Booking via internet

[Harry Peterson]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

In percentage terms, the £300 was only 3% of the cruise fare, so on a  relatively cheap cruise, the saving wouldn't be that much. Even so, better in my wallet than P&O 's.

With you entirely.  £300 is £300 and certainly not just a few pounds in my book!  What you get depends on the total cruise price plus the deal you negotiate, so maybe some people are better negotiators than others.

 

I can see no possible downside to booking with the right TA, and many, many upsides. Just a matter of personal choice, of course.

[Eglesbrech]

26 minutes ago, the english lady said:

The whole idea of the 2 types of saver fare are that you don't get to pick your cabin. Late saver only inside outside or balcony and that's it. Early saver you can pick a grade and that's it. You will either get that grade or higher..which could be ending up under the buffet let's say.

Yes I am aware of that and you won’t hear me complaining if it ever happens as I know that there is a chance of it. I minimise that chance by making sensible selections.

 

The name early and late savers are however a misnomer as the “early” savers can be on offer pretty late. I would also add that P&O need saver booking to fill their ships or they would not be as profitable.

[the english lady]

1 minute ago, Eglesbrech said:

Yes I am aware of that and you won’t hear me complaining if it ever happens as I know that there is a chance of it. I minimise that chance by making sensible selections.

 

The name early and late savers are however a misnomer as the “early” savers can be on offer pretty late. I would also add that P&O need saver booking to fill their ships or they would not be as profitable.

Totally agree about filling the ships. However a lot of people automatically think with the word saver mentioned they are going to be getting a good deal...which they may not be..with fluid pricing etc etc. I do sometimes wonder how much thought or forward planning happens when some people book cruises .

[Eglesbrech]

15 minutes ago, the english lady said:

Totally agree about filling the ships. However a lot of people automatically think with the word saver mentioned they are going to be getting a good deal...which they may not be..with fluid pricing etc etc. I do sometimes wonder how much thought or forward planning happens when some people book cruises .

Yes you really do need to look at the whole package of OBC, parking etc as well. A “saver” is not always the best value or the best option if you end up under the disco.

 

I would never recommend a saver to new cruisers as you do need to know the potential pitfalls.

[Host Sharon]

Please do NOT ask for travel agent recommendations as all posts will be removed as contravening CC guidelines. Thanks.

[terrierjohn]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

I've been able to check out cabin availability on the website, but it is a laborious process, having to select your deck and then position within that deck before being able to see what cabins are free. Why the whole deck cannot be shown, as when booking seats on an aircraft, is beyond me. 

However,  I have a pretty good idea of my budget, and therefore am reasonably aware of roughly whereabouts I will find suitable cabins. A 10  minute chat with the TA going through the options is all,that is needed.

 

 

I agree the P&O site is poor to non existent for checking available cabins, however the Princess site is excellent, or it was the last time I booked which is a few years ago.  Since they are both part of Carnival UK, and some of the ships are identical, you would think their IT Depts would at least talk to each other about their systems, and pick the best bits from each.