Price Drops

[my marina bay]

Now that's something I do not believe we have ever received, the normal launch OBC for 14 days in a balcony is £70pp.

 

I have to agree with the above. I had a look through some old invoices and we have never had double obc on launch. In fact it's been between £35 - £40pp and we don't take advantage of free parking or free coach.

 

As I said in an earlier post competition among cruise lines creates deals. We have been stung this year but it won't happen next year.

[daiB]

Whilst the examples I gave were indeed suites, on the occasions that we have booked a suite we have also booked an adjacent balcony cabin for our daughters at the same time and had the same offer (albeit lower value OBC, of course). That said, whilst we always book early, I can’t say that they were all within the first 14 days, so the offer may have ‘evolved’.

 

My observations of pricing versus OBC are identical to yours John. Price up, OBC up. Price drops, OBC drops. Net effect - bugger all. ;)

No this cannot be correct Selborne, John you and me all agreeing about something. I am not sure I can cope. I need a cruise. And as luck would have it we are off tomorrow.

 

Happy Days

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Forums mobile app

[Selbourne]

No this cannot be correct Selborne, John you and me all agreeing about something. I am not sure I can cope. I need a cruise. And as luck would have it we are off tomorrow.

 

Happy Days

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Forums mobile app

 

Have a great cruise Dai. I haven’t forgotten that I owe you an Anderson’s G&T for some good advice that you gave me some time back (which I can’t recall now), should you ever be unfortunate enough to find yourself on a cruise with me. ;)

[Selbourne]

As a point of interest, I have just checked the prices we paid for the 4 future P&O cruises that we have booked against the price histories quoted on the price tracker website that we cannot refer to by name.

 

For 3 of our 4 cruises we actually paid less than the ‘lowest ever prices’ quoted for each of the cruises (the 4th was only marginally above) - and that’s even before taking into account the great OBC deals that we secured (average £450 per cruise) which the price tracker website takes no account of. So it’s not entirely accurate. I remain convinced that if you want the best price on a Select fare, where you can choose your specific cabin, you have to book early. Add to that the fact that you can pick from the very best cabins rather than have what’s left, it’s a no brainer - assuming that you can book holidays 2 years in advance, which I appreciate is a challenge for many.

[my marina bay]

The site that cannot be named is showing some great deals for PO next year. Insides for 7 days in June July and October around £420 pp and that's without any TA discount. Might consider a suite at 799 at those prices.

[Harry Peterson]

The site that cannot be named is showing some great deals for PO next year. Insides for 7 days in June July and October around £420 pp and that's without any TA discount. Might consider a suite at 799 at those prices.

 

It's a particularly good site for teasing out bargains - I'm eternally grateful to whomever it was who first drew attention to it. The search options save a lot of time, and the price history makes it very easy to see whether a price is a good one or not. Usually it's obvious that the launch price was the best - but not always, as is the case with the ones you mention.

[Selbourne]

It's a particularly good site for teasing out bargains - I'm eternally grateful to whomever it was who first drew attention to it. The search options save a lot of time, and the price history makes it very easy to see whether a price is a good one or not. Usually it's obvious that the launch price was the best - but not always, as is the case with the ones you mention.

 

But you are assuming that the launch prices quoted on the site are correct. As I have found out, that isn't always the case. And the fact that they don't take into account OBC offers renders the website nigh on useless in my view as you have to consider the price paid less OBC as a 'net' price for any comparisons to be relevant. The lowest headline price isn't always the lowest net price.

 

Sorry to keep banging on about it, but anyone reading this thread and assuming that they can get better Select prices by holding on and watching this tracker would be severely misguided. There has been zero evidence provided to challenge what many of us who book early and then watch the prices v OBC know to be the case. The best total prices (Select) are almost always at launch plus you get the pick of the very best cabins. To imply that anything else is the case is to misinform those who do not have the experience that those of us who book multiple P&O cruises every year have learned through bitter experience.

 

To be clear, I wish that I (and all those who know this to be the case) was wrong. I find it a complete pain to have to book cruises 2 years out and would far rather book within 12 months of a cruise, but I have closely followed my last 8 bookings (cabin price less OBC) and they have never been cheaper than when I booked. Several other regulars report exactly the same. Now that IS hard evidence!

[wowzz]

Indeed - our last cruise was at one stage showing our cabin at some £400 cheaper than the price we paid, so those just watching the base price would think it a bargain. However, there was no obc, whereas we got £900. That's why I see no benefit in these tracker websites.

 

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

[Harry Peterson]

But you are assuming that the launch prices quoted on the site are correct. As I have found out, that isn't always the case. And the fact that they don't take into account OBC offers renders the website nigh on useless in my view as you have to consider the price paid less OBC as a 'net' price for any comparisons to be relevant. The lowest headline price isn't always the lowest net price.

 

Sorry to keep banging on about it, but anyone reading this thread and assuming that they can get better Select prices by holding on and watching this tracker would be severely misguided. There has been zero evidence provided to challenge what many of us who book early and then watch the prices v OBC know to be the case. The best total prices (Select) are almost always at launch plus you get the pick of the very best cabins. To imply that anything else is the case is to misinform those who do not have the experience that those of us who book multiple P&O cruises every year have learned through bitter experience.

 

To be clear, I wish that I (and all those who know this to be the case) was wrong. I find it a complete pain to have to book cruises 2 years out and would far rather book within 12 months of a cruise, but I have closely followed my last 8 bookings (cabin price less OBC) and they have never been cheaper than when I booked. Several other regulars report exactly the same. Now that IS hard evidence!

 

I think we have to disagree on this. You have a viewpoint, as do some others. I also have a viewpoint, which is also shared by some others. There is no hard evidence, as you put it, because it doesn't exist - it simply isn't possible for every person making every launch booking to track that booking through every hour of every day up to the departure to check whether it fell below the launch price at some point - and then publish his or her findings here.

 

Cruiseville does, however, go some way towards that, and it does allow everyone to see the results. It doesn't take OBC into account, but that goes up and down all the time, and it really isn't that special at launch, as against later. And it certainly wouldn't make up for the huge drop on the cruises I mentioned recently - where, incidentally, there was (and is) a very good choice of cabins and suites.

 

I'd accept that it's frequently the case that the launch price is the best (particularly on heavily booked cruises) but that's not always the case, as Cruiseville clearly shows. My research shows that their information is accurate - there's no reason why it wouldn't be since it's simply scraped from the net. As I say, though, I think we must just agree to differ.

[Harry Peterson]

There's maybe a further point to be made here; there's a natural reluctance, human nature being what it is, to accept that the price we paid for something was higher than someone else paid later. Once something is booked, most people are not going to spend time looking to see whether somebody else could get it cheaper. You're just not going to know - and that's probably for the best!

[Selbourne]

There's maybe a further point to be made here; there's a natural reluctance, human nature being what it is, to accept that the price we paid for something was higher than someone else paid later. Once something is booked, most people are not going to spend time looking to see whether somebody else could get it cheaper. You're just not going to know - and that's probably for the best!

 

As you say, we have to agree to disagree. However, your position is based upon theory which, as I have stated, I really wish was true, but isn't. To say that nobody watches prices every hour every day is no argument at all when the facts don't support that it's best to wait. I could argue that there's another natural aspect of human nature that makes people feel that it is always best to hang on for a bargain. In many aspects of life that is true. Sadly, with P&O it isn't. Saver fares maybe, but they don't interest me as we want the best cabins, not the leftovers. We would even suffer paying a bit more to secure the best cabins early, but thankfully we don't have to.

 

So, we have agreed to disagree. Those new to cruising with P&O can choose to believe in a completely plausible theory, not supported by fact (unless you consider a website that only gives half the picture and contains errors to be fact) , or the hard evidence of the personal experience of many of us on this forum. I know which I would go with! However, each to their own!

[my marina bay]

But you are assuming that the launch prices quoted on the site are correct. As I have found out, that isn't always the case. And the fact that they don't take into account OBC offers ...

 

There has been zero evidence provided to challenge what many of us who book early and then watch the prices v OBC know to be the case. The best total prices (Select) are almost always at launch ..

 

Now that IS hard evidence!

 

Sorry Selbourne have to agree with docco.

 

We are travelling next month with family one in a deluxe balcony the other in a standard balc but mid range price. The HARD evidence is we booked two years ago got minimal obc although we did get extra as not taking up free coach transfer but others are taking advantage of free parking. We could have saved thousands between the families had we booked later. Don't care that we may not have got freedom dining or obc or free parking with the price difference we could have chosen to fine dine every day and still been easily in profit.

 

Thanks to whoever mentioned the tracker site it's an eye opener and well worth following if you want to bag a bargain.

Edited May 9, 2018 by my marina bay

[Harry Peterson]

Saver fares maybe, but they don't interest me as we want the best cabins, not the leftovers. We would even suffer paying a bit more to secure the best cabins early, but thankfully we don't have to.

 

So, we have agreed to disagree. Those new to cruising with P&O can choose to believe in a completely plausible theory, not supported by fact (unless you consider a website that only gives half the picture and contains errors to be fact) , or the hard evidence of the personal experience of many of us on this forum. I know which I would go with! However, each to their own!

 

I don’t book Saver Fares - I book Select only because, as you pointed out earlier, I’m even fussier than you about the location of suites. Only two ships and only four suites on each of those ships.

 

Cruiseville has enabled me to find them at considerably lower than launch price and I’ve yet to see any hard, documentary evidence that it’s using inaccurate figures. Why would it? I’ve found it to be absolutely accurate. OBC isn’t mentioned, but that’s a relative triviality, and there are other factors too - such as the discount you can negotiate individually with your TA.

 

Hard evidence is very difficult to come by on past prices for cruises, but the nearest anybody has got to it is without a doubt Cruiseville.

[wowzz]

I don’t book Saver Fares - I book Select only because, as you pointed out earlier, I’m even fussier than you about the location of suites. Only two ships and only four suites on each of those ships.

 

Cruiseville has enabled me to find them at considerably lower than launch price and I’ve yet to see any hard, documentary evidence that it’s using inaccurate figures. Why would it? I’ve found it to be absolutely accurate. OBC isn’t mentioned, but that’s a relative triviality, and there are other factors too - such as the discount you can negotiate individually with your TA.

 

Hard evidence is very difficult to come by on past prices for cruises, but the nearest anybody has got to it is without a doubt Cruiseville.

Not sure that I would call obc of £800+ a relative triviality, even for someone that can afford a suite.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

[Selbourne]

Cruiseville has enabled me to find them at considerably lower than launch price and I’ve yet to see any hard, documentary evidence that it’s using inaccurate figures. Why would it? I’ve found it to be absolutely accurate. OBC isn’t mentioned, but that’s a relative triviality, and there are other factors too - such as the discount you can negotiate individually with your TA.

 

I am simply going on the fact that for 3 of the future P&O cruises we have booked, the 'lowest ever price' on that website was incorrect - the hard evidence being that we paid less! I also don't consider £1,800 OBC on our next 4 cruises to be trivial, but I accept that for some that may be an irrelevance if they simply want to look at the headline price and not, as we do, deduct the OBC to get a true net price. You can get TA discounts whenever you book.

 

At the end of the day, all that matters is that we all pay a price that we are happy with. You are convinced that you get a better deal booking later so are happy. I am happy because, although I have to book far earlier than I would like to, we get the pick of the cabins and suites and, based on our personal experience of our specific cruises, have always had the best overall deal as a result. As I have said before, I would pay more to achieve this, but in reality have always paid less than if we had waited.

 

So, we are all happy campers. We all do it differently and all get the best deals ;);)

[my marina bay]

I also don't consider £1,800 OBC on our next 4 cruises to be trivial ...

;);)

 

Wow that's a lot of obc. Never ever had anything remotely near that, usually two figures or occasionally three.

[Harry Peterson]

Wow that's a lot of obc. Never ever had anything remotely near that, usually two figures or occasionally three.

 

It works out at £225 per person per cruise, which perhaps puts it into perspective. And not a million miles from the £160 per person available on the 7 day cruises mentioned above which have dropped so much in price since launch.

 

The drops in price are hugely more than any drops in OBC.

[Selbourne]

It works out at £225 per person per cruise, which perhaps puts it into perspective. And not a million miles from the £160 per person available on the 7 day cruises mentioned above which have dropped so much in price since launch.

 

The drops in price are hugely more than any drops in OBC.

 

:') You just won’t let it rest will you! You are basing your entire argument on a tracker site that not only gives partial information, but I have found to be inaccurate on 3 of the 4 cruises I have checked!

 

I have no issue whatsoever with what you do as you are happy with it and believe you get the best deal. Fantastic! Just don’t complain when I, or one of the many other regulars on here who book at launch for the lowest prices, have already snapped up the few suites that you are happy with ;)

[my marina bay]

:') You are basing your entire argument on a tracker site that not only gives partial information, but I have found to be inaccurate on 3 of the 4 cruises I have checked!

;)

 

The issue I have with what you say is that the site in question isn't a TA that's trying to sell. If you click on the links they take you directly to POs website (or other cruise company's website) where the price quoted is exactly what the tracker page is saying. In other words when PO or other cruiselines reduce their prices it shows up. It may not show obc etc but it gives you a good idea whether you got a bargain or not in our case.

[Selbourne]

The issue I have with what you say is that the site in question isn't a TA that's trying to sell. If you click on the links they take you directly to POs website (or other cruise company's website) where the price quoted is exactly what the tracker page is saying. In other words when PO or other cruiselines reduce their prices it shows up. It may not show obc etc but it gives you a good idea whether you got a bargain or not in our case.

 

I don’t disagree with any of that. The issue for me was simply that they quote what the cheapest price was historically and whilst the price and dates quoted may be factually correct, the fact that these were the cheapest ever prices is not. As I say, we paid less headline price (even before OBC) for 3 of the 4 cruises that I checked than the cheapest price quoted, so the information cannot be relied upon.

[Harry Peterson]

:') You just won’t let it rest will you! You are basing your entire argument on a tracker site that not only gives partial information, but I have found to be inaccurate on 3 of the 4 cruises I have checked!

 

I have no issue whatsoever with what you do as you are happy with it and believe you get the best deal. Fantastic! Just don’t complain when I, or one of the many other regulars on here who book at launch for the lowest prices, have already snapped up the few suites that you are happy with ;)

 

1 I've yet to see any substantiated evidence to indicate that it's showing anything other than factually correct information. As I said, it's an automated web scraper, so it simply reports what it finds. If you choose not to believe that, I'm not going to convince you.

 

2 The only information it omits is OBC, which does not in any way detract from the pricing information, and you can get at it by clicking through anyway. Launch OBC is rarely anything particularly special.

 

3 I have not at any point said it will get you the best deal. Launch booking will very often get you the best deal - I accept that fully. What I am saying, though, is that sometimes it will come up with a price (as it has done very clearly on the two instances I quoted - and there are plenty more) which beats the launch price hands down. If you prefer not to believe that, that is, of course, your prerogative.

 

Others can reach their own conclusions, but blind faith in the myth that the best price is invariably to be had at launch is unhelpful to newcomers and the more seasoned amongst us. It's only the arrival of Cruiseville that's provided the evidence to blow the myth out of the water. It's the 3camels of Amazon and incredibly useful.

[Selbourne]

1 I've yet to see any substantiated evidence to indicate that it's showing anything other than factually correct information. As I said, it's an automated web scraper, so it simply reports what it finds. If you choose not to believe that, I'm not going to convince you.

 

2 The only information it omits is OBC, which does not in any way detract from the pricing information, and you can get at it by clicking through anyway. Launch OBC is rarely anything particularly special.

 

3 I have not at any point said it will get you the best deal. Launch booking will very often get you the best deal - I accept that fully. What I am saying, though, is that sometimes it will come up with a price (as it has done very clearly on the two instances I quoted - and there are plenty more) which beats the launch price hands down. If you prefer not to believe that, that is, of course, your prerogative.

 

Others can reach their own conclusions, but blind faith in the myth that the best price is invariably to be had at launch is unhelpful to newcomers and the more seasoned amongst us. It's only the arrival of Cruiseville that's provided the evidence to blow the myth out of the water. It's the 3camels of Amazon and incredibly useful.

 

See my last response, posted whilst you were typing the above.

 

We are going around in circles. I am going on 100% factual information based on actual bookings. You are refusing to accept that and preferring to believe in partial website data which I know is incorrect with regards to the cheapest ever prices. You don’t believe me. Too bad.

 

I have no blind faith whatsoever. I base my comments on facts. I know that you won’t be swayed from your beliefs. No problem at all as far as I’m concerned.

 

The one thing that we agree on is that we don’t want to give new cruisers misleading info. I shall let others decide whether the beliefs of one seasoned cruiser outweighs the hard facts experienced by myself and several other seasoned P&O cruisers.

 

I sense you will want the last word. Feel free. I’m out. The conversation is exhausted, as am I