sidekick180

15 hours ago, wowzz said:

The problem of course is that at present there are not many other options available for Iona.

To the OP - how about Arcadia to the Canaries in March 2022 - the good news is that we are on that one,  and if you are lucky you may get to hear my bird impressions. 

I haven't looked at the Arcadia one yet. Only because we have only ever been on Ventura and Azura. Not sure if we would enjoy one of the smaller ships quite as much, but I will take a look at it. Have you been on the Arcadia yourself before, and if so, what is that ship like?

Is it just me, but there doesn't seem to be many cruises to choose from that are leaving Southampton. I have a 14 night cruise booked on Britannia for 25th April, which I believe will be the first cruise to sail after the extended pause (unless that one gets cancelled). I wanted to see what was available for later in 2021 or early 2022, with the idea of transferring our April cruise.

All I seem to be able to find are lots of Iona trips to the Norwegian Fjords, a couple of Ventura Cruises and one or two Britannia cruises. The Britannia and Ventura 14 night med cruises that I found are almost double what I paid for the April 2021 cruise.

Doesn't give me a lot to choose from and I really don't think I can justify the extra cost. I'm not happy with the new protocols they have put in place. Mainly the fact that you can only leave the ship if you book one of their excursions, which obviously means more money for P&O, less money for us to spend and being totally restricted to where we go with the guide. Quite often, we like to have a wander around the ports and then get back on ship when we have had enough. Obviously we wouldn't be able to do this if we are on an excursion.

I am really hoping that P&O will extend the pause even further and cancel our cruise. Even if they do this and offer us the 125% FCC I still don't know if there will be much for us to choose from. Maybe I will have to consider taking a full refund if they cancel the cruise and then try a different cruise company. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone for your feedback and comments. Can't say that I am convinced to book now.

I was aiming to get a balcony cabin on Ventura for the 5 night break to Hamburg and Belgium, but at a cost of £2400, I'm not sure it would be worth it, especially if it's mega busy, under staffed and not much to see if the weather is rubbish.

I might have to look at some different options to celebrate New Year 2021.

I definitely want to do something next year, because I really don't think there will be much happening anywhere this New Years Eve.

Hi everyone,

I am considering booking the New Year cruise for December next year, which is going to Hamburg and Belgium. I've not been on one of these before, but I have heard that they are pretty amazing with a phenomenal firework display in Hamburg. Just wondered if anyone on here had experienced one of these cruises and could give some pointers about them. Thanks in advance.

I have never used a T/A I have only ever booked direct with P&O. they have always been very helpful and the deals have always been pretty fair, especially with the OBC. Obviously, a bit more difficult to get through on the phone at the moment, but I will still only book direct with them. Mind you, only if they manage to sort out the problem I currently have with my booking on Britannia for next April.

On 7/9/2020 at 4:47 PM, ToxM said:

I heard mention of a parking company going under today as well ... parkcruises? 

It's Cruise park southampton. Unless there is another that has closed down. They emailed me the other day to say that they have to close because of theCovid 19 and the impact it has had on their business. I had parking booked with them for my cruise starting tomorrow, which obviously got cancelled. The cruise company issued me with a credit for parking with them in the future. They are now going to give me a refund, which hopefully I will get. Real shame that they had to close though.

42 minutes ago, pete14 said:

We had some discussion about naming employees and posting their email addresses a few months back. The moderator reminded us that giving out such information is against t&cs and posts were removed. 

Really sorry, I wasn't aware that members were not allowed to share contact information for P&O. I wasn't asking for the name of the person. I was just trying to find out how to get in touch with someone from Paul Ludlow's department. Guess I will just have do some investigative work and find this info myself. Thanks for letting me know.

12 hours ago, Canberra forever ! said:

The same thing happened to me, asked for the 125%FCC but received a refund instead which means that I’m £420 out of pocket, was told they couldn’t do anything about it, not really acceptable especially as I’d waited 81 days for them to do anything & they’d assured me my FCC was on its way !

I actually contacted a lady who works in Paul Ludlow dept who’d helped me last year and she still couldn’t sort anything !

Very disappointing, I’ve cruised with P&O since 1986 and I was trying to keep money with them !!!

I forgot to ask a few questions. Which cruise were you booked on, had you already paid for the cruise in full and can you please give me the contact details of the person you communicated with in Paul Ludlow's department. Many thanks

11 hours ago, Canberra forever ! said:

The same thing happened to me, asked for the 125%FCC but received a refund instead which means that I’m £420 out of pocket, was told they couldn’t do anything about it, not really acceptable especially as I’d waited 81 days for them to do anything & they’d assured me my FCC was on its way !

I actually contacted a lady who works in Paul Ludlow dept who’d helped me last year and she still couldn’t sort anything !

Very disappointing, I’ve cruised with P&O since 1986 and I was trying to keep money with them !!!

Really sorry to hear that this has also happened to you. I am now getting concerned that maybe this is happening on purpose. did you initiallly ask for a refund and complete the form online, or did you only request the FCC?

I have emailed P&O and realise that when I do eventually get a reply, it will be shrigged off as 'sorry, there is nothing we can do'. This would effectively mean that if I do choose to keep my booking, it will cost me a further £543. Obviously more money in their bank account and less in mine.

I am like a dog with a bone, so I wont stop fighting for what was effectively my incentive to book another cruise with them. They offered the 125% FCC, so they should honour it. The fact that they made the mistake of refunding my money is their problem and not mine. They should still do the right thing.

Like I explained in my email to them. I am not asking for the FCC and the refund, I simply want what they promised, which was the FCC.

Obviously, I will post any updates on here, but after reading your post, I don't hold up much hope.

It will be interesting to find out over the coming weeks, if this has happened to other guests of P&O. Trouble is, there will be thousands and thousands of P&O guests that are not members on this site. Maybe I should flood other social media sites asking if anyone else finds themselves in the same situation. This is something I will consider doing if the response comes back without a resolve.

27 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Given the challenges that P&O will be facing over the coming years, they would be damned fools not to sort this out for you and I am sure that they will, but it will be a case of getting the right person to sort it. I think we are all aware that P&O’s land based customer services department are incompetent in the extreme and I suspect that what you were asking, which is perfectly reasonable, was a bit too complicated for them!

 

Personally, I would contact Paul Ludlows office along the lines of ‘for once, here’s a customer contacting you who isn’t frustrated over obtaining a refund, but is frustrated at trying to spend money with you and support P&O’. I struggle to believe that, if you explain the situation, quote your email and explain that two bookings are now at risk as a result of their mess up / intransigence, they will do anything other than rectify it ASAP. I think it will be a case of perseverance will pay off. Hopefully, they will also throw a bit of extra OBC your way by way of an apology. Good luck.

I will definitely go down the route that you have suggested. However, I would have no clue how to contact Paul Ludlow's office. All I have are a series of telephone numbers for P&O customer services and several email addresses, also for Customer Service. the lady on the phone did say that I was one of the first people that had telephoned to complain about a refund I didn't want and she saw the funny side of that. Obviously, I wasn't laughing, but I can appreciate how weird my phone call must have been. I bet when she answered and I said 'I need to speak to you about my refund', she probably thought 'Oh no, here we go again'.

I hope that I will be able to look back and laugh about this when I eventually get on my next cruise. thanks again for your advice.

7 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

This appears to be a combination of P&O intransigence and an administrative error. 

 

I would not hold out too much hope for Customer Services, either on the response time, or the content.  However, escalate the issue within Customer Services if they do not propose what you feel is a reasonable solution / compromise.

 

My advice to you would be to cancel the 13 night cruise next year and apply the deposit, notionally, on any short cruise of your choice - so you will not have to pay anymore.  Then when the 2022 brochure is released, transfer again to a 7 night cruise of your choice.  Then you won't get stung.

 

I don't know how open you are to moving away from P&O.  What I would say is that we costed up a Fred Olsen cruise on the same dates (one week) of our cancelled Iona cruise.  The price was cheaper, with OBC and a drinks package, and gratuities included.  You do not have to get stung if you are prepared to consider other lines.  Doesn't have to be Fred, just an example.

 

The only way to avoid getting stung in P&O 2021 is to look at a lower season alternative, where fewer passengers have used FCCs.  Do this quickly if that's your choice, as you now have potentially tens of thousands of Oceana passengers doing the same from 10am this morning.  The pricing problem on P&O is only going to get worse in 2021.

 

Thank you for that advice. I do however, have to consider the fact that I talked my sister into joining us on that particular cruise and she has paid a substantial amount of money for it already.

I have looked at other lines. I was considering MSC, but since reading so many negative posts about the ridiculous way they are treating their passengers, I decided against it. I will continue to look at my options though.

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yes he is, because he had another cruise booked so would have had 125% FCC to offset it. Refunds are 100%, so he’s out of pocket by 25% of the value of the FCC.

You are absolutely correct Selbourne. I will effectively be about £550 out of pocket by not being able to have the 25% from the FCC. Plus the fact, I would probably not have gone for the 13 night cruise, I usually only take 7 night cruises to keep the cost down. I was swayed towards the 13 night because with the extra 25% from the FCC it would make the 13 night more affordable to me. After making the booking I also talked my sister into coming with us on this cruise. she is a solo traveller and has never cruised before. If I was to cancel, there is a good chance that she would too because I don't think she would be confident enough to go on her own. If she cancels, she will definitely lose money. Not a good situation.

I am putting this out there, just in case it has happened to anyone else.

My July 2020 cruise was cancelled, so Initially, I opted for the refund. A couple of days later, I realised that perhaps I had been a bit hasty. I contacted P&O and asked if I could change my mind and have the Future Cruise Credit instead. They agreed to this and sent me an email confirming that my refund request had been reversed and the FCC would be applied to the new cruise that I have booked for April next year.

On Saturday 4th July, I logged into my P&O account to pay the remaining balance for the new cruise. I wanted to get the final bit paid just so it was another thing I didn't need to worry about.

The new cruise was more expensive because I was going from a 7 night cruise this year to a 13 night next year. After paying the balance, it said that my partial payment had gone through and now the remaining balance was almost £3000. I rang P&O as soon as the office opened on Monday 6th July. I explained the situation to the lady and she checked through the details.

She came back and said 'We have already issued your refund, so you cannot have the FCC applied to your new cruise'. I checked my account while on the phone to her and sure enough, there it was in my credit card account. I didn't realise this money had been refunded because it's on my credit card account, which I hardly ever use, and therefore, don't need to look into this account often.

I explained to the lady that I didn't want the refund, I wanted the FCC and this had been agreed via email on 1st May. I also told her that I had not received any communication from P&O to let me know that the refund had been made. She again stated that there was nothing she could do about it, so I could either pay the full cost of the cruise or, if I wanted to, I could cancel the cruise.

Cancelling is not really an option because of all the arrangements I have already made for the dates of the new cruise. She said that she would speak to her team leader and see if they could do something.

Later that day, she called me back and said that her team leader agreed, it was not possible for me to have the FCC because the refund has already been made. She suggested that I should write to P&O customer services explaining the situation in the hope that they may be able to resolve it, but she was not confident that anything could be done.

This error was caused by Admin at P&O, but it looks like it's me that will have to end up out of pocket. this is not the end of the story and quite possible that they could come back with a suitable resolution. I'm not holding my breath, but I will give them the benefit of doubt for now.

I sent a very long and accurate email to them last night, but was advised that it could take up to 28 days for a reply. I know they are extremely busy at this time, and I do appreciate that this is not an urgent matter compared to some of the other things they need to be dealing with. I am quite happy to wait, even though it will be playing on my mind until it gets resolved.

In summary, the new cruise, which should have only cost me a further £335 could potentially now cost me a further £880. Not a happy bunny, but lets wait and see.

Please let me know if this has happened to anyone else. I am sure it is a simple error by P&O and really hope this is not some sort of clever ploy to get people to part with more money for cruises already booked.

I absolutely agree that keeping safe and well is the most important thing. I think everyone wishes that this horrible virus would do one, and let us all get back to trying to enjoy life. One day, there will be a vaccine, but I'm still not convinced it will provide the be all and end all for this horrible disease. We can only hope!

I may be jumping the gun here, so we will have to wait for official confirmation, but I was considering booking on the Preziosa Northern Europe cruise from 7th to 14th October 2020. I realise that I was being very optimistic, which is why I was holding back from making the booking.

It now looks like my decision to wait was justified.

I went on the MSC website this morning and put Southampton in as the departure port and then looked at the sailing dates. There were no dates available until april 2021, so I have to assume that this means Preziosa will not be running any cruises sailing from Southampton this year. Such a shame because I have already had two cruises cancelled this year. It is what it is, and although lots of people would say, why even consider booking for this year, my answer would be that after such a rubbish year, it would be nice to have something to look forward to.

3 hours ago, Couple-Somerset said:

Not Presiosa specific, but expect the theatre shows to run for 30 minutes (or less).

 

The theatre (for us) is the only thing which lets MSC down.

 

We did the inaugural sailing of Bellissima and the first night "show" was a video of the ships launch (which anyone with an interest would have viewed on youtube or in their cabin).

 

It didnt get any better - 2nd night was a guy doing silhouette puppetry, 3rd night a mime artist, 4th night ventriloquist - the saving grace was the Michael Jackson show.

But for the most part, shows were over in half-hour so you could laugh them off as being terribly poor and get back to the bar.

Wow! I am surprised by that. Most people have said that the shows on MSC were generally better than P&O. I have been on P&O cruises twice and their shows were great, so I was expecting to be even more impressed on an MSC cruise.

I have already asked several questions about this ship and had some fantastic answers, but I have more questions, which I am hoping some of you lovely people could answer. I realise that they have two shows per night in the main theatre, but I was wondering if they have any other entertainment in any other venues as well? If not or should I say, also, do they have any type of nightlife or late club on Preziosa? Just thinking of somewhere to go after the last show for late night drinks and dancing etc.

This was what we did on Ventura and Azura, but I wasn't sure if they had any similar format on MSC ships. Thanks

1 hour ago, Captain-John said:

Good to hear, thanks! 🙂

 

I don't think it's necessarily the MSC USA website Hamrag is referring to. There are a number of independent travel agents that will sell MSC cruises on the US T&C's to UK guests. You would pay the fare in dollars so would also need to factor in any exchange rate fluctuations or foreign exchange fees on your credit card etc. (Halifax Clarity has no such fees).

 

But, you benefit from refundable deposits in some cases so you can cancel and rebook without penalty if the cruise price drops. Also, the base fare can just be cheaper as MSC will be targeting a specific market (I imagine US cruisers spend much more onboard than we do, so MSC want to entice them with cheaper base fares in the hope they will get the money back on onboard sales).

 

Depends how you usually book cruises as to what you are comfortable with - I almost always book independently, hardly ever direct with the cruise line and hardly ever 'bundled' with airfare.

 

You do need to be aware of the pitfalls of doing this, such as no ABTA/ATOL protection and the exchange rate business I mentioned, but I find the savings over the years more than makes up for the drawbacks. However, you do need to be comfortable/confident in doing it.

 

It may also not be a great strategy at the moment with the possibility of ships getting quarantined etc. - an 'all in' package with the cruise line might give you more protection. Lots to think about! 🙂

Yes, lots to think about. I have only been on two cruises so far, although a further two were booked and cancelled. Also, I have only been with P&O, and I have always booked direct with them. Partly because they were offering the best deal at the time. I found this out by shopping around. Not sure that I would be confident enough to book the way you have, mainly because of those pitfalls you mentioned. If the cruise does go ahead I will just have to make a decision and go for it, hoping for a good deal of course. Fingers crossed that we will all be able to get back on the water soon. I personally can't wait cos I have massively got the bug now.

No worries Captain, I don't mind you hi-jacking the post, it still makes good reading and I can pick out the bits of interest to me. Such as, booking through the US website if cheaper. Can you give me some advice about how I would go about booking through the US website, or even how it is possible to access this website. Thanks

36 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

I know this answer does not specifically address your question, but....the best 'balcony' cabins and the best 'experience' by far are the deluxe suites in the Yacht Club. We have sailed YC on 3 occasions, and it is fantastic.

 

Ate has adressed your question extensively, and I agree with him. There is no way I would choose Aurea rather than Yacht Club given the price differential. Presumably you are looking at one of the September or October 7 nights, or even the 14 nighter that goes down to Malaga and back. It is likely that a high proportion of folks will cancel, in the current climate, so late bargains might be available....generally that doesn't apply to YC but who knows in these times?

 

We may, depending on how International travel pans out in the next few months, end up doing one of those as a last minute booking.....assuming we will be able to drive freely across all of Great Britain by then.

Thank you for that. Unfortunately, Yacht club is way outside of my price range. I did just have a quick look at the prices and the starting price for a standard balcony is £649 pp, but the starting price for Yacht Club is £2449 pp Total for both of us would be £4898. Even if I went for a mid ships balcony on the Aurea experience it would only be a total of £2098. That's a difference of £2800. Way above my budget. Having said that, I know that I am being extremely optimistic and there is a good chance the cruise wont even go ahead. Like I said to Ate. I have had so many things already cancelled this year, including my 60th Birthday, that I am desperately trying to get at least one cruise in this year. The one I am looking at, is the 7 night cruise to Northern Europe at the beginning of October. Bloody hope this disgusting virus has gone well away by then!!

43 minutes ago, Até said:

I would advocate for the aft facing Fantastica balcony on decks 10 or 11, 12 is also okay but not quite as deep of a balcony.  Beware of the very small two person balcony cabins in the mid/aft "hump" wider section of the ship.  All the other balcony cabins are the same size inside. 

 

Bella experience is no frills and cabin locations are not usually very good.  Fantastica gives better cabin locations and gives little perks like priority choice of dining time and no charge for room service (the food itself may have a charge, apart from continental breakfast).  Aurea gets the very basic Easy package with considerably limited choices, but unlimited amount.  Many MSC sailings have a promotional rate where Easy package is included at a discount for Bella and Fantastica.  Aurea gets lots of other little perk that vary in value based on the ship.  Aurea gets thermal spa access (fairly weak on Preziosa), one 50 minute massage per adult, a restricted access sun deck (not very nice on Preziosa), an open dining time, priority embark/debark and a few other minor things.  Yacht Club suite cabins are a private, luxury ship within a ship concept with better drinks package, internet, butler, concierge, pool, restaurant, etc....  There's no right or wrong choice, just pick the option that includes what you find of value. In most cases you can add these perks separately, exceptions being Yacht Club perks and the Aurea dining time choice that can't be purchased separately.

 

Draught beer choice is only Heineken for Easy package, US sailings usually have one other.  It is overall pretty restrictive to me, but some people like it.  Every once in a while MSC UK offers the promotion of Premium package with Fantastica and Aurea bookings, others here can comment on the frequency.  You can search drink menus here and see what is offered for less than €6, not much.  Only look at recent menus prices as older ones are no longer accurate.  MSC offers a Premium package, drinks to €12, and a Premium Plus package that covers all drinks by the glass.  So your can choose a Fantastica or Bella cabin at the usual cruise only rate and purchase the package you desire, or wait for a promotional rate, like the "All Inclusive" that includes Easy, internet and sometimes OBC. 

 

The aft facing cabins book up fast so you need to be quick.  MSC will usually let you refare to another promotional rate if something more interesting to you comes along after you booked.  I have a little more flexibility by booking in the US so one strategy I use is to book far out to get a very specific cabin then wait for a drinks package promotion and pay the extra price increase to get that side fixed.  If cabin choice is not as important as price it has been better lately to wait as long as you can, usually after final payment.

Thank you. that is some very in depth advice and it will definitely help me to make the right decision. Just hope the cruise I am looking at will go ahead. It's at the beginning of October, so I know that I am being very optimistic, but having already had two cruises and a weekend break in the UK cancelled, I am clutching at straws to try and at least get one cruise in this year.

I am looking at booking a cruise on Preziosa sailing out from Southampton.

I have never sailed with MSC before, only P&O so far. I have looked at Balcony cabins with either Fantastica Experience or the Aurea Experience. I have no clue which is the best experience to go for or if any of the balconies are better or worse on any of the decks.

I am also very confused about the drinks package offer on the Aurea experience. It simply states 'Unlimited Drinks package', but it doesn't say whether this is Unlimited 'Easy' drinks package or Unlimited 'Premium'. So far, from what I have already been reading, the Easy package is not worth doing because of the restricted variety of Draught beer and spirits.

I would be very grateful for any advice to help me make the right decision before I go ahead and book a cruise, then regret not choosing the right package and cabin.

Many thanks

On 5/15/2020 at 6:19 AM, wowzz said:

There are so many wrong assumptions in this post that it is laughable.

A bit like making assumptions that cruises will not go ahead at all this year, which is an assumption that many people seem to be making.

The point is, none of us know what the outcome for cruising will be over the next few months, but it is a business and I'm sure, like all businesses, they want to be back up and running as soon as possible.

Yes, there will be risks involved for potentially catching the virus, but everything in life comes with risks, you just have to decide if you want to give up on life and never take any risks, or live life to the full and hope that you are one of the lucky ones!

I certainly don't want to give up my freedom and pleasures, and just sit around doing nothing, hoping the virus doesn't get me anyway.

I know the majority of people are saying it's very unlikely cruises will go ahead this year, but I am an optimistic person. At some point, we will all have to take some risks because this virus is not going to suddenly disappear and I don't just mean this year. I have no intention of putting my life on hold forever, so I am considering booing a cruise in October, in the hope that travel restrictions will have been lifted, cruise companies are still in business, new safety systems are working on board and ports will allow ships to dock. If this all happens I will be one of the first on board.

just wondering what cruising across the BOB is like in October?

I have just heard Matt Hancock on BBC news, saying that he doesn't think international holidays will happen this year. I really hope he is totally wrong, but obviously it will all depend on how things go over the next couple of months. I am still considering a cruise in September, although I am pretty sure this is just wishful thinking and very unlikely to happen.