Flatbush Flyer

The O rep does not see the same web/cart display as do you. Different system. And you are correct, the web site offerings and the actual booking system (as well as the excursions list PDF you receive with invoices or upon request) often don’t “jive” completely.

I’m betting that, not unlike many new cruisers, you’ve been looking at cabin fare comparisons without considering the substantial costs of required and/or optional add-ons including things like beverages, booze, excursions, airfare, internet, gratuities, specialty restaurants et al. Most/all of these items are usually extra costs (yes, even bottled water) on the cruise lines you’ve mentioned. I suggest that you look instead at the daily net rate of your proposed trip (door to door including everything you need and want for amenities). Once you’ve done that, add consideration of what you don’t want - things like huge crowds, unending sales pitches, spring breakers (which, given that colleges may have semesters, quarters, trimesters and public schools generally do break pre-Easter while Catholic and many other private schools do post-Easter, pretty much cover all the spring months), nickel-diming you for everything, Also look at your usual travel profile including quality of food, service, accommodations. Once you’ve done all of that, take a look at more than the “mass market” cruise lines you’ve cited. In particular, consider a premium cruise line like Oceania which has small ships (670 to 1200 passengers), mostly inclusive (airfare or air credit, specialty restaurants, internet, beverages and a choice of booze, tours and/or SBC) and an earned reputation for the finest cuisine at sea. Consider itineraries as well. If you already love the Caribbean (which IMO is an overrated “one and done” location overrun with ultra huge floating amusement park cruise ship), OK. But, if you want true paradise, consider Polynesia and the Maldives. I suggest that you contact a cruise specialist Travel Agency - particularly one that handles a lot of Premium (and even luxury [i.e., all-inclusive] cruise lines). They’ll show you a true comparison of the industry segments and U expect that you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what true “value” is within your means.

14 days? That’s not a “cruise.” That’s a “boat ride.”😉

The Cart sometimes has issues including displaying retail prices (or even $0) rather than the YWYW price you’ve selected (though the bottom line costs are usually correct). Because different O folks appear to handle different aspects of the O excursions reality, the tours website sometimes lists tours that have already been cancelled or doesn’t list some tours that have been added. It also will almost always not let you book two tours in a day - even if they meet O’s requirement of an approx. 90 minute “layover” between them. in addition, there is no mechanism to cancel a booked tour online. And, perhaps most importantly, when you book online, you do not receive the all-important “prepurchased shore excursions” PDF which shows you all the math of O Life and YWYW (or Passport) package purchases. That is the essential document necessary to manage tour changes once onboard.

Ray’s initial retirement was short lived - having agreed to return to O for the current ATW. Right now, he’s home in Bali on vacation. IMO, Ray sets the “gold standard” for Oceania CDs - with just the right mix of adventure guide, raconteur and somewhat irreverent comedic talent - all wrapped up in an exemplary manager of the cruise experience for crew and passengers alike. It is no wonder that he is the only Oceania CD ever to have been awarded prestigious membership in “The Friends of Johnny Tokyo.” However, the spectrum of CDs on O is wide-ranging. Of course, with the understanding that different CD “styles” appeal to different passengers, I have found a different Oceania CD, John Clelford, to be at the lowest end of that spectrum. John’s problem is along the lines of being perceived by many passengers as disingenuous and providing only the minimum effort required for his job - particularly when compared to O’s long time CDs like Leslie John, Dottie Kulasa and, of course, Ray Carr (and even some of the newer ones like Peter Roberts [who preceded Clelford on one of our Marina cruises] and John Ekin who has transferred to Regent). Those CDs each have a distinctive “style.” But, what they share in common (and what is painfully absent in Clelford) is a genuine/palpable affection for their employer and for the passengers. In all honesty (and with apologies if I am wrong), I cannot recall a single Captain’s Welcome event nor any O Club party where Mr. Clelford “worked the room” after the speeches were done. Perhaps it’s a small detail. But, O regulars notice that stuff and commented negatively about it throughout a cruise. Add to that his dismissive “lip service” (or deaf ear) behavior regarding passengers’ stated (and bona fide) issues did create a bottom-line perception that “he couldn’t care less.”

There’s no O “app” (nor is one really necessary). You could use “TripIt” which is very popular among business travelers. But, I find the proprietary spreadsheet concept to be far more “user friendly” and customizable. FWIW, the one I use has ports, tours, times, food et al. reservations, contact/res info for flights, transfers, insurance and even a $ conversion to multiple currencies. I print it as a PDF but also have it as an XLS so it can be modified during the trip.

The extra reservations desk is for same day reservations. Depending on the passenger load, they will occasionally be able to book a day (or days) ahead. Admittedly, elite O Club status (or a butler) may get you some extra consideration.

I think you’ll find that many O regulars, including us, have developed proprietary spreadsheets that provide a single double sided document with far more info than the few items you’ve mentioned. We have them even for cruises w/land stays at each end.

I find that to be highly unusual. Sure, on sea days, it may be a touch harder to find extra prime time spots. But, from personal experience (and plenty of it 😉), I’ve seldom not been able to get a sufficient number of extra specialty reservations.

Nonetheless, OP would be far better off actually doing the research so that they are relying on bona fide governmental (and cruise line) websites than on an internet chat room.

Huh? Every/any port in your itinerary - start, middle, end - can have Covid vax and testing requirements. In addition, country, state (or equivalent) and city may have its own requirements. A lot of folks on one of our recent cruises found that out the hard (and expensive) way. While Oceania and Australia had no test requirement, the State of New South Wales did have one for cruise passengers embarking in Sydney. Good news: There was pierside testing for passengers who didn’t check ALL requirements. Bad news: some folks didn’t review their world geography (or a map) and didn’t know that SYD is the Capitol of NSW. 😳

You may want to take the time to search here on CC. Your questions have been asked/answered many time and a search will save you needing to post, wait for replies, etc. in any case, all o’s dining venues are the same when it comes to quality and food prep. The only difference is the ambiance of the space and the focus of the menus. No need to tip extra unless you want to reward a particular crew member who went out of their way for you over the course of your cruise. Even then, it should be done at the end of your cruise. There’s no charge for more specialty reservations. You can ask daily and it’s on a space available basis.

Unanswered emails and letters are valid documented attempts at resolution.

if it’s not on your O invoice, you will not see it in your online account and, therefore it can not be debited in online precruise purchases. BTW, I have only seen “OCAPP” on O invoices cited as “gratuities” coverage and, on the right multi-segment cruise, you might see Segment 1 OCAPP from a TA and segment 2 OCAPP from the TA’s consortium. I have seen other promotional discounts/SBC provided by O to both TAs and TA consortia ,as well as directly to passengers, on an O invoice. But, it’s always been identified for a specific reason (e.g., new O passenger perk, BoB bonus, etc) and these items may not appear in your online account (another important reason to have copies of any email/document stating the perk, it’s amount and it’s source). Now, someone here on CC may come along and say “I don’t do that because I have a great TA… blah blah blah.” That’s all well and good except that, once you are onboard, communication that involves more than just you and Guest Relations (or Destination Services or the Exec. Concierge or GM) can quickly get complicated. It is far easier to provide your documented proof of “whatever” and let O work it out with the TA if needed. But, in order to do that efficaciously, you really need to know what both the issue is and the solution should be. And you need that paper trail (I even bring an extra copy of essential docs or a digital/printable version) for the O staff handling the problem.

OCAPP is O money given to TAs on select cruises to be passed through to passengers who need their gratuities covered (i.e., they don’t qualify for O Club gratuities coverage). In one sense, it is SBC. But, it is already earmarked for gratuities only. Now, if you get O Club gratuities and are offered O CAPP $ by the TA, you can take it and O will give you $250 “in lieu” of the usual O Club grats. “In lieu” $250 will show on your account and is usable to prepurchase tours because it’s direct to you (not via or from a TA).

Hopefully, the final bill you got on the ship (no earlier than the last night prior to disembarkation), was the full details version with each line item specified. And, more importantly, did you keep all your receipts during the cruise and balance that statement? If so, did you happen to do a “book onboard” and then cancel it? If so, some of the BoB perk $ would’ve been taken back by O. Other than that, the only regular possibility is that some other person’s charges were erroneously posted to your account or you were undercharged for something (like numerous changes in any tour purchases made due to O cancelled tours or loss of the YWYW discount [unusual] when you didn’t replace enough O canceled tours). But, you’d have seen that if you had balanced the account prior to departure. The only other thing(s) I can think of is your possibly damaging something in your cabin (like using a hanging shoe holder that scarred a door) or smoking in your cabin (for which you’d be charged a cleaning fee, etc. FWIW: Though rare, we’ve occasionally found errors -primarily in bar charges and/or tour changes. It’s one of the reasons (other than “no surprises”) why I balance our onboard account prior to multi-segment changeover days, prior to disembarkation and at a random time or two during the cruise - particularly when there have been O tour cancellations with my replacements added in ways that may affected O Life or YWYW (which is why it’s so important to have copies of invoices, the “prepurchased shore excursions PDF” and all your receipts for onboard purchases. After all, you don’t need them until you need them.😳

Then pick cruises in the Southern Hemisphere.

What “onboard credit?” If it’s from your TA, it won’t work. Only SBC directly from O (as O Club or O Life perk) will show in your account and automatically be used to offset the cost of prebooked tours. In any case, as I always state here, NEVER buy the tours online. Call O directly and buy from an O Rep who knows that it is OK to send you the full math accounting PDF called “prepurchased shore excursions”

😳

They still make Diet Coke? Want no-cal? Request Coke Zero.

Anytime you see this question and it’s regarding a port stop, the answer is the name of the ship (and cruise line).

And, of course, any chance to get Dungeness is worth the effort. That said, “King” crab legs are big and that’s about all that is interesting (or tasty) about them.

YES! It’s a PDF called “prepurchased shore excursions…..”.It’s the one with all the math (not the “preselected….” one.

There are plenty of other times/dates available. Just choose “sharing.” You’ll usually meet very interesting folks on O. Also, once onboard, you can add/change reservations on a daily “space available” basis.

Again- to be crystal clear: if you want to buy the tours Passport, do not select the O Life tours option since the Passport includes all the eligible o Life allowable tours at no cost. Instead, you can opt for the O Life BASIC booze or even the SBC option which can then be used for those paid Passport tours which are 40% off.