Ventura- Pricing

[Scotland01]

Returned 1st Feb from an excellent P&O Cuise on the Ventura around the Caribbean. The only negative was the many discussions from Vantage Fare customers slating P&O.

 

We have about 30 cruises, with 3 now with P&O and know the unwritten rules between Customers and Cruise Lines regarding price drops, upgrades and on board spends. Sadly, P&O broke these.

 

In Ventura, P&O have a good product with many customers booking early to assure flights etc. In 2013 this came at a high price of hundreds of pounds due to severe panic pricing by P&O in latter part of 2013 of 30-50% discount for in many cases a better cabin than full price early bookers.

 

This P&O panic and organisational shambles broke the unwritten rules with customers. This being noted on BBC TV programme "Rip Off Britain"

 

The P&O Sales team stated that P&O had to regain the confidence of customers and need to make it right.

 

So Mr Edgington,CEO, how do you intend to make it right for us?

 

I note all agents have stated that although the names have been changed the pricing policy remains the same for 2014/15 bookings.

 

I also note most regular customer I spoke to will resist booking with P&O outwith 6 month timescale if at all. RCI Marketing please note.

[the english lady]

Well some of us feel with the new select fares they are trying to get it right.

If you pay select you have first pickings of upgrades/dining options etc.

If you book getaway you are more likely to end up with the grade you have paid for, and you may not get the dining option you want- and will not be able to change it onboard.

Slight hiccup with the increased OBS for new select bookings, but most of those who had already book, and asked got the increase.

PO are not perfect but they are trying

Unless its a once a year itinerary-- think Canada/USA, which tends to get booked up quite quickly, you will always get cheaper prices closer to sailing.

Personally now I would not go for getaway fares as you have no control over the dining options.

[Scriv]

As one whose bookings have been affected by the Vantage issue, I agree with the english lady that P&O are trying very hard to set this right and have been responding very well to issues arising.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Scriv

[bee-ess]

Well some of us feel with the new select fares they are trying to get it right.

If you pay select you have first pickings of upgrades/dining options etc.

If you book getaway you are more likely to end up with the grade you have paid for, and you may not get the dining option you want- and will not be able to change it onboard.

Slight hiccup with the increased OBS for new select bookings, but most of those who had already book, and asked got the increase.

PO are not perfect but they are trying

Unless its a once a year itinerary-- think Canada/USA, which tends to get booked up quite quickly, you will always get cheaper prices closer to sailing.

Personally now I would not go for getaway fares as you have no control over the dining options.

 

Although they are not guaranteeing Saver bookers who book 2 cabins that they will be seated together or same sitting which seems a step too far I think.

[the english lady]

Although they are not guaranteeing Saver bookers who book 2 cabins that they will be seated together or same sitting which seems a step too far I think.

If you are on a sailing that does not get booked up it is quite likely you will be sat together.

Looking at it from their side, they have said select fares will get first pickings. Therefore they cannot really promise anyone on early saver they will get what they want, until nearer the time. Also these bookings are slotted around the select fare payers ref dining and cabins.

Regardless of what others may say they do not go out of their way to annoy people. It is in the T and C that Early saver/saver will get 2nd pickings. You must have known this when you booked so why complain after booking.

When Vantage fare payers complained about people paying a lot less than them and getting better cabins etc , all the people who paid a cheaper fare wanted to say what look how cheap I got MY cruise for. P and O are now trying their best to make sure if you pay the most you get your choices, not what others do not want. Surely that is farer, is it not.

[bee-ess]

Although they are not guaranteeing Saver bookers who book 2 cabins that they will be seated together or same sitting which seems a step too far I think.

If you are on a sailing that does not get booked up it is quite likely you will be sat together.

Looking at it from their side, they have said select fares will get first pickings. Therefore they cannot really promise anyone on early saver they will get what they want, until nearer the time. Also these bookings are slotted around the select fare payers ref dining and cabins.

Regardless of what others may say they do not go out of their way to annoy people. It is in the T and C that Early saver/saver will get 2nd pickings. You must have known this when you booked so why complain after booking.

When Vantage fare payers complained about people paying a lot less than them and getting better cabins etc , all the people who paid a cheaper fare wanted to say what look how cheap I got MY cruise for. P and O are now trying their best to make sure if you pay the most you get your choices, not what others do not want. Surely that is farer, is it not.

 

I agree it is fairer - but if you book 2 cabins in 1 booklng you are travelling as a group (probably family) - while you should not be able to choose sitting or table size you should at least be guaranteed to sit together to eat and should be linked accordingly, that surely would not be breaching any 'rules'.

[the english lady]

As I have said I am sure they will do their best as they want happy cruisers. They will not be able to "guarantee" it though, because if they "guaranteed" it for you, they would have to guarantee for every other person who booked early saver with 2-3 cabins and wanted to sit together. You are looking at it from your perspective -they have to look at it from a ship wide prespective.

They will do their best. When you get onboard if you are not sat on the same table go down to the MD and request to be put on the same table.

[Scriv]

When do you go, be-ess?

[bee-ess]

This is not about me but another thread I read about someone in this situation. My current booking is a Getaway on Azura March 8th and we have the dining arrangements we want.

 

My reason for these comments is that this is the situation we always travel under - a party of 4 ( with my sister and her husband) and for us being split will be unacceptable in the future. In our opinion this is a step too far - this is a holiday for God's sake, who would book a holiday and be split from their family or group to eat ? We are all Peninsula Caribbean grade and would honestly expect to sit together for meals regardless of fare type.

 

I know that in our situation the obvious answer is to book Select but in our opinion the P&O product is no longer worth the Select prices. We have travelled with P&O for 12 years and seen the drop in standard and now feel that if we have to pay that level of prices then we would choose Celebrity as they are a superior product at the price.

 

At the end of the day it is just a product like any other and you go where the value is best.

[Scriv]

Has anyone yet got an 'official' stance on this specific scenario from P&O?

Edited February 7, 2014 by Scriv

[bee-ess]

Has anyone yet got an 'official' stance on this specific scenario from P&O?

 

I have not contacted P&O as I am not looking to book at the moment. This is the thread to which I was referring to

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1982658

[Scriv]

Thanks - I have posted on there my suggestion to email customer services to get in writing their policy as to a family group booking treated as one or two bookings - and whether a linked booking can be treated as one?

 

I think it would be a good thing to get clarified in print so everyone knows where they are as I am sure there will be a lot of people in that situation who will need to know the score before booking Select or Saver.

[bee-ess]

I agree Scriv.

 

I fully understand others comments on here that Select customers should get the first pick of upgrades. My recent P&O cruises have been Getaways as I think they are a good offer and probably somewhere between the 2 types of fares is a fair price. I have paid 1299 for balcony in March when the Vantage fare was 2249 - I think 1299 is too cheap so I booked but I would not have paid 2249 as the product is not worth it. This is a fact of life now, people will always look or wait for offers/bargains.

I do not however expect to get more than the guarantee grade of cabin that I have paid for but it seems recently that we always have got better cabins than booked and we are not going to turn them down. P&O realise rightly that this situation was wrong but now they seem to have gone the other way and it seems that they almost need to punish customers who buy Saver fares to placate the Vantage customers that they let down previously - I think Shuttle buses don't really matter one way or the other but to start introducing rules around the dining is a step too far I think. They seemed to have got themselves into a mess they cannot get out of without upsetting someone. Other cruiselines have saver fares but do not seem to upset people in the same way.

 

Just my opinion and I don't expect others to agree.

Edited February 7, 2014 by bee-ess

[Bronte30]

Hi Englishlady,

I've just read your reply. We've booked Select last year for a cruise in April, and one of our party rang about the OBC, but was told that we could not get it. in your reply, you said that some got it by ringing and asking for it. Do you know how they received it?

[the english lady]

Hi Englishlady,

I've just read your reply. We've booked Select last year for a cruise in April, and one of our party rang about the OBC, but was told that we could not get it. in your reply, you said that some got it by ringing and asking for it. Do you know how they received it?

I think its all cloak and mirrors. Some have posted to say they have received it.

I think (and this is only my thinking) it depends on what price you paid under vantage fare. When they changed to Select did the fare for the cruise go up or down (if down you would have got extra obs without having to ask for it) or stay the same. If it went down so extra obs was given, then I would not expect then to give even more obs under this promotion.

Alternativly some people have had to pay more (as the select fare has gone up from the vantage fare) to get the increased obs.

Or all of the above could be codswallop.....

I have read posting about people getting it and not getting it. I know to get it one had to ask..it was not just given..plus I think you had to change your booking from a vantage to a select one. Without reading all the t and c for both fares I am not sure what effect doing that would have.

As one of your party has asked and was told no....I am not sure there is much else you can do. Do you know if any of the above applies to your booking.

There no help at all!!!!!!

[Scriv]

I think (and this is only my thinking) it depends on what price you paid under vantage fare.

 

Yes, we got an adjustment and I believe it does all depend on exactly what you paid under the Vantage fare. They take all that into account when reviewing your booking and making the comparison.

 

We have now been switched to Select with a new booking reference but keeping our choice of cabin and dining preferences. However we did have to re book our excursions.

[nimmoe2]

We have cruised around the med for the past 6 years ( 2 years we had to cancel due to family illness) .

Like most people we have a budget for our holidays. We are going to Malta for a week in April and were looking for a nice hotel for 2 weeks in summer .

My husband saw the Ventura for 2 weeks including flights for £1399 , yes its an obstructed view, I`ll put up with that for the price.

 

 

We had an inside cabin on the Epic two years ago , that was ok but wouldn`t pick it ( paid £600 each for the week including flights and free Barcelona tour) again we didn`t have a balcony but had all the other usual facilities.

 

Yes I would prefer a balcony this year but we have an extra weeks holiday for the difference . We will have the same food , entertainment etc. so I can cope without a balcony. :p: cool:

[terrierjohn]

On all these price structure threads there seems to be a majority who think that P&O are trying to get things right, personally I have my doubts.

I will however reserve judgement until the brochures and launch offers are issued by the major lines for Southampton sailings, then as usual I will compare itineraries, dates and prices and then book the ones I prefer.

I will be very surprised if any P&O cruises top the list on competitive price, but I have been wrong before, however it was so long ago that I can't remember when and what it was.

[Scriv]

I will however reserve judgement until the brochures and launch offers are issued by the major lines for Southampton sailings, then as usual I will compare itineraries, dates and prices and then book the ones I prefer.

I will be very surprised if any P&O cruises top the list on competitive price, but I have been wrong before, however it was so long ago that I can't remember when and what it was.

 

Hi John. I would be very interested to read your findings when you have made your comparisons if you would share it with us? I find it very hard to compare all the different offers from the various lines and really struggle to see where I could get the best deal.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Scriv

[tom_uk]

Something we don't have this year is a reference back to the initial prices. Previously P&O used to publish several editions of a brochure with the prices in them, but this year's just gives the cruise details and points to the website for prices. So it's hard to know if they've have risen or fallen, unless of course you happened to have details of particular cruise e.g. if you made a booking.