P&O Update

[AnnieC]

7 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Yes I just read that too.

I think P&O might suspend again possibly December 12 and hope they might get some Xmas/New Year cruises in.

Quite a few people on twitter asking P&O about Christmas cruises and just being told that no decision has been made yet - you have to feel for people who don't know what's going on at a time of year when it's going to be very difficult to find an alternative break.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I'm able to relax a bit now as we've nothing booked until the end of June. If we're still in this situation come spring the worrying will  begin again. 😔

Avril 

We have a final payment end of November which if P&O suspend longer I will cancel and look at something late 2021.

[grapau27]

Just now, AnnieC said:

Quite a few people on twitter asking P&O about Christmas cruises and just being told that no decision has been made yet - you have to feel for people who don't know what's going on at a time of year when it's going to be very difficult to find an alternative break.

I agree.

[AnnieC]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

I agree.

Just to add that my guess is that quite a few of those who go away at Christmas have their own, often sad, reasons for doing so.

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, AnnieC said:

Just to add that my guess is that quite a few of those who go away at Christmas have their own, often sad, reasons for doing so.

+1

[Adawn47]

12 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We have a final payment end of November which if P&O suspend longer I will cancel and look at something late 2021.

The cruise prices for late 2021 are eye - watering. When we booked our October 2021 cruise last year it was £1351pp. As of yesterday it's now £2399pp. Even the cruise I moved our deposit to last week as gone up by £250pp. 

Avril 

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

The cruise prices for late 2021 are eye - watering. When we booked our October 2021 cruise last year it was £1351pp. As of yesterday it's now £2399pp. Even the cruise I moved our deposit to last week as gone up by £250pp. 

Avril 

Thanks.

In future we are going to book much closer to sail date rather than 12 months before.

I might even book a last minute 2 nighter on Ventura  and pay the difference between the price and deposit already paid on a booked cruise.

I will drive the 300+ miles to Southampton and do a hotel stay and park if necessary.

RCL and Princess are options if P&O balcony deal is silly money.

 

 

[Britboys]

33 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

The cruise prices for late 2021 are eye - watering. When we booked our October 2021 cruise last year it was £1351pp. As of yesterday it's now £2399pp. Even the cruise I moved our deposit to last week as gone up by £250pp. 

Avril 

Forgive me if I have posted this elsewhere but my cancelled 18 night Aurora cruise this October was just under £2500 for solo occupancy of an inside cabin. A similar length cruise next October in a similar cabin on Arcadia is currently on sale at £3600!

[No pager thank you]

41 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

The cruise prices for late 2021 are eye - watering. When we booked our October 2021 cruise last year it was £1351pp. As of yesterday it's now £2399pp. Even the cruise I moved our deposit to last week as gone up by £250pp. 

Avril 

I think this Avril is some customers trying to guess when they think cruising might be safe enough by?

 

For example, the working assumption amongst some media commentators, and to a point added to by the Government, is that a vaccine treatment will emerge by early next year.  A population vaccination programme could be delivered by next Summer via some herculean effort.  The reality may be a little better, or possibly much worse - hopefully the former.

 

If this proves true, and if the vaccine has high efficacy, the cruises become safer again.  This makes Autumn 2021 the window for a (possibly) normal holiday. 

 

People are doing the maths and booking those cruises with FCCs.  Hence why the prices are rocketing, particularly on the smaller ships, out of season, which tend to attract the more traditional cruising group - the same people, typically, who are worried about the virus.  Those same people were probably fans of Oceana so now only have two ships left.  The other factor is people booking these cruises who don't want to go to avoid losing deposits.

 

There are a few generalisations in there but hopefully you get my point.

 

[Eddie99]

😳

 

It feels inevitable that prices will rise - the days of £40pppn for some longer cruises are gone - but some of the figures quoted sound excessive.  
 

Pricing was always a plus when making comparisons between P&O and others and I’ve seen lots of posts, and have made some myself, saying x,y,z could/should be better but, for the price paid I am content I have received good value for money.

 

If prices rise nearer Saga, Viking etc, there’s a danger people will chose those instead

[Adawn47]

24 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Forgive me if I have posted this elsewhere but my cancelled 18 night Aurora cruise this October was just under £2500 for solo occupancy of an inside cabin. A similar length cruise next October in a similar cabin on Arcadia is currently on sale at £3600!

Would that be Arcadia's 19 nights October 9th?  If so that’s what we're on. £2399pp outside cabin. 

Avril 

[Britboys]

16 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Would that be Arcadia's 19 nights October 9th?  If so that’s what we're on. £2399pp outside cabin. 

Avril 

That's the one Avril. I'm resigned to not cruising with P&O next year. All being well, I have a 10 night cruise with Fred Olsen in June.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

Forgive me if I have posted this elsewhere but my cancelled 18 night Aurora cruise this October was just under £2500 for solo occupancy of an inside cabin. A similar length cruise next October in a similar cabin on Arcadia is currently on sale at £3600!

In June we moved our Ventura deposit from January 21 to Arcadia Canaries in March 22. I thought the fare we got was expensive, but its already gone up another £150 pp. 

Having said that, I imagine that holidays of all types next year will be considerably more expensive,  as people use credit notes from cancelled holidays this year. TUI are reporting a 100% increase in bookings for summer 21.

[DamianG]

17 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

Or cabins, rooms and decks, floors. My pet hate is pronouncing aitch as haitch as in Haitch D. You would have thought radio and tv announcers would speak correctly. 

Avril  

 

 

On the few occasions we have stayed in hotels my son has been known to ask "When can we go back to the cabin?" Then again he has only just turned 10 and has definitely been spoilt with 90 sea days recorded on his P&O loyalty profile!

[Selbourne]

9 minutes ago, AnnieC said:

Where is Selbourne and what have you done with him?😱

I clearly come across as a miserable git, but I do actually have a good sense of humour 😂 

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

I clearly come across as a miserable git, but I do actually have a good sense of humour 😂 

Never a miserable git Selbourne. I would say a person with strong convictions  and a decidedly weird sense of humour, but at least you do have one.😉😆

Avril 

[AnnieC]

There's an unrivalled spot of advice contained in an exchange on twitter between a P&O representative (who has clearly had his apostrophes stolen) and a customer:

 

Unfortunate (but obviously loyal) customer (Dave): "Thanks for the update, we have already moved one cruise to 21 we have another booked sept 21 and another for Jan22. We also have a jan21 which we have to pay for in Sept as we are in a 70+ age group It’s very unlikely we shall we can go we can’t fit any more in 21 what options?"

 

P&O: "Hi Dave, were sorry to hear this but we certainly look forward to welcoming you back on board!"

 

I wonder if poor Dave is now any the wiser?

 

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Down to earth humour kalos, straight talking, no airs and graces and with the ability to laugh at yourself.😆 The Yorkshire Vet is the perfect example of all three. I do have to close my eyes sometimes when I watch it though.😑

Avril 

Interesting how the two vets now never refer to each other, since Peter "sold out' to a chain of vet practices.

[grapau27]

19 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

On the few occasions we have stayed in hotels my son has been known to ask "When can we go back to the cabin?" Then again he has only just turned 10 and has definitely been spoilt with 90 sea days recorded on his P&O loyalty profile!

I sometimes say to Pauline when staying in a hotel.

Let's go back to the cabin 🤔

[zap99]

22 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

The cruise prices for late 2021 are eye - watering. When we booked our October 2021 cruise last year it was £1351pp. As of yesterday it's now £2399pp. Even the cruise I moved our deposit to last week as gone up by £250pp. 

Avril 

When we rebooked Iona from this August to next, a couple of months ago a balcony had gone up from about £1100 to £1200. Now it's about 1350. An increase yes, but not game changing.

[Esprit]

2 hours ago, AnnieC said:

There's an unrivalled spot of advice contained in an exchange on twitter between a P&O representative (who has clearly had his apostrophes stolen) and a customer:

 

Unfortunate (but obviously loyal) customer (Dave): "Thanks for the update, we have already moved one cruise to 21 we have another booked sept 21 and another for Jan22. We also have a jan21 which we have to pay for in Sept as we are in a 70+ age group It’s very unlikely we shall we can go we can’t fit any more in 21 what options?"

 

P&O: "Hi Dave, were sorry to hear this but we certainly look forward to welcoming you back on board!"

 

I wonder if poor Dave is now any the wiser?

 

Hi Annie

Very off topic but does your surname end with a “w”?

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

When we rebooked Iona from this August to next, a couple of months ago a balcony had gone up from about £1100 to £1200. Now it's about 1350. An increase yes, but not game changing.

That's maybe down to the fact that they have 5200+ berths to fill every seven days from April to September...

[grapau27]

4 minutes ago, Britboys said:

That's maybe down to the fact that they have 5200+ berths to fill every seven days from April to September...

Exactly.

Supply and demand.

[Clodia]

On 8/11/2020 at 11:57 AM, wowzz said:

It's currently unclear as to if FCC can be applied to cruises that will appear in the new brochure.

We just booked it through a TA and yes it was applied. It's Aurora not Arcadia which suits me.

[Converted to cruising]

Hi. I transferred my  October T/A on Britannia which Was cancelled to the same one in October 2021. Solo equivalent on 2021 has gone up a mouthwatering £1000. I used my FCC so only have to pay another £350 towards it next year. I still got the same OBC. The way I looked at it was I wouldn’t have got the amount I got as FCC in any savings account so could not have afforded to book for next year. I suppose they have to make their money back somehow and it will be a long while before the cruising world gets back to ‘normal’ (if it ever does) so we will just have to accept the prices or not go. I don’t think any company will be any different. Let’s just hope for better days ahead 🚢🏖🍹🤞🏼😊