P&O cancellation charges

[Jan Rosser]

I expect most of you will have received an email from P&O this morning setting out their terms for cancellation. It has reassured me in respect of my July Iona cruise as this is due to be paid on Sunday and I will now go ahead and pay. I am also pleased that we will receive OBC for the Whitsun cruise - I suppose P&O had no option but to fall in with the rest of the cruise industry.

[Kenmo1]

Hoping I have read this correctly. We cancelled on 3 March and stand to lose £1438 for our 19th April Azura cruise. We are due to receive approx £900 refund. I have read it that we should now receive a FCC for the £1438 against a future cruise. Have I understood that correctly - seems pretty fair to me.

[Gill W]

My next cruise with P&O isn’t until next year, so I haven’t had an email, but have looked on the website, and it seems to be a reasonable policy, in line with the majority of the industry.

I say the majority of the industry.... Fred Olsen have given no indication that they are going to change their policy. For the last couple of days, I’ve been asking them, in various tweets what they were going to do. Eventually, they replied, and said I could phone them ‘and discuss my concerns, to see if they could help’. I said this wasn’t good enough, as they need a proper policy announcement- and I’ve heard from other people who have phoned, who’ve said that FO were not willing to be flexible, and they are basically stuck with their cruise.

It was confirmed late last night that the Braemar has Coronavirus on board and this morning, the cruise due to leave tomorrow from Barbados has been cancelled. It’s not clear what’s going to happen to the passengers on the current cruise. FO still seems to think they will fly them home from Barbados. This seems unlikely to me, and I think they’ll probably have to sail them all back to Southampton.

I’m very unimpressed with FO. Our cruise on 29th March is a 19 day cruise, and FO are not cheap. There is a substantial sum of money involved. Even if they do allow a FCC, we would likely end up doing a cruise ‘just for the sake of it’ as FO is a small fleet and not all cruises go from Southampton or Dover.

At the moment, I’m waiting. If the situation escalates in the next week, as predicted, government action may force FO to cancel and I should then get a full refund. However, not convinced the government will take the drastic action that may be needed.

So, I feel in a bit of a limbo. Just hoping that I don’t end up feeling forced to go on the cruise because FO remain intransigent and I’m not willing to kiss goodbye to £6500 !

[towny44]

Has anyone been able to open up any of the FAQ from the link in the e-mail? I am trying to see what their policy is regarding using a FCC against existing bookings.

[cruisin_duo]

Have tried the link on the P&O page using Microsoft Edge and it takes you to FAQ, which won't open. However, using an iPad it seems to be working.

Hope this helps.

[Jan Rosser]

Oh dear P&O have posted on Facebook that they cannot cope with the volume of phone calls since they posted their cancellation email - asking people whose cruises are not imminent to delay calling.

[Whynd1]

I cant open up the link either.

[Stephen]

I was bit confused with the email as it didn't confirm if this is new onboard credit or on top of any existing onboard credit. A quick phone call to my ta confirmed it is on top of any existing obc.

With my shares obc its happy days

[david63]

I am trying to see what their policy is regarding using a FCC against existing bookings.

Only on future bookings but it can be applied to multiple bookings

[cruisin_duo]

The link on the website is now working, and we can see the FAQs.

Gill - hope you get a resolution very soon.

[oldbluefox]

Have spent the morning cancelling our cruise which we should have taken on 11th April. Bolsover CC have been very helpful and have transferred it over to another cruise next year. Have spent the rest of the morning cancelling the overnight hotel and Cruise Parking. Now I'll just have to sit back and watch what happens next. Whilst we could have had an extra £400 OBC it just was not worth the risk to our health or the possibility the cruise itinerary could be disrupted.
I'll see if I can't get a last minute booking with HPB to make up for it otherwise it's a few days in Costa del Workington.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It seems the P&O policy is pretty much in line with the new Cunard policy which hadn't been announced by then but which was applied when we cancelled last week.

[kaymar]

Have spent the morning cancelling our cruise which we should have taken on 11th April. Bolsover CC have been very helpful and have transferred it over to another cruise next year. Have spent the rest of the morning cancelling the overnight hotel and Cruise Parking. Now I'll just have to sit back and watch what happens next. Whilst we could have had an extra £400 OBC it just was not worth the risk to our health or the possibility the cruise itinerary could be disrupted.
I'll see if I can't get a last minute booking with HPB to make up for it otherwise it's a few days in Costa del Workington.

Good decision, obf. Your health is worth far more than £400 and you can always go next year.

I'm sure Workington is as lovely at this time of year as it always was but just a little further away is https://www.1692wasdale.co.uk/ We spent a few days there last year and it is first class.

We are hoping that our interpretation of the new P&O policy means that the cancellation charge of £2,414 which we had written off on the April Arcadia cruise, which we cancelled a couple of weeks ago, will now be transferred to a FCC. Fingers crossed.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'll see if I can't get a last minute booking with HPB to make up for it .

Just don't try for Stigliano or Puglia!

[Manoverboard]

…. We are hoping that our interpretation of the new P&O policy means that the cancellation charge of £2,414 which we had written off on the April Arcadia cruise, which we cancelled a couple of weeks ago, will now be transferred to a FCC. Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed here too

ps … the B&B looks good but I didn't spot an evening meal option ?

[Stephen]

…. We are hoping that our interpretation of the new P&O policy means that the cancellation charge of £2,414 which we had written off on the April Arcadia cruise, which we cancelled a couple of weeks ago, will now be transferred to a FCC. Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed here too

ps … the B&B looks good but I didn't spot an evening meal option ?

or a bar

[kaymar]

…. We are hoping that our interpretation of the new P&O policy means that the cancellation charge of £2,414 which we had written off on the April Arcadia cruise, which we cancelled a couple of weeks ago, will now be transferred to a FCC. Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed here too

ps … the B&B looks good but I didn't spot an evening meal option ?

or a bar

There is a very well stocked honesty bar with spirits, beers and well-chosen wines, all at reasonable prices. They will provide evening meals if asked but the pub/restaurant in the village down the road is extremely good. No, I'm not on commission

[Stephen]

It doe look very nice kaymar.

[Stephen]

Just had a couple of updated emails from P&O regarding cancellation. Shame the videos don't work, at least not on my iPad

And as usual the emails are NO REPLY. It does pi** me off when people do this.

[towny44]

I am trying to see what their policy is regarding using a FCC against existing bookings.

Only on future bookings but it can be applied to multiple bookings

Our TA has managed to re-book one of our future cruises by transferring our upcoming April Ventura cruise, whilst safeguarding our accessible cabin, so we just lose the deposit on the now cancelled original booking. We will also lose our pre paid car parking and hotel bookings, but overall a very good result, after a shaky start P&O seem to have recovered quite well.

[Kenmo1]

Shame the videos don't work, at least not on my iPad

I think Paul Ludlow will be taking a lot of stick from his staff tomorrow if they have read all the remarks from the swooning ladies on one of the Facebook sites which was showing a video of him talking about the current problems caused by Covid 19. He's a bit of a looker

Maureen

[Jan Rosser]

Shame the videos don't work, at least not on my iPad

I think Paul Ludlow will be taking a lot of stick from his staff tomorrow if they have read all the remarks from the swooning ladies on one of the Facebook sites which was showing a video of him talking about the current problems caused by Covid 19. He's a bit of a looker

Maureen

Oooh errr Maureen I saw some of the remarks too - he does look very young - lives on the Isle of Wight apparently - he must have started with P&O very young.

[Quizzical Bob]

Shame the videos don't work, at least not on my iPad

I think Paul Ludlow will be taking a lot of stick from his staff tomorrow if they have read all the remarks from the swooning ladies on one of the Facebook sites which was showing a video of him talking about the current problems caused by Covid 19. He's a bit of a looker

Maureen

Oooh errr Maureen I saw some of the remarks too - he does look very young - lives on the Isle of Wight apparently - he must have started with P&O very young.

Yes, West Cowes.

[Kenmo1]

Oooh errr Maureen I saw some of the remarks too - he does look very young - lives on the Isle of Wight apparently - he must have started with P&O very young.

Yes, West Cowes.

All the best people live on the Isle of Wight.

Maureen

[Stephen]

Shame the videos don't work, at least not on my iPad

I think Paul Ludlow will be taking a lot of stick from his staff tomorrow if they have read all the remarks from the swooning ladies on one of the Facebook sites which was showing a video of him talking about the current problems caused by Covid 19. He's a bit of a looker

Maureen

Oooh errr Maureen I saw some of the remarks too - he does look very young - lives on the Isle of Wight apparently - he must have started with P&O very young.

I think he started out as a milk monitor on the ferries