Price drop on Britannia Caribbean cruise

[terrierjohn]

19 minutes ago, margo2011 said:

Hi my brother in law booked this cruise and paid £2399 pp a family member just booked same cabin type for £1299  this is more like 50% reduction .He appreciates he cannot be refunded the £200O difference but come on P and O show some kind of gesture to loyal customers.He has tried contacting them but they say as he booked with a TA they can’t help .I personally think since Covid customer service has gone out of the window .Does anyone have a name or contact at P and O he could raise this with .I have read previous posts on RCL where people turning up at the port are getting free cabin upgrades why can’t P and O offer him one of the empty cabins and great some goodwill .

If your BIL booked with a good TA, he stands a far better chance of getting them to negotiate some sort of recompense, than trying to chase a top exec. at P&O.

[seapals2]

Our TA had no luck but has asked us to get back in touch if we get no reply ourselves to an email after 28 days. No reply as yet!  Just an automated response. 
A gesture of goodwill is all we’re asking at this point.  Something that makes us feel they have listened and understand our disappointment.  
 

In the past we have had some great deals by booking late .. we got caught this time.  Won’t happen again.  

 

As for cruises increasing in price we have in all our years never known that to happen to a cruise we have booked and paid the balance on .. they only ever go down if they have a lot of availability in the last 8 weeks but never by as much as we have experienced.  You can’t really compare a cruise this year to a similar cruise next year.  Like saying prices won’t go up in the shops over a 12 month period.  
 

if you accepted a FCC for a cancelled cruise what is the last date you have to book a future cruise?  

[terrierjohn]

22 minutes ago, seapals2 said:

Our TA had no luck but has asked us to get back in touch if we get no reply ourselves to an email after 28 days. No reply as yet!  Just an automated response. 
A gesture of goodwill is all we’re asking at this point.  Something that makes us feel they have listened and understand our disappointment.  
 

In the past we have had some great deals by booking late .. we got caught this time.  Won’t happen again.  

 

As for cruises increasing in price we have in all our years never known that to happen to a cruise we have booked and paid the balance on .. they only ever go down if they have a lot of availability in the last 8 weeks but never by as much as we have experienced.  You can’t really compare a cruise this year to a similar cruise next year.  Like saying prices won’t go up in the shops over a 12 month period.  
 

if you accepted a FCC for a cancelled cruise what is the last date you have to book a future cruise?  

The current situation is very unusual, ships running below capacity because of covid protocols, and booked passengers moving their bookings because they don't feel safe, or dislike some of the restrictions.

So waiting to book until after the final balance date seems to be producing the best deals.

However once things settle down some sort of normaility will return.

[Red Ray]

I've just sold my shares in the football club I support. I got £4k for them but if I'd kept hold of the the ones I sold 23 years ago I would now be getting over £50k, could have retired & booked a couple of World Cruises. As someone pointed out earlier, there's no point torturing yourself with what might have beens.

[seapals2]

1 hour ago, Red Ray said:

I've just sold my shares in the football club I support. I got £4k for them but if I'd kept hold of the the ones I sold 23 years ago I would now be getting over £50k, could have retired & booked a couple of World Cruises. As someone pointed out earlier, there's no point torturing yourself with what might have beens.

 

 

Agree .. trying not to dwell on it.  It is what it is.  Bit different to share prices though.  
Same holiday .. same cabin ..  just put into sale drop once we have no control over moving the booking.  It’s happened before .. it will go on happening ..  the only plus point is we were able to book premium flights which are no longer available but guess that’s of no interest to someone looking to get a bargain deal.  
only had something similar happen on a Cunard sailing when the cabin grade above was sold of cheaper than ours close to sailing.  Cunard honoured our payment and upgraded us without hesitation.  
We have basically paid the select fare with no perks or onboard credit.  P&O could at least acknowledge this and offer us the same OBC.  
Yet to get cabin allocation so perhaps all will turn out ok. 🤞🏻

[pete14]

18 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If your BIL booked with a good TA, he stands a far better chance of getting them to negotiate some sort of recompense, than trying to chase a top exec. at P&O.

Do you have any direct evidence for this claim? 

[pete14]

On 11/18/2021 at 3:20 PM, seapals2 said:

While it will be good news to many that the price has come down for a two week Caribbean cruise for those of caught in this price drop after paying the full balance it leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.  Our cruise in January has dropped £1340 pounds .. a saver fare on a superior delux cabin for two. We have contacted out TA who has tried to negotiate with P&O to no avail.  We have sent a personal email and awaiting a response but guess its going to come back … tough!  
Whilst we wouldn’t necessarily expect a refund a gesture of good will would have been welcomed.  Some OBC or wifi minutes or a voucher to use against an excursion .. all would have been acceptable offers.  We have got Caribbean tier loyalty so have spent many thousands of pounds with P&O and many more thousands with the Carnival group as a whole.  This will stick in our memory for a long time and certainly make us late bookers.   
We didn’t use FCC … this was a new booking.  

You say that a saver fare is £1340 less than you paid. This implies that you booked using a saver fare instead of the more expensive select fare. One of the conditions of a saver fare, which is one reason why it is cheaper, is that you do not have the right to cancel or defer and receive a change or refund.
If you book select, you get greater rights to cancel (but not price match later which nobody has) but it is unreasonable to compare this price against saver fare which is a cheaper price for a different booking with fewer benefits. A later post where you say you got no onboard credit leads me to think that you may have booked a non refundable saver fare. I take advantage of a more flexible booking and pay more for the privilege.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

Do you have any direct evidence for this claim? 

Yes, we have used our TA on several occasions to squeeze something out of the cruise line, and change bookings, keep our cabin and minimise any loss of deposit.  We tell our dedicated agent what we want her to do, and off she goes and comes back to us with any options she has secured.

[Harry Peterson]

20 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If your BIL booked with a good TA, he stands a far better chance of getting them to negotiate some sort of recompense, than trying to chase a top exec. at P&O.

 

2 hours ago, pete14 said:

Do you have any direct evidence for this claim? 

Rather depends on the agent, how much time they’re prepared to spend on it, and how good your own negotiating skills are.
 

And I’m not sure you’d get one of the not uncommon P&O non-disclosure agreements giving you what you wanted, but secretly, that way either.

[pete14]

55 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Yes, we have used our TA on several occasions to squeeze something out of the cruise line, and change bookings, keep our cabin and minimise any loss of deposit.  We tell our dedicated agent what we want her to do, and off she goes and comes back to us with any options she has secured.

All of which P&O have done for me without intervention of an agent.

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 11/18/2021 at 3:20 PM, seapals2 said:

While it will be good news to many that the price has come down for a two week Caribbean cruise for those of caught in this price drop after paying the full balance it leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.  Our cruise in January has dropped £1340 pounds .. a saver fare on a superior delux cabin for two. We have contacted out TA who has tried to negotiate with P&O to no avail.  We have sent a personal email and awaiting a response but guess its going to come back … tough!  
Whilst we wouldn’t necessarily expect a refund a gesture of good will would have been welcomed.  Some OBC or wifi minutes or a voucher to use against an excursion .. all would have been acceptable offers.  We have got Caribbean tier loyalty so have spent many thousands of pounds with P&O and many more thousands with the Carnival group as a whole.  This will stick in our memory for a long time and certainly make us late bookers.   
We didn’t use FCC … this was a new booking.  

Not sure how you get on when booking via a TA as we had a similar situation when we booked a Caribbean cruise for next year. The price had gone down by around £1000. I phoned P&O and after a brief conversation with their rep I cancelled the cruise forfeiting the deposit and then rebooked the same cruise and same cabin. From recollection despite the forfeit I still ended up £680 in pocket. I was aware that the only thing that may have changed was the cabin as due to cancelling whilst this was going through and the rebooking it was possible that someone booked whilst this was happening. Fortunately it didn't. Things have changed considerably. There was a time when you could book last minute and save quite a bit or book very early and get a similar result. Now the prices go up and down. The cabins I have noticed are "Sold Out " and then become available again. Some due to, I suspect, trying to get rid of other grades. Some due to cancellations. I think you will be lucky if you get anything for the price reduction as I suspect there will be many in your position who have paid a higher price. 

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, pete14 said:

All of which P&O have done for me without intervention of an agent.

You have been very fortunate then, compared with all those giving negative reviews on the various review sites.

[pete14]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

You have been very fortunate then, compared with all those giving negative reviews on the various review sites.

I rarely use review sites, preferring to make my own choices and decisions without being influenced by anonymous total strangers some of whom with an agenda that makes their reviews of little worth. 

[Bon0]

It’s unfortunate but this will always be the case.  While the bottom line can be grating I think it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of early bookings:

Pro - guaranteed holiday, something to look forward to, choice of cruise / destination cabin, certainty of dates if requiring time off work, easier to arrange for larger parties, can often cancel forfeiting only deposit 

Cons: may pay more overall / feel aggrieved 

 

To a degree booking a select with a deposit may be the best way to “have your cake and eat it to” as Cruisemeister20 gave an example of.  But there certainly is value in booking early if you can’t be flexible.

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Bon0

[seapals2]

Well the situation keeps getting worse as the price has dropped further.  We are now almost £3000 pounds out of pocket for a like for like cabin and saver fare.  
Phone calls from ourselves and also the TA has resulted in no movement on P&Os part or any gesture of goodwill in the form of onboard credit. 
its just put down to fluid pricing and terms and conditions.

Despite p&Os sister cruise lines within the Carnival group offering to transfer the cruise up to 30 days or a FCC if you decide to cancel P&O stick with the policy of no transfer once balance has been paid .. in our case I think about 12 weeks before sailing.  
Celebrity and Royal Caribbean at the moment have gone a step further and offered credit for cancellations up to 48 hours pre travel.  This for cruises up to April when balance payments are due now.  
I hope anyone paying their balance to P&O right now thinks long and hard and is prepared for sudden price drops as soon as the date for balance payment passes.  
it’s been a hard lesson in ‘fluid pricing’. We have been well and truly soaked!  Not even an offer of an umbrella.   
Hopefully in the long run we will come out winners … our hard earned cash will be spent with companies who genuinely care about their loyal customers.  P&O policy of .. ‘book with confidence’.has a very hollow ring right now.  

[Gggggss]

20 minutes ago, seapals2 said:

Well the situation keeps getting worse as the price has dropped further.  We are now almost £3000 pounds out of pocket for a like for like cabin and saver fare.  
Phone calls from ourselves and also the TA has resulted in no movement on P&Os part or any gesture of goodwill in the form of onboard credit. 
its just put down to fluid pricing and terms and conditions.

Despite p&Os sister cruise lines within the Carnival group offering to transfer the cruise up to 30 days or a FCC if you decide to cancel P&O stick with the policy of no transfer once balance has been paid .. in our case I think about 12 weeks before sailing.  
Celebrity and Royal Caribbean at the moment have gone a step further and offered credit for cancellations up to 48 hours pre travel.  This for cruises up to April when balance payments are due now.  
I hope anyone paying their balance to P&O right now thinks long and hard and is prepared for sudden price drops as soon as the date for balance payment passes.  
it’s been a hard lesson in ‘fluid pricing’. We have been well and truly soaked!  Not even an offer of an umbrella.   
Hopefully in the long run we will come out winners … our hard earned cash will be spent with companies who genuinely care about their loyal customers.  P&O policy of .. ‘book with confidence’.has a very hollow ring right now.  

 

We were looking at Caribbean cruises departing late December/early January and only a few days ago P&O were offering their two week cruise on Britannia in a saver inside for just over £900pp on 1 January. We were put off with the amount of COVID testing needed at stops though and the cost of these onboard. 

[janieb1962]

On 11/19/2021 at 2:50 PM, seapals2 said:

About 20%   …. and just to rub a bit of salt in the wounds on the mat today post … save a further 10% and extra OBC (we got none)..  We try to stop thinking about it and then get another poke in the eye.  😄😄.   
if you did want a good deal .. now is the time.  Perhaps they will make us an offer we can’t refuse to stay on a further 2 weeks.  🙄.  

We just returned from cruise B126 the cost for an extra two weeks was £500 per person … Sadly we couldn’t due to other commitments 

[nosapphire]

2 hours ago, seapals2 said:

Well the situation keeps getting worse as the price has dropped further.  We are now almost £3000 pounds out of pocket for a like for like cabin and saver fare.  
Phone calls from ourselves and also the TA has resulted in no movement on P&Os part or any gesture of goodwill in the form of onboard credit. 
its just put down to fluid pricing and terms and conditions.

Despite p&Os sister cruise lines within the Carnival group offering to transfer the cruise up to 30 days or a FCC if you decide to cancel P&O stick with the policy of no transfer once balance has been paid .. in our case I think about 12 weeks before sailing.  
Celebrity and Royal Caribbean at the moment have gone a step further and offered credit for cancellations up to 48 hours pre travel.  This for cruises up to April when balance payments are due now.  
I hope anyone paying their balance to P&O right now thinks long and hard and is prepared for sudden price drops as soon as the date for balance payment passes.  
it’s been a hard lesson in ‘fluid pricing’. We have been well and truly soaked!  Not even an offer of an umbrella.   
Hopefully in the long run we will come out winners … our hard earned cash will be spent with companies who genuinely care about their loyal customers.  P&O policy of .. ‘book with confidence’.has a very hollow ring right now.  

In fairness, you are not actually "out of pocket" as the price you are paying is the price you were happy to pay at the time of booking; the fact that others have got cheaper prices is upsetting, but does not alter anything on your booking.

BUT - companies that do this too often are extremely shortsighted, as they are training their customers to wait till the last minute to book.

Any company is better off with a lot of early reservations, as this means advance cash on their books.

Having a system where the majority wait until the last minute to book is not a good outlook for the company.

[Cruisemeister2002]

3 hours ago, seapals2 said:

Well the situation keeps getting worse as the price has dropped further.  We are now almost £3000 pounds out of pocket for a like for like cabin and saver fare.  
Phone calls from ourselves and also the TA has resulted in no movement on P&Os part or any gesture of goodwill in the form of onboard credit. 
its just put down to fluid pricing and terms and conditions.

Despite p&Os sister cruise lines within the Carnival group offering to transfer the cruise up to 30 days or a FCC if you decide to cancel P&O stick with the policy of no transfer once balance has been paid .. in our case I think about 12 weeks before sailing.  
Celebrity and Royal Caribbean at the moment have gone a step further and offered credit for cancellations up to 48 hours pre travel.  This for cruises up to April when balance payments are due now.  
I hope anyone paying their balance to P&O right now thinks long and hard and is prepared for sudden price drops as soon as the date for balance payment passes.  
it’s been a hard lesson in ‘fluid pricing’. We have been well and truly soaked!  Not even an offer of an umbrella.   
Hopefully in the long run we will come out winners … our hard earned cash will be spent with companies who genuinely care about their loyal customers.  P&O policy of .. ‘book with confidence’.has a very hollow ring right now.  

I am genuinely sorry to hear that your cruise is so much less than when you first booked. However this situation has been going on for a long time. My first cruise was onboard Victoria in 2002 we paid around £5000 for myself and wife . We did this through P&O. When onboard the ship we learnt via fellow passengers how by booking through various travel companies we could get cruises much cheaper. I had a similar experience to yourself with a cruise booked for next year, in that I looked on the P&O website and found the same cruise, same grade cabin about £1000 cheaper. I rang P&O and cancelled the cruise, rebooked immediately, losing my initial deposit. Acquired the  same cabin and saved £680 even with losing the initial deposit. Sadly for yourself as you have paid the balance your not in the position to do this. Good luck. But I will be surprised if P&O do give you any OBC or refund as this situation happens all the time. 

[Guest]

We cancelled a Britannia cruise in February because of the lack of customer service P&O have provided. No one in the call centre could answer any questions about what happened if ports were missed or if you caught covid onboard. We got our money back (it was before the balance date) and booked a 10 night on the Celebrity Silhouette out of Fort Lauderdale. We got assigned a Personal Cruise advisor who has answered all our questions and if we can’t get through always rings us back. They were incredibly knowledgable about their covid protocols and how we need not worry about potential costs as Celebrity cover it. After flights and hotel, it still came out £600 cheaper pp, before even accounting for the free drinks package and wifi. 
 

The 48 hour cancellation is also incredibly beneficial. With flights being flexible as well, we have the option to cancel with very short notice if the covid situation worsens. 
 

We are meant to join the Azura on Christmas Day. Since we paid the balance, ports have been cancelled and restrictions have changed. P&O are not at fault for these changes, but the communication and reassurance has been none existent. We are sat here with hardly any Christmas decorations up, on a diet and isolating before our cruise- missing all Christmas events, without much assurance that the cruise is even going ahead. 

[Megabear2]

Those joining Azura today seem to be okay, so I assume you will make it. Fingers crossed.  Unfortunately Azura did have an unusual itinerary with ports not visited regularly by P&O and aassume this has been part of the problem with cancelled ports.  With the riots going in in the French islands over Covid vaccination it looked inevitable for months and I cant understand why P&O left it so long to arrange something else.

 

I had 5 yes 5 emails yesterday saying my St Lucia port day had switched and now all my reservations have disappeared.  According to customer support this is not unusual and nothing to see here.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Megabear2

[yorkshirephil]

20 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

  According to customer support 

Oxymoron of the week

[paulatsea]

I don’t think it’s right to have massive variations in price - it’s just not fair on people who have already booked  - saga do a price guarantee so that if the price drops you get refunded but you don’t pay more if it goes up ! 
 

if it was me I would cancel - if I could if only the deposit is lost - and either rebook or go to another line.

 

I know that prices for almost everything vary  but when it’s that significant a difference on an expensive holiday -  it’s not right.

 

 

 

 

[wowzz]

49 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

saga do a price guarantee so that if the price drops you get refunded but you don’t pay more if it goes up

Not any more - they give you additional benefits, such as an improved cabin grade, but not a cash refund.

However, the Saga pricing model is pretty straightforward,  with prices increasing in 5% increments as the cruise sells through, so it is very rare for prices to decrease.  

[seapals2]

On 12/9/2021 at 7:04 PM, nosapphire said:

In fairness, you are not actually "out of pocket" as the price you are paying is the price you were happy to pay at the time of booking; the fact that others have got cheaper prices is upsetting, but does not alter anything on your booking.

BUT - companies that do this too often are extremely shortsighted, as they are training their customers to wait till the last minute to book.

Any company is better off with a lot of early reservations, as this means advance cash on their books.

Having a system where the majority wait until the last minute to book is not a good outlook for the company.
 

 

Totally agree … although right now must be unusual circumstances.  It would prevent us ever booking months ahead .. we have no work commitments as we are retired so why not take advantage of last minute deals.  
In the long run we will come out winners as we have the option to spend with any cruise line and P&O will be bottom of the list.  
if the value of our cruise is now considered to be £3000 cheaper right now I do think we have a right to feel ‘out of pocket’ it’s certainly devalued the whole experience.  Imagine having a car sitting on your drive only to learn your neighbour has the identical one at half the price!   Do you look at your car in the same light after that.  We all like to think we have value for the money we have spent. 
We still have more than 30 days to go .. all other Carnival lines would give us the option to transfer the booking.  Feel very let down by P&O.   We have done over 16 cruises … very poor short sighted customer relations.