Booking 2 cruises when also offered as Grand Voyage

Is it impossible to book 2 cruises separately if they are ALSO being offered as a GV? I understand there could be the problem of having to change cabins. But I think if I book early enough to be able to specify a cabin for each leg of the cruise and have it be the same cabin on both legs, I avoid that problem.

I booked a GV and tried to get it booked as 2 separate cruises and O rep told my TA, "No". I think I've seen others post that they booked the 2 single cruises a couple of days apart and got around O's refusal.

But, have any of you faced O straight on and demanded they book you the way you want?

I'm asking because I'm preparing to book what could be a b2b2b, but 2 of the cruises are also being offered as a GV.

Oh, and as to why? Because I'd like to get to "Silver" a little faster.

In my experience last year my TA did get me 2 separate bookings but not sure how hard she had to fight for it ;)

we had a 10 day + 12 day so that is 2 cruise credits instead of 1 for the GV

If they will not budge then I would book one now & then in a week or 2 book the next & see what happens

If the cruise is far enough out you might get the same cabin

I do not think you get the B2B discount anymore they adjust the included air so you get a credit for 1/2 of one & 1/2 of the next cruise

it is annoying for those of us trying to get a free cruise LOL

JMO

LHT28,

The cruises I want are next year and are showing "Available" in the cabin class I want on all 3 legs. We'll be on an O cruise in July of this year and was thinking of booking legs 2 and 3 onboard in the first day or two and then booking leg 1 (legs 1 and 2 make up the GV offering) a day or 2 later and seeing if I can can get the 3 legs booked individually and get the same cabin for all 3 legs. Looking at an Oceania Suite so think it more likely I'd be able to snag the same one for all 3 legs.

Here is our experience and why we will not book a GV again. We booked a 32 day GV from Sydney to Tahiti for 2015. The GV was comprised of two 16 day segments. Oceania told our TA that we could not book the voyage as two segments. The first segment was very popular and sold out quickly. The second segment was not doing well. Prior to final payment the second segment was slashed dramatically. We asked for the discount and Oceania said no discount for the GV. If we wanted to now book the cruise as two segments then we had to cancel the trip and re-book losing our cabin on the first segment which had been oversold from the time the booking opened up. Oceania offered the slashed price of the second segment to anyone booked only on the first segment. Those of us on the "GV" was stuck with the original cost. Oceania wouldn't provide an OBC either. This issue was experienced by a number of cruisers all with different TA's so the reluctance of Oceania to provide some sort of compensation to the GV cruisers was not a one off experience.

If the cruise is farther out, I would book the cabin on the first segment and then several days later book the cabin if still open for the next segment. These bookings will have two different booking numbers. We have not done this but others have and perhaps they can provide their experience. In the past you use to get a small discount for booking a B2B but I don't know if that is the case anymore. You may end up in two different cabins but the staff on the ship will move your belongings to the new cabin. This is want they they did for those cruisers on our voyage who opted to stay on for the second segment of the highly discounted cruise.

LHT28,

 

The cruises I want are next year and are showing "Available" in the cabin class I want on all 3 legs. We'll be on an O cruise in July of this year and was thinking of booking legs 2 and 3 onboard in the first day or two and then booking leg 1 (legs 1 and 2 make up the GV offering) a day or 2 later and seeing if I can can get the 3 legs booked individually and get the same cabin for all 3 legs. Looking at an Oceania Suite so think it more likely I'd be able to snag the same one for all 3 legs.

worth a try

Keep in mind on some cruises the OC suites go quickly

If you are trying to increase your cruise points I would compare how many you would get doing the GV vs booking them separately

Seems like you have to play the game now with O

JMO

Is one and two together 25 days or more?

Not sure how pertinent this is as my cruise was not a GV but I just recently converted a cruise that I had originally booked as a 14 day cruise into 2 separate B2B 7 day cruises as it made both financial and other sense to me.

Not sure how pertinent this is as my cruise was not a GV but I just recently converted a cruise that I had originally booked as a 14 day cruise into 2 separate B2B 7 day cruises as it made both financial and other sense to me.

I think O is now classing those types of cruises as GV

it was the same thing we booked last year

They combined the 2 cruises but also sold as singles

I have a variation of this question. What if I book 1 cruise single occupancy and the subsequent cruise double occupancy with a friend? Guesses are welcome, but anyone with actual knowledge or experience, albeit rare, would be great.

I have a variation of this question. What if I book 1 cruise single occupancy and the subsequent cruise double occupancy with a friend? Guesses are welcome, but anyone with actual knowledge or experience, albeit rare, would be great.

Not sure what you are looking for but I know someone who books cruise 1 as a solo cruise 2 with DH & cruise 3 her DH goes solo

I think they are treated separately

sometimes they get the same cabin sometimes one of the cruise they need to change cabins

Hopefully someone has personal experience in that scenario

worth a try

 

 

 

Keep in mind on some cruises the OC suites go quickly

 

If you are trying to increase your cruise points I would compare how many you would get doing the GV vs booking them separately

 

 

 

Seems like you have to play the game now with O

 

 

 

JMO

There's a long thread about this from last week on the O forum. Extended and Grand Voyages do get a much better price than B2B plus earlier booking of the second segment specialty reservations. The Magic number of cruise days is 25 (for 2 credits) and 35 (for 3 credits) to match B2B cruise credits. the cabin discount is usually enough to buffer any downward change of price in one segment.

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There's a long thread about this from last week on the O forum. Extended and Grand Voyages do get a much better price than B2B plus earlier booking of the second segment specialty reservations. The Magic number of cruise days is 25 (for 2 credits) and 35 (for 3 credits) to match B2B cruise credits. the cabin discount is usually enough to buffer any downward change of price in one segment.

 

 

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The downward change of the second segment that we were on was dramatic (talking thousands of dollars per person for a B level cabin). I think you have to look at the segments and if one does not look overly attractive then reassess the difference in price. In retrospect, our second second segment Auckland to Tahiti was basically for Oceania to get from point A to point B.

The downward change of the second segment that we were on was dramatic (talking thousands of dollars per person for a B level cabin). I think you have to look at the segments and if one does not look overly attractive then reassess the difference in price. In retrospect, our second second segment Auckland to Tahiti was basically for Oceania to get from point A to point B.

I did say "usually." You are correct that it is somewhat of a gamble. However, sometimes both segments (and the extended voyage itself) jump up in price significantly. Happened on our already booked 2018 Sydney-LA 38 day trip. Our jumped by several thousand within one month of publication (with each segment individually going up at an even higher rate).

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ORV,

Legs 1 + 2 = 17 days. Leg 3 is 7 days. Price difference between the GV and the 2 individual legs is about $1,200, or equal to the air credit for one cruise - which makes sense as 2 flights would be made redundant.

Flatbush Flyer,

I'm heading back to last week to find that thread and see what's been said there.

I know the OS fill up fast and I'd hate to miss nabbing one by a couple of days, but I could comfortably sail in a PH.

I'd hate to have the situation described above where one leg of the GV had a price drop that I couldn't get because I'd been booked as a GV instead of separate cruises. But I'm thinking that since these are Med cruises, that isn't likely to happen (he said hopefully).

Thanks everyone for your help.