UK staycation cruise details launched

[zap99]

1 minute ago, tring said:

You mean the bank where they play cricket once a year.  The Bramble Bank.

Not an expert, but that one is towards Cowes, Shingles bank is at the far Western end of the Solent........ANDY🤣

[Selbourne]

41 minutes ago, wowzz said:

A few weeks ago, I would never gave considered it, but I am coming round to the idea of considering a 7 day sea cruise.  It would be a chance to relax, eat reasonably well, and be entertained,  and hopefully the weather would be good enough to enjoy a balcony cabin.

Which has got me thinking - how much would everyone be prepared to pay for a 7 day  cruise in a standard  balcony cabin ? And where do you think P&O will pitch the price, given that P&O and Princess between them will have to fill around 20,000 berths a week ?

I think my tipping point would be in the region of £100 pppn. Anyone got any other ideas,  or am I just being unreasonably cheap? 

I think that’s way too much for no ports and potentially poor weather. We paid £177 per night for the two of us (total, so £88.50 pppn) for a balcony cabin on a fairly recent 7 night cruise to Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Cherbourg, and that was on Aurora which is expensive compared to the bigger ships. We pick cruises primarily due to itineraries and we don’t particularly like sea days, other than as a short break in the middle of port intensive itineraries, so even if there were no on board restrictions I wouldn’t be prepared to pay anything like £100 pppn. 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Selbourne

[tring]

Google tells us the QEII ran aground on the Bramble Bank in 2008 on her last Southampton vist, but 4 tugs ensured she was only 90 mins late.  Then there was the car ferry in 2015 which stayed there a bit longer and was well reported.   Then a container ship in 2015 which we do not remember.

Edited March 3, 2021 by tring

[tring]

29 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Not an expert, but that one is towards Cowes, Shingles bank is at the far Western end of the Solent........ANDY🤣

 

Bramble Bank is due north of Cowes, and just south of Southampton water.  As I said various ships have run aground there.  DH was a local and knew about the cricket match.  You can Google Bramble Bank + map if you do not believe me.

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by tring

[terrierjohn]

56 minutes ago, wowzz said:

A few weeks ago, I would never gave considered it, but I am coming round to the idea of considering a 7 day sea cruise.  It would be a chance to relax, eat reasonably well, and be entertained,  and hopefully the weather would be good enough to enjoy a balcony cabin.

Which has got me thinking - how much would everyone be prepared to pay for a 7 day  cruise in a standard  balcony cabin ? And where do you think P&O will pitch the price, given that P&O and Princess between them will have to fill around 20,000 berths a week ?

I think my tipping point would be in the region of £100 pppn. Anyone got any other ideas,  or am I just being unreasonably cheap? 

I think you are being far too generous, for a 7 day slow cruise stopping nowhere, with all the passengers looking for something to do, and with any sort of social distancing, no sharing dining with anyone outside your bubble, and possibly wearing masks. All this with a shakedown crew who, even if they have previous experience, will be slow and green and very rusty, I would want it dirt cheap maybe  £50pppn or max £70pppn.

[AndyMichelle]

7 hours ago, zap99 said:

Quite so, but I think they sneak down to Lee on Solent for a bacon butty on Sunday morning.

You know me so well... 

More expertise on a bacon butty than banks in the Solent I'm afraid... 🥓😊

Andy 

[Selbourne]

8 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I think you are being far too generous, for a 7 day slow cruise stopping nowhere, with all the passengers looking for something to do, and with any sort of social distancing, no sharing dining with anyone outside your bubble, and possibly wearing masks. All this with a shakedown crew who, even if they have previous experience, will be slow and green and very rusty, I would want it dirt cheap maybe  £50pppn or max £70pppn.

I agree and for the same reasons. The more I think about it, given the lack of ports, nothing to see (let’s not kid ourselves that these will be ‘scenic’ cruises, the ships can’t cruise close enough to land to see anything), on board restrictions, likely dodgy weather etc would mean that anything more than £50pppn for a balcony cabin would be poor value IMHO. I would place very little value on what P&O calls ‘entertainment’, so the cost is really just for food, given that the cabins aren’t much to write home about. 

[wowzz]

9 hours ago, No pager thank you said:

If you could disembark at UK ports then yes, I would more seriously consider, but without this then what's the benefit over a decent hotel where you can come and go as you please, say half-board, without the rigmarole of going to Southampton for the pleasure

I understand totally what you are saying, but try getting a decent hotel room in the UK this summer for less than £150 per night, and that's before meals. 

[janny444]

We have a balcony cabin booked on Iona in October....£80pppn....we also have 2 cruises ...booked at launch... next year....balcony cabins ...£100pppn....all 3 select fare so to be tempted to cruise going nowhere .....with " uncomfortable " restrictions possibly in place the price would have to be considerably less than £100pppn for me to even give them more than a glance

[janny444]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I understand totally what you are saying, but try getting a decent hotel room in the UK this summer for less than £150 per night, and that's before meals. 

Hi....a lot depends as to when you actually book....I find that hotel prices fluctuate quite a lot. We have a week booked at the Crowne Plaza in Stratford Upon Avon going  in July on a DB/B basis...executive room....flexible booking with nothing to pay upfront.... for £856 for the 2 0f us ..£61 pppn....cheap....a real bargain. 

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, janny444 said:

Hi....a lot depends as to when you actually book....I find that hotel prices fluctuate quite a lot. We have a week booked at the Crowne Plaza in Stratford Upon Avon going  in July on a DB/B basis...executive room....flexible booking with nothing to pay upfront.... for £856 for the 2 0f us ..£61 pppn....cheap....a real bargain. 

That's pretty good. Looking just now, the price,  room only, for a week in July, is £900. 

   

[davecttr]

9 hours ago, No pager thank you said:

I have been wondering the same thing today to be honest:

 

Carnival problems in generating on board spend:

 

4) On board paid for dining - severely restricted income opportunities due to social distancing.

5) Not sure about any restrictions on the casinos and gambling.

 

The casino problems interest me as I like a game of blackjack of an evening and I only play when I am on a cruise. The problems with the casino are social distancing, players and any watchers are close together, touching shoulder distance in many cases and the opportunities for infection spread by handing cards and chips. With my preferred game there are normally 6 people at the table plus the dealer, you could have a maximum of 3 players but that halves their revenue take. Blackjack does not allow players to touch cards but there is always some idiot! The chips are a real problem as everyone touches them in all table games. How about all players are masked and have to wear disposable gloves when playing, putting them in the bin when finishing playing. Sanitising of chips and cards needed as well at frequent intervals.  Finally casino operations are franchises and if they can't make a profit they won't do it. 

[P&O SUE]

14 hours ago, zap99 said:

We have only been on one cruise that had a stop in Guernsey. It didn't, so 100% for us. We were on a long weekend in a hotel once and Britannia was anchored in the bay, so we know some folks can get lucky.

I’ve had guernsey as I stop 3 times, didn’t make it once!

Edited March 4, 2021 by P&O SUE

[Beckett]

How things have changed since Monday when I booked a July 7-day to the Fjords on Queen Victoria with my granddaughters. Cunard haven't cancelled yet but it's only a matter of time. Wowzz very wisely advised me to temper their excitement with a warning that it may not go - which I did, but they are naturally very disappointed that it now looks unlikely. My back-up plan was Hamburg and Amsterdam in October on Iona which may still happen? What do you think folks?

 

Regarding round Britain in late Summer with loads of families and kids - sounds awful - but I'd do it for my girls. Actually this has been such a miserable time for all of us maybe it's time to throw off my naturally serious cloak, jump in the pool, and learn how to enjoy myself again. I'm in - bring it on! Maybe see some of you on board. Jane.x

 

 

 

 

[janny444]

19 minutes ago, wowzz said:

That's pretty good. Looking just now, the price,  room only, for a week in July, is £900. 

   

Phew....as I said all depends when you book....I booked about 2/3 months ago....just checked my dates for July.....now it is £1505 for 2....executive room DB/B....£1224 for 2....standard room DB/B. Standard room still a good price at £87pppn. It is a lovely hotel.....public areas always remind me of a hotel abroad....spacious ....open and airy with one of the best hotel positions in Stratford Upon Avon

[arlowood]

15 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I made it up 😂. We have only been there once on a cruise ship (several times by air) and managed to get ashore by tender, but I recall a thread a year or two back where people were complaining about the number of cruises calling at Guernsey due to the large number of aborted visits. I have a recollection that someone quoted a figure of around that nature - may have even been someone who lived there. Happy to stand corrected on the exact figure though, as I was just being ironic 😉 

Don't know the the exact statistics but from our perspective it has been 100% failure to visit Guernsey from a P&O cruise. Once on Adonia and once on Aurora. It's like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The closer you get the further away it seems😄

[No pager thank you]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

The casino problems interest me as I like a game of blackjack of an evening and I only play when I am on a cruise. The problems with the casino are social distancing, players and any watchers are close together, touching shoulder distance in many cases and the opportunities for infection spread by handing cards and chips. With my preferred game there are normally 6 people at the table plus the dealer, you could have a maximum of 3 players but that halves their revenue take. Blackjack does not allow players to touch cards but there is always some idiot! The chips are a real problem as everyone touches them in all table games. How about all players are masked and have to wear disposable gloves when playing, putting them in the bin when finishing playing. Sanitising of chips and cards needed as well at frequent intervals.  Finally casino operations are franchises and if they can't make a profit they won't do it. 

Thanks, I was also thinking about the practicalities of a cruise in UK "coastal waters."

 

There is a protocol, which I've never quite understood, that the ship must either be a certain distance from port, or a certain amount of time elapsed, before either the machines are turned on or the table games played?  I was also thinking about whether or not the franchise will be allowed to set up under US rules in such circumstances, again I don't understand this fully, as only play occasionally.

 

With social distancing, Roulette will be become impractical; the number of working slot machines cut by about two thirds; and as you say the blackjack and Texas Hold'em etc will have reduced players around the table.

 

Masks will have to be worn because of the proximity of the players to the dealer over a period of time indoors without natural ventilation.

 

They will find a way around this as this franchise is a money spinner, and is a popular pastime on board.

 

The one which will struggle is the photography, as they will be limited to onboard shots instead of the shots at each port.

 

[zap99]

10 hours ago, tring said:

 

Bramble Bank is due north of Cowes, and just south of Southampton water.  As I said various ships have run aground there.  DH was a local and knew about the cricket match.  You can Google Bramble Bank + map if you do not believe me.

 

I do believe you as you are right, correct, not wrong. I never ,ever said you were. Apologies if I offended you. There are 2 banks. The reason big ships don't exit the Solent at the western end is the shingles bank, the reason they can't immediately turn left is the brambles bank and not wanting to wash the cricketers out to sea. The reason that they need to go so far east before turning out to sea at the other end is the Bembridge ledges. See, we are both right.

Edited March 4, 2021 by zap99

[No pager thank you]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

That's pretty good. Looking just now, the price,  room only, for a week in July, is £900. 

   

Agree, there will be bargains to be had, particularly if you can book before the "roadmap" comes in to clearer view.

 

For example, essentially knowing our May cruise was a going, we booked a holiday bungalow in Cornwall for two weeks for about £800.  Yes, obviously it will be secluded, self catering etc, but we thought a good deal compared to the £2500 or so on P&O.

 

This is partly why I think P&O will go cheap - they will have to compete against otherwise unfamiliar rivals.  Maybe though I'm awarding them too much "strategic insight," we'll see...

🤣🤦

 

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, arlowood said:

Don't know the the exact statistics but from our perspective it has been 100% failure to visit Guernsey from a P&O cruise. Once on Adonia and once on Aurora. It's like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The closer you get the further away it seems😄

We have been to Guernsey 7 times on different ships since 2003 usually in August and got into port every time.

Graham.

 

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Agree, there will be bargains to be had, particularly if you can book before the "roadmap" comes in to clearer view.

 

For example, essentially knowing our May cruise was a going, we booked a holiday bungalow in Cornwall for two weeks for about £800.  Yes, obviously it will be secluded, self catering etc, but we thought a good deal compared to the £2500 or so on P&O.

 

This is partly why I think P&O will go cheap - they will have to compete against otherwise unfamiliar rivals.  Maybe though I'm awarding them too much "strategic insight," we'll see...

🤣🤦

 

Supply and demand will bring prices down for the around Britain cruises on Princess,P&O and possibly RCG especially with social distancing,mask wearing etc too.

[funinhounslow]

11 hours ago, No pager thank you said:

 

2) No 100% mark-up excursions.

 

Where has that figure come from? I only ask because when I’ve compared P&O tour prices with local operators’ the premium has been modest and worth it for peace of mind in case of a delay getting back to the ship...

 

Much like drink prices, slightly more expensive but they certainly aren’t extracting the proverbial. A breath of fresh air after getting my pants pulled down on Cunard...

[crazy cat lady 83]

1 hour ago, Beckett said:

How things have changed since Monday when I booked a July 7-day to the Fjords on Queen Victoria with my granddaughters. Cunard haven't cancelled yet but it's only a matter of time. Wowzz very wisely advised me to temper their excitement with a warning that it may not go - which I did, but they are naturally very disappointed that it now looks unlikely. My back-up plan was Hamburg and Amsterdam in October on Iona which may still happen? What do you think folks?

 

Regarding round Britain in late Summer with loads of families and kids - sounds awful - but I'd do it for my girls. Actually this has been such a miserable time for all of us maybe it's time to throw off my naturally serious cloak, jump in the pool, and learn how to enjoy myself again. I'm in - bring it on! Maybe see some of you on board. Jane.x

 

 

 

 

We are booked on the October half term cruise on Iona which we are praying goes ahead as this is the one my kids have been going on about for a very long time!
We don’t mind where it goes just as long as we are onboard.

 

We have just had our Azura Greece cruise cancelled which we were expecting and like you we are considering a short one - just for the kids really so we will keep our eyes glued to what P&O, Princess and maybe Cunard announce. I expect them to be busy with families - if they allow us who have only had one of the vaccinations onboard.

[ann141]

19 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Supply and demand will bring prices down for the around Britain cruises on Princess,P&O and possibly RCG especially with social distancing,mask wearing etc too.

I'm not sure that P and O will make their mini cruises super cheap as lots of people just want to get on board a ship and people have got OBC to use up.When P and O cancelled the Dubai season for Oceana and put the cruises  at really cheap prices the cabins went very quickly.I would only be interested if a balcony cabin was £50pppn and then only if Britannia or Aurora.I also think they will probably only start with one ship to see how things go.If Saga did similar I would be interested or possibly one of the new Fred Olsen ships from Liverpool but that would mainly be to see if I liked the Saga or FO experience

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I'm not sure that P and O will make their mini cruises super cheap as lots of people just want to get on board a ship and people have got OBC to use up.When P and O cancelled the Dubai season for Oceana and put the cruises  at really cheap prices the cabins went very quickly.I would only be interested if a balcony cabin was £50pppn and then only if Britannia or Aurora.I also think they will probably only start with one ship to see how things go.If Saga did similar I would be interested or possibly one of the new Fred Olsen ships from Liverpool but that would mainly be to see if I liked the Saga or FO experience

£350pp for 7 night's for a select booking balcony would have me booking immediately.