P&O Bookings - DON'T USE SAVER FARE!!

roger_williams

I booked a cruise (J511) to Iceland/North Norway in April 2025 departing on 1 August 2025 and paid in full for a balcony cabin by Saver Fare.

Customer Services called me on 14th July stating the balcony cabin I had booked and paid in full on 25th April was not available. Instead I was offered an inferior cabin with a restricted view (looking out on tenders and lifeboats) and £750 in compensation. Decided not to accept so P&O forced, due their fault (overbooking), to refund all costs. They also added a 20% discount on a future cruise.

It appears that P&O rate their customers as to what fare they book under. This fare was a Saver Fare - the cheapest at the time of booking. Warning to all - book a Select Fare (if you can) otherwise you could well be bounced as I was.

Don't try to contact Customer Services by phone or email (from P&O web page) as their service is shocking. Suggest you complain to Mr. Ludlow (P&O Cruises and Carnival UK) direct where you may eventually get some compensation.

I did provide a suggestion that P&O, once all bookings for a cruise were full, they routed customers to a waiting list where they would be contacted if their cabin choice became available. This would save any customer disappointment as I had. I am not expecting P&O to change their booking process as they would rather have the full fare in their account and then refund at a later date. It is a very shady practice, just like the airlines – I thought P&O was more responsible than that, but obviously their service is the same.

Voyager2002

Many people would regard that as adequate compensation. I am sure that there are many lounges and public areas with a good view of the sea, and that one would sleep just as well in an inferior cabin.

MyRealNameToo

Voyager2002 said:

Many people would regard that as adequate compensation. I am sure that there are many lounges and public areas with a good view of the sea, and that one would sleep just as well in an inferior cabin.

Think it depends on the nature of the cruise... one where you are in port every day and the boat is a bit of a party thing then I'd agree. A repositioning cruise where most the time you're at sea and it being a quieter affair then I can see having a "private" balcony being more appealing rather than being forced to spend most the time in the public areas of the boat. 

daveyjp

Cruise pricing is very much becoming like airline pricing.

Multiple levels of options at different prices, then additional costs, then "nickel and diming" when you get on board.

However it is to be expected.   P&O are advertising cruises at £100 per person per night in 2025, which is what they were charging in 2005. A consequence of there being far more cabins to fill across the cruise ship world.  We cruised last year on Celebrity, last minute bargain, but the ship was still only 80% occupied.

Pay a cheap fare and there are downsides including being bumped if P&O can sell the cabin at a higher price.

35har1old

roger_williams said:

I booked a cruise (J511) to Iceland/North Norway in April 2025 departing on 1 August 2025 and paid in full for a balcony cabin by Saver Fare.

Customer Services called me on 14th July stating the balcony cabin I had booked and paid in full on 25th April was not available. Instead I was offered an inferior cabin with a restricted view (looking out on tenders and lifeboats) and £750 in compensation. Decided not to accept so P&O forced, due their fault (overbooking), to refund all costs. They also added a 20% discount on a future cruise.

It appears that P&O rate their customers as to what fare they book under. This fare was a Saver Fare - the cheapest at the time of booking. Warning to all - book a Select Fare (if you can) otherwise you could well be bounced as I was.

Don't try to contact Customer Services by phone or email (from P&O web page) as their service is shocking. Suggest you complain to Mr. Ludlow (P&O Cruises and Carnival UK) direct where you may eventually get some compensation.

I did provide a suggestion that P&O, once all bookings for a cruise were full, they routed customers to a waiting list where they would be contacted if their cabin choice became available. This would save any customer disappointment as I had. I am not expecting P&O to change their booking process as they would rather have the full fare in their account and then refund at a later date. It is a very shady practice, just like the airlines – I thought P&O was more responsible than that, but obviously their service is the same.

Was the cabin not in aera that you selected?
With the Saver Fare you only get to choose the forward position at the basic fare and then supplements for the other position 
Booking Select Fare roughly 4 mths in advance Only gives you one deck to choose with no additional supplements and only in certain positions on that deck and two further decks with a small supplement and again in certain positions