P&O Cruises

Select versus Saver looks like a simple discount. It isn't

The price gap between P&O's Select Price and Saver (or Early Saver) fares looks like a straightforward discount, but it changes your booking flexibility and your overall cost, not just the headline price.

Cabin selection: Select Price lets you pick your exact cabin number, deck and location. Saver and Early Saver are "Guarantee Cabin" fares, P&O assigns the cabin any time between booking and the day before you sail, which matters if you are prone to motion sickness (you generally want a midships, lower-to-middle deck cabin) or a light sleeper (avoiding cabins below the galley, pool deck or night venues).

Included perks: on sailings of 7 nights or more, Select Price includes a choice of one complimentary perk, free Southampton port parking, free coach transfers, or onboard spending money. Saver and Early Saver include none of these, so it is worth pricing the difference against what those perks would otherwise cost.

Deposit and cancellation: Select Price and Early Saver both take a 15% deposit with flexible cancellation terms. The plain Saver fare requires 100% payment upfront and carries a 100% cancellation penalty from the moment you book, so if your plans might change, that risk is worth weighing against the lower headline price. Saver fares exist to fill cabins that would otherwise sail empty, and the restrictions are the trade-off for the lower price, not an oversight.

Dining priority: Select Price gets top priority for your preferred dining style and time slot. Saver and Early Saver are allocated whatever's left once you board, and since the earlier sitting fills first, that often means ending up on the later one, a real chance rather than a guarantee, though a paid supplement (around £2 per person, per night) is available on Saver to lock in your choice instead of leaving it to chance. On Iona and Arvia, dining runs on the app-based Freedom system regardless of fare type, so this distinction matters most on the traditional-dining ships.

Port shuttle buses: included free with Select Price where provided; Saver and Early Saver guests pay a small per-person daily charge onboard.

The practical rule: choose Saver only if price is genuinely your only consideration. It exists to fill cabins that would otherwise sail empty, and the restrictions are the trade, not an oversight. What you are giving up is cabin location, dining time, shuttle buses and any ability to change your mind. If this is your first cruise, that last one is the part worth thinking hardest about.