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P&O reduce prices/refunds

Cathygh

By Cathygh,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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daiB

daiB

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:


I completely agree that it is far better to have a lower headline price with low (or no) OBC than a high headline price with high OBC, especially as I get 10% loyalty discount on on-board spend.
 

However, P&O use double OBC (etc) offers to encourage bookings making people think that they are getting a bargain when, in reality, they have simply increased the headline price to pay for it (or sometimes by even more than the extra OBC, as in my Britannia example). Nothing dishonest about that, it’s just clever marketing.

 

However, I can only recall one cruise out of over 20 where we had OBC left at the end of the cruise and had to buy some perfume in the shop to use up the last bit.

 

I tend to work more on a total net price though and have a price limit with P&O that I won’t go over, unless it’s an exceptional / unique itinerary, which as is rare as hens teeth these days. 

 

 

Hi Selbourne, bit confused with this thread which ships are getting money back? Is it just those who booked on day one? Are some people saying there has been a price drop on day one bookings? I have just checked our Arcadia cruise in Oct 24 and the price for our cabin grade is £900pp higher than we paid. I have now checked some of our other cruises and none of them have gone below our price on day one.

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Selbourne "Live from...." Rare

Selbourne

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, daiB said:

Hi Selbourne, bit confused with this thread which ships are getting money back? Is it just those who booked on day one? Are some people saying there has been a price drop on day one bookings? I have just checked our Arcadia cruise in Oct 24 and the price for our cabin grade is £900pp higher than we paid. I have now checked some of our other cruises and none of them have gone below our price on day one.


Not my thread Dai and I can’t say I’ve followed it thoroughly, but I believe that it’s Arcadia and Aurora only. We don’t have any cruises booked on either. I priced up a few cruises on both ships yesterday and they didn’t seem that cheap to me, but maybe they are cheaper than they were?

 

 

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daiB

daiB

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:


Not my thread Dai and I can’t say I’ve followed it thoroughly, but I believe that it’s Arcadia and Aurora only. We don’t have any cruises booked on either. I priced up a few cruises on both ships yesterday and they didn’t seem that cheap to me, but maybe they are cheaper than they were?

 

 

Our cruise is the 19 night to the Greek Isles which tends to be very popular and one of the few direct cruises from Southampton to that part of the med.

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jeanlyon

jeanlyon

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, daiB said:

Our cruise is the 19 night to the Greek Isles which tends to be very popular and one of the few direct cruises from Southampton to that part of the med.

That's the one we are doing this October.  No refunds for us!

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FangedRose

FangedRose

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, rdmaidment said:

I had this email as well but haven't received any new booking confirmation.

 

I have discovered that if you access the pay outstanding balance page (there is a link in the cruise personaliser) the price of the cruise has been adjusted.  The difference isn't trivial, this is for a 21 night cruise on Arcadia in 2025.

That only works if you booked direct.

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FangedRose

FangedRose

Posted
Posted
43 minutes ago, daiB said:

Hi Selbourne, bit confused with this thread which ships are getting money back? Is it just those who booked on day one? Are some people saying there has been a price drop on day one bookings? I have just checked our Arcadia cruise in Oct 24 and the price for our cabin grade is £900pp higher than we paid. I have now checked some of our other cruises and none of them have gone below our price on day one.

Mine was for Aradia in July 2025. I booked on day of release. I haven't heard anything from my ta about a new booking confirmation. I guess the button was pushed a month early and the email was meant to be sent in September, not August.

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gsmt47471015

gsmt47471015

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, Travelmadoldie said:

Has anyone booked on Aurora on 23/09/24 travelling to Canada had an email reducing the price?

Our TA has no knowledge of P and O ever reducing previously booked prices!

At the present time the cost has been reduced considerably from when we booked

It is a real dilemma booking early, we booked the world cruise on the morning it became available , primarily because we wanted our first choice of cabin and dining, and of course chose select fare , never thought for one minute this cruise would ever reduce in price , lo and behold a few months ago the price for the same cabin as us , three doors away dropped by nearly £1,000 pp and with double on board spend than us , our feelings have now changed towards future booking practices although our choices may be diluted by holding back , also beginning to have doubts around booking select fare in future 

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yorkshirephil

yorkshirephil

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, ParisHilton said:

I wonder if they are struggling to sell cruises now, hence all the reductions.

A lot of cruise lines are struggling to sell cabins, there are some great bargains to be had if you are in a position to take them, several cruises we are watching for next year have significant price drops with added OBC. I think people are wary of committing in the current financial climate. Several members on here who always booked at launch are now hanging back for better prices.

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Teddy123

Teddy123

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, FangedRose said:

Mine was for Aradia in July 2025. I booked on day of release. I haven't heard anything from my ta about a new booking confirmation. I guess the button was pushed a month early and the email was meant to be sent in September, not August.

No. The price of our 2025 British Isles cruise has been dropped by over £1,000 in line with the price for new bookings, and our TA has processed it all.

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Josy1953

Josy1953

Posted
Posted (edited)

I 

2 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

I think people are wary of committing in the current financial climate. Several members on here who always booked at launch are now hanging back for better prices.

We have always booked early in the past but haven't booked anything for next year yet.

I just wonder whether some people are like us and are hanging back from booking for next year not because of the current financial climate but because they are looking at more expensive cruise lines because they are finding the constant cut backs in the offerings from the low to mid priced cruise companies a step too far and are prepared to pay more to avoid a cruise that doesn't give them what they have been used to in the past.

We have only got one P&O cruise booked at the moment and are looking possibly at Celebrity and Cunard for next year.

Edited by Josy1953
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Bill Y Great Review Rare

Bill Y

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, rdmaidment said:

I had this email as well but haven't received any new booking confirmation.

 

I have discovered that if you access the pay outstanding balance page (there is a link in the cruise personaliser) the price of the cruise has been adjusted.  The difference isn't trivial, this is for a 21 night cruise on Arcadia in 2025.

Thanks,

I tried that but unfortunately when I put the details in I was referred back to the TA. So I am chasing the TA.

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ParisHilton

ParisHilton

Posted
Posted

Huge sweeping generalisation, but I'm guessing a fair number of cruisers are mortgage free and essentially not hit by the interest rate hikes.

We are about to get hit, so can't book until we have some idea of what that is going to cost us,

If they are cutting prices due to unsold cabins, people might be "moving up", not just because of the weakness of offerings but also because they can try out the cruises that previously would have been out of budget?

 

@megabear, although can't book due to needing to figure out interest rates I'm having so much fun pricing up the cruises that meet our criteria. Luckily we have quite a few which hugely narrows the search (want a UK departure, I assume this essentially means Soton), child friendly, and ideally not going anywhere too hot. Though I assume cabins and communal areas are airconditioned?

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Fionboard

Fionboard

Posted
Posted

Wish I could get a reduction on my cruise next Xmas on Arcadia. However current price has gone up nearly £1500 from when I booked last Xmas so not holding my breath! No reduction on the Canada one this month either. Obviously must be just for cruises in 24/25. 

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Cathygh

Cathygh

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1 hour ago, ParisHilton said:

Are there good discounts to be had when you hit 60?  Though I'm hoping when I get there I can avoid school holidays and benefit from those 'discounts'!

I am sorry to say there are no discounts with P&O for being a certain age, or if there are we have never been offered any

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Selbourne "Live from...." Rare

Selbourne

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, ParisHilton said:

Are there good discounts to be had when you hit 60?  Though I'm hoping when I get there I can avoid school holidays and benefit from those 'discounts'!


When you think about it, it would be daft of P&O to offer discounts for over the 60s. On many cruises out of school holidays they would be giving discounts to over 90% of the passengers 😂 

 

On a serious note though, whilst we all like a discounts and will take them where offered, the over 60s, in the main (and certainly the average cruiser whose over 60), probably have higher disposable incomes than younger customers who, whilst still working, have mortgages, childcare costs etc etc.

 

As with all holiday types, you will find that prices out of school holidays will be cheaper on the family ships, so at least you have that to look forward to, unless, as in our case, one of your kids hooks up with a teacher, or you eventually have grand children and then you might be back to school holiday cruises again 🙄😂

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