UK staycation cruise details launched

[Splice the mainbrace]

20 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I think also some people would stay onboard and spend money.I wonder if they may offer the hotel experience for 2 or 3 nights on Iona to let people try her out.I think they will offer round britain cruises, (probably not on Iona)just that they may offer this experience for the first few times?They would be able to have rigorous testing set up in Southampton and the chance to disembark anyone who displayed symptoms almost immediately

 

I admit that I don't know the ins and outs of the rules and regulations but I suspect that there may be UK tax and employment condition implications, to name but 2, if a ship is docked for 2 or 3 nights continuously. They may be able to get around this by chugging out around the channel overnight and then coming back in again for the day? 

[lindylooellalouise]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

P&O have already said that these cruises will begin and end in Southampton.

Yes I know so short cruises of 7 days or less wouldn’t be of any interest to us

[BestGuessed]

My husband and I have just seen the start of this topic and reading Adam Coulter’s article is making us fume !!

At the beginning of February, when the vaccine rollout was beginning to gather momentum we decided to take the plunge and book cruise B122 aboard Brittania leaving Southampton on 25th of September 2021.
We chose our cabin, paid via credit card and received a booking reference.  Yesterday afternoon my husband opened an email from P&O that had been sent at 4.30pm on Monday afternoon saying that they needed to take his credit card details again as they hadn’t processed the payment properly.

Credit card details were again given for £399 and then today we learn that the cruise will be cancelled.  
I can’t say we are feeling very impressed that P&O took our money yesterday afternoon and we now learn less than 24hours later that the cruise won’t be happening.  
We think this is very shabby treatment and this sort of behaviour doesn’t inspire our confidence in P&O.

[ToxM]

So began looking at other cruises just in cases my October fjords becomes a casualty. 12 nights in a suite can’t be replicated for the price with P&O, but I can get 14 nights TA next October with Silversea including flights, transfers, tips, all drinks and a butler for 400 quid each more.....P&O are shooting themselves in the foot at this point with their prices. I understand supply and demand, but when 2 weeks in an inside is less than a 6 star line, there is something wrong with your algorithm.

[tring]

2 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

 

I admit that I don't know the ins and outs of the rules and regulations but I suspect that there may be UK tax and employment condition implications, to name but 2, if a ship is docked for 2 or 3 nights continuously. They may be able to get around this by chugging out around the channel overnight and then coming back in again for the day? 

CMV had a Liverpool ship planned to be based in Liverpool for a couple of nights or so with trips to the Grand National.  So must be some possibility re that.

 

[tring]

9 minutes ago, BestGuessed said:

My husband and I have just seen the start of this topic and reading Adam Coulter’s article is making us fume !!

At the beginning of February, when the vaccine rollout was beginning to gather momentum we decided to take the plunge and book cruise B122 aboard Brittania leaving Southampton on 25th of September 2021.
We chose our cabin, paid via credit card and received a booking reference.  Yesterday afternoon my husband opened an email from P&O that had been sent at 4.30pm on Monday afternoon saying that they needed to take his credit card details again as they hadn’t processed the payment properly.

Credit card details were again given for £399 and then today we learn that the cruise will be cancelled.  
I can’t say we are feeling very impressed that P&O took our money yesterday afternoon and we now learn less than 24hours later that the cruise won’t be happening.  
We think this is very shabby treatment and this sort of behaviour doesn’t inspire our confidence in P&O.

 

I do hope that email was from  P&O rather than a scammer!  Sounds very strange to me.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by tring

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, funinhounslow said:

Well if they’re going to do that they’d better not try it in Southampton 😁

 

They might have more takers in Liverpool, Belfast, Newcastle. Even Portland...

As Azura is docked at Newcastle it would be nice if she started and ended around Britain cruises from here and we will look forward to booking one.

[tring]

24 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

We would also be interested in short cruises from Newcastle or Liverpool just not viable for us to travel to Southampton for a couple of days

 

That would be our opinion and P&O said all will be from Southampton

 

Fred will follow suit though and had put such cruises on for this spring from Liverpool and Dover on his new ships.  Will be interesting what he puts on for the summer, the now cancelled ones included scenic cruising in Western Scotland from Liverpool.

 

 

 

[lindylooellalouise]

2 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

As Azura is docked at Newcastle it would be nice if she started and ended around Britain cruises from here and we will look forward to booking one.

We would definitely be booking one 👍

[grapau27]

Just now, lindylooellalouise said:

We would definitely be booking one 👍

Azura today.

[tring]

We are undecided whether to go for a refund or FCC.  Can I ask if you can exchange an FCC for a refund of the monies paid at a later date, or is the option to ask for a refund time limited.

 

Also can they be used four any cruises, including any last minute bookings.  Our existing booking is on a select fare.

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by tring

[BestGuessed]

It’s definitely from P&O.    
All the details are accurate and on checking we could see that the original “payment” had been deducted but then somehow reappeared back on the card.

If P&O had put it through properly at the time of booking, ie a month ago, we wouldn’t have a problem as that would just be bad luck on our part,  but to take payment yesterday for something that has been cancelled this morning is a different matter.

 

[lindylooellalouise]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

Azura today.

Would love to have a drive out to see the ship, and it would be great if they did base her in Newcastle for the  summer cruises 👍would make our life so much easier than driving down to Southampton and staying the night before we board lindy

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, tring said:

We are undecided whether to go for a refund or FCC.  Can I ask if you can exchange an FCC for a refund of the monies paid at a later date, or is the option to ask for a refund time limited.

 

You have to book a cruise with the FCC by the end of this year. If you do  not spend the FCC you get your money back, although no one knows how long that might take.

[Eddie99]

From the BBC News website (front page ‘Live News’)

 

Cruise firm P&O has extended the halt to its international holiday voyages due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company, which is part of the Carnival group, says it plans to run "staycation" sailings from Southampton around UK coastal waters instead.

The latest round of cancellations affects over 90 planned cruises.

Cruises on Arcadia, Aurora, Azura and Ventura have been cancelled until the end of August and on Britannia and Iona until the end of September.

The company ended its cruises in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic and has not resumed any of its voyages since.

[No pager thank you]

7 minutes ago, tring said:

We are undecided whether to go for a refund or FCC.  Can I ask if you can exchange an FCC for a refund of the monies paid at a later date, or is the option to ask for a refund time limited.

 

Hello,

Once a FCC is redeemed, then the entitlement to a cash refund is lost.  So the best bet may be to wait and see what the cruises are (plus the possibility of the 22/23 brochure) and then decide from there.  Still plenty of time to request the refund and as we know it will most likely be slow anyway.

[emam]

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19132040.p-o-offers-holidaymakers-short-staycation-cruises-southampton/

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Would love to have a drive out to see the ship, and it would be great if they did base her in Newcastle for the  summer cruises 👍would make our life so much easier than driving down to Southampton and staying the night before we board lindy

I Agree.

15 miles to North Shields.

350 miles to Southampton.

[lindylooellalouise]

Just now, grapau27 said:

I Agree.

15 miles to North Shields.

350 miles to Southampton.

Wouldn’t it be great to get up on the morning of the cruise then  after an hours drive be at the terminal ready to board 🤗 in my dreams. Lindy

[Splice the mainbrace]

18 minutes ago, tring said:

CMV had a Liverpool ship planned to be based in Liverpool for a couple of nights or so with trips to the Grand National.  So must be some possibility re that.

 

 

Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't been aware of that example.

[zap99]

4 hours ago, PJ's said:

It is a shame for everyone who was hoping to get back to cruising abroad this summer. We have a cruise on Ventura booked for the end of November 2021.....just wondering if this will go ahead. Keeping fingers crossed.

I guess we are all still wondering. I was having a look round the internet this morning for the med. RCI and NCL still have cruises on sale and may still sail this summer.

[grapau27]

Just now, lindylooellalouise said:

Wouldn’t it be great to get up on the morning of the cruise then  after an hours drive be at the terminal ready to board 🤗 in my dreams. Lindy

We did a few DFDS sailings in 2000-2002 from North Shields and it was great getting home about 30 minutes after disembarking.

[AnnieC]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I Agree.

15 miles to North Shields.

350 miles to Southampton.

I agree, even though, for me, it's 260 odd miles against about 200 to Soton, it's a much pleasanter run without having to run the gauntlet of the M25.

[tring]

9 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You have to book a cruise with the FCC by the end of this year. If you do  not spend the FCC you get your money back, although no one knows how long that might take.

 

5 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Hello,

Once a FCC is redeemed, then the entitlement to a cash refund is lost.  So the best bet may be to wait and see what the cruises are (plus the possibility of the 22/23 brochure) and then decide from there.  Still plenty of time to request the refund and as we know it will most likely be slow anyway.

 

Thanks for the replies.  Means we would presumably be able to book cruises for summer 2023 if released before the end of this year, so may be worth hanging on.  Only £500 refund due anyway and getting any sort of worthwhile interest rate on that is not going to be possible in the time scale involved, even if delayed. 

[Splice the mainbrace]

2 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Wouldn’t it be great to get up on the morning of the cruise then  after an hours drive be at the terminal ready to board 🤗 in my dreams. Lindy

 

Our record is 35 minutes from leaving my late mum's house on the outskirts of Southampton to stepping onboard!