Have I got the nerve to wait?

[MAGGIEMOU, CYPRUS]

Just a few pointers not at any particular post but to try to help Jill.

We have done quite a few segments on World Cruises. Some we have booked early if it was say something that we definitely did not want to miss. Like one we did for my milestone birthday. It was a special cruise, and also as it involved two Cunard Queens. So we paid top dollar to do that one. We have had some last minute segments ( well within two months of departure) and got a decent price on a balcony on QM2. The thing with segments, the TA and shipping line will be selling them at full price for ages as some segments such as the final one is at long way off. So even at the start of the World Cruise segments are still available.
We booked our full world cruise this year 18 months ahead of time and got the cabin we wanted. Most inside cabins sell to full world cruisers especially the deluxe inside which are bigger. Many World Cruiser travel alone and many who don’t book inside for the price alone. So insides are sold quicker as often the suites are always sold first as well as there are not so many.
You will find the final segment will often be at a cheaper rate, but this will not show up until into 2014. We have paid on average £100 per person per day on late segment booking. Plus we always had extra luggage to pay for as that to me is a downside of segments. You have luggage restrictions unless you are prepared to pay extra. The visas for the segment Jill is looking at will be charged to your onboard account as the ship will get them for you. China is port of call where you have to get your own.
On QM2 this year only at the start there were only 250 passengers doing the full world cruise. The number went up to around 270 when we reached Sydney as paxs from QE came onboard to do their second half of their WC. So very few did the full world but the ship was full all the time.
Passengers from Australia were getting on and off all the time around Oz. Some only on for three days. Segments now a days are more popular than the full world cruise because it is a good way to see different ports of call. The Australians have the same problem as Jill watching the prices rise or fall and there were many tales of how much they had paid.
So really I think this is one only Jill can decide on. Also remember not only us Brits are looking at World Cruise segments. When we reached Asia the ship was full of locals. Chinese, Japanese, Indians you name it, so they must be getting deals also.
BTW Jill mentioned coming through the Suez Canal. We have done Singapore to Southampton segment a couple of times. I love it! I think going through the Suez Canal is as exciting and interesting as going through the Panama Canal. In fact I prefer it. I have been through both canals more than ones and I still love the Suez. Oman is very interesting place.
However, this will not matter to Jill as it is Adonia who is going through the Suez. Aurora goes to Namibia after South Africa. I loved Namibia and there are two ports of call there. We had a wonderful time in Namibia this year. Plus Aurora then heads on to Cape Verde Islands which is a different port for many ships. Some sea days in between yes, but there always are on World Cruises. The world is larger than we think.

[Topdeck, London]

It wouldn't be Adonia for us because she won't be going via South Africa but through the Suez which doesn't appeal to us.

Thanks anyway. It's a minefield out there re pricing isn't it? I will trust in Faz as he has given me valuable advice in the past and I am confident he will do again.

Suez is irelevent if you do singapore to singapore, depend if you realy want/need to include SA and the bit of that cruise with loads of sea days.

[Topdeck, London]

We have paid on average £100 per person per day on late segment booking.

The regular prices start below £100pppd as packages, late booking segments should be closer to £50pppd

[cornish girl, falmouth]

It's amazing isn't it? where we now say I don't want to do Suez or other ports of call, I remember how I wanted so much to do both Suez and the Panama canal, now I have done both five times , although I never get tired of doing them as they are changing every time. we go through.I think perhaps we are to well travelled these days.
I do get fed up with a few ports in the med, but so far no other far flung destinations. CG

[Smith7]

Suez is irelevent if you do singapore to singapore, depend if you realy want/need to include SA and the bit of that cruise with loads of sea days.

Thanks Topdeck. That's the whole point for us; we want to do the SE Asia part of the cruise, coupled with a stop in S Africa.

[Smith7]

We have done quite a few segments on World Cruises. Some we have booked early if it was say something that we definitely did not want to miss. Like one we did for my milestone birthday. It was a special cruise, and also as it involved two Cunard Queens. So we paid top dollar to do that one. We have had some last minute segments ( well within two months of departure) and got a decent price on a balcony on QM2. The thing with segments, the TA and shipping line will be selling them at full price for ages as some segments such as the final one is at long way off. So even at the start of the World Cruise segments are still available.
We booked our full world cruise this year 18 months ahead of time and got the cabin we wanted. Most inside cabins sell to full world cruisers especially the deluxe inside which are bigger. Many World Cruiser travel alone and many who don’t book inside for the price alone. So insides are sold quicker as often the suites are always sold first as well as there are not so many.
You will find the final segment will often be at a cheaper rate, but this will not show up until into 2014. We have paid on average £100 per person per day on late segment booking. Plus we always had extra luggage to pay for as that to me is a downside of segments. You have luggage restrictions unless you are prepared to pay extra. The visas for the segment Jill is looking at will be charged to your onboard account as the ship will get them for you. China is port of call where you have to get your own.
On QM2 this year only at the start there were only 250 passengers doing the full world cruise. The number went up to around 270 when we reached Sydney as paxs from QE came onboard to do their second half of their WC. So very few did the full world but the ship was full all the time.
Passengers from Australia were getting on and off all the time around Oz. Some only on for three days. Segments now a days are more popular than the full world cruise because it is a good way to see different ports of call. The Australians have the same problem as Jill watching the prices rise or fall and there were many tales of how much they had paid.
So really I think this is one only Jill can decide on. Also remember not only us Brits are looking at World Cruise segments. When we reached Asia the ship was full of locals. Chinese, Japanese, Indians you name it, so they must be getting deals also.
BTW Jill mentioned coming through the Suez Canal. We have done Singapore to Southampton segment a couple of times. I love it! I think going through the Suez Canal is as exciting and interesting as going through the Panama Canal. In fact I prefer it. I have been through both canals more than ones and I still love the Suez. Oman is very interesting place.
However, this will not matter to Jill as it is Adonia who is going through the Suez. Aurora goes to Namibia after South Africa. I loved Namibia and there are two ports of call there. We had a wonderful time in Namibia this year. Plus Aurora then heads on to Cape Verde Islands which is a different port for many ships. Some sea days in between yes, but there always are on World Cruises. The world is larger than we think.

Thanks for that Maggie. All being well, we will see you when we board in Hong Kong.

[Alan V., Southampton]

Hi Jill,
By the sounds of it, you really want to do the cruise.
If you had a crystal ball and you could look forward to find that the price does not drop at all, would you now book it? I thnk the answer to may be yes, and so I think it's a no brainer, BOOK IT!
P and O have got to make this price promise work!
Fast Eddie's idea that P and O will introduce new cabin grades to get round this problem is a non starter, it is just his opinion, and I assume a lot will agree, I dont!
I adopt the attitude that if I really want to do somthing, do it, the oportunity might not present itself again. I always remember what a dear old Aunt of mine always says, "There's no pockets in a shroud"

Book it and have a fantastic holiday!

Alan

[Smith7]

Hi Jill,
By the sounds of it, you really want to do the cruise.
If you had a crystal ball and you could look forward to find that the price does not drop at all, would you now book it? I thnk the answer to may be yes, and so I think it's a no brainer, BOOK IT!
P and O have got to make this price promise work!
Fast Eddie's idea that P and O will introduce new cabin grades to get round this problem is a non starter, it is just his opinion, and I assume a lot will agree, I dont!
I adopt the attitude that if I really want to do somthing, do it, the oportunity might not present itself again. I always remember what a dear old Aunt of mine always says, "There's no pockets in a shroud"

Book it and have a fantastic holiday!

Alan

Thanks Alan. My OH is of a similar opinion. I am waiting for Faz to return from his well earned break and will then have a chat with him.
If the possible saving is not going to be sunstantial, then we amy well book it now rather than later.
We do spend a lot of time and the kids inheritance on cruises so I am just thinking that if I can save a few quid by waiting then that will go towards yet another itinerary on ou 'to do'list.

[Funky Face Painter, Worcestershire]

I was under impression that P&O have their advantage prices now so if the price comes down you get an upgrade or OBC. Maybe you should check that out first. Hope your dream comes true and your "to do" list gets smaller

The Vantage Promise..... be aware that this ONLY covers the grade of cabin you have booked (and there are a lot of cabin grades now). Same with Cunard. So, for example. book a D2 inside on QE or QV (there are only 14 and 11 cabins on these ships), if they sell all this grade, then the price promise does NOT apply and you won't get any OBC or anything. I asked this question direct to Cunard. So my advice is to book a grade with lots of cabins. I think next year, it's really going to kick off when people think if, they book a balcony say, and that grade sells and not the one reduced, they won't get anything back. Watch this space and see .....

[Solent Richard, Lee on the Solent]

It's amazing isn't it? where we now say I don't want to do Suez or other ports of call, I remember how I wanted so much to do both Suez and the Panama canal, now I have done both five times , although I never get tired of doing them as they are changing every time. we go through.I think perhaps we are to well travelled these days.
I do get fed up with a few ports in the med, but so far no other far flung destinations. CG

Hate to go off topic slightly Cornish Girl but I love the transit of the Suez Canal.

It was even more exciting going through on Aurora as the Second Gulf War was just days away and the United States were sending their Heavy Lift Supply Ships in the opposite direction...

We had a joint British/Dutch naval escort the whole passage.

[Solent Richard, Lee on the Solent]

The Vantage Promise..... be aware that this ONLY covers the grade of cabin you have booked (and there are a lot of cabin grades now). Same with Cunard. So, for example. book a D2 inside on QE or QV (there are only 14 and 11 cabins on these ships), if they sell all this grade, then the price promise does NOT apply and you won't get any OBC or anything. I asked this question direct to Cunard. So my advice is to book a grade with lots of cabins. I think next year, it's really going to kick off when people think if, they book a balcony say, and that grade sells and not the one reduced, they won't get anything back. Watch this space and see .....

Fair comment and very interesting FFP.

I imagine it is relatively easy to check though by using Cunard's or P&O's own booking system and see just what grades are on offer at specific times.

[Solent Richard, Lee on the Solent]

For what it is worth I seem to recall a member running a thread on waiting for P&O to drop their price on a specific cruise.

The result was that it didn't happen, the member didn't get the cruise he wanted, and had to settle for second best.

I'm sure Jolly Jill is aware of the story. There certainly was a moral in it.

[Mitchell Derby, Derby]

Fast Eddie's idea that P and O will introduce new cabin grades to get round this problem is a non starter

You could be right, but I distinctly remember reading a post on here from a cruiser who'd had exactly this happen to him ... he said the line created another grade which wasn't available originally for precisely this reason. I wouldn't know where to start in finding it, but it may be something to be aware of. That said, I agree that it's also worth just "going with it" sometimes - as others have said, the whole pricing thing is a complete minefield!!

Cheers,
Lynn

[Fred Bloggs, Tyne and Wear]

The pricing is a difficult one as there seem to be so many offers at the moment it's hard to tell which way things will go.

I was thinking of booking Oceania's transatlantic cruise with Riviera when she repositions to the Med from Miami next spring. The price for a B4 balcony in March was about £1500 for cruise only with free gratuities & OBC. Now the cheapest I can find is £1800.

We did this cruise this year on Marina & the price stayed the same for 18 months but they removed the free gratuities & OBC offers about 9 months before the cruise.The ship was full!

Depends how much you want to do this cruise. Hope that Faz can help out. I think that if you see what you want and the price is OK go for it.

[hat776, malta]

Jill the thing is that you want this particular itinerary. If you miss out on it you'll be sorely disappointed won't you ? Who knows when this itinerary will turn up again.