P and O cruises - price significantly lower than when we booked!

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dominicnp
dominicnp Posts: 70 Forumite
First Anniversary Combo Breaker
in Overseas holidays & travel planning
Hi

My wife booked us a mini cruise with P & O for the start of July at a cost of £329 per person. She booked early as she assumed that this would mean getting a good price.

However, we have just checked the price of the cruise now and it has dropped significantly by £70 per person.

I have contacted P & O to see what they can do regarding this and they have offered a balcony upgrade - which while ok for a longer cruise I dont think we would get much benefit from on a short cruise.

I was unable to get them to refund the difference or even offer any on board credit instead.

My question is has anyone had a similar experience and what resolution did you manage to achieve?

Am I aiming too high to ask for on board credit even and should I take the offer of a balcony upgrade as that is the best that I will get?

Thanks!
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  • bradders1983
    bradders1983 Posts: 5,684 Forumite
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    You booked a holiday at a price you were happy at, the moral is to book a holiday/flight and then never check the price again.

    Would you be offering to pay the difference had the price gone up £70pp?
  • dominicnp
    dominicnp Posts: 70 Forumite
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    I appreciate that - and I am happy to pay that price. However, in the spirit of money saving what I was wondering was whether anyone had any experience of getting P & O to offer them on-board credit or similar?

    Seems a bit silly not to see if anyone has had a similar experience and had a good result. If you don't ask you don't get!

    Thanks!
  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,545 Forumite
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    I would take the balcony upgrade as goodwill gesture...better than nothing
  • NoodleDoodleMan
    NoodleDoodleMan Posts: 3,359 Forumite
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    She booked early as she assumed that this would mean getting a good price.
    It doesn't work that way with cruises.

    Some folks book early because they are tied into set holiday dates and want a guaranteed reservation, or want a specific cabin.
  • tgon
    tgon Posts: 710 Forumite
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    bradders1983 wrote: »
    You booked a holiday at a price you were happy at, the moral is to book a holiday/flight and then never check the price again.

    Would you be offering to pay the difference had the price gone up £70pp?

    +1 on this advice. Take the upgrade and have a great cruise.
  • Backbiter
    Backbiter Posts: 1,393 Forumite
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    NoodleDoodleMan wrote: »
    It doesn't work that way with cruises.

    Some folks book early because they are tied into set holiday dates and want a guaranteed reservation, or want a specific cabin.
    It does if you book with an American agent, who will rebook you at a lower price if the price drops. You do need to ask them first, though
  • BarryBlue
    BarryBlue Posts: 4,179 Forumite
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    NoodleDoodleMan wrote: »
    It doesn't work that way with cruises.

    Some folks book early because they are tied into set holiday dates and want a guaranteed reservation, or want a specific cabin.
    You are quite right. However, there is no hard and fast rule as to when you will get the best price. We are regular cruisers and used to monitor prices of ones we were interested in, then book when the price fell to what we wanted to pay. For a long time it was usually around 8-10 weeks before departure.

    In the last couple of years we have found that some cruises, notably not in the peak season, are at their best prices soon after release, which can be more than a year in advance. We have P&O cruises booked for both November and December this year where the price was around £50pppn. We also have one booked on Iona for November 2020 for a similar price. All are now more expensive.

    It's all down to what you are happy to pay. Being flexible over cabins will also make for a better deal, I can never understand why people are so picky about cabins.
    :dance:We're gonna be alright, dancin' on a Saturday night:dance:
  • zerog
    zerog Posts: 2,478 Forumite
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    Do P&O offer refundable rates? If you are worried about prices dropping then book refundable rates.
  • Neil49
    Neil49 Posts: 3,081 Forumite
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    Cruise prices can drop as the departure date gets to less than 12 weeks as this is the time when full payment is required. It's at this point that people change their minds and cancel.

    The gamble of booking late is that the supply of cabins can be limited and we have found that you tend to get cabins in poorer locations on the ship while those who book early can find that they have been moved to a better cabin automatically.

    On a short cruise cabin location isn't that important but do you want to be situated under the nightclub or the kitchens for 2 weeks? That is what can happen if you leave it to the last minute.

    Take the upgrade and enjoy yourselves.
  • Manxman_in_exile
    Manxman_in_exile Posts: 8,380 Forumite
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    Wasn't there a similar thread recently where the advice was to cancel and re-book at the lower price?


    Obviously depends on the cancellation fee and the amount of saving. I wouldn't have thought it worth the hassle but depends on the amount saved.
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