Vantage fares not worth the money

[dodgydino]

We just returned from our cruise on the Azura and must say we had a great time. One thing that sticks in my throat though is the fact we booked Vantage fares thinking we covered ourselves in case of any drastic price drops but as already been discussed on here many times isn't quite what it seems.

We booked our cruise very early but in future we will book late owing to the fact that may people we spoke to during our trip paid as much as £600 less for far better accommodation.

We had a cabin with restricted views where others had balconys for a lot less money...Somehow it just doesn't seem quite right and I wont get stung again.

We also during our booking had it confirmed by P&O and clarified many times that during our time on board we would be allocated a 4 seat table only to be told on board that we were allocated an 8 seat table....It seems like they will tell you what they want when taking your money...Bit naughty really.

Anyway considering all the moaning we really did enjoy our holiday and cant wait to go again, Wether that's with P&O will remain to be seen.

[simonpjd]

You are not alone. I think everyone on here, unless there is a specific reason for booking early, will be waiting for those Getaway fares and hoping to save , at times, a substantial sum. I know we will not be booking Vantage again.

However I do think that the gap in price will drop and maybe even go as the economy picks up. Lets be honest - this is purely P&Os way of selling unsold cabins. And as the economy recovers there will be less and less of them.

At least you had a great cruise and didn't let this worry you.

[davecttr]

how long until the economy picks up? 5 years? 10 years? We are heading for another housing bubble with all these silly house price rises and apparently here in the UK incomes are being squeezed more than most in europe. We will see lots of discounting for many years yet.

 

I agree that Vantage fares seem a very expensive way of booking a specific cabin and dining style.

[simonpjd]

Buying a Vantage fare is NOT an expensive way of booking. It is just that there MAY be cheaper options later. Just like seeing a coat in Selfidges but waiting until the Sale to buy it. The discounting has been going on for years and years. P&O are simply trying to standardise it because of all the complaints they used to get about pax all paying varying amounts for the same cruise. Their remedy has just not worked and brought all these differences right out into the open - mind you with the internet etc then everything is open these days. Like this forum.

[dthompsond1]

The thing is Getaway fares are no longer last minute fares. They have them available on cruises in March 2014 , that's 7 months away!!

[daiB]

The thing is Getaway fares are no longer last minute fares. They have them available on cruises in March 2014 , that's 7 months away!!

 

And the discounted price is not that much less than Vantage. No where the difference to be found before Christmas.

 

Someone has posted that P&O have changed their policy and the discounts will not be as great as before.

 

This of course makes the discounts I got in April for next Oct look good.:cool::cool:

 

Just checked the Azura transatlantic in March the Getaways are all less than 10% some as low as 5% discount. In other words you get more off by booking on day one.

 

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai

[jeanlyon]

Well much as I would like to pay less, our upcoming cruise on Oriana on a Vantage fare is still amazing value. Just under £100 per night OBC and parking. Where can you go and get room and full board and entertainment for that money?

[old nutter]

Just to add to the confusion I have just tried to book a Vantage fare and was only able to get a Guarantee cabin at the Vantage cost - so much for the value with Vantage then.... Maybe the whole system is crumbling into total chaos

[promocollect]

I have watched the numerous comments re vantage v getaway with great interest.

From my perspective it has to be vantage all the way. As we have a child of school age, we require a 3 berth cabin and so always book at brochure release. If we waited for getaway, there would most certainly be no availability. On my upcoming cruise (n327), I have an inside (recent free upgrade to riviera mid ships), and called p&o the other day enquiring as about a paid upgrade to a balcony. The response, sorry sir all sold out.

I am happy with the price paid and have £190 on board credit also. The current getaway price for the 3 of us is no less than what we paid as vantage!!!

I have also tried other lines but consider p&o fits my requirements (child care facilities and on board pricing mainly) currently and am looking forward to next brochure release as hope to secure something for the "new ship" for 2015.

 

Anyway that's just my perspective and I understand it may be different for some people (higher grade cabins I suspect ?)

 

Regards

 

Dave

 

Ps hello to Dai ( we met on Ventura a couple of years ago)

 

 

 

 

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[annieuk]

It will be Vantage for us too. We are willing to pay for being able to have our specific choice of cabin and for the dining sitting. Incidentally on the subject of table sizes I have always understood that you can get the sitting confirmed when you book but the size of the table is a request only - even when you book a Vantage fare when booking first opens. I quite understand that for some people it doesn't matter where their cabin is or what type of cabin they have - that's just what the Getaway fare provides - but it's not for us.

 

Obviously I don't know what P&O will do as regards the whole Vantage/Getaway fiasco it will be interesting to see. I can't be the only one who understood that it had to be the specific grade of cabin that had to be reduced in order to get extra OBC and I quite expected that the Getaway Fare - or whatever it used to be called - would offer fares at a reduced price. It's interesting that our next cruise - a 3 nighter on Aurora has not had any Getaway Fares introduced. I assume P&O were able to fill the ship without having to bring in a Getaway Fare.

 

We are on a back to back next year on Azura finishing with the Transatlantic to Southampton. The price of our grade of cabin has already been increased and the only ones of that grade still available are in a position I wouldn't want to be.

 

 

:)

[old nutter]

I can see why many people have to use Vantage fares and others are willing to forgo the advantages of them for less money. Clearly the ability to select a particular cabin is often a vital ingredient of the cruise and is the main driving factor towards Vantage. However, I am very confused as to why they are only offering some Vantage fares with Guarantee Cabins without any kind of reduction or alternative enhancement or even any comment at all. It seems as though there is a degree of anarchy in some areas so that they do not have to stick to any rules.

 

I think I can feel an ASA complaint coming on here......

[daiB]

I can see why many people have to use Vantage fares and others are willing to forgo the advantages of them for less money. Clearly the ability to select a particular cabin is often a vital ingredient of the cruise and is the main driving factor towards Vantage. However, I am very confused as to why they are only offering some Vantage fares with Guarantee Cabins without any kind of reduction or alternative enhancement or even any comment at all. It seems as though there is a degree of anarchy in some areas so that they do not have to stick to any rules.

 

I think I can feel an ASA complaint coming on here......

 

Sou ds like there are not many cabins left why not getaway or are they not selling those. I think the days that days of cheap getys are over.

[daiB]

I have watched the numerous comments re vantage v getaway with great interest.

From my perspective it has to be vantage all the way. As we have a child of school age, we require a 3 berth cabin and so always book at brochure release. If we waited for getaway, there would most certainly be no availability. On my upcoming cruise (n327), I have an inside (recent free upgrade to riviera mid ships), and called p&o the other day enquiring as about a paid upgrade to a balcony. The response, sorry sir all sold out.

I am happy with the price paid and have £190 on board credit also. The current getaway price for the 3 of us is no less than what we paid as vantage!!!

I have also tried other lines but consider p&o fits my requirements (child care facilities and on board pricing mainly) currently and am looking forward to next brochure release as hope to secure something for the "new ship" for 2015.

 

Anyway that's just my perspective and I understand it may be different for some people (higher grade cabins I suspect ?)

 

Regards

 

Dave

 

Ps hello to Dai ( we met on Ventura a couple of years ago)

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hi Dave,

 

Sorry a bit more context please. We meet a lot of people. :cool:

 

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

[old nutter]

Sou ds like there are not many cabins left why not getaway or are they not selling those. I think the days that days of cheap getys are over.

 

No Getaways yet (March), just Vantage Guarantees at the grade I wanted. I am afraid the number of cabins left does not wash as a reason for breaching the biggest Vantage promise. Assuming the number left at that grade is 0, then it is "sold out", Assuming it is 1 or more then that one(s) is/are available for a definite booking. I suppose it is possible that all at that grade are sold but there are cabins at a higher grade available for the upgrade fairy to use. Doing that would at least get a firm booking and another grand+ of deposit in the tin at the Guarantee cabin grade and someone would be happy to move up later - but is that the way you need to do business??? Not very honourable if it is the reason. I suppose it is always possible that someone has pressed the wrong key somewhere in the web department - probably more likely on current form.:confused:

[davecttr]

I booked a Vantage fare this week through my TA and they asked me if I wanted to be considered for a free cabin upgrade which I refused as a upgrade could deposit you back by the engines.

 

Maybe they have realised they have to give the Vantage people a chance of an upgrade before the Getaways?

[promocollect]

Hi Dave,

 

Sorry a bit more context please. We meet a lot of people. :cool:

 

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

 

Yes and quite :D

 

Could have been any of the following;

Ventura N803

Oriana X820

Ventura N912

AzuraA112

VenturaN219

 

Regards

 

Dave

[carhirer]

No Getaways yet (March), just Vantage Guarantees at the grade I wanted.......

 

Wot's a Vantage Guarantee?

 

Please clarify. Do PO offer early booking discounts? Do they display the early discount alongside the full fare (like they used to 15 years ago).

[majortom10]

I booked a Vantage fare this week through my TA and they asked me if I wanted to be considered for a free cabin upgrade which I refused as a upgrade could deposit you back by the engines.

 

Maybe they have realised they have to give the Vantage people a chance of an upgrade before the Getaways?

 

They have always asked, or should if you have a decent TA, whether you would want a free upgrade or not when you book because that in itself caused a lot of problems because people werent being asked and then were upgraded into a cabin they didnt want but couldnt have the original one back. Free upgrades being asked is nothing to do with Vantage or Getaway.

[old nutter]

Wot's a Vantage Guarantee?

 

Same as if it was a Guarantee cabin on a Getway deal, but as a Vantage deal with all of the other Vantage extras except cabin choice.

 

Tried to book a Vantage fare for a cruise in March and when I went to the cabin selection, it did not offer a specific cabin, it offered to guarantee that I would get a cabin at that grade or better.

[jeanlyon]

But hold on, not understanding something here. If you book a Getaway, you don't even know what your cabin is, it might well be back near the engines. So how can you refuse an upgrade when you don't know where your cabin will be?

[majortom10]

But hold on, not understanding something here. If you book a Getaway, you don't even know what your cabin is, it might well be back near the engines. So how can you refuse an upgrade when you don't know where your cabin will be?

 

You cannot refuse the cabin given to you by P&O if it is booked under Getaway but sometimes as in T&Cs of Getaway deal P&O often do put you in a cabin higher than the grade you have booked.

[Winkster]

We booked a Vantage fare last week (June 2014) and I'd have no hesitation booking another.

 

Cabin location is important to us (port high mid) as is dining preference.

 

Primarily though, we want to know we're on that specific cruise. I don't want to chance it that "our" cruise will still be available a few months before it leaves

 

I'm happy paying more now to know we've got exactly what we wanted.

 

Even with a Getaway fare, a cruise isn't exactly cheap. I'd rather not pay all that money and still end up compromising on cabin location etc.

 

 

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[the english lady]

We booked a Vantage fare last week (June 2014) and I'd have no hesitation booking another.

 

Cabin location is important to us (port high mid) as is dining preference.

 

Primarily though, we want to know we're on that specific cruise. I don't want to chance it that "our" cruise will still be available a few months before it leaves

 

I'm happy paying more now to know we've got exactly what we wanted.

 

Even with a Getaway fare, a cruise isn't exactly cheap. I'd rather not pay all that money and still end up compromising on cabin location etc.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

My thoughts exactly, which is why we have booked vantage for next year. Special occasion, We may have got cheaper , but then again we may not have got the grade we wanted.

I am waiting for next year when getaways do not offer dining choice, and all the people coming on here saying they booked and now do not have the dining they requested, or even a party of 6 in 3 cabins ,are at opposite ends of the ship, on different decks, and do not even have the same dining. It will happen.

The person querying the availability of cabins, why does he/she not phone Pando direct and say I want this grade of cabin ,what cabins do you have available, rather that try and understand the mysteries of booking on line and cabin availability.

[carhirer]

.........

 

Cabin location is important to us (port high mid) as is dining preference.

 

...........[/tQUOTE]

 

Just curious. Why Port? Why High?

[carhirer]

.....

I am waiting for next year when getaways do not offer dining choice, and all the people coming on here saying they booked and now do not have the dining they requested, or even a party of 6 in 3 cabins ,are at opposite ends of the ship, on different decks, and do not even have the same dining. It will happen.

..........

 

So you would be happier if PO play unnecessary and irritating games to pee off getaway bookers rather than offer vantage bookers real value for their excess money?