Parking Question

[Selbourne]

52 minutes ago, Jazzytelly said:

We haven’t yet booked for 2025 yet but I guess will have to now, but does anyone know if we have to cancel the parking say because we might have to use the coach instead whether there is a cancellation charge? 

If you have taken the included parking with P&O and booked it, you can cancel it at any time (through whomever you booked with) should you change your mind. P&O then cancel the parking for you. There is no cancellation charge. These only apply if you book direct. 

[Selbourne]

15 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Yes, strangely enough I had an email today saying that there is heavy demand for CPS and availability is not guaranteed. As you say, they suggest booking very early and that it must be at least 35 days before departure.

Yes, I’ve had a number of those emails today! Thankfully, I have already booked parking for all our future cruises, but there are starting to be capacity issues with the usual operators and I’ve heard of a number of people having to make alternative arrangements. 

[Britboys]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, I’ve had a number of those emails today! Thankfully, I have already booked parking for all our future cruises, but there are starting to be capacity issues with the usual operators and I’ve heard of a number of people having to make alternative arrangements. 

Capacity problems were inevitable I guess when you have two new ships the size of Iona and Arvia...

[Megabear2]

At the moment OBC is worth considerably less than the parking (after the "adjustment" today) so I would imagine for anyone travelling a distance the parking is a far better option showing on a lot of cruises.  Currently OBC appears to be back to minimum levels and there is currently no split parking OBC option. That of course will apply more pressure on parking and is perhaps the trigger for all the emails.  The good news is prices haven't fluctuated this time round, just the extra benefits.  The gap between saver and select seems to have increased again though.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Megabear2

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

If you have taken the included parking with P&O and booked it, you can cancel it at any time (through whomever you booked with) should you change your mind. P&O then cancel the parking for you. There is no cancellation charge. These only apply if you book direct. 

When I changed a cruise recently I rang CPS to cancel original booking and to tell them I will rebook online for my new changed cruise. The woman said no problem and thanked me for informing them and said that when people cancel or change a cruise P&O do not inform them and CPS still think you are booked in. So don't assume P&O automatically cancel car parking they don't.

Edited June 6, 2023 by majortom10

[LA30]

I will just add that we have used Parking for Cruises for many years and always find them excellent.  Also, we have never queued.

[insidecabin]

Remember CPS put the parking up to make the select fares look better.

 

Parking in Southampton is avail under £30week add a couple of <£10taxis,  that's what the parking is really worth.

Even West Quay multi is only £35week or £90month for longer trips

 

Unless really needing the convenience of drive up  there are other not that bad options 

 

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

Remember CPS put the parking up to make the select fares look better.

 

Parking in Southampton is avail under £30week add a couple of <£10taxis,  that's what the parking is really worth.

Even West Quay multi is only £35week or £90month for longer trips

 

Unless really needing the convenience of drive up  there are other not that bad options 

 

Where because there is no way I would risk parking my car whilst on a cruise at West Quay multi storey open to the public with very little or no security.

[insidecabin]

26 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Where because there is no way I would risk parking my car whilst on a cruise at West Quay multi storey open to the public with very little or no security.

Plenty of other options

Some have started using the airport.

Many use cruise and park using hotel carparks for less than CPS cost.

[NavyPanda]

25 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Where because there is no way I would risk parking my car whilst on a cruise at West Quay multi storey open to the public with very little or no security.

 

Southampton City Council charges £4/day (£28/week) after the first day to park in one of three multi-storey car parks. (Pay on exit)

 

Cruise parking and long stay parking (southampton.gov.uk)

 

The ibis hotel car park can be booked for around the same price (£30/week) or for £70/month (Book in advance) 

 

Parking on West Quay Road, SO15. YourParkingSpace

 

Westquay multi-storey car park has already been mentioned and costs £5/day. (Pay on exit).

 

Parking in Southampton | Westquay Shopping Centre (west-quay.co.uk)

 

Yes, it is true that all the above car parks are open to the public and have little in the way of security aside CCTV.  However if (like me) you use a car primarily as a means of transportation and it is worth less than the cost of the cruise then the attraction of paying 3x the cost just to park somewhere more secure doesn't appeal. If you have a far more valuable car then paying more for a more secure parking location may worthy of consideration. 

 

For what it is worth, I have parked in the ibis car park and Westquay a number of times, all without incident. Worth noting that the cheapest option for car parking would be to park on a residential street without parking restrictions (if your cruise isn't too long). 

[majortom10]

5 hours ago, insidecabin said:

Plenty of other options

Some have started using the airport.

Many use cruise and park using hotel carparks for less than CPS cost.

Again hotel car parks have none of very little security and open to public access.

[majortom10]

5 hours ago, NavyPanda said:

 

Southampton City Council charges £4/day (£28/week) after the first day to park in one of three multi-storey car parks. (Pay on exit)

 

Cruise parking and long stay parking (southampton.gov.uk)

 

The ibis hotel car park can be booked for around the same price (£30/week) or for £70/month (Book in advance) 

 

Parking on West Quay Road, SO15. YourParkingSpace

 

Westquay multi-storey car park has already been mentioned and costs £5/day. (Pay on exit).

 

Parking in Southampton | Westquay Shopping Centre (west-quay.co.uk)

 

Yes, it is true that all the above car parks are open to the public and have little in the way of security aside CCTV.  However if (like me) you use a car primarily as a means of transportation and it is worth less than the cost of the cruise then the attraction of paying 3x the cost just to park somewhere more secure doesn't appeal. If you have a far more valuable car then paying more for a more secure parking location may worthy of consideration. 

 

For what it is worth, I have parked in the ibis car park and Westquay a number of times, all without incident. Worth noting that the cheapest option for car parking would be to park on a residential street without parking restrictions (if your cruise isn't too long). 

All of those have very little or no security at all and would not risk leaving my car there for duration of cruise. Others might take that risk or are not bothered especially if they have an older car.

[9265359]

15 hours ago, majortom10 said:

All of those have very little or no security at all and would not risk leaving my car there for duration of cruise.

 

If someone is going to break into, vandalise, or steal your car then whether it is left in a car park for a week or an hour is irrelevant as it will only take a thief a moment to do what they need to do.

 

And do people who take the train or coach to the port park their car in a secure car park whilst they are away, or do they leave it with no security on their drive or on the street outside their house?

 

Then what about commuter railway stations where cars are left all day and it is obvious to any thief that they can do whatever they want for the next eight hours with no risk of being troubled.

 

Secure parking at ports is just 'security theatre'. Pay for it if you want, but the chance of it being needed is trivially small.

[majortom10]

15 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

If someone is going to break into, vandalise, or steal your car then whether it is left in a car park for a week or an hour is irrelevant as it will only take a thief a moment to do what they need to do.

 

And do people who take the train or coach to the port park their car in a secure car park whilst they are away, or do they leave it with no security on their drive or on the street outside their house?

 

Then what about commuter railway stations where cars are left all day and it is obvious to any thief that they can do whatever they want for the next eight hours with no risk of being troubled.

 

Secure parking at ports is just 'security theatre'. Pay for it if you want, but the chance of it being needed is trivially small.

Secure parking is not just ''security theatre" as some adhere to Park Mark security have 24 hr cctv and do not have public access which of course you have to pay extra for that security. Whilst I agree it only takes a minute to break into a car if parked in a multi storey car park or hotel with no security and open to public access increases that risk. Whilst nothing is 100% secure I would rather pay extra to park my car in a car park that has some level of security. It is down to personal choice and value of car and personally would not leave my car parked in a multi storey or hotel car park. What others do is down to them and personal choice.

[9265359]

Just now, majortom10 said:

It is down to personal choice and value of car and personally would not leave my car parked in a multi storey or hotel car park.

 

You would never leave your car parked in a multi-storey or hotel car park? Do you never drive to the shops or go on holiday in the UK?

[majortom10]

Just now, 9265359 said:

 

You would never leave your car parked in a multi-storey or hotel car park? Do you never drive to the shops or go on holiday in the UK?

No I don't holiday in the UK and I don't leave my car parked in supermarket car park for 14 days which increases the risk than if parked just for 2 hrs. What you decide is your personal choice and what I do is mine.

[9265359]

9 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

and I don't leave my car parked in supermarket car park for 14 days which increases the risk than if parked just for 2 hrs.

 

Not sure why you think multiple 2 hour stays in a car park is less risky than a single longer stay.

 

Over the same total period of time there is exactly the same risk that the car will be broken into, vandalised, or stolen, but during multiple stays in a supermarket car park there is a far higher risk from other people going to and from their cars than in a long stay car park with little movement.

 

13 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

What you decide is your personal choice and what I do is mine.

 

Of course. But you had expressed an opinion and I was expressing a counter opinion challenging your assertions about risk.

[majortom10]

1 minute ago, 9265359 said:

 

Not sure why you think multiple 2 hour stays in a car park is less risky than a single longer stay.

 

Over the same total period of time there is exactly the same risk that the car will be broken into, vandalised, or stolen, but during multiple stays in a supermarket car park there is a far higher risk from other people going to and from their cars than in a long stay car park with little movement.

 

 

Of course. But you had expressed an opinion and I was expressing a counter opinion challenging your assertions about risk.

I wasn't challenging anyone's opinion I was just stating my own that I would not park in any multi storey or hotel car park due to the risk. I would reduce that risk by parking with a company with a good level of security and pay extra for that privilege. You can never reduce the risk completely but there are differing options of parking which people have and have their own choice of cost and risk.

[9265359]

10 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

I wasn't challenging anyone's opinion I was just stating my own that I would not park in any multi storey or hotel car park due to the risk. 

 

Your 'perceived' risk.

 

Whether there is actually an increased risk is a matter for debate.

[paulatsea]

55 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

Your 'perceived' risk.

 

Whether there is actually an increased risk is a matter for debate.

Not really - it’s a matter of fact .

its obviously safer in a dedicated secured cruise car park with no public access cctv and staff than a public multi-storey car park.

[9265359]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

Not really - it’s a matter of fact .

its obviously safer in a dedicated secured cruise car park with no public access cctv and staff than a public multi-storey car park.

 

Perceptions - you perceive that something bad will happen to a car parked in a public multi-story car park, I do not.

 

What are the actual facts - what proportion of cars are broken into, vandalised, or stolen when parked for a week or two in a public multi-storey car park? 10%? 1%? 0.1%? 0.01%? 0.001%?

 

If it was 10% then paying a premium to park in a secure car park might be worth it, but at 0.001% it likely isn't.

 

And then what is the risk of damage to your car by the secure car park driver that you only notice after you get home so they won't cover? 10%? 1%? 0.1%? 0.01%? 0.001%?

 

Fear of risk is a subject exploited by every company, whether it is a secure car park company, a high street retailer selling you an extended warranty, or a cruise company offering to mitigate the risk of a dodgy cabin or unsatisfactory MDR allocation by paying extra!

 

Some people are happy to accept the risk that most often does not materialise, and some are not.

[david63]

9 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

what proportion of cars are broken into, vandalised, or stolen when parked for a week or two in a public multi-storey car park?

Statistics become irrelevant if it happens to your car

[paulatsea]

11 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

Perceptions - you perceive that something bad will happen to a car parked in a public multi-story car park, I do not.

 

What are the actual facts - what proportion of cars are broken into, vandalised, or stolen when parked for a week or two in a public multi-storey car park? 10%? 1%? 0.1%? 0.01%? 0.001%?

 

If it was 10% then paying a premium to park in a secure car park might be worth it, but at 0.001% it likely isn't.

 

And then what is the risk of damage to your car by the secure car park driver that you only notice after you get home so they won't cover? 10%? 1%? 0.1%? 0.01%? 0.001%?

 

Fear of risk is a subject exploited by every company, whether it is a secure car park company, a high street retailer selling you an extended warranty, or a cruise company offering to mitigate the risk of a dodgy cabin or unsatisfactory MDR allocation by paying extra!

 

Some people are happy to accept the risk that most often does not materialise, and some are not.

Not perceptions - based on facts and personal  experience over many years.

 

Fact - my car has never been damaged or broken into in a secured cruise car park.
It has in public car parks.

 

Fact - Most Car Insurance will not cover loss/damage if car left unattended overnight / for several days in a public car park - reason ?  actuarial statistics on theft damage from public car parks.

 

And peace of mind (perceived or real threat ) is worth a premium - to me.

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by paulatsea

[9265359]

1 minute ago, david63 said:

Statistics become irrelevant if it happens to your car

 

Statistics are relevant if it never happens to your car.

 

1 minute ago, paulatsea said:

Fact - Most Car Insurance will not cover loss/damage if car left unattended overnight / for several days in a public car park - reason ?  actuarial statistics on theft damage from public car parks.

 

Care to give an example of a car insurance policy that contains such an exclusion, because I have never seen one (and I consider it would be impossible for any insurance company to actually write such an exclusion that wouldn't fail to meet the expectations of the ombudsman).

[kalos]

Could be a bit of a mine field as insurance can be fickle .

 

scenario  1   Bert parks his car on some backstreet away from home  and jets off

on holiday only to find on his return his car has been stolen and used in a crime 

according to the local police .

 

 Do the insurance pay out ?

 

Sensible Fred gives his car and keys over to a parking company and also jets off

on holiday only to find on his return his car also had been nicked and used in a crime 

according to the local police .

 

 Do the insurance pay out ?

 

(Foot note some companies state you park with them at your own risk )

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/3831158/are-you-insured-when-you-leave-your-car-at-an-off-site-airport-car-park-millions-of-holiday-maker

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by kalos