3 in 10 cruisers won’t cruise again

[Presto2]

57 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We are booked on Iona for the end of August. Balance is due at end of May. If not cancelled by then we will cancel and lose the deposit . " Only " £130. If offered would take cash refund, or FCC. If in a month, or so it appears that the cruise will go we will pay the balance

 If the experts say it is safe to travel on cruise ships again, we will go.

 

I just hope that going forward the 'experts'' opinions are driven by public safety not just by their view of the economy. I'm not saying that the economy shouldn't be taken in to account, but at the moment I seem to read a lot about Ministers wanting everything to reopen etc to help the economy but there doesn't seem to be very much emphasis on how you keep people safe. (If that makes sense). I see Spain and Italy opening up industry etc and have to wonder if it is too early.

[majortom10]

32 minutes ago, daiB said:

Everything I have seen says that if you cannot use your FFC by the end of the period it is valid you then get your money back.

So not taking it now makes no sense.

Not ideal but the best solution in strange times.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

I can only speak for Cunard policy as the FCC in question is for a cruise with them. I have been told that I can use FCC for "new" bookings up to March 2022 and cannot be used on current bookings which I know is correct but if I do not use FCC by March 2022 it will be lost which I cannot find in writing if this part is correct or whether I have been given the wrong info

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

I know what you mean and totally agree. You have to remember that the general mentality on here is a glass half empty one. 

I don't know how you can possibly justify that statement. I for one,  have and always will be a glass half full person. We have an Arcadia 19 nights  cruise booked for 6th November 2020, and if P&O don't cancel we will definitely  be on her. 

Avril 

[cruisenewbie1976]

Just now, Adawn47 said:

I don't know how you can possibly justify that statement. I for one,  have and always will be a glass half full person. We have an Arcadia 19 nights  cruise booked for 6th November 2020, and if P&O don't cancel we will definitely  be on her. 

Avril 

I didn't mean everyone, you certainly aren't one of them. It's quite possibly the minority of posters but it's certainly the ones that dominate most of the threads. 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

I didn't mean everyone, you certainly aren't one of them. It's quite possibly the minority of posters but it's certainly the ones that dominate most of the threads. 

It does seem to be a " oh woe is me, the end of the World is nigh"theme. Covid is no doubt a nasty and serious disease. A few years ago we were flying off to the Med and noticed it was September 11th. 1st anniversary. The plane was full, hotel full. It seemed only a few months previously the World was full of doom and Gloom regarding the prospects for the travel industry. Things will improve, perhaps quicker than some imagine.

[Selbourne]

53 minutes ago, daiB said:

Everything I have seen says that if you cannot use your FFC by the end of the period it is valid you then get your money back.

So not taking it now makes no sense.

Not ideal but the best solution in strange times.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

I’m not sure that’s correct Dai. That applies to credit notes, which are in lieu of a refund and of the same value, having the affect of a ‘delayed refund’ if not redeemed by a certain date (ABTA is suggesting end July although I can see that date moving). Different rules apply to ‘incentives’, where you waive the right to a refund in order to accept an alternative offer. In the case of FCC, as it is at an enhanced rate (e.g. 125% of the sacrificed refund) it constitutes an incentive. I should stress that I am not an expert on this, but I did a lot of research on the subject prior to being eligible to apply for a refund on our May cruise and that was the information that I discovered. 

[cruisenewbie1976]

Just now, zap99 said:

It does seem to be a " oh woe is me, the end of the World is nigh"theme. Covid is no doubt a nasty and serious disease. A few years ago we were flying off to the Med and noticed it was September 11th. 1st anniversary. The plane was full, hotel full. It seemed only a few months previously the World was full of doom and Gloom regarding the prospects for the travel industry. Things will improve, perhaps quicker than some imagine.

Absolutely. I don't want to dismiss the seriousness of what's going on right now. It's truly awful for so many people. But you have to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Things will definitely improve, we've just got to give it time. And if looking forward to a cruise is what helps you through this strange time, then so be it. 

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

 

I just hope that going forward the 'experts'' opinions are driven by public safety not just by their view of the economy. I'm not saying that the economy shouldn't be taken in to account, but at the moment I seem to read a lot about Ministers wanting everything to reopen etc to help the economy but there doesn't seem to be very much emphasis on how you keep people safe. (If that makes sense). I see Spain and Italy opening up industry etc and have to wonder if it is too early.

This is the major dilemma for govts., relax too soon and you kill off more people with the virus, leave it too long and the economy is hit hard and people starve to death because you have no tax revenues to provide benefits.

[yorkshirephil]

We will cruise again as soon as it is safe to do so. We did take our first "land holiday" in many years to Cyprus in early March, this was in lieu of a cruise we had just cancelled. We enjoyed it more than we expected and will likely take more in and amongst cruising. We have booked our first river cruise for summer 2021 as we wanted to try something a bit different but see new places. We have never been put off by previous global incidents. Everybody to their own.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, daiB said:

Everything I have seen says that if you cannot use your FFC by the end of the period it is valid you then get your money back.

So not taking it now makes no sense.

Not ideal but the best solution in strange times.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

That was my understanding too.

[Denarius]

We seem to have got widely off topic, but as regards the Independent article....

As a person not unfamiliar with statistics, a former actuary, I always take surveys like this with a pinch of salt. But putting this aside and taking it on face value, it suggests that 30% of former cruisers will not cruise again; but the question asked does not appear to qualify this as being because of covd-19. But an older survey from 2019 quoted in the article indicates that 18% would not cruise again anyway. So taking the two together, it suggests that only 12%, less than one in eight, would not cruise again because of covid-19. A lot less headline grabbing than 3 in 10. There are, it is said, lies, dam lies and statistics. 😁

[Selbourne]

34 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

That was my understanding too.

I am more than happy to stand corrected, but could you (or DaiB) point to where you are getting this info from? I can find nothing that says that you can opt for FCC, let it expire and then get your money back. It seems to me to be a ‘use it or lose it’ offer, if you don’t opt for a cash refund initially. 
 

EDIT - I appreciate that you don’t ‘opt’ for FCC, it’s the default until you request a refund (which you have some time to do), but my question relates to the assertion that when FCC eventually expires you can get your money back if you haven’t redeemed it. Thanks. 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Selbourne

[glittergal1]

3 hours ago, daiB said:

Everything I have seen says that if you cannot use your FFC by the end of the period it is valid you then get your money back.

So not taking it now makes no sense.

Not ideal but the best solution in strange times.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

Where have you seen this ?

Ive not seen this anywhere for P&O

other cruise lines yes like MSC if you dont use your FCC you get your money back BUT not seen this with P&O so please post where this is 

[Tommart]

2 hours ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

I didn't mean everyone, you certainly aren't one of them. It's quite possibly the minority of posters but it's certainly the ones that dominate most of the threads. 

Perhaps that's an indication of the way P&O is regarded these days?  Used not to be that way in these forums, so if it is now that suggests a change of view of the way P&O operates.  It's not remotely what it was in so many ways (OK - the prices are lower) and maybe that's why so many are disenchanted with the product.

[Tommart]

3 hours ago, daiB said:

Everything I have seen says that if you cannot use your FFC by the end of the period it is valid you then get your money back.

So not taking it now makes no sense.

Not ideal but the best solution in strange times.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

Do you have anything to back up that claim?  I've seen nothing to suggest that if you take the FCC credit you can then get a cash refund in any circumstances. 

 

And FCC means risk - if Carnival goes under, or is restructured into a different financial entity, all these FCCs will be completely valueless, much like Woolworth gift vouchers.

[cruisenewbie1976]

7 minutes ago, Tommart said:

Perhaps that's an indication of the way P&O is regarded these days?  Used not to be that way in these forums, so if it is now that suggests a change of view of the way P&O operates.  It's not remotely what it was in so many ways (OK - the prices are lower) and maybe that's why so many are disenchanted with the product.

Very possible. I'm relatively new to cruising (5/6 years) so I don't really know what it was like before. I can only go on what I see now. If I was that unhappy with a company, I'd stop using them.  

[Tommart]

8 minutes ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

Very possible. I'm relatively new to cruising (5/6 years) so I don't really know what it was like before. I can only go on what I see now. If I was that unhappy with a company, I'd stop using them.  

Some of the die-hards here have.  And the way they're handling refunds (or rather not handling refunds, despite their obligations) will put off quite a few more I guess.  P&O are very good at quoting terms and conditions when it suits - a bit quieter on that when they're refusing refunds!

[cruisenewbie1976]

Just now, Tommart said:

Some of the die-hards here have.  And the way they're handling refunds (or rather not handling refunds, despite their obligations) will put off quite a few more I guess.  P&O are very good at quoting terms and conditions when it suits - a bit quieter on that when they're refusing refunds!

Yeah, I totally get that. Maybe my expectations are lower as a newer customer. 

[daiB]

1 hour ago, Tommart said:

Perhaps that's an indication of the way P&O is regarded these days?  Used not to be that way in these forums, so if it is now that suggests a change of view of the way P&O operates.  It's not remotely what it was in so many ways (OK - the prices are lower) and maybe that's why so many are disenchanted with the product.

No I can’t agree I have followed these threads for many years and there has always been that level of disenchantment on this forum. This forum unfortunately does attract some people who have a down on P&O not seen elsewhere. 
 

Of course if you do like P&O you tend to get hammered for holding such outrageous beliefs. This does put many people off posting. 
 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

[daiB]

Very possible. I'm relatively new to cruising (5/6 years) so I don't really know what it was like before. I can only go on what I see now. If I was that unhappy with a company, I'd stop using them.  

It was exactly the same as it is now. :)



Sent from my iPad using Forums

[AndyMichelle]

18 minutes ago, daiB said:

No I can’t agree I have followed these threads for many years and there has always been that level of disenchantment on this forum. This forum unfortunately does attract some people who have a down on P&O not seen elsewhere. 
 

Of course if you do like P&O you tend to get hammered for holding such outrageous beliefs. This does put many people off posting. 
 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

Yep, I think we have all been accused of being P&O plants or fan boys at some stage for defending them. 

The general consensus for most of us was/is that P&O are not perfect, but represent good value for money... 

Of course, a lot of opinions have changed with recent events... 

Andy 

 

[zap99]

4 minutes ago, daiB said:

It was exactly the same as it is now. 🙂



Sent from my iPad using Forums

We are loyal to P&O. Just as we are loyal to RC, Celebrity, NCL. And Marriot,Hilton,IHG. We are loyal to whoever gives us the best deal/itinerary on the dates that we want to travel. If there is a loyalty club going, we are in it. The next few weeks will tell who are being loyal to us.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I am more than happy to stand corrected, but could you (or DaiB) point to where you are getting this info from? I can find nothing that says that you can opt for FCC, let it expire and then get your money back. It seems to me to be a ‘use it or lose it’ offer, if you don’t opt for a cash refund initially. 
 

EDIT - I appreciate that you don’t ‘opt’ for FCC, it’s the default until you request a refund (which you have some time to do), but my question relates to the assertion that when FCC eventually expires you can get your money back if you haven’t redeemed it. Thanks. 

We have applied for a refund for our Azura TA cruise which P&O cancelled plus my HA in December put me in the health conditions category and the government advice so never investigated FCC conditions but I read several posters on different boards claiming they would just wait until it expired and claim a refund.

I have googled this since you asked and like you cannot find anything in writing to confirm this.

Maybe daib can give more information.

 

[cruisenewbie1976]

17 minutes ago, daiB said:

It was exactly the same as it is now. 🙂



Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thought that might be the case! 

[daiB]

Very interesting survey happening now in another place. Do you intend to cruise again.

Yes.......1300+

No.......11.

700+ say they would cruise straight away
300+ say next year.

Gan Canny


Dai


Sent from my iPad using Forums