Winter 2025/26 on-sale dates

[Britboys]

3 hours ago, tring said:

Our agent  has booked our new season cruise for us, but we could not get the same cabin as we had booked for the previous cruise as a B2B, but will only have to move next door.  It is possible that cabin was allocated to another Azura cruise of a different length (perhaps the 15 night cruise instead of the 16 night one we have booked).  Those trans-location cruises are still a good price compared to the other Azura cruises though and we get an extra 10% of both cruises for our B2B booking.  So overall worth booking so far ahead and the deck C balconies, (which we have booked), still tend to sell fairly quickly - non of them available for the longer 2024 trans location cruises even now, a year out.

 

 

 

Glad you have got what you wanted Barbara.

[tring]

3 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Glad you have got what you wanted Barbara.

 

Thanks, we have been able to get into the booking system via our login and looked at cruises on Azura.  Most cabins seem to have been allocated for the short, 8,9 and 7 day cruises, including the cabin we have booked for the previous cruise, so we did well getting the cabin next door.  P&O obviously do not want to sell many of those longer cruises.

 

[Britboys]

3 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks, we have been able to get into the booking system via our login and looked at cruises on Azura.  Most cabins seem to have been allocated for the short, 8,9 and 7 day cruises, including the cabin we have booked for the previous cruise, so we did well getting the cabin next door.  P&O obviously do not want to sell many of those longer cruises.

 

My guess is they are hoping that many new pax who have done the 7 night Norway itinerary on Iona will try a 7 night Canaries on Azura...

[terrierjohn]

Our TA has managed to secure one of our favoured adapted cabins for Iona's Caribbean cruise in 2026, even though we have switched to a saver fare this time.

[daiB]

We are sorted on Iona in March 26 2 cruises BtoB. 

 

Happy Days

 

Dai

[Megabear2]

As a non elite I can only book today so out of pure interest I've looked at the fares for Britannia Caribbean Christmas 2025.  Up until this year I have cruised this area at Christmas for 11 consecutive years.  I generally book Britannia in a deluxe cabin on deck 12 or 14 or a deck 8 with sofa balcony plus premium economy.  The select prices appear very high however I had no 2024 booking to compare with so out of interest looked at both.  These are as today, obviously 2024 would have most likely been lower on release.

 

Dec 2024                                                                 Dec 2025

Sofa balcony £6988                                              Sofa balcony £6820

Deluxe deck 14 B326 £9318 OBC £190             Deluxe deck 14 B326 £8422 OBC £70

 

To each of these I need to add around £1,000 for the PE fare assuming it has not changed price.

 

Comparing these to last year and my cancelled Arvia Christmas cruise I find that the increase is substantial.  I booked my 2022 Christmas cruise on release. Deck 9 with sofa midships with PE was a total £7,100.  Cancelled Arvia second grade balcony would have been £7,300 departing 22/12 so covering Christmas and new year.

 

On select fare a deluxe cabin except the forward facing ones on deck 15 are £8188, with a deck 14/12 increasing bu £117 and the deck 8 balcony with sofa is £6820. OBC on the 2025 cruises is minimal.

 

I'm not travelling with P&O at Christmas this year but my friends are on 30/12 new year in deluxe balcony deck 14 midships booked in April this year.  Their cost including PE is £7,138 with £620obc. 

 

As Presto2 and Selbourne said earlier in this thread prices going forward are considerably higher if this example is anything to judge by.

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Megabear2

[Bin man]

Just checked 2 cruises we booked on opening day last year for 2025 May and September iona and ventura select balcony on both prices were £3042 now £4840 and £2822 now £4753 taking extra obc off of £220 on both cruises difference if we booked today has increased by £3149 for both cruises about a 54% increase that's what I call inflation!!

[Fionboard]

On 10/16/2023 at 6:01 PM, zap99 said:

They seem to have adopted a policy of dropping prices after I have paid a deposit. Obviously aimed at getting my booking early. We won't be falling for that trick a third Time. Late booking for us.

 

On my current Arcadia cruise they dropped the solo supplement after I had made final payment. So, lots of solos on here who got good deals including upgrades and increased OBC. Booking late in future! 

[molecrochip]

Some very well sold cruises over last couple of days eg. Arvia Xmas cruise has sold all 3rd/4th berths.

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Some very well sold cruises over last couple of days eg. Arvia Xmas cruise has sold all 3rd/4th berths.

Is that for the new release for 2025 or which year?

[molecrochip]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Is that for the new release for 2025 or which year?

Winter 2025/26, hence why it’s in this thread 😉

[Bin man]

Just noticed on my # 132 should have said 2024 getting myself confused after checking prices for sumner 2025 which are rising 

[Megabear2]

22 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Winter 2025/26, hence why it’s in this thread 😉

There's an awful lot of things that aren't though!

 

Not being interested in anything Arvia I didn't look but as prompted by your post I see there are no children's places available so assume these are taking those berths.  I did see however a discount has appeared on the select price for this cruise of £732 making it far more reasonable.

 

So I've revisited the Britannia one and realised the quotes I had this morning actually include the 10% reduction as well.  I think I'll still be passing

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

There's an awful lot of things that aren't though!

 

Not being interested in anything Arvia I didn't look but as prompted by your post I see there are no children's places available so assume these are taking those berths.  I did see however a discount has appeared on the select price for this cruise of £732 making it far more reasonable.

 

So I've revisited the Britannia one and realised the quotes I had this morning actually include the 10% reduction as well.  I think I'll still be passing

I think it’s worth keeping in mind that only a minuscule number of people (mostly on this forum 😂) will know what the P&O approach to pricing is nowadays, and even those of us who think we’ve sussed it can still get our fingers burnt, as I did the other day! Add to this the fact that the majority of cruisers on Iona and Arvia are first timers and also that these ships attract families who are tied to school holidays and I don’t think that the odd exception, such as a Xmas cruise on Arvia, is going to disprove our theory that the days of launch prices being the cheapest are now over.