NO CRUISES TILL NEXT YEAR

[Eglesbrech]

45 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Not so sure it is a big group at all, and they were trying to sell off Titan Travel to reduce borrowings just before the Covid19 crisis, and this is now shelved.  So with one brand new £280m cruise ship just started cruises, and another nearing completion, I suspect they will be deeper in doodoos than Carnival.

Perhaps you are right.  I thought that the combination of cruises, travel, various arms of insurance, care, magazine etc would be able to stabilise one segment that was in trouble (sort of like not all the eggs in one basket) but I bow to your superior knowledge.

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I’m not sure I agree. The 70+ group may find themselves restricted by travel advice for longer than the rest.

 

A lot of younger families are finding that they are not paying private nursery fees, commuting costs, aren’t spending monies out so actually are increasing savings.

 

Yes, there are a group of people sadly finding themselves without income however those aren’t typically P&O customers beyond 3 nights.

I agree about the insurance issues. 

Nit so sure about the young couples saving money. You only get paid 80% of your salary, up to a maximum of £2500 per month, which is not very much, and not for an indefinite period. Again,  the self employed are being severely hit. If this drags on for another  6 months, the only people left who can afford to travel will be us pensioners,

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Perhaps you are right.  I thought that the combination of cruises, travel, various arms of insurance, care, magazine etc would be able to stabilise one segment that was in trouble (sort of like not all the eggs in one basket) but I bow to your superior knowledge.

The broker's note that I quoted earlier, said that the insurance arm was doing OK, but the complete closure of the travel arm would, in effect, drag down the entire business.

 

[Eglesbrech]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The broker's note that I quoted earlier, said that the insurance arm was doing OK, but the complete closure of the travel arm would, in effect, drag down the entire business.

 

I suspect that it will not be an easy time for any travel related company.

[peteukmcr]

52 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I agree about the insurance issues. 

Nit so sure about the young couples saving money. You only get paid 80% of your salary, up to a maximum of £2500 per month, which is not very much, and not for an indefinite period. Again,  the self employed are being severely hit. If this drags on for another  6 months, the only people left who can afford to travel will be us pensioners,

Firstly as someone who has just been ‘furloughed’ please remember that this ‘job retention’ scheme is currently only valid for 3 months up to the end of May (it was effective from 1st March). 
 

After that, if the government don’t extend the scheme and your employer cannot take you back, you are in the area of redundancy. End of work. 
 

As for the both of us who do not earn anywhere near £2500 per month but manage quite well, and know many of our colleagues who do not earn anywhere near that, I take exception to your comment ‘which is not very much’. In normal circumstances it is sufficient for us to maintain our lifestyle, but now through no fault of our own we are being penalised and put in a position of financial difficulty because as of today both our salaries are to be reduced by 20%. 
 

P&O are not helping either. Our Britannia TA was cancelled and yet, unlike Royal Caribbean last year when our Oasis of the Seas TA was cancelled and refunds completed in 10 days, P&O have now reneged on their original 45 day refund timescale to now 60 days. Furthermore they keep changing the process. Claiming a ‘cash’ refund on 16th March was supposed to include all monies paid to P&O (cruise fare, pre paid excursions etc). Today we have been told to submit separate claims for these pre cruise items such as excursions (amounting to nearly £300 in our case) and these will take 60 days to be refunded. 
 

I appreciate the travel business is in crisis (that’s why I’ve been furloughed, business travel has collapsed) but P&O have a responsibility to their customers, they cancelled our cruise, not me, so we are entitled to a full refund in a timely manner, which in my mind is not 60 days. No doubt they have staff which have been furloughed, but I would suggest redeploying staff from new sales to refunds (which my employer has done to ensure prompt customer service) should be the first option. 
 

As I stated, due to circumstances we did not create, we are now financially vulnerable and need our £3900 back asap. P&O need to act faster. 

 

 

[Britboys]

At the end of the day everything is speculation.  This is a situation so far removed from any previous experience that no-one has any idea how it is going to pan out.  We don't know when the virus will peak and then hopefully decrease in various countries.  We don't know how long the government travel restrictions will last - either generally or for the over 70's.  We don't know when countries will start re-opening their ports to cruise traffic.  We don't know how insurance companies will react.  We don't know which - if any - cruise lines will collapse or rationalise their fleets.  I'm not saying that people shouldn't speculate - just saying that's all it is...

[wowzz]

7 hours ago, peteukmcr said:

, I take exception to your comment ‘which is not very much’.

My apologies- I could have chosen a better turn of phrase. I was reacting to a post that said that young families would be better off in the current environment,  as they would not be paying for nursery costs,  travel etc. To my mind, that sounded a little unconsidered, as any support would only last 3 months, and if your salary suddenly drops to £2500 PM, then that is not very much if previously, you had been earning, say £4000 PM.

Sorry for any offence- it was not intended. 

[AndyMichelle]

7 hours ago, peteukmcr said:

 

 

As I stated, due to circumstances we did not create, we are now financially vulnerable and need our £3900 back asap. P&O need to act faster. 

 

 

I am only speculating, obviously as none of us know for sure, but my thoughts are, even with the amount they are having to do, with today's technology it cannot take 60 days to process refunds. 

We all know it is effectively the press of a button, with a bit of checking beforehand. I could transfer you money in seconds. (that's not an offer)... 😊

They are either quoting 60 days to spread the cash flow or they are holding off to see where they are in 2 months time... I suspect the latter... 

Lets hope it is quick for all our sakes. 

Andy 

 

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am only speculating, obviously as none of us know for sure, but my thoughts are, even with the amount they are having to do, with today's technology it cannot take 60 days to process refunds. 

We all know it is effectively the press of a button, with a bit of checking beforehand. I could transfer you money in seconds. (that's not an offer)... 😊

They are either quoting 60 days to spread the cash flow or they are holding off to see where they are in 2 months time... I suspect the latter... 

Lets hope it is quick for all our sakes. 

Andy 

 

I agree about the technology part. However,  when P&O announced a further 4 week delay, I would think that involves 100,000 bookings. Given sickness, working from home etc, it will take time to process each one. Not being an apologist,  as I am one of the 100, 000, but I am trying to be realistic.

[AndyMichelle]

Just now, wowzz said:

I agree about the technology part. However,  when P&O announced a further 4 week delay, I would think that involves 100,000 bookings. Given sickness, working from home etc, it will take time to process each one. Not being an apologist,  as I am one of the 100, 000, but I am trying to be realistic.

Me too Wowzz, it must be a nightmare, but being realistic, I still can't see the process will take 60 days, even for that amount.. 

As I said, I have turned into a pessimist and am always looking for the ulterior motive... 

I'm going stir crazy.... Nuuuuurse!! 😊

Andy 

[Roger88]

People will keep on booking their 2021 cruises, believe me. 2021 will be the year of cruising that is for sure. The damnd will be the highest in the history of the industry. People will be willing even to overpay in some cases just to go on a cruise. This histeria at the moment is a temporary. Right when things settle down (like they did in China already) the demand will be back and you will feel bad for not booking your 2021 cruise =D 

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, Roger88 said:

Right when things settle down (like they did in China already) the demand will be back and you will feel bad for not booking your 2021 cruise =D 

China is far from being back to normal.. 

I deal with suppliers who are making products for a completely stagnant market as the rest of the world are not buying.. 

They might be allowed out, but it is far from 'normal' and won't be for a very long time. 

Some Australian port workers refused to Unload containers from China and I suspect this fear will continue and spread... 

Andy 

 

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

On the flip side of this, P&O are taunting me with the September Canada cruise down to £1660, which I've long fancied for my 50th.

 

However, I really would be staggered if cruising returned before the last quarter, if at all this year.  There are so many other factors beyond passing the peak. 

 

Plus, with the current hoo-ha mentioned on other threads about refunds and FCC, that's not a stress I'd want to risk putting myself through.

 

So for me, it's bite the lip time, and just look to seeing that my better half and are still around at the end of all of this (and see which lines have made it through too!). 

[grapau27]

26 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am only speculating, obviously as none of us know for sure, but my thoughts are, even with the amount they are having to do, with today's technology it cannot take 60 days to process refunds. 

We all know it is effectively the press of a button, with a bit of checking beforehand. I could transfer you money in seconds. (that's not an offer)... 😊

They are either quoting 60 days to spread the cash flow or they are holding off to see where they are in 2 months time... I suspect the latter... 

Lets hope it is quick for all our sakes. 

Andy 

 

TA this morning said 60-90 days from our receipt/email from P&O.

[Selbourne]

Although it’s quite possible that no cruises will go anywhere before next year, nobody knows for sure. The trouble with the site that I suspect that this ‘story’ came from is that a large proportion of the content is at best speculation and at worst utter nonsense taken as fact. Classic example is all the ‘how to lessen your chances of catching coronavirus’ tips that the BBC debunked as being completely untrue the other day.

 

The biggest issue as I see it is not the precise date when cruising will recommence but the numbers of people who will want to go on one when it does. I don’t think we should underestimate the damage that this whole affair will have on cruising, long after the restrictions are lifted. Those of us on this site are, in the main, seasoned cruisers and not representative of the target audience that cruise companies are all after with their new ships and increased capacity. We are already ‘the converted’, as evidenced by the low percentage of respondents saying that they won’t cruise again for at least a few years in the poll on this site. I think if that poll was taken by the wider population the results would be completely the other way around. There has been far too much coverage in the media every day since this crisis began portraying cruise ships as hot beds for the spread of disease and the worst possible ‘holiday from hell’ scenarios. Forget that we have all had lots of fabulous cruises over the years. We are no longer the target audience going forward. Just look at how many regular contributors on here won’t even consider the larger ships and, sadly, as a result of this crisis, that might be all we are left with. 
 

Some may point to the high levels of bookings for 2021 cruises as evidence that the industry is going to immediately bounce back. Many of those bookings were made prior to the crisis and a cancellation at this stage is money lost. How many of those bookings will result in fully paid balances won’t be known until next year. 

[glennbtn]

I heard today that Carnival are borrowing against a bond for $6bn in cash to keep them afloat @ 12% interested. So in theory they should be ok for a while especially as their costs will be dropping.

 

I have a cruise booked for August around the British Isles which is due to be paid towards the end of May but still can't decide if I should pay or cancel (guessing I will loose the £440 deposit) I can always reboot if the cruise goes ahead but then no guarantee I can get the insurance as I get it on a holiday by holiday basis.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, glennbtn said:

I heard today that Carnival are borrowing against a bond for $6bn in cash to keep them afloat @ 12% interested. So in theory they should be ok for a while especially as their costs will be dropping.

 

I have a cruise booked for August around the British Isles which is due to be paid towards the end of May but still can't decide if I should pay or cancel (guessing I will loose the £440 deposit) I can always reboot if the cruise goes ahead but then no guarantee I can get the insurance as I get it on a holiday by holiday basis.

 

 

Rumour has it that P&O are issuing FCCs for deposits in these circumstances, if true its something we would consider, although would prefer a shorter final payment period, plus being allowed to use FCCs against existing bookings. 

[peteukmcr]

54 minutes ago, wowzz said:

My apologies- I could have chosen a better turn of phrase. I was reacting to a post that said that young families would be better off in the current environment,  as they would not be paying for nursery costs,  travel etc. To my mind, that sounded a little unconsidered, as any support would only last 3 months, and if your salary suddenly drops to £2500 PM, then that is not very much if previously, you had been earning, say £4000 PM.

Sorry for any offence- it was not intended. 

Thank you for your apology, I know you didn't mean any offence, but the problem is that unless you are furloughed there is so much speculation out there on what it means and how it is being implemented.

 

At least I don't have to do any claiming from the government, my employer will do that.

 

Another example of misunderstanding is the offer by banks to offer a 3 month mortgage holiday, which sounds attractive for many people from whose income this is a large junk of monthly expenditure (for those with mortgages).

 

Most people seem to think that the 3 month 'holiday' will be added to the term of the mortgage. Well depending on your mortgage company this could be no. In my case, yes they may grant me a 3 month holiday, (during which interest will still accrue) but when the 'holiday' is over, then monthly repayments are recalculated to a higher amount as the term of the mortgage will not be extended by 3 months. So in our case, the decision to take this option will be delayed as long as possible, because who knows how this situation is going to pan out.

 

As for will there be any cruises until next year, who knows. All I suspect at this stage is that our next cruise looks very unlikely due to the fact the ship should be sailing from NYC to Southampton in 9 days time and as the cruise line has now deferred sailing until May 11th, I can't see them sending the ship over for such a short season in Europe. 

 

With regard to another scheduled in October, we're still hopefully, but again who knows at this stage.

 

 

[wowzz]

34 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

People will keep on booking their 2021 cruises, believe me. 2021 will be the year of cruising that is for sure. The damnd will be the highest in the history of the industry. People will be willing even to overpay in some cases just to go on a cruise. This histeria at the moment is a temporary. Right when things settle down (like they did in China already) the demand will be back and you will feel bad for not booking your 2021 cruise =D 

I applaud your optimism, but I think few will agree with you.

And why do you believe that things have settled down in China ? The Chinese government played down the initial severity of the virus, and now they are overplaying the recovery.

[peteukmcr]

49 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am only speculating, obviously as none of us know for sure, but my thoughts are, even with the amount they are having to do, with today's technology it cannot take 60 days to process refunds. 

We all know it is effectively the press of a button, with a bit of checking beforehand. I could transfer you money in seconds. (that's not an offer)... 😊

They are either quoting 60 days to spread the cash flow or they are holding off to see where they are in 2 months time... I suspect the latter... 

Lets hope it is quick for all our sakes. 

Andy 

 

It doesn't take 60 days obviously because before we had official notification of the cancellation, I cancelled some of our pre cruise purchases (Sindhu, Epicurean, 2 excursions in Antigua and St Lucia) on 15th March through the personaliser and the refunds were credited to my account on 16th March!

 

Now 2 other excursions on the same order as the excursion for St Lucia, could not be cancelled due to the inadequacies of the P&O system where it let you cancel the first item, but not any additional items. So that's why we're still waiting for approximately £240 in addition to the cruise fare.

 

It is a button pushing exercise because I did it myself for 100's if not over a thousand of travel bookings over the past four weeks (I'd guess I was doing at least 50 per day, so 250 a week easily a thousand over 4 weeks).

 

P&O are obviously trying to hang on to cash or persuade people to take Future Cruise Credits.

[AndyMichelle]

2 minutes ago, peteukmcr said:

It doesn't take 60 days obviously because before we had official notification of the cancellation, I cancelled some of our pre cruise purchases (Sindhu, Epicurean, 2 excursions in Antigua and St Lucia) on 15th March through the personaliser and the refunds were credited to my account on 16th March!

 

Now 2 other excursions on the same order as the excursion for St Lucia, could not be cancelled due to the inadequacies of the P&O system where it let you cancel the first item, but not any additional items. So that's why we're still waiting for approximately £240 in addition to the cruise fare.

 

It is a button pushing exercise because I did it myself for 100's if not over a thousand of travel bookings over the past four weeks (I'd guess I was doing at least 50 per day, so 250 a week easily a thousand over 4 weeks).

 

P&O are obviously trying to hang on to cash or persuade people to take Future Cruise Credits.

Agreed Pete. 

Keep safe, 

Andy 

[zap99]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am only speculating, obviously as none of us know for sure, but my thoughts are, even with the amount they are having to do, with today's technology it cannot take 60 days to process refunds. 

We all know it is effectively the press of a button, with a bit of checking beforehand. I could transfer you money in seconds. (that's not an offer)... 😊

They are either quoting 60 days to spread the cash flow or they are holding off to see where they are in 2 months time... I suspect the latter... 

Lets hope it is quick for all our sakes. 

Andy 

 

Probably stalling for time until they get government approval to dish out vouchers instead of cash. Not only P&O Quite a few are still doing cash. I had a non cancel/refund room booked in Vancouver in June for a few nights. Marriot gave the option to cancel and the money was back on my card in 5 days.

[Denarius]

2 hours ago, Roger88 said:

People will keep on booking their 2021 cruises, believe me. 2021 will be the year of cruising that is for sure. The damnd will be the highest in the history of the industry. People will be willing even to overpay in some cases just to go on a cruise. This histeria at the moment is a temporary. Right when things settle down (like they did in China already) the demand will be back and you will feel bad for not booking your 2021 cruise =D 

I am not convinced that this will be so, mainly because of the decision of most (all?) travel insuance companies not to extend covid-19 cover to new bookings. I believe that most people will defer making future bookings unless and until they can get full health cover for them. To fall ill with covid-19 overseas without any health insurance cover would be a financial nightmare.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Denarius
spelling

[Son of Anarchy]

3 hours ago, BillieJeanKaraokeKing said:

On the flip side of this, P&O are taunting me with the September Canada cruise down to £1660, which I've long fancied for my 50th.

 

However, I really would be staggered if cruising returned before the last quarter, if at all this year.  There are so many other factors beyond passing the peak. 

 

Plus, with the current hoo-ha mentioned on other threads about refunds and FCC, that's not a stress I'd want to risk putting myself through.

 

So for me, it's bite the lip time, and just look to seeing that my better half and are still around at the end of all of this (and see which lines have made it through too!). 

I was tempted by the recent big price drop in the USA and Canada cruise, £1999 at that time. And my fave ship.

 

I don't realistically see cruising in general to be happening again by then, and I don't see New York being back to "normal", by then either.  

 

So I'm not tempted to use my FCC towards this.  Got my eye on a couple of ones late November & December though.

[Hampshire Steve]

4 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

I was tempted by the recent big price drop in the USA and Canada cruise, £1999 at that time. And my fave ship.

 

I don't realistically see cruising in general to be happening again by then, and I don't see New York being back to "normal", by then either.  

 

So I'm not tempted to use my FCC towards this.  Got my eye on a couple of ones late November & December though.

Our next cruise was to be J012 but as we are still waiting for a refund from last months cruise, there is no way cruising will be back to normal by the due date for full payment for this one, so we have moved our deposit forward.

 

I spoke to a friend in Canada last night and it is only just beginning there and many have not come to terms with what is to come, although the local sports shop had sold out of hunting knifes, machetes, rifles and ammunition! We obviously have differing shopping lists this side of the pond!

 

Our view now is not to invest any new money into P&O (or any other) until we know things are assured. We prefer to pick a cabin and normally pay that premium but we are more likely to book holidays just a few days before for the near future, may not help their (P&O) planning but saves us being annoyed at being treated as a free loan agent.