SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT MY BOOKING

[Tablelamp]

 I have paid a very hefty deposit for a cruise I am taking in March 2023. Reading all the posts about new things happening,  having to book for the theatre, the possibility of being disembarked should I get Covid (I can no longer fly long distance) is all rather worrying.  If I cancel I will lose my deposit.  My idea of cruising has always been ‘do what I like when I like’. I recognise some old faces from the threads and wonder what you all think

[yorkshirephil]

24 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

 I have paid a very hefty deposit for a cruise I am taking in March 2023. Reading all the posts about new things happening,  having to book for the theatre, the possibility of being disembarked should I get Covid (I can no longer fly long distance) is all rather worrying.  If I cancel I will lose my deposit.  My idea of cruising has always been ‘do what I like when I like’. I recognise some old faces from the threads and wonder what you all think

2023 is a long way off, nobody knows how things will be, however with booster jabs and new generation vaccines and medications things look more positive. As you won't need to pay your balance for 12 months or so I would wait it out, if things are still grim you will likely be able to move the deposit.

[Adawn47]

39 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

 I have paid a very hefty deposit for a cruise I am taking in March 2023. Reading all the posts about new things happening,  having to book for the theatre, the possibility of being disembarked should I get Covid (I can no longer fly long distance) is all rather worrying.  If I cancel I will lose my deposit.  My idea of cruising has always been ‘do what I like when I like’. I recognise some old faces from the threads and wonder what you all think

March 2023 is at least 16 months away, and we've come a long way with covid in a year. Cruising is very cautiously starting again, and they are trying to be careful,  hence the need for all the protocols that are in place. We have a cruise booked for October 2022 and am hopeful it will sail without the need for all the protocols, other than vaccinations as, like you, we wouldn't want to cruise with all the restrictions in place, fear of being off-loaded etc.

I wouldn't jump the gun, your deposit is paid, so wait until just before the balance is due if you need to cancel. Either way you could lose the deposit, but better to wait and see how things pan out first. That's what we're doing.

Avril

Edited November 16, 2021 by Adawn47
spelling

[showingdiva]

Yorkshirephil has covered everything above.   None of us have any idea how things will be next month, next year ...  I booked a (non-P&O) UK staycation this year with the mindset of "if it happens, it happens".   It happened.   Some things were a little out of the ordinary (but so many things on land are too), but essentially, it was a holiday, a cruise, and by and large normal - whatever that is nowadays.  I loved it.  The relief of being away was palpable.

 

Don't cancel a 2023 holiday at the moment.   Much nearer to final balance time, you - and only you - can make the decision whether you still want to go for whatever reason.  If we're still in the grip of covid, then you will very likely have the options of cancel / reschedule / go.

[wowzz]

I think you are over thinking things. No one knows what 2023 will be like.

We booked a March 2023 cruise 6 months ago ! 

Why worry about something over which you have no control ?

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Tablelamp said:

 I have paid a very hefty deposit for a cruise I am taking in March 2023. Reading all the posts about new things happening,  having to book for the theatre, the possibility of being disembarked should I get Covid (I can no longer fly long distance) is all rather worrying.  If I cancel I will lose my deposit.  My idea of cruising has always been ‘do what I like when I like’. I recognise some old faces from the threads and wonder what you all think

If it’s a hefty deposit and you’d need to fly back long distance if offloaded, it sounds like a ‘big’ cruise. 
 

Although March 2023 is still a long way away, if you are already certain that you no longer want to go on the cruise, why not move it to a ‘smaller’ more local cruise  later in 2023? 
 

I was in a very similar situation this time last year. I had two ‘big’  cruises booked for October 2021 and Jan 2022. I felt that I wouldn’t want to travel very far from the U.K. during the uncertainty of a pandemic. So I moved the cruises forward to later cruises going Round Britain and to the Canaries. I felt so much better after making the decision, as I could put it out of my mind and didn’t have to keep pondering about it. Absolutely no regrets.

 

However, I’ve got to pay for the next cruise in January, and I’m still not keen on the idea of cruising, so I will soon have to go through the decision making process again!
 

Hope this is of some help as an alternative opinion   

[mrsgoggins]

Great advice given already, but I'll just add that we've been lucky enough to take 4 cruises this year - 3 UK and a Canaries - and from my point of view it was a 'golden year' for cruising and we loved every one of them.  Social distancing and testing prior to the cruises made us feel safer than we would do at home.  Add to that the bliss of reduced numbers - meaning space in the theatres and restaurants, lifts arriving within seconds etc - and I am now mostly concerned about going back to 'normal'.

 

Now no one knows how things will be so far ahead, or what protocols will be in place by then, but I am hoping - and expecting - that the cruise industry will be the most cautious for obvious reasons ('floating petri dish' comments ...... etc).

 

I think Dermotsgirl makes excellent points, but only you know how much the planned destinations and booked cruise meant to you when you booked.  In our case, we decided that our ages and DH's health scare last year (resulting in him shielding), meant that we were going to still live our lives as normally as possible whilst still being cautious.  I'd still take the 'wait and see' approach given the hefty deposit.

[bee-ess]

I would leave it until much nearer your final balance day and if there are still restrictions approaching that time I would think that the flexible transfer option will still be in place, you can use that to move to a later cruise thus protecting your deposit.

[jeanlyon]

Those are the very reasons we have moved our April 22 to April 23.  We also have an October 22 and by then, hope things will look very different.

[zap99]

17 hours ago, wowzz said:

I think you are over thinking things. No one knows what 2023 will be like.

We booked a March 2023 cruise 6 months ago ! 

Why worry about something over which you have no control ?

Nothing booked yet for 2023. We will get into 2022 first. This year 3 staycation cruises, 2 UK holidays and a trip to Spain. We kind of expected any, or all to be cancelled. The fact that they weren't was a bonus. 2 cruises booked for 2022, a trip to the Canaries and a UK hol. Will they go? Who knows, but the phrase ' go with the flow ' comes to mind.

[bee-ess]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Those are the very reasons we have moved our April 22 to April 23.  We also have an October 22 and by then, hope things will look very different.

 

We have 5 cruises booked in 2022/3 that were once 2020/1 cruises. Some P&O cancelled and some we have moved. We just make a decision at final payment time and move if we are not comfortable with the rules. Our next one is March 2022 in the Canaries that we will probably go on, feel more comfortable with Canaries from Southampton and closer to home than the Caribbean.

Edited November 17, 2021 by bee-ess

[gsmt47471015]

Agree with wowzz and zap99,  absolutely no point getting wound up by things over which you have very little ,if any control, we have nine cruises and a holiday to the Maldives booked starting in two weeks and running through to 2024, five of them are re-bookings from two years cancellations and the rest are  all with different cruise companies, not bothered about the new protocols as they are designed for our safety  and if they are prepared to sail were in. 2023 is a long way off so no need to make any decisions about moving or cancelling your cruise for quite some time 😎

[Ardennais]

4 hours ago, zap99 said:

Nothing booked yet for 2023. We will get into 2022 first. This year 3 staycation cruises, 2 UK holidays and a trip to Spain. We kind of expected any, or all to be cancelled. The fact that they weren't was a bonus. 2 cruises booked for 2022, a trip to the Canaries and a UK hol. Will they go? Who knows, but the phrase ' go with the flow ' comes to mind.

I agree to some extent because we are also now able be very flexible with dates although we both work full time. But it’s a different story if you have to book leave months in advance. Although you can’t change anything with regards to Covid, it’s not quite so easy to go with the flow. 

[izzywalker]

Hi

in response to reallocating a booking we have just done that. We changed our booking from Mar 2022 to December 2022.  Easy no problem.

[Son of Anarchy]

2 hours ago, izzywalker said:

Hi

in response to reallocating a booking we have just done that. We changed our booking from Mar 2022 to December 2022.  Easy no problem.

Same here.  We moved a cruise back a full year on Monday.  Very straightforward. 

[john watson]

On 11/16/2021 at 9:05 PM, Tablelamp said:

 I have paid a very hefty deposit for a cruise I am taking in March 2023. Reading all the posts about new things happening,  having to book for the theatre, the possibility of being disembarked should I get Covid (I can no longer fly long distance) is all rather worrying.  If I cancel I will lose my deposit.  My idea of cruising has always been ‘do what I like when I like’. I recognise some old faces from the threads and wonder what you all think

 

 

You can always phone P&O and ask about transferring your booking to a cruise you feel has fewer problematic areas.  I think this might involve a fee of £100 but  I believe preserves your deposit which gets transferred o the  new booking.  Have a few cruises in mind and a brochure to hand.  Ask about all the implications of transferring then change your booking then or have a think about it before taking a decision.

 

Regards John

[jeanlyon]

There is no fee to change your bookings at the moment.

[izzywalker]

Hi got a cruise booked for 15 jan.2022 obviously paid balance now.  Can I transfer this booking.  Has anyone tried?
 

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, izzywalker said:

Hi got a cruise booked for 15 jan.2022 obviously paid balance now.  Can I transfer this booking.  Has anyone tried?
 

Short answer is, no, you can't transfer once you have paid the balance.  

[davecttr]

If P&O cancel we should get the FCC meanwhile it is just a question of hunkering down and awaiting developments.

[purplesea]

We are booked to cruise on the 15th January 2022 as well, but just waiting to see what happens!