Vantage vs Getaway fares

[Capn Bob]

I know there has been a number of posts for this on other sites but I thought I'd pass on my recent chat with my travel agent relating to single travelers. Having spoken to a number of people on other cruises who booked late and looking at the prices of recent cruises just about to leave I was wondering, for 2014, whether to book early on the Vantage fare or leave it 'till later and go for a Getaway fare. The advice I got was that for a single traveller it is probably cheaper to go for the Vantage fare. The reason being that a Vantage single fare is in the region of 100% + ss of between 50% - 80% depending on the ship. A getaway fare is based on a full cabin so for the single traveller is the 100% + !00% ss. Therefore the reduction in price x 2 may not equal your original single suppliment. Also with the Vantage fare you also get your OBC, coach fare or car park.
Whatever we singles come off second best again.

Cap'n Bob

[nannajan13]

Well Cap'n Bob us single travellers may not be given the choice. I have been waiting for the getaway deals to appear for a particular cruise, the vantage fare is £700 more than the getaway deal for a solo passenger for an almost identical cruise in 2012.
The getaways have appeared but if a single traveller tries to book online the site informs them that they need to telephone P&O. I did speak to someone at P&O who said that that particular getaway was not available to single travellers. I have tried entering one passenger on several getaway cruises online as a test and most won't allow singles to book.
Only hope is if P&O get desperate closer to the sailing date they might let us singles in on the getaway deals!

[Jan Rosser]

My travel agent just tried to book me on a Getaway and was told not for single travellers so I've gone for the Vantage fare for Azura in April and actually it did work out cheaper. I do agree though with Cap'n Bob we singles just can't win.

[DianaM]

My friend looked at a recently reduced cruise on Oceana in May, and it was actually cheaper to book 2 Getaway fares than one Vantage fare with the single supplement! How can that be right? Can a single traveller book for 2 people, then the 'other person' just not turn up?

[ArtemisMiss]

My friend looked at a recently reduced cruise on Oceana in May, and it was actually cheaper to book 2 Getaway fares than one Vantage fare with the single supplement! How can that be right? Can a single traveller book for 2 people, then the 'other person' just not turn up?

DianaM,

Officially no they can't but what's to stop people doing it? If you can find someone who is prepared to give you sufficient details to book the cabin (you would need their name, DoB, and a couple of other things then there's nothing to stop them booking with you and then just not turning up on the day.

I've personal experience of this as, when I booked the Artemis final cruise back in 2011, the TA wasn't allowed to book for a single passenger so I had to book someone with me and then, nearer the date, someone else agreed to come with me so the booking was amended to allow the change of name. I have also known someone book a cruise with a 2nd named passenger in the cabin and then that other person didn't turn up at Southampton for check in - I think the boarding passenger told them something about illness or similar at the last minute!!

AM

[Mrs Pugwash]

My friend looked at a recently reduced cruise on Oceana in May, and it was actually cheaper to book 2 Getaway fares than one Vantage fare with the single supplement! How can that be right? Can a single traveller book for 2 people, then the 'other person' just not turn up?

DianaM,

Officially no they can't but what's to stop people doing it? If you can find someone who is prepared to give you sufficient details to book the cabin (you would need their name, DoB, and a couple of other things then there's nothing to stop them booking with you and then just not turning up on the day.

I've personal experience of this as, when I booked the Artemis final cruise back in 2011, the TA wasn't allowed to book for a single passenger so I had to book someone with me and then, nearer the date, someone else agreed to come with me so the booking was amended to allow the change of name. I have also known someone book a cruise with a 2nd named passenger in the cabin and then that other person didn't turn up at Southampton for check in - I think the boarding passenger told them something about illness or similar at the last minute!!

AM

I'm not a single traveller , but that is a really good idea if the price works out cheaper .
Worth thinking about!

Carol

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm not a single traveller either, but didn't they used to do a scheme which aimed to pair up like-minded singles to share a twin cabin? I'm not sure I'd fancy it but I wonder if any of our single friends ever did and if so how did it work out?

[Manoverboard]

Sharing must be very difficult and especially so if one is a night owl and t'other one is in bed by nine, and then there is the snoring and far*ing etc .... I expect it's just the same with the blokes

[DianaM]

I'm not a single traveller either, but didn't they used to do a scheme which aimed to pair up like-minded singles to share a twin cabin? I'm not sure I'd fancy it but I wonder if any of our single friends ever did and if so how did it work out?

On our first ever cruise in 2000, there was a well to do (and well built )single lady in her 80s on our dinner table, and she was sharing an inside cabin with 3 other "mature" ladies who weren't known to her She said that it ws first come first served with the bed situation, and she had ended up with an upper bunk!! She often shared with strangers on cruises, and said it was the only way she could carry on cruising.

Fair play to her, but I was horrified and couldn't imagine doing it myself, especially as it was a 3 week cruise. All those ladies trying to get in the bathroom, and getting ready for a formal night. And as for the toilet situation.........

P&O don't offer that "service" anymore. Can't think why

[ArtemisMiss]

The main reason that cabin shares for single travellers was stopped was because there were certain people who would book on this basis, be allocated a cabin share and then make life unbearable for their cabin mate. Said cabin mate would then go to reception and beg to be moved incurring a single supplement and having to take whatever cabin was available while the other person would end up with the benefit of a cabin to themself without the outlay!!

AM

[Jan Rosser]

I cannot think of anything worse - I can't imagine sharing with strangers - I like my privacy and not being a good sleeper I'd disturb whoever I was sharing with - my late husband put up with it because he could sleep through anything I met some ladies who took part in the scheme many years ago, struck up a friendship and continue to share otherwise they say they couldn't afford to go.

[DianaM]

The main reason that cabin shares for single travellers was stopped was because there were certain people who would book on this basis, be allocated a cabin share and then make life unbearable for their cabin mate. Said cabin mate would then go to reception and beg to be moved incurring a single supplement and having to take whatever cabin was available while the other person would end up with the benefit of a cabin to themself without the outlay!!

AM

That's awful How can people be so devious??

[howard18]

My travel agent just tried to book me on a Getaway and was told not for single travellers so I've gone for the Vantage fare for Azura in April and actually it did work out cheaper. I do agree though with Cap'n Bob we singles just can't win.

Jan,

Did you get much of a discount off of the vantage fare x 2 ?

Howard

[Jan Rosser]

Hi Howard - I believe the supplement on my trip (A308N on Azura) is 50% for a single in a twin cabin. I paid the same fare I would have paid for a single inside cabin but I have an obstructed view cabin so I am really pleased. I have paid less than passengers in a single outside cabin which I don't really like the layout of (very long and narrow). I don't plan to spend time gazing through the window at all the paraphernalia outside - I want to be out and about meeting people. I opted for the free coach travel with Eavesway as part of the Vantage deal too.

[howard18]

Jan
That wasn't a bad discount.
As you know I paid 100% supplement with RCCL but at least I got double OBC.

Howard

[Jan Rosser]

Hi Howard - you deserve double OBC if you are paying for two. On my last trip in November I travelled with my friends - a married couple - I paid the same as them but was on my own. It was a Getaway deal (which as you know we are now barred from) so no OBC or any other perks. However I had 22 nights at £100 per night which I consider a real bargain so am not complaining and had a fabulous cruise to the Caribbean and back.

[Capt Black]

Back in the day...we used to travel to Leningrad on the old Soviet ships. Sharing a cabin with strangers, the sea view was a porthole, which you could open, water used to splash in occasionally, if the weather was bad, the crew would "dog" a hatch over the porthole. As for the toilets - somewhere down a corridor.

[Capt Black]

My friend looked at a recently reduced cruise on Oceana in May, and it was actually cheaper to book 2 Getaway fares than one Vantage fare with the single supplement! How can that be right? Can a single traveller book for 2 people, then the 'other person' just not turn up?

DianaM,

Officially no they can't but what's to stop people doing it? If you can find someone who is prepared to give you sufficient details to book the cabin (you would need their name, DoB, and a couple of other things then there's nothing to stop them booking with you and then just not turning up on the day.

I've personal experience of this as, when I booked the Artemis final cruise back in 2011, the TA wasn't allowed to book for a single passenger so I had to book someone with me and then, nearer the date, someone else agreed to come with me so the booking was amended to allow the change of name. I have also known someone book a cruise with a 2nd named passenger in the cabin and then that other person didn't turn up at Southampton for check in - I think the boarding passenger told them something about illness or similar at the last minute!!



AM

I booked my mum's first PandO cruise yesterday, and she is a single traveller. Bolsover were very helpful, and priced up the cruise as both a Vantage and a Getaway fare. I asked about the second person not turning up as I had visions of mum kidnapping at embarkation and having to spend a fortnight on a cruises ship. Bolsover explained that PandO simply treat the "second" passenger as a no show and that's it.

As it turned out, it was £20 cheaper for mum to get a Vantage fare, with £70 obc, compared to 2 Getaway fares and 0 obc.

Still blooming expensive though. 3 weeks before mum's cruise, we're going for one night less, but sil is sharing our cabin. Total cost on a Vantage fare for 3 of us is only £500 more than mum's single fare.




I'm not a single traveller , but that is a really good idea if the price works out cheaper .
Worth thinking about!

Carol

[jacksparrow]

Perhaps all the single travellers should complain to P & O for not allowing them the getaway fares... It does seem discriminative against singles.... One would have thought that to have one person in a double cabin is better than none at all.

[Jan Rosser]

Perhaps all the single travellers should complain to P & O for not allowing them the getaway fares... It does seem discriminative against singles.... One would have thought that to have one person in a double cabin is better than none at all.

I agree with you but honestly don't see P&O taking any notice of us do you?

Not sure when the rules changed on Getaways not being available for singles - I booked one last November on Aurora.

I think they make up the rules as they go along

[Capt Black]

I think they make up the rules as they go along

I agree with you Jan.

When we were on our Christmas cruise we wanted to buy a couple of FCDs, but when we found out that you can no longer use them for Getaway fares we didn't bother. We did book on board for a Vantage fare though, but that was because for that cruise we needed a 3 berth cabin and you can't have a 3 berth cabin on a Getaway fare. I'm sure you used to be able to that?

[Denarius]

My friend looked at a recently reduced cruise on Oceana in May, and it was actually cheaper to book 2 Getaway fares than one Vantage fare with the single supplement! How can that be right? Can a single traveller book for 2 people, then the 'other person' just not turn up?

I cannot see why not. It is not impossible for one passenger to have had a last minute change in circumstances or priorities which caused them to forgo the cruise which they had paid for. I am personally aware of such a case. The friend with whom he was to share a cabin cruised alone but did not change the booking after discovering that it would cost him more changing the booking to a single than leaving it as a double. He simply informed check in on boarding that his companion had been unable to travel.

[Flora8]

I wrote a letter to Ms Carole Marlow, and I await her reply with interest --I suggested I might take legal advice as to the legality of not allowing us to book a getaway at even 100%---------I said it was [ at least ] Discriminating against The Solo Traveller !!----I posted it yesterday !!

regards Flora x

[howard18]

Flora,

I awit your response from Ms.Marlow with baited breath (but I wont hold it).


Regards - Howard.

[Flora8]

No I would not want you to do that Howard !!
But when I have written to her before --I have always had a reply within the 28 day legal time [ not ] always hearing what I wanted to hear --I must add !!

regards Flora x