Maleth confirms end of P&O partnership

[Interestedcruisefan]

8 minutes ago, Neecy1 said:

Our CP is still showing a TUI flight for MAN on 22 March although the list above says different. Also I think there's 2 flights that day? As I said earlier P&O took ages this week to book us on PE for that date so you would hope this means we are on a TUI flight with PE. Jean I couldn't give a fig about entertainment, its more about comfort.

I did also wonder if they have more than one plane operating from Manchester on the Friday

 

So I might not be guaranteed to be on one of these new flights yet after all

 

No worries though. I will take my own entertainment, books and VAT return regardless!!

 

Lol

Edited September 21, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, Neecy1 said:

Our CP is still showing a TUI flight for MAN on 22 March although the list above says different. Also I think there's 2 flights that day? As I said earlier P&O took ages this week to book us on PE for that date so you would hope this means we are on a TUI flight with PE. Jean I couldn't give a fig about entertainment, its more about comfort.

There are two flights, about an hour apart.  If you have confirmed TUI in your planner it shouldn't change according to flights department.  Remember there are only two of these aircraft, the rest are TUI planes.

[CaptainPedantic]

7 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

How many seats are premium economy on P and O planes normally?

Our TUI flight on 2nd December has 7 rows of PE seats, although some of these are showing as blocked. There are 47 seats in those 7 rows, in a 2-3-2 configuration. Currently showing as 1 seat only remaining available.

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, CaptainPedantic said:

Our TUI flight on 2nd December has 7 rows of PE seats, although some of these are showing as blocked. There are 47 seats in those 7 rows, in a 2-3-2 configuration. Currently showing as 1 seat only remaining available.

So it's potentially 15 to 20 per cent of passengers impacted?

 

I assume flights without premium economy class still have extra legroom seats available in some places on the plane?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I did also wonder if they have more than one plane operating from Manchester on the Friday

 

So I might not be guaranteed to be on one of these new flights yet after all

 

No worries though. I will take my own entertainment, books and VAT return regardless!!

 

Lol

Your planner should have your flight details and time now this has been confirmed.

[Megabear2]

Just now, Interestedcruisefan said:

So it's potentially 10 to 20 per cent of passengers impacted

 

I assume flights without premium economy class still have extra legroom seats available in some places on the plane?

There are 63 seats in total according to Seatguru plan.  They are very much sought-after even at a high cost of £449 each plus £78pp return to reserve particular ones.  Most people book them for comfort level.  Until my husband had his fibromyalga diagnosis we paid for the so called extra legroom seats on one 787 from Birmingham.  They are severely restricted in width with fixed arms, by the exit doors so very cold and very rude and inconsiderate people gather righting your extra legroom to queue at all hours for the lavatories without any regard to people trying to rest. 

 

After one such sleepless flight we nearly crashed on the M1 with falling asleep and ended up finding a Travellodge to rest an extranight rather than risk the drive home.  

[Interestedcruisefan]

8 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

There are 63 seats in total according to Seatguru plan.  They are very much sought-after even at a high cost of £449 each plus £78pp return to reserve particular ones.  Most people book them for comfort level.  Until my husband had his fibromyalga diagnosis we paid for the so called extra legroom seats on one 787 from Birmingham.  They are severely restricted in width with fixed arms, by the exit doors so very cold and very rude and inconsiderate people gather righting your extra legroom to queue at all hours for the lavatories without any regard to people trying to rest. 

 

After one such sleepless flight we nearly crashed on the M1 with falling asleep and ended up finding a Travellodge to rest an extranight rather than risk the drive home.  

Significant extra income P and  O are losing then

 

So they won't have taken this decision lightly

 

They normally are looking for every opportunity to take extra income from passengers let's be honest

[terrierjohn]

41 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

My reference to the bad publicity wasn't to this forum which, as you say is miniscule. I was actually referring to the travel agent industry and its trade magazines who are apparently extremely unhappy with the way this is being handled.  A quick Internet search brings up immediately the headline "Agents and customers livid after P&O Cruises partners with one-cabin airline with no entertainment".  I have an Upday screen with news headlines which opens news stories based on my searches to direct me to items of interest.  Currently I check P&O and Cunard sites daily, the first as I'm accessing my cruise planner, the second because their 2025 itineraries have just launched and go on sale shortly.  By yesterday evening this news headline screen carried four articles with headings such as the one I've just quoted. Word will be out and spreading, newspapers love a bit of outrage. Anyone carrying out a search to buy a cruise most likely will see these too. 

 

My reference to prices is simply because currently there is an offer on Caribbean cruises running for departures up until 31 December 2023.  This ends soon and no doubt will be replaced.  There's also a big batch of payment dates imminent for cruises after 31 December 2023 and at that point we will be able to see who, if anyone, walks.

Third quarter Caibbean cruises are always a bit cheaper, but first quarter generally are at a premium. So it will be interesting to see if this winter season follows suit.

[9265359]

52 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

My reference to the bad publicity wasn't to this forum which, as you say is miniscule. I was actually referring to the travel agent industry and its trade magazines who are apparently extremely unhappy with the way this is being handled.  A quick Internet search brings up immediately the headline "Agents and customers livid after P&O Cruises partners with one-cabin airline with no entertainment".  I have an Upday screen with news headlines which opens news stories based on my searches to direct me to items of interest.  Currently I check P&O and Cunard sites daily, the first as I'm accessing my cruise planner, the second because their 2025 itineraries have just launched and go on sale shortly.  By yesterday evening this news headline screen carried four articles with headings such as the one I've just quoted. Word will be out and spreading, newspapers love a bit of outrage. Anyone carrying out a search to buy a cruise most likely will see these too. 

 

I suggest that most people booking P&O cruises don't do any of that - they simply look at the P&O or TA agent's website and book, and thus have no idea of what is going on.

 

As for the agents not being happy - well of course they won't be because it causes more work for them.

 

And I can see them being particularly unhappy if P&O directly contacted anyone that hadn't already pre-booked PE seats as P&O's website has the 'get-out' of "Upgrade to Premium Economy on selected Caribbean flights" and the flight they are booked on is not 'selected' and also P&O's website has no mention of in-flight entertainment so there was no need to tell people there isn't any.

[elmsliebev]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

And once again I ask could somebody confirm what the benefits of premium economy normally are? 

ICF - when we flew PE with Tui to a Marella cruise from Dominican Republic we had

• 1st boarding and getting off - meant we were about 3rd or 4th people on the ship from our flight (luggage was bonded for all and went straight to the ship)
• 2-3-2 seats so we had a 2 to ourselves
• lots of legroom
• glass of fizz, juice or water before takeoff
• lots of drinks as required inc Baileys after dinner
• excellent food & service
• ice cream with a film
• amenity kit (eye mask, lip balm etc)
• noice cancelling headphones
• possibly more, can't remember.

 

I know it cost us £600 extra return for 2 (this was just before covid) & for us, worth every penny. Some of those things may have also been available in economy eg ice cream. but for us the extra space & 2 seats to ourselves was a game-changer. We flew PE with BA last year to Vancouver & back from Miami after a QE cruise and if anything Tui were better. BA still good though, again 2 seats and lots of legroom. Whilst I could manage an 8 hour flight in economy, if I can afford PE at the time, I will do that, so much more comfortable. 

[Megabear2]

18 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

I suggest that most people booking P&O cruises don't do any of that - they simply look at the P&O or TA agent's website and book, and thus have no idea of what is going on.

 

As for the agents not being happy - well of course they won't be because it causes more work for them.

 

And I can see them being particularly unhappy if P&O directly contacted anyone that hadn't already pre-booked PE seats as P&O's website has the 'get-out' of "Upgrade to Premium Economy on selected Caribbean flights" and the flight they are booked on is not 'selected' and also P&O's website has no mention of in-flight entertainment so there was no need to tell people there isn't any.

P&O must know the entertainment is a biggie.  Our flight home from Barbados didn't have any and there were lots of moans and groans.  I wasn't worried as once onboard I out my earplugs in, take my meds and sleep, no food drink and certainly no entertainment necessary.

 

On return I had reason to speak to P&O about a billing discrepancy after disembarkation. Whilst dealing with it the lady noted I'd been on that Gatwick flight and asked if I'd asked TUI about compensation for the missing entertainment. Rather surprisingly when I said no she added £25 obc to my next cruise account as an apology as she put it.

 

Mentioned it on here and several people informed me people could indeed have a claim for the missing entertainment.  I'm guessing that may be one reason they're warning in advance to stop further problems down that route.

[Megabear2]

50 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Significant extra income P and  O are losing then

 

So they won't have taken this decision lightly

 

They normally are looking for every opportunity to take extra income from passengers let's be honest

I don't think they took the decision at all. Reading airline forums there just aren't any planes to spare in the world so their hands are tied.

 

Damned by their own long distance planning would seem to be more accurate.  Reading the TUI2 forum site regarding aircraft, some TUI staff themselves are quoted as saying the 787s are "knackered" and in need of heavy maintenance because they have had to work holiday routes non-stop since restart which is leading to breakdowns and flight delays. Fascinating reading but not very helpful in some ways but certainly enlightening on how they haven't enough aircraft to meet their own schedules let alone anyone else's.

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, Peanut006 said:

We are on the same cruise as you and were in the next cabin to you but flying out on 16 March from Manchester.

 

This week I have re-booked the cruise losing a small deposit and re-booked for only £180 more into a balcony cabin with the same onboard credit. It is showing TUI flights (TUI162) at 11.35. Maybe this would be an option if it’s still available?

 

Hope you can get something sorted 

 

Michelle

 

Thanks Michelle!👍

I'm glad you have got a better deal. Don't you fly PE too?  If so, I hope they don't change your operator.

 

After booking this cruise, I researched flight details and historically, more often than not, Virgin had been used on the MAN-ANU route. That would have been perfect for us, albeit we knew the flights could be changed. So, the recent news was a big disappointment.

 

I've just been on the site and, for us, a balcony cabin would be more expensive. We could go the option of cancelling and rebooking our existing sea-view cabin; however, after calculating the differences due to reduced OBC, and the loss of our £100 deposit, the net saving is only a little above £100.  

It really doesn't matter if the net saving was £400; not being able to fly PE is a certain deal breaker for us.

 

So, it looks like we will be cancelling.🙁

 

Sorry, I'm going to have to recind our invite for you to come to our cabin for some drunken pole dancing!🤣

[Interestedcruisefan]

35 minutes ago, elmsliebev said:

ICF - when we flew PE with Tui to a Marella cruise from Dominican Republic we had

• 1st boarding and getting off - meant we were about 3rd or 4th people on the ship from our flight (luggage was bonded for all and went straight to the ship)
• 2-3-2 seats so we had a 2 to ourselves
• lots of legroom
• glass of fizz, juice or water before takeoff
• lots of drinks as required inc Baileys after dinner
• excellent food & service
• ice cream with a film
• amenity kit (eye mask, lip balm etc)
• noice cancelling headphones
• possibly more, can't remember.

 

I know it cost us £600 extra return for 2 (this was just before covid) & for us, worth every penny. Some of those things may have also been available in economy eg ice cream. but for us the extra space & 2 seats to ourselves was a game-changer. We flew PE with BA last year to Vancouver & back from Miami after a QE cruise and if anything Tui were better. BA still good though, again 2 seats and lots of legroom. Whilst I could manage an 8 hour flight in economy, if I can afford PE at the time, I will do that, so much more comfortable. 

I assume extra leg room as well?

 

Do the seats recline more than standard?

 

I don't question anyone's choices for what they choose to upgrade on their cruise

 

It's all personal to each passenger what they want and how much they are prepared to pay for it

 

Had no idea premium economy was so expensive though 

 

I will consider paying anything for something I consider good value

 

Personally I look at that list and personally wouldn't value it anywhere near the cost for our needs

 

Whereas I would be prepared to double that for business class or first class with higher end meals served on crockery etc, pyjamas and a seat that become a bed!

 

But like I say we all have our own wants needs and prices we are willing to pay

 

 

 

 

[Megabear2]

47 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I assume extra leg room as well?

 

Do the seats recline more than standard?

 

I don't question anyone's choices for what they choose to upgrade on their cruise

 

It's all personal to each passenger what they want and how much they are prepared to pay for it

 

Had no idea premium economy was so expensive though 

 

I will consider paying anything for something I consider good value

 

Personally I look at that list and personally wouldn't value it anywhere near the cost for our needs

 

Whereas I would be prepared to double that for business class or first class with higher end meals served on crockery etc, pyjamas and a seat that become a bed!

 

But like I say we all have our own wants needs and prices we are willing to pay

 

 

 

 

Most importantly if the person in front fully reclines you still have space.  You can actually stand up and get past the person next to you without disturbing them too.  My OH doesn't sleep well at home because of his pain so if he manages to drift off even for an hour it's good news. When we used to have 2 aisle seats there were obviously others needing to get out for the loo etc.  With PE I try for a pair and he sits outside.  It's a big help and well worth the £1,000. Actually if you didn't realise the cost you most likely didn't realise why some of us with balconies/suites say we pay £7,000+ for a two week cruise.

[Interestedcruisefan]

32 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Most importantly if the person in front fully reclines you still have space.  You can actually stand up and get past the person next to you without disturbing them too.  My OH doesn't sleep well at home because of his pain so if he manages to drift off even for an hour it's good news. When we used to have 2 aisle seats there were obviously others needing to get out for the loo etc.  With PE I try for a pair and he sits outside.  It's a big help and well worth the £1,000. Actually if you didn't realise the cost you most likely didn't realise why some of us with balconies/suites say we pay £7,000+ for a two week cruise.

Yes

 

Honest answer is what attracts me to cruising full stop is I feel I am getting incredible value all the time I'm on board

 

Which just puts me in a happy space to start with

 

Also it allows me to spend on food and drinks on board and excursions still feeling I'm getting great value

 

I'm never one to shirk paying extra for something I value and need. I'm actually bad at doing that

 

This will make you laugh. 

 

I have my own pick and mix at home with all my favourite sweets in it!!

 

Rosy apples,  sweet cigarettes, pink shrimps, jazzie etc. 12 containers full!!! Lol

 

Because it makes me happy. Probably saves me a fortune than buying them at retail price as well when I'm out.

 

(Kids love it on trick or treat night. They think I've done it especially for them! Lol)

 

It's got the red and white bags and the scoops etc

Edited September 21, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

have my own pick and mix at home with all my favourite sweets in it!!

 

Rosy apples,  sweet cigarettes, pink shrimps, jazzie etc. 12 containers full!!!

Perhaps our Graham could get you a bulk deal on your sweets then!l

Edited September 21, 2023 by Megabear2

[Interestedcruisefan]

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Perhaps our Graham could get you a bulk deal on your sweets then!l

Put me in touch lol

 

I buy them from eBay at the moment

 

1kg or 2kg at a time

 

My wife hates it!!

 

Lol

[Peanut006]

1 hour ago, TigerB said:

 

Thanks Michelle!👍

I'm glad you have got a better deal. Don't you fly PE too?  If so, I hope they don't change your operator.

 

After booking this cruise, I researched flight details and historically, more often than not, Virgin had been used on the MAN-ANU route. That would have been perfect for us, albeit we knew the flights could be changed. So, the recent news was a big disappointment.

 

I've just been on the site and, for us, a balcony cabin would be more expensive. We could go the option of cancelling and rebooking our existing sea-view cabin; however, after calculating the differences due to reduced OBC, and the loss of our £100 deposit, the net saving is only a little above £100.  

It really doesn't matter if the net saving was £400; not being able to fly PE is a certain deal breaker for us.

 

So, it looks like we will be cancelling.🙁

 

Sorry, I'm going to have to recind our invite for you to come to our cabin for some drunken pole dancing!🤣

Sorry to hear things might not work out for you but…..

if this is any help I still have my booking in the cabin next to yours(not cancelled the booking yet as MIGHT move it when new bookings open next month) with a TUI flight at 11.05 out of Manchester on 16/3. You would just need to check if there were any PE seats left in this flight first. 
 

I can discuss further if you are interested and give my your email. I don’t know how to contact anyone privately on CC

 

My hubby was looking forward to the pole dancing lessons!!

 

Michelle

 

 

 

[9265359]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

P&O must know the entertainment is a biggie.  Our flight home from Barbados didn't have any and there were lots of moans and groans.  I wasn't worried as once onboard I out my earplugs in, take my meds and sleep, no food drink and certainly no entertainment necessary.

 

On return I had reason to speak to P&O about a billing discrepancy after disembarkation. Whilst dealing with it the lady noted I'd been on that Gatwick flight and asked if I'd asked TUI about compensation for the missing entertainment. Rather surprisingly when I said no she added £25 obc to my next cruise account as an apology as she put it.

 

Mentioned it on here and several people informed me people could indeed have a claim for the missing entertainment.  I'm guessing that may be one reason they're warning in advance to stop further problems down that route.

 

Moans and groans they can ignore, as they know full well that people will have either forgotten by the time they come to book next time or have Hobson's choice about who to book through.

 

And as OBC isn't 'real' money then £25 OBC has likely cost them under £5 in real terms.

[TigerB]

17 minutes ago, Peanut006 said:

Sorry to hear things might not work out for you but…..

if this is any help I still have my booking in the cabin next to yours(not cancelled the booking yet as MIGHT move it when new bookings open next month) with a TUI flight at 11.05 out of Manchester on 16/3. You would just need to check if there were any PE seats left in this flight first. 
 

I can discuss further if you are interested and give my your email. I don’t know how to contact anyone privately on CC

 

My hubby was looking forward to the pole dancing lessons!!

 

Michelle

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the offer Michelle, but we'll leave it. The big draw for us was flying to Antigua and the length of the holiday at 22 nights.

It was going to be a 60th birthday cruise for our lass, which falls in February. We've since booked a Canaries cruise on Iona, which falls over her birthday. And we've also decided to get back into our US RV trips, after a hiatus of four years, and booked a 26 night trip for May. So, we've got enough expense without this one too. Cancelling it won't be the end of the world.

[Peanut006]

5 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

Thanks for the offer Michelle, but we'll leave it. The big draw for us was flying to Antigua and the length of the holiday at 22 nights.

It was going to be a 60th birthday cruise for our lass, which falls in February. We've since booked a Canaries cruise on Iona, which falls over her birthday. And we've also decided to get back into our US RV trips, after a hiatus of four years, and booked a 26 night trip for May. So, we've got enough expense without this one too. Cancelling it won't be the end of the world.

You sound to have some lovely trips book for your wife’s 60th birthday. It is my 60th too next year in August and my mum in 90 in July so we have booked a Warner’s holiday with her as she doesn’t want to cruise or fly

 

Michelle

[Nitemare]

5 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

There are 63 seats in total according to Seatguru plan.  They are very much sought-after even at a high cost of £449 each plus £78pp return to reserve particular ones.  Most people book them for comfort level.  Until my husband had his fibromyalga diagnosis we paid for the so called extra legroom seats on one 787 from Birmingham.  They are severely restricted in width with fixed arms, by the exit doors so very cold and very rude and inconsiderate people gather righting your extra legroom to queue at all hours for the lavatories without any regard to people trying to rest. 

 

After one such sleepless flight we nearly crashed on the M1 with falling asleep and ended up finding a Travellodge to rest an extranight rather than risk the drive home.  

Seatguru website hasn't been updated in many years.  The same company that owns this site and TripAdvisor bought it and stopped updating it, so don't trust it

 

Hola - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans is a much better and active site

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

Seatguru website hasn't been updated in many years.  The same company that owns this site and TripAdvisor bought it and stopped updating it, so don't trust it

 

Hola - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans is a much better and active site

Thank you.  This site still shows 63 premium economy seats so I assume the plane layout is still the same.

[Nitemare]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you.  This site still shows 63 premium economy seats so I assume the plane layout is still the same.

You're welcome.  Many planes haven't changed, but so many have changed that I cringe when I see references to Seatguru as they are wrong as often as they are right.  I've only used the AeroLopa site a couple of times, glad it worked for you