Fly cruise - I've been a wally!

[Junction2]

Help! I had booked a fly cruise on Azura for March 2023 on an early saver fare. Today I noticed that the same cruise A311 was being offered at the same price but as a select fare and with the bonus of £250 OBC. Great thought I and phoned P and O to cancel my previous booking and then proceeded to rebook on line. Everything went well until the confirmation message came up on my laptop after I'd paid the deposit saying "your booking does not include flights" WHAT!

 

I'm telling myself this is a mistake, don't panic, retrace your steps. The opening booking pages don't say anything about this being cruise only and then I spot in very small print above the cabin choices "cruise only". Nothing anywhere else until the confirmation page and the subsequent emails with the details.

 

I know it's my fault for not being careful enough but I don't understand how the cruise can be marketed under the same reference as both a fly cruise and a cruise only holiday. In addition the very nice lady I spoke to on the phone made no mention of this new offer being cruise only either.

 

I will contact P and O in the morning but I know in advance that I have lost both deposits now because I don't want to arrange my own flights and feel so stupid that I don't actually want to carry on with the cruise in any shape or form. Moral is as always if it seems to be too good to be true it flipping well is!

  

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, Junction2 said:

Help! I had booked a fly cruise on Azura for March 2023 on an early saver fare. Today I noticed that the same cruise A311 was being offered at the same price but as a select fare and with the bonus of £250 OBC. Great thought I and phoned P and O to cancel my previous booking and then proceeded to rebook on line. Everything went well until the confirmation message came up on my laptop after I'd paid the deposit saying "your booking does not include flights" WHAT!

 

I'm telling myself this is a mistake, don't panic, retrace your steps. The opening booking pages don't say anything about this being cruise only and then I spot in very small print above the cabin choices "cruise only". Nothing anywhere else until the confirmation page and the subsequent emails with the details.

 

I know it's my fault for not being careful enough but I don't understand how the cruise can be marketed under the same reference as both a fly cruise and a cruise only holiday. In addition the very nice lady I spoke to on the phone made no mention of this new offer being cruise only either.

 

I will contact P and O in the morning but I know in advance that I have lost both deposits now because I don't want to arrange my own flights and feel so stupid that I don't actually want to carry on with the cruise in any shape or form. Moral is as always if it seems to be too good to be true it flipping well is!

  

If its select you should be allowed one free change to something costing more which assumedly one with a flight will be?

[Junction2]

Thanks Megabear2. I will see what they say in the morning.

[indiana123]

We've all been wallys at some stage.

 

Good luck in the morning.

[Sheila127]

I am on this cruise! Its a mistake so easily made! I made a decision long back once booked don't go back and look at pricing! Good luck!

[jaydee6969]

We are also on this cruise, spotted it was flight only bookings by chance.  I was trying to see if any alternative airports are available, but spotted there were no flights left anymore.

 

Good luck, hope you can get your original flight/booking back.

[kalos]

24 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

We are also on this cruise, spotted it was flight only bookings by chance.  I was trying to see if any alternative airports are available, but spotted there were no flights left anymore.

 

Good luck, hope you can get your original flight/booking back.

 

Just the way I see it but they cancelled /scrapped that cruise so they now have to forget it .

They did however book a new contract /cruise ,on a select fare .

P&O booking rules state that any new booking from 3rd August on select can be changed once .

The poster said they were  phoning P&O first thing this morning and hopefully have managed 

to change to a cruise with flights included .

[Junction2]

Thanks for all your comments. I spoke to an advisor yesterday and have ended up cancelling my cruise and not transferring to another. I searched but couldn't find one that suited both my budget and my time frame. [ I am a solo traveller with some caring responsibilities.]

 

The cruise had no flights from any London airports, the nearest was East Midlands and the cost of the return flights at the time of speaking was unknown. 

 

As a gesture of goodwill I have not been charged for cancelling the second cruise and my second deposit will therefore be refunded. [Acknowledgement that a refund is on the way was received from my bank this morning.]

 

I have never before tried to take advantage of what I thought was a better deal after booking, and, lesson learnt, I won't be doing so again!

 

I was slightly puzzled to be told yesterday by P and O that I could have just changed my original booking from an Early Saver to a Select Fare without having to cancel and rebook - something I wasn't advised by the first person I spoke to but what's done is done. I have a transatlantic to look forward to in 2024 with family and next year I shall just take land based holidays but making doubly sure I understand that what I think I am booking I am getting.

 

 

[Sheila127]

So sorry it didn't work out but very pleased that P and O are refunding your second deposit!