flexibility to move the deposit again to your cruise of choice from the new brochure in 2022/23, if necessary.

 

It has not been 100pc confirmed that this ability to multiple shift the booking would extend beyond the current brochure completing in March 2022, but you do have the option to shift to any time before then.

 

This approach carries the benefit of your not paying in full for the cruise (that may be unlikely to go) until three months before you travel instead of having the FCC for some 18 months, depending on when you reschedule for. 

 

Therefore you don't have to pay more now to avoid losing your deposit.  Obviously up to you, but more than one option is available, sorry if you were already aware of this.

 

The unknown is how competitive the base prices will be when the new brochure launches.

[No pager thank you]

6 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

You don't need to, you just take an FCC for the deposit and put it on any cruise until end March 2022.  Then move it when one you want to do comes up.

You beat me to it 👍

[Rupert2251]

Lol yes I am aware of this but as silly as it might sound we still want to sail in Sept. It was booked for a special occasion hence 2 years in advance. I am a glass half full not half empty and will stay positive. I dont mind paying then waiting for a refund if it comes to that!

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If that were correct then Royal should have been posting monster profits in the past.

I think they were referring to the 5400 passengers Oasis class.

The price of the Star and Sky class Suites are mind boggling.

[terrierjohn]

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I think they were referring to the 5400 passengers Oasis class.

The price of the Star and Sky class Suites are mind boggling.

I hope you're right Graham  if so then P&O will want to get Iona up and running ASAP. Maybe our Feb 21 cruise could be a goer.

[grapau27]

23 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I hope you're right Graham  if so then P&O will want to get Iona up and running ASAP. Maybe our Feb 21 cruise could be a goer.

I agree.

Balance not due until November so fingers crossed ships are cruising by then and the government relax the health rules as my Minor Heart Attack last December is included in their guidance.

The Canaries are supposed to be low infection which is promising.

[Snow Hill]

On 5/29/2020 at 4:57 PM, Snow Hill said:

Looks like Greece and Cyprus are off limits to Brits this summer due to our poor record re Covid19. So that will affect Oceana’s med cruises this summer should they restart.

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/greece-ban-brits-reopens-tourists-18331661

Spain joins the list of off limit countries to Brits until the situation improves.

 

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-spain-bans-british-holidays-135535763.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAC0Ib_d4LL6Xg5b7_MHKDWiqFkI4PpzHQ5ptoYtf5DiN9P2QhBZiMe3Z_mux6z0rQiT908oK0DeQn2DNJ06_KSNz0j9BnojsmKX3l4zeK2mz09ptDYdIBgG5ahKIgAYS89ySmAu5iRgXjl149ROC6xWscCmfq32eGrsh_MlUvm0A

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Rupert2251 said:

What we plan to do is pay the final balance, if it gets cancelled the new brochure should be out for 22/23, if so, book one of those and use the FCC. If it isn't out by then we can request a refund before the end of Nov and wait (I'm a very patient person lol) there is no way I would cancel and lose the deposit!

 

 

 

 

Have P&O said you will be able to move it past March 2022. Cunard say you can cancel and move your deposit to book another cruise before March 2022 but they are not allowing a FCC with extra money dividend on your deposit if the cruise cancelling  is after July 31st. Even though you can cancel and move as many times as you want they dont say you can cancel it and move it after March 2022.

Edited May 31, 2020 by majortom10

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

No way I am paying a final balance for October, having waited nearly 70 days for a refund for April.  I will take an FCC for it and keep moving it.  We have 2 cruises already in 2021, so can't use it there.

I agree with you and if they are not sailing by August their cash flow will be suspect and your refund if you pay your balance?

Up to 90 days?

Even if cruises start by October the mask wearing and social distancing etc will mean it will not be very relaxing and the government will also need to get rid of the age and health advice or insurance will be void.

 

[Adawn47]

We'll wait until July 31st. We should then have a better idea of where we go from there. Hopefully.

Avril 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Adawn47
Added text

[NoFlyGuy]

Our next cruise is the Aurora Christmas/New Year cruise. Balance due on 31st August ( via TA so earlier than if we if we had booked direct). So we have 3 months grace before deciding what to do. Feel sorry for those that have their balance payments due any time soon .

[Rupert2251]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Have P&O said you will be able to move it past March 2022. Cunard say you can cancel and move your deposit to book another cruise before March 2022 but they are not allowing a FCC with extra money dividend on your deposit if the cruise cancelling  is after July 31st. Even though you can cancel and move as many times as you want they dont say you can cancel it and move it after March 2022.

P&O FAQ's

 

I see I can now use my FCC for a holiday after March 2022?

Yes, we are pleased to say that you have until December 2021 to put your FCC against any holiday which is on sale at that time.

[Rupert2251]

Never said anything about deposit only, we are paying the full balance!