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We are planning two consecutive cruises with Oceania. This is B2B. Are there any additional perks when doing a B2B with Oceania? On board credit or something similar?

 

 

 

If you are doing it as one of the advertised/marketed "extended journeys" (usually 2 but occasionally 3 segments sold with a single booking number), you get a significant discount on the cabin price vs the total cost of the individual B2B cruises within that "extended journey." On the "extended journeys," you also get to book your specialty restaurants for both segments as soon as your cabin booking window opens for the first segment (not so on the B2B).

Though you may be able to keep your same cabin with a B2B, you definitely will with "extended journey." And, some single segment cruises that are part of "extended journeys," "grand journeys" (additional segments in the single booking), or the "world cruise," will have limited cabin availability showing until O has made a valiant attempt to fill the ships with passengers doing the longer hauls.

However, if you are a higher level O Club member, you will get the O Club OBC perk for each B2B segment but only once for the "extended journey" cruise. Likewise, with "extended journeys," you only get the O Club cruise credits as though it's a single cruise. So, it's important to pick those cruises with 25+ nights (2 credits) or 35+ nights (3 credits) to equate to the B2B values.

In general, we've found that the "bottom line" cost favors the "extended journey" discount. But, we always do the math for every option.

 

 

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If using Oceania air you will get a credit for the portion you will not use

They used to give a discount but not sure if that is still done or not

Be sure to check if it is not listed as a Grand Voyage or you can lose cruise points if that matters to you

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I think the best benefit is the day before the first cruise ends and you don't have that pit in your stomach!

 

My favorite part is the first disembarkation day when you don't have to get off the ship. Everyone else is sad and hauling luggage around. I can sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast, and be in cruising mode for the next leg.

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We have done a 35, 45, 90, 180 and have a 116 day coming up this year. Have never been bored or thought it was too long--sometimes seemed too short, but of course everyone is different. Wiks

 

 

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We've done a b2b and enjoyed it. One you stay on the ship with a nice breakfast in your suite, they clean your suite right away. As you watch everyone leave the ship from your deck. Another nice perk (but small) when others start to come on the ship, you get to go to the main dining room for a very nice lunch. You don't have to go to the Pool Grill or the Lunch Buffet.

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We're in our mid 60s and the longest cruise we've been on so far is 21 days and the longest on Oceania has been 14 days. However, after the second week, we started getting into the groove and could see us enjoying the longer cruises, especially if they had a DVD player in the room as we like to bring our own entertainment for those slow times. However, we love to cruise and have booked three 16-34 day cruises on Oceania next year. However, I must say that's about our limit right now as we have a farm and can't stay away too long at any one time. However, if we didn't have that commitment, a 40+ day cruise or even a world cruise would definitely be something to consider.

 

For us I think it comes down to attitude and being with someone you love being with.

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Would you spend 40 days on a ship with Oceania and still like it? We are afraid of many repetitions, food, wines of the house package, entertainment....

 

 

 

Lately, we're doing no less that 3-4 weeks on O.

Some MDR and Grill repeats after 18+ days. But the quality/variety keeps us happy campers. As for wine: regardless of any booze package we may buy, we arrive armed with some of our own wine and/or list of what unique items we can search out locally at varying ports.

 

 

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Lately, we're doing no less that 3-4 weeks on O.

Some MDR and Grill repeats after 18+ days. But the quality/variety keeps us happy campers. As for wine: regardless of any booze package we may buy, we arrive armed with some of our own wine and/or list of what unique items we can search out locally at varying ports.

 

 

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Does it mean that you can take wines or liquor on board also at the ports of call and not only at embarcation?

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We have only done one B2B (our first cruise on O back in 2004) although we have one coming up next May (only 14 days with the two cruises). BUT we have done a number of cruises in the 18-24 day range. (I can't convince DH to be on board longer than that.)

 

We weren't bothered with repetitions of menus. For one thing, from what we have seen the GDR menus repeat around 14 days. But the specialty restaurants have fixed menus. If there was something we missed on the first GDR go-around, we can try it later ... And if we really loved that first dish, we'll order it again.

 

If you are satisfied with the specialty restaurant menus that are fixed, why would the GDR be so bad with its changing menus? Unless, of course, you are like some cruisers we have met that refuse to dine there. Which is their privilege, of course, I'm not criticizing them for preferring to dine elsewhere even though WE happen to prefer the GDR.

 

Maybe I should ask you how many restaurants you regularly go to at home that have different menus each time? For me, that doesn't happen very often. Sure, they can have specialties that change ... but those are usually very few on the menu. (Our favorite local restaurant is a small one and they will have one special appetizer and one main course on an evening ... but rarely more than that. Larger restaurants may have a few ... but again, not many.)

 

Have a happy cruise!

 

Mura

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WE have done 32 days & wanted to stay on for the next cruise but darn they made us get off

Mr Picky found lots of variety in the GDR or the Terrace

sometimes we ordered the same dish again ..heck I still do that when a favourite dish is on the menu

Go for it

Enjoy

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Unless the menus have changed, we find eating dinner up at the Terrace Café much more fun than eating in the GDR, especially since the dinner menus are pretty much identical. For us it was much more fun seeing what looked good or going over to the grill and ordering steak and lobster and/or crab. Then of course there were the assortment of desserts which are much more fun to choose from when looking at them rather than from a menu. Of course, we would then on a nice evening go outside to eat on the terrace and watch the evening sky. To be honest that's one of the main enjoyments we truly miss when we're cruising with any other cruise line. But's that's us.

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Unless the menus have changed, we find eating dinner up at the Terrace Café much more fun than eating in the GDR, especially since the dinner menus are pretty much identical. For us it was much more fun seeing what looked good or going over to the grill and ordering steak and lobster and/or crab. Then of course there were the assortment of desserts which are much more fun to choose from when looking at them rather than from a menu. Of course, we would then on a nice evening go outside to eat on the terrace and watch the evening sky. To be honest that's one of the main enjoyments we truly miss when we're cruising with any other cruise line. But's that's us.

 

 

 

Plus 1

 

 

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We enjoy eating dinner at Terrace as well, especially on Marina or Riviera, but I don't understand Ken's statement that the GDR menus are pretty much identical. We don't find them that way at all. Yes, they repeat after some time (in our experience around 14 days but some have reported a shorter time frame on their cruises), but with 5-6 main course choices that are NOT the same every day, I don't see how they can be called "pretty much identical".

 

To each his own!

 

(One definite advantage to the buffet is that it doesn't take so long to finish your meal! I agree there.)

 

Mura

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We enjoy eating dinner at Terrace as well, especially on Marina or Riviera, but I don't understand Ken's statement that the GDR menus are pretty much identical. We don't find them that way at all. Yes, they repeat after some time (in our experience around 14 days but some have reported a shorter time frame on their cruises), but with 5-6 main course choices that are NOT the same every day, I don't see how they can be called "pretty much identical".

 

To each his own!

 

(One definite advantage to the buffet is that it doesn't take so long to finish your meal! I agree there.)

 

Mura

 

Perhaps Ken meant that the dinner menus at the MDR and Terrace are identical (more or less the same entrees offered at both places on a given day)?

Unless the MDR offers a special dish that we like and that is not offered at the Terrace, we dine at the Terrace or specialties.

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We enjoy eating dinner at Terrace as well, especially on Marina or Riviera, but I don't understand Ken's statement that the GDR menus are pretty much identical. We don't find them that way at all. Yes, they repeat after some time (in our experience around 14 days but some have reported a shorter time frame on their cruises), but with 5-6 main course choices that are NOT the same every day, I don't see how they can be called "pretty much identical".

 

To each his own!

 

(One definite advantage to the buffet is that it doesn't take so long to finish your meal! I agree there.)

 

Mura

 

Both of our O cruises have been on the Riviera and on each of those cruises, we would look what was being served in the GDR on a particular evening and found the same items listed on the Terrace Café evening menu. Now, like I said we've only been on two Riviera cruises, but that's what we experienced. Hopefully, that will be the same when we cruise next July on the Nautica. However, ordering steak and lobster every night at the buffet grill if that's what you have a hankering for on a particular night is hard to beat. But in any event the evening buffet entrees and desserts are pretty tasty and since we only need a table for two and really don't need to be waited on, the Terrace Café works great for us.

Edited by Ken the cruiser
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Perhaps Ken meant that the dinner menus at the MDR and Terrace are identical (more or less the same entrees offered at both places on a given day)?

 

Unless the MDR offers a special dish that we like and that is not offered at the Terrace, we dine at the Terrace or specialties.

 

 

 

Terrace has some of the MDR dishes each day.

In fact, just outside the MDR, you can see each of those two dining area menus daily.

 

 

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FUN is not a word I would describe eating in the TERRACE

of course if you like to see your food before your order & like popping up & down for your courses or waiting for your partner to get their food while yours gets cold yup the Terrace is a great place

Yes I know you can put stuff on the table to hold it & go together to get your food & come back to find someone eating at your table ..

 

I am not a fan of buffets at most times but we do go to the Terrace when we are tired & do not feel like sitting through a long dinner in the GDR

 

We eat in the GDR then go for a walk about the deck & have dessert /coffee in the Terrace unless service took too long in the GDR & we will have dessert there

I really did not spend all that money to be a jack in the box for meals

I like to be served

YMMV

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