10% off 2024 cruises!

[Wonky]

Not sure I’ve seen this on Cunard before? Anyone else?

[bluemarble]

It's good to see those of you in the UK are getting some Cunard promotions like this. Since I'm from the US, I don't follow UK offers all that closely, but they seem to be few and far between compared to the frequent promotions we get in the US. For instance in the US we currently have "Summer Savings Event" and "Labor Day Sale" promotions going on in addition to the ubiquitous "Sailing Soon Savings" and "Grills Suite Offer" promotions.

 

By the way, I did a spot check of one of the 2024 voyages from the "10% off 2024 voyages" promotion and the UK fares I'm seeing are considerably better than what's offered for that voyage on any of the current US promotions. And that's not even factoring in the OBC that's being offered with the "Extra spend on board" promotion which looks like it's included with the "10% off 2024 voyages" promotion. I'm a bit envious. It's often the other way around.

[Wonky]

So can you not book through a UK site or do you need an address here?

[Bell Boy]

1 hour ago, Wonky said:

Not sure I’ve seen this on Cunard before? Anyone else?

 Yes occasionally , but book BEFORE September 4th . 

[bluemarble]

44 minutes ago, Wonky said:

So can you not book through a UK site or do you need an address here?

 

I'm not sure of all the ramifications if I attempted to book using a UK site. It looks like the Cunard UK website will accept a US address on the guest information page. It's unlikely to accept a US Cunard World Club number though. The FAQ on the Cunard UK site indicates "if a guest lives overseas and does not have a UK address, this must be booked through the international team."

 

If I were allowed to make a UK booking, then I would be bound to the UK booking terms and conditions which include a non-refundable deposit and the requirement to obtain medical cover of at least £2 million.

 

I'll stick with booking under the US terms and conditions.

Edited August 24, 2023 by bluemarble

[Pushpit]

Just to record what it is that we are seeing on this side of the Atlantic. Deadline: 4 September 2023, it's a public holiday weekend over here (excluding Scotland) and so this is what counts for a Flash Sale. Click the picture to see it bigger.

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pushpit

[babs135]

I hate to sound cynical, but are these genuine savings or just a mere massaging of figures?

[Wonky]

2 minutes ago, babs135 said:

I hate to sound cynical, but are these genuine savings or just a mere massaging of figures?

Definitely real savings. I’m looking to move my deposits on a couple of cruises next year to take advantage.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Looks like a genuine saving - but if the voyages were selling well these discounts would not be being offered.

[Petulia]

Cunard regularly email us, but have heard nothing from them about this offer. Hmmm. 

 

[LibertyBella]

Hmm, I just tried to have my 2024 cruise repriced for this sale (also here in the US), and I was told I have to completely cancel and rebook to take advantage of the savings, and I will lose some of my OBC, get a new reservation number, as well as have to pay a NEW deposit and have my old deposit refunded (??!).

 

Overall it will probably be worth it financially, but it is a hassle to go through the whole process. I definitely do not want to lose my cabin!

 

My TA said Cunard is trying to better keep track of re-pricings and money movements, so that is why they are starting this more complex process, rather than just a quick refare as in the past.  Yes, they probably want to attract new cruisers, but we veteran cruisers might even consider adding another leg to our journeys with such a good price--if I can tolerate trying to go through all the extra paperwork.

[Sabrina66]

I am in a quandary.  I booked onboard 3 weeks ago and was pleased to pay a very low deposit & got very generous OBC.  The price of my cruise has, however, decreased by £900 with this promotion.

I believe that (under Cunard UK T&Cs) I can only transfer the deposit to a cruise of equal or higher value.  As I still want to do the cruise I originally booked  I assume my options are either transferring my deposit to a higher grade on the same cruise (in which case I would not actually save any money) or cancelling the booking, forfeiting the deposit and rebooking the cruise from scratch.  With the 2nd option I would save the £900 (less £350 forfeited deposit) but would have to pay a new higher deposit and take considerably less OBC, so the saving is not quite so significant.

I think on balance I will leave things as they are.  I would however, for future reference, be interested to know from experienced UK Cunarders whether they tend to book onboard for the generous benefits or hold off in the expectation of greater savings from promotions such as this.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Sabrina66

[Pushpit]

Yes the rule is that they will switch cruises such that you put at least £1 more into Cunard's coffers, or equal cost, or you forget the deposit and start again. And usually when they are reducing fares it doesn't make much difference. Apparently (ok, I've not done this) but if you very recently made the booking and the cost has come down very shortly afterwards you can complain about it and they may dob you another $50 or $100 in OBC, but there is a very good argument that you secured your cabin early, took it off the market and thus reduced Cunard's marketing options. I've long learned not to book at the first moment, and that Cunard are twinned with DFS.

[Wonky]

6 hours ago, Sabrina66 said:

I am in a quandary.  I booked onboard 3 weeks ago and was pleased to pay a very low deposit & got very generous OBC.  The price of my cruise has, however, decreased by £900 with this promotion.

I believe that (under Cunard UK T&Cs) I can only transfer the deposit to a cruise of equal or higher value.  As I still want to do the cruise I originally booked  I assume my options are either transferring my deposit to a higher grade on the same cruise (in which case I would not actually save any money) or cancelling the booking, forfeiting the deposit and rebooking the cruise from scratch.  With the 2nd option I would save the £900 (less £350 forfeited deposit) but would have to pay a new higher deposit and take considerably less OBC, so the saving is not quite so significant.

I think on balance I will leave things as they are.  I would however, for future reference, be interested to know from experienced UK Cunarders whether they tend to book onboard for the generous benefits or hold off in the expectation of greater savings from promotions such as this.

I actually thought that too but apparently you have to move it to a different cruise. I had to do a three way switch but it was worth it.

[Staffordshirecruiser]

Hi, I am in a similar situation - I would save £1125 allowing for the deposit to be lost, and loose $800 OBC.  My plan is to book with the 10 percent offer, even though I would need to pay a higher deposit.  Then transfer my on board booking to a new 2025 booking when they come out which will mean I can reuse the £350 deposit and get the $800 OBC on that cruise.  Hope that makes sense, maybe worth thinking about?

[roscoe39]

interesting, I recently noticed a drop in my Auckland to Southampton fare  on the QV in 2024 - it was offered by a travel agency, I rang Cunard who I had originally booked through and the Cunard Agent offered me a higher grade or to match the offer form the travel agency. (she checked online and found the offer). I took the match and it saved a considerable $US3500. last week, a different travel company offered again the same trip I was booked on at a further saving plus included airfares from the UK to NZ, again I rang Cunard and they agreed that if I cancelled my original booking (and the booked cabin) that I would get a good size OBC (which I had lost on the previous change) plus also a grade higher than my booked stateroom but on a guaranteed basis, and I saved a further $usd2500 . Thats a $USD6000 saving in less than a month! Will almost pay my bar bill.........

 

 Needless to say that I am a very happy camper and Cunard have reiterated that I will continue to be a loyal follower. 

 

I have often been cynical of savings that people claim to have made but now I'm a firm believer in  "if you don't ask you don't get".....and "you've got nothing to lose without asking"

On 8/27/2023 at 3:48 AM, Sabrina66 said:

I am in a quandary.  I booked onboard 3 weeks ago and was pleased to pay a very low deposit & got very generous OBC.  The price of my cruise has, however, decreased by £900 with this promotion.

I believe that (under Cunard UK T&Cs) I can only transfer the deposit to a cruise of equal or higher value.  As I still want to do the cruise I originally booked  I assume my options are either transferring my deposit to a higher grade on the same cruise (in which case I would not actually save any money) or cancelling the booking, forfeiting the deposit and rebooking the cruise from scratch.  With the 2nd option I would save the £900 (less £350 forfeited deposit) but would have to pay a new higher deposit and take considerably less OBC, so the saving is not quite so significant.

I think on balance I will leave things as they are.  I would however, for future reference, be interested to know from experienced UK Cunarders whether they tend to book onboard for the generous benefits or hold off in the expectation of greater savings from promotions such as this.

 

[LibertyBella]

Okay, I went through the trouble of canceling and rebooking, and I was able to save my same cabin, but receive the cost reduction. When I booked the cruise, I thought the price was very good, but the sale made the price excellent, and since the cruise is still a year away I wanted to take advantage of the sale. 

 

Yes, Cunard is making price reductions a bit difficult for its loyal customers, but the on-board experience is totally worth the advance hassle!

[Wonky]

6 hours ago, roscoe39 said:

almost

Brilliant🤣