Arvia maiden cancelled

[Windsurfboy]

The only guarantee is if they cancel you must get every penny you've paid , never mind how long ago and how many times it's been cancelled , back in full

 

If you cancel you loose your deposit. If you've paid more than your deposit the difference should be returned.  OBC is lost,  that's normal

[Megabear2]

8 hours ago, MX-Drew said:

Totally agree, I haven't seen anything to back up Moley's claim, in fact quite the opposite, price dropped but no refund yes received a small amount of OBC but only making up a fraction of new booker's OBC. I wrote to customer service dept. and basically told that's the way it goes. So that turned out to be my last ever booking with P&O.

Yes, I agree. Those of us silly enough to book early are taking a very major hit financially.  My next cruise now looking at a difference of £2,000 in favour of new bookers.  They also get £30 more OBC and the cabin in question is the one next door to mine.

 

One proviso I make here: I've noticed the select fares on the cruises I'm following are now beginning to rise and in some cases look to be back to the £1500 to £2000 different with the saver fare. Interestingly while the £100 Arvia reductions are in place those headline prices are not being lowered in the same way others are.  Some of the Caribbean itineraries especially look very over priced if, as Moley believes, extra cabin capacity has caused the price drops and bargain basement type fares.  I continue to patiently wait before thinking about a March booking.

[cruising.mark.uk]

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Interestingly while the £100 Arvia reductions are in place those headline prices are not being lowered in the same way others are.  

This does seem to be the case.  Certainly, for now, Arvia still seems to attract something of a premium.  We booked K308 (Apr - Med) in June, Select CV Conservatory Mini Suite for a total of 4598.  I can't remember how much OBS we were given originally, but it was subsequently upped by P&O to a total of £800.  The Select price today for the cabin two doors from ours is £5198 with a total of £580 OBS.  Early saver is £3998.  Those prices might well go down nearer the time, but such is dynamic pricing.  

[TigerB]

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Yes, I agree. Those of us silly enough to book early are taking a very major hit financially.  

It's not just 'silly' folk who book early, some of us have to out of necessity; I'm referring to those that need an adapted cabin. Being in that demographic, we have to plan our holidays carefully and well in advance to secure to most suitable accommodation. Even with the larger ships, the ratio of adapted cabins to regular ones is woefully inadequate; so, they have got us by the short and curlies. 🙄

 

[pete14]

7 minutes ago, TigerB said:

It's not just 'silly' folk who book early, some of us have to out of necessity; I'm referring to those that need an adapted cabin. Being in that demographic, we have to plan our holidays carefully and well in advance to secure to most suitable accommodation. Even with the larger ships, the ratio of adapted cabins to regular ones is woefully inadequate; so, they have got us by the short and curlies. 🙄

 

Most of the cruises I have been on have been on select fares, booked at the launch price. I get the cabin I want and it is rare for the similar cabin to be available nearer to the time of sailing. Arvia and Iona may be bucking the trend at the moment, but I am not really interested in sailing on them.

[Megabear2]

19 minutes ago, TigerB said:

It's not just 'silly' folk who book early, some of us have to out of necessity; I'm referring to those that need an adapted cabin. Being in that demographic, we have to plan our holidays carefully and well in advance to secure to most suitable accommodation. Even with the larger ships, the ratio of adapted cabins to regular ones is woefully inadequate; so, they have got us by the short and curlies. 🙄

 

No offence was intended and I do appreciate the needs of others.  However when I use the word "silly" I do so ironically.  I consider myself very "silly" for believing P&O wouldn't launch at a very high price in comparison with previous years because at that point they were offering less accomodation and they knew demand would outstrip supply.  I consider myself "silly" for believing that if circumstances changed they'd do right by their loyal passengers who booked at day one, and I consider myself "silly" for thinking they wouldn't just use the old argument of their algorithm raising or lowering fares.

 

What I can say is I feel duped when I see the cabin next door to mine available for a third less and indirectly P&O have admitted just maybe I'm unhappy by chucking an extra £150 OBC at me a month or so ago.  

 

I've a right to feel conned as have all others. There's always been cheap saver fares to clear cabins, what there hasn't been until now is a fire sale on select fares with masses of OBC being thrown around like confetti.

 

The 29 October sailing of Iona had fire sale fares across the board in the 10 days before sailing, still on a select fare with OBC.  If you look through there are others creeping into that direction.

 

Currently Ticketmaster are causing a furore with their dynamic pricing - Bruce Springsteen tickets at thousands of pounds and his fans bring told tough pay it if you want it.  None of it makes it right.  Booking a cruise at the moment feels like that, am I just a mug for being loyal and making the cruise line richer by my eagerness to book? Certainly that's how I feel now.  

[Megabear2]

26 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Most of the cruises I have been on have been on select fares, booked at the launch price. I get the cabin I want and it is rare for the similar cabin to be available nearer to the time of sailing. Arvia and Iona may be bucking the trend at the moment, but I am not really interested in sailing on them.

I would agree in the past with all you say.  His time, however, I'm finding it hard to do so at the present when the alternative cabin I'd indicated to my travel agent at the time of booking is so much reduced with more OBC.

[TigerB]

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

No offence was intended and I do appreciate the needs of others.  However when I use the word "silly" I do so ironically.  I consider myself very "silly" for believing P&O wouldn't launch at a very high price in comparison with previous years because at that point they were offering less accomodation and they knew demand would outstrip supply.  I consider myself "silly" for believing that if circumstances changed they'd do right by their loyal passengers who booked at day one, and I consider myself "silly" for thinking they wouldn't just use the old argument of their algorithm raising or lowering fares.

 

I didn't take offence by your use of the word silly, sorry if it came across that way.😟  I knew you were being ironic, and that is why I put it in inverted commas, to accentuate that. 🙂

Edited October 31, 2022 by TigerB

[Megabear2]

37 minutes ago, TigerB said:

I didn't take offence by your use of the word silly, sorry if it came across that way.😟  I knew you were being ironic, and that is why I put it in inverted commas, to accentuate that. 🙂

Thank you. I always try to be polite as everyone has a view and there's no right or wrong one, just different ones.  I get a bit paranoid I might upset someone!

[Windsurfboy]

Presumably if you can save £1000 -  £2000 it makes sense to loose your 5% deposit and rebook at lower price.

 

All I  can say is on my cruise all rear suites have gone and forward are £1000 more than I paid..

[Megabear2]

34 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Presumably if you can save £1000 -  £2000 it makes sense to loose your 5% deposit and rebook at lower price.

 

All I  can say is on my cruise all rear suites have gone and forward are £1000 more than I paid..

The price on my cruise was steady until final balance due date, about the same  ut with slightly higher OBC but nothing to write home about.  Three weeks ago it dropped by £1,000, then £1,500 and as at Friday there is £2,000 difference, ie £1,000pp.  I cannot therefore do anything about it as it's balance paid.

 

I have another Caribbean Christmas cruise for 2023 booked on Arvia with a £385 deposit which is a replacement for one booked for New Year this year.  It was a moved deposit when we decided to look at two separate cruises in Decemberand March next year instead of a back to back over Christma/New Year.  I also have FCC which will more or less cover the £7,700 total cost but because of this year's situation I am monitoring it extremely closely and will decide near September 2023 what to with it. I may use the FCC for March instead to get it out of the way - its valid until mid April 2024.

 

The difference for me is I do not book suites or specific cabins or indeed specific ships.  I'm content with any mid forward balcony on the ships I sail with my husband and as a solo take what I can get!  I'm under no illusions that those who want something very limited are happy but there are many like me who are fairly content with a certain area of a ship but aren't too fussed about which deck etc.  I book midforward on select or saver where the option is there, particularly on Britannia, as my husband swims extremely early every day and likes to go direct to the pool area.

 

I hope that explains a bit better why I'm very cross about this particular price cut.

[Windsurfboy]

Dropping it just after final balance , that's SNEAKY

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, TigerB said:

It's not just 'silly' folk who book early, some of us have to out of necessity; I'm referring to those that need an adapted cabin. Being in that demographic, we have to plan our holidays carefully and well in advance to secure to most suitable accommodation. Even with the larger ships, the ratio of adapted cabins to regular ones is woefully inadequate; so, they have got us by the short and curlies. 🙄

 

I suspect, although I have no facts at all, that cruise lines limit the number of passengers that would require significant assistance to board a lifeboat in an emergency, by fitting the bare minimum number of accessible cabins.

[molecrochip]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I suspect, although I have no facts at all, that cruise lines limit the number of passengers that would require significant assistance to board a lifeboat in an emergency, by fitting the bare minimum number of accessible cabins.

This is a conversation that I am currently having with a number of cruise lines. I can't discuss more at present but hope to come back with my findings, once I have them.

[Bill Y]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

I hope that explains a bit better why I'm very cross about this particular price cut.

No one likes to feel that they have been ripped off. P & O have behaved as wide boys for a long time now. Some years ago they had "Vantage" fares, one of the advantages proffered was that if the fares were reduced later on you would be compensated by onboard credit. Your have guessed it, the "Vantage" fare brochure price was never reduced, all the offers were "Gettaway" deals. On a later booking we noticed a reduction and asked about the OBC and was told that the full price was not now called "vantage", that was last years brochure claim and you have booked under the current fare structures.

 

Having said that this getting worse with major reductions being announced regularly after final balance has been paid. I am sure that they are acting within their T&C's but as this action done on an industrial scale is it considered fair trading? maybe people need to lobby trading standards and consumer organisations, I can't see ABTA being any help as they are a trade body of travel agents

 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Bill Y

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I suspect, although I have no facts at all, that cruise lines limit the number of passengers that would require significant assistance to board a lifeboat in an emergency, by fitting the bare minimum number of accessible cabins.

That is probably so, but it's not just cruise lines that appear to do the bare minimum for physically disabled folk. I'm thinking about hotels, entertainment venues, public transport and the like; and don't get me started on parking.

There is money to be made in tapping into the purple pound, but a lot of service providers cannot grasp that.

[gsgbrumuk]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Dropping it just after final balance , that's SNEAKY

Toatally agree.  Whilst not wishing to sound as if I am condoning the action perhaps some cancel/transfer at this point and therefore there is higher availability.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I suspect, although I have no facts at all, that cruise lines limit the number of passengers that would require significant assistance to board a lifeboat in an emergency, by fitting the bare minimum number of accessible cabins.

 

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

This is a conversation that I am currently having with a number of cruise lines. I can't discuss more at present but hope to come back with my findings, once I have them.

As an addendum to this I think I heard Capt Dunlop on his muster announcement, on our recent Iona cruise, state that passengers needing help to board lifeboats in an emergency would be boarded last.

I may have misheard the announcement, but if correct this does not fill me with confidence.

[Host Sharon]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

This is a conversation that I am currently having with a number of cruise lines. I can't discuss more at present but hope to come back with my findings, once I have them.

For comparison, Saga allocate a specific crew member to anyone registering for assistance. At muster, you wait in your cabin until he/she comes to collect you and they stay with you and see you back to your cabin. This arrangement means you can use the lifts at muster (obviously not in a real emergency) and you know who is responible for you.

[Windsurfboy]

56 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

 

As an addendum to this I think I heard Capt Dunlop on his muster announcement, on our recent Iona cruise, state that passengers needing help to board lifeboats in an emergency would be boarded last.

I may have misheard the announcement, but if correct this does not fill me with confidence.

 

There is a logic in that, people not needing assistance can get there quicker and can be boarded quickly and clear area around the lifeboat enabling all the staff to be available to help people that need it.. 

 

If it was done the other way round half the staff would be unavailable to assist people to board as they would be fully occupied with crowd control.

 

Perhaps it is also a sign of the times, in that they may not believe that  people will wait quietly in a true emergency (sinking ship , fire) whilst they slowly load a wheelchair in front of them.

[Britboys]

2 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

For comparison, Saga allocate a specific crew member to anyone registering for assistance. At muster, you wait in your cabin until he/she comes to collect you and they stay with you and see you back to your cabin. This arrangement means you can use the lifts at muster (obviously not in a real emergency) and you know who is responible for you.

I guess that's one of the differences between ships that carry 999 pax and those that carry potentially up to 6,000...

[TigerB]

3 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

 

As an addendum to this I think I heard Capt Dunlop on his muster announcement, on our recent Iona cruise, state that passengers needing help to board lifeboats in an emergency would be boarded last.

I may have misheard the announcement, but if correct this does not fill me with confidence.

 

2 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

There is a logic in that, people not needing assistance can get there quicker and can be boarded quickly and clear area around the lifeboat enabling all the staff to be available to help people that need it.. 

 

If it was done the other way round half the staff would be unavailable to assist people to board as they would be fully occupied with crowd control.

 

Perhaps it is also a sign of the times, in that they may not believe that  people will wait quietly in a true emergency (sinking ship , fire) whilst they slowly load a wheelchair in front of them.

So, it looks like we'll be going down with the captain and the orchestra!😉

[terrierjohn]

53 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

So, it looks like we'll be going down with the captain and the orchestra!😉

Quite possibly.😇

[john watson]

3 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

 

Perhaps it is also a sign of the times, in that they may not believe that  people will wait quietly in a true emergency (sinking ship , fire) whilst they slowly load a wheelchair in front of them.

 

To be frank when they used to do a physical muster, at the conclusion everyone bundled in to  get in the lifts while people in wheelchairs were passed by.  Obviously there was not an emergency actually happening.

 

Regards John

[MX-Drew]

25 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

To be frank when they used to do a physical muster, at the conclusion everyone bundled in to  get in the lifts while people in wheelchairs were passed by.  Obviously there was not an emergency actually happening.

 

Regards John

People were in a rush to get to the bars as I recall.