Kids Club Waitlist

[tillybilly321]

I have noticed on a couple of other forums that passengers with children have been emailed to say that some clubs are over subscribed and they will be available on a " first come, first served " basis.

 

I would not have taken much notice of this, as I have never cruised in the summer holidays, but for our experience in June. On attending the kids club meeting on the first day we were advised then, that the 5-8 group had too many kids and would be available on the above basis. This was a surprise to us as there were only just over 100 children aboard. So few in fact, that they had mixed the 2 older groups to be one 8-17 group.

 

In June it was particularly strange as the joining of the 2 older groups meant that there was even a spare club room as they only used one.

 

In effect it meant that if you took your child to first sitting you would not be able to join the club after, as it was full. This was made worse by the fact that my 10 year old could go to the club when he wanted to, but my 6 year old was turned away on occasions, and had to spend the evening trailing round with us.

 

This was our 6th cruise ( not all with P&O ) but the first time we have had any issues like this.

 

Very reluctant to book for next year if there is no guarantee that the clubs will be available.

 

Is the reduction in kids staff yet another cut back or were we just unlucky ? :confused:

 

In my opinion if they advertise facilities , they should be available to all. I can also see far more complaints from those who do not like the children in bars or shows. In our case there was no alternative apart from going back to sit in the cabin. Not much of a holiday if we had to do that every evening :(.

[Suebiker]

I have noticed on a couple of other forums that passengers with children have been emailed to say that some clubs are over subscribed and they will be available on a " first come, first served " basis.

 

I would not have taken much notice of this, as I have never cruised in the summer holidays, but for our experience in June. On attending the kids club meeting on the first day we were advised then, that the 5-8 group had too many kids and would be available on the above basis. This was a surprise to us as there were only just over 100 children aboard. So few in fact, that they had mixed the 2 older groups to be one 8-17 group.

 

In June it was particularly strange as the joining of the 2 older groups meant that there was even a spare club room as they only used one.

 

In effect it meant that if you took your child to first sitting you would not be able to join the club after, as it was full. This was made worse by the fact that my 10 year old could go to the club when he wanted to, but my 6 year old was turned away on occasions, and had to spend the evening trailing round with us.

 

This was our 6th cruise ( not all with P&O ) but the first time we have had any issues like this.

 

Very reluctant to book for next year if there is no guarantee that the clubs will be available.

 

Is the reduction in kids staff yet another cut back or were we just unlucky ? :confused:

 

In my opinion if they advertise facilities , they should be available to all. I can also see far more complaints from those who do not like the children in bars or shows. In our case there was no alternative apart from going back to sit in the cabin. Not much of a holiday if we had to do that every evening :(.

 

Hi there

 

I have not heard of this and would be very unhappy about it. On our last cruise they cut the hours that the club was open and shut between 12 and 2 and also 4and 5pm Which I assumed was because there were very few kids onboard but it could have been because they cut staff levels.

 

Personally if I were you I would email the CEO of Carnival (David Dingle) and complain explaining that you paid for a cruise which advertised kids clubs and how it ruined your holiday. I would also explain that you would not rebook if there was a chance that this would happen again.

 

Hope you manage to sort this out as it would stop me booking too if this becomes the norm. Last year they caused problem for families with getaway fares, now this - are they trying to alienate families completely!!!!

 

Good luck

 

Sue

[A UKCRUISER]

Apparently on Ventura there are large queue's forming as it is a first come first served basis now, and I was told that on the last cruise there were heated arguments between passengers who were not at all happy. I know for a fact that the staffing has been cut and that the youth crew have had their hours altered and are struggling to cope.

I think P&O need to address this soon as familes will not stand for this.

[Tom Baker]

P&O used to operate a policy that they would not take bookings for kids on their cruises once the maximum number of kids who could attend the kids club was reached.

 

The kids clubs used to run from 9am until 11pm (midnight during peak season)

Then they started to "merge" clubs, then limiting hours, shutting for 2 hours over lunch, then reducing the evening hours until 10.30pm, then 10.00pm

 

P&O were the company to cruise with if you had kids 6 years ago, now I'm surprised anyone with kids chooses P&O.

 

ANYONE who experiences ANY of the US brands will never return to P&O when they see the quality of the product. PLUS you can leave your kids in the kids club on US ships while you go ashore (more like daycare, less like a play area) something P&O have NEVER offered.

 

I wonder if there a reason why P&O is being run into the ground?

[bee-ess]

This needs to be sorted quickly, if Kids Clubs are advertised as part of deal then it should be available . I don't have children but have assumed that P&O facilities for children were first class as that is the reputation they always had. One more thing that the new chief needs to address along with vantage fares debacle and now less times in port to save money. They are on the way down I think unless things change soon which is a shame but they are not competing with other cruise lines or even struggling to keep up.

[jfhandel]

Having just got off Ventura, I can confirm all of the above. Opening hours restricted, and staffing numbers woefully insufficient, leading to some children being turned away. Which of course led to huge queues before each session, frayed tempers, people leaving their children in for longer than they would have liked for fear of them not getting back in - all sorts of hassle.

 

All in all a major clanger dropped by P&O. Am sure it made sense to some bean counter somewhere, but I'm sure we are not the only ones to have fired off a sh*t-o-gram to P&O to the effect that if they don't pull their fingers out there's no point going back for another go.:mad:

[Tom Baker]

Having just got off Ventura, I can confirm all of the above. Opening hours restricted, and staffing numbers woefully insufficient, leading to some children being turned away. Which of course led to huge queues before each session, frayed tempers, people leaving their children in for longer than they would have liked for fear of them not getting back in - all sorts of hassle.

 

All in all a major clanger dropped by P&O. Am sure it made sense to some bean counter somewhere, but I'm sure we are not the only ones to have fired off a sh*t-o-gram to P&O to the effect that if they don't pull their fingers out there's no point going back for another go.:mad:

 

Absolutely outrageous. I hope you get some sort of redress (but I think you'll get a sod*ff -a-gram back) That would have ruined my holiday, and in the school holidays to boot.

 

P&O are either trying to alienate families, shooting themselves in the foot on purpose or are completely incompetent. I'm leaning towards the latter!

 

I know of at least 20 families (loyal P&O customers) who have turned their back on P&O over the fares fiasco, and I'm guessing there's a lot more out there never cruising P&O again:rolleyes:

[tring]

I do not travel with children, but regarding the rights of people who do, there should be availability of everything that is advertised in the brochure.

 

Hence, if the kids club is advertised (assuming there is no 'on availability' or similar clause in the brochure when you book), then the facility should be available. If a change is made to those conditions after you book and it becomes an 'on availability' service, then I have strong suspicions that you will have a right to cancel without loss.

 

We travelled on Adonia in her first season and she was advertised as having a buffet restaurant available in the evenings. In the event, the buffet was only available for 3 or 4 nights out of 17 and the dinning arrangements were fixed early or late sitting (no freedom dining). We complained on the cruise and in writing after the cruise and were awarded £400 onboard credit for a future cruise we had already booked. That was a first off settlement - we did not have to argue for it. A holiday should be as described, otherwise you have a right to some sort of compensation.

[langkin17]

We have experienced 2 cruises with P&O this year travelling with 2 children ages 12 and 8.

We were on azura in the May half term. We were not informed that the childrens clubs were short staffed, we discovered this on our 2nd night when our 8 year old was refused entry in the evening.

I along with many other parents spoke to the Youth Director, we were informed that following a NSPCC inspection last year, P&O had changed the qualifications staff required, this then led to a recruitment issue, and I was told there were staff appointed, but they were having to wait for CRBs, Visas etc.

We then spent the rest of the week clock watching, in order for our 8 year old to be guaranteed to get into the club we would que up before 6pm - this meant we could not have dinner as a family, also our 12 year olds club opened at different times. On this cruise only the 5-8 years group were affected. It also meant when we book a meal at a speciality restaurant we may have had the problem of having nowhere for our children to go to, while we were at the restaurant.

 

We sailed on Oceana on the 19th July. I had logged a complaint following our Azura cruise but it took 7 weeks for P&O to get back to me. 3 days before sailing on Oceana I was informed there would be a staffing issue again, and was offered a full refund or the choice to still travel, no much of an option 3 days before sailing. We then received an email letting us know the club was on a first come first served basis, as well as a letter in the cabin on arrival. In addition they had put 4 "family shows on for parents to take their kids to. We were worried we would have the same problems again. The 2-8 year olds were put together. However on this cruise even though there were a large number of children we never had a problem using the clubs, and as far as I am aware no one had to be turned away. Perhaps as the weather was so good, demand was lower.

 

These issues though do make you think twice about booking again

[tillybilly321]

Having just got off Ventura, I can confirm all of the above. Opening hours restricted, and staffing numbers woefully insufficient, leading to some children being turned away. Which of course led to huge queues before each session, frayed tempers, people leaving their children in for longer than they would have liked for fear of them not getting back in - all sorts of hassle.

 

All in all a major clanger dropped by P&O. Am sure it made sense to some bean counter somewhere, but I'm sure we are not the only ones to have fired off a sh*t-o-gram to P&O to the effect that if they don't pull their fingers out there's no point going back for another go.:mad:

 

 

This is quite a worry to have my initial thoughts confirmed. Will make me VERY reluctant to book for next year if this is going to become the norm.

 

As someone has already said, I thought they had a quota for each age group and took no more bookings once it had been reached.

 

P&O have stated on F***b**K that this issue has only been on a limited amount of cruises, due to exceptional numbers of children, and all passengers had been informed before sailing. This was most certainly NOT the case on our June cruise as there were less than 200 kids on board and we were not informed until the kids meeting on the first day.

 

Can't even blame it on Getaway fares as families are not able to book these until September.

 

There is very little entertainment or things for kids to do outside of the clubs so can I see many families not bothering with P&O if the clubs are unavailable too. I'm sure that the other passengers will not appreciate hundreds of bored kids milling around either.

 

I'm beginning to wonder exactly which type of passenger P&O are trying to attract ? So far this year they have managed to alienate disabled passengers, single passengers, early bookers and now families yet again :confused:

 

I can't imagine what they will try next :(

[langkin17]

were were informed on board in May that all ships (except adult only) were affected. When we were offered a refund on our July cruise I asked if there were any other cruises we could move to in the summer holidays, and I was informed that all summer holiday cruises will have the same problems.

There were lots of people in May who had booked getaways with children as multiple 2 berth cabins - cheaper than paying for a 4 berth in advance!

[langkin17]

I would add though the kids had a great time on Oceana when we did have full access - we just did not know if the clubs would be available to them in advance

[tfg]

When i booked our 2013 xmas cruise last summer reservations informed me i would be guaranteed a child place in the club as we had booked so early,is this not correct?

Not that we will have to use it too much as the weather should be good i don't want to be worrying about wether she will get in or not.I am after all on holiday and want to relax not worry about that.

As ohers have said it looks like pando are trying to alienate families

[tring]

tfg

 

If you were told you would be guaranteed a child club place, then if that is not the case, you have a clear right to cancel with a full refund (if you wish to do so). P&O will probably do the, 'tell you a few days before bit', so you will need to ask them in writing before hand (e-mail is fine).

 

If they notify people a few days before that there will be problems with the clubs, and people still choose to travel, then the passengers will have no claim against P&O if problems are encountered onboard. If passengers have not been told, then there is a right to some sort of compensation.

 

That is why P&O will tell you before the cruise - but not much before - no point in making it easy for people to cancel is it!!!

[langkin17]

When i booked our 2013 xmas cruise last summer reservations informed me i would be guaranteed a child place in the club as we had booked so early,is this not correct?

Not that we will have to use it too much as the weather should be good i don't want to be worrying about wether she will get in or not.I am after all on holiday and want to relax not worry about that.

As ohers have said it looks like pando are trying to alienate families

 

 

It does not matter when you have booked, all children are treated in the same way on a first come first served basis.

I have been informed that is a problem with recruitment at the moment, waiting for crbs etc, although problems have been encountered over last Christmas school holidays, may half term and now the summer holidays. It seems it is taking a long time to get new staff on the ships.

I would be asking P and O if staffing levels will be back to normal by christmas

[Lovemychoos]

Blimey, I only started reading this thread as I was curious when I read the title!

 

I don't have kids, but have friends that do. Why on earth would parents be temped to book a cruise with a 'family friendly' cruise line, on a ship that actively promotes 'kids activities' when it's a lottery as to whether you can yet your kids in the kids club?

 

Good grief, what next?

 

P&O - I have lost heart with you the last couple of years, but disappointing kids on holiday? I don't think so :mad:

 

Lou

[langkin17]

Blimey, I only started reading this thread as I was curious when I read the title!

 

I don't have kids, but have friends that do. Why on earth would parents be temped to book a cruise with a 'family friendly' cruise line, on a ship that actively promotes 'kids activities' when it's a lottery as to whether you can yet your kids in the kids club?

 

Good grief, what next?

 

P&O - I have lost heart with you the last couple of years, but disappointing kids on holiday? I don't think so :mad:

 

Lou

 

 

I just hope the staffing issues are resolved soon (as it has been at least 8 months now) so everything can get back to how it used to be with the ckubs

[Ifoundmydream]

My husband and I sailed Ventura last summer, and had a fab time as two adults. for our family hol this year (14 year old daughter) we wanted to travel p&o again, but the prices for a family were well over our budget, so we are sailing RCCI instead out of Southampton.

 

I have to say, at 14 my daughter needs access to some kind of activities where she can make friends etc, and if this happened to us where everything is on a first come first serve basis, I would be frothing. surely that's a major part of the holiday?

 

I would love to be able to sail p&o next year with our daughter, but unless they sort this out, I won't sail with them, at least with children.

[tfg]

I e mailed carnival CEO at the week end about the kids club.

I recieved a call fom a lady phoning on his behalf.

Basically she said they were having problems at the mo with the checks and sickness and compassionate issues.

She said it used to be if you booked early you were guaranteed a place in the kids club but they have changed there policy,which is in there t&c's that they can do at anytime.

By xmas they envisage the problem will be solved and i said if it is not solved what will happen?

Her reply was then it will be first come first served basis.

She was very polite and apologised about not replying earlier so i will have to wait and see.although if the problem is not solved i will not be sailing with pando again,thats one of the main reasons we go with them

[jaxw17]

I think that this is totally unacceptable for all that is families as well as adults. When we took our Grandson on Queen Elizabeth it would have been very hard work for us and a real disappointment for him his holiday would have been ruined.

The only way that lots of children and adult rub along is that there are at times separate things for them to do. Without the clubs and a number of sea days the kids will be really bored.

If I had booked with kids and then this thrown on me I would be fuming

first time with p and O and the more i read the more apprehensive i am getting.

[tring]

tfg

 

Yes they can change their terms and conditions, but not in retrospect if you do not get what was advertised (or what you were told) when you booked.

 

You are not entitled to any compensation, but you can cancel with a full refund if in that situation. You may need to talk to your local Trading Standards if P&O are not forthcoming. The initial contact nowadays is through Consumer Direct and they may be able to advise themselves, but more complicated things go to your local TS dept.

 

Should be able to find contact details for Consumer Direct on the web - you can telephone, not sure if you can e-mail.