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Summer 2025

swanseaboy

By swanseaboy,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I’ve now gone through all the itineraries and prices and for the first time have a dilemma. 
 

We have self imposed a price cap of what we are now prepared to spend with P&O of £100 pppn for a balcony cabin (Select fare, net of any OBC). This rules out Aurora and we don’t like Arcadia (which I suspect is also firmly above this price). Azura is also ruled out as not operating from Southampton. 
 

I don’t see any sense in booking cruises of less than 2 weeks duration this far in advance, especially as P&O are heavily discounting these cruises presently and with the Iona fjords 7 night cruises being repeated for the 4th year running I can see those becoming cheap as chips if you book late. 
 

That pretty much leaves Arvia, Britannia and Ventura. There are cruises on all 3 that appeal and fit within our price cap. We usually book at launch for two reasons. One is that launch prices were always the cheapest, which we know is no longer the case. The second reason is that we need an adapted cabin and these sell out quickly. However, it seems that people who booked cruises a few years ago, perhaps with a £50 deposit whilst on board, are cancelling by balance due date, possibly due to the cost of living challenges.
 

I noticed that an interesting Britannia cruise in July this year was being advertised at good prices, so I called a month or so ago and, as expected, there were no accessible balcony cabins available. However, I called again last week, just after balance due date had passed, and we were given a choice of 2, so I booked (comfortably below our price cap). 
 

I now need to discuss with Lady Selbourne whether we book a couple of 2025 cruises so that we bag our first choice accessible balcony cabins, or take our chances and hope that we strike lucky closer to sail date, as we have just done with Britannia. Decisions, decisions 😂 

We are not going to book anything for summer 2025 this time.  We have cruises booked up to Jan 2025, but age and medical conditions now make 2 years ahead a bit too speculative.

However if we are still fit and healthy by 2025, that will enable us to test whether acessible cabins can still be available, and whether late booking is still producing bargain prices.

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Britboys

Britboys

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Did you find if you try to book the double room, the price shown goes up by several multiples? 

Hadn't tried that yesterday but have just done so and yes, it does. After selecting 1 person initially stated prices of 2069 and 1781 for two separate cruises. Then when clicking "secure booking" they go up to 3310 and 2849 respectively. That works out £183/178 per night for an obstructed view outside.

Looks like P&O won't be getting a booking from me...

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Britboys

Britboys

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

What a pity the Fred  ones are mostly from Liverpool apart from one and mega expensive!

Fred only becomes reasonable value if you book a late deal these days Jean. Their launch prices are crazy.

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SquishTheWhale

SquishTheWhale

Posted
Posted
59 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Hadn't tried that yesterday but have just done so and yes, it does. After selecting 1 person initially stated prices of 2069 and 1781 for two separate cruises. Then when clicking "secure booking" they go up to 3310 and 2849 respectively. That works out £183/178 per night for an obstructed view outside.

Looks like P&O won't be getting a booking from me...

I found that too but thought it was due to them somehow not including the 3rd passenger in the initial quote as it would jump up by 50% when you try and go through. But maybe not if you're having the same issue

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daiB

daiB

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

That's a really nice itinerary, and as you say something different for Britannia 

We are doing this one this year. It is a replacement for a July Baltic cruise. Is that the one you have booked?

Edited by daiB
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Cathygh

Cathygh

Posted
Posted

I am thinking of getting some quotes as there are some ports I like the look of but I am not sure if I will book, I want to work through the long distance ones on my bucket list first ( I have a 5 year plan, as long as prices don't go up) and then look nearer to home, if I can get a good deal.

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P&O SUE Great Review Rare

P&O SUE

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Selbourne said:


 

Yes, a nice mix. There’s actually a very similar one this July on Britannia. 

Ahh I didn’t know that, I’m not booking 2 week cruises at the moment or I would like to do that.

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Host Sharon "Live from...." Rare

Host Sharon

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

What a pity the Fred  ones are mostly from Liverpool apart from one and mega expensive!

True, but transport to the port is included so have booked. 

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Fitzplumbago

Fitzplumbago

Posted
Posted
On 4/19/2023 at 12:30 PM, SarahHben said:

I have been looking at two Med cruises in August 2025:

Britannia goes to Cadiz, Mallorca, Cagliari, Ibiza, Cartagena & Gibraltar.

Arvia goes to La Caruna, Malaga, Alicante, Toulon, Barcelona & Cadiz.

 

The only port we will have been to before then is Cadiz, we're going there this summer on Ventura.

 

I think the Britannia itinerary is appealing to me more.

I am looking at those cruises too. Having just been on Arvia, she is a fab ship with plenty of things to do, places to eat... and, importantly to me, 16 more whirlpools than Britannia! However, the latter does have the more appealing itinerary. 

 

I have a dilemma though. I am due on a short cruise at the beginning of June, so still within the 'introductory offer' period. All being well, I could book on board with lower deposit and higher inboard spend. But the risk being that lower grades sell out, or they simply put the prices up beforehand. Decisions... 

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SarahHben "Live from...." Rare

SarahHben

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Fitzplumbago said:

I am looking at those cruises too. Having just been on Arvia, she is a fab ship with plenty of things to do, places to eat... and, importantly to me, 16 more whirlpools than Britannia! However, the latter does have the more appealing itinerary. 

 

I have a dilemma though. I am due on a short cruise at the beginning of June, so still within the 'introductory offer' period. All being well, I could book on board with lower deposit and higher inboard spend. But the risk being that lower grades sell out, or they simply put the prices up beforehand. Decisions... 

I looked at prices yesterday and the Britannia one seems to be cheaper, but only slightly.

 

We’re planning on going with my sister, brother-in-law and my parents and between the six of us we’ve decided to opt for the Britannia one as the itinerary appeals to us more.

 

My husband impressed me, he agreed to the cruise without even asking the price 😂 

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jeanlyon

jeanlyon

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Fitzplumbago said:

I am looking at those cruises too. Having just been on Arvia, she is a fab ship with plenty of things to do, places to eat... and, importantly to me, 16 more whirlpools than Britannia! However, the latter does have the more appealing itinerary. 

 

I have a dilemma though. I am due on a short cruise at the beginning of June, so still within the 'introductory offer' period. All being well, I could book on board with lower deposit and higher inboard spend. But the risk being that lower grades sell out, or they simply put the prices up beforehand. Decisions... 

What do you do in a whirlpool?  

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Fitzplumbago

Fitzplumbago

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

What do you do in a whirlpool?  

I do as most folk do. Relax and watch the world go by. As I've had muscle problems over the past couple of years, a little hydrotherapy does me well too. Plus on Arvia you have the added bonus of infinity views (I'm hoping I have attached the photo correctly) ! 

 

As for the extra 16, it simply makes it much easier to find an empty one! 

IMG_20230407_104745.jpg

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majortom10

majortom10

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, Fitzplumbago said:

I do as most folk do. Relax and watch the world go by. As I've had muscle problems over the past couple of years, a little hydrotherapy does me well too. Plus on Arvia you have the added bonus of infinity views (I'm hoping I have attached the photo correctly) ! 

 

As for the extra 16, it simply makes it much easier to find an empty one! 

IMG_20230407_104745.jpg

We have made the mistake of booking an aft balcony cabin on Arvia. Just in the process of changing it because of splashing water on decks below.

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TigerB "Live from...." Rare

TigerB

Posted
Posted

We're on Arvia at the moment and their pre-registration started at 09:30 on Wednesday. They made a big thing of Cpt Camby coming to cut the ribbon, and all his elderly groupies were right at the front of the queue, waiting for their selfies with him. He was loving it! 😉

 

Anyway, we booked two; Arvia to the Med in the April with a different itinerary to the one we're on now, and nineteen days on Aurora to the eastern Med in the October.

We didn't get as much OBC as we did in January, but at least the deposits were next to nowt.

 

 

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