Wait listed for 2nd booked 81/2 months b4 sail

[wannatan]

Never traveled on Ventura or p&o for that ...princess normally, but we have booked onto the dec 28th cruise. When looking at Internet it only showed 1st seating available wait listing for 2nd and freedom. On booking with my travel agent this sat (14th April) she asked for 2nd sitting an as far as I knew it was accepted. I was sitting in front of her, she's an old friend and she didn't mention anything so I can only presume the sales at p&o didn't mention this wait listing. Being we sail in 8 1/2 months I thought we would be fine. But our cruise personaliser shows 1st sitting wait listed for 2nd

 

HELP..

What can be done as 1st sitting would totally spoil our cruise. We want either 2nd seating or freedom

 

We only booked on p&o cos they sail from Barbados so anybody's advise regarding what to do would be really appreciated.

 

My travel agent works part time now and is not back to work till Thursday

[kevinyork]

Never traveled on Ventura or p&o for that ...princess normally, but we have booked onto the dec 28th cruise. When looking at Internet it only showed 1st seating available wait listing for 2nd and freedom. On booking with my travel agent this sat (14th April) she asked for 2nd sitting an as far as I knew it was accepted. I was sitting in front of her, she's an old friend and she didn't mention anything so I can only presume the sales at p&o didn't mention this wait listing. Being we sail in 8 1/2 months I thought we would be fine. But our cruise personaliser shows 1st sitting wait listed for 2nd

 

HELP..

What can be done as 1st sitting would totally spoil our cruise. We want either 2nd seating or freedom

 

We only booked on p&o cos they sail from Barbados so anybody's advise regarding what to do would be really appreciated.

 

My travel agent works part time now and is not back to work till Thursday

 

Think you need to speak to your agent as P&O will do nothing about this directly. If you asked for 2nd sitting and she didnt advise anything different then its down to your agent to resolve. However, I have to say, they cannot magic up places if its waitlisted. You have booked early so you may not be too far down the list of people waiting for your preference. Freedom will probably be in more demand than 2nd sitting.

 

We booked late for Ventura for last year's New Years cruise and we were allocated 1st sitting but waitlisted for 2nd. On boarding we were still allocared 1st sitting but we went straight to our allocated restaurant and queued to see the Maitre D'. He could not move us but made a note of our preference in case anything changed. On the second day we had a card advising we had been moved to 2nd sitting for the rest of the cruise.

 

Hope you get something sorted. 6.30 is much too early for me to eat and makes for a long evening.

[bee-ess]

I sympathise as we are in the same position for the 175 cruise on Oriana - we have never been 1st Sitting and don't want to eat that early. We are hoping that people have chosen 2nd sitting as they did not want to miss sailaway on 1st night but now that night has changed to open sitting we are hoping they try to change back to 1st Sitting for the remainder. As Kevinyork says It may still pay you to tell the Maitre D' that you want to change as often people want to change 2nd to 1st later in the cruise.

[jenny wren]

We were waitlisted for first sitting on our recent Oceana cruise (booked 18 months before sailing) we went to Maitre D' when we boarded and he let us know 24 hrs later that we were allocated a table on first sitting....no problem! :)

[daiB]

Hi Wannatan,

 

You should know that you booked quite late. Many people will have booked in April last year. Over 20 months ago.

 

P&O put the last group of people to book in this category.20/30%. Then sort them out the week before your cruise to accommodate late bookers.

 

You will get your allocation on arrival. If you do not like it go down to the restaurant and they will do their best to help.

 

Not a lot they can do if 75% want second or first sitting.

 

 

Gan canny

 

 

Dai

[tom_uk]

As an aside, this thread is the perfect answer to the other one asking "why book early?".... That said, I do recognise that as a New Year cruise, this is perhaps more popular than a bog-standard W Med or Atlantic Islands cruise.

[wannatan]

many thanks to kevinyork,bee-ess and jenny wren for your info.

have spoken to both p&o who wont do anything as travel agent booked and also to another person( the owner) of the small TA that i use.

The TA contacted p&o and have been told that wait list for 2nd sitting is not very long at all so we will keep our fingers crossed.

 

daiB.. while I know that people have booked a long time ago I still think 81/2 months is plenty of time to be able to get dinner at a time when you want. I accept last minute cheaper bookings get probably not much option but I never thought this would have happened.

If I had been told it was only 1st sitting I would have probably looked elsewhere and not booked.

 

 

Also TA said that this has happened to him and his staff a few times before with the telesales telling them one thing and the cruise personaliser saying different.

 

All I know dinner at 6.30 New Years Eve is not going to be an option for me, if nothing is resolved it will be buffet or speciality resturant if we can get a booking.

[daiB]

many thanks to kevinyork,bee-ess and jenny wren for your info.

have spoken to both p&o who wont do anything as travel agent booked and also to another person( the owner) of the small TA that i use.

The TA contacted p&o and have been told that wait list for 2nd sitting is not very long at all so we will keep our fingers crossed.

 

daiB.. while I know that people have booked a long time ago I still think 81/2 months is plenty of time to be able to get dinner at a time when you want. I accept last minute cheaper bookings get probably not much option but I never thought this would have happened.

If I had been told it was only 1st sitting I would have probably looked elsewhere and not booked.

 

 

Also TA said that this has happened to him and his staff a few times before with the telesales telling them one thing and the cruise personaliser saying different.

 

All I know dinner at 6.30 New Years Eve is not going to be an option for me, if nothing is resolved it will be buffet or speciality resturant if we can get a booking.

 

 

If a sitting is wait listed then the cruise is nearly full. That is not the fault of P&O. If the wait list is short then you will be ok and you will get your choice. For popular cruises you must book within a month or so of the bookings opening, if you have specific requirements.

 

Booking late is not an option in some cases.

 

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

[jeanlyon]

That is one reason I book very early. Eating at 6.30 would just not be for me. So we would be in the buffet every night :-(

[LibraLass41]

I agree too, 630 too early for us, especially on a port day when coming back onboard from a day trip at 5pm, I know how you feel, although its never happened to me -yet. As Dai says this is a New years Cruise, and is obviously very booked up, 8 months ahead may seem a lot to you, but as Dai said some people booked well over a year ago securing NY eve on a cruise.

It does sound like you may well get 2nd if there is a short waiting list.... If unsuccessful it would be the supplement restaurants and a few buffet dinners for me too.

Good luck

:)

[wannatan]

thanks everyone... Im glad we have already booked next years cruise on the new royal princess. This year family prpoblems made our hol choice a later thing