Cabin changes

[Kittyonions]

Sorry, not been bothering to post recently. However, have just noticed on Facebook that some passengers have had an email from P and O informing them that cabins are being changed! Has anyone been the lucky recipient of one of these messages!

Along with everyone else on these boards, hope that we will soon see the return of Andy and Michelle. Andy was always so helpful giving advice regarding roadworks etc in Southampton, which ensured we were always able to reach the port in good time.

[john watson]

Do you know if these people are receiving upgrades or are they being spread out cabinwise to separate people for covid prevention reasons.

 

I always arrive at Southampton the day before and stay overnight in an hotel.  It has always struck me that arriving on the day of sailing adds risk of missing the boat so as to speak.

 

Regards John

[Cathygh]

Hi John

They have been told it's the same grade of cabin. No reason given. Just they have to change their allocated cabin, which everyone finds really odd as no one has had their cabin allocated yet. It's happening on the cruise I am on - Iona 21st August - but I've not had the email -yet

Cathy

[Son of Anarchy]

I wonder whether they are releasing more cabins for sale?

 

Just had a quick look at the Iona staycations and it looks like the prices have reverted to the launch price.

 

No notification re cabin change for our staycation, but ours isn't until 11 Sep.

[Cathygh]

People now been told EA grades on the hump are being moved to another EA fore or aft with £25 OBC.  Someone else is being moved from EA to GA and will pay the GA price. It all sounds a mess,

Cathy

[john watson]

25 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

People now been told EA grades on the hump are being moved to another EA fore or aft with £25 OBC.  Someone else is being moved from EA to GA and will pay the GA price. It all sounds a mess,

Cathy

 

I have a theory that they are spacing people out and only filling the ship to a reduced capacity.

 

Regards John

[Cathygh]

15 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

I have a theory that they are spacing people out and only filling the ship to a reduced capacity.

 

Regards John

 I think you are right.

 

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Cathygh said:

 I think you are right.

 

Surely P&O should have known this right at the beginning ? 

To move people around now, is just gross ineptitude. What has changed between when these cruises were first announced and now?

[tring]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Surely P&O should have known this right at the beginning ? 

To move people around now, is just gross ineptitude. What has changed between when these cruises were first announced and now?

 

The cruises to were sold with cabins to be allocated, so no one could choose a specific cabin.  They were able to choose a grade though, so I think some have been moved to cabins in other parts of the ship.

[Cathygh]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

Surely P&O should have known this right at the beginning ? 

To move people around now, is just gross ineptitude. What has changed between when these cruises were first announced and now?

The theory is that they didn't leave enough space between cabins. I have only heard about this issue on Iona, but not on Britannia.

[john watson]

One has to think about the logistics if you are only filling a ship to say 50% capacity.  It might be that people are reasonably spaced apart but then you look at the cabin stewards' sectors one steward has ten occupied cabins in their run of twenty and another has two occupied cabins in their run of twenty.  In other words there might be more to it than at first sight and I suspect shoreside does not normally get involved in the minutia of practical details of running what we now amusingly call the hotel section.

 

Regards John

[Son of Anarchy]

17 hours ago, Cathygh said:

People now been told EA grades on the hump are being moved to another EA fore or aft with £25 OBC.  Someone else is being moved from EA to GA and will pay the GA price. It all sounds a mess,

Cathy

When we booked I think the options were only inside, outside, balcony and suite.  No differention of the grades within those general categories.  And as on Early Saver fares were available, everyone was basically taking pot luck within the general categories.  So a GA would have been the same price as an EA?  Does all sound a bit of a mess.

 

We booked balcony, and have been allocated an EA.  I was rather pleasantly surprised when I looked up the category and saw that it was a deluxe balcony.  

 

Just pleased to be going on a cruise.  £25 OBC each would be nice as well, especially we knew cabin allocation was pot luck.

[MX-Drew]

46 minutes ago, john watson said:

One has to think about the logistics if you are only filling a ship to say 50% capacity.  It might be that people are reasonably spaced apart but then you look at the cabin stewards' sectors one steward has ten occupied cabins in their run of twenty and another has two occupied cabins in their run of twenty.  In other words there might be more to it than at first sight and I suspect shoreside does not normally get involved in the minutia of practical details of running what we now amusingly call the hotel section.

 

Regards John

I get the point you're making and to some extent agree but surely it is easier to change the cabin stewards' areas rather than move the guests. That is distancing is not the problem.

[john watson]

20 minutes ago, MX-Drew said:

I get the point you're making and to some extent agree but surely it is easier to change the cabin stewards' areas rather than move the guests. That is distancing is not the problem.

 

The cabin stewards and where precisely they work has a greater relevance to potential infection transmission. Shifting passengers is a simple computer problem to the cruise line.   The hotel manager may well have worked out systems of keeping covid secure environments and even separating teams within each sub-division of house keeping.  This might mean if one employee was found covid positive they might only have been in contact with  a smaller defined work group.  Overall there may be other factors which are only understood by those operating on the ship.  I think the problem is very complex.

 

Regards John

Edited May 8, 2021 by john watson

[MX-Drew]

10 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

The cabin stewards and where precisely they work has a greater relevance to potential infection transmission. Shifting passengers is a simple computer problem to the cruise line.   The hotel manager may well have worked out systems of keeping covid secure environments and even separating teams within each sub-division of house keeping.  This might mean if one employee was found covid positive they might only have been in contact with  a smaller defined work group.  Overall there may be other factors which are only understood by those operating on the ship.  I think the problem is very complex.

 

Regards John

I tend to agree but in working out said system (layout) the cabin allocation surely would have to have been taken into account at that stage?

I wonder if it is a case of reworking this plan to allow for the release (sale) of more cabins.

[john watson]

1 hour ago, MX-Drew said:

I tend to agree but in working out said system (layout) the cabin allocation surely would have to have been taken into account at that stage?

I wonder if it is a case of reworking this plan to allow for the release (sale) of more cabins.

 

Whatever percentage fill the cruise line has decided upon and this might be dictated to them by the government and they might move the goal posts. A cruise line will always try to fill as many cabins as possible at as high a price they can achieve. Most people seem to be thinking it is a badly organised plan but it might be force majeure.  People also get norovirus and other suspected covid.  There may be cabins where they want no body in following an unconfirmed case they might bring in a protocol of no cabin should be used on consecutive cruises, tricky on a 50% fill.  I am sure there is a valid reason for this.

 

Regards John

[MX-Drew]

15 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

Whatever percentage fill the cruise line has decided upon and this might be dictated to them by the government and they might move the goal posts. A cruise line will always try to fill as many cabins as possible at as high a price they can achieve. Most people seem to be thinking it is a badly organised plan but it might be force majeure.  People also get norovirus and other suspected covid.  There may be cabins where they want no body in following an unconfirmed case they might bring in a protocol of no cabin should be used on consecutive cruises, tricky on a 50% fill.  I am sure there is a valid reason for this.

 

Regards John

If it is organised there would be no need to move people as they would have known about this from the start. I would suggest there has been a change hence the need to change a plan. As for capacity, we know that has changed. Elsewhere on this forum it has been stated that there are restrictions on capacity up to (I believe) 21st June then those limits no longer apply. This was announced after these cruises went on sale.

However I do agree that there will be a valid reason for it. 

[Cathygh]

Quick update - some pax have been told no EA and EB cabins will be used they and are being offered EE and EF instead. I am guessing that all balconies were offered at launch at the same price and some TAs were able to secure the higher grades EA/B at the same price as the lower grades. I suspect P&O have realized they can now sell the higher grades for much more money and will release them for sale soon. I am on one of the Iona cruises  and I'm now expecting an email or phone call to tell me they are moving me.😭

[Pink-belle]

I booked Britannia for 27th June direct with P & O.  I only expected to be able to select a Balcony but was offered an HA, midship balcony, at a slightly higher price than the advertised Balcony fare. 
 

I’m not expecting to be allocated a stateroom until just before sailing, as I am assuming if there are “linked” bookings it makes sense to allocate them close together to maintain their bubbles, and therefore helping to reduce unnecessary contacts, via room stewards.

 

At launch no insides were available on cruises, they still aren’t on the 27th June, but I wonder if increasing the range of cabins has meant they have had to redistribute the passengers around the ship?  Or as at reduced capacity they are going to try and use different rooms each cruise so there are unoccupied days between sailings rather than one out one in on the same day.

 

I have faith in them getting this right, but an unprecedented situation so can understand why things seem to be changing before sailing.

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, Pink-belle said:

I booked Britannia for 27th June direct with P & O.  I only expected to be able to select a Balcony but was offered an HA, midship balcony, at a slightly higher price than the advertised Balcony fare. 
 

I’m not expecting to be allocated a stateroom until just before sailing, as I am assuming if there are “linked” bookings it makes sense to allocate them close together to maintain their bubbles, and therefore helping to reduce unnecessary contacts, via room stewards.

 

At launch no insides were available on cruises, they still aren’t on the 27th June, but I wonder if increasing the range of cabins has meant they have had to redistribute the passengers around the ship?  Or as at reduced capacity they are going to try and use different rooms each cruise so there are unoccupied days between sailings rather than one out one in on the same day.

 

I have faith in them getting this right, but an unprecedented situation so can understand why things seem to be changing before sailing.

I would like to think that, but on Iona all the EA and EB which are the highest grade of deluxe balcony cabins are midships so I don't understand why P&O would tell someone they are moving everyone from those cabins to EE and EF which are the lowest grade of deluxe balconies. 

[MX-Drew]

12 hours ago, Pink-belle said:

I booked Britannia for 27th June direct with P & O.  I only expected to be able to select a Balcony but was offered an HA, midship balcony, at a slightly higher price than the advertised Balcony fare. 
 

I’m not expecting to be allocated a stateroom until just before sailing, as I am assuming if there are “linked” bookings it makes sense to allocate them close together to maintain their bubbles, and therefore helping to reduce unnecessary contacts, via room stewards.

 

At launch no insides were available on cruises, they still aren’t on the 27th June, but I wonder if increasing the range of cabins has meant they have had to redistribute the passengers around the ship?  Or as at reduced capacity they are going to try and use different rooms each cruise so there are unoccupied days between sailings rather than one out one in on the same day.

 

I have faith in them getting this right, but an unprecedented situation so can understand why things seem to be changing before sailing.

We are on that sailing so I will spend the whole time wondering is that person Pink-belle.

[davecttr]

13 hours ago, Cathygh said:

Quick update - some pax have been told no EA and EB cabins will be used they and are being offered EE and EF instead. I am guessing that all balconies were offered at launch at the same price and some TAs were able to secure the higher grades EA/B at the same price as the lower grades. I suspect P&O have realized they can now sell the higher grades for much more money and will release them for sale soon. I am on one of the Iona cruises  and I'm now expecting an email or phone call to tell me they are moving me.😭

I booked the Iona 21st August cruise the day after the launch and wanted a balcony, none were available and I was offered a deluxe at a higher price, I guess the single occupancy for solo cruisers limits were kicking in. So I went ahead and booked anyway. I was allocated an EB grade on the hump, happy with that but now panicking. Those lower grade deluxe cabins forward are IMO not suitable for a scenic cruise with no port days, why? because they could be facing forward and you will get a 'refreshing' breeze straight in your face when the ship is moving, more like a howling gale if there is a headwind.

 

I have had no email from P&O and would be bloody annoyed if they moved me.

 

edit - if they wanted to move me to a GA grade I would be happy with that at a considerable discount of course. It was the category I wanted anyway. 😵

Edited May 9, 2021 by davecttr

[davecttr]

12 hours ago, Cathygh said:

I would like to think that, but on Iona all the EA and EB which are the highest grade of deluxe balcony cabins are midships so I don't understand why P&O would tell someone they are moving everyone from those cabins to EE and EF which are the lowest grade of deluxe balconies. 

They have not told me and I have been allocated an EB category.

[davecttr]

Just checked the deck plans and Iona has 92 EA and EB grade deluxe balconies, all on the 'hump' including 12 adapted cabins

 

There are 8 ED grade, all aft adjacent to suites

 

There are 14 EE and EF grade, all forward including 2 on the promenade deck!

 

92 into 14 don't go 😉

[Cathygh]

2 hours ago, davecttr said:

Just checked the deck plans and Iona has 92 EA and EB grade deluxe balconies, all on the 'hump' including 12 adapted cabins

 

There are 8 ED grade, all aft adjacent to suites

 

There are 14 EE and EF grade, all forward including 2 on the promenade deck!

 

92 into 14 don't go 😉

Your maths is correct, I was just reporting what someone on fb said she had been told by P&O. I have an EA cabin in August, which I hope won't be changed. I will be very unhappy if is and would seriously consider cancelling. I