Price drop (6 months out)

[Cheshire Blue]

UK based - have booked two cabins (via a travel agent) for later in the year - total cost circa £8,500 and paid 10% deposit (circa £850). 

 

Prices have now dropped on P & O website - so same (next door cabins) would now be £7,400 (i.e. total saving of circa £1100).  Frustrating !  

 

Clearly I could cancel and re book - but after losing the initial deposits - £850 - which I assume I will do ?  the net gain is £250 (spread across two cabins - i.e £125 per cabin) which am not sure is worth the hassle factor. 

 

Any thoughts ?   Am sure I read elsewhere that if you kicked up a fuss - P & O might offer some (small) compensation by way of OBC but could others advise if this is likely or whether i just "suck it up" and accept that prices may go up or down !   

 

Any past experiences welcomed   

[Harryjacobs]

£250 saving is £250 saved.  For me that would be worthwhile doing, for a wealthy person ????

[Cheshire Blue]

2 minutes ago, Harryjacobs said:

£250 saving is £250 saved.  For me that would be worthwhile doing, for a wealthy person ????

appreciate that - and may call TA to do just that.

 Prior to that wanted to see if others had any experience of getting something back from P & O in such circumstances (OBC / free car parking / other ?) 

[Fionboard]

I am a regular cruiser and had a word when one of my cruises last year was half the price I paid by the time it sailed. No luck whatsoever. I only book late now! 

[TigerB]

This is just the reason why we now favour booking onboard and not paying the balance until it is due; £50 each to lose is nothing at all. 

[Selbourne]

Personally, I wouldn’t cancel. Aside from the fact that the gain is relatively small, the price may drop a lot more in the future and you might be better doing it then. The biggest price drops seem to be after balance due date (presumably as some of those who paid small deposits have second thoughts and cancel) which I appreciate doesn’t help you if you have already booked. This is a reason why many of us who used to book a long way out (at launch) are now holding back from doing so. We’ve secured a great price on a July cruise on Britannia by booking the week after balance due date had passed. If the gain was more significant I would cancel and rebook now. But  as your net gain (after loss of deposit) is a small percentage of the cruise cost, if it was me I would hold tight and keep checking. You run the risk that this may be the lowest price now, but if it does drop even more you might be kicking yourself. 

[yorkshirephil]

9 minutes ago, Cheshire Blue said:

appreciate that - and may call TA to do just that.

 Prior to that wanted to see if others had any experience of getting something back from P & O in such circumstances (OBC / free car parking / other ?) 

The holiday could go down even more over coming months so you could be in the same position having paid and lost two lots of deposit for the same cruise. At the moment there are some ridiculously cheap prices, however who knows how long this situation will last. 

[Cheshire Blue]

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

I am a regular cruiser and had a word when one of my cruises last year was half the price I paid by the time it sailed. No luck whatsoever. I only book late now! 

Thanks for that (and the subsequent responses from others also) which are helpful. 

 

I fully expect the prices to fall in the immediate run up to a cruise (if its not full) but the difference then is that you cannot choose your cabin (and you get whatever is left).   At this stage (6 months out) pretty much the same cabins / locations are available - hence annoying that the price has fallen by 12.5%  

 

I do appreciate however there may yet be further price falls - so maybe bide my time for now.

 

I assume no one has any suggestions as to how to get P & O to offer something by way of compensation (OBC etc)  

[Cheshire Blue]

19 minutes ago, TigerB said:

This is just the reason why we now favour booking onboard and not paying the balance until it is due; £50 each to lose is nothing at all. 

 

That may be the way forward in future !    If we had only booked £50 per person now - losing £200 and then re booking the same cruise at £1100 lower would be a good deal 🙂 

 

We live and learn 

 

 

[Selbourne]

11 minutes ago, Cheshire Blue said:

Thanks for that (and the subsequent responses from others also) which are helpful. 

 

I fully expect the prices to fall in the immediate run up to a cruise (if its not full) but the difference then is that you cannot choose your cabin (and you get whatever is left).   At this stage (6 months out) pretty much the same cabins / locations are available - hence annoying that the price has fallen by 12.5%  

 

I do appreciate however there may yet be further price falls - so maybe bide my time for now.

 

I assume no one has any suggestions as to how to get P & O to offer something by way of compensation (OBC etc)  

To clarify - the great deal that we got after balance due date was a Select booking, not a saver, so we were able to choose our cabin. P&Os pricing policy is weird in that some times the price difference between savers and select fares can be vast, yet at other times, once you factor in the additional OBC or parking (sometimes both) the difference can be virtually nothing. 

[TigerB]

11 minutes ago, Cheshire Blue said:

 

That may be the way forward in future !    If we had only booked £50 per person now - losing £200 and then re booking the same cruise at £1100 lower would be a good deal 🙂 

 

We live and learn 

 

 

 

Perhaps, we'll see how it goes.  One of the cruises we booked for next year has already dropped to a price that we would save money on by cancelling and rebooking but, as the balance isn't due for another six months, we'll hang on a bit longer to see if the savings could be greater. Another one, for which the balance is due next month hasn't dropped and I don't suppose it will.

As Selbourne writes, the biggest savings appear to be after the final balance is due; therefore, P&O will be wise to chancers like me!🙄

[Cheshire Blue]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

To clarify - the great deal that we got after balance due date was a Select booking, not a saver, so we were able to choose our cabin. P&Os pricing policy is weird in that some times the price difference between savers and select fares can be vast, yet at other times, once you factor in the additional OBC or parking (sometimes both) the difference can be virtually nothing. 

 

I agree there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the differences between some Saver and some Select prices.   The prices I quoted above are all Select Prices - hence I have chosen my rooms and can see I could now choose the same (or at least next door) for a considerable saving (on a Select price) 

[Gettingwarmer]

10 minutes ago, Cheshire Blue said:

 

I agree there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the differences between some Saver and some Select prices.   The prices I quoted above are all Select Prices - hence I have chosen my rooms and can see I could now choose the same (or at least next door) for a considerable saving (on a Select price) 

Is there any difference in OBC?

[Harry Peterson]

I find P&O’s largely uncompromising attitude to unhappy customers who feel they’ve overpaid a little surprising.  Legally of course they’re absolutely within their rights to do nothing, but if that means an unhappy customer who chooses never to use P&O again or, more likely, chooses not to book early again, it’s hardly a positive outcome.

 

Surely a decent goodwill gesture, OBC at the very least, would be a better option?

[Cheshire Blue]

4 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Is there any difference in OBC?

No - exactly the same deal as to to OBC / Select benefits 

[swanseaboy]

In the USA they have different consumer regulations and they are obliged to refund/match the lower price should the cruise price drop. Frustrating!

[majortom10]

Nothing new and for many years P&O have had the attitude of cancel and lose deposit and rebook or lump it. With trying to get some sort of compensation you have 2 chances Bob Hope and No Hope.

[pete14]

1 hour ago, Cheshire Blue said:

 

I agree there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the differences between some Saver and some Select prices.   The prices I quoted above are all Select Prices - hence I have chosen my rooms and can see I could now choose the same (or at least next door) for a considerable saving (on a Select price) 

If the price had increased on what you paid rather than fallen, would you be prepared to give back some of your OBC to compensate P&O? I know it is frustrating but price flexibility is not restricted to cruises. 

[Fionboard]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

I find P&O’s largely uncompromising attitude to unhappy customers who feel they’ve overpaid a little surprising.  Legally of course they’re absolutely within their rights to do nothing, but if that means an unhappy customer who chooses never to use P&O again or, more likely, chooses not to book early again, it’s hardly a positive outcome.

 

Surely a decent goodwill gesture, OBC at the very least, would be a better option?

Especially if you have done over 50 cruises with them!

[mrsgoggins]

52 minutes ago, swanseaboy said:

In the USA they have different consumer regulations and they are obliged to refund/match the lower price should the cruise price drop. Frustrating!

I don’t believe it’s consumer regulation as much as custom and expectation.  Pre-Covid Celebrity and Royal Caribbean had started to offer 2 fares, the lower being a discounted fare with less flexibility. Whether this has held since, as they try to regain confidence in cruising I don’t know.

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Fionboard said:

I am a regular cruiser and had a word when one of my cruises last year was half the price I paid by the time it sailed. No luck whatsoever. I only book late now! 

Our Britannia Caribbean cruise is now £800 cheaper. If I take off the loss of deposit and less OBC any saving is pretty much wiped out. We have decided not to book future P&O cruises well in advance. Tacky treatment of loyal customers.

[daiB]

4 hours ago, Cheshire Blue said:

UK based - have booked two cabins (via a travel agent) for later in the year - total cost circa £8,500 and paid 10% deposit (circa £850). 

 

Prices have now dropped on P & O website - so same (next door cabins) would now be £7,400 (i.e. total saving of circa £1100).  Frustrating !  

 

Clearly I could cancel and re book - but after losing the initial deposits - £850 - which I assume I will do ?  the net gain is £250 (spread across two cabins - i.e £125 per cabin) which am not sure is worth the hassle factor. 

 

Any thoughts ?   Am sure I read elsewhere that if you kicked up a fuss - P & O might offer some (small) compensation by way of OBC but could others advise if this is likely or whether i just "suck it up" and accept that prices may go up or down !   

 

Any past experiences welcomed   

Did you book on day one or sometime later?

[No pager thank you]

One option could be, to get the best of both worlds, is to see if you are wanting to go on another cruise (of similar/higher value in 12 months); transfer the current cruise for free; and then re-book your current cruise at the new, lower, price - either now or less than 90 days out. 

 

There is a small risk of loss of cabin choice, but even if you decide not to go on the new cruise then you are still no worse off.

[zap99]

8 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

One option could be, to get the best of both worlds, is to see if you are wanting to go on another cruise (of similar/higher value in 12 months); transfer the current cruise for free; and then re-book your current cruise at the new, lower, price - either now or less than 90 days out. 

 

There is a small risk of loss of cabin choice, but even if you decide not to go on the new cruise then you are still no worse off.

Going on two cruises instead of one saves money?. Sorry, don't get it.

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

Going on two cruises instead of one saves money?. Sorry, don't get it.

You are moving the deposit to another cruise and then back again, if they allow it, and then you don't lose the deposit.

 

BTW I had a call from my TA last week about a cruise I have on Arcadia. They told me the price had dropped and obc added so it worked out cheaper to cancel then re book. I also saved money because my original booking was a saver fare and I had booked EA grade, as I knew the locatioons of any of those would be fine. I rebooked a select fare, ED cabin which I could select myself and saved another load of money. The savings and obc will cover most of my spending money. Happy Days. 

I had to do it really quickly as it was the day before final payment, we had already paid but P&O refunded us in a couple of days. I wish I had remembered the move cruise and back again trick!