Fluid Pricing

[Dinglebert]

We booked N218 for July 22 on the 8th January.  We had gone back and forward on it for a day or so as there were really good balcony prices available but they were sold out.  At the end we went to select inside as the price gap for too large to the balcony.  Paid £2598 and got £100 onboard Blue Light Club spending money.  Was looking today at the parking compared to cash options as pricing up parking4cruises.  Far better to take the parking it turned out than the cash.  However very surprised to see the cruise is now £2926 for same.  A more than 10% jump in less than a fortnight.

 

Would take a punt that a lot of people are moving cruises forward from 2021 to 2022.

[Harry Peterson]

I’m sure you’re right. It looks a much safer bet. And that’s the beauty of dynamic pricing for holiday operators.

 

Still too many uncertainties at the moment for some of us to return to cruising, but can’t come soon enough.

[No pager thank you]

3 minutes ago, Dinglebert said:

We booked N218 for July 22 on the 8th January.  We had gone back and forward on it for a day or so as there were really good balcony prices available but they were sold out.  At the end we went to select inside as the price gap for too large to the balcony.  Paid £2598 and got £100 onboard Blue Light Club spending money.  Was looking today at the parking compared to cash options as pricing up parking4cruises.  Far better to take the parking it turned out than the cash.  However very surprised to see the cruise is now £2926 for same.  A more than 10% jump in less than a fortnight.

 

Would take a punt that a lot of people are moving cruises forward from 2021 to 2022.

Yes, I think the other factors are the "January blues," where people book a holiday to cheer themselves up and also the predicted resumption with news about the vaccine etc.  For example, easyJet have apparently reported a 250% increase in demand for holidays this year. 

 

I think that, because of more direct concerns about the cruise ship environment, on board protocols, the diminished experience, and notably poor customer service during the initial stages of the pandemic, the same untapped demand will return to cruising, but to a lesser extent for P&O.

 

The reason for the prices being so fluid is that I imagine that capacity restrictions are still assumed to some degree until a proven restart has taken effect.  At some stage, prices should (not necessarily will) come down a bit, if we do get back to normal soon.

 

Glad you got the best deal with the parking btw.

[pete14]

11 minutes ago, Dinglebert said:

We booked N218 for July 22 on the 8th January.  We had gone back and forward on it for a day or so as there were really good balcony prices available but they were sold out.  At the end we went to select inside as the price gap for too large to the balcony.  Paid £2598 and got £100 onboard Blue Light Club spending money.  Was looking today at the parking compared to cash options as pricing up parking4cruises.  Far better to take the parking it turned out than the cash.  However very surprised to see the cruise is now £2926 for same.  A more than 10% jump in less than a fortnight.

 

Would take a punt that a lot of people are moving cruises forward from 2021 to 2022.

Perhaps this reflects the greater optimism some are showing due to the roll out of the vaccine and hopefully the end of the worst of the pandemic being in sight.
As we have a cruise booked in August, this actually gives me hope that it might happen. Presumably P&O will keep the prices of cruises they believe they will have to cancel as low as they can to avoid the need to give greater amounts of future cruise credit if they are cancelled. Mind you, an alternative may be to recoup the 25% uplift by increasing prices for late 2021 and 2022. Who knows how their minds work?

[Son of Anarchy]

14 minutes ago, Dinglebert said:

We booked N218 for July 22 on the 8th January.  We had gone back and forward on it for a day or so as there were really good balcony prices available but they were sold out.  At the end we went to select inside as the price gap for too large to the balcony.  Paid £2598 and got £100 onboard Blue Light Club spending money.  Was looking today at the parking compared to cash options as pricing up parking4cruises.  Far better to take the parking it turned out than the cash.  However very surprised to see the cruise is now £2926 for same.  A more than 10% jump in less than a fortnight.

 

Would take a punt that a lot of people are moving cruises forward from 2021 to 2022.

Interesting about it being better to take the parking with CPS, than taking the OBC and using P4C.  We usually book an inside cabin and it's usually been better to take to the OBC and use P4C for cruises over a fortnight.  Hey ho, they're prices go up as well.  

 

Will have to go and price up the parking for our bookings to check the best way round.

 

Thanks for the heads up.

[Dinglebert]

I've been looking at moving my July 2021 to next April 2022.  Looked at options a couple of days ago and could get exactly same cabin as July same ship different destinations but also a bit cheaper.  Was going to be phoning today to move it and all the cabins on deck I wanted have gone.  Things are moving quickly.

[Splice the mainbrace]

It really is fluid. We booked an Oct 2022 19 night Med cruise Balcony cabin in November launch week for Select price of £4200 for the 2 of us, it is now from £8400!

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

It really is fluid. We booked an Oct 2022 19 night Med cruise Balcony cabin in November launch week for Select price of £4200 for the 2 of us, it is now from £8400!

Wow double the price,that is ridiculous.

[jeanlyon]

That sounds like the same cruise as ours.  Over double the price for the inside we got when we booked on the ship.

 

Just looked again at it.  We paid £2500 for both of us.  It is now £6998!!

Edited January 19, 2021 by jeanlyon

[jeanlyon]

What's everybody's best guess as to whether we will be allowed ashore independently if we have been vaccinated?  I mean you can go to Greece on holiday now, well not us Brits, but others can.

[Dinglebert]

21 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

What's everybody's best guess as to whether we will be allowed ashore independently if we have been vaccinated?  I mean you can go to Greece on holiday now, well not us Brits, but others can.

I can't even begin to think when that will be.  The problem is two-fold.  Countries may not want cruises arriving and allowing passengers just to mingle but equally the cruise lines may want to control what passengers are doing when ashore. 

 

I do know that an outside event I am involved in which has crowds attending in July and August is about to be "pulled" by the council.  They have stated they will not approve the applications we need. 

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

It really is fluid. We booked an Oct 2022 19 night Med cruise Balcony cabin in November launch week for Select price of £4200 for the 2 of us, it is now from £8400!

Frightening.  Glad we booked our 2022 cruises at launch.

[grapau27]

56 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

That sounds like the same cruise as ours.  Over double the price for the inside we got when we booked on the ship.

 

Just looked again at it.  We paid £2500 for both of us.  It is now £6998!!

It will be interesting to see if that price drops nearer cruise time.

Even if they did a BOGOF or half price it would still be a lot more than you originally paid.

[jeanlyon]

Balance payment due 1st July.  So difficult to know what to do.  The idea of not being able to go ashore on your own makes it really difficult especially in Greece.  Can't imagine what excursion one would do in Mykonos.

 

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

That sounds like the same cruise as ours.  Over double the price for the inside we got when we booked on the ship.

 

Just looked again at it.  We paid £2500 for both of us.  It is now £6998!!

Flipping Heck!  

[Son of Anarchy]

10 minutes ago, Dinglebert said:

I can't even begin to think when that will be.  The problem is two-fold.  Countries may not want cruises arriving and allowing passengers just to mingle but equally the cruise lines may want to control what passengers are doing when ashore. 

 

I do know that an outside event I am involved in which has crowds attending in July and August is about to be "pulled" by the council.  They have stated they will not approve the applications we need. 

The Isle of Man pulled this year's TT back in November.  Mind you that was due to start towards end of May, so decisions had to be made earlier.

 

I think the last time two  TT's in a row were pulled was WW2.  If I'm wrong, hopefully Manx Bouy can put me right.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

That sounds like the same cruise as ours.  Over double the price for the inside we got when we booked on the ship.

 

Just looked again at it.  We paid £2500 for both of us.  It is now £6998!!

Dont know where you are looking at prices but if I am correct in saying it is 19nt in Oct on Arcadia the dearest inside cabin on P&Os website is £5158 for 2 people. Our cruise in August on Arcadia for 19 nts is currently £5898 for an inside cabin and I think we paid with discounts at the time around £2500 for the 2 of us. Strangely the 23nt cruise prior to ours in Norway is cheaper at £5598.

[jeanlyon]

Ours is Aurora R116

[Splice the mainbrace]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

That sounds like the same cruise as ours.  Over double the price for the inside we got when we booked on the ship.

 

Just looked again at it.  We paid £2500 for both of us.  It is now £6998!!

 

Our cruise is on Arcadia Oct 2022. Reading your later posts it looks like that you are on Aurora this Oct. However the price differentials between launch and now are of the same magnitudes.

[the english lady]

I was reading somewhere on social media they think there is going to be another announcement of cancelled cruises from pando next week. We jumped yesterday as once people with cancelled cruises start trying to push to next year the prices will be going upwards again. Our cruise was July this year...uk only..when I transferred our 2020 cruise to it..I thought we would be fairly safe by july. Then we thought. Even if it goes ahead it would be masks and everything. I didnt want to risk going on a cruise like that, so we jumped. I didnt want to risk them not cancelling..basically.. 

[joeecco]

9 minutes ago, the english lady said:

I was reading somewhere on social media they think there is going to be another announcement of cancelled cruises from pando next week. We jumped yesterday as once people with cancelled cruises start trying to push to next year the prices will be going upwards again. Our cruise was July this year...uk only..when I transferred our 2020 cruise to it..I thought we would be fairly safe by july. Then we thought. Even if it goes ahead it would be masks and everything. I didnt want to risk going on a cruise like that, so we jumped. I didnt want to risk them not cancelling..basically.. 

Now they’ve reduced final payment dates until 30 days before, I don’t think they’ll be an announcement until about 45 days before which is mid March. It’s too soon for them

to make judgements on the future, there best bet is to hold Out and keep planning behind the scenes for all options surely. 

[No pager thank you]

8 minutes ago, the english lady said:

I was reading somewhere on social media they think there is going to be another announcement of cancelled cruises from pando next week. We jumped yesterday as once people with cancelled cruises start trying to push to next year the prices will be going upwards again. Our cruise was July this year...uk only..when I transferred our 2020 cruise to it..I thought we would be fairly safe by july. Then we thought. Even if it goes ahead it would be masks and everything. I didnt want to risk going on a cruise like that, so we jumped. I didnt want to risk them not cancelling..basically.. 

There is an informal protocol they seem to follow that their delays are announced on Tuesdays at 10am.  I was expecting them to announce a move after Christmas, which they did, but that was to extend balance due dates to 30 days, very belatedly.  I would also be expecting further news soon as there isn't really a route to realistic and effective international travel by May, with the new variants it appears, sadly.  This will be particularly true if there is any evidence that these variants can overcome the immunity provided by the current vaccines to a significant degree.

 

The thought of being taken to some Premier Inn in Southampton under guard for 10 days at your own expense too, no thank you.  The idea of how badly that would be organised by P&O shore-side... yes, I know the Government hasn't agreed this yet and the impact on cruise ships is not yet clear either.  Therefore, this may not materialize.

 

I do know what you mean about the risk of them not cancelling. 

 

It has been debated on here elsewhere but the masks, social distancing are one thing, some people happy, others not.  However, effectively having to pay to stretch your legs at a port is quite another.  The principle I don't object to, as I understand the safety point and port authority restrictions, the hiking of the costs of the excursions (as according to our Cruise Personaliser for our May booking, yes I do).  A scenic cruise is not for me.  And no, the coaches/overheads don't cost that much more when groups are 25 not 50.  Plenty of profit there already!

 

Yes of course they are a private company, but there are cleverer ways to get money out of people, which would be more reasonable i.e. alcoholic drinks, room charges, select dining reservations.  There you do have a choice.  Or, just charge a reasonable care to begin with.  But, as said elsewhere, that's not the pricing strategy.

 

Plus, there is prospect (if Saga is the example) of mandatory vaccination, even if younger passengers will not have had the opportunity for a second jab by May.  Seems unfair, and a barrier to restarting for cruise companies with a mix of age ranges.

 

The current view is that the changes proposed to the on board experience do not constitute a major change to your holiday, so if it goes, you have to pay.

 

If it doesn't, everyone then gets on the FCC merry go round again and all the prices balloon.  Or you get roll the dice, and hope for a six in terms of getting a timely refund of your monies.

 

In conclusion, I wholly understand your wanting to say no thanks at the moment, just before the music stops and more chairs get taken away.  I just hope that your rescheduled sailing goes and that there is brighter news soon🤞

[ann141]

23 minutes ago, joeecco said:

Now they’ve reduced final payment dates until 30 days before, I don’t think they’ll be an announcement until about 45 days before which is mid March. It’s too soon for them

to make judgements on the future, there best bet is to hold Out and keep planning behind the scenes for all options surely. 

Unless they will cancel some cruises but offer 'scenic' cruises instead?

[No pager thank you]

3 minutes ago, ann141 said:

Unless they will cancel some cruises but offer 'scenic' cruises instead?

Hi Ann,

 

Do you think that they will try offering scenic cruises to your initial ports of call, but then say that you do not have the choice of a refund? 

 

This is bothering me, as in general, they have tended not to be reasonable and technically speaking your "bed and board" would still be provided. 

 

My cruise in May was booked in October 2019.  They sent me another "book a Caribbean cruise" email this morning, they must be having a laugh at the moment.

 

Just hope that they extend the principle of being a bit more reasonable like they did with the balance due dates.

[ann141]

3 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Hi Ann,

 

Do you think that they will try offering scenic cruises to your initial ports of call, but then say that you do not have the choice of a refund? 

 

This is bothering me, as in general, they have tended not to be reasonable and technically speaking your "bed and board" would still be provided. 

 

My cruise in May was booked in October 2019.  They sent me another "book a Caribbean cruise" email this morning, they must be having a laugh at the moment.

 

Just hope that they extend the principle of being a bit more reasonable like they did with the balance due dates.

I don't know but I would have thought it most likely that they will cancel some cruises and offer a refund or transfer and then have separate 'scenic' cruises on sale, possibly round the UK?I wouldn't be interested in a 'scenic' cruise but I think a lot of others might be at the right price.