G011

Cruises on Iona in 2020
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david63
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G011

#1

Post by david63 »

Looks as if I am first on here to book an Iona cruise

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sunseeker16
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Re: G011

#2

Post by sunseeker16 »

No!
See you in 22 months ;)

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: G011

#3

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

We have other plans for 2020 invloving QM2 and the Atlantic Ocean but maybe Iona in a future year, by which time there might be more places to top up her fuel.

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david63
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Re: G011

#4

Post by david63 »

Regrettably I have today cancelled our Iona cruise. The reason being that the balance is due to be paid within the next two weeks and I really cannot see Iona sailing in the foreseeable future and I did not want to be in the position of having money tied up in P&O indefinitely - not that I subscribe to the doom and gloom merchants on CC who believe that Carnival are going to go bust anytime now.

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Jan Rosser
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Re: G011

#5

Post by Jan Rosser »

This is the cruise I was also due to sail on but I cancelled a few weeks ago as I just couldn't see it sailing - my final balance was due earlier this month as I booked through a TA. I was surprised to get the deposit back in full but also had the option to have FCC of 125% of deposit should I choose this option. I haven't done anything about the Whitsun cruise which has been paid in full for some time but notice that the FCC offer has now reduced to 110%. I am hoping that the cruise is cancelled and P&O refund the cost of the holiday.
Janis

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Gill W
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Re: G011

#6

Post by Gill W »

I would do the same if I was on an upcoming cruise and it was balance payment time.There’s no point in paying the balance when it’s clear that the cruise is not proceeding.

I had an email from Fred Olsen today, with the cancellation invoice. They will refund the funds to the card that I used to pay the balance. This happens to be a credit card, I’m going to end up with a massive credit balance. I don’t have any other account with the card issuer, so I suspect it’ll be a bind to try to get them to transfer the funds to my current account with another bank. I plan to put all other spending on the card, and offset the expenditure against the credit balance.

Jan, from what I’ve seen on social media, P&O aren’t refunding for cruises they have cancelled. Their terms and conditions state they have to refund if they cancel, and the Package Holiday regulations say they have to refund. But P&O appear to have completely moved the goalposts, and are only offering FCC. Coupled with the fact that they have still only officially cancelled cruises up until 11th April, this is causing a lot of anxiety. I know it’s a difficult time for all, but I think they are not handling it very well.
Gill

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towny44
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Re: G011

#7

Post by towny44 »

Gill W wrote: 27 Mar 2020, 22:38
I would do the same if I was on an upcoming cruise and it was balance payment time.There’s no point in paying the balance when it’s clear that the cruise is not proceeding.

I had an email from Fred Olsen today, with the cancellation invoice. They will refund the funds to the card that I used to pay the balance. This happens to be a credit card, I’m going to end up with a massive credit balance. I don’t have any other account with the card issuer, so I suspect it’ll be a bind to try to get them to transfer the funds to my current account with another bank. I plan to put all other spending on the card, and offset the expenditure against the credit balance.

Jan, from what I’ve seen on social media, P&O aren’t refunding for cruises they have cancelled. Their terms and conditions state they have to refund if they cancel, and the Package Holiday regulations say they have to refund. But P&O appear to have completely moved the goalposts, and are only offering FCC. Coupled with the fact that they have still only officially cancelled cruises up until 11th April, this is causing a lot of anxiety. I know it’s a difficult time for all, but I think they are not handling it very well.
Gill, I understand from another forum that you can request your credit card provider to transfer a large sum back tour bank in these circumstances. I also agree with your assessment of P&Os handling of the refunds, but if they reduced the final balance period to say 6 weeks, and allowed FCCs to be used against existing bookings, then we would be happy with that, but that's mainly because we have 4 P&O cruises booked over 2021 and 2022.
John

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Jan Rosser
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Re: G011

#8

Post by Jan Rosser »

Thanks Gill and John for your assessment of the situation - although P&O may be changing the goal posts all the time surely they are bound by the same rules as the rest of the travel industry. The Whitsun cruise is not a great deal of money as I was sharing an inside cabin with my granddaughter - funny how I thought no single supplement I’ll save money but being me I paid for her anyway ;). If I get FCC I won’t have lost anything but booking another cruise with the family who are teachers does restrict us. Oh well really all I am concerned with at the moment is staying safe and sane during these difficult times - take care all x
Janis

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Manoverboard
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Re: G011

#9

Post by Manoverboard »

Gill W wrote: 27 Mar 2020, 22:38
… They will refund the funds to the card that I used to pay the balance. This happens to be a credit card, I’m going to end up with a massive credit balance. ...….
Some Card providers allow the raising of cheques … does yours ?

If it is possible then write a cheque to self :angel:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being


CaroleF
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Re: G011

#10

Post by CaroleF »

We were booked on an Iona cruise in September - my husband's choice not mine as I really don't want to be on such a huge ship. We were also booked on an Aurora cruise this coming July to Norway/Iceland the balance being due in a couple of weeks. The deposits for both cruises wasn't huge and we took the decision to transfer both cruises, one to the Fjords mid-July next year and the other to the Canaries at the end of March in 2022. Both these cruises are on Arcadia. Maybe it's a bit of a leap of faith but hopefully, at some point, things will be back to something approaching normal.

Carole

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towny44
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Re: G011

#11

Post by towny44 »

CaroleF wrote: 28 Mar 2020, 09:45
We were booked on an Iona cruise in September - my husband's choice not mine as I really don't want to be on such a huge ship. We were also booked on an Aurora cruise this coming July to Norway/Iceland the balance being due in a couple of weeks. The deposits for both cruises wasn't huge and we took the decision to transfer both cruises, one to the Fjords mid-July next year and the other to the Canaries at the end of March in 2022. Both these cruises are on Arcadia. Maybe it's a bit of a leap of faith but hopefully, at some point, things will be back to something approaching normal.

Carole

Carole
Carole, did P&O allow you to transfer the original deposits to the new bookings?
John

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