When are Two Sailings One Sailing

The only times we have done O's air was when we really could NOT do it on our own. One example is when we were doing a TA: Miami to Barcelona, but we had to fly from NY to Miami, then return from Barcelona to NYC. At that time an open jaw was not possible, so we used O's air.

But normally we do not.

We check (as I know Lyn and others do) as to what is the best deal we can get. On a few occasions we have taken the deviation since we like to come in early and leave late.

But 90% of our trips have been with our own air. You have to check routes and airfares to see what is best for you. Sometimes the best deal IS O's air ... often it is not. (In days gone by we got much higher credits for NOT using O's air ... these days those credits are far reduced.)

Mura

Three weeks ago, concurrently with my beginning this thread I also emailed Oceania asking, for what I hoped, would be an explanation of their logic in deeming B2B cruises as Grand Voyages and thus only entitled to 1 cruise credit. Surely there was demonstrable logic that I, as a mere mortal, just wasn't comprehending and they would set me straight. Apparently the powers that be have deemed my question too trivial for their valuable time and have provided no response.

So I guess I never will find out the answer to the question Why do two sailings become one?

 

But, at least in my case, my answer is that when two sailings become one, that one becomes NONE.

 

I know that I am a voice in the wilderness that can easily be ignored but all I can do is vote with my feet and take my business elsewhere.

Happy to tell you that I was in the same position as you and had an immediate positive response from O.C. I now have 2 booking numbers You might need a better travel agent ??

Happy to tell you that I was in the same position as you and had an immediate positive response from O.C. I now have 2 booking numbers You might need a better travel agent ??

Hi Roger. Are you booked on the July 3 and July 10 Riviera sailings that we have been referring to? Are you saying that they changed you from a 1 credit Grand Voyage sailing to now a 2 credit eligible B2B sailing?

Happy to tell you that I was in the same position as you and had an immediate positive response from O.C. I now have 2 booking numbers You might need a better travel agent ??

Congratulations! It is good to hear that at least sometimes the right result is reached. But should that result really turn on whether your travel agent is "connected" in some way? It's not rocket science to determine what a B2B cruise is; all of us mere mortals can figure that out by ourselves.

It's the very arbitrary nature of these determinations that is the root of the problem. They market it one way and then surprise you (or your agent) with another determination hidden in the bowels of their computer.

So if I had gotten on in Barcelona for this cruise I would have watched some of my fellow passengers get off in Lisbon with 1 cruise credit while I stayed on for an additional 10 days to get off in Rome with what? The same 1 credit! How can anyone defend that interpretation?

Hi Roger. Are you booked on the July 3 and July 10 Riviera sailings that we have been referring to? Are you saying that they changed you from a 1 credit Grand Voyage sailing to now a 2 credit eligible B2B sailing?

When I checked my account on Oceania site it was registered as a 24 day single cruise instead of a BtoB that I had booked after 6/7 emails to my travel agent .

They then gave me the email address of the person to write to at OC. They responded within 7 hrs and confirmed to me that I had a 14 day and 10 day cruises with two separate booking numbers.

May be it was a glitch with their system ??

Well the (unnamed) Manager of the Oceania Club has reviewed my query and here is the reply that was forwarded to me:

"This is not a back to back as he states. I believe he is confused with the wording in our brochures, however it is meant to have folks book an extended journey back to back, but not that an extended journey is a back to back sailing. We award cruise credits per booking and if they only have one booking number the cruise credits will be awarded accordingly. If they had booked a back to back, they would have received two booking numbers. I hope this clears things up. "

Anyone want to translate that second sentence for me?

Anyone want to translate that second sentence for me?

I believe that he is telling you precisely the same thing that I told you in Post #2 of this thread, which is (unbelievably) up to Eighty something Posts now.

I believe that he is telling you precisely the same thing that I told you in Post #2 of this thread, which is (unbelievably) up to Eighty something Posts now.

Perhaps my TA was not the most cognizant of all the in's and out's of Oceania "Lingo" as I did request that she book B2B for me (it was the only choice that I saw in the Oceania brochure) and the response from the Oceania agent that she spoke with with was that "out of convenience" they deemed it a Grand Voyage since we would be remaining on board at the end of the first voyage and would obviously not need ALL of the airfare that was included in two separate voyages and would save money. Obviously the TA agreed since it was saving me money. However the difference "saved" by the Grand Voyage price was, as far as I can calculate, the savings of not flying into or out of that intermediate port.

Obviously you speak fluent Oceania and this makes sense to you. But to me telling me in one sentence that an extended voyage is a B2B but a B2B is not an extended voyage is incoherent nonsense.

Further in the insert to Travel+Leisure That I received after this debacle began they again only advertise these voyages as two separate cruises with the Olife Advantage that I received showing that the first 7 day voyage would entitle me to 3 free shore excursions and the second 10 day voyage would entitle me to 4 free shore excursions which is consistent with the 7 free shore excursions that I received for the "Grand Voyage" of 17 days. However the fine print (there is always fine print) says that voyages of 14+ days are entitled to receive only 5 free shore excursions. So another measurable indicator indicates that these were and had to be B2B voyages but since "out of convenience" only one booking number was issued common sense is checked at the door?

One uses an Agent or Broker to buy and sell some items, such as stock, commodities, and Real Estate, but not when shopping at the Supermarket, because both sides agree that those first transactions are generally too complex for a civilian to decipher.

Similarly, travel companies such as Cruise Lines pay a very handsome commission to Travel Agents in the hope that they will guide their clients through said complex transactions with ease. Those Agents are not simply Onboard Credit and Gratuity dispensers.

If your Agent was not aware, or worse, did not comprehend the vagaries involved in booking the trip as a B2B versus a Grand Voyage, perhaps that should have been a red flag. In effect you were paying for the advice of a professional whose advice seems to have consisted entirely of telling you, "The rules are confusing and too complicated".

Would that fly with you if the transaction concerned selling a house?

In terms of the situation itself, Oceania is selling boat rides, hopefully at a profit, and the value which they place on the voyage itself, as well as any ancillary rewards and/or services lies at the very heart of their business model, the logic of which must remain proprietary. An explanation of "why" might please you, but it would also be deleterious for that kind of information to be generally known.

The bad news: A Cruise is a very complicated, costly and International transaction, the rules are constantly evolving and buying it often involves multiple trades.

The good news: Oceania pays for a professional to decipher it all for you.

Perhaps my TA was not the most cognizant of all the in's and out's of Oceania "Lingo" as I did request that she book B2B for me (it was the only choice that I saw in the Oceania brochure) and the response from the Oceania agent that she spoke with with was that "out of convenience" they deemed it a Grand Voyage since we would be remaining on board at the end of the first voyage and would obviously not need ALL of the airfare that was included in two separate voyages and would save money. Obviously the TA agreed since it was saving me money. However the difference "saved" by the Grand Voyage price was, as far as I can calculate, the savings of not flying into or out of that intermediate port.

 

Obviously you speak fluent Oceania and this makes sense to you. But to me telling me in one sentence that an extended voyage is a B2B but a B2B is not an extended voyage is incoherent nonsense.

 

Further in the insert to Travel+Leisure That I received after this debacle began they again only advertise these voyages as two separate cruises with the Olife Advantage that I received showing that the first 7 day voyage would entitle me to 3 free shore excursions and the second 10 day voyage would entitle me to 4 free shore excursions which is consistent with the 7 free shore excursions that I received for the "Grand Voyage" of 17 days. However the fine print (there is always fine print) says that voyages of 14+ days are entitled to receive only 5 free shore excursions. So another measurable indicator indicates that these were and had to be B2B voyages but since "out of convenience" only one booking number was issued common sense is checked at the door?

I went through the same debate with my travel agent as you did as the grand voyage was cheaper by a large amount, Oceania wrote to me via the agent explaining that the benefits of booking a btob were greater than the grand voyage.

Yet still OC put the btob in their system as a grand voyage and as I stated in my last post agreed it was not a grand voyage but a btob.

If you know the date when OC first offered your 2 cruises as a grand voyage it would solve the problem as I do not think it was offered originally.

If you know the date when OC first offered your 2 cruises as a grand voyage it would solve the problem as I do not think it was offered originally.

Good point

I did check when you mentioned your problem

your cruises were NOT GV when first offered

you can check the brochures ( I used to keep mine) or sometimes they are still online on O website

Some people seem to think it was always a GV but this new program (trick) was added later where they started combining popular itineraries into GV

Just another game by Oceania to P off their passengers

JMO

Good point

I did check when you mentioned your problem

your cruises were NOT GV when first offered

you can check the brochures ( I used to keep mine) or sometimes they are still online on O website

 

Some people seem to think it was always a GV but this new program (trick) was added later where they started combining popular itineraries into GV

 

Just another game by Oceania to P off their passengers

JMO

I think they do the combining when they have difficulty selling a cruise they put two cruises together and offer them at a cheaper price.

In doing this they do not have to reduce the price on two separate cruises before final payment is due!!I have a feeling this happened sometime in July because this when it flagged up on my agent's web site and I had my correspondence with OC

I think they do the combining when they have difficulty selling a cruise they put two cruises together and offer them at a cheaper price.

In doing this they do not have to reduce the price on two separate cruises before final payment is due!!I have a feeling this happened sometime in July because this when it flagged up on my agent's web site and I had my correspondence with OC

Lots of strange & not so wonderful things happening at O lately

Before once the GV were listed for that season they never added more combinations

 

In terms of the situation itself, Oceania is selling boat rides, hopefully at a profit, and the value which they place on the voyage itself, as well as any ancillary rewards and/or services lies at the very heart of their business model, the logic of which must remain proprietary. An explanation of "why" might please you, but it would also be deleterious for that kind of information to be generally known.

 

Your mention of Oceania's business model set me to thinking of what drew me to Oceania in the first place and that was longer, more interesting cruise segments. We really enjoyed those 15, 17, and 24 day cruises that we have taken with Oceania and I think that is one of the more successful components of their business model (of course the food, and all the other things that we all love about them are important too). In this case I think Oceania drifted away from that model and took what could/should have been one of their "normal" 17 day Mediterranean cruises and cut it into 7-day and 10-day segments. Now, normally I would have looked past these "shorter" cruises in their brochure except for two determinative factors: they were on one of the "O" ships, which we adore, and they happened to bracket my wife's birthday (it's on the "turnaround" day in Lisbon)

So, to "justify" choosing these two B2B, Extended Voyages, or Grand Voyages (whichever you prefer to call them) I decided that it would be a birthday treat to be able to stay on the ship when others were ending their cruise and celebrate her birthday in one of her favorite Oceania specialty restaurants (and pick up an extra cruise credit as a bonus). I now realize that I should never attempt to "force" a cruise selection with Oceania because of a particular date. All my choices in the future will be made solely because the cruise really, really interests us.

It will always be my opinion that Oceania erred both in offering shorter than usual segments and withholding the extra cruise credit that should have been compensation for whatever "inconveniences" we would have experienced on a "turn-around day".

We booked at the end of June (on board) three cruises for next year. It was just before the "O-Life" cruises were released. We knew 'something' was coming, but were advised that the old system was better.

Anyway, the first two cruises were also offered as a B2B. We had them priced both ways and the B2B was only marginally cheaper (I didn't keep the quote like a clot so can't tell you the actual difference). We were told that these two B2B segments, because they were offered as a GV also, would not attract any discount but the third Cruise did. We booked all the legs separately to give us flexibility (just in case).

Anyway, when we got back to Australia we saw the "O-Life" and it suited us heaps better, so I asked our TA to swing our reservations over to these. I also asked her to check whether we received the B2B discount on the three cruises.

The first two legs under "O-Life" were not offered as a GV so we received the discount on all the legs. Very happy with that, and very very happy that we didn't book the GV. :)

Just read you input to Cruise Critic. We also booked while on board our GV x 2 starting in Instanbul. Can you tell me what O Life is. Will look at this myself.

As have found that I can get my trips cheaper by booking here in Australia. There is a travel show in Melbourne weekend 11 Oct. Oceania will be there. Was going to talk to them then about my rates. They have told me that if I can find it cheaper in Australia before I make the next payment I will receive it at that rate. Would like to look at O life. though

Thanks Robyn Clarke

Bendigo, Victoria

Just read you input to Cruise Critic. We also booked while on board our GV x 2 starting in Instanbul. Can you tell me what O Life is. Will look at this myself.

 

Thanks Robyn Clarke

Bendigo, Victoria

Take a look at this thread about O Life:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2232260

Just read you input to Cruise Critic. We also booked while on board our GV x 2 starting in Instanbul. Can you tell me what O Life is. Will look at this myself.

As have found that I can get my trips cheaper by booking here in Australia. There is a travel show in Melbourne weekend 11 Oct. Oceania will be there. Was going to talk to them then about my rates. They have told me that if I can find it cheaper in Australia before I make the next payment I will receive it at that rate. Would like to look at O life. though

Thanks Robyn Clarke

Bendigo, Victoria

Not sure if you get the same O Life package as North Americans but it includes X number of shore excursion depending on the cruise

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