GSPG

No we booked directly online. Yes I agree you don’t get if you don’t ask. It’s knowing what to ask!

We are sailing in just over two weeks, but have already chosen another sailing for next year, and I’ve heard it’s best to book your next cruise if already on a ship. What kind of discount or extra’s should we expect, if any, or is there anything we should ask for? This one will be our 3rd cruise with P&O. Thanks

Can’t say I’ve seen too many cruises that go back online with just a few days to go, and that’s probably the period my examples were for?

I can imagine, particularly on the larger ships with more people on board that rooms become available very last minute as guests have had to cancel through illness, death in the family etc. If a cruise wasn’t being advertised now as it was full up, but you really wanted to go on it, would P&O offer those rooms away if anyone was interested in them very last minute? Has anyone heard of a ‘reserve list’ for very late cancellations?

Does anyone know if P&O would try to put a family booking two rooms next to each other if there was availability?

Okay thanks. Assume they just add ‘perks’, fluffy robes, priority this and that etc

It’s the Silhouette.

Okay, thoughts have moved on in the last hour. How do Concierge rooms stack up for room for 3 adults compared to ‘normal’ veranda rooms. Still have to run this past my son yet! The 3 of us had a Sunset Veranda room on Eclipse 6 years ago. From memory we got by, but he is older and had cabins of his own since then and would be hard to go back to a three?

Good idea thanks, but there’s no one who would want to go.

It seemed to work okay the first and second time we sailed, and were in a room together. Since then we have been in singles which were owing to good deals at the time, and we have discussed but wouldn’t go back now.

Or perhaps we have been lucky in the past, and having done ‘only’ five cruises. That’s true, but for a family with an ‘older child’ to big to share with now makes it much more expensive.

Just looking generally, and yes he is just about the same price as the two of us.

We’ve been on two Celebrity cruises in the past and loved them. But I’m horrified the price quoted for our 26 year old son who needs a cabin of his own?

As we all probably do, we ‘play around’ with cruise websites entering some details into some cruises that catch our eye. In recent times the price usually goes up much more than the starting place by the time you have your ideal location sorted out. On Celebrity I saw the title above and entered my cruise number as I have been on 2 Celebrity cruises before, but I didn’t see any notification if I did qualify for an offer or not. These offers, are they ‘random’, or if you have achieved 10, 20 or more cruises with Celebrity? Are they much of an ‘offer’ as well?

Yes I wondered if there maybe a small window of opportunity between the time periods you mention. I wrongly assumed the ship could be leaving with many cabins unoccupied! How wrong I was, but I’ve taken a lesson from what actually happens with Saver fares being allocated is a small crumb.

A lesson learned by us anyway. Going on this trip was a ‘nice to do’, but as we are currently away in the UK there was no rush as we thought there were loads of cabins still on sale and thought we could sort out as soon as we got back. How wrong, but it’s not the end of the world.

Thanks for your replies. Yes this does make sense as to where the savers fares and allocation fitted in.

I’ve been observing a two week Britannia sailing on 7th July to Norway and Scandinavia since the start of the year. Right up until a few days ago there were countless cabins apparently available for inside, balcony and suites. Whole areas on midship, mid/aft/fwd for balcony’s and inside were apparently free, with about ten suites still available. So what has happened over the space of a few days? Has there been a block booking sale ‘behind the scenes’ for company’s to purchase and offer themselves? Just seems really strange how such high level of availability has gone to a near sell out in a few days without any additional offers to entice?

Just my account but I had a small outbreak of shingles a month after my Dad died, and I put that down to stress. I had chickenpox as a child aged 10, and I was 50 when I had shingles.

Could be a ‘regular thing’, but noticed there are a number of imminent sailings to and from Southampton mainly involving this ship with a Currently not available flag where prices button is situated. And delving in further there is no pricing available at all. Any suggestions what this means? I’m sure there was availability on all the sailings now with this flag up until a day or so ago?

I have P&O cruising from Valetta on the radar aboard Azura. I have never done a fly cruise however and wondered how flexible the flight booking is? Rather than just turn up in Malta from the flight and board the ship straightaway, it would be good to be able to stay in a hotel and spend at least a couple of days exploring a bit of Malta. Any knowledge or suggestions how to achieve this. Thanks

Really good summary there Selbourne, and particularly like the smaller ships better itineraries v if the ship is the destination. Not just from yours but with many other responses I have made a decision, and thank you everyone in helping me make this.

Thanks for your replies. I should have added that our son is in his twenties and has accompanied us on cruises, and a concern is he would find the differences even more stark. As with most youngsters he likes technology, so dated this and that ‘may be too much for him’.

I’ve been looking at a cruise on Aurora, but I’m concerned the experience won’t be the same as on a new ship. I have been on Britannia in 2019 and Iona 2022, and both with no real issues of wear and tear with modern furniture, and what you would expect. This sounds like a stupid comparison, but I don’t like staying in Travelodge’s because of the basic wood decor and fear staying on Aurora would feel much the same in the bedroom. I am probably wrong but feel like ships of 20 years ago were kitted out like this? Can anyone describe their experiences of old v new ship? Are they two very different experiences or you wouldn’t know one from the other. I suppose this is aimed at more veteran cruisers who have a better handle of the change over times. Thanks

What and cleaning the cabin yourself! 😄 Don’t tell P&O that, they’ll do away with all the cabin staff.