Still a lot of cabins not sold. Unusual mid August?

We are off on Ventura next Tuesday and we have been checking out if there were any cabins available as we were told that the same cruise last year on Aurora was very quiet.

Having checked yesterday there are lots of cabins still free -- both cabins either side of us for example (is it something we said? ;-))

We are hoping that the ship will be quiet like Aurora last year as it is a 17 day one to the Eastern Med. with lots of sea days, so think it may put families off ....

Do P&O make sure that they sell the cabins by bumping everyone up a grade and then offering some cheaper options just to fill her up? It just seems late to be offering upgrades now as luggage labels etc came out ages ago. Our fingers are crossed for a quiet time !

That does seem unusual for peak season, although maybe a 17 day price is just too steep for many families, and school holidays probably puts off a lot of couples.

We have never been on a cruise that was not full, at least for balcony cabins, and Dai keeps insisting that P&O ships are always full.

Perhaps some people think that the Med in August would be too hot for them? I'd be one of them, preferring to go in the spring or the autumn, which also has the advantage of ports of call being less crowded.

Anyway, have fun!

Probably sea days and the fact it only gives you the weekend before the school children go back ( and the Scottish ones will already be there).

Also the cheapest price is £1599 for an inside which is a lot for a last minute holiday.

Looks fabulous though. Hope you get a peaceful cruise.

Yes the Scottish schools will be back by then so no families from the far North.

Enjoy the slightly quieter ship.

Might be worth a speculative call asking what an upgrade cost would be at this late stage if you are interested / prepared to pay a little for one.

We are off on Ventura next Tuesday and we have been checking out if there were any cabins available as we were told that the same cruise last year on Aurora was very quiet.

Having checked yesterday there are lots of cabins still free -- both cabins either side of us for example (is it something we said? ;-))

 

We are hoping that the ship will be quiet like Aurora last year as it is a 17 day one to the Eastern Med. with lots of sea days, so think it may put families off ....

 

Do P&O make sure that they sell the cabins by bumping everyone up a grade and then offering some cheaper options just to fill her up? It just seems late to be offering upgrades now as luggage labels etc came out ages ago. Our fingers are crossed for a quiet time !

Are there cheap deals or are the prices holding up. If there are deals then there are more cabins left if not then there aren't. All ships sail with a small number of empty cabins for contingencies.

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We are off on Ventura next Tuesday and we have been checking out if there were any cabins available as we were told that the same cruise last year on Aurora was very quiet.

Having checked yesterday there are lots of cabins still free -- both cabins either side of us for example (is it something we said? ;-))

 

We are hoping that the ship will be quiet like Aurora last year as it is a 17 day one to the Eastern Med. with lots of sea days, so think it may put families off ....

 

Do P&O make sure that they sell the cabins by bumping everyone up a grade and then offering some cheaper options just to fill her up? It just seems late to be offering upgrades now as luggage labels etc came out ages ago. Our fingers are crossed for a quiet time !

If it is as quiet as the roll call, I think we will have the ship to ourselves [emoji16]

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We are on this cruise and I have been keeping an eye on the price it has only gone up so presume that most cabins have sold.

The cost of a balcony cabin for this cruise is now nearly £2,500 each, I know it is 17 days but a lot more than I would want to pay and certainly will put off families unless they are in cabins with 3 or 4 people. Also as it goes from a Tuesday to the Thursday, it would take almost 3 weeks from people's annual leave.

But have a great cruise, not jealous at all (I wish) getting away from our dreadful weather at the moment.

I looked at this cruise and have to say all the things mentioned put me off a little. It was going to use a lot of my husband's holiday going mid week and it gets back to close to me needing to go back to school, sounds daft but also didnt want to put my dog in kennels for that long this end of sumner hols. When I looked this week a balcony was 5200 with 700 obc.

Enjoy your cruise, it will be interesting to hear your thoughts when you come back as Britannina is going to the med around a similar time next summer.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. There is a lot of OBC being offered now but generally the prices are holding up. It is now a 'cruise of the week' which makes me think that they are trying to sell more cabins.

I suppose, as we work in school we are ok with the 17 day / mid week timings. It does come back quite close to the start of term, but am all prepared (!).

We've never been on a cruise with so many sea days but we thought we would chance it. We went for a superior deluxe cabin on deck D so won't want an upgrade as we spent ages working out the best cabin for us / location etc :-)

We booked last April / Mat when the cruise first came out and remember getting a really good deal at the time, with good discounts and OBC.

I'm more worried about the fact that we will have even more days to put even more weight on ..... need to take a size or 2 up this time ;-)

Not long to go now .....

B726 is a pick of the week aswell but the price of that has gone up ever since they made it a pick of the week.most expensive I've seen it.

Less than 100 cabins for inside but over 100 for balcony cabins.

Maybe it's a new strategy by p&o to not sell the last cabins cheaply.

I can't see many couples wanting to spend 17 nights and at least £3,200 ( for the cheapest inside) on a ship in the school holidays at the last minute. And the chances of a family having that much time off and that bigger budget aren't going to be looking at a cruise last minute are they.

Reckon you've got away with it!

I can't see many couples wanting to spend 17 nights and at least £3,200 ( for the cheapest inside) on a ship in the school holidays at the last minute. And the chances of a family having that much time off and that bigger budget aren't going to be looking at a cruise last minute are they.

Reckon you've got away with it!

Will let you all know how it pans out. Ventura is a popular ship with families though so we're expecting a lot of children on board. (Having said that we've never been bothered by the children on any ships we've been on - always seem to have been well behaved and parents keeping a close eye.) Fingers crossed for this one now :-)

I'm on Oceana in Valetta and it been roasting all day, it's ten to six now and it's 35 degrees. Split hit 41 at one point, I usually go in June which is a lot cooler, this is too hot. Next stop Athens...

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I'm on Oceana in Valetta and it been roasting all day, it's ten to six now and it's 35 degrees. Split hit 41 at one point, I usually go in June which is a lot cooler, this is too hot. Next stop Athens...

 

 

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It seems that the unusually high temperatures continue. Must admit, we are lucky and have had many holidays in Paphos, Cyprus mid August and were happy even if it hit the mid 40s by the sea. There was always a lovely strong sea breeze there but the town was horrific when it was humid.

Have been watching Oceana on the webcam! Give us a wave when you leave later ;-)

Never known such calm seas if you are watching, not seen a white horse all cruise!

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Never known such calm seas if you are watching, not seen a white horse all cruise!

 

 

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We watch the webcam from Malta harbour and watch Oceana sail out - its a brilliant site and if we are watching always give our fellow cruisers a wave and wish them a happy cruise ... from our settee ! Sad life we know ......

Is it still as hot out there or cooling slightly to the mid 30s ?! ;-)

Hope you are having a fab time. This year we were on Oceana and had the best cruise ever!

Still roasting, just leaving Athens for Mykonos. The captain has said it will be better tomorrow at a mere 30C. Had a fire in the engine room at lunchtime which doesn't appear to have hindered us, the fire suppression systems did their thing. The crew looked terrified I have to say as they were called to their emergency stations. I will do a full review when I get back, it's been eventful but lovely.

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Still roasting, just leaving Athens for Mykonos. The captain has said it will be better tomorrow at a mere 30C. Had a fire in the engine room at lunchtime which doesn't appear to have hindered us, the fire suppression systems did their thing. The crew looked terrified I have to say as they were called to their emergency stations. I will do a full review when I get back, it's been eventful but lovely.

 

 

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We had a false alarm 2 years ago on Britannia at about 11pm and it freaked everyone out. Having said that they dealt with the situation brilliantly and by the book. Will be interesting to read your review as we have a 'love affair' with Oceana :-)

Who is your Captain by the way?

Anyway, finished the dreaded packing now and getting ready for our journey down to Southampton and to Ventura.

Most people were off the ship, we were only on it as we had a 2pm trip to the Acropolis. The captain is great, Andy Willard, top sense of humour and very informative.

Enjoy your cruise, not had a bad one yet!

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P.S. he lied about the weather it was 35C today in Mykonos.

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Brilliant Captain .. worth the cruise fare

.. we're in Southampton now and chilling. Beautiful day here... enjoy the rest of your cruise

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