P&O Cheapskates

[daiB]

I booked a 'getaway' deal and i have to print everything myself. Tge deal is that nothing is sent out by post. So i have not received an excursions brochure. I've booked tours online and will pick up a brochure onboard. 'Going Green' is a load of b*^l*^$ks. It just saves P&O printing costs and transfers them to you.:p

 

 

Well stick with Princess then.

 

 

 

Once again your posts are negitive anti P&O so why cruise with them.

[Host Sharon]

As I've said before if printing your own documentation and luggage labels is not a problem to you then of course that's fine and as I've also said the holiday is the most important thing here.

Having said that I feel, of course this is personal preference, that this is a lowering of standards from previous years and quite simply just another way of squeezing even more money out of their customers.

It appears that perhaps I may be in the minority in taking exception to this and I guess in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal but to me it's a step in the wrong direction.

I may have another 3 year break from cruises after this one and who knows by the time I book another we could be paying for coach transfers from the airport to the ship or perhaps making our own beds but hey as long as we get on the ship who cares?

 

I think you will find most mainstream cruise lines have gone this way though, even Cunard.

[starryuk]

Thanks everybody for all of your replys I appreciate everyones comments regardless of their point of view.

As I said in my first post, it's been 3 years since our last holiday and for me it was a bit of a shock and a let down to receive our 4 sheets of A4 (my TA said she felt embarressed giving them to us).

I hadn't realised how much things had changed.

I don't agree with the enviromental argument because, as has already been said,somebody has to print them out some where.

I know that some people don't mind doing this but I'm sorry I do and I don't want to be chasing up P&O to get an excursion booklet and proper luggage labels either.

Of course the holiday is THE most important thing here and I don't intend to let this spoil our holiday because a holiday costs a lot of money and is a big part of peoples lives and that's why, for me, every thing should feel special. EVERYTHING!

 

I agree about having the excursion booklet. I went on my first cruise recently and, although we had organised most excursions before we left, it proved very useful on board when we needed ideas for extra trips. The online site does not inspire and excite; I need glossy colourful pics!

Also, P&O certainly hasn't stinted on all the glossy brochures

promoting future cruises which keep dropping through my letter box. That doesn't seem 'green' to me!

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Well stick with Princess then.

 

 

 

Once again your posts are negitive anti P&O so why cruise with them.

 

 

Because at £49 per night it would be rude not to!

 

How much did you pay as an early booker??

[LibraLass41]

'Going Green' is a load of b*^l*^$ks. It just saves P&O printing costs and transfers them to you.:p

 

HERE HERE!!! Exactly what I said further up :) -except I didn't say b*>l*$ks !!

haha:p

 

 

How can it be ' green' if we the fare-paying customer have to print off instead of P&O ??

[Host Sharon]

Because at £49 per night it would be rude not to!

 

How much did you pay as an early booker??

 

I think Dai is disabled, in which case he has no option but to book early to get the adapted cabins. The same applies to solo travellers. However, IMO if I don't like a line or a ship any price is too much.

[Somerset Cruiser]

As long as people keep paying top dollar I will gratefully mop up the cheap cabins that are left. :D

 

Gratefully but not happily it seems.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Gratefully but not happily it seems.

 

Of course I'm happy. If you happen to be on my table in the MDR, I'll be the one with the cheesy grin and loads of money in my wallet! :D

[Jimsgirl]

Yes, it maybe about saving money, but it's universal these days. I'm more than happy to print off my eticket on 2 pieces of A4 and I don't see that as cheapskate as long as I get the excursion booklet and luggage labels from P&O, both of which are much longer / more complicated and which to me are far more important.

 

Have you thought that not everyone has a printer, some do not even have a computer, personally I wish that companies would actually give a moments thought to Customer SERVICE, instead of the staff dictating policies that assist them not the customer

 

It is obvious that Carnival (who own so many of the lines) have only one thought, srew the customer out of every "penny" , and do as little as possible in the way of service/quality .

[Jimsgirl]

As I've said before if printing your own documentation and luggage labels is not a problem to you then of course that's fine and as I've also said the holiday is the most important thing here.

Having said that I feel, of course this is personal preference, that this is a lowering of standards from previous years and quite simply just another way of squeezing even more money out of their customers.

It appears that perhaps I may be in the minority in taking exception to this and I guess in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal but to me it's a step in the wrong direction.

I may have another 3 year break from cruises after this one and who knows by the time I book another we could be paying for coach transfers from the airport to the ship or perhaps making our own beds but hey as long as we get on the ship who cares?

 

No you are not alone, it is just that there are some "passengers" who think that "X" cruise line can do no wrong. I put the word passengers in quotes because frankly I wonder sometime if these are really people who cruise or paid "spin doctors".

 

I see it all the time on Cunard, you can document an incident, time, place, staffer, it does not matter these "cheerleaders" will still say that YOU are the one at fault , YOU are the one who "expects too much" or "you should have booked the Grills not an inside cabin"

[Norfolk Brit]

Roughly 20% of the UK population do not even own a computer. My guess, based on no scientific evidence whatsoever, but on the assumption that most are older than average, is that a larger proportion of cruisers than that do not own one. These people are rapidly becoming disenfranchised, and not only by cruise lines.

 

However, I can see no alternative to cruise lines cutting costs; fares have dropped considerably over recent years, they are having to offer huge last minute price reductions to try and fill the ships, and my guess is that on board spend has also dropped. My problem is that I have an aversion to disingenous explanations and the 'green' one is currently used by just about everyone to justify service diminution. A spot of honesty would not go amiss.

 

Mary

[dorsetlad]

If a person does not have a computer, they will not have booked on line or have access to their cruise personaliser, so will not have the option to "Go Green", and therefore will not have to print their own tickets. Simples.:rolleyes:

 

Brian

[Norfolk Brit]

If a person does not have a computer, they will not have booked on line or have access to their cruise personaliser, so will not have the option to "Go Green", and therefore will not have to print their own tickets. Simples.:rolleyes:

 

Brian

 

If you read the previous posts, you may note that booking some of the late getaway deals automatically ensures that you 'go green'; this has nothing whatsoever to do with cruise personalisers. To book these deals, you do not need a computer, telephone, or even semaphore flags.:rolleyes: You simply trot down to your local travel agent, who will fail to warn you.

 

And you will find out that you have when your post fails to arrive.

 

Simples.

 

Mary

[dorsetlad]

Then that surely is the TA's fault. P & O can't require you to print out tickets if you don't have the necessary equipment.

 

Brian

[Host Sharon]

However, IMO if I don't like a line or a ship any price is too much.[/quote

Which line don't you like then Sharon? Or do they all give 'host perks'?;)

 

 

Firstly no-one gets "host perks" as you call it!

 

Secondly I am not going to post which ships and lines I don't like, because it is a personal opinion and I wouldn't want to put off other potential cruisers who may love them, and who want/expect something different than I do when on a cruise. My point was that price is not the be all and end all. Hosts are still allowed to have personal opinions.

[katrus-83]

Well this issue seems to have, at the least, polarised opinon.

It seems to me that people fall into one of two camps.

You are either happy to get a way on a cruise regardless of how standards may have fallen and may continue to fall.

Or you consider a cruise to be of a higher standard than the usual package type holiday and you would like that higher standard to be maintained throughout.

Personally I fall into the latter but I fear that in the future, because of the standards that some people are prepared to accept, cruises will become little more than Benidorm at sea.

[LibraLass41]

Depends on high up your nose the rose coloured spectacles are....:rolleyes:

 

In 6 years of cruising and 14 assorted cruises mine have slipped a bit, and enjoying 4-5* holidays inbetween have seen what I can get for my money on land too, things like cancelling the sailaway band is a step in the wrong direction I PERSONALLY feel, whats the point of a 'sailaway' on deck with no band ? Oh yes, to flog champagne thats all now, take away a band which costs about £300 from us and give us nothing to look at at the start of our cruises except wine stewards flogging champers.... but some people will not see any wrong in P&0 whatever they do.

This is a discussion forum and you are right to voice your fears that all is not 100% great with P&O.:rolleyes:

[Somerset Cruiser]

Depends on high up your nose the rose coloured spectacles are....:rolleyes:

 

In 6 years of cruising and 14 assorted cruises mine have slipped a bit, and enjoying 4-5* holidays inbetween have seen what I can get for my money on land too, things like cancelling the sailaway band is a step in the wrong direction I PERSONALLY feel, whats the point of a 'sailaway' on deck with no band ? Oh yes, to flog champagne thats all now, take away a band which costs about £300 from us and give us nothing to look at at the start of our cruises except wine stewards flogging champers.... but some people will not see any wrong in P&0 whatever they do.

This is a discussion forum and you are right to voice your fears that all is not 100% great with P&O.:rolleyes:

 

I see plenty wrong with P&O but I also like the product in many ways. We are currently looking at land holidays and they don't look great value to me compared with cruises, but then neither of us is comparing like with like are we.

 

The sailaway band hasn't been cancelled, or it wasn't a month ago on Adonia. As for the champagne it seemed the majority had their free drink vouchers.

[Host Sharon]

I was going to say that too Somerset Cruiser - I had a sailaway band in May for Adonia - perhaps they heard you were on board Sue ;)

 

Of course P&O aren't perfect - no company is, but after trying other companies I usually come back to them as most of their ships suit my style of cruising.

[wroughtironron]

Thanks everybody for all of your replys I appreciate everyones comments regardless of their point of view.

As I said in my first post, it's been 3 years since our last holiday and for me it was a bit of a shock and a let down to receive our 4 sheets of A4 (my TA said she felt embarressed giving them to us).

I hadn't realised how much things had changed.

I don't agree with the enviromental argument because, as has already been said,somebody has to print them out some where.

I know that some people don't mind doing this but I'm sorry I do and I don't want to be chasing up P&O to get an excursion booklet and proper luggage labels either.

Of course the holiday is THE most important thing here and I don't intend to let this spoil our holiday because a holiday costs a lot of money and is a big part of peoples lives and that's why, for me, every thing should feel special. EVERYTHING!

 

Wow - I thought I'd heard most complaints but how petty is it to raise having to print off an e-ticket and luggage labels?

 

You'll be really peed off when you find you have to unpack your case yourself and make your own tea/coffee in your cabin.

 

God give me strength.

 

I await your cruise review on your return with baited breath

[LibraLass41]

I was going to say that too Somerset Cruiser - I had a sailaway band in May for Adonia - perhaps they heard you were on board Sue ;)

 

Of course P&O aren't perfect - no company is, but after trying other companies I usually come back to them as most of their ships suit my style of cruising.

 

You know full well Sharon that many cruises since April have not had sailaway bands I cruised in May like you and didnt have one , you did, so now instead of EVERY cruise having a band playing its now hit or miss.... not much consolation if your cruise doesn't have one...

 

still it was nice sailing away looking at a few dirty dockers untying the ropes (yawn) but thank god it was onwards and upwards as soon as we left blighty. A great cruise and great weather.

 

P&O aren't perfect I agree, but everyone is allowed to comment on the poor points as well as good, it is without doubt a very expensive holiday (unless one is lucky to get a late deal at £45 a night in an inside cabin, then its a cheap holiday and fantastic value for money, everyone has the right to express their opinion on their cruise good or bad...

[Host Sharon]

Of course everyone can comment. It was just that you implied that the band had been cancelled on all cruises, when obviously it is on some and not others - this could well be down to availablity of bands, bearing in mind how many ships Southampton is now attracting. There were six in port on 2 June and 5 the following day. Not all of those could have a band for sailaway.

[philipsw285]

Of course everyone can comment. It was just that you implied that the band had been canc elled on all cruises, when obviously it is on some and not others - this could well be down to availablity of bands, bearing in mind how many ships Southampton is now attracting. There were six in port on 2 June and 5 the following day. Not all of those could have a band for sailaway.

 

I sailed p&o for the 1st time in april and if there was a band for sail-away i didn't see it.... having previously sailed celebrity you don't get a sail-away party so i didn't realize until the 1st port of call i enjoyed sail-away so much especial the final one THE GREAT BRITISH SAIL-AWAY which in our case was gibraltar i was on AZURA and the captain came up and joined. This gives me high hopes for the 3rd july on oriana I WILL DEFIANTLY BE UP ON TOP DECK WITH 2 CAMERAS SPARE BATTERIES AND A FULLY CHARGED VIDEO CAMERA. My point being i didn't know there was a chance of a sail-away band so i wasn't looking like wise with the sail-away party. So how many people wouldn't miss it because they dnid't know it existed.

[Host Sharon]

I sailed p&o for the 1st time in april and if there was a band for sail-away i didn't see it.... having previously sailed celebrity you don't get a sail-away party so i didn't realize until the 1st port of call i enjoyed sail-away so much especial the final one THE GREAT BRITISH SAIL-AWAY which in our case was gibraltar i was on AZURA and the captain came up and joined. This gives me high hopes for the 3rd july on oriana I WILL DEFIANTLY BE UP ON TOP DECK WITH 2 CAMERAS SPARE BATTERIES AND A FULLY CHARGED VIDEO CAMERA. My point being i didn't know there was a chance of a sail-away band so i wasn't looking like wise with the sail-away party. So how many people wouldn't miss it because they dnid't know it existed.

 

 

Good point Phillipsw285. Captain Brown is brilliant at joining in with the pax. Have a great time on 3 July. I'll be on the Red Funnel ferry photographing you all. :) Not long now.

[cruiseluvva]

I would agree P&O aren't perfect - you'd have to pay an awful lot more for that - but they are exceptionally good value for money.

 

We take as many land based holidays as cruises these days, sometimes more, and believe me decent land based holidays are FAR more expensive!

 

A band and proper tickets etc are pleasant extras, but to keep costs low surely something has to give and are they really that important?