Aurora R404 Amsterdam

[thornegirl]

Just had a notification from P&O that due to operational reasons we are not now overnighting in Amsterdam we will be overnighting in Rotterdam. All booked excursions for Amsterdam will be cancelled and refunded.  

I only booked this direct with P&O two weeks ago specifically because it docks in Amsterdam.  If I wanted to go to Rotterdam I could have booked another ship.  I am so annoyed.  I will probably cancel this as the whole point was direct access in Amsterdam and no travelling and to be able to get to the ship if we wanted a rest. 

[Harry Peterson]

Absolutely! And they’ve pulled this stunt before, using the same evasive catch-all wording that they use when they’re hiding something.

 

Last time round it was Amsterdam city charges they were trying to avoid and it’s probably a similar situation this time. 
 

Depending on circumstances you should be able to obtain a full refund.

[Harry Peterson]

You might also find this of interest. It was Ijmuiden at that time!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/mar/20/amsterdam-p-and-o-cruise-berth-moved-bus

[thornegirl]

14 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Absolutely! And they’ve pulled this stunt before, using the same evasive catch-all wording that they use when they’re hiding something.

 

Last time round it was Amsterdam city charges they were trying to avoid and it’s probably a similar situation this time. 
 

Depending on circumstances you should be able to obtain a full refund.

I’m going to email them regarding this , I’ve only paid £90 deposit but it’s the principal.  They must have known about this when I booked 2 weeks ago.
 

 I specifically booked this as it’s the 75th anniversary of the tulip festival.  I don’t want to spend hours travelling to and fro.  

[Harry Peterson]

41 minutes ago, thornegirl said:

I’m going to email them regarding this , I’ve only paid £90 deposit but it’s the principal.  They must have known about this when I booked 2 weeks ago.
 

 I specifically booked this as it’s the 75th anniversary of the tulip festival.  I don’t want to spend hours travelling to and fro.  

It’s a full refund situation, having looked at the cruise, but P&O may think otherwise. They probably won’t fuss about £90 though. Good luck. Persevere, if necessary.

[Bill Y]

4 hours ago, thornegirl said:

Just had a notification from P&O that due to operational reasons we are not now overnighting in Amsterdam we will be overnighting in Rotterdam. All booked excursions for Amsterdam will be cancelled and refunded.  

I only booked this direct with P&O two weeks ago specifically because it docks in Amsterdam.  If I wanted to go to Rotterdam I could have booked another ship.  I am so annoyed.  I will probably cancel this as the whole point was direct access in Amsterdam and no travelling and to be able to get to the ship if we wanted a rest. 

 This is different to a Caribbean or Norway cruise where if a port is missed or substituted it’s classed as a minor change under P&O’s T&C’s. This is a holiday to Amsterdam which includes an overnight stay as still advertised as such by P&O. It would appear no different to booking a four day break to a hotel in Amsterdam then told that there is a problem with the hotel and you will instead be going to a hotel in Rotterdam. If you wished to go to Rotterdam on single port cruise you would not have booked this cruise. It’s difficult to see how much more a major change it could be apart from a cruise to nowhere (Sailcation) or not leaving Southampton. I am sure that P&O will try it on, It would interesting on ABTA’s take on this. As you have been told now they cannot say it’s for safety reasons due to an impending storm. Best of luck.

[kalos]

This operational reasons should be made clear what is an operational reason 

and not just used as a "get out" because it suits their purpose .

It's fair to say they are not the only company that jumps on the operational/extraordinary

bandwagon .

Only a couple of week ago some airline decided to cancel fights due to a pop concert 

at nearby Donnington . It was not their fault that staff did not turn up for work.

[Bill Y]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Absolutely! And they’ve pulled this stunt before, using the same evasive catch-all wording that they use when they’re hiding something.

 

Last time round it was Amsterdam city charges they were trying to avoid and it’s probably a similar situation this time.

Good point, how many of these single port cruises to Amsterdam will be affected? Ventura is still heading there. But are harbour dues and tourist taxes due to rise?

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, Bill Y said:

Good point, how many of these single port cruises to Amsterdam will be affected? Ventura is still heading there. But are harbour dues and tourist taxes due to rise?

 

They did it bit by bit last time, as I recall, but you can bet your bottom dollar that finance is at the heart of it. Time will tell. It’s possible that there’s a genuine logistical reason, of course, but once a company’s achieved a reputation for being economical with the truth it’s difficult to believe bland statements like ‘operational reasons’. 
 

Whether refunds are due depends very much on the facts, and the proportion of the cruise affected. This one looks pretty clear cut. One or two ports out of, say, six, is much more borderline.

[thornegirl]

Ive sent the email, I'm expecting a 28 day response time! I'll keep you updated of the outcome.

[happy v]

This won't be of any help if you just want to go to Amsterdam. If the tulip festival, Kuekenhouf is your main focus we went from Rotterdam and it is almost equidistant between there and Amsterdam. The drive went passed a lot of tulip farms so was very nice. 

[paulatsea]

47 minutes ago, thornegirl said:

Ive sent the email, I'm expecting a 28 day response time! I'll keep you updated of the outcome.

Thanks - sorry your Holliday was ruined. Horrible thing to do.

[paulatsea]

18 minutes ago, happy v said:

This won't be of any help if you just want to go to Amsterdam. If the tulip festival, Kuekenhouf is your main focus we went from Rotterdam and it is almost equidistant between there and Amsterdam. The drive went passed a lot of tulip farms so was very nice. 

Thanks - good to know as kuekenhouf is on my list.

[thornegirl]

44 minutes ago, happy v said:

This won't be of any help if you just want to go to Amsterdam. If the tulip festival, Kuekenhouf is your main focus we went from Rotterdam and it is almost equidistant between there and Amsterdam. The drive went passed a lot of tulip farms so was very nice. 

Thanks for that information,  I'll check to see if there are excursions from Rotterdam on the cruise personaliser before I cancel as the tulip festival is the main reason for the trip.

[Harry Peterson]

Other possible options for Keukenhof, depending on time available:

 

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Rotterdam/Keukenhof

[happy v]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Other possible options for Keukenhof, depending on time available:

 

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Rotterdam/Keukenhof

I knew I'd spelt it wrong!😀

[Son of Anarchy]

Another poor show by P & O.

 

Hope you get a satisfactory outcome.

[P&O SUE]

I’m on this cruise and ironically got the email as we were sailing into Amsterdam this week on Ventura. At least they’ve told as with plenty of notice.

 

I booked it primarily to try Aurora but also hope to visit Keukenhof. I’m not too worried about the change as I’ve been to Amsterdam a few times but not Rotterdam. Sorry you’re disappointed though. I’m fairly sure they’ll go to Keukenhof from Rotterdam but the new excursions aren’t up yet.

[thornegirl]

5 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

I’m on this cruise and ironically got the email as we were sailing into Amsterdam this week on Ventura. At least they’ve told as with plenty of notice.

 

I booked it primarily to try Aurora but also hope to visit Keukenhof. I’m not too worried about the change as I’ve been to Amsterdam a few times but not Rotterdam. Sorry you’re disappointed though. I’m fairly sure they’ll go to Keukenhof from Rotterdam but the new excursions aren’t up yet.

Ive been doing some YouTube research on Rotterdam and it looks interesting.  Will wait and see when the excursions are available what is on offer especially for Keukenhof.  I don't want to go to Amsterdam with a 2 hour return journey time, we will have to do Amsterdam another time.

[Ardennais]

6 hours ago, thornegirl said:

Ive been doing some YouTube research on Rotterdam and it looks interesting.  Will wait and see when the excursions are available what is on offer especially for Keukenhof.  I don't want to go to Amsterdam with a 2 hour return journey time, we will have to do Amsterdam another time.

Yes, Rotterdam is very interesting and very different to Amsterdam - apart from the bikes! We had a great day there in February and walked about 7 miles in total! I couldn’t do that in warm/hot weather but it was a nice dry day. The cube houses are great fun - I paid a few euros to go into one of them. The Market Hall is also a great place for lunch. Lastly, we visited the Cathedral which was badly damaged in the war. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Ardennais

[Pack last minute]

Hello Thornegirl, can I ask if P & O ever came back to you on this, or did you cancel in the end?