P&O Cruises free upgrade offer (from £299)

Doc_N

Received an email yesterday from P&O Cruises with this:

http://www.pocruises.com/ultimate-upgrade-offer/

If you're into cruising, there are some astonishingly good reductions of well over 50% in here (and not just on last-minute deals - these are spread across the whole of 2012) - I'm guessing the problems with Costa have dried up the bookings a bit..........

The Ultimate Upgrade Offer - From £229 per person

Throughout March 2012 P&O Cruises are giving you the opportunity to enjoy our ultimate upgrade offer to make great savings on selected cruises across our seven ships.

Simply book your preferred grade of cabin and only pay the fare of the cabin grade below. So, for example, if you want to travel in one of our higher grade balcony cabins we'll only charge you for a lower grade of balcony cabin or even an outside cabin.
Simply book your preferred grade of cabin and only pay the fare of the cabin grade below

Book in March and in no time you could be enjoying a stunning view of the fjords from your balcony or toasting the Caribbean sunset from your luxurious suite; all for less than you expected.

This offer ends 31st March 2012.

What's included in the price

Free cabin upgrade - simply book your preferred grade of cabin and only pay the fare of the cabin grade below.

Up to 10% off brochure prices
Superb dining throughout the day
Luxury accommodation
Entertainment day & night
Dedicated age specific children's clubs, night nursery for the under fives, children's tea, discounted children's fares and in some cases free child places.
Full use of the sports court, a choice of swimming pools and whirlpool spas, fully equipped gym, sauna and steam rooms.
All UK and overseas port taxes, air and/or sea fuel supplements and free shuttle buses.

StumpyPumpy

Be careful with these sorts of offers from P&O. It is almost always cheaper to buy your cruise from a 3rd party (eg Cruise1st.co.uk or cruisedeals.co.uk to name two) even when you factor in the "free" upgrade offers.

For instance, the cruise I'm going on soon has cost me £580 less (2 people) than P&O charges for the same cabin using this offer. Had I wanted to book one cabin grade higher, it would have only cost me £200 extra.

So, thanks to the OP for pointing out the offer, but in my experience as with many other things, shopping around will save you much more money than buying direct from the cruise operator.

SP

Doc_N

StumpyPumpy wrote: »

Be careful with these sorts of offers from P&O. It is almost always cheaper to buy your cruise from a 3rd party (eg Cruise1st.co.uk or cruisedeals.co.uk to name two) even when you factor in the "free" upgrade offers.

For instance, the cruise I'm going on soon has cost me £580 less (2 people) than P&O charges for the same cabin using this offer. Had I wanted to book one cabin grade higher, it would have only cost me £200 extra.

So, thanks to the OP for pointing out the offer, but in my experience as with many other things, shopping around will save you much more money than buying direct from the cruise operator.

SP

I take your point entirely, but this time I didn't manage to better the P&O direct price with any of the agents. There were (are?) some top suites going for not much more than a third of the original brochure price, and it does make you determined never to book early.

getmore4less

Any TA should also be offering the deals with TA discounts.

Give some examples of decent priced cruises.

A quick look and they still seem overpriced.

Doc_N

getmore4less wrote: »

Any TA should also be offering the deals with TA discounts.

Give some examples of decent priced cruises.

A quick look and they still seem overpriced.

I think you're too late - all the best bargains have gone now. There was, for example, an AB (very top category) suite, with butler and Spa Package included, on the Azura for £1799 (14 nights, Western Med). The original brochure price was in excess of £4800, and the £1799 deal went almost immediately.

StumpyPumpy

Doc_N wrote: »

I think you're too late - all the best bargains have gone now. There was, for example, an AB (very top category) suite, with butler and Spa Package included, on the Azura for £1799 (14 nights, Western Med). The original brochure price was in excess of £4800, and the £1799 deal went almost immediately.

What you say is accurate, but does not really apply to the cruising as a whole. As far as I am aware, the Azura only has 2 AB grade cabins (out of 1,557). So you wouldn't expect to be able to see these on a travel agent's site at a discount. No doubt one person bought that cabin so the offer has gone.

When I was looking for a cruise I checked everywhere I could think of for the cheapest prices (including this offer) and in all the grades I looked at, the Agents were considerably cheaper than P&O. That said, I did not look at any grades higher than "Superior Balcony" so I don't know if one or two of the exclusive "upper echelon" suites were discounted more.

It is a bit like VW having one Bugatti Veyron to sell and 2,000 Polos, Golfs, Passats etc. I wouldn't expect to be able to get a new Veyron cheaper anywhere else, but I'd be looking for dealer discounts on a Golf purchase.

SP

getmore4less

Doc_N wrote: »

I think you're too late - all the best bargains have gone now. There was, for example, an AB (very top category) suite, with butler and Spa Package included, on the Azura for £1799 (14 nights, Western Med). The original brochure price was in excess of £4800, and the £1799 deal went almost immediately.

Another look and the suites do seem to be relatively reasonable

shame all the other cabins seem to be still overpriced.

not a lot under £1k for 14nights

Any examples of any cabin on any ship on any cruise at decent prices

ajmace

I was lucky enough to buy an AB cabin on Ventura Carribbean transatlatic at a discount of nearly £10K off the brochure price. There are only 2 of these cabins on Ventura so I was well pleased.

I do agree that the reductions on some of the other cabins is little better than you often find offered but the plus point is that these are not 'late' deals they apply to the end of 2012.