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Not Impressed with New Canadian Prices website


cruisingxpert
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I logged in last night to check a cruise and wondered why the prices had jumped so much until I realized that

the pricing for everything was in CAD. What was more frustrating was that I couldn't click Book and go to next page; I could only request a quote.

I also knew what the price in USD was for a couple of cruises and compared them to this CAD pricing. The mark up is somewhere between 1.37 and 1 38 which is more than our banks are charging right now. I have one cruise booked in CAD which was marked up 1.29 which was good when I booked it and fair now.

 

Can someone techy tell me how to open the US pricing website which I was getting until yesterday.

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Not sure how you get the US site

I agree annoying

I booked in USD so like to see prices in USD

Maybe if you clear your cookies it may revert to US site or maybe not

 

I have not figured out how to do the VPN thing

 

They should give you the choice of what currency you want displayed not just rerouting you because we are in Canada

Edited by LHT28
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Not sure how you get the US site

I agree annoying

I booked in USD so like to see prices in USD

Maybe if you clear your cookies it may revert to US site or maybe not

looks to me that the US/Cad rate today is almost $1.26 How can O get away with charging so much?

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oh, THAT's why the prices are so different!!! Don't know HOW I didn't notice!

Does this mean Canadian ISPs are going to show CAD prices from now on????

I sure hope not...

I don't know why the website can't show both USD and CAD at the same time.

And yes, the conversion rate is crummy compared to the banks.

 

PS: for my cruise, it was $5049 US, $6749 CAD. $1.336

At my bank, it's 1.2935

Edited by tropicalkerry2002
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A VPN can be your friend for something like this and not tricky to use. Once installed and running they are transparent. I think it should be on any especially mobile device for your personal security anyway.

 

They're not complicated you just need to find one suitable to you and to use it.

 

It is simply software that you run on your PC that makes a connection to a server somewhere else such as in a city in the USA, or Europe, or wherever. Some VPNs are configurable as to what city, some are restricted unless you pay a fee, some will only allow a small amount of data transfer for free, some are only on subscription etc.

 

Once the VPN is connected to a server in, say Chicago, then when you use your browser your queries automatically go through that VPN connection and come out to the Internet in Chicago. So anyone you connect to, such as Oceania, sees your connection as coming from Chicago.

 

They should then serve up the prices in USD. However they might not if they know from you logging in that you are a resident of Canada, or UK, or Australia or ...

 

Also, if you have allowed your location to be detected through a browser then they might use that determine your location. Why anyone would ever have locations enabled is beyond me. For the convenience of not having to on infrequent occasions type in your "from" address for directions for an example to let the googler or fbook track your every movement does not seem like a reasonable trade-off to me. (Apologies, stepping off of soapbox now)

 

Another advantage of a VPN is that everything is encrypted so your transmissions cannot be spied upon when using WiFi. Especially important when in a public place as it's very simple for bad guys to see your Internet traffic in plain readable text.

 

One thing you should be aware of with a VPN is that all your traffic does go through that VPN providers servers so you need to have faith in them. We've become so used to getting things for free on the Internet but this may be something that is worth paying for except for in frequent, casual use.

 

I don't have a specific recommendation as I rarely use one but would be helpful in this case.

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oh, THAT's why the prices are so different!!! Don't know HOW I didn't notice!

Does this mean Canadian ISPs are going to show CAD prices from now on????

I sure hope not...

I don't know why the website can't show both USD and CAD at the same time.

And yes, the conversion rate is crummy compared to the banks.

 

PS: for my cruise, it was $5049 US, $6749 CAD. $1.336

At my bank, it's 1.2935

 

Are you able to go beyond list of prices and go to availability of a particular cabin category? I can only click "request a quote"

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I've sent an email to Mike Moore already. Not sure what he will do. I emailed him in August of 2016 when the single supplement site stopped working and he was very quick to respond to my email and I followed up twice. However, over a year later the single site still doesn't reflect prices for singles on cruises that I know have the supplement. Contrary to some who thought you had to call O for that, I can attest to the fact that it used to work.

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1. VPN. I realize the concept may be foreign and sound complex but there is no "figuring out" needed. If you have installed a program (modern-speak "an app") i.e. click to download, run, accept license (w/o reading), next, next, finish. Then run that program, i.e. double-click. You are 99% done. it is very simple. Figuring out apps on a phone are multiple times harder (for me) to control. The hardest part s figuring out which one to use. Plus IMHO a VPN is essential on public wifi anyway so a good tool to have.

 

<SNIP> sparing y'all the rest of my babbling though it is on topic

 

6. Unable to into a booking is probably just another website design oversight (as I have whinged about many times before)

 

If we must "request a quote" now just to see pricing and availability there would be very little point to frequent O's website.

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1. VPN. I realize the concept may be foreign and sound complex but there is no "figuring out" needed. If you have installed a program (modern-speak "an app") i.e. click to download, run, accept license (w/o reading), next, next, finish. Then run that program, i.e. double-click. You are 99% done. it is very simple. Figuring out apps on a phone are multiple times harder (for me) to control. The hardest part s figuring out which one to use. Plus IMHO a VPN is essential on public wifi anyway so a good tool to have.

 

 

If we must "request a quote" now just to see pricing and availability there would be very little point to frequent O's website.

 

Thanks YoHoHo. I thought you meant the app was modern-speak until I googled it (told you I wasn't techy:D) I then googled vpn and you're right - there are a lot of them so then I couldn't decide which one to use. Spent a few hours reviewing several and still made no decision. Any recommendation?

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Would the difference between the CAD and USD prices be based on a projection of the currencies value at the time of final payment? Just a guess.

 

If that is the case, O is betting our dollar will drop and I would be better off to exchange some CAD to USD now at the better bank rate and wait for final to pay cruise in USD.

 

 

When they were quoting a CAD price earlier, it was at a much better rate than the bank so I decided to take the risk and book the cruise in CAD. As it turns out, unless our dollar drops before I make final payment, the price they gave me and the bank rate will be almost the same.

 

Catherine

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All cruise lines that allow you to pay in CAD set an exchange rate it is usually reviewed every 3 months sometimes less

It has been that way at least since the 90's maybe before I was checking

 

That said why should we need to get a VPN or do other tactics just to see the fares in USD like we have been doing for years with O.

JMO

 

I booked our cruise in CAD O's rate was $1.31 or close

Then our dollar went up for buying USD

I bought USD @ $1.26 then rebooked the cruise in USD

Last year the cruise I booked in CAD... Oceania's rate was $1.25 when the CAD was higher at the bank

It is a game

I think if you cruise a lot stockpile some USD if you can when the rates are good

My stockpile ran out & we were not cruising as much so did not replenish my USD ...silly me

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I logged in last night to check a cruise and wondered why the prices had jumped so much until I realized that

the pricing for everything was in CAD. What was more frustrating was that I couldn't click Book and go to next page; I could only request a quote.

I also knew what the price in USD was for a couple of cruises and compared them to this CAD pricing. The mark up is somewhere between 1.37 and 1 38 which is more than our banks are charging right now. I have one cruise booked in CAD which was marked up 1.29 which was good when I booked it and fair now.

 

Can someone techy tell me how to open the US pricing website which I was getting until yesterday.

 

From an O point of view it is not the rate that you pay now but the anticipated rate at the final payment date. They are hedging their risk that 6 months or 1 year from now the USD/CAD will be at 1.37. I would be interested to compare rate of exchange for a cruise leaving next month to whether they are playing FOREX games. Most company's that do international business- put up to a 5% premium on bid's that have an exchange risk. O appears no different.

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From an O point of view it is not the rate that you pay now but the anticipated rate at the final payment date. They are hedging their risk that 6 months or 1 year from now the USD/CAD will be at 1.37. I would be interested to compare rate of exchange for a cruise leaving next month to whether they are playing FOREX games. Most company's that do international business- put up to a 5% premium on bid's that have an exchange risk. O appears no different.

 

 

Paul

If that is what they are doing, I think it is a new policy. As a Canadian, I've watched their website prices regularly. A few years ago, they offered Canadians quite a few cruises with a 15% discount and then last year, they offered fewer cruises with a 10% discount. When they lowered the discount to 10%, you could pay for any of their cruises in CAD at 1.25 to 1.30 exchange which was substantially better than the bank rate then.

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Paul

If that is what they are doing, I think it is a new policy. As a Canadian, I've watched their website prices regularly. A few years ago, they offered Canadians quite a few cruises with a 15% discount and then last year, they offered fewer cruises with a 10% discount. When they lowered the discount to 10%, you could pay for any of their cruises in CAD at 1.25 to 1.30 exchange which was substantially better than the bank rate then.

 

Lets do a test -- since I cannot see the $CAN prices.

 

Riviera 1 Sept 17 --Athens Barcelona (7 day) -- for an A1 Cruise Only is $3149 USD -- what is the CAN?

 

Riviera 30 Aug 2016 Monte Carlo-Barcelona (7 day) for an A1 Cruise only is 3299 USD -- what is the CAN??

 

Does it vary??

 

With regard to them running a special deal -- that makes sense -- because they can figure that they would get XXX amount of CAN and them do a hedge on selling CAN at a better rate in the future.

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Lets do a test -- since I cannot see the $CAN prices.

 

Riviera 1 Sept 17 --Athens Barcelona (7 day) -- for an A1 Cruise Only is $3149 USD -- what is the CAN?

 

Riviera 30 Aug 2016 Monte Carlo-Barcelona (7 day) for an A1 Cruise only is 3299 USD -- what is the CAN??

 

Does it vary??

 

With regard to them running a special deal -- that makes sense -- because they can figure that they would get XXX amount of CAN and them do a hedge on selling CAN at a better rate in the future.

 

I assume you mean 2018 on the second one. The mark up doesn't seem as bad on a 7 day

 

Riviera 1 Sept 17 --Athens Barcelona (7 day) -- for an A1 Cruise Only is $3149 USD -- what is the CAN? $4174

 

Riviera 30 Aug 2016 Monte Carlo-Barcelona (7 day) for an A1 Cruise only is 3299 USD -- what is the CAN?? S4399

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Paul

 

Can you do me a favor and tell me what a PH1 without air is on the 12 day Riviera cruise Nov 27 2018?

 

w/air -- 5349

with O life and No Air == 4999

Cruise only -- no o-life or air --- 4699

 

One question -- if you are concerned about exchange rates and the fairness of the O rate, why not use a US based agent. I know my agent who is internet based does have an option for CAN residents (and those in Mexico) and the price without air is the same but of course in USD.

Edited by PaulMCO
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One question -- if you are concerned about exchange rates and the fairness of the O rate, why not use a US based agent. I know my agent who is internet based does have an option for CAN residents (and those in Mexico) and the price without air is the same but of course in USD.

 

Thank you for checking for me.

 

My TA books in Usd and Cad but I like to search different itineraries and availability before I contact her and say I want to book. I realize some people just call a TA and have them search, hold their hand and do everything for them but I'm not one of them

Right now I can't even search availablilty - the Cad website only allows you to request a quote.

 

Catherine

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I use a US TA but I like to see prices in USD when I look at the O website I can book in USD or CAD my TA will give me the CAD price if I want to compare

As Catherine said we can no longer see the USD prices

It is a recent change in O website & a most annoying one

 

JMO

 

Lyn

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Thanks YoHoHo. I thought you meant the app was modern-speak until I googled it (told you I wasn't techy:D) I then googled vpn and you're right - there are a lot of them so then I couldn't decide which one to use. Spent a few hours reviewing several and still made no decision. Any recommendation?

Sorry no - I uninstalled when my new anti-virus/malware package included one. It is their free version so cannot choose the country I want to "come from" and so am restricted to Canada (my home country). I'm pretty sure the last one I had "(pure VPN?) also restricted me but to the USA. :)

 

Being as I am most interested the encrypted transmission aspect the location did not matter. Also what can bog you down on review sites is some techies get very caught up in the privacy the VPN gives and limits logging. Again not something I am concerned with. Speed makes a big difference to some users as well as they want them for file sharing (torrent). Again not something for me.

 

 

Many users DO want the location aspect so that we can work-around "geo-location" restriction, as is the case here, and for services such as Netflix that sells different shows than in the USA (more content)

 

That is maybe going to be the hardest thing as some offer free trials but that might be restricted to location and so its free use is useless for this purpose.

 

If I do get some time to investigate further I'll let you know my findings

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