Things that once were at P & O but are now… GONE!

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

So we are not so naive after all

🤣

Never said people on here were only that the cruise lines are relying on those booking being naive in seeing a headline price.  

 

However you can have the last word because this simply isn't worth my time anymore.

 

[zap99]

22 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Personally, I think that looking at 'overall' prices is fairly meaningless.  I suspect the majority of cruisers won't give two hoots about what prices are doing across the board; all they really care about is what is happening to the price they pay. It's a bit like salaries - news that average salaries have gone up 10% in a year is irrelevant to most workers - what they want to know is how much their salary has gone up.

 

I sense that many on this board who are retired or semi-retired have a great deal of flexibility about when, where and with whom they cruise.   That being the case, there are some fantastic prices around at the moment for those who are not tied to specific dates, cruise lines or routes and who are prepared to do a bit of homework to search for bargains, including lines less traditionally popular with UK cruisers such as MSC and Costa and also spreading to some of the 'luxury' lines (Seabourn had a sale with some ridiculously low prices last week).   

 

So, if posters on here say that the price of their cruises has gone down, that is the 'truth' for them, notwithstanding what CC or Timeout might have to say and regardless of whether they are cruising in or out of season . They are not being naive and they are not being fooled by marketing ploys.  Rather, they are being canny and informed consumers who are flexible and able to spot and jump on a bargain when they see it.  That's what my wife and I do and our cruises since semi-retirement have almost all been at lower prices than any we did in the 10 years prior to that.  We're very privileged to be in a position where we can make the best of low prices, but it seems from their posts that many others on here are in a similar position.  Long may it continue.

About mid year I said I wasn't booking as the cruise lines were trying to raise prices and were telling the press that bookings at the new pricing levels were selling well. I wonder how many folk went out and booked before they sold out, or how many called their bluff. Now, approaching peak booking season for next year, prices are being reduced. It seems the cruise lines CEO,s weren't exactly being completely honest. Some folk may have booked at the new ambitious prices. We booked 1 at a decent price, but any more booking from us can wait.

[Ranchi]

Shared facilities, you don’t see those any more. 😉

Three taps in the bath.

Deck tennis (the one with the rubber ring & high net.)

 

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, zap99 said:

About mid year I said I wasn't booking as the cruise lines were trying to raise prices and were telling the press that bookings at the new pricing levels were selling well. I wonder how many folk went out and booked before they sold out, or how many called their bluff. Now, approaching peak booking season for next year, prices are being reduced. It seems the cruise lines CEO,s weren't exactly being completely honest. Some folk may have booked at the new ambitious prices. We booked 1 at a decent price, but any more booking from us can wait.

Exactly my view. In the past we always booked at launch. Prices were never bettered. Those days have gone and the launch prices of the last few launches have been way higher per night than we have paid for our most recent P&O cruises, which we booked much closer to sail date (all but one of which were booked on a Select basis). 
 

It’s all very well claiming that they are selling cruises at much higher prices. Well, they might be - to those who don’t understand how the prices flex up and down - but as many of us on this forum, who are alert to the spin versus the reality, can attest, it is possible to book at very low prices, even on a Select basis, if you get your timing right. It’s a bit like I say to people when they say “I’ve seen x on eBay and it was ££££”. Well, that might be what some ambitious person is asking, but click on ‘sold items’ and see how much they actually sell for 😂 

[zap99]

30 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Exactly my view. In the past we always booked at launch. Prices were never bettered. Those days have gone and the launch prices of the last few launches have been way higher per night than we have paid for our most recent P&O cruises, which we booked much closer to sail date (all but one of which were booked on a Select basis). 
 

It’s all very well claiming that they are selling cruises at much higher prices. Well, they might be - to those who don’t understand how the prices flex up and down - but as many of us on this forum, who are alert to the spin versus the reality, can attest, it is possible to book at very low prices, even on a Select basis, if you get your timing right. It’s a bit like I say to people when they say “I’ve seen x on eBay and it was ££££”. Well, that might be what some ambitious person is asking, but click on ‘sold items’ and see how much they actually sell for 😂 

To me, it doesn't matter what Mr Ludlow and his colleagues say. They have an interest to talk prices up. We have booked 1 on Arvia for £94 pppn in a balcony. We are quite happy with that. We are watching RC, X and NCL. If they have sensible prices we may book one of theirs for later in the year, or may book another P&O. If they do manage to get the prices they want then good luck to them. Like you we have a price we consider acceptable. If we can't get that, there are alternatives. We have booked a lodge in Cornwall for July. Perhaps for us a flyaway. Interesting times.

[yorkshirephil]

53 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Exactly my view. In the past we always booked at launch. Prices were never bettered. Those days have gone and the launch prices of the last few launches have been way higher per night than we have paid for our most recent P&O cruises, which we booked much closer to sail date (all but one of which were booked on a Select basis). 
 

It’s all very well claiming that they are selling cruises at much higher prices. Well, they might be - to those who don’t understand how the prices flex up and down - but as many of us on this forum, who are alert to the spin versus the reality, can attest, it is possible to book at very low prices, even on a Select basis, if you get your timing right. It’s a bit like I say to people when they say “I’ve seen x on eBay and it was ££££”. Well, that might be what some ambitious person is asking, but click on ‘sold items’ and see how much they actually sell for 😂 

I pretty much agree with what you say, but I do think in future years cruise prices will go back up, then we may get back to best prices at launch?

There are still a few cruises that hold the launch price, mainly Aurora one off cruises. We booked the 75 night S America cruise on her at launch, if we wanted to book the cabin next door today it is over £600 pp more with £200pp less OBC. There are not many cabins left of the grade we booked with several decks sold. We were pretty much committed to booking this cruise at any price as it is a bucket list cruise we have fancied ever since we started with P&O and were not willing to risk not getting on by waiting to see if the price reduced.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

There are still a few cruises that hold the launch price, mainly Aurora one off cruises.

and yet the 65 night Aurora cruise that we have booked, which is presumably a one off, we secured at around 40% of the price we have usually paid for our 7 previous cruises on Aurora. OK, it was a late saver, which we’ve never booked before, but we weren’t inclined to pay £10k extra (which was the select price) solely to guarantee our first dining choice. I accept that probably only a small percentage of passengers paid this price, but the fact that P&O had to sell cabins at these prices is telling. As I say, the prices they quote versus the prices they get may sometimes differ!

[yorkshirephil]

20 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

and yet the 65 night Aurora cruise that we have booked, which is presumably a one off, we secured at around 40% of the price we have usually paid for our 7 previous cruises on Aurora. OK, it was a late saver, which we’ve never booked before, but we weren’t inclined to pay £10k extra (which was the select price) solely to guarantee our first dining choice. I accept that probably only a small percentage of passengers paid this price, but the fact that P&O had to sell cabins at these prices is telling. As I say, the prices they quote versus the prices they get may sometimes differ!

Aurora has done the 65 night cruise in Jan for many years, the itinerary varies and that is the one that sometimes did S America sometimes Amazon and Caribbean and central America. Before covid you usually needed to be get priority booking to get a cabin, especially if you wanted to choose. We were considering this cruise but didn't want to take the risk so close to getting my hip replaced even though it was a great price. Enjoy.

[Megabear2]

22 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

and yet the 65 night Aurora cruise that we have booked, which is presumably a one off, we secured at around 40% of the price we have usually paid for our 7 previous cruises on Aurora. OK, it was a late saver, which we’ve never booked before, but we weren’t inclined to pay £10k extra (which was the select price) solely to guarantee our first dining choice. I accept that probably only a small percentage of passengers paid this price, but the fact that P&O had to sell cabins at these prices is telling. As I say, the prices they quote versus the prices they get may sometimes differ!

Out of interest I've looked earlier today at the "from" prices on every P&O cruise 2024/5 cruise from Southampton between April and October and every 14 night fly cruise with a Barbados departure.  This is cruises of every length and based on either an Early Saver or Late Saver.  Without actually going into each cruise I noticed only the October transatlantic crossings next year can offer a balcony at less than £100pp a night. There are a handful around £125pp but the remainder are higher with £134 and £150 appearing to be the most common.  Some of the 7 night Arvia Caribbean offerings have a price tag of over £240pp.

 

I'm aware a lot of posters on here have personal budgets pp per night - I do not as I book for reasons other than price and therefore have no rule of thumb to compare.  However these prices, and don't forget they are starting prices as at today so could be leftovers or fairly new, seem higher than I've seen this year.

[Selbourne]

8 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Out of interest I've looked earlier today at the "from" prices on every P&O cruise 2024/5 cruise from Southampton between April and October and every 14 night fly cruise with a Barbados departure.  This is cruises of every length and based on either an Early Saver or Late Saver.  Without actually going into each cruise I noticed only the October transatlantic crossings next year can offer a balcony at less than £100pp a night. There are a handful around £125pp but the remainder are higher with £134 and £150 appearing to be the most common.  Some of the 7 night Arvia Caribbean offerings have a price tag of over £240pp.

 

I'm aware a lot of posters on here have personal budgets pp per night - I do not as I book for reasons other than price and therefore have no rule of thumb to compare.  However these prices, and don't forget they are starting prices as at today so could be leftovers or fairly new, seem higher than I've seen this year.

I can’t speak for fly cruises as I never look at them, but I’m not at all surprised that cruises for next summer are still fairly expensive. I’ve never found that 6-12 months out is a good time to book a P&O cruise. I also wouldn’t expect any bargain prices over the next few months either. Launches aside (which probably only appeal to regulars), I suspect that the next few months have high very levels of bookings from the new to cruising market, who won’t have the first clue about P&Os pricing antics. As we know, the cold winter months are when people’s minds turn to summer holidays and the concept of booking a few years out will be an alien concept to the market that P&O now targets. As to what prices those cruises will sell for in the 3 months prior to sail dates only time will tell. 
 

As an aside, whilst we now have a target maximum price with P&O of £100 pppn for a balcony cabin, this isn’t because we are tied to a budget. It’s a combination of our judgement of what we now consider to be the most we are prepared to pay and still get good value for what P&O now offers and because we now know from experience that we can obtain good cruises (not just the unpopular ones) at these prices if we get the timing right. Admittedly it helps that we are retired and aren’t restricted to one holiday a year. When we were working and the kids were young we had to secure the ‘big’ holiday asap. 

[terrierjohn]

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I can’t speak for fly cruises as I never look at them, but I’m not at all surprised that cruises for next summer are still fairly expensive. I’ve never found that 6-12 months out is a good time to book a P&O cruise. I also wouldn’t expect any bargain prices over the next few months either. Launches aside (which probably only appeal to regulars), I suspect that the next few months have high very levels of bookings from the new to cruising market, who won’t have the first clue about P&Os pricing antics. As we know, the cold winter months are when people’s minds turn to summer holidays and the concept of booking a few years out will be an alien concept to the market that P&O now targets. As to what prices those cruises will sell for in the 3 months prior to sail dates only time will tell. 
 

As an aside, whilst we now have a target maximum price with P&O of £100 pppn for a balcony cabin, this isn’t because we are tied to a budget. It’s a combination of our judgement of what we now consider to be the most we are prepared to pay and still get good value for what P&O now offers and because we now know from experience that we can obtain good cruises (not just the unpopular ones) at these prices if we get the timing right. Admittedly it helps that we are retired and aren’t restricted to one holiday a year. When we were working and the kids were young we had to secure the ‘big’ holiday asap. 

I don't know how you are managing to a obtain a 14nt balcony cabin at below £1400 pp, especially for Aurora cruises.

Edited December 13, 2023 by terrierjohn

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't know how you are managing to a obtain a 14nt balcony cabin at below £1400 pp, especially for Aurora cruises.

They are around John. Ours, K409, 2weeks to the med on Arvia at the end of April is £2600 for a saver balcony, £1300 pp. We paid a bit more as we booked select and got £560 OBC.

[Selbourne]

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't know how you are managing to a obtain a 14nt balcony cabin at below £1400 pp, especially for Aurora cruises.

We haven’t booked any 14 nighters on Aurora John (don’t think I said we had), but our 65 nighter on Aurora is £73 ppn before shareholder OBC for a balcony cabin. As I said, that’s a Saver. The Select fare was twice that but we wouldn’t have booked at that price. 

[terrierjohn]

19 minutes ago, zap99 said:

They are around John. Ours, K409, 2weeks to the med on Arvia at the end of April is £2600 for a saver balcony, £1300 pp. We paid a bit more as we booked select and got £560 OBC.

Yes I know there are some, but they are mainly low season and usually saver fares, and for us select with high OBC is not much use as our shareholder OBC, plus our normal smaller amount of OBC is normally above our usual drinks and spec restaurant spend anyway.

[terrierjohn]

15 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We haven’t booked any 14 nighters on Aurora John (don’t think I said we had), but our 65 nighter on Aurora is £73 ppn before shareholder OBC for a balcony cabin. As I said, that’s a Saver. The Select fare was twice that but we wouldn’t have booked at that price. 

I was just using 14nts as our normal cruise length, and it makes it easier for me to compare with our own cruise fares. As I commented to @zap99 I know there are low season prices below £100pppn, but once you get into the warmer months, that price is very difficult to achieve unless you are on a saver, which we have sampled ourselves recently, and may do so again in the future.

Now we know that savers are available for adapted cabins, then it is maybe one advantage of needing one. On most ships we now know where the adapted cabins are, and if there are cabins  available we can readily decide if they would be acceptable to us. But of course that is not always the case for the able bodied who could end up in a very unsatisfactory cabin.

[Selbourne]

6 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I was just using 14nts as our normal cruise length, and it makes it easier for me to compare with our own cruise fares. As I commented to @zap99 I know there are low season prices below £100pppn, but once you get into the warmer months, that price is very difficult to achieve unless you are on a saver, which we have sampled ourselves recently, and may do so again in the future.

Now we know that savers are available for adapted cabins, then it is maybe one advantage of needing one. On most ships we now know where the adapted cabins are, and if there are cabins  available we can readily decide if they would be acceptable to us. But of course that is not always the case for the able bodied who could end up in a very unsatisfactory cabin.

Ah, I see. We booked our July Britannia cruise (so not out of season) 3 months out and got a balcony cabin on a Select fare for under £100 pppn. 
 

The Aurora 65 nighter was the first Saver we have ever booked and there was zero risk, as there are only 8 accessible balcony cabins and they are all identical (we have stayed in 6 of them) and in the same position, just 2 decks apart (with cabins above and below in both cases). As it happened, they told us which cabin we were getting before we even paid, so had it been another ship and it was a naff location we could have said no. This is obviously a unique situation with it being an adapted cabin. As you say, for a non adapted cabin this would have been a risk. Worst case scenario is that we end up being allocated the dining option that we would least like (first sitting), but as that seems to be the most popular I'm hopeful we won’t get allocated that. If we do I will attempt to change it on board. 

 

 

[zap99]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I was just using 14nts as our normal cruise length, and it makes it easier for me to compare with our own cruise fares. As I commented to @zap99 I know there are low season prices below £100pppn, but once you get into the warmer months, that price is very difficult to achieve unless you are on a saver, which we have sampled ourselves recently, and may do so again in the future.

Now we know that savers are available for adapted cabins, then it is maybe one advantage of needing one. On most ships we now know where the adapted cabins are, and if there are cabins  available we can readily decide if they would be acceptable to us. But of course that is not always the case for the able bodied who could end up in a very unsatisfactory cabin.

We normally spend around £3500 for 2 weeks in a balcony, select fare. We dont book saver fares as we like the OBC and parking etc. The general theme of this thread was the price increases.  We are still spending the same amount as well before lockdown. 2016 ish. Prices may well rise at some point,  but we haven’t found that yet. Last year we paid £3,300 for a select balcony on Britannia in early October. That's about the same as next April in Arvia. Next year we have an extra £400 OBC, so effectively about 10% cheaper. Folk will pay what they are comfortable with.

[Interestedcruisefan]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Exactly my view. In the past we always booked at launch. Prices were never bettered. Those days have gone and the launch prices of the last few launches have been way higher per night than we have paid for our most recent P&O cruises, which we booked much closer to sail date (all but one of which were booked on a Select basis). 
 

It’s all very well claiming that they are selling cruises at much higher prices. Well, they might be - to those who don’t understand how the prices flex up and down - but as many of us on this forum, who are alert to the spin versus the reality, can attest, it is possible to book at very low prices, even on a Select basis, if you get your timing right. It’s a bit like I say to people when they say “I’ve seen x on eBay and it was ££££”. Well, that might be what some ambitious person is asking, but click on ‘sold items’ and see how much they actually sell for 😂 

I will add to that

 

I actually get the advertised low price plus normally approx 5 per cent off through the agent I use now as well

 

I stick to the entry price - as an inside saver I'm not bothered about paying to choose location on the ship either 

 

So for people in my position the low advertised prices do actually mean something

 

I don't pay to choose seats on the planes and I don't pay to upgrade cabins or choose locations

 

What they advertise I pay less any discount I get

 

So in my case I'm not being naively lured in and paying more. I'm seeing advertised prices that catch my eye and actually paying less once I book

 

One thing I will pay extra for is a more convenient airport when needed and fast track security at airports when needed

Edited December 14, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

8 hours ago, Selbourne said:

this isn’t because we are tied to a budget

I full appreciate that, when I say "budget" I mean your stated good value budget, ie what you believe is a fair price for the product on offer.

 

As I said, I do not look at holidays or cruises on any particular price structure as I book only based on itinerary or destination.  I am happy to pay a premium if necessary to facilitate my timing or choice.  Therefore I am not in a position to say whether the advertised lead prices on the cruises are high or low but I do monitor both P&O and Cunard pricing virtually daily on the off chance a whim to just go somewhere occurs.  Currently the pricing for remaining cruises between now and March is far higher than I have seen for a number of years.

 

I say this not to prove any points but merely as an observer who sometimes makes a sudden decision to leave the country when my SAD and depression trips in.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Megabear2

[Josy1953]

P&O is in business to make a profit and will price their cabins to achieve that.  If they have lots of unsold cabins they will reduce the price but they will also reduce the quality of food, entertainment etc to enable them to still achieve a profit.

We usually book early to be sure to get the cabin that we want but I can't  see the point of complaining if the price falls because we have our first choice of cabin in a position on the ship that we have decided is best for us.

We have only once booked a late booking and I wouldn't do it again because the cabin was near to the stairs / lifts so every night we were woken up by people who seemed to finished their evening having loud conversations as they moved into the corridor to get to their room.

[Megabear2]

9 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

P&O is in business to make a profit and will price their cabins to achieve that.  If they have lots of unsold cabins they will reduce the price but they will also reduce the quality of food, entertainment etc to enable them to still achieve a profit.

We usually book early to be sure to get the cabin that we want but I can't  see the point of complaining if the price falls because we have our first choice of cabin in a position on the ship that we have decided is best for us.

We have only once booked a late booking and I wouldn't do it again because the cabin was near to the stairs / lifts so every night we were woken up by people who seemed to finished their evening having loud conversations as they moved into the corridor to get to their room.

It is indeed a choice everyone makes. Some are perfectly happy with absolutely everything, others most definitely not.  My Arvia noise situation was unbearable and P&O obstructive and uncaring about it, this despite my having booked a select fare with no upgrade ticked.  The reason given for my upgrade - and it was a very big one - was operational reasons, as indeed was our cabin movement last minute on Britannia last Christmas.  The cynic in me says perhaps I wasn't just unlucky as both of these new cabins were less than ideal.

 

The price doesn’t really worry me, if it goes down there was an equal chance it could have gone up.  I recall a few others posting they'd cancelled bookings as they were unhappy with seeing big price drops so are not booking early at this time.

 

My comments and observations are not based on my own experiences more an exercise looking at the situation for absolutely any potential customer - certainly not those on this forum who are aware of the games being afoot.

 

ICF for instance has a very set and easy pattern to assist him booking his preferred ships and cruise type, basically cheaper the better no worries about location etc - although he did inform us after the event he had changed cabins due to noise issues in the first allocated.  Others go by the nightly price they consider reasonable, we all choose what suits us.

 

Your approach to me is the eminently sensible one, book at a price you're happy with and get what you required and liked.

[cruising.mark.uk]

12 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Exactly my view. In the past we always booked at launch. Prices were never bettered. Those days have gone and the launch prices of the last few launches have been way higher per night than we have paid for our most recent P&O cruises, which we booked much closer to sail date (all but one of which were booked on a Select basis). 
 

It’s all very well claiming that they are selling cruises at much higher prices. Well, they might be - to those who don’t understand how the prices flex up and down - but as many of us on this forum, who are alert to the spin versus the reality, can attest, it is possible to book at very low prices, even on a Select basis, if you get your timing right. It’s a bit like I say to people when they say “I’ve seen x on eBay and it was ££££”. Well, that might be what some ambitious person is asking, but click on ‘sold items’ and see how much they actually sell for 😂 

I think you are spot on here.  I am equally sceptical about claims of record demand for cruising and impressive booking figures at high prices.  It will be interesting to see how things work out over the next year or so.  I suspect the figures are skewed by the fact that credits from Covid times are still being used up.  And, although this doesn't apply to P&O, it is very clear from reading posts by US contributors on the boards for other lines with a large US customer base that the relationship between cruises booked and cruises actually paid for and taken is often very spurious.  Because of low deposits in the US, more often than not completely refundable, and the fact that they can take advantage of price drops, it seems to me that many US posters routinely 'book' 3 or 4 cruises over any given time period and then cancel all but one with no loss to themselves.   So, in line with your Ebay analogy, the cruise line might argue in one accounting period that it has sold 4 cruises, but - come the next accounting period - they are only being paid for one of those.  And, when final payment date passes on the three other ones without the original booker paying the balance, the cruise line then has a last minute rush to re-sell the cabin at whatever price they can get.

 

A potentially interesting trend that might cross the Atlantic, though, is the recent statement from Princess (not sure if this applies across other Carnival brands in the US) that they will not reduce prices next season and, therefore, that the launch price will be the lowest for a cruise.  If that catches on, it could well lead to a return for P&O to the situation you describe where the best deals (other than very last minute reductions) used to be available at launch.  For Princess, it will be interesting to see who blinks first given that the launch prices are pretty high - the customer waiting for prices to reduce before they'll book or the cruise line looking anxiously at the number of unsold cabins as the sail date approaches.  My personal sense is that demand isn't as strong as it might appear, that the majority of consumers are price sensitive and that there is a great deal of surplus capacity (including on P&O with both Arvia and Iona) and, therefore, that there are going to continue to be bargains to be had for the foreseeable future for those who are not especially wedded to specific dates and destinations.

 

Finally, I don't think it is possible to generalise about whether prices are higher or lower than previous years.  A quick glance at P&O prices for Jan to Mar 24 suggests that there are multiple opportunities for balcony cabins for 2 (including flights) for less than £100pppn on Azura throughout that period and at around that price level for Iona.  That seems to me pretty much on a par with previous years.  I think the only safe conclusion is that some prices looking forward are about the same as previous years, some are less and some are more!

[zap99]

8 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I will add to that

 

I actually get the advertised low price plus normally approx 5 per cent off through the agent I use now as well

 

I stick to the entry price - as an inside saver I'm not bothered about paying to choose location on the ship either 

 

So for people in my position the low advertised prices do actually mean something

 

I don't pay to choose seats on the planes and I don't pay to upgrade cabins or choose locations

 

What they advertise I pay less any discount I get

 

So in my case I'm not being naively lured in and paying more. I'm seeing advertised prices that catch my eye and actually paying less once I book

 

One thing I will pay extra for is a more convenient airport when needed and fast track security at airports when needed

So we will both miss the naivety play this Christmas.🤣🎅

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

P&O is in business to make a profit and will price their cabins to achieve that.  If they have lots of unsold cabins they will reduce the price but they will also reduce the quality of food, entertainment etc to enable them to still achieve a profit.

We usually book early to be sure to get the cabin that we want but I can't  see the point of complaining if the price falls because we have our first choice of cabin in a position on the ship that we have decided is best for us.

We have only once booked a late booking and I wouldn't do it again because the cabin was near to the stairs / lifts so every night we were woken up by people who seemed to finished their evening having loud conversations as they moved into the corridor to get to their room.

I've definitely found the entertainment on the bigger ships at least to be better than ever IMO

 

High quality entertainers

 

Don't forget there's a lot more passengers to spread the actual cost of entertainment to on bigger ships with more passengers

 

Food wise there's better quality than ever available as well IMO. Standard of cuisine have improved worldwide the last 5 decades immeasurably - nowhere more so than in the UK

 

Don't forget 40 to 50 years ago if you wanted a "special" meal Berni Inns were high on the list

 

That kind of meal now is just average or below average compared to what's available

 

On the ship so many varied options. Some with a price but the prices are so low and the cost of cruising so cheap unless you insist on extra to cruise that I don't think the ships have gone backwards on anything

 

I personally think the ships have significantly improved in real terms cost, facilities on board, entertainment, food and drink options. Even in the cabins. The showers and toilets are way better quality and reliable than in the past. The size of TVs in the bigger ships way better.

 

Pretty much everything has improved IMO whilst affordability has got way better and tips have gone at the same time.

 

It's hard to say that about any other type of holiday

 

Let's see how prices do change now. But to date cruising is all positives to me

 

With P and O at least

 

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We haven’t booked any 14 nighters on Aurora John (don’t think I said we had), but our 65 nighter on Aurora is £73 ppn before shareholder OBC for a balcony cabin. As I said, that’s a Saver. The Select fare was twice that but we wouldn’t have booked at that price. 

I respect your choices very much and can align myself a bit

 

You have clearly in the past spent much more on cruising and could still do so if you choose to

 

Value for money for me is still a huge factor in everything we do ourselves. Even when we could afford to spend more

 

Like many say on here as well. We don't all have the same values either.

 

One of our elderly friends has 40M plus clear in  banks and investments. Countless expensive properties across the UK. Huge monthly pensions. 

 

She still chooses to shop at Aldi.

 

Everyone does what makes them feel  comfortable with their money at the time

Edited December 14, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan