As Predicted - P&O having to discount Fjord cruises

[Interestedcruisefan]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

So, I have a wake view balcony, PE seats from BHX, and £880 obc for our December cruise on Britannia.

How much does the fare need to drop to make it worthwhile to lose my £500 deposit, but keep my cabin, flights, obc etc ? 

Lol 

 

Booking a cruise is starting to be like investing in the stock market!!

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Lol 

 

Booking a cruise is starting to be like investing in the stock market!!

Especially with Carnival's recent share price drops.

[Merry25]

I've been reading this thread with interest as a first time cruiser who intends going on Iona to the Fjiords next year in either May or June.

 

I am confused as to what is the best thing to do.  I have been researching and have spoken to an independent travel agent initially to get some advice.  My questions are:

 

Is it better to book now for next year or will there be better offers re OBC etc later on?

Is it better to book directly with P & 0 or an independent TA?  How can they be much cheaper?  I know you can't recommend one so how do I know if they are any good? 

Is there a problem with cabin being by the lifts?  Is it noisy?  I am a terrible light sleeper.

 

[Josy1953]

45 minutes ago, Merry25 said:

I've been reading this thread with interest as a first time cruiser who intends going on Iona to the Fjiords next year in either May or June.

 

I am confused as to what is the best thing to do.  I have been researching and have spoken to an independent travel agent initially to get some advice.  My questions are:

 

Is it better to book now for next year or will there be better offers re OBC etc later on?

Is it better to book directly with P & 0 or an independent TA?  How can they be much cheaper?  I know you can't recommend one so how do I know if they are any good? 

Is there a problem with cabin being by the lifts?  Is it noisy?  I am a terrible light sleeper.

 

It is difficult to know when to book because prices fluctuate.  Personally I now book directly with the cruise company because when they paused cruising at the start of the pandemic the online TA that I used really dragged their feet about refunding my money.  The only problem with being near the lifts that we have experienced is that we have occasionally been woken up by people talking very loudly coming back to their cabin but that has only been on odd occasions. Remember that unless you are right at the front or back of the ship people will be walking past your cabin at any time.

 

[zap99]

Had an email today from Celebrity with some cut price deals over the next few months. Interesting times.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Merry25 said:

I know you can't recommend one so how do I know if they are any good?

Two things to consider when choosing a TA.

Firstly,  they should take payment from you on behalf of P&O. They, themselves should at no time hold any client monies. In other words, payment is processed by the TA,  but funds are directly paid to P&O. 

Secondly, they should not request final payment more than seven days before the cruise line due date.

Edited March 22, 2023 by wowzz

[terrierjohn]

Others have already given you some sound advice.  As regards when to book, if you dont book on brochure  launch when P&O discount prices by 5% for new cruisers and 10% for previous cruisers, then in the current cost of living crisis it would appear better to wait until nearer the cruise date.  Once the final balance payment date is passed,  usually 3 months before the cruise date, then there is a higher chance of obtaining a discounted price, especially on the bigger ships and outside the normal school holiday periods. Currently many cruise lines are offering tempting prices for summer 2023 cruises, whereas similar cruises for summer 2024 prices are significantly higher priced.

However for the 10 years pre covid then price reductions were rare, and quite often prices were at their highest level during the 3-6 months before the cruise.

[indiana123]

 

 

Just had an e mall from a TA offering 3 nights MSC Southampton, Guernsey, leHavre and back £199 inside, £239 outside etc.  Unbelievable

 

Wish I lived nearer Southampton, I'd be there in a flash.

 

I think it's probably the second favourite

[Bill Y]

6 hours ago, Merry25 said:

I've been reading this thread with interest as a first time cruiser who intends going on Iona to the Fjiords next year in either May or June.

 

I am confused as to what is the best thing to do.  I have been researching and have spoken to an independent travel agent initially to get some advice.  My questions are:

 

Is it better to book now for next year or will there be better offers re OBC etc later on?

Is it better to book directly with P & 0 or an independent TA?  How can they be much cheaper?  I know you can't recommend one so how do I know if they are any good? 

Is there a problem with cabin being by the lifts?  Is it noisy?  I am a terrible light sleeper.

 

Hopefully this will not disappear.

A lot of people on here use travels agents, I think it’s fair to say that these are travel agents that specialise in cruises. The normal chain travel agents do not have the knowledge and experience that the full time specialists do IMHO.  Some agents put their own packages together (flights, cruise, pre and post cruise extensions) however when comparing packages you need to check if overseas transfers are included or not. Although some had delays and difficulties getting refunds from travel agents due to cancellations and vowed to use P&O direct in future.

 

It’s a bit perverse that CC forbids the naming of agent under threat of excommunication but has a page naming some of the specialists as well as some chain travel agents. To avoid the wrath of CC I will not post a link. You may wish to go Cruisecritic uk’s home page, in the “search destinations, cruise lines” box type “best cruise travel” a drop down menu will appear, under “Articles” at the bottom a topic will appear that may be of interest to you.  

[Merry25]

Thank you Bill Y - very helpful although I notice that the TA I first phoned to make general enquiries is not on the list!   The whole thing is a total minefield for a newbie, I mean I like to do my research but I realise at some point I am going to have to book and commit and that's rather terrifying. 🙂