Big price change!!!

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Hi,

Any advice is much appreciated.

After hearing the not so good news of Arvia on various blogs still unsure about sailing this October 1st, deposit has been paid £300 balance due £2700.

Just been on website and price has fallen by £350. 
So now annoyed that this happened also..or should we cancel and rebook and save £50…

It’s very frustrating..

 

Cheers

 

 

[Mad4WDW]

Personally I wouldn't be cancelling just because of what you've read online. We've had a lovely Caribbean cruise on Arvia in February with no problems at all. Just back from the Mediteranean on Arvia which was also lovely. Had a bit of noise from the cabin next door with the TV volume at 6:30am on several mornings but thats not the ship its inconsiderate self-centred idiots which are a sad fact of life in 2023.

 

Yep the price drops are annoying, I cancelled and rebooked about 6 last year but not sure I'd do it for £50. Maybe if there's something else you've saw you could transfer your deposit then just rebook and be £350 better off?

Edited May 24, 2023 by Mad4WDW
Typo

[Ranchi]

We’ve cashed in, lost the deposit and rebooked before but the difference was a good bit more than in your case. This was due to a £50 deposit offer. 
Our TA did it for us ( we felt a little bad as it would affect her commission but we had used her for many years and she offered to do it.) She managed to put our cabin on hold when cancelled and we were able to rebook it. 
Check that your OBC & other ‘perks’ are the same on the original and rebooked cruise. 
If you have booked direct then you will have to wait quite a while on the phone ( strangely new booking line seems to have much shorter waiting times than ‘do you wish to discuss a previously booked cruise’ option.) and you may want to take your time into consideration when deciding whether to rebook. 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Ranchi
Additional point.

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Hi,

thanks for the reply, any experience of P&O allowing you to do that?? Ideally on the same cruise, time booked off work etc…

Did it with NCL 6 years ago saved almost £1000

Many thanks 

 

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

4 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

We’ve cashed in, lost the deposit and rebooked before but the difference was a good bit more than in your case. This was due to a £50 deposit offer. 
Our TA did it for us ( we felt a little bad as it would affect her commission but we had used her for many years and she offered to do it.) She managed to put our cabin on hold when cancelled and we were able to rebook it. 
Check that your OBC & other ‘perks’ are the same on the original and rebooked cruise. 
If you have booked direct then you will have to wait quite a while on the phone ( strangely new booking line seems to have much shorter waiting times than ‘do you wish to discuss a previously booked cruise’ option.) and you may want to take your time into consideration when deciding whether to rebook. 

 

Hi,

thanks for the reply…yes exactly the same on board perks…

Time is precious, I really get that..perhaps will watch it to see if drops further before balance is due. I guess it’s not had a lot of bookings yet??
Cheers

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Hi,

thanks for the reply…yes exactly the same on board perks…

Time is precious, I really get that..perhaps will watch it to see if drops further before balance is due. I guess it’s not had a lot of bookings yet??
Cheers

 

For £50 I wouldn't bother just yet. If you're on a sailing at the beginning of October your balance will be due in July, won't it? If it was me I would wait until the last possible moment. If it drops more by then, go for it. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

Unfortunately in a lot of cases this happens. I remember when first cruising back in 2002 that I went to P&O directly to book and when onboard with two lovely couples at dinner was told to use some other companies that discounted quite considerably. I used these companies for some time, but as time went by two bookings I made with these various other companies they went bust. Fortunately in both instances P&O took over the bookings so I didn't lose out. I now very rarely go outside of booking direct with the cruise company. However I have had similar experiences to yourself. One particular cruise was disounted by over £1000 on my original booking and although I lost the deposit I was able to secure the same cabin at the cheaper price and still save nearly £700. So it really depends on whether you would save enough to cancel and rebook. I don't know whether it is still the case, but in our early days of cruising everyone seemed to have paid a different amount for the same cruise. Obviously if you have a higher graded cabin such as a balcony against an inside or sea view you would expect to pay more. 

[Windsurfboy]

13 hours ago, Mad4WDW said:

 Maybe if there's something else you've saw you could transfer your deposit then just rebook and be £350 better off?

 

Good advice , even if you are doubtful about the future cruise, move it, even if you don't use it £50 better off. Then if in future see one you really fancy move it again

[Scorpio41]

Once I’ve booked a cruise I don’t look again. I book at a price that suits me and I can afford. I do have a budget that I won’t go above.

I also try to ignore people onboard who boast about how cheap their cruise was.

Edited May 26, 2023 by Scorpio41
Spelling

[zap99]

22 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Good advice , even if you are doubtful about the future cruise, move it, even if you don't use it £50 better off. Then if in future see one you really fancy move it again

You can only move it once and then only to a cruise of the same or higher price.

Edited May 26, 2023 by zap99

[RumAndCoconuts]

I am a first time cruiser with P&O next spring so I'm doing my research on these boards..If I'm reading this right, once you book do you not get the reduced rate if the price drops? I've always sailed with Royal Caribbean and as long as Final Payment hasn't been made they'll change the price for you. 

 Clarification would be appreciated. Thanks! 

[indiana123]

11 minutes ago, RumAndCoconuts said:

I am a first time cruiser with P&O next spring so I'm doing my research on these boards..If I'm reading this right, once you book do you not get the reduced rate if the price drops?

 

 

So far as I am aware,that is the case on P and O.  I have never known them to reduce  after booking.  Someone will say if I am wrong.

 

As said above, we never look once we have booked'

 

 

[Winifred 22]

There is no price alteration with P&O or Cunard, the final price is the price you were happy to originally book with. 

[Andy24v]

We sailed on Arvia in May this year. We booked it last October. Once the final payment had been made, the price for our Balcony cabin dropped from £4198 down to £2999. I contacted P&O to see if we could upgrade to a better cabin for the same price, which is something we have done twice with Marella.

P&O said we could upgrade, but we have to pay the price difference that was advertised when we booked.

 

[AlanCruise]

8 hours ago, RumAndCoconuts said:

I am a first time cruiser with P&O next spring so I'm doing my research on these boards..If I'm reading this right, once you book do you not get the reduced rate if the price drops? I've always sailed with Royal Caribbean and as long as Final Payment hasn't been made they'll change the price for you. 

 Clarification would be appreciated. Thanks! 

I think the reduced price for existing bookings is a North American thing.  Not seen it for UK bookings.

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, AlanCruise said:

I think the reduced price for existing bookings is a North American thing.  Not seen it for UK bookings.

UK passengers can sometimes get price matching for US cruise lines sailing in Europe, we once got a 40% reduction for a Southampton Princess cruise, but P&O have never price matched. You would need to cancel and rebook, which is no good if you have already paid the final balance.

[lincslady]

It is a no win situation, if you want a particular cabin or area on the ship, and therefore choose early.  What is particularly annoying is when others (usually Brits, as we found on Cunard), ask you how much you paid, so they could gloat.  I soon realised the thing is to say you can't exactly remember. Once met an old chap years ago on Fred. who lived near whichever port it was, and said he phoned up a day or two before sailing, and got  on board for almost pennies!

[Scots Couple]

17 hours ago, RumAndCoconuts said:

I am a first time cruiser with P&O next spring so I'm doing my research on these boards..If I'm reading this right, once you book do you not get the reduced rate if the price drops? I've always sailed with Royal Caribbean and as long as Final Payment hasn't been made they'll change the price for you. 

 Clarification would be appreciated. Thanks! 

I was shocked that P&O didn't pass on the reduction, I have had quite a few reductions with Royal.

[daiB]

55 minutes ago, Scots Couple said:

I was shocked that P&O didn't pass on the reduction, I have had quite a few reductions with Royal.

Why? The US companies do it because they have to, US law, not out of the goodness of their hearts. This has been the case for years.

[doog442]

I live near Southampton with plenty of flexibility, who do I contact for these last minute bargains and why does it matter if I live next to a port? I mean I could live 2 hours up the trainline.   

[Winifred 22]

10 minutes ago, doog442 said:

I live near Southampton with plenty of flexibility, who do I contact for these last minute bargains and why does it matter if I live next to a port? I mean I could live 2 hours up the trainline.   

They don’t exist anymore. Years ago they did. 

[RumAndCoconuts]

28 minutes ago, doog442 said:

I live near Southampton with plenty of flexibility, who do I contact for these last minute bargains and why does it matter if I live next to a port? I mean I could live 2 hours up the trainline.   

I would frequently check out a website  you can peruse by location or cruise line and it creates your list and you can sort by price. I sign up to all sorts of websites that notify of great price reductions. 

 It's a bit mind boggling how many of them are out there but you'll find several that work for you I'm sure

[Scots Couple]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Why? The US companies do it because they have to, US law, not out of the goodness of their hearts. This has been the case for years.

Why, because I had always had a reduction when there was a price drop with Royal, thought it was something all cruise lines did 

[Winifred 22]

1 minute ago, Scots Couple said:

Why, because I had always had a reduction when there was a price drop with Royal, thought it was something all cruise lines did 

Definitely a no for Cunard or P & O not sure about other UK based lines but probably not. 

[daiB]

5 minutes ago, Scots Couple said:

Why, because I had always had a reduction when there was a price drop with Royal, thought it was something all cruise lines did 

They do if they are based in the US as it is the law in that country it is not in the UK.