Drinks package/policy changes?

[daz1107]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Aren't they all inclusive? 

If so, not surprised they let you take on any alcohol, it will save them money. 

Andy 

They are yes, which, as you quite rightly say, is why they don't care! 

[Lee Jones Jnr]

34 minutes ago, daz1107 said:

No, because none of the cruise lines sell my preferred whiskies, hence why I booked one that allowed me to take some with me.... but have now decided, after booking, that I can no longer do this. 

I get it, this isn't important to you, but to others, it is. 

 

I’m not meaning to be argumentative, it was a 100% earnest question.

i like the cinema and prefer coke to Pepsi but I don’t even consider which brand is for sale when I choose where I am going to see a movie but perhaps some people would.

[daz1107]

2 minutes ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

I’m not meaning to be argumentative, it was a 100% earnest question.

i like the cinema and prefer coke to Pepsi but I don’t even consider which brand is for sale when I choose where I am going to see a movie but perhaps some people would.

No problem, I never thought you were being argumentative. 

We have cruised Marella many times, which is all inclusive, but I won't drink their whiskies, I always took my own on board. Life is too short to settle for second best, where spirits are concerned.... or tea bags. 

Oh and personally, I'm a Coke person, never liked Pepsi!! 

[BandBlady]

I reckon it’s a scam as P&O website alcohol policy hasn’t changed .The corkage fee has been reduced too on this new policy .

[kevboy]

If something is not prohibited then it is allowed. Since spirits are in this category then it is still ok to take 1 litre of your favourite tipple on board. 

I also suspect a scam because P&O would not publish a grammatical error like this. Also, their published policy remains unchanged on their website. 

[jeanlyon]

and Fred Olsen doesn't allow any.  Doesn't bother us as we don't take anything on board.

[Russ7777]

This does not make sense to me. Poorly worded and contradictory document. P&O's website does not reflect this, so I'd say it's a late April fools. 

Also, we have booked and paid in full our cruise. Our booking must reflect the terms and conditions in force then as it forms part of our contractural agreement.

Rant over!

[Eglesbrech]

@molecrochip Any potential truth in this?

[Eglesbrech]

10 minutes ago, Russ7777 said:

This does not make sense to me. Poorly worded and contradictory document. P&O's website does not reflect this, so I'd say it's a late April fools. 

Also, we have booked and paid in full our cruise. Our booking must reflect the terms and conditions in force then as it forms part of our contractural agreement.

Rant over!

This may be just gossip  and rumours, there have been things in the past that bounced round the internet and turned out not to be factually correct, Andy mentioned that this was not gospel in his opening post.

 

That said P&O have made changes the past, regardless of the T&Cs you booked under.

[Lee Jones Jnr]

21 minutes ago, Russ7777 said:

This does not make sense to me. Poorly worded and contradictory document. P&O's website does not reflect this, so I'd say it's a late April fools. 

Also, we have booked and paid in full our cruise. Our booking must reflect the terms and conditions in force then as it forms part of our contractural agreement.

Rant over!

WELL… it may turn out to be a weird hoax but the document being shared isn’t from P&O it’s from a travel agent and may well be for internal use and not checked for spelling and grammar.

as per an earlier post, people making up contract law is not going to change anything either way.

[Eglesbrech]

9 minutes ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

WELL… it may turn out to be a weird hoax but the document being shared isn’t from P&O it’s from a travel agent and may well be for internal use and not checked for spelling and grammar.

as per an earlier post, people making up contract law is not going to change anything either way.

Are you an authority on contract law? Genuinely interested by the way, 

Edited May 4 by Eglesbrech

[AndyMichelle]

6 minutes ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

WELL… it may turn out to be a weird hoax but the document being shared isn’t from P&O it’s from a travel agent and may well be for internal use and not checked for spelling and grammar.

as per an earlier post, people making up contract law is not going to change anything either way.

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes would not surprise me from P&O in, as you say, an internal document. 

It might all be some sort of hoax, but I can't help thinking there will be an element of truth from it. 

Our friend TigerB has been expecting a drinks price increase around now, so this could be connected. 

We just have to wait and see I suppose. 

Andy 

 

[Angel57]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes would not surprise me from P&O in, as you say, an internal document. 

It might all be some sort of hoax, but I can't help thinking there will be an element of truth from it. 

Our friend TigerB has been expecting a drinks price increase around now, so this could be connected. 

We just have to wait and see I suppose. 

Andy 

 

My gut feeling is that there is an element of truth in this. Social media is full of it and some are threatening never to book with P&O again! What an over-reaction over a litre of spirits.

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes would not surprise me from P&O in, as you say, an internal document. 

It might all be some sort of hoax, but I can't help thinking there will be an element of truth from it. 

Our friend TigerB has been expecting a drinks price increase around now, so this could be connected. 

We just have to wait and see I suppose. 

Andy 

 

I can’t post the link Andy as not allowed on CC but I did a quick search and this is being covered in other places with an alleged direct quote from P&O. See below.

 

Said P&O Cruises in the announcement of the new prices, “Any packages purchased on board or pre-cruise from [May 8, 2024] will be in line with our new pricing.”

 

[MellyMoo1989]

I've got in (super) quick and booked my drinks package now, before any increase comes along! It wouldn't surprise me if P&O did do away with the allowance to take spirits on board seeing as so many people think that it's ok to bend the rules to suit themselves when it comes to this, advising people to smuggle more on board etc. .. It seems P&O don't have Southern Comfort on board which is a shame for me and I was considering taking a bottle on board but never mind - at least they have Pink Gin!

[jeanlyon]

Sounds an awful fuss about nothing.  I have always been surprised they allowed it to be taken on board as other companies don;t.  However, their website hasn't changed at all, so I imagine it's a hoax.

Edited May 4 by jeanlyon

[Selbourne]

53 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes would not surprise me from P&O in, as you say, an internal document. 

It might all be some sort of hoax, but I can't help thinking there will be an element of truth from it. 

Our friend TigerB has been expecting a drinks price increase around now, so this could be connected. 

We just have to wait and see I suppose. 

Andy 

 

I can’t imagine for one minute that it’s a hoax Andy. Why bother going to all that trouble. Makes no sense. As you say, P&O aren’t exactly faultless with the way that they phrase things. Two examples that spring to mind are the misleading communications that we had about the Yellow Fever requirements for our Aurora cruise and the Non-Disclosure Agreements that I’ve had from them in the past that were worded incorrectly. In fact, those NDAs put the onus on P&O and not me, which made me laugh!

[Bazrat]

I don't buy the drink package neither do I take any alcohol on board when we first board, so the changes have absolutely no effect on me, so I will leave the conversation to those who want to take booze onboard and those who will complain about the drink package increase.

[July morning]

I will be disappointed if this is true because when I travel with my daughter and grandson we take a bottle each (as allowed) which we use on the balcony when the grandson is in bed the rest of the time we order in the bar and restaurant. 

 

[david63]

I think you will find that there is a caveat in the current alcohol policy saying that it can be changed at any time (I am going from memory here as I can't be bothered to look it up) which if correct then nobody has any grounds for complaint.

 

I think that the bigger issue is that since the restart the selection of drinks onboard has been drastically reduced and if one's favourite tipple is not available then that creates a problem. P&O need to reinstate the pre Covid drinks/wine menus if they are bringing in draconian rules.

 

I also would hazard a guess that they will be more vigilant with what is brought on from the port stops.

[majortom10]

4 hours ago, BandBlady said:

I reckon it’s a scam as P&O website alcohol policy hasn’t changed .The corkage fee has been reduced too on this new policy .

Isnt a scam and P&O are famous for being slow at updating their website.

 

[Gettingwarmer]

55 minutes ago, david63 said:

 

I think that the bigger issue is that since the restart the selection of drinks onboard has been drastically reduced and if one's favourite tipple is not available then that creates a problem. P&O need to reinstate the pre Covid drinks/wine menus if they are bringing in draconian rules.

Agree

[molecrochip]

I believe this is true but the document shared online is not from P&O. Its been created by a travel agent based on the information their P&O contact has provided them. P&O tend not to let their contact centre / socials team discuss price changes until the day of change in the same way they don’t advertise the change publicly.

 

There is a price update coming - not unusual for P&O to review their prices at the start of the peak season. I suspect, but don’t know, that the prices are accurate. Also bearing in mind that bar menu prices are likely to rise on the same date.

Please remember that you are not required to buy a drinks package and if it does make financial sense at the new prices then buy drink by drink. For heavy drinkers, it’s likely to still generate a saving. e.g. 15 drinks x £5 is £75 so still a saving.

 

The removal of the 1 Ltr of Spirits aligns more closely with the rest of the Corporation. Indeed some cruise lines don’t permit any alcohol being taken on board.

 

Boarding limits on alcohol are not part of the booking Ts and Cs so it doesn’t matter if you’ve been told or not, or if you’ve paid in full or not.

 

Yes it is a policy change but one that impacts by less than £10 per person (onboard purchase for cabin less supermarket price) unless you were planning on taking a Malt. P&O have no obligations to announce price rises, after all, when you nip into the Supermarket you pay the price in the shelf.

 

If you want to lock in the current prices, you have a couple of days to buy online.

 

Finally, please bear in mind that P&O still has some of the lowest bar prices at sea, and no service charge.

 

I still say we will see a P&O Plus/Premium package before too long. It’s worked so well for Princess.

Edited May 4 by molecrochip

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, kevboy said:

If something is not prohibited then it is allowed. Since spirits are in this category then it is still ok to take 1 litre of your favourite tipple on board. 

I also suspect a scam because P&O would not publish a grammatical error like this. Also, their published policy remains unchanged on their website. 

Hmmm, the P&O website is rarely up to date, as the recent posts on the benefits of early embarkation for loyalty and suite passengers have indicated. So I will await any official grammatically correct announcement.

[galeforce9]

57 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I believe this is true but the document shared online is not from P&O. Its been created by a travel agent based on the information their P&O contact has provided them. P&O tend not to let their contact centre / socials team discuss price changes until the day of change in the same way they don’t advertise the change publicly.

 

There is a price update coming - not unusual for P&O to review their prices at the start of the peak season. I suspect, but don’t know, that the prices are accurate. Also bearing in mind that bar menu prices are likely to rise on the same date.

Please remember that you are not required to buy a drinks package and if it does make financial sense at the new prices then buy drink by drink. For heavy drinkers, it’s likely to still generate a saving. e.g. 15 drinks x £5 is £75 so still a saving.

 

The removal of the 1 Ltr of Spirits aligns more closely with the rest of the Corporation. Indeed some cruise lines don’t permit any alcohol being taken on board.

 

Boarding limits on alcohol are not part of the booking Ts and Cs so it doesn’t matter if you’ve been told or not, or if you’ve paid in full or not.

 

Yes it is a policy change but one that impacts by less than £10 per person (onboard purchase for cabin less supermarket price) unless you were planning on taking a Malt. P&O have no obligations to announce price rises, after all, when you nip into the Supermarket you pay the price in the shelf.

 

If you want to lock in the current prices, you have a couple of days to buy online.

 

Finally, please bear in mind that P&O still has some of the lowest bar prices at sea, and no service charge.

 

I still say we will see a P&O Plus/Premium package before too long. It’s worked so well for Princess.

@molecrochip what is a plus/premium package?  Unaware of princess offerings.  Seabourn/P&O only for me.  Is it a drinks package pitched above P&O’s deluxe?