Flatbush Flyer

With the understanding that the prices you are seeing this close to embarkation are actually “decent” in this day and age, know that the Price difference between air/no air only demonstrates what credit you’d get for DIY. And that $700 is not the cost of the O Air coach tix (the value of which could be more or less than that amount. If you want O Air, you’ll be offered what they’ve got for routing with their contract carrier. If you don’t like it, you can pay a deviation fee (and any price difference from the initially offered flights’ fare) and tell them what carrier and itinerary you want. All that said, I recommend taking the air credit and DIYing it - particularly if you want bizclass (since O’s upgrade cost for bizclass is over and above the coach fare that’s built into the “with air” fare. AND, you’ll get no credit for the original tix purchased! As for the future: when it comes to air travel, cheaper is seldom better, at, least, if you want non-stops, adequate layovers, FF points, etc.

No one is “cabling” (or calling) you a liar. And I, for one, am crystal clear about what the “problem” is perceived/reported to be by the OP. That said, the fact remains that it’s the sum total of OP’s posts beyond his/her original statement concerning a perception of O “wrongdoing” that often confuses, muddies and poorly presents the underpinnings, justifications and culture of evidence for the initial complaint. In short, a lack of OP completeness and clarity has resulted in a need for numerous respondents to keep asking for more information/clarification as they try to formulate and offer solutions. Ergo, what confusion exists here is in OP’s presentation style and content as opposed to confusion in reader comprehension. And NO, that’s not “victim blaming.” It’s merely stating an academic observation that deserves attention. And, thus, the best course of action for the OP (as the clock ticks away), is to digest and apply the most useful of the help that has been offered here, take a break from posting in an attempt to focus on the tasks at hand and report back here on the final outcome of the ordeal.

Knowing what kind of TV connectivity feature(s) are present on the specific set and whether they are available (rather than intentionally disconnected), e.g., headphone Jack, Bluetooth, optical audio, would help to answer your question.

So true. When all else fails (which is usually the case), it’s “first come, first served.” 😳🤔😉😎

Actually, in this case, that’s far from the truth. In any case, let’s hope for the best for OP and also hope that the next OP response is saved for a report of the outcome.

Okay, you’ve done your best to explain it all. Might I suggest that, even though your many many replies are still missing/adding info and the thread grows more confusing each day, it might be a better idea to hold off on posting until you can report on the actual outcome?

IMO, consecutive cruises using two different cruise lines is a waste of time, effort and money. Expand your research to look at Oceania’s multi-segment itineraries (which is their hallmark. They’re a real benefit for O cruisers incl. discount of total fare, same cabin and added O Club perks. Our upcoming 5 week cruise includes three segments starting in Bangkok and ending in Tokyo. Worth checking out what O has since they do many transoceanic cruises that dovetail perfectly with regional offerings.

This was a short-lived, failed O experiment of a separate line (for folks with higher O Club status) at check-in for tours that met in the Lounge. Only problem was there was no enforcement. So, everyone just got in the shortest line. Saw it/used it on two cruises before it disappeared in late 2022 or early 2023.

As I trust you already know: It’s applied to any remaining balance on your account.

Being a member of the Connoisseurs Club is not the same as being part of its Elite segment (top 20). As for “are they really in the CC?” It would be stated on the Oceania invoice. And one would assume the’re not lying if they put the CC banner in their ads.

There is no list. Look for this logo and ask O regulars onboard.

“Slice it or dice it” anyway you want, but a bribe (to get “preferential” treatment) is still a bribe and is still low class. And accepting a bribe for the purpose of treating someone better than the next person could cost a crew member their job. In any case, kind words, a friendly attitude and reasonable requests will always get you more than will trying to buy extra service (or wrongly suggesting that you won’t get great services unless you pay extra).

I know for a fact that new hires on the phone rep staff get training. But, like with any customer service operation, not all reps are created equal. Though we mostly book onboard and then transfer to a well respected Connoisseurs Club “elite” (O top twenty) TA, we still maintain a good working relationship with a long serving O phone rep who knows O inside out and can often get initial issues (particularly the glitchy web cart for tours) quickly fixed. We use our preferred TA for perks and save it for O FUBARS.

Getting the Book Onboard deal within the 30 days prior to your upcoming cruise is nothing new. Over the years, I’ve used it a couple of times when new itineraries (in which I was extremely interested) were opened for booking just prior to an upcoming cruise and I had a particular cabin in mind. However, I can’t remember if I used a Future Cruise Certificate on any of those occasions. That said, I do buy those FCCs on occasion if the current BoB bonus is substantial. And, although I haven’t run into the issue I think you’re citing (I.e., not being allowed to “double dip” the FCC purchase bonus SBC and then get a second BoB bonus SBC when you use it), I would understand O’s position: If you initially indicated you wanted the FCC to be applied to the next cruise along with award of the booking bonus SBC, why would O then give you a duplicate/second bonus SBC for a “new” booking when you already had the FCC bonus applied to that new booking. One future cruise booking (either with cash or FCC deposit) gets you only one booking bonus SBC.

Actually, as a first time O cruiser, the right TA might have had access to a 5% “new O cruise” fare discount. I got one on our first O cruise many many moons ago.

I’m betting that’s correct. I just checked a sampling of my O cruises since pre-pandemic and, though I got $250 in lieu every time the TA covered the grats., the shortest cruise was only 3 weeks.

Oceania Cruises Amenity Partnership Program.

Silver O Club and above get complimentary gratuities. Like other incentive $ and/or sales, OCAPP is intended (at least in part) to encourage bookings where slow sales may be expected. That’s part of the reason why you’ll only see the OCAPP covering only the “least desirable” segment of a multi-segment cruise. One important caveat: If you can get TA grats (OCAPP or otherwise) take them if you also have O Club grats. In that way, O Club will then give you $250 “in lieu” non-refundable SBC.

Most importantly, I’d steer clear of any TA whose advertising an/or comments suggest particular perks are theirs instead of O’s. It’s a not uncommon practice among less than scrupulous TAs. For example, some TAs will make a big deal about covering your O gratuities charge. And, while that statement may be true, when you look at your official O invoice you may find the gratuities coverage listed as associated with your TA but also having the acronym OCAPP cited with it. OCAPP $ paying gratuities are actually Oceania $ incentives passed through to passengers via TAs! Likewise, suggesting that O Life or SM perks or even always included internet, non-alcoholic beverages and specialty restaurants are a “gift” from the TA is nasty bit of misinformation that should alert you to the fact that there will be trouble with that TA. (BTW, you’ll see a lot of that “truth bending” on websites that promote TA competitive bidding for bookings).

So, you want to know if “bribing” someone gets better service? IMO, it’s an insult to suggest to a crew member that they won’t do a good job unless you give them a bribe first. Save that “low rent” move for Vegas (yuck). If a crew member goes “above and beyond” for you, recognize that at the end of the cruise with a nice note including any extra gratuity. And don’t forget to mention their name in your cruise reviews.

Ridiculous. You just happened upon a less than seasoned phone rep. While it’s true that the events were curtailed during the earlier highly restrictive Covid reactions, they’ve been back since soon after the industry restart. In fact, O has added a separate welcome party for first time O cruisers.

Well, when it comes to cruise specializing TAs, at least one has a robust air department in part because it allows them to circumvent trip rebate limits imposed by tour providers (“technically,” the TA can rebate if it also has non-tour-provider services in the total mix). For us, as passengers, it can mean the difference in TA perks between a $250 gift card and a $2500 check. Our primary TA, which is one of O’s top twenty “Elite” members of its Connoisseurs Club, is also the largest North American seller of a popular high end tour company known for its small ship/land combo trips. Their air department doesn’t necessarily beat anyone else’s air prices on non-bulk tix but, it opens the door for doing the rebates for which it is so well known. In addition, it returns us to the yesteryear definition of TAs as “full service.”

You’d think that the first thing anyone considering an O cruise would do is “read the fine print.” 😳

As you said, “appearing to be.” Just because it’s not mentioned, doesn’t mean it’s not “included.” As aforementioned here a zillion times, there is no longer a “cruise only” fare. Rather, there’s now only a choice of w/or w/o air. Think about it: introducing all sorts of exceptions would quickly defeat the whole concept of “simply more.”

It would be “worth it” if you change your travel habits in the next several years and already have GE before Homeland Security suspends acceptance of new applications (which are at an all time high and unlikely to slow down).