56 minutes ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

I’m booked on the Anthem for the 21st May. Hoping they cancel soon as final balance is due 25th March. Not keen on paying final balance as still waiting for a refund from cancelled April Azamara cruise that was cancelled in January. 

I'm the same - I'm booked on Anthem 7th May - so that definitely cannot go ahead due to UK travel restrictions - and they haven't even cancelled that yet.  My payment is due next Thursday 😕

1 hour ago, newcruzer2 said:

You say "know for sure it will be cancelled" , so why not just cancel it yourself.

I don't believe they are playing games. If YOU want more options, it seems fair that you should pay final payment to get more options.

I’m from the UK where I think the rules on deposits are different, but if I was to cancel before Royal did, I would lose my deposit, even though the cruise can’t possibly go ahead - so I understand why jmhlin is holding out for Royal to cancel.

9 hours ago, jmhlin said:

Princess has just announced cancelling all U.K round trip from Southampton until mid Sept 2021. NCL and Princess have also cancelled all of their 2021 Alaska cruises. That will give their customers some time to react on their flight arrangements and decide what to do with their booking before the final payment.

 

However, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity choose to keep on delaying and saying working with authorities to get their Alaska and Europe cruises running like normal. I don't know how many of the port of calls will welcome non vaccinated passengers.

 

Either, they have special way to get vaccines to all their customers including children, or they want their ship 20% filled, or here is my theory,

to get your final payment, force you to take their 100% FCC and they deep pocket your hard earned money, then, when you check next year itineraries, they are all 30% - 50% more than this year cruise (this price is also non refundable deposit) and you have no choice but to accept and pay if you picked the FCC option.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like their Cruises but is it how they should run their company and treat their customers during this hard time?

 

Don't say they have financial hardship, they made so much money from so many stocks offers and they probably make more money from the stocks market than servicing us.

 

 

Yes I have to agree with you.  I am booked on Anthem from Southampton, UK on 7th May, and my payment is due on the 11th March (next Thursday).  It would be illegal for me to go on this cruise as UK citizens are not allowed to travel abroad until 17th May at the absolute earliest, and still Royal have not cancelled.  At this rate I will have to pay and then claim it back, which I think is wrong when they know full well it cannot go ahead. 🤨

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Thats true, but I get the feeling that the cruises will only be for a maximum of 7 days, so they probably wouldn't want to spend 4 of those days in the BoB.

Doesn't give them too much choice.3 days up the North Sea and back!

Ah yes good point ha ha 😁

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

As I posted in the other thread, it appears these will just be cruises to nowhere - no ports of call.

Why would they cruise around the UK if that was the case? They could go anywhere?

46 minutes ago, Chrisdriving said:

Really pleased they have cancelled our July cruise, we can request a refund now, do not want FCC. 

And me!  We were booked on 15th May on Iona (which was already rearranged from October and then March) - I'd sooner just have the refund and start again from scratch!!!

6 minutes ago, L751 said:

Will P and O be in touch with us about FCC or will we have to get in touch with them about cancelled cruise 

It states on the website that FCC will be issued automatically but if you prefer a refund then to fill in the form 🙂

3 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Thank you, I've found it. No information on what to do regarding refunds though!!

Avril

It states on the website that FCC will be issued automatically but if you'd rather a refund to fill in the form 🙂

1 minute ago, Adawn47 said:

I can't find it anywhere. Where did you see it?

Avril

Its on the main front page on the P & O website

4 minutes ago, Ataraxia said:

We are sorry to announce that cruises on Arcadia, Aurora, Azura and Ventura have been cancelled until the end of August 2021 and on Britannia and Iona until the end of September 2021

At last!!  An announcement!!!  Thank you!! 😀

23 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I also have sympathy for cruise line management and staff, as their futures remain far from certain, but what I can’t excuse them for is not at least cancelling all cruises departing before 17th May. They should have done this a week ago after Boris announced that 17th May would be the ‘absolute earliest’ that any overseas holidays could legally operate. Leaving aside whether or not cruises will re-commence at the same time as flights (as we all have different opinions on that), there is no limbo whatsoever about between now and 17th May - rather absolute certainty. It doesn’t affect me thankfully, but I’d be pretty hacked off it it did. 

It annoys me as on their website, under the section about pausing up to 21st June, it states:

"Please note that these cruises have not been cancelled and there is no action required from you or any customers you may have booked on these cruises at this time. Should it be necessary to extend our pause and cancel any more cruise dates then we will advise you and our guests as soon as we possibly can. "

They know full well it is necessary to extend the pause and cancel further dates, so they have not advised their guests as soon as they possibly can!  They should have advised people on Monday 22nd February that further cruises were cancelled! 🤦‍♀️

31 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

You’re right, but remember that lots of folk can only afford to have one holiday booked at a time! So I understand what Selbourne said too, people with cruises booked, possibly paid for in full and unlikely to go ahead, would like their money back asap in order to make alternative arrangements. 

Yes exactly this!  I don't see why P & O seem to think they have more right to my money than I do 😕

8 minutes ago, compman9 said:

My guess ports could include some of these: Southampton, Jersey, Belfast, Liverpool, somewhere west of Scotland or the Isle of Man, maybe a couple of the islands (Shetland), East coast of Scotland, Newcastle perhaps

 

There might be a deal with the Irish government regarding vaccines, possibly even the Faroes or Iceland

 

The Open is in-mid July, and there will be other events that could be tied in for special cruises. I am sure there are plenty of people at RCI discussing perfectly adequate cruises for later in the summer

 

I'd be up for this definitely!!!!! 🙂

22 minutes ago, compman9 said:

Given that Odyssey has been moved to a country with the best vaccine rate in the world, and my cancellation letter makes specific mention of Anthem and the UK, I would guess that as the UK will complete its vaccine programme in the summer, Anthem will do UK only for UK passengers by August

 

 

I love this idea 👏👏👏😀😀😀😀

1 minute ago, mercury7289 said:

I thought this only refers to cancelled cruises?

It does 😀

4 minutes ago, Captain_Morgan said:

 

From the P&O website, "Those guests who would prefer a 100% cash refund should fill out this web form and refrain from calling the Customer Contact Centre. We are working to process all new and outstanding refund requests as quickly as possible"

That's AFTER they have cancelled - instead of the FCC.  If you cancel before they do, you are subject to their usual cancellation rules, and the minimum is loss of deposit. 

"If you're booked on a P&O Cruises holiday due to sail on or before 15 August 2021 that is unaffected by our latest pause and wish to cancel, P&O Cruises shall be entitled to levy a cancellation charge as a percentage of the price paid in accordance with the following scales... "

5 minutes ago, Captain_Morgan said:

 

My April 2020 cruise was cancelled so I booked this years cruise at that point, hoping that the virus would be dealt with by then. - As did many others I'm sure

Since about September 2020 it was obvious that the cruise would probably not go ahead, but I remained hopeful, which is why I didn't transfer the cruise. - So you knew it wasn't going to ahead, 7 months prior but still waited just in case?

I have also been holding back for the possible FCC because, my cruise is already paid for in full. - So this is the actual answer to the previous point, which is fine but why not just say it in the first place? 

The cruise I would now like to book for 2022 is about £500 more expensive for fewer nights. I cannot afford that extra cost, so the FCC would enable me to book the cruise next year.  Higher prices are to be expected and have been discussed numerous times so this should come as no surprise.

Also, it's not a game of chicken. The cruise in April cannot go ahead, so I am simply wanting P&O to announce the obvious, which is that the cruise has to be cancelled.  As you stated above, you want P&O to cancel so you can get a FCC in order to cover the cost of another cruise in future and by doing so you're waiting for them to make the first move, when you could just as easily cancel and receive a full refund for monies paid.

The main purpose of the FCC, as far as I am aware, is an incentive by P&O to get guests not to request full refunds and opt for the FCC instead. This enables them to keep hold of monies paid, which I assume they would then invest and gain interest from.

So your point about them throwing money at my feet is nonsense.   So your previous point about them giving you a credit for not initiating the refund is not akin to them throwing money at your feet?

They would simply be giving me back what they have had, which they will gladly do if you ask for a refund

but more importantly, they would keep me as a loyal customer.  As I said in my original post, they as a global conglomerate aren't nearly as worried about loyalty to them as many would hope and for every person who makes the claim that they'll go elsewhere, the vast majority return.  Mostly because they most often find that the alternative options aren't as cost effective, or require them to travel further afield to get the same thing they could otherwise get closer to home.

Obviously, I am bothered about the money I have tied up with them. I'm not one of their rich customers and my income has been seriously affected by the pandemic,  I completely understand and you're definitely not alone when it comes to being affected negatively, hence the reason you've got the opportunity to reclaim 100% of the funds you've paid and to be made whole.

so if they announce that the cruise is cancelled I can then make the decision to accept the FCC if it is offered, or I can opt for a refund, but at least I would have that choice.  Which brings us back to the original point....you have every opportunity to get all of your money back based on what you anticipate to happen with respect to your scheduled cruise being cancelled but are waiting for P&O to blink and thus make the first move so you can hopefully get a 'bonus' in the form of a FCC.

 

My points are not meant to be inflammatory, just looking at things from a pragmatic perspective...you have every right to cancel and get 100% of your money back, but would rather wait for P&O to do the work and reward you for not doing it first

"Also, it's not a game of chicken. The cruise in April cannot go ahead, so I am simply wanting P&O to announce the obvious, which is that the cruise has to be cancelled.  As you stated above, you want P&O to cancel so you can get a FCC in order to cover the cost of another cruise in future and by doing so you're waiting for them to make the first move, when you could just as easily cancel and receive a full refund for monies paid."

Surely that is incorrect - if Sidekick cancels, he will lose his deposit.  That's the whole point.  P&O are hanging on to money they KNOW they need to refund.  Why should anyone lose their deposit just because P&O are not doing to decent thing by cancelling cruises they know will not go ahead?

On 2/27/2021 at 1:11 AM, Ballwin Babe said:

Because the Odyssey's May 9 departure out of Rome is not subject to the CDC requirements, is there a chance that RCCL will try to do a sailing out of this (and possibly other) foreign ports?  I can't imagine how this would happen since we're still not allowed into many of the countries on the itinerary.

 

The cruise is STILL for sale on the RCCL website.  Assuming there is <1% chance this May 9 Odyssey inaugural itinerary will sail, it's really a woefully inept practice to show this and other May cruises as available for booking.  It's really becoming annoying, especially since the  number of other cruise lines canceling May is growing.  If ever I was considering taking RCCL FCC, I'm so past that now.  Just give me my money and I'll book with a cruise line which has more reasonable and honest business practices.  

Not P & O then!  They are also holding off cancelling cruises they know full well cannot sail!  I feel the same as you - I don't trust them anymore 😞

22 hours ago, Captain_Morgan said:

Playing Devil's Advocate here and trying to see things from all sides, its important to remember that when it comes to FCC, no company or cruise line is obligated to give people anything shy of a refund for monies paid.  The notion of a FCC is in reality a goodwill gesture for allowing the consumer to essentially provide (in this case) P&O an interest free loan whereby the FCC could be considered a return on said loan/investment.

I understand that some are holding out on cancelling because they want the return in the form of the FCC for the trouble, but complaining that they've not yet had their trip cancelled thus triggering a 'bonus' of sorts is a bit like playing chicken and hoping that P&O blink first.

I suppose the point is that if you've got money tied up that you're not bothered about than carry on and wait for whatever happens one way or  the other,  but if you're expecting a cash-strapped enterprise to throw money at your feet because you're getting impatient I think its going to end up in more stress for the individual than the company.

At the end of the day, P&O likely doesn't know or care (sorry to be so blunt) who we are as consumers and as such couldn't care less if we choose to move our choice of holiday to a competitor in future as this is the beauty of a competitive market.

I just want my deposit back for the cruise P&O know full well I can't go on!!!

22 hours ago, davecttr said:

I have a cruise that departs on 15th May so I am awaiting my email soonest

 

As reported this morning the EU summit yesterday pretty much agreed on the need for a vaccine passport and it appears it will be electronic and take at least 3 months to develop. Primarily for travel within the EU but could also be used for travellers from elsewhere. I suggest HMG get on board soonest, if they can

I also have a cruise leaving May 15th and I’m feeling pretty irritated right now that P&O don’t even have the decency to cancel cruises they know we can’t go on! 😡 After this, I will be requesting a refund rather than a FCC.

Just now, FionaMG said:

But the vast majority of arrivals have to quarantine for 10 days and I doubt if they would lift the quarantine requirement before then, so I can't see many people flying into the UK 10 days before a cruise just to spend the necessary time in self isolation before sailing. My personal opinion is that it's much more likely those cruises will be cancelled and the cruise lines will gear up for a start after that date.

No I agree it’s highly unlikely they would, but just wanted people’s opinions on whether they thought it would be completely cancelled - I’m getting the general feeling that most people do!

1 minute ago, heatherbelle said:

Hi

 

the way I look at this, is, they have said they are waiting 5 weeks between each stage, as they need 4 weeks for the data from lifting  each stage to come through and then another week to analysis and decide if the next stage can happen.

 

so whilst they may make a decision by the 17/5 as to when international travel may be allowed for us Brits out of the U.K., they will need to allow another 5 weeks after the 12/6, to see if full reopening I.e. nightclubs being one of the last restrictions goes well, which would put that data set being available and analysed by mid July.

 

I cannot see international travel being allowed for us for recreational purposes until then.  Maybe business travel may be allowed earlier, if that makes sense, with lots of testing for going out and coming back into the U.K. plus quarantine on top, etc.  In addition we may be back to the travel corridor scenarios we saw last summer.

 

all along though the U.K. has had a no cruise policy in place, so that will be one of the last things to come back, we might be able to go to the EU, but they are behind in their vaccination programme, whilst us Brits may have had our first jab by the end of July, will other countries, US, EU etc.?  
 

Let’s hope the vaccine continues to do its job, so far so good.

 

 

yeah I think you are right 😀 thanks for replying, I agree the vaccine looks like the way out!

13 minutes ago, twangster said:

If there is no international travel how would foreign passengers arrive in the UK to board the ship in the UK while you can not?

No international travel for people who live in the UK.  For some bizarre reason they still insist on letting people come here.

5 minutes ago, pete14 said:

In my opinion, there is no chance of P&O starting cruises in May. Even if the government says a couple of days before the cruise is due to leave that cruising can restart, logistically it would be impossible to achieve in such a short space of time. They will announce a next tranche of cancellations, probably fairly soon, and my guess is that nothing will go before July unless a few non-stop test cruises sail prior to that. I am booked on a cruise from August 5th and am not confident it will happen. 

Great - thanks for your help 😀

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

No need to worry. Zero chance of either cruise happening at all. 

That’s what I wanted to hear! Thank you! 😀