Cheap prices on Aurora!

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I booked a Baltic cruise, our 3rd,  even though I didn't really fancy having to spend 2 days in SPB. So I was reasonably happy to see it cancelled, but less happy that it wasn't replaced with at least one other port, but Stockholm and Copenhagen were to become 2 day ports instead, leaving only 5 ports in total. So I was not unhappy that P&O cancelled the cruise, and we accepted the refunded deposit, and managed to book a Princess Baltic cruise with 9 ports, 4 of them new to us.

We love Baltic cruises and whilst St Petersburg was the highlight for us, having been a few times we would still enjoy a cruise that doesn't go there. However, like you, I have been disappointed that the two day stop in St Petersburg has been replaced with a 2 day stop in places like Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm (none of which really warrant a 2 day stop), rather than adding in an additional port of call. 

[wowzz]

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Come come Wowzz, you know that you only booked after me, and after I told you what an excellent itinerary it had.

Yes, I admit it !

You tempted me and I succumbed !

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We love Baltic cruises and whilst St Petersburg was the highlight for us, having been a few times we would still enjoy a cruise that doesn't go there. However, like you, I have been disappointed that the two day stop in St Petersburg has been replaced with a 2 day stop in places like Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm (none of which really warrant a 2 day stop), rather than adding in an additional port of call. 

Which is why TerrierJohn and I have moved to a Princess cruise, with 9 ports in 14 days. And, before he says anything,  it was John who highlighted the benefits of the Princess cruise over P&O. 

[tring]

50 minutes ago, wowzz said:

As you may have gathered,  we are on  Princess cruise to the Baltic this July. Nine ports in a fourteen day cruise,  and, it would appear that the cruise is virtually sold out.

I agree that P&O may not be pushing these cruises enough. But, many of the passengers on our cruise are Americans,  which may explain the high occupancy rate.

A slight thread drift, but why does P&O make it difficult for Americans,  Canadians,  Australians  etc to book with them, whereas Princess accept bookings from everyone ?

 

I looked at that itinerary (assuming it is the 8th July) and must say I am not enticed with the ports, which include well used ports like Copenhagen, Gdynia and Kristiansand.  Also Sky Princess was way overcrowded for us, even when only about 2/3 full, if my memory serves me well - though no regrets about going on it as cruising re started as looking to enjoy some long awaited warmth.  Some real gems on that May 2024 Aurora cruise and nowhere we would be unhappy about.  Nine port days with two extra sea days to split them up is  far more civilised in our book as well, now that we have no reason to return home.  Really looking forward to the overnight in Helsinki - will give us chance to head further afield and also be out in the city at night which is always a highlight for us.  The bigger cruise companies very rarely do overnights, which we feel is a shame.  All personal choice.

 

[tring]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Strange decision if I may say so. 

Many people are not booking too far ahead due to economic issues. 

People are reluctant to book too far ahead. If you can afford to put a deposit down on a 2024 cruise, why not ?

Are you only going to book cruises where only a handful of cabins are available ?

 

We are thinking prices may go down though.  The 2023 cruise are cheaper than that 2024 one.  In practice though it is probably more likely that the cruise will be re scheduled somewhere else, or perhaps (saying it quietly) the ship will be. 

 

I do worry about Aurora, the prices on that cruise are not bad either, so P&O are not selling her cruises anything like as well as I would have thought.  We are on a fjords cruise late June/July and that has sold much better.  My initial thoughts were to book that 2024 cruise to support Aurora and we probably will when we get on board in June - may as well take every advantage we can. 

[wowzz]

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

I looked at that itinerary (assuming it is the 8th July) and must say I am not enticed with the ports, which include well used ports like Copenhagen, Gdynia and Kristiansand.  Also Sky Princess was way overcrowded for us, even when only about 2/3 full, if my memory serves me well - though no regrets about going on it as cruising re started as looking to enjoy some long awaited warmth.  Some real gems on that May 2024 Aurora cruise and nowhere we would be unhappy about.  Nine port days with two extra sea days to split them up is  far more civilised in our book as well, now that we have no reason to return home.  Really looking forward to the overnight in Helsinki - will give us chance to head further afield and also be out in the city at night which is always a highlight for us.  The bigger cruise companies very rarely do overnights, which we feel is a shame.  All personal choice.

 

We have hever done a Baltic cruise, so all the ports are new to us, but I can understand your point about visiting the same ports again, if you have previously cruised in the area.

Our July 8th cruise does have a sort of overnight stay in Helsinki. It actually departs for Tallinn at 3am, so plenty of time to explore the city at night.

I think we just have to agree to disagree about overcrowding. We did not find any issues on Regal Regal Princess  ( sister ship to Sky) last summer, when sailing virtually full. We just prefer the whole Princess atmosphere compared to P&O. 

[Selbourne]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

Which is why TerrierJohn and I have moved to a Princess cruise, with 9 ports in 14 days. And, before he says anything,  it was John who highlighted the benefits of the Princess cruise over P&O. 

Yes I looked at that cruise when you both mentioned it, and again yesterday. Sadly the ‘fluid pricing’ that we see so much with P&O must have kicked in, as it’s now very expensive, even after allowing for the Princess Plus package, certainly compared to P&O Baltic cruises. 

[happy v]

After St.P was cancelled I looked at the new itinerary. Like others I wasn't impressed with just adding extra days to existing port. However I do like the new itineraries for 2024. Thanks for bringing this up.

Unfortunately I am unable to book as unsure about medical matters. I may book while onboard with £50 deposit though 

 

[Britboys]

13 hours ago, wowzz said:

As you may have gathered,  we are on  Princess cruise to the Baltic this July. Nine ports in a fourteen day cruise,  and, it would appear that the cruise is virtually sold out.

I agree that P&O may not be pushing these cruises enough. But, many of the passengers on our cruise are Americans,  which may explain the high occupancy rate.

A slight thread drift, but why does P&O make it difficult for Americans,  Canadians,  Australians  etc to book with them, whereas Princess accept bookings from everyone ?

I don't know why P&O have not made it easier for overseas citizens to book - unless they feel the 'British ambience' is their usp. Princess of course were once directly linked with P&O when it was "P&O Princess Cruises". They were, I think, at that time headquartered in the UK but are now Miami-based, albeit with a presence in Harbour Parade.

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, Britboys said:

unless they feel the 'British ambience' is their usp. 

Actually, the British ambience is one of the reasons why we prefer Princess! 

[tring]

5 hours ago, wowzz said:

We have hever done a Baltic cruise, so all the ports are new to us, but I can understand your point about visiting the same ports again, if you have previously cruised in the area.

Our July 8th cruise does have a sort of overnight stay in Helsinki. It actually departs for Tallinn at 3am, so plenty of time to explore the city at night.

I think we just have to agree to disagree about overcrowding. We did not find any issues on Regal Regal Princess  ( sister ship to Sky) last summer, when sailing virtually full. We just prefer the whole Princess atmosphere compared to P&O. 

 

All personal choice and what the world is about.  I am not sure Helsinki will be the best night out and certainly not one of the cheapest, but we do like getting off the ship at night if only for a stroll around - a great feeling of escape.  We had a very memorable night in Amsterdam on 17th March last year when we found a German bar hosting a St Patrick's night celebration with all the Irish folk songs I knew well in my late teens/early twenties from folk clubs in Liverpool.  All washed down with German beer and in Amsterdam as well, which is our favourite city, especially at night.

 

Hope you have a great Baltic cruise - I have a feeling you will be back.

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by tring

[Britboys]

30 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Actually, the British ambience is one of the reasons why we prefer Princess! 

I guess I'm fortunate in enjoying both the British ambience and the multi-national one on other lines.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

I don't know why P&O have not made it easier for overseas citizens to book - unless they feel the 'British ambience' is their usp. Princess of course were once directly linked with P&O when it was "P&O Princess Cruises". They were, I think, at that time headquartered in the UK but are now Miami-based, albeit with a presence in Harbour Parade.

I believe that Princess cruises were always headquartered in the US, even when P&O owned them.

[Britboys]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I believe that Princess cruises were always headquartered in the US, even when P&O owned them.

Don't know John. I think the main HQ in those days was in London but certainly Princess would have had a US office too.

[terrierjohn]

21 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Don't know John. I think the main HQ in those days was in London but certainly Princess would have had a US office too.

Nope it was originally in Centuty city, but moved to Santa Clarita when P&O Princess cruises was  demerged from the old P&O in 2000.

[Cardiff girl]

On 2/26/2023 at 8:48 PM, NavyPanda said:

Some cheap deals at the moment (these are the book direct prices). Thanks to some computer wizardry here are the cheapest cruises per night...

 

All cruises under £60 per night based on 2 sharing for inside

 

Cruise	Nights	Ship	Date	Amount	Per Night
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£699	£49.93
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£849	£53.06
Mediterranean (K307)	14	Arvia	02-Apr-23	£749	£53.50
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (G336)	14	Iona	28-Oct-23	£779	£55.64
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£779	£55.64
Spain And Portugal (G402)	14	Iona	27-Jan-24	£779	£55.64
Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Fly-Azura	10-Oct-24	£899	£56.19
Canary Islands (J420)	16	Arcadia	28-Nov-24	£899	£56.19
Caribbean (K305D)	22	Arvia	11-Mar-23	£1,249	£56.77
Canary Islands (A326E)	22	Fly-Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,249	£56.77
Spain And Portugal (G306)	14	Iona	04-Mar-23	£799	£57.07
Mediterranean (K309)	14	Arvia	30-Apr-23	£799	£57.07
Canary Islands (G437)	14	Iona	09-Nov-24	£799	£57.07
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£699	£58.25
Caribbean (K306A)	15	Fly-Arvia	18-Mar-23	£899	£59.93

 

All cruises under £80 per night based on 2 sharing for balcony

 

 

Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£799	£57.07
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£999	£62.44
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£799	£66.58
Caribbean (B306A)	13	Fly-Britannia	25-Mar-23	£899	£69.15
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£999	£71.36
Caribbean (B306)	14	Britannia	24-Mar-23	£1,049	£74.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£1,049	£74.93
Short Break (B307)	5	Britannia	07-Apr-23	£379	£75.80
Canary Islands (A326F)	23	Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,779	£77.35
Canary Islands (N431)	12	Ventura	23-Nov-24	£949	£79.08
Canary Islands (A326E)	22	Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,749	£79.50
Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Fly-Azura	10-Oct-24	£1,279	£79.94

 

Another 45 cruises £80-£90 per night in a balcony

Forgive late reply - are you able to provide another table like this? It's a very useful way to compare what's available. 

I was told that P&O are now booked up at 90%+ capacity & will have less solo offers, though I'm not sure where they heard that. Thanks. 

[NavyPanda]

21 hours ago, Cardiff girl said:

Forgive late reply - are you able to provide another table like this? It's a very useful way to compare what's available. 

I was told that P&O are now booked up at 90%+ capacity & will have less solo offers, though I'm not sure where they heard that. Thanks. 

 

With regards to the solo offers, it seems that the 'no single supplement' offer has been withdrawn. I can't see any cruises which currently have 0% single supplement. All cruises seem to have the seemingly standard 60% supplement instead. Has anyone else seen any cruises still with a 0% supplement? 

 

Updated tables as at 16th March 2023 AM

 

Inside under £60 pppn

 

Cruise	Nights	Ship	Date	Amount	Per Night
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£679	£48.50
Portugal And Canary Islands (N307)	12	Ventura	06-Apr-23	£599	£49.92
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G307)	14	Iona	18-Mar-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K311)	14	Arvia	28-May-23	£699	£49.93
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£849	£53.06
Mediterranean (K309)	14	Arvia	30-Apr-23	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (G402)	14	Iona	27-Jan-24	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£699	£53.77
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£649	£54.08
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (J420)	16	Arcadia	28-Nov-24	£899	£56.19
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£679	£56.58
Spain And Portugal (G336)	14	Iona	28-Oct-23	£799	£57.07
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G437)	14	Iona	09-Nov-24	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (J319)	12	Arcadia	09-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N432)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-24	£699	£58.25
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£949	£59.31
Spain And Portugal (N311)	10	Ventura	06-May-23	£599	£59.90
Caribbean Transatlantic (K306A)	15	Arvia	18-Mar-23	£899	£59.93
Canary Islands And Mediterranean (A410A)	20	Azura	08-Mar-24	£1,199	£59.95

 

Balcony under £80 pppn

 

Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£749	£62.42
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£999	£62.44
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306A)	13	Britannia	25-Mar-23	£899	£69.15
Northern European City Escape (G308)	7	Iona	01-Apr-23	£499	£71.29
Mediterranean (K307)	14	Arvia	02-Apr-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£999	£71.36
Belgium And France (B308)	4	Britannia	12-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N308)	4	Ventura	18-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N312)	4	Ventura	16-May-23	£299	£74.75
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£899	£74.92
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306)	14	Britannia	24-Mar-23	£1,049	£74.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£1,049	£74.93
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£999	£76.85
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A326F)	23	Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,799	£78.22
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£949	£79.08
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£949	£79.08
Portugal And Canary Islands (N431)	12	Ventura	23-Nov-24	£949	£79.08
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£1,279	£79.94

[jeanlyon]

There are some extremely cheap deals there, but I note, only one or two are on Aurora.

[Interestedcruisefan]

If you are paying inside prices 50 per person

 

Cruising for a month with all your food included is now cheaper than renting a flat and paying energy bills in London!!

 

(If you did £50 per person per night cruises all year and you just drank water and other included soft drinks then you are looking at £36k per year for two people to just live on a cruise ship?) 

 

With some launderette costs to add on?

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

If you are paying inside prices 50 per person

 

Cruising for a month with all your food included is now cheaper than renting a flat and paying energy bills in London!!

 

(If you did £50 per person per night cruises all year and you just drank water and other included soft drinks then you are looking at £36k per year for two people to just live on a cruise ship?) 

 

With some launderette costs to add on?

 

 

 

 

A prison is even cheaper - and you get a window 😂 

 

Seriously though, pre Covid we have come across a few elderly people who do actually live on cruise ships. It’s cheaper than a nursing home! Not quite sure what they do when their ship of choice goes in for a refit though - probably move to another ship!

[NavyPanda]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

There are some extremely cheap deals there, but I note, only one or two are on Aurora.

 

Here are the top 20 cheapest (per night) prices for an Inside on Aurora

 

Cruise	Nights	Ship	Date	Amount	Per Night
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£849	£53.06
Portugal And Canary Islands (R422)	13	Aurora	22-Nov-24	£799	£61.46
Belgium And France (R306)	4	Aurora	28-Apr-23	£249	£62.25
Amsterdam (R308)	4	Aurora	18-May-23	£249	£62.25
Norwegian Fjords (R310)	12	Aurora	10-Jun-23	£799	£66.58
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R409)	16	Aurora	18-May-24	£1,199	£74.94
Norwegian Fjords (R312)	12	Aurora	29-Jun-23	£929	£77.42
USA And Canada (R318)	30	Aurora	03-Sep-23	£2,339	£77.97
Norway (R403N)	16	Aurora	12-Mar-24	£1,249	£78.06
America And Caribbean Discovery (R401)	65	Aurora	03-Jan-24	£5,199	£79.98
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (R323)	16	Aurora	01-Dec-23	£1,299	£81.19
Norwegian Fjords (R316)	12	Aurora	15-Aug-23	£979	£81.58
Amsterdam (R423)	4	Aurora	05-Dec-24	£329	£82.25
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R314)	16	Aurora	25-Jul-23	£1,329	£83.06
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R417)	16	Aurora	26-Aug-24	£1,329	£83.06
Norway (R424)	12	Aurora	09-Dec-24	£999	£83.25
Caribbean (R421)	24	Aurora	29-Oct-24	£1,999	£83.29
Mediterranean (R406)	18	Aurora	08-Apr-24	£1,529	£84.94
Amazon And Caribbean Exploration (R501)	65	Aurora	06-Jan-25	£5,529	£85.06
Norway (R420)	12	Aurora	17-Oct-24	£1,029	£85.75

[Fionboard]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

There are some extremely cheap deals there, but I note, only one or two are on Aurora.

Sadly, yes. On her now and again next month and in July. All cruises were around the 3 grand area for select balcony. She is too popular!

[paulatsea]

4 hours ago, NavyPanda said:

 

With regards to the solo offers, it seems that the 'no single supplement' offer has been withdrawn. I can't see any cruises which currently have 0% single supplement. All cruises seem to have the seemingly standard 60% supplement instead. Has anyone else seen any cruises still with a 0% supplement? 

 

Updated tables as at 16th March 2023 AM

 

Inside under £60 pppn

 

Cruise	Nights	Ship	Date	Amount	Per Night
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£679	£48.50
Portugal And Canary Islands (N307)	12	Ventura	06-Apr-23	£599	£49.92
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G307)	14	Iona	18-Mar-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K311)	14	Arvia	28-May-23	£699	£49.93
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£849	£53.06
Mediterranean (K309)	14	Arvia	30-Apr-23	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (G402)	14	Iona	27-Jan-24	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£699	£53.77
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£649	£54.08
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (J420)	16	Arcadia	28-Nov-24	£899	£56.19
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£679	£56.58
Spain And Portugal (G336)	14	Iona	28-Oct-23	£799	£57.07
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G437)	14	Iona	09-Nov-24	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (J319)	12	Arcadia	09-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N432)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-24	£699	£58.25
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£949	£59.31
Spain And Portugal (N311)	10	Ventura	06-May-23	£599	£59.90
Caribbean Transatlantic (K306A)	15	Arvia	18-Mar-23	£899	£59.93
Canary Islands And Mediterranean (A410A)	20	Azura	08-Mar-24	£1,199	£59.95

 

Balcony under £80 pppn

 

Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£749	£62.42
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£999	£62.44
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306A)	13	Britannia	25-Mar-23	£899	£69.15
Northern European City Escape (G308)	7	Iona	01-Apr-23	£499	£71.29
Mediterranean (K307)	14	Arvia	02-Apr-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£999	£71.36
Belgium And France (B308)	4	Britannia	12-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N308)	4	Ventura	18-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N312)	4	Ventura	16-May-23	£299	£74.75
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£899	£74.92
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306)	14	Britannia	24-Mar-23	£1,049	£74.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£1,049	£74.93
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£999	£76.85
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A326F)	23	Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,799	£78.22
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£949	£79.08
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£949	£79.08
Portugal And Canary Islands (N431)	12	Ventura	23-Nov-24	£949	£79.08
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£1,279	£79.94

NavyPanda - these tables are really good.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Sadly, yes. On her now and again next month and in July. All cruises were around the 3 grand area for select balcony. She is too popular!

The standard balconies are so small I just can't get my head round why such a large surcharge and why people pay it?

 

But clearly they do

 

If people could sunbathe on the balconies I could perhaps understand paying so much extra as it becomes a really useful thing to have (when the sun is that side of the ship of course)?

 

It's working out at £50 plus per person per night for a balcony isn't it?

 

£100 per day to sit (not lay) normally in the shade with a one sided view no better than you can get anywhere on the decks in the sun

 

(I realise there are other benefits. My mum and dad like to have breakfast on their balcony most mornings for example. Even though they can't get same quality breakfast as outside their cabin)

 

I could have cruised twice for 2 weeks on Arvia in the Caribbean for the same price people with standard balcony were paying for one holiday

 

And the real irony is on sea days this couple were lying next to us on deck 16 sunbathing every day

 

When are they getting their £100 per day value out of their balcony? It's not during the day. They were up early just like us to get sunbeds in a prime spot on deck 16

 

I cant fathom it?

 

Let me say we could afford balconies if we could see the value for us. We like them as a nice to have

 

But it's similar to people querying £40 per day to use The Retreat.

 

I don't think that's good value

 

But honestly I think the surcharge for The Retreat is slightly more justified than people paying more than that each day to have a balcony which they can't be using a fraction of the time they could use the Retreat

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

NavyPanda - these tables are really good.

Thanks for sharing.

 

Agreed