Dining allocation

[tartanexile81]

I always pay full price on P&O because I want to choose my cabin and I want to be guaranteed my dining choice which varies between 2nd sitting and anytime, depending on the cruise. So tell me why I should pay up to £1000 extra then once I get on board find that those paying considerably less than me are still able to enjoy the privileges for which I have paid so much extra.

 

There was a thread here recently from someone who had a medical condition but who had paid the saver price as it "didn't matter about cabin etc." Nevertheless, she was complaining because she'd been allocated 2nd sitting and it was important she had 1st sitting because of her condition. Too many of those choosing saver fares want to have their cake and eat it. I know it may be controversial to say this but it is how I feel.

Edited May 3, 2014 by tartanexile81

[wilson2579]

I always pay full price on P&O because I want to choose my cabin and I want to be guaranteed my dining choice which varies between 2nd sitting and anytime, depending on the cruise. So tell me why I should pay up to £1000 extra then once I get on board find that those paying considerably less than me are still able to enjoy the privileges for which I have paid so much extra.

 

There was a thread here recently from someone who had a medical condition but who had paid the saver price as it "didn't matter about cabin etc." Nevertheless, she was complaining because she'd been allocated 2nd sitting and it was important she had 1st sitting because of her condition. Too many of those choosing saver fares want to have their cake and eat it. I know it may be controversial to say this but it is how I feel.

 

I agree and I have booked a saver for the end of the month but my others are select. I am trying a saver to see how I get on. My cabin has been allocated and it is at front of the ship and I prefer the aft but for what I have paid I don't mind. My dining will be allocated when I get on board and I shall be happy to take whatever. For my select cruises I would hope I will get my preferances.

[heywood]

I continually read about the discontent regarding Select/Early Saver/Saver fares, it appears to cause much dissatisfaction and upset.

 

I cannot understand why P&O do not just have a simple fare price without names, this price of course would fluctuate depending on how the ship was filling up, as do hotel prices by supply and demand.

 

The earlier you book would result in all the additional benefits, full choice of cabins, OBC, parking, coach travel and dining choice etc and the later you book albeit the price will most probably be less as will choice of cabins and no OBC, no parking, dining choice as wait-listed etc.

 

At the end of the day we must all accept ships need to be filled for the lines to make a profit otherwise none of us would be able to cruise and ultimately prices will be dictated by supply and demand.

 

My OH and myself have had many cruises with P&O both early and late bookings, we pay the price at the time of booking and accept others may well pay less but I would not want them denied any of the facilities like shuttle buses or dining choice if available.

 

No doubt many will disagree with my thoughts, one of the reasons I read and seldom post.

 

That sounds very sensible to me!

Edited May 3, 2014 by heywood

[Scriv]

I wouldn't resent Savers being fortunate and getting their accommmodation/dining preferences as long as the Select and then the Early Savers have had their pickings first.

[gadabout60]

I continually read about the discontent regarding Select/Early Saver/Saver fares, it appears to cause much dissatisfaction and upset.

 

I cannot understand why P&O do not just have a simple fare price without names, this price of course would fluctuate depending on how the ship was filling up, as do hotel prices by supply and demand.

 

The earlier you book would result in all the additional benefits, full choice of cabins, OBC, parking, coach travel and dining choice etc and the later you book albeit the price will most probably be less as will choice of cabins and no OBC, no parking, dining choice as wait-listed etc.

 

At the end of the day we must all accept ships need to be filled for the lines to make a profit otherwise none of us would be able to cruise and ultimately prices will be dictated by supply and demand.

 

My OH and myself have had many cruises with P&O both early and late bookings, we pay the price at the time of booking and accept others may well pay less but I would not want them denied any of the facilities like shuttle buses or dining choice if available.

 

No doubt many will disagree with my thoughts, one of the reasons I read and seldom post.

 

Completely agree with this

[macren]

I continually read about the discontent regarding Select/Early Saver/Saver fares, it appears to cause much dissatisfaction and upset.

 

I cannot understand why P&O do not just have a simple fare price without names, this price of course would fluctuate depending on how the ship was filling up, as do hotel prices by supply and demand.

 

The earlier you book would result in all the additional benefits, full choice of cabins, OBC, parking, coach travel and dining choice etc and the later you book albeit the price will most probably be less as will choice of cabins and no OBC, no parking, dining choice as wait-listed etc.

 

At the end of the day we must all accept ships need to be filled for the lines to make a profit otherwise none of us would be able to cruise and ultimately prices will be dictated by supply and demand.

 

My OH and myself have had many cruises with P&O both early and late bookings, we pay the price at the time of booking and accept others may well pay less but I would not want them denied any of the facilities like shuttle buses or dining choice if available.

 

No doubt many will disagree with my thoughts, one of the reasons I read and seldom post.

 

It's a fair comment I always book early and choose what I want I pay the price because I want all those aspects of that cruise I have no problem with people booking at the last minuet for a much reduced price and indeed unless you ask or they tell you there is no way of knowing who has paid what and I never ask ,to me the problem is caused by P&O by having different grades of fares should go up and down with demand and the nearer it gets to sailing offer upgrades to people that booked first if wanted that is ,and cut all extras to who booked last ,then the choice is yours what and when you book to me it seems simple I just think P&O cause all this unpleasantness .:)

[clivep]

I continually read about the discontent regarding Select/Early Saver/Saver fares, it appears to cause much dissatisfaction and upset.

 

I cannot understand why P&O do not just have a simple fare price without names, this price of course would fluctuate depending on how the ship was filling up, as do hotel prices by supply and demand.

 

The earlier you book would result in all the additional benefits, full choice of cabins, OBC, parking, coach travel and dining choice etc and the later you book albeit the price will most probably be less as will choice of cabins and no OBC, no parking, dining choice as wait-listed etc.

 

At the end of the day we must all accept ships need to be filled for the lines to make a profit otherwise none of us would be able to cruise and ultimately prices will be dictated by supply and demand.

 

My OH and myself have had many cruises with P&O both early and late bookings, we pay the price at the time of booking and accept others may well pay less but I would not want them denied any of the facilities like shuttle buses or dining choice if available.

 

No doubt many will disagree with my thoughts, one of the reasons I read and seldom post.

 

Well said. I imagine this is how they worked before introducing the Vantage/Getaway fares. Presumably they introduced the Vantage fares with their price guarantee in the hope of getting more high priced early bookings with the intention of bringing in Getaway fares nearer sailing to fill the ships. At some point greed overtook them and rather than reduce the Vantage fares they brought in the Getaway ones earlier and earlier.

 

This year Select is the same as Vantage but without the price promise. Early Saver + Saver = Getaways with fewer free shuttles and less/restricted upgrades/dining choices. Basically everyone is worse off.

 

Price guarantees can work. Lines like RCI/Celebrity that cater more to the US market have guarantees that are meaningful. US law means that deposits for cruises booked in the US are fully refundable if the booking is cancelled. Consequently, if the price of a cruise goes down before final payment the opportunity is there to cancel and rebook without penalty so the price guarantee has to make it unnecessary to do this. Of course they have to fill the ships so after final payment (usually 75 days out rather than P&O's 90 days) there are special offers that are not covered by the price guarantee. These special offers may or may not offer choice of cabin but other than that share all the benefits of earlier bookings. This does mean there are plenty of complaints on the forum from people who see the price of their cruise plummet immediately after they have made final payment.

 

To clarify the position regarding dining allocations for those on Saver fares I emailed my Personal Cruise Specialist at P&O the other day. She called me yesterday and we had a very pleasant chat during which she put me on hold whilst seeking the official line and returned to say that the restaurant managers ARE allowed to fulfill requests from those on Saver fares subject to availability and those on other fares receiving priority.

[davecttr]

Well said. I imagine this is how they worked before introducing the Vantage/Getaway fares. Presumably they introduced the Vantage fares with their price guarantee in the hope of getting more high priced early bookings with the intention of bringing in Getaway fares nearer sailing to fill the ships. At some point greed overtook them and rather than reduce the Vantage fares they brought in the Getaway ones earlier and earlier.

 

This year Select is the same as Vantage but without the price promise. Early Saver + Saver = Getaways with fewer free shuttles and less/restricted upgrades/dining choices. Basically everyone is worse off.

 

Price guarantees can work. Lines like RCI/Celebrity that cater more to the US market have guarantees that are meaningful. US law means that deposits for cruises booked in the US are fully refundable if the booking is cancelled. Consequently, if the price of a cruise goes down before final payment the opportunity is there to cancel and rebook without penalty so the price guarantee has to make it unnecessary to do this. Of course they have to fill the ships so after final payment (usually 75 days out rather than P&O's 90 days) there are special offers that are not covered by the price guarantee. These special offers may or may not offer choice of cabin but other than that share all the benefits of earlier bookings. This does mean there are plenty of complaints on the forum from people who see the price of their cruise plummet immediately after they have made final payment.

 

To clarify the position regarding dining allocations for those on Saver fares I emailed my Personal Cruise Specialist at P&O the other day. She called me yesterday and we had a very pleasant chat during which she put me on hold whilst seeking the official line and returned to say that the restaurant managers ARE allowed to fulfill requests from those on Saver fares subject to availability and those on other fares receiving priority.

well that should settle the issue, provided they actually do it of course;)

[kersh]

 

To clarify the position regarding dining allocations for those on Saver fares I emailed my Personal Cruise Specialist at P&O the other day. She called me yesterday and we had a very pleasant chat during which she put me on hold whilst seeking the official line and returned to say that the restaurant managers ARE allowed to fulfill requests from those on Saver fares subject to availability and those on other fares receiving priority.

 

I am sure if someone else phoned PO they would get a totally different answer.

 

If this is the case that restaurant managers can change dinner sittings subject to availability then why on earth are PO not asking for preferences from SAVER fare pax. Can you imagine the queue at the restaurant. What a ridiculous situation to put the already busy restaurant managers in.

 

Sue

[davecttr]

I am sure if someone else phoned PO they would get a totally different answer.

 

If this is the case that restaurant managers can change dinner sittings subject to availability then why on earth are PO not asking for preferences from SAVER fare pax. Can you imagine the queue at the restaurant. What a ridiculous situation to put the already busy restaurant managers in.

 

Sue

they can't do it, if they did they would have some problems. it would upset the Select fare passengers and they would have to think of another way of pacifying them. Then there would be even less reason to book early.

 

it is a can of worms for P&O. those select fares are part of the reason they can offer such cheap fares later.

 

The obvious fix is to follow other cruise lines and abolish club dining entirely. With everyone on Freedom dining there are no arguments.

 

Ooops, the traditionalists will go ballistic :eek:, for a time until they get used to it ;)

 

ps - you can solve the cabin choice issue as well. Have guaranteed cabins the norm and change a small premium to reserve the cabin of choice. Thomson do it and it only costs £42 to reserve a cabin. Of course this won't happen as we know thomsons is a low class cruise line and anything they do can't be a good idea :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Edited May 4, 2014 by davecttr

[kevinyork]

So we have a pricing structure that gives Select fare payers exactly what all passengers had a couple of years back, nothing extra. Plus we have Saver fares at up to 50% less than Select fares but with silly restrictions imposed re cabin choice, dining choice and free shuttles.

 

Why not average out their prices from release of a cruise fare to late availability and let everyone pay the about same? Answer, supply and demand. Its everywhere in the travel market yet P&O are so worried about upsetting people they charge more to (fleeced) who by book early that the only answer they can come up with is to make Saver fare passengers look (and feel) inferior by removing choice.

 

I appreciate many on here agree that Saver fare passengers should get less. We all have our own opinions. However Im just one ex P&O passenger and a) I wont pay an inflated Select fare just to get the basics of what other lines provide to all and b) wont chose a select fare as I want a dining choice. So Im out. P&O loses a customer. Doesnt this pricing policy risk more people moving from, or not trying, P&O?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[clivep]

If this is the case that restaurant managers can change dinner sittings subject to availability then why on earth are PO not asking for preferences from SAVER fare pax. Can you imagine the queue at the restaurant. What a ridiculous situation to put the already busy restaurant managers in.

 

Sue

 

Absolutely.

 

With Getaway fares you got to express your preference and it would make sense for it to be asked for when booking a Saver fare. By all means satisfy the preferences of those paying Select fares first and the Early Savers next but at least the restaurant manager would then be able to fill the least popular sitting with Saver fare passengers that actually wanted that sitting. Postings were made earlier in this thread about the size of the queue of those wanting to make dining changes. The restaurant managers do a wonderful job in trying to accomodate changes and I agree that it is ridiculous to add to their workload unnecessarily.

[clivep]

So we have a pricing structure that gives Select fare payers exactly what all passengers had a couple of years back, nothing extra. Plus we have Saver fares at up to 50% less than Select fares but with silly restrictions imposed re cabin choice, dining choice and free shuttles.

 

Correct.

 

I appreciate many on here agree that Saver fare passengers should get less.

 

I think Select fare passengers should get more rather than appear to give Saver fare passengers less. I say appear because as usual with P&O the fine print actually reads a bit different than the impression they want to give in order to get people to book at the Select fare price.

 

I know these have been covered before but to summarize the main drawbacks that appear to apply to Saver fares we have:

1. No choice of cabin number.

2. No cabin upgrades.

3. No dining choice.

4. Shuttle buses at addition cost.

 

In actuality:

1. Agreed. No choice of cabin number just a guaranteed category.

2. What it actually say's is "upgrades not applicable" hence they can give you any grade they like and it not be called an upgrade. e.g. last year our Adonia sailing was booked at an HC grade on a Getaway and we later got upgraded to a GC grade. On our upcoming Adonia sailing with a Saver fare I no longer had a choice of cabin grade as it simply said "balcony guarantee". (If you book it via a travel agent it does quote it as an HC grade). I'm not at all bothered about an upgrade but I can say that the vast majority of Saver fare passengers will get a higher grade cabin as there are only 6 HC cabins on the ship. It may well be that Saver fare passengers are allocated better grade cabins than Select fare passengers without the Select fare passengers being offered upgrades. This is still in line with the t's & c's as the Saver fare allocations are NOT upgrades according to the fine print.

3. As discussed, no choice before boarding but not against the t's and c's for the restaurant manager to use his discretion.

4. But not the majority of the time. If you look at P&O's ports of call shuttle bus info you'll see more than 50% of shuttle services are still free for ALL passengers.

 

Do you think it's P&O's policy to deliberately mislead? It certainly seems to have worked for some on this forum as I have been accused of wanting benefits not available to me on a Saver fare when all I've ever wanted was for P&O to keep to their t's & c's.

 

We all have our own opinions. However Im just one ex P&O passenger and a) I wont pay an inflated Select fare just to get the basics of what other lines provide to all and b) wont chose a select fare as I want a dining choice. So Im out. P&O loses a customer. Doesnt this pricing policy risk more people moving from, or not trying, P&O?

 

Of course you meant "b) wont chose a saver fare as I want a dining choice". I think there'll be few potential Saver fare passengers prepared to pay the inflated Select fare to secure their dining choice compared to the many that will jump ship to other lines. This will cost them more in the long run as they have to bring the late prices even lower in order to fill the ships.

Edited May 4, 2014 by clivep

[tjwa]

post by clivep - "I think there'll be few potential Saver fare passengers prepared to pay the inflated Select fare to secure their dining choice compared".

 

such passengers are either brain dead or have more money than sense.;)

[Brayman]

post by clivep - "I think there'll be few potential Saver fare passengers prepared to pay the inflated Select fare to secure their dining choice compared".

 

such passengers are either brain dead or have more money than sense.;)

 

Or appreciate value for money in the true form.

[heywood]

We have only ever booked a saver type cruise once and that was with FO. I was asked on booking re early/ late dining but told that it wasn't guaranteed. We accepted that because we had paid less. If we wanted to change, we could pay extra onboard.

What I don't understand are the people who book, knowing that dining options may not be their choice, but then say that for medical reasons, they need to dine early. I would have thought that if that were the case, they would ensure they chose exactly what they required.

Because of medical reasons, we have to pay extra for insurance, we have no choice and it has to be considered when choosing a holiday re cost and venue. We have booked our P and O cruise and consider it good value with the offers of free travel to Southampton and OBC.

P.S I am not quite 'brain dead' yet and dislike that slur.

Edited May 5, 2014 by heywood

[AchileLauro]

Correct.

 

 

 

I think Select fare passengers should get more rather than appear to give Saver fare passengers less. I say appear because as usual with P&O the fine print actually reads a bit different than the impression they want to give in order to get people to book at the Select fare price.

 

I know these have been covered before but to summarize the main drawbacks that appear to apply to Saver fares we have:

1. No choice of cabin number.

2. No cabin upgrades.

3. No dining choice.

4. Shuttle buses at addition cost.

 

In actuality:

1. Agreed. No choice of cabin number just a guaranteed category.

2. What it actually say's is "upgrades not applicable" hence they can give you any grade they like and it not be called an upgrade. e.g. last year our Adonia sailing was booked at an HC grade on a Getaway and we later got upgraded to a GC grade. On our upcoming Adonia sailing with a Saver fare I no longer had a choice of cabin grade as it simply said "balcony guarantee". (If you book it via a travel agent it does quote it as an HC grade). I'm not at all bothered about an upgrade but I can say that the vast majority of Saver fare passengers will get a higher grade cabin as there are only 6 HC cabins on the ship. It may well be that Saver fare passengers are allocated better grade cabins than Select fare passengers without the Select fare passengers being offered upgrades. This is still in line with the t's & c's as the Saver fare allocations are NOT upgrades according to the fine print.

3. As discussed, no choice before boarding but not against the t's and c's for the restaurant manager to use his discretion.

4. But not the majority of the time. If you look at P&O's ports of call shuttle bus info you'll see more than 50% of shuttle services are still free for ALL passengers.

 

Do you think it's P&O's policy to deliberately mislead? It certainly seems to have worked for some on this forum as I have been accused of wanting benefits not available to me on a Saver fare when all I've ever wanted was for P&O to keep to their t's & c's.

 

 

Of course you meant "b) wont chose a saver fare as I want a dining choice". I think there'll be few potential Saver fare passengers prepared to pay the inflated Select fare to secure their dining choice compared to the many that will jump ship to other lines. This will cost them more in the long run as they have to bring the late prices even lower in order to fill the ships.

 

P&O do seem to have a bit of a history of changing things after you have booked but I'm not sure if this also applies to terms and conditions. Perhaps it is worthwhile keeping a copy of the T's & C's that were relevant at the time the booking was made.

[Sanjam cruisers]

To tjwa

 

"such passengers are either brain dead or have more money than sense"

 

I am neither brain dead nor do I have more money than sense, I only cruise in the Carribbean and to ensure a seat on the limited flights from Glasgow I have to book a select fare.I stay 10 minutes from the airport and therefore prefer to fly from there.I am quite sure there are others who pay select fare due to reasons that suit them who certainly do not fit the description you paint above.

[dgs1956]

TJWA

Totally unnecessary comment. Bad mannered and offensive.

Its people like you that kill Forums.

David

[pete14]

Clivep. The free shuttle bus issue is a bit of a red herring. Some ports have to provide a shuttle bus to take people out of the dock area safely. This is usually ports where cruise ships dock in commercial berths. The port authority provide these shuttles without charge, although presumably they are included in the fees that P&O pay for use of the dock. No charge can be made for these shuttles as they are purely for reasons of health and safety. If shuttles are provided by P&O, they are for the convenience of passengers, not just for their safety. It is these that saver fare passengers are being asked to pay for. I can see no attempt to mislead in this instance.

 

It could be argued that offering saver pasengers the chance to express their dining preferences without the guarantee that they would be met could be misleading them by making them think their preference will be met.

 

It appears that P&O cannot win whatever they choose to do. Are people really suggesting that they should have just one price, probably higher than select? This will remove cruising as a holiday option for many and ships would sail half full and be exclusively for the wealthy. What we have now is not perfect but it is greatly preferable to this scenario.

[oldman40]

Perhaps one price without a name could be used, this being adjusted up or down depending on how the cabins are selling. Treat all px the same without petty restrictions, but with any upgrades/dining choice etc. being offered on a strict first come first served basis. Would this be too simplistic or too difficulty to implement?

[dgs1956]

I don't understand all this. P&O offer a Select Fare and it offers various advantages. The Saver Fare is a cheaper option and by purchasing it you accept that you may not get these advantages. You pay your money and take your choice so why moan about not getting dining options etc?

We book a Select Fare because we want to choose our dining option and our cabin. We don't complain when people get the same cruise at a lower price. That was our choice. We have booked a late deal at a low price and we were told at the time that we may not get the dining option we requested. We didn't and accepted that with no complaining.

David

[Brayman]

Perhaps one price without a name could be used, this being adjusted up or down depending on how the cabins are selling. Treat all px the same without petty restrictions, but with any upgrades/dining choice etc. being offered on a strict first come first served basis. Would this be too simplistic or too difficulty to implement?

 

It would be going back about 5 years and you should have seen the moans then as prices changed on a daily, or even hourly, basis.

[Sealoveragain]

I don't understand all this. P&O offer a Select Fare and it offers various advantages. The Saver Fare is a cheaper option and by purchasing it you accept that you may not get these advantages. You pay your money and take your choice so why moan about not getting dining options etc?

We book a Select Fare because we want to choose our dining option and our cabin. We don't complain when people get the same cruise at a lower price. That was our choice. We have booked a late deal at a low price and we were told at the time that we may not get the dining option we requested. We didn't and accepted that with no complaining.

David

 

I absolutely agree. On our recent cruise we overheard a man asking the restaurant manager for a table for 2, 1st sitting. He explained he was on the Ligurian Tier and was always able to change to a table for 2 once on board. I'm afraid we found it really funny when the restaurant manager told him that as he'd booked an 'El Cheapo' price he would probably not be able to change. In fairness he did say that IF a table for 2 became available he would allocate it to the passenger. He did ask if the passenger would consider either sittings. At first he was reluctant but eventually agreed. I don't know if he got his table for 2 but obviously P&O are sticking to the policy. Quite right too IMO.

[asda]

On oceana we noticed they were advertising for the next cruise. Book cafe jardin for before 7.30 ish and you will receive a free bottle of wine only available for he first 4 nights of cruise. So really saver fare passengers who don't receive first dining will benefit from this offer as bottles of wine start at about £12.