The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 2nd June

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ee says:

2 Jun2 June 08:38

Does anyone have experience of cancelling a Heathrow Parking booking partially paid with Heathrow Rewards points? I can see nothing in the T&Cs about whether either the points or cash get refunded.
FrustratedTraveller says:

2 Jun2 June 08:45

Re the Sheraton intern deal, we have 2 nights booked this weekend.

Think I possibly know the answer but we can no longer make it, conscious its stated to be non-refundable, but as they are selling the suite at a considerable mark-up, thought I’d seek collective wisdom as to whether they’d entertain this…?

Also conscious many on here queries whether they’d honour the bookings, but we genuinely were looking forward to this, but unfortunately partners in-law has taken ill and doesn’t look good.

Worst case I’ll ‘gift’ to a friend, as I don’t have any status etc
- Harry T says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 09:29
  
  I am sorry to hear about your relative; I hope they get well soon.
  
  I would reach out to the hotel – my experience of their customer service in person and over email has been positive. You are entirely reliant on their goodwill though – the T&Cs are very clear it’s non refundable if cancelled more than 24 hours after booking.
  
  I would say that, if they won’t let you cancel and get a refund, you could try asking to move the booking to another date.
- The Savage Squirrel says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 10:03
  
  +1 that asking nicely in a non-entitled way goes a long way. People generally like saying yes to other people…
  - ed says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:13
    
    wonder if they might be happy to swap to another date, perhaps to a lower room category whilst not asking for more money?
  - Lyn says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 19:53
    
    I agree with Harry T and SS. Especially under the circumstances. Good luck with everything.
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 10:12
  
  Sorry to hear that, hope they get better soon.
  
  I would ring the hotel and be honest with them, you can’t make it anymore because of ill relatives. Hopefully they will refund or maybe even re book you
- FrustratedTraveller says:
  
  3 Jun3 June 07:52
  
  Thanks all, appreciate the kind sentiments.
  
  Looks like we’ll be able to move to a different date, but lower room category etc.
  
  Shame but by no means the end of the world.
Blair says:

2 Jun2 June 08:46

Any Curve app login issues? Mine booted me out yesterday and the Magic Link keeps saying it has expired. Knowing Curve I expect this might be a known error.
- John says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 08:53
  
  Had this yesterday, took a few magic link attempts to get back into the account
- Andy D says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 09:06
  
  Aye mine were a bit ropey on Sunday but it worked after a couple of magic link tries.
- Oh! Matron! says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 09:18
  
  Also kicked out over the weekend but the magic link worked fine
Jody says:

2 Jun2 June 09:19

There was someone on here, think it was WaynedP who wanted a little review of our MSC Virtuosa. Scroll on by if you’re not interested in cruising!

Just got back from a 4 night seacation cruise. The Virtuosa is a stunning ship inside, glitzy yet glamourous inside. Up until 21st June she is limited to 1000 passengers (full capacity is over 6200). We thought it might be like a ghost ship, but actually, with the beautiful weather we had, round the pools was very busy. Can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like at full capacity.

Staff very attentive, they are all so happy to be back cruising. Check in and boarding was easy, took us about 45 minutes from arrival to being on the ship, and that included our lateral flow test (nasal swab only). Covid protocols work well, although as ever, there are always people who think the rules don’t apply to them. However, we felt safe onboard.

We had the cheapest inside cabin. They’re nice (and the bed was super comfortable) but not much space for storing things, think we’d struggle with a longer cruise. Also, there is no seating area in the inside cabins, there is a pull out mini table and stool, but if you were getting room service you’d probably end up sitting on the bed!

There was a full range of entertainment, with a different show going on every night. You booked on the app (there was a 7.30pm or 9.30pm show) and there was social distancing in the theatre with seats blocked off, and you are expected to wear masks in there. Neither shows were busy and there was always loads of seats. Great standard of singing/dancing and shows were good, albeit no idea what was going on in some of them! There was also a comedian (who was terrible!) who did a couple of shows a day, and a group called Soul Sisters, who were pretty good, as well as live singing/piano/bands in a number of the bars.

Food – we’re gluten free, so had to eat in the main dining room (were told explicitly not to go to the buffet or order room service, which was a little bit frustrating as really impacts on flexibility). Our food was cooked to order in the allergy kitchen and was always piping hot and very generous portions. I’ve read a number of reviews about the standard menu with people complaining portions were small, however, you are allowed to order a much as you want so just order more! Also, the dishes don’t tend to come with veg, your order a portion of vegetables separately.
- Jody says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 09:25
  
  Seemed to run out of space, so just wanted to mention the drinks package! All the summer cruises come with free premium drinks. This basically includes any drink up to £10. This does cover a lot of stuff (although worth noting they’ve really hiked up the prices of drinks everywhere).
  
  We decided to upgrade to the premium plus package, which cost £13pppd. For that, you can have any drink (including the £30 a glass of champagne, signature cocktails that are more expensive, expensive wine etc). You can also get room service for free (not applicable for us though as not gluten free!) and also you can drink your mini bar, which gets restocked every day. Was worth it for us, one drink a day over £10 and you’ve covered your upgrade cost.
  
  The pools and tubs are great, we also had great fun at the aqua park. The rope course was only open 9am-10am which we didn’t realise, so husband was disappointed as we left it until the last full day and of course had missed it.
  
  Otherwise it was lovely just to relax in the beautiful weather, chill with a drink in one of the many bars, and enjoy getting back to cruising. I’d definitely recommend one of the shorter cruises, particularly whilst they are limited in numbers.
  - Pete M says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 09:30
    
    Very interesting – thank you! Never been on a cruise, but am intrigued to try one! Could I ask what the age average was?
    - Jody says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 10:11
      
      Hard to say, I think it was a bit more mixed than it usually would be. Most of the couples I saw I’d say were probably late 40s/early 50s. There seemed to be quite a few families travelling together, so grandchildren, parents and grandparents, which was quite nice to see. I’m 45 and my husband 50 if that helps! There was also quite a lot of solo cruisers, I think that a lot of the travel agents were doing deals with no single supplements which is unusual for cruising, so these were popular.
      
      It would definitely be a good introduction to cruising I would say. There are some amazing prices out there for the MSC cruises, and the benefit is that the Virtuosa is a brand new ship. Our cruise was the 3rd since they re-started, and we definitely lucked out with the weather, although the Captain does all he can to chase the nice weather, and on our cruise and the cruises before us we spent a lot of time off the coast of France.
      
      There was nothing about the cruise we didn’t enjoy, and we honestly felt as it we’d been away for a week rather than 4 nights!
      - Pete M says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 10:31
        
        Brill, thanks!
      - Mrs_Fussy says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 13:38
        
        Fab review – thanks for posting ! am assuming they will accept a child with negative PCR test if both parents are fully vaccinated? Do you know what happens if a passenger or crew tests positive, is the whole ship expected to isolate?
      - Jody says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 14:14
        
        Mrs_Fussy, you do not need to be vaccinated for the MSC UK cruises. If you are not, then you have to do a lateral flow test within 72 hours of boarding (it can be the free NHS ones, you just show the result). Then at the port, everyone is given a lateral flow test by staff there. You’re not allowed to board until the results are back, but they are very quick (10 minutes if that for results).
        
        Crew have all been vaccinated I believe, there was certainly a mass vaccination day that I saw pictures of on social media prior to the cruises starting, and the cruise director referred to it as well, thanking the NHS for all their support. All staff wear masks at all times as well.
        
        During the check in procedure you’re given what looks like a smart watch to wear for the whole cruise. This acts like track and trace, and you can also use it to swipe for your drinks and to open your cabin door.
        
        I don’t know what the exact process is if someone tests positive, but with all those checks in place I haven’t heard of anyone testing positive yet, and MSC have been running since last August in Europe, and I’ve certainly not heard of any of their ships putting all their passengers into isolation, so I guess they’re able to manage it well.
      - Mrs_Fussy says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 15:30
        
        Thanks a lot
      - WaynedP says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 22:50
        
        Thanks for a fantastic review, @Jody, am very grateful for your time and trouble.
        
        Delighted you enjoyed MSC. We are firm fans of the company and its ethos and have thoroughly enjoyed all our previous four cruises with them (2016 to 2019).
        
        Was a bit worried because we’ve always been advised to steer clear of cruises less than 6 or 7 nights as the shorter 3 and 4 day cruises tend to be targets of stag and hen parties that can become loutish, so glad none of that spoiled your experience.
        
        We always pay for a balcony cabin for at least 7 nights and that does offer more space and sitting room than an inside cabin (which we used to get for the three children to share in the days when they accompanied us – no longer necessary now).
        
        Over the years we’ve reduced our alcohol consumption to the point that a premium plus package isn’t worth it anymore – we just pay over and above for the occasional fancy cocktail or posh liqueur coffee not included in the premium drinks package (which generally always comes included in the price of a balcony cabin in the locations we prefer to pay for).
        
        My wife always enjoys the shows, although I am quite happy to take a long postprandial stroll around the outer deck, as I love watching and hearing the sea and prefer it to being cooped up inside a windowless theatre – but shows are generally shortish and high quality so we compromise and do both.
        
        On conventional sailings there is no comedian because repeating a joke in six languages tends to fall a bit flat. Also shows feature generic singing, dancing and acrobatics rather than any well-known West End or Broadway type emulations for the same reason.
        
        Being fluent Europhiles, we enjoy the mix of majority European clients, and find we have more in common with dining companions than we might otherwise expect on perhaps a P&O cruise.
        
        That said, it certainly helps to know the phrase “Scusi per favore” and to use it liberally and confidently accompanied with a beaming smile, especially when trying to exit a full lift once the doors open, ha ha.
        
        Ours is 7 nights over the last weekend of June (a domestic replacement for our cancelled November 2020 Adriatic Cruise), and we have secured our favourite aft-facing balcony cabin so are looking forward to the bliss of being back on the high seas and falling asleep to the sound of real ocean waves, not simulated ones.
        
        Hope to bump into you on a future MSC cruise 🙂
HAK says:

2 Jun2 June 09:26

Anyone else having trouble using the BA reward flight finder? Seems to be off line when you add in your requirements.
FlyingChris says:

2 Jun2 June 09:48

Just had an email from IHG offering 2.5k points to do a survey. Hopefully someone else took notes but looks like IHG Rewards will be seeing changes down the pipeline. Questions were all about what elite status benefits you valued the most as opposed to earning/burning. Huge amount of suggestions in various different configurations. Ones that stood out and of most interest to HfP readers included, hot breakfast on all (or reward stays), F&B credit, guaranteed upgrade vouchers, suite upgrade vouchers, lounge vouchers, lounge access, and various offers like booking discounts, gift cards, car hire status and even property parking near the front doors! While clearly polling everything and the kitchen sink it’s interesting to know that IHG are at least considering free breakfast/lounge access/suite upgrades for elites. Hopefully someone else took better notes!
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 11:05
  
  I took part in a similar survey 5 years ago … still no actual benefits
  - Sandra says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 11:58
    
    +1 Done a few of these over the years but nothing changes although the points for completing normally credit quickly. I think they do it to give everyone hope!
Kyle says:

2 Jun2 June 09:50

Can someone recommend travel agency to prepay refundable ticket for MCOL claim? Full cost of the ticket is approx 20k so not quite ready pay it myself.
- Genghis says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 11:08
  
  Not sure any travel agency will pay this for you.
  - Pete M says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 11:28
    
    I suspect Kyle means a travel agent that is able to book in a fare class that only needs ticketing a few weeks before travel and hence only collects a deposit at the point of making the reservation?
    - Kyle says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 11:32
      
      Yes, thanks, that’s what I meant by prepay. Read some comments here that recommended this route so wanted to get more details.
  - Kyle says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 11:35
    
    Well, what I meant is that I would prefer not to purchase the refundable ticket myself as I’m not that eager to lock 20k for an uncertain time. I believe travel agents allow to pre-book a flight and then cover the full cost at a later stage. Clearly I do not expect anyone else to pay 20k for me…
    - Pete M says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 12:58
      
      I used to work for a tour operator and all our tickets worked like this – but this was 15 years ago. Would also be interested to know if anyone still offers this, although the issue was that those fares were meant to be inclusive of tours (i.e. packages), not flight-only.
    - blenz101 says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 13:04
      
      It may vary by airline but my experience with booking via our corporate travel agent has always been they can ‘hold’ a flight booking / price for a few days whist approvals / POs etc are sorted but usually no more than 5 days or so.
      
      If travel agents could just hold flights indefinitely would everyone not just hold all the cheap fare buckets when they are released and cancel when plans firm up nearer the time?
      
      Holiday bookings are obviously different where deposits can be taken. Can you add 1 x day car hire to bring it in as a package holiday where deposits are the norm. Will still be a large deposit and likely non-refundable if your claim fails.
RichS says:

2 Jun2 June 10:24

Does anyone have an Octopus Energy referral link they would like to share?
- Rhys says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 10:30
  
  Mine! https://share.octopus.energy/noble-quoll-57
  - RichS says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:38
    
    Thanks Rhys, just used it so hopefully you should get your bonus soon
    - Rhys says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 12:40
      
      Thanks Rich!
- NC says:
  
  2 Jun2 June 10:30
  
  I feel like I’m missing something so I may as well ask – why is everyone so interested in switching to Octopus Energy every day here?
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:35
    
    You can pay on Amex, they let you overpay on Amex and refund to the direct debit bank account not the Amex
    - NC says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 10:36
      
      Thanks – very appropriate username 🙂
  - RichS says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:40
    
    For me because they are cheaper than my current provider, and using a referral link credits my account £50 and gives the referrer £50
    - Super Secret Stuff says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 10:52
      
      That too lol
  - Toby says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:52
    
    And — they have no exit fees on most tariffs and publish all the details of their tariffs. So if you feel like it you can look over other tariffs and move to those.
    
    They also have some innovative tariffs for people with smart meters which give super super cheap electricity after the evening peak, which can save a lot of ££ if you can schedule energy intensive equipment to go overnight. They’re primarily designed for people with electric cars, but can be beneficial for a lot of people.
  - Andrew says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 10:56
    
    They will also bill you monthly for the energy that you actually use rather than mess around with 1/12th of predicted annual usage.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    2 Jun2 June 11:06
    
    They were the cheapest supplier when I switched also good if you have a smart meter + EV car you use a lot
    - ianM says:
      
      2 Jun2 June 13:26
      
      Bulb are the same. And why use your own supply for an EV when you can plug in on street or in a car park for free?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 15:00
        
        because there are no free 7kw+ chargers are anywhere near my home/work and I’m not spending hours messing around to save a few quid on a 3kw charger miles away from where I need to be.
        
        On the rare occasions its free I’ll charge up.
      - Char Char says:
        
        2 Jun2 June 23:25
        
        It’s literally 1p per mile on their EV tariffs so not worth messing around with free chargers that will waste time
  - @mkcol says:
    
    3 Jun3 June 00:11
    
    They are cheapest on the market by a country mile for my use.