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Celebrity give out points in this way with more for the better cabins., that's how we got to Elite quite quickly with them. While it is fair enough based on the extra spend and worked for us it does not take account of the fact that your balcony or suite passenger may spend a whole lot less while on board on a P&O ship where alcohol is allowed. Who wants to have a drink in an inside cabin, more likely to be in the bars so have a higher bill. People in lower grade cabins may potentially spend as much or potentially more on other areas of the ship as well.

 

Also raises complications around select v saver. If they were for example to only offer points on select fares while it would encourage people to book them (if the loyalty club offer is actually of any value to them) it might lose them some needed flexibility if fewer people book guarantees. Perversley they may even have to offer saver fares at an even lower rate to make them attractive if they are a " no loyalty points" option.

You clearly have not seen our bar bill

:)

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You clearly have not seen our bar bill

 

:)

 

 

 

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There is an exception that proves every rule Dai 😀. I know you like the odd refreshment and help to maintain P&Os profits.

Celebrity give out points in this way with more for the better cabins., that's how we got to Elite quite quickly with them. While it is fair enough based on the extra spend and worked for us it does not take account of the fact that your balcony or suite passenger may spend a whole lot less while on board on a P&O ship where alcohol is allowed. Who wants to have a drink in an inside cabin, more likely to be in the bars so have a higher bill. People in lower grade cabins may potentially spend as much or potentially more on other areas of the ship as well.

 

Also raises complications around select v saver. If they were for example to only offer points on select fares while it would encourage people to book them (if the loyalty club offer is actually of any value to them) it might lose them some needed flexibility if fewer people book guarantees. Perversley they may even have to offer saver fares at an even lower rate to make them attractive if they are a " no loyalty points" option.

I take your point that some people on an inside could possibly spend more on a ship than someone in a suite. On our last cruise we paid £11000 more for our suite than a balcony would have cost. So while there may have been some in inside cabins prepared to spend £11000+ on the ship, I think they would be in the minority. Regarding people drinking in their cabins, on the world cruises we've done I've seen plenty of people buying alcohol at each port specifically to drink in their cabins, even those in insides.

The select v saver fare will no doubt be more of a complicated issue to sort out. It would seem unfair for both to have the same number of points. Perhaps there should be a different number of points given for select and saver fares too.

I await any changes with interest.

I take your point that some people on an inside could possibly spend more on a ship than someone in a suite. On our last cruise we paid £11000 more for our suite than a balcony would have cost. So while there may have been some in inside cabins prepared to spend £11000+ on the ship, I think they would be in the minority. Regarding people drinking in their cabins, on the world cruises we've done I've seen plenty of people buying alcohol at each port specifically to drink in their cabins, even those in insides.

The select v saver fare will no doubt be more of a complicated issue to sort out. It would seem unfair for both to have the same number of points. Perhaps there should be a different number of points given for select and saver fares too.

I await any changes with interest.

That price differential is very high and yes I agree no one (who wishes to retain a functioning liver) would drink that amount or potentially spent in the casino etc. Differentials are not usually that high on the cruises I have looked at so an inside or outside could easily rack up the equivalent bill.

It's never going to be totally fair. Select customers who book late can and often do pay less than early savers on some cruises. P&O will do what suits their strategy.

......Select customers who book late can and often do pay less than early savers on some cruises. P&O will do what suits their strategy.

Very true - but it's a truth often not recognised by early bookers, presumably because having booked at what at first appears to be a low price most people aren't then aware of the lower prices that become available later.

Saga, I believe, operate some sort of policy that gives refunds to early bookers if/when prices drop. I'd be far more inclined to book early with P&O if they operated that policy.

Very true - but it's a truth often not recognised by early bookers, presumably because having booked at what at first appears to be a low price most people aren't then aware of the lower prices that become available later.

 

 

 

Saga, I believe, operate some sort of policy that gives refunds to early bookers if/when prices drop. I'd be far more inclined to book early with P&O if they operated that policy.

I am very aware for prices and for all my recent cruises the price I paid has not been bettered.

4/5 years ago this was not the case as there were many very cheap deals. These have dried up as many people have noticed.

The only big reduction I have seen was this year on Crown Princess.

For our next 3 cruises the cabin grade for the first one is sold out and the lower grade is £700 pp more.

The second one all suites are sold

The third Cruise there is availability at £1000 pp more than we paid.

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I’ve just had a brochure drop through my door for the Celebrity Edge - takes suites to a whole new level, they have jacuzzis on the balcony! Also as an aside the stateroom balconies are amazing they form part of the cabin itself - roll on 2019!

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I’ve just had a brochure drop through my door for the Celebrity Edge - takes suites to a whole new level, they have jacuzzis on the balcony! Also as an aside the stateroom balconies are amazing they form part of the cabin itself - roll on 2019!

 

 

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Sounds great........but the prices?

I am very aware for prices and for all my recent cruises the price I paid has not been bettered.

 

4/5 years ago this was not the case as there were many very cheap deals. These have dried up as many people have noticed.

 

The only big reduction I have seen was this year on Crown Princess.

 

 

For our next 3 cruises the cabin grade for the first one is sold out and the lower grade is £700 pp more.

 

The second one all suites are sold

 

The third Cruise there is availability at £1000 pp more than we paid.

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But you usually book suites? The majority of pax don't.

But you usually book suites? The majority of pax don't.

But we are discussing suites are we not.

True it is not quite the same as there are fewer suites and the demand is often greater. However everything I read and observe tells me prices now rarely go down after the opening day.

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But we are discussing suites are we not.

 

True it is not quite the same as there are fewer suites and the demand is often greater. However everything I read and observe tells me prices now rarely go down after the opening day.

 

 

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I think that's the perception that the cruise companies like to cultivate, rather like the Apple first day hysteria. It's good for business. In reality, though, I think it's just that - a perception, and one that's not difficult to maintain because unless you're checking every single day you'll never actually know whether a price has gone down. Cancellations happen all the time, prices are fluid, and it's just not possible to say with any confidence that the first day price - even for a suite - doesn't ever drop. My own experiences suggest that they do drop, and that that's still the case.

Sounds great........but the prices?

The brochure didn’t show the prices, l suppose they will burst my bubble - so to speak.

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The brochure didn’t show the prices, l suppose they will burst my bubble - so to speak.

 

 

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Maybe. Despite the drawbacks, the one thing that keeps taking me back to P&O suites is the price I can pick them up for.

But we are discussing suites are we not.

 

True it is not quite the same as there are fewer suites and the demand is often greater. However everything I read and observe tells me prices now rarely go down after the opening day.

 

 

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Senior suites, absolutely yes, junior etc ?

Senior suites, absolutely yes, junior etc ?

My experiences suggest that all suites, including the ones in very short supply, can and do drop in price after day one. Very few people will be aware, apart from those who pick them up, because you'd need to be checking prices every single day to know.

It’s important to remember that the total price paid should be considered as price minus on board credit. Yes, headline prices do sometimes drop after launch, but the on board credit offered usually drops by a greater amount, making the total price more.

I have been monitoring 7 bookings that we have made over the past 2 years. All were made when the cruises were released. Some were suites, others were balcony cabins. Every single cruise, bar none, has never been cheaper than when we booked, if you factor in the OBC. They are all between £400 and £2,000 more than the total price we paid.

I am, of course, referring to Select prices, as we only ever book them as we want specified cabins, not the ones that are left over for a reason!

Finally, we book direct with P&O using our excellent Personalised Cruise Consultant (although the role technically no longer exists, the staff are still there and are happy to continue personalised relationships with their regular guests) and we now get 5% discount as a result of a discount facility that we discovered through this forum (older members with silver hair who enjoy surfing the net may know what I mean ;)

I take your point entirely about the OBC, but the later bookings for specific suites that I've made over the years have all been cheaper than the release price, and all have had decent OBC with them.

It's impossible, in reality, to know what lower prices have been offered unless you check every hour of every day after booking - simply because the best deals get snapped up very quickly indeed, and only the people lucky enough to find them ever know they were there.

I've been watching out for suite deals on a regular basis for quite some time now, and the best deals I've found have never, ever been on the first day. They appear some time later than that, probably because of cancellations.

Like you, I only ever book Select - I want to know exactly which suite I'll be in, and I'm very fussy about which one.

I take your point entirely about the OBC, but the later bookings for specific suites that I've made over the years have all been cheaper than the release price, and all have had decent OBC with them.

 

It's impossible, in reality, to know what lower prices have been offered unless you check every hour of every day after booking - simply because the best deals get snapped up very quickly indeed, and only the people lucky enough to find them ever know they were there.

 

I've been watching out for suite deals on a regular basis for quite some time now, and the best deals I've found have never, ever been on the first day. They appear some time later than that, probably because of cancellations.

 

Like you, I only ever book Select - I want to know exactly which suite I'll be in, and I'm very fussy about which one.

I follow the logic of your argument, but have never see it happen in reality, and it’s interesting that neither have many of the other regular P&O cruisers on here who book early but continue to monitor prices. I’m afraid that I remain unconvinced. If we had followed your logic, we would have paid more for every one of 7 cruises. That suggests to me that the early bird catches the worm!

The only people who definitely get a far better deal are those who are offered upgrades to suites for a few hundred pounds. That irritates me so much that we have stopped booking as many suites as I felt that we were subsidising other people’s cruises by paying full price.

Perhaps the increase in onboard spend should also be analysed, to see whether you are upgrading more onboard, I know we are. As a matter of interest I’ve started pricing other lines, the most expensive so far is Silversea for a 10 night cruise, in a standard suite £11,000 per person!

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I follow the logic of your argument, but have never see it happen in reality, and it’s interesting that neither have many of the other regular P&O cruisers on here who book early but continue to monitor prices. I’m afraid that I remain unconvinced. If we had followed your logic, we would have paid more for every one of 7 cruises. That suggests to me that the early bird catches the worm!

 

 

 

The only people who definitely get a far better deal are those who are offered upgrades to suites for a few hundred pounds. That irritates me so much that we have stopped booking as many suites as I felt that we were subsidising other people’s cruises by paying full price.

Remember that these upgrades usually come after the full amount has been paid and the cabin has already been paid for.

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I take your point entirely about the OBC, but the later bookings for specific suites that I've made over the years have all been cheaper than the release price, and all have had decent OBC with them.

 

 

 

It's impossible, in reality, to know what lower prices have been offered unless you check every hour of every day after booking - simply because the best deals get snapped up very quickly indeed, and only the people lucky enough to find them ever know they were there.

 

 

 

I've been watching out for suite deals on a regular basis for quite some time now, and the best deals I've found have never, ever been on the first day. They appear some time later than that, probably because of cancellations.

 

 

 

Like you, I only ever book Select - I want to know exactly which suite I'll be in, and I'm very fussy about which one.

When you say over the years how far do you go back as there has been a change in the last 3/4 years in that the very cheap deals have just about gone. Before then it was a constant complaint of many people that they had paid £XXXX and the same cabin was now 30% to 50% less. Those posts are now very infrequent.

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When you say over the years how far do you go back as there has been a change in the last 3/4 years in that the very cheap deals have just about gone. Before then it was a constant complaint of many people that they had paid £XXXX and the same cabin was now 30% to 50% less. Those posts are now very infrequent.

 

 

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I'm referring mainly to the last 7 years or so, both before and after the changes P&O brought in to try to limit the attractiveness of the cheaper deals - and they were successful too, hence the reduction in the numbers of posts complaining about it. Personally, I'd not be prepared to make any booking that doesn't guarantee a specific suite, so that rules out most of the cheaper options.

Having said that, however, Select prices vary on a daily (possibly even minute by minute) basis, and it's impossible for anyone ever to know whether the price they paid has dropped. If it drops enough, someone will snap it up and it won't be there to see for very long.

If you want a specific suite on a specific cruise the only way to be sure of getting it is to book early - I accept that fully. And the day one price may well be the best price it's ever sold at. Unless it's later cancelled, of course and sold at a discount.

I have to admit that my reservation 'tactics' suit us, but they probably wouldn't suit most people. Firstly, I don't see a cruise as essential - there are plenty of other options if the right suite at the right price on the right ship at the right time doesn't come up. Secondly, I'm very flexible as to destinations and times of the year, though I won't do last-minute reservations - I always book months at least in advance. Thirdly, though, I'm not at all flexible about which ships and which suites - that has to be just right, and it does very much limit the choices. If one of those comes up at what I feel is a reasonable price I book it - if not, I don't.

There was nothing that fitted these criteria at the right price during any of the first day sales, but there has been since then on several occasions, presumably because of cancellations. As I say, this method suits me, but it does require a degree of flexibility.

Ummm like Dai we always book our suite when the brochure is launched. Frankly after over 100 P&O cruises we find this is the best policy by and large .. well, it is for us. We get the suite of our choice and more often as not, the final 'what's left over suite' offerings are considerably more expensive. A good example is the 35 nighter on the Ventura in February. We booked and got the suite of our choice, a B4 grade suite for £12260, compared to the current £21202 for a 'guarantee' suite. Yes, the price might come down closer to the time but would you want the worse possible positioned suite on the ship in order to possibly save tuppence.

Bal

15 more in the pipeline

Out of interest I looked at what was available on our long cruise - 65 nights on Aurora in January - and found that there is one suite available and one of each of the two grades of mini suite. I assume that these are now available because people have cancelled. Neither the suite nor the mini suites are offered at a Saver Price, all are Select only. The total price for 2 people in a mini suite is now over £8000 more than we paid when we booked in April 2016. There are some cabins available as Saver in the other grades of cabin. This seems to bear out the fact that if you want a suite or a mini suite at a good price then you book early - the OBC seems to be much greater too.

Out of interest I looked at what was available on our long cruise - 65 nights on Aurora in January - and found that there is one suite available and one of each of the two grades of mini suite. I assume that these are now available because people have cancelled. Neither the suite nor the mini suites are offered at a Saver Price, all are Select only. The total price for 2 people in a mini suite is now over £8000 more than we paid when we booked in April 2016. There are some cabins available as Saver in the other grades of cabin. This seems to bear out the fact that if you want a suite or a mini suite at a good price then you book early - the OBC seems to be much greater too.

This has been my experience also.

On cruises where suites aren’t selling, they don’t put them to Saver anymore, they offer paid/unpaid upgrades to specific passengers - this means if you want a suite you have to pay for a select price suite, no point hanging on for reductions.

Those who have paid for a suite aren’t usually aware that their neighbours may have paid the cost of a lower grade (and possibly a relatively small upgrade fee), if there were spare suites at the booking cut-off.

Suites seem to be more popular these days and the cruises I’ve been in recently seemed to sell out early.

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