When will the next shutdown extension be announced?

[otbc]

I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering this - when do you all think the next extension to the 'shutdown' of operations will be announced by P&O?

 

We're in a position where we've got a honeymoon booked for 23 May, but I can honestly say I'm 99.9% certain the cruise won't be happening. It's just a case of when P&O will extend the cancellation window!

 

Do you think it'll be in the next week or two, or are we thinking it'll be May before they extend the cancellations out?

[wowzz]

Just now, otbc said:

I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering this - when do you all think the next extension to the 'shutdown' of operations will be announced by P&O?

 

We're in a position where we've got a honeymoon booked for 23 May, but I can honestly say I'm 99.9% certain the cruise won't be happening. It's just a case of when P&O will extend the cancellation window!

 

Do you think it'll be in the next week or two, or are we thinking it'll be May before they extend the cancellations out?

No one knows for sure, but I'm of the opinion that P&O will cancel in 4 or 5 week "batches", which us what they seem to have done so far. Therefore,  the next batch will be announced around the beginning of May. OVMV

[otbc]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

No one knows for sure, but I'm of the opinion that P&O will cancel in 4 or 5 week "batches", which us what they seem to have done so far. Therefore,  the next batch will be announced around the beginning of May. OVMV

 

It's an interesting one - if I remember right they cancelled up to 15 May around the end of March, so a 6 week 'batch', which if that's what they're continuing with you'd expect them to cancel sometime in the next week!

 

Half of me wonders though if, as the number of cases drops, we'll start to see the batches get smaller and smaller so they can resume cruising as soon as possible. I'm hopeful it'll be toward the end of the summer when it restarts - though how empty the ships will be is another matter!

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, otbc said:

 

It's an interesting one - if I remember right they cancelled up to 15 May around the end of March, so a 6 week 'batch', which if that's what they're continuing with you'd expect them to cancel sometime in the next week!

 

Half of me wonders though if, as the number of cases drops, we'll start to see the batches get smaller and smaller so they can resume cruising as soon as possible. I'm hopeful it'll be toward the end of the summer when it restarts - though how empty the ships will be is another matter!

I meant 6 weeks after the last announcement, so early May.

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, otbc said:

 

It's an interesting one - if I remember right they cancelled up to 15 May around the end of March, so a 6 week 'batch', which if that's what they're continuing with you'd expect them to cancel sometime in the next week!

 

Half of me wonders though if, as the number of cases drops, we'll start to see the batches get smaller and smaller so they can resume cruising as soon as possible. I'm hopeful it'll be toward the end of the summer when it restarts - though how empty the ships will be is another matter!

This last batch, which was for cruises from 11th April, was not cancelled until 31st March I believe. 

I'm with Wowzz, I would guess the end of April at best but nobody knows for sure. 

Andy 

[glittergal1]

22 hours ago, otbc said:

I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering this - when do you all think the next extension to the 'shutdown' of operations will be announced by P&O?

 

We're in a position where we've got a honeymoon booked for 23 May, but I can honestly say I'm 99.9% certain the cruise won't be happening. It's just a case of when P&O will extend the cancellation window!

 

Do you think it'll be in the next week or two, or are we thinking it'll be May before they extend the cancellations out?

We cruise on May 28th a fly cruise package to Malta flying with jet 2   Jet 2 yesterday morning at 9.30 am  cancelled all flights until June 17th , we telephoned P&O  in the afternoon sure now that they would at least admit the cruise is cancelled but NO they said they had not even had any information about the flights being cancelled . So according to P&O despite the fact our flights are cancelled our holiday is still  not cancelled ????????????

[2BACRUISER]

Marella have just cancelled all cruise to 31st May so likely others will follow suit. This ain't gonna end anytime soon. 🤔

[Selbourne]

On 4/7/2020 at 8:47 AM, otbc said:

I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering this - when do you all think the next extension to the 'shutdown' of operations will be announced by P&O?

 

We're in a position where we've got a honeymoon booked for 23 May, but I can honestly say I'm 99.9% certain the cruise won't be happening. It's just a case of when P&O will extend the cancellation window!

 

Do you think it'll be in the next week or two, or are we thinking it'll be May before they extend the cancellations out?

I fear that you will be looking at the last week of April / first week of May until your cruise is officially cancelled. Whilst this is unsettling, I would urge anyone in your position not to be lured into taking a future cruise credit either now or when your cruise is officially cancelled as there is too much risk involved and the cruises that they can be applied against are more expensive than at launch, so the ‘incentive’ is a con. In these times of enormous uncertainty, cash is king and although you may have to wait a couple of months for the refund you will at least be sure that you have your money back. 
 

I feel desperately sorry for people such as yourself where it was far more than a cruise holiday, in your case your honeymoon. P&O’s decision to shore up their cash flow by delaying refunds must be particularly troublesome for people in your position although, I am guessing that as nobody can go anywhere at present you will have probably deferred your plans until calmer times?

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, 2BACRUISER said:

Marella have just cancelled all cruise to 31st May so likely others will follow suit. This ain't gonna end anytime soon. 🤔

I don't think the others will be following Marella.  In general, RCI and Carnival are following roughly the same pattern.  Marella are one of a number of other cruise lines that have not followed the same general pattern.  I am in agreement with others on this thread that P&O (along with most of the other Carnival Brands) will extend for a further month from 14th May around the end of this month or early next.

[molecrochip]

6 hours ago, glittergal1 said:

We cruise on May 28th a fly cruise package to Malta flying with jet 2   Jet 2 yesterday morning at 9.30 am  cancelled all flights until June 17th , we telephoned P&O  in the afternoon sure now that they would at least admit the cruise is cancelled but NO they said they had not even had any information about the flights being cancelled . So according to P&O despite the fact our flights are cancelled our holiday is still  not cancelled ????????????

Just to cover this Jet2 point.

 

I believe that P&O charter planes from Jet2 therefore their announcement yesterday has no impact on P&O fly cruises. The announcements was specifically regarding their package holidays. Chartering arrangements will be agreed separately between airline and P&O.

[Roger88]

I believe it may happen next week. Somewhere in the middle of April, leaders of the major countries of the world will give a word about the situation and I expect them to either strengthen the limitations or the other way around. Unfortunatly, by reading the news I dont expect anything to change in the near future... but at least we will have some feedback on situation in the world. Hope everyone is doing alright. Keep up with the news 

[Captain_Morgan]

I think its fair to say its less about P&O's desire to resume operations and more about the ports/countries allowing ships to enter.  Look at what's happening now in Florida where the likes of Princess and HAL have had a heck of a time getting their ships into a supposedly 'friendly' port due to having positive cases of COVID onboard, which one might think to be a more severe situation than the likes of Arcadia for example where its just people wanting/needing to finish their cruise.

 

If P&O continues to follow the guidance offered from the FCO there's no chance that cruises begin any time before the middle of summer, and even then I would imagine that there's going to be a large sense of caution with the general public on both sides (passengers and ports) until there's at the very least a proven vaccine.  Could you imagine the headlines that would be caused if the first ship back in service from any line produces people with positive results for the virus....that would surely shut things down even longer and cause a deeper hole for the industry to crawl out of.

 

As for the comment about P&O delaying refunds in order to hang onto cash deposits, I think that's a little far fetched although the optics might seem to suggest it.  Imagine what they're going through having to try and process countless refund requests on relatively short notice.  If any company is using people's money to line their coffers I'd say its Viking who require passengers to pay in full in some cases up to 12 months prior to sailing!!!

[glittergal1]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

Just to cover this Jet2 point.

 

I believe that P&O charter planes from Jet2 therefore their announcement yesterday has no impact on P&O fly cruises. The announcements was specifically regarding their package holidays. Chartering arrangements will be agreed separately between airline and P&O.

they probably do charter planes but ours isnt chartered 

[simonpjd]

We are booked on a cruise in mid June which has been tailored for us. So it is Southampton to Venice, disembark, transfer to Lake Garda for 4 days, transfer to Verona and get the train back to Victoria. So we have a P&O cruise, 

North Italy hotel then train through 4 countries. So what are our chances . TBH I would rather the whole thing was cancelled and I fear it may be a battle getting a refund.

[Captain_Morgan]

3 minutes ago, simonpjd said:

We are booked on a cruise in mid June which has been tailored for us. So it is Southampton to Venice, disembark, transfer to Lake Garda for 4 days, transfer to Verona and get the train back to Victoria. So we have a P&O cruise, 

North Italy hotel then train through 4 countries. So what are our chances . TBH I would rather the whole thing was cancelled and I fear it may be a battle getting a refund.

 

I don't have a crystal ball, but I would hazard a pretty good guess that Italy won't be accepting tourists anytime soon least of all northern Italy, not to mention with the current FCO advising against all but essential travel. That said, I think the consensus has been to wait for the companies (cruise, hotel, air) to cancel as there's a higher likelihood that you'll get a refund as opposed to a future credit should you take the initiative and cancel on your own.

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, Captain_Morgan said:

As for the comment about P&O delaying refunds in order to hang onto cash deposits, I think that's a little far fetched although the optics might seem to suggest it.  Imagine what they're going through having to try and process countless refund requests on relatively short notice.  If any company is using people's money to line their coffers I'd say its Viking who require passengers to pay in full in some cases up to 12 months prior to sailing!!!

Not far fetched at all. Pure fact. It’s all about cash flow, which is the life blood of any business and keeps them going. If you don’t believe me I commend you to read the latest press releases from ABTA released yesterday, pleading with the government to change the law on the requirement to refund within 14 days in order to help the cash flow of travel companies. P&O has a large number of agents who usually deal with bookings. They won’t be doing them now! I appreciate that they are working from home, but with a bit of IT assistance (not P&O’s strong point, I will admit) these people should be working through the refunds. The processing of a refund would take less time than going through all the details of a new booking and there is no way that they can justify 60 days from a workload perspective, given the absence of new bookings. It’s cash flow management, pure and simple. 

[Captain_Morgan]

Can't help but wonder if this is going to have an impact and when....

 

 

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/492140-the-centers-for-disease-control-cd-extended-their-no-sail-order-for-all

[Trevor33]

Last update from P&O was the day after Cunard posted on its website which was about 10 days before the last proposed date was due to end

[Pentlands]

On 4/8/2020 at 10:56 PM, Selbourne said:

Not far fetched at all. Pure fact. It’s all about cash flow, which is the life blood of any business and keeps them going. If you don’t believe me I commend you to read the latest press releases from ABTA released yesterday, pleading with the government to change the law on the requirement to refund within 14 days in order to help the cash flow of travel companies. P&O has a large number of agents who usually deal with bookings. They won’t be doing them now! I appreciate that they are working from home, but with a bit of IT assistance (not P&O’s strong point, I will admit) these people should be working through the refunds. The processing of a refund would take less time than going through all the details of a new booking and there is no way that they can justify 60 days from a workload perspective, given the absence of new bookings. It’s cash flow management, pure and simple. 

14 days 😁😆🤣😂🙃😍🤪🤐

 

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, Pentlands said:

14 days 😁😆🤣😂🙃😍🤪🤐

 

Hard to believe, I know, when people are having to wait as long as they are to get their money back, but that’s the law as it currently stands in the UK. Interesting that the head of ABTA had to go on record yesterday to admit that travel companies are incorrect in telling their customers that they have been ‘instructed’ by ABTA not to give refunds but to issue credit notes. They have asked the government to relax the law on having to refund within 14 days but, as yet, they have been unsuccessful. I also notice that the press are starting to pick up on the issue now, helped by regular commentary by Simon Calder, that companies are shoring up their cash flow with money that belongs to customers. As this is a P&O forum it is worth acknowledging that P&O is at least giving their customers a full refund, even if the 60 day delay is taking the p*%@. Some travel companies are providing no facility to obtain refunds at all and have switched off their phone lines. 

[AndyMichelle]

49 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Some travel companies are providing no facility to obtain refunds at all and have switched off their phone lines. 

So true.. 

Our daughter is trying to get a refund from a fairly well known holiday company for her Canaries holiday and has been told they can only transfer or take credit. 

When she said she was entitled to a refund, they quoted 'extreme circumstances' and said if she didn't take the credit she would lose her money and holiday... 

Law seems to stand for nothing at the moment... 

Andy 

 

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Hard to believe, I know, when people are having to wait as long as they are to get their money back, but that’s the law as it currently stands in the UK. Interesting that the head of ABTA had to go on record yesterday to admit that travel companies are incorrect in telling their customers that they have been ‘instructed’ by ABTA not to give refunds but to issue credit notes. They have asked the government to relax the law on having to refund within 14 days but, as yet, they have been unsuccessful. I also notice that the press are starting to pick up on the issue now, helped by regular commentary by Simon Calder, that companies are shoring up their cash flow with money that belongs to customers. As this is a P&O forum it is worth acknowledging that P&O is at least giving their customers a full refund, even if the 60 day delay is taking the p*%@. Some travel companies are providing no facility to obtain refunds at all and have switched off their phone lines. 

 

4 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

So true.. 

Our daughter is trying to get a refund from a fairly well known holiday company for her Canaries holiday and has been told they can only transfer or take credit. 

When she said she was entitled to a refund, they quoted 'extreme circumstances' and said if she didn't take the credit she would lose her money and holiday... 

Law seems to stand for nothing at the moment... 

Andy 

 

 

Agreed.  Previously I was pretty fizzed off with PandO's stance and voiced my opinion.

 

Now that I've seen how other travel companies are behaving, PandO aren't as demonic as they earlier appeared to me.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they're angels either.  I've have had no quibble prompt refunds from a couple of places, one of them actually waiving a cancellation fee that part of the T & Cs.  I also feel that the 45 & 60 days to process a refund is excessive, but I don't know how their procedures or IT systems deal with refunds work so I'm not going to chop their arm off and beat them round their head with the wet end if they can't stump my refund within the legislative limit.  But I'm lucky in that I'm not dependant on that money being returned to me within 14 days.  I appreciate that others may not be in the same financial position, hence their need for prompt refunds.  Though do find the issue re cancelled shore excursions to be specious at best!

 

But, as has been pointed out above, there are worse out there!

 

Some of us will play nicely because we can, some of us will be assertive because we need to be, and some will scream and scream until they're sick...

[Britboys]

In one of the Paul Ludlow videos posted by P&O yesterday, he indicated that they hope to give more information at the end of the month.  He said the same in relation to future cruises too but I can't see them having any more idea then about resumption of sailings.

[majortom10]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

So true.. 

Our daughter is trying to get a refund from a fairly well known holiday company for her Canaries holiday and has been told they can only transfer or take credit. 

When she said she was entitled to a refund, they quoted 'extreme circumstances' and said if she didn't take the credit she would lose her money and holiday... 

Law seems to stand for nothing at the moment... 

Andy 

 

If the company she is using is ABTA bonded tell her to contact them as the rep from ABTA said recently as reported on here that they are forced to give a refund if that is what they want because it is UK law and ABTA would not be happy if any of their members were not acting responsibly.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/abta-cancelled-holiday-atol-refunds-package-travel-regulations-a9458826.html

Edited April 11, 2020 by majortom10

[Britboys]

21 hours ago, Captain_Morgan said:

Can't help but wonder if this is going to have an impact and when....

 

 

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/492140-the-centers-for-disease-control-cd-extended-their-no-sail-order-for-all

Can't see it having that much impact.  The latest date on this order would be 18th July.  Personally, I would be very surprised if we see any ships sailing before the Autumn.