Cunard

[bee-ess]

55 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I am in the same situation in that I am booked via a travel agency which requires paynent 4 weeks before P&O, ostensively to give them time to process my payment and pass it on to P&O. This became an issue earlier this summer with regard to another cruise and I made it clear to them that I was not prepared to pay them until the final week before the P&O due date; I was not prepared to pay the balance unless I was reasonably sure that the cruise would proceed as planned. They agreed to my proposal and said they needed payment at least 2 days(!) before the cutoff to be sure they could pay in time, to which I in turn agreed. The cruise was in fact cancelled before I paid.

It is very much lesson learnt for us as they refuse to budge on payment date but as I have told them any future P&O cruises will be with P&O direct.

[Dermotsgirl]

The three cruises that I still have booked are all via an agent..

 

They require the  balance 4 months before sailing. I don't yet know if they will allow any delay on the balance payment to a date closer to the P&O due date.  I'll find out when I call them at the start of November.  If they are not willing to be flexible,  then I won't be booking with them again. 

[Britboys]

I use a well-known cruise agency but they only ask for payment one week ahead of P&O. All cruise agents are not the same...

[bee-ess]

2 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I use a well-known cruise agency but they only ask for payment one week ahead of P&O. All cruise agents are not the same...

 

I've used ours for a few years now and have been great up till now, we have always got a good discount and they always get what we want on opening day. But through this crisis they have not been good, every issue has to go through them and then P&O and it takes weeks and the payment date business is the final straw.

[PrincessPete]

Whenever I ring a TA with the intention of booking, generally having seen an offer in the papers, my opening line is, "I may well book this cruise with you today. I will only do so if the date I have to make the final payment to you is a maximum of one week before the cruise line's required date. Is that acceptable?"

Without exception they have agreed.

Kind regards Peter

[happy v]

The main reason for not booking with a TA at the moment is there are a lot which will go under.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, happy v said:

The main reason for not booking with a TA at the moment is there are a lot which will go under.

That does not matter since all bookings are direct with the cruise line, and the TA only acts as an agent, but most TA's have to be ABTA protected, so you have that as a last resort.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, happy v said:

The main reason for not booking with a TA at the moment is there are a lot which will go under.

As John has said, your comments are incorrect.

[nosapphire]

Personally, I would not rely too much on ABTA just at the minute.

My understanding is that while ATOL is underwritten by the Government, ABTA is a consortium of tour operators and agents, and they all contribute in order to protect travellers when a travel company goes bust. I don't believe that ABTA is underwritten by the Government.

If too many companies go under, I can forsee ABTA running out of money.

At the very least I forsee ABTA expecting bigger contributions in order to keep the safety net going, which in turn surely has to be reflected back in prices charged to the consumer.

ABTA gave instructions that those who were owed money by CMV were to claim from the bank or credit card company (not from ABTA),  I wonder if banks and card companies are going to start getting nervous about payments to companies that may go under - banks are businesses too.

This is all my personal opinion - but I will not be booking anything a long way ahead again, and I will want refunds for anything that gets cancelled or deferred, ABTA or no ABTA.

 

 

 

[PrincessPete]

 

33 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

.

ABTA gave instructions that those who were owed money by CMV were to claim from the bank or credit card company (not from ABTA),  I wonder if banks and card companies are going to start getting nervous about payments to companies that may go under - banks are businesses too.

 

 

This may be what you mean nosapphire but just to clarify.............ABTA gave those instructions to claim from Banks/Credit Card company only to people who had booked direct with CMV.

Along with several friends, we booked a CMV cruise through Travel Agents and our claims are all being processed by ABTA with claim numbers and updates provided.

Apologies if you meant only those who booked direct!

Kind regards. Peter

[nosapphire]

14 minutes ago, PrincessPete said:

 

 

This may be what you mean nosapphire but just to clarify.............ABTA gave those instructions to claim from Banks/Credit Card company only to people who had booked direct with CMV.

Along with several friends, we booked a CMV cruise through Travel Agents and our claims are all being processed by ABTA with claim numbers and updates provided.

Apologies if you meant only those who booked direct!

Kind regards. Peter

Many thanks for that clarification, it was very helpful - I was not aware that ABTA were handling bookings via travel agents differently.

 

 

[tring]

1 hour ago, nosapphire said:

Personally, I would not rely too much on ABTA just at the minute.

My understanding is that while ATOL is underwritten by the Government, ABTA is a consortium of tour operators and agents, and they all contribute in order to protect travellers when a travel company goes bust. I don't believe that ABTA is underwritten by the Government.

If too many companies go under, I can forsee ABTA running out of money.

At the very least I forsee ABTA expecting bigger contributions in order to keep the safety net going, which in turn surely has to be reflected back in prices charged to the consumer.

ABTA gave instructions that those who were owed money by CMV were to claim from the bank or credit card company (not from ABTA),  I wonder if banks and card companies are going to start getting nervous about payments to companies that may go under - banks are businesses too.

This is all my personal opinion - but I will not be booking anything a long way ahead again, and I will want refunds for anything that gets cancelled or deferred, ABTA or no ABTA.

 

 

 

True ABTA are not protected by Government, in fact they have insurance to cover any claims.  I do not know if the insurance is.limited though.

 

Regards being told to claim from CC or DC if applicable - that instruction has always been used to those who paid directly, long before this year.  It does not work if paid through an agent as the agent is not the supplier, so not liable.

 

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, nosapphire said:

Personally, I would not rely too much on ABTA just at the minute.

My understanding is that while ATOL is underwritten by the Government, ABTA is a consortium of tour operators and agents, and they all contribute in order to protect travellers when a travel company goes bust. I don't believe that ABTA is underwritten by the Government.

If too many companies go under, I can forsee ABTA running out of money.

At the very least I forsee ABTA expecting bigger contributions in order to keep the safety net going, which in turn surely has to be reflected back in prices charged to the consumer.

 

This is all my personal opinion - but I will not be booking anything a long way ahead again, and I will want refunds for anything that gets cancelled or deferred, ABTA or no ABTA.

 

 

 

I would not trust ABTA one inch. They exist for the benefit of travel agents, not customers  - the clue is in the name: Association of British Travel Agents.

 

The recent refund fiasco proves the point very clearly - far from leaning on agents to repay within the 14 days required by law, they’ve actually been supporting the unlawful delays!

 

ABTA is not your friend. It pretends to be, but in reality it’s the agents’ friend.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, PrincessPete said:

 

 

This may be what you mean nosapphire but just to clarify.............ABTA gave those instructions to claim from Banks/Credit Card company only to people who had booked direct with CMV.

Along with several friends, we booked a CMV cruise through Travel Agents and our claims are all being processed by ABTA with claim numbers and updates provided.

Apologies if you meant only those who booked direct!

Kind regards. Peter

I booked my CMV cruise direct, and claimed through my credit card. I got my funds back in 9 days.

 

As a result of this, I will always book direct in future.

 

Unfortunately, my other three cruises that I still have booked were all booked via an agent. If it all goes pear shaped, I'll have to claim from ABTA

[mercury7289]

Interesting future maybe! Cunard paused to 2021, and then, future cruises out of Southampton, Britain, Norway and Iberia.

If I have read the e-mail correctly

 

Then what use P&O?

 

Might be a chance to cut off a tentacle.

 

Seen it done numerous times in business!

 

 

[Britboys]

17 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

Interesting future maybe! Cunard paused to 2021, and then, future cruises out of Southampton, Britain, Norway and Iberia.

If I have read the e-mail correctly

 

Then what use P&O?

 

Might be a chance to cut off a tentacle.

 

Seen it done numerous times in business!

 

 

Doubt it as P&O is the much bigger business. This will be intended as a short-term measure by Cunard until Covid is eradicated or controlled and then they will resume their previous business model. With P&O going down the route of mega-ship, very casual style of cruising, Carnival will hope that those of us likely to desert P&O (especially once they sell off Aurora and Arcadia) will start sailing Cunard.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I would not trust ABTA one inch. They exist for the benefit of travel agents, not customers  - the clue is in the name: Association of British Travel Agents.

 

The recent refund fiasco proves the point very clearly - far from leaning on agents to repay within the 14 days required by law, they’ve actually been supporting the unlawful delays!

 

ABTA is not your friend. It pretends to be, but in reality it’s the agents’ friend.

Harry, it was never the TA's responsibility for financing the cruise refunds, so ABTA would have been totally in the wrong to lean on them.

[tring]

42 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

Interesting future maybe! Cunard paused to 2021, and then, future cruises out of Southampton, Britain, Norway and Iberia.

If I have read the e-mail correctly

 

Then what use P&O?

 

Might be a chance to cut off a tentacle.

 

Seen it done numerous times in business!

 

 

 

I also think P&O will continue, but if by a tenticle you mean another ship, I tend to aggree.

[Adawn47]

14 minutes ago, Britboys said:

With P&O going  down the route of mega-ship, very casual style of cruising, Carnival will hope that those of us likely to desert P&O (especially once they sell off Aurora and Arcadia) will start sailing Cunard.

Hardly. We will look for the smaller ships, maybe Fred Olsen or Saga etc. We know what we like, and it isn't what Carnival think.

Avril

 

[Adawn47]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Harry, it was never the TA's responsibility for financing the cruise refunds, so ABTA would have been totally in the wrong to lean on them.

It didn't stop them trying though.

Avril

[terrierjohn]

Just now, Adawn47 said:

It didn't stop them trying though.

Avril

Not sure I comprehend that comment Avril?

[PORT ROYAL]

10 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Doubt it as P&O is the much bigger business. This will be intended as a short-term measure by Cunard until Covid is eradicated or controlled and then they will resume their previous business model. With P&O going down the route of mega-ship, very casual style of cruising, Carnival will hope that those of us likely to desert P&O (especially once they sell off Aurora and Arcadia) will start sailing Cunard.

 

Interesting point, but will the price phobic P&O deserters pay a potentially much higher price to sail Cunard?  

Currently 2021 Cunard bookings are strong, with Grills and Club "Sold Out", and other grades showing limited space.  Our PCS has mentioned there is a known potential within Cunard for the new brochure to sell very strongly when released, so there will be no need to offer bargains in the short/medium/long term, with fluid pricing looking to increase rates considerably.

Think, going forward, the new Cunard brochure prices will be 40/50% above the March 2020 release (currently no far off 40% up).

Even if 50% plus, happy to pay, to sail on a Line one wishes to.

Suggest those deserting PO should book 29 September 2020 to secure Stateroom number of choice.

 

 

 

[Adawn47]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

Not sure I comprehend that comment Avril?

Sorry John. I read Harry's post as ABTA were protecting the TA's and not the  claimants. Which they were.

Avril

[terrierjohn]

7 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Sorry John. I read Harry's post as ABTA were protecting the TA's and not the  claimants. Which they were.

Avril

That is exactly what Harry was saying, and I agree that ABTA is a trade body, but the protection it offers to customers has always been seen as a major benefit, and so far I don't believe it has reneged on its promise.

[Adawn47]

9 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Interesting point, but will the price phobic P&O deserters pay a potentially much higher price to sail Cunard?  

I get rather annoyed when some assume that the reason we, and others, choose P&O is because of price. P&O prices are substantially higher now becuse of the pandemic and even though they  will probably remain high we will still choose P&O. We love their two small classic ships and while they stay in their fleet we stay too. Once they are gone we will look for another line with the same style of cruising. We know how we like to cruise and have no problem paying for it.   Whatever the price !!!

Avril