Can I view available cabins for Iona May 2020 from the US?

[conifercruiser]

Hello! I am new to P&O (long time Princess cruiser from the United States) and am trying to figure out if I can see available seaview and/or balcony cabins for the Iona May 30 - June 6 2020 cruise to Norway. Princess' website is very easy to do this by doing a fake booking and selecting to choose your own cabin, but P&O seems to want me to pick Early Saver or Select guarantee and just gives me a phone number to call. I can't believe they don't have cabins you can view on the website!

 

 Is there a simple way (maybe it looks different to you folks in the UK?) to tell how well that sailing is selling without calling? And when (if ever) does P&O usually have a good sale or offers with perks like a beverage package?

 

Thanks for your help!

[terrierjohn]

I think if you choose select fares it will lead you to a screen that gives some availability, but unlike Princess not ALL the available cabins, and possibly not the best location.

[conifercruiser]

Nope, not here. I choose select fares and there’s a big red box at the bottom of the screen (where you’d expect to see something like the word “Select” or “Continue” or whatever) that says “Call 877-828-4728 to Book”. The phone number appears to be a toll free number in the U.S. :-(

[terrierjohn]

Alternatively find a way to fool the P&O site into thinking you have a UK IP address.

[conifercruiser]

I love the cheeky replies! I actually know who Nigel Farage is!. Wish I was technical enough to spoof the IP address 😞

 

Checked out the poamericas site (thanks for that tip, John!), interestingly it's operated by the online travel agency I was going to book the cruise with anyway. I was just hoping to get a feel for how many cabins were available before I had to call anyone to see if I could wait for better pricing or perks since it's still a year out.

 

Any chance someone in the UK could take a quick peek at the May 30 2020 Iona cabin availability?

Edited May 14, 2019 by conifercruiser
Typo

[happy v]

1 hour ago, conifercruiser said:

I love the cheeky replies! I actually know who Nigel Farage is!. Wish I was technical enough to spoof the IP address 😞

 

Checked out the poamericas site (thanks for that tip, John!), interestingly it's operated by the online travel agency I was going to book the cruise with anyway. I was just hoping to get a feel for how many cabins were available before I had to call anyone to see if I could wait for better pricing or perks since it's still a year out.

 

Any chance someone in the UK could take a quick peek at the May 30 2020 Iona cabin availability?

I've just had a quick look for you.

Sea view cabins are only available on deck 4.

Standard balcony are available on most decks but forward and aft are sold out, so only mid aft, mid, and mid forward.

Good luck.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, conifercruiser said:

I love the cheeky replies! I actually know who Nigel Farage is!. Wish I was technical enough to spoof the IP address 😞

 

Checked out the poamericas site (thanks for that tip, John!), interestingly it's operated by the online travel agency I was going to book the cruise with anyway. I was just hoping to get a feel for how many cabins were available before I had to call anyone to see if I could wait for better pricing or perks since it's still a year out.

 

Any chance someone in the UK could take a quick peek at the May 30 2020 Iona cabin availability?

At the moment bookings for P&O are well up and as a result, better pricing, as you put it is hard to come by. P&O’s pricing now starts low with deals on very early bookings and then the price rises. Sometimes it comes down but mostly it stays high. I certainly would not recommend booking now for a year away as this would be possibly the worst time. If you can hold your nerve then booking late may get a better deal than booking now but not better than first day booking. 

 

Good of luck with your quest.

[conifercruiser]

Thank you SO MUCH happy v and daiB!

 

I really don't HAVE to book the cruise, as I was mainly planning to use it as a way to spend some time between the end of our river cruise (flying from Bucharest back to Heathrow on May 28) and when we catch the QM2 back to the U.S. on June 7. So I CAN hold my nerve and wait, but then the idea of sailing on a nice new ship with a new cruise line (for us) with mostly Brits sounds pretty good! We've been to Norway (BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL) but Stavanger and Olden would be new for us. Ah, heck, I've probably talked myself into making that phone call! 

 

Thanks everyone for your helpful and prompt replies!

Edited May 14, 2019 by conifercruiser
typos!

[happy v]

Don't forget to let us know if you book.

[emam]

On 5/13/2019 at 10:31 PM, conifercruiser said:

Hello! I am new to P&O (long time Princess cruiser from the United States) and am trying to figure out if I can see available seaview and/or balcony cabins for the Iona May 30 - June 6 2020 cruise to Norway. Princess' website is very easy to do this by doing a fake booking and selecting to choose your own cabin, but P&O seems to want me to pick Early Saver or Select guarantee and just gives me a phone number to call. I can't believe they don't have cabins you can view on the website!

 

 Is there a simple way (maybe it looks different to you folks in the UK?) to tell how well that sailing is selling without calling? And when (if ever) does P&O usually have a good sale or offers with perks like a beverage package?

 

Thanks for your help

 

There is another thread on this site about the new website and people are having the same trouble. I

 

With regards to the drinks package, unless you are big drinkers, it's not reckoned to be good value. Drinks on P&O are reasonably priced. I will try to find a thread off last year with some price lists and bump it up for you.

[emam]

price lists under 'A record of onboard prices'

[conifercruiser]

Gosh, emam, and you even bumped up the onboard prices thread for me - thanks! We just enjoy a beer or martini once in a while, so not holding out for a drinks package. The drinks prices are indeed reasonable. We will get shareholder shipboard credit, too, I think, so could afford a few beers 🤪

 

Considering how much we’re paying for 23 nights on the river cruise, plus the 14 day HAL transatlantic from Florida (actually, transatlantics are always pretty cheap), plus the QM2 to get back to New York, plus the cross country Amtrak trains to and from the U.S. ports to Colorado (we try to avoid flying just because it’s such a hassle and more fun and challenging to stay on the ground 😁), the experience on the Iona will undoubtedly be a bargain and memorable.  I’ll probably see if I can get a GZ Select balcony - will let y’all know.

 

Thanks for your input and interest!

[conifercruiser]

Well, we booked it! Cabin 10608, so a GB Select with a bit of OBC (plus more when I fax my CCL shareholder info to the UK sometime next year). So enough for beers I think!

 

Really looking forward to this trip! I don't want to mention what I paid for it, would hate to have someone come back and say "You paid HOW MUCH????", but it was actually cheaper than I was expecting and the cabin location is great so no complaints from me!

 

Thanks to everyone who provided info to guide me along! 

 

Cheers,

 

Vikki

[happy v]

Congratulations, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

We've just returned from Norway and it really is a fabulous country with lovely people.