Alan Flett

Let’s be honest, everyone who was a passenger that they interview on the programme will have some sort claim or group action against the cruise line. They will have had their dream holiday/holiday of a lifetime/dream honeymoon (delete as appropriate) completely ruined and will never be able to leave their house again because of that cruise ship. They will be looking to enhance their claim. 
 

Maybe I’m cynical but looking at the description of the programme that certainly seems to be the case. As people have said there doesn’t appear to be any balance to this. Time will tell. 

2 minutes ago, pete14 said:

But my suggestion was a Norway cruise before the scheduled one on Oct 24th. It could leave on 16th not 15th, maybe naming ceremony on 15th before midnight departure on 16th to fulfil the P&O small print. Probably a dream but you never know. Better still, they could make it free for those booked on the original maiden 😊😉.

Clearly they would need to weigh up the Covid risk which would mean they would not give much notice before letting us know. 

Sorry I misread the post. I only know as I booked on the October 24th cruise at the weekend as we have had ours cancelled in August. Hoping it goes ahead just to get away but who knows.

41 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Sounds like a good plan.

The cruise on October 24th is going to Germany, Holland and Belgium. Not Norway.

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

Basically yes - FCC cannot be used on already booked cruises,  apart from upgrading your cabin. I seem to recall that this stipulation is relaxed if you already have a large number of cruises already booked - 8(?) - but that does not apply to most people.

That's ridiculous. I saw that but assumed that the issue was people were saying that they just wanted to transfer the full FCC against the holiday without upgrading.

I am willing to either upgrade my cabin or book a weekend break but as they will keep the money I have already paid until it's completely used on a future bookings there is no chance I am doing that as it will be at least 2022.

So basically P & O are penalising people like myself (and many others on here) who have cruises already booked for 2021 whilst people who only have the cruises booked for 2020 get the benefit.

If I would have held back and not booked for 2021 then I wouldn't have got the cruise I wanted as the cruise we have booked next year is closed for some children. Our friends who were travelling with us this year tried to change theirs yesterday and were told the clubs are full.

I’m not sure if this is common knowledge or not or even if I have been given incorrect information from my travel agent. I paid the balance on my August back to back cruise a few weeks ago so obviously this has now been cancelled. This was a week on Iona then 2 on Britannia. 
 

I already had another 2 week cruise booked in August 2021 and about a month ago I booked the same week on Iona in 2021 as I thought they may be cancelled this year. So now I have the same holiday weeks next year. 

Now here is the problem. I was initially happy to take the FCC and potentially upgrade our cabin  so I could use it or even book a weekend break to get the FCC as Iona was quite a bit more expensive next year than this so it would offset the cost. I was told today that I can use the 25% additional FCC (£1,625) against this but I was not able to use the money I have paid for the 2020 cruises (£6,500 ish) to pay the balance of my 2021 cruise.

They said that if I take the FCC it has to be used against a new booking if I want to use the full amount they hold from me plus’s the additional 25%. 
 

Is this right as I think it’s ridiculous if true? Effectively they would keep my money until I booked another cruise which will be 2022. Obviously I’m asking for my money back if that’s true. 
 

41 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

My SIL, also an accountant says the same.

Avril 

I am also an accountant and have to disagree with both.

Unless you work for P & O (or you are part of the audit team from their accountants) you will not know what their refund policies are and what process they have to go through. It is feasible that they have to go through an audit process and that is why there is an additional delay. What you have to remember is that P & O will probably issue very few refunds in any normal month but now they are faced with thousands.

I am not by the way defending them, I am speaking from experience. I used to work for a company that was ultimately owned by a listed company in the US. We had payment limits locally and if it exceeded this limit it had to be approved by the UK MD. If it was above his limit then it had to be approved in the US. The limits for the size of company we were weren't significant but the process could not be bypassed for any reason. We even had to have job vacancies signed off by the US when they wouldn't have a clue about the business but they relied upon the process it had gone through. The vacancy was not authorised unless it was fully signed.

What I am saying is it may be true but it may also be a stalling tactic nobody knows.

For the record, I paid my balance for my August cruise just over a week ago so I keep an eye on this thread in any case.  

1 hour ago, davemorton said:

Okay, before I start, sorry for bring drinks packages up again, and hoping this will not turn into a discussion on the merits/perils of one but....I was sure I had read that lately they have been offering 10% off them on he second day, or something like that.  Did I dream it, or can anyone confirm please? 

 

We were on Britannia at the end of July and on the second day they had an offer if you bought the drinks package then you got 2 days free, essentially paying for 10 days I think. I bought it as soon as we boarded and should have made an issue out of this but never. I should have really as it annoyed me. The offer was in the Horizom magazine. 

Spirit drinkers check out the room service prices for 750mil bottles of branded spirits, they are less than the average UK supermarket, so you are not gonna save a penny by bringing it on with you at embarkation, plus the hassle of packing and carrying it.

 

With regards to the logistics of checking 2000 peoples bags for alcohol whilst trying to embark them in a short time frame from a foreign port just doesn't work. I work at an Airport, and passenger flow is always more of a concern, than trivia like smuggling on the odd bottle of wine.

 

So until I see an enormous slow moving queue when I am getting back on board, I will not believe that they will enforce it, they will just rely on people being worried about losing their booze.

We were on Britannia a few weeks ago and it wasn't enforced. I put 4 660ml bottles of Peroni in my suitcase and it was fine. Also when we stopped at Barcelona I got 8 small cans of San Miguel and carried them onto the ship. The table was there to declare alcohol but there was nobody by it.

To be honest it was only really enforced in Gibraltar where it seemed the whole ship bought alcohol and had to check it in. There were about 20 staff taking it and packing it up. I would suggest getting the alcohol in the terminal as soon as you get off and check it in straight away as it's cheaper there anyway and it will save a lot of time. We departed about 30 minutes late due to the alcohol being taken from passengers.

Hmmmm. Unique can of course mean a lot of things. After seeing P&O Sue's post above about Gibraltar, I had a look at their schedule on the website myself. From that, it appears that Britannia will call in to Gibraltar every two weeks between 20/5 & 9/9, on a Wednesday, staying from 0800 to 1400. Azura calls in every 4 weeks, on a Thursday, between 14/5 and 1/10 staying from 0800 to 1400.

 

 

 

To me, this suggests that these two ships will be sailing the same either one or two itineraries for the whole Summer. Maybe out of Southampton or maybe fly-cruise - who knows. The other thing of interest is that Oceana doesn't feature at all - the whole year. Maybe she is still going to be doing fly-cruises or perhaps...

 

 

 

Fully accept that I could be completely wrong with my conjecturing!

Unique may mean they are changing some ports as they have become pretty much the same itineraries every year now!

Don’t know why the big secret though.

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I remember someone saying last year that Gibraltar port always has their cruise schedule up early - so I googled it. Britannia and Azura seem to be stopping frequently there in 2020. I hope this doesn't mean Britannia is not going to Norway as Iona is going constantly?? Also noticed Ventura not stopping there after March so wondering where she's going - stuck with Canaries all year?

We got off Britannia last Sunday and when we attended the Peninsular Party, Captain Paul Brown said they are doing something quite unique with Iona, Britannia, Ventura and Azura in 2020 but couldn't say what it was. He said the details will be out in September when Iona goes on sale.

Obviously this means Iona is only sailing to Norway as I don't think that had been announced when the party was but I can't be sure.

There are a number of reasons why a cruise is not available to book. However if cabins are generally available and they tell you that they are not accepting bookings including a 5 - 8 year old child. Then it is safe to assume that they already have full capacity of 5 - 8 year olds in the Surfers section of the kids club.

 

I think other travel agents who may have block reserved groups of cabins will not be able to help out because cabins are not the issue. If it were me I would look at going on another school holiday period or changing to an appropriate alternate line like Princess. It is more expensive until nearer sailing but their children's clubs have more relaxed rules.

 

Regards John

We got off Britannia on Sunday after the 2 week Med cruise and there were more than 700 children onboard apparently. On one sea day my 5 year old was turned away in the afternoon as the club was full for her age. This has never happened before and we have probably sailed about 9 times with our children. It would seem they are now letting more children on but obviously the clubs only hold so many so this will happen more often especially if the weather is poor. It could well backfire on them as this is a big plus for us when the children get board of swimming or it's too hot for them. They love the activities and it's hard for a 5 year old to understand why they won't let her in.

Whilst onboard we tried to book for 17th August 2019 but was told the 5-8 club was full. We were booking 5 cabins in total and 2 children would have been in that club. In the past they have opened up the club after our travel agent called P & O head office and told them we are loyal P & O passengers. They flatly refused to even ask the question onboard. I even spoke to the senior loyalty manager and he said they will not open clubs under any circumstances and if he asked Head Office it would be pointless.

We ended up booking the cruise at the end of July but continued to get flyers in the cabin saying there was availability on the original cruise we wanted so book quickly. It was annoying.

They have a couple of omelette stations which are made to order with onions, mushrooms, peppers, cheese and tomatoes. They also have an area where you can order poached eggs as well. The buffet has everything you would expect for cooked breakfast and all cereals etc.

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You shouldn't compare supermarket prices with those on board, the ship IS NOT a supermarket. You need to compare like for like. So compare the price of a can or bottle in a pub/restaurant with what you pay on board.

The point both myself and P-L-B are making are that drinks prices on board are reasonable. I have no issue with that at all. People are saying I don't know why you would take spirits/wine etc on to consume in your cabin when the prices they charge on board are reasonable and you don't save much.

My point is that if you wanted to drink beer in your cabin then this wouldn't be the case as if you had one drink per day then this would cost in the region of £40-£50 more on a 14 day cruise.

I find drink prices on P&O ships very reasonable plus there is a really good choice of wine. So when it comes to consuming alcohol on board, best to buy it on board the ship. I see no reason to test the restrictions by taking your own.

If you drink wine or spirits then they are. If you only drink lager, bitter etc then they are not. You can get a bottle of say Peroni in a supermarket for about £1.30, onboard this will be nearer £4.00. That is obviously for only 1 drink.

Again it all comes down to what you drink, people who drink spirits it hardly matters as 1 bottle will last the duration of the cruise. People who only drink beer will have to either not bother or pay significantly more.

I have the feeling that the ‘bonus’ is there, whether you receive a letter or not.

Why not give P&O a call to price up the cruise you fancy? Then you know and can make your decision based on facts

It's not always there it's very 'hit and miss'.

I have had issues in the past with this. We cruise every year with P & O and seem to get the 'thank you for cruising' additional onboard credit most years. Going back to last year we didn't receive this but my sister did (we usually go every year with them). I phoned P & O and they said the offer isn't on your account and there is nothing they can do about it. I complained and got nowhere.

Basically it is a marketing initiative and it goes on your account automatically but not every year (so I was told).

Ironically when we booked this year it wasn't on our account again but about 1 month later I got an offer in the post saying we really want you back onboard again and if we book before a certain date then we will receive the additional onboard credit offer. It was strange as we had already booked so I called P & O and they applied the additional credit without any problems.

Alcohol content is not the issue it is the amount and that is why P&O have bought in this policy.

P & O have brought it in to make you buy all drinks onboard it’s quite simple. If I want a drink in my cabin now it will cost significantly more than it would have due to the restrictions. Also to encourage people to buy from the minibar as well. It will significantly increase profits.

To me the amount has got nothing to do with it. I don’t smuggle it out or bend the rules I simply drink it in my cabin.

I’m far from tight fisted, quite the opposite, but if I can comfortably carry it onboard then why should I pay significantly more?

I didn’t throw any clothes out as suggested, we had a case with other bits in and I put it in there. My wife would throw me out first!

As has already been said, someone can bring 1 bottle of spirits on and have a drink every night as I don’t drink anything but lager I can’t. The price difference between spirits is negligible, lager is extortionate.

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I don’t drink spirits or wine and only drink lager. Last year I took 18 cans of Carling in a suitcase that cost me £10. I have 1 Can each evening when I get back in the cabin whilst relaxing and reading. So I had 14 as it was a 2 week cruise and left the rest there. The reason for this was the year before I ordered from room service and the bottles were about £4.50 each for less (330ml). So this year I saved over £50.

I don’t do it to take out with me instead of buying in the bars or buy in ports. I simply have 1 drink each evening.

I will no doubt be called for contributing towards the allowance being brought in but I’m doing no more than what most do drinking 1 short per day. It’s just that it’s much less volume.

It’s not at the expense of my spending either as we spend a lot onboard on drinks and in the shops.

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Yes that’s right, however, there is nothing to stop you adding an emergency telephone number and a fake policy number. No checks are made to see if the policy exists.

 

 

 

Val

It’s not right. I know someone who didn’t fill any of that detail in and still printed off their E ticket. They didn’t get insurance.

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I always wear jeans on a smart casual night with brown shoes and a polo shirt or shirt. I have never been turned away. My jeans are always smart and are usually blue or dark blue/virtually black.

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I also agree about Paul Brown, I think he is very good, interacts well and joins in with the sail away parties. He should be judged on how he does his job not how he speaks and it certainly shouldn't be described as 'appalling'.

Then again I'm from Merseyside so I probably can't speak properly either.

We had a Captain once who spoke the perfect 'Queen's English ', he was Captain Fennelow and he was as dull and boring as they come. Give me Paul Brown any day.

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Also not sure why they would stop your children from using kids club as the under 2 play area isn't supervised by staff, you supervise your own child in a room separate from other older children.

You can still put a child in the night nursery and they would have to take account of that. Children under 2 have to be checked every 30 minutes or so as well so if there are already a few booked they may limit them too.

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I've got to be honest and not that I would do it but there isn't always someone on the door so you could go in unchallenged.

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Has anyone done the math, if everyone paid the recommended £6, it would be £19200 per day, nearly £350'000 for the whole cruise.!!!

That does not take into account any additional tips paid.

It is little wonder that P&O "push" auto tipping

 

 

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That's also assuming all passengers are over the age of 12.

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Guess some folk go to Lidi and Aldi and are happy as Larry with their basket. Others prefer Marks and Spencer and Waitrose which is our preferred choice. Of course if cost is an issue go to the supermarket which meets your expectations but don't slag off M&S and Waitrose just because you can't afford to shop there.

 

Left out

Ok so as always on this site there are people who are snobs and clearly you are one of them. We go to most supermarkets and on certain things Aldi can be far superior to M & S and much cheaper (we don't go to Lidl much so can't comment). We do like certain things from M & S but you pay a premium. We accept that.

I see Waitrose and M & S are your supermarket of choice and I would expect that being an experienced cruiser of 97 cruises who only books suites.

However as you have been on so many cruises why are you now looking at a cheaper alternatives than CPS and looking at Parking4cruises? Surely you can afford the extra pittance for the convenience. Or maybe you should look at Aldi or Lidl for your weekly shop so you can afford it.

Left out.

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It's for 24 hours so if you buy it on a Monday you need to renew on Tuesday even if you have only spent 5 minutes on it in that period.

Also if you want to browse any website (BBC etc) you have to buy the £12.50 package as the lowest is for social media only.

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