Dwtlion

Further research shows that Azamara, Princess and Holland America also have Antarctic drive-bys this coming winter. All these cruise lines can't be wrong!

Regent's Voyager has an Antarctica drive-by similar to Oceania's scheduled to depart January 19, 2023.

Either we now have 2 cruise lines publishing false itineraries; or there is more to this story. Since I am booked on a similar O cruise in Dec. '23, clarity from O would be appreciated.

On 5/7/2022 at 7:12 PM, PhD-iva said:

No, I am referring to the O life excursion package as the selected benefit. Each pax is given a specific number of free excursions (up to $199 price). 
my experience has been that I received half of the number of excursions per stateroom even though I was paying a 100% single supplement. Perhaps it will be different going forward, or perhaps my TA did not get a good deal for me in the past. It would be interesting to know whether other solo passengers are allotted the same number of total excursions as a state room occupied by two pax (double occupancy).

Unless you push back (thru your TA) Solo travelers will only get 1/2 the Olife offering. Remind O that their website says Olife benefits are per stateroom. I have 3 cruises booked between now and 12/23 with all receiving the full 100% Olife offerings.

24 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

It’s possible he is selecting which excursions to purchase…..

But, do you mean instead he should be selecting olife? Selecting Olife does not make sense for solo cruisers as solo cruisers only receive half of the excursion allotment compared to two passengers in a state room.

Hi Robin,

On the Riviera TA I was with you, plus 2 future bookings, I got the full Olife when in a double cabin.

Also the excursion Olife is a good deal with a port intensive cruise as you can go up to $199 excursions. Plus they count towards the 25% discount if you can meet the number threshold.

Don

I can understand....maybe..... reducing Olife for a single cabin. But not when O is asking you to pay for both beds.

Has Oceana change the Olife amounts for solo passengers occupying a double occupancy cabin? A cruise I completed in November as well as two bookings for August and next fall, the Olife amounts as per the website are per stateroom. In no case are either the shipboard credits  or the free shore excursions reduced to 50% for a solo booking. However when looking at the new itineraries just released, the Olife amounts for the credits and shore excursions have been cut in half- not what either the website or past practice indicates.

Now a solo pays the total for 2 beds, but gets only half of the Olife. If this is now the policy, the only Olife option that makes sense is the beverage package if you are a drinker. Otherwise, if you have selected Olife credits or excursions, you are in effect paying more than what a double occupancy would cost. Website error or new policy?

Mike, I am booked on Explorer 4/25/23. Shore excursions became available to book yesterday. However as of tonight (4/26), you can't book an excursion. Not a life or death issue, but does anyone in your shop know about this issue?

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

.....and there  was a distinct change in  the sort of passenger  you found on board.........  Lije a play.... the meals and ship is the stage... the people are the drama.

Can you elaborate on what you felt was the difference in passengers?

August is the month for Edinburgh! You have the Tatoo in the evenings and the Edinburgh Festival during most days. Google both to get more details. They are not to be missed. Not sure if you are doing an overnight in Edinburgh, but if you are, go on line and try to get Tatoo tickets- sells out very fast  Finally to get an idea of the Tatoo performance, You tube is your friend.

6 minutes ago, Mike Moore said:

The only way to see that information would be to go into the Plan My Cruise booking engine portion of the sight, select one guest, and move through a few steps to get pricing. When we redesign the booking engine (likely 2023) we'll make some improvements to make accessing that information easier.

Mike, I use the booking engine and select 1 guest, but I never see the special offer solo fare. What am I missing?

Mike,

As a solo traveler, I can't see the correct fare for a cruise with a special solo rate (e.g. 25% surcharge).

The web site just shows the usual 2x fare. Consequently, I have to call my RSSC rep. Am I missing a way to see these special solo offers?

On 4/19/2022 at 3:45 PM, Doubt It said:

Greetings everyone:

 

Hope everyone did not OD on chocolate over Easter!

 

Your assistance would be appreciated. 

 

Q - What does the Best Price Guarantee mean regarding an existing booking - ie if there are promotions etc?

 

My Aug 27 sailing on Insignia is included in the current O promotion of all 3 - so does this apply to your a) current booked price, or b) to get the 3,  do you have to re-book at the higher price, which is $900 pp higher than the booked price.

 

Being rather unfamiliar with 0 - I would appreciate you darn experts to enlighten me!

 

Many thanks! 

 

 

I am on the same sailing as a single. The fare increase (an A3) was only $200 so it was a no brainer to take the Ultimate package. Between the beverage package and the shore excursions, I netted over $800 in savings.

One side note is that the O agent at first said my onboard cruise credits would be cut in half since I was a single. I objected and noted that Olife benefits are per stateroom. I insisted he check with the revenue department. And, sure enough he was wrong and I got the full Olife credit. I wonder how many other single cruisers he has told wrong information; and the passengers didn’t know any better.

On 4/19/2022 at 3:45 PM, Doubt It said:

Greetings everyone:

 

Hope everyone did not OD on chocolate over Easter!

 

Your assistance would be appreciated. 

 

Q - What does the Best Price Guarantee mean regarding an existing booking - ie if there are promotions etc?

 

My Aug 27 sailing on Insignia is included in the current O promotion of all 3 - so does this apply to your a) current booked price, or b) to get the 3,  do you have to re-book at the higher price, which is $900 pp higher than the booked price.

 

Being rather unfamiliar with 0 - I would appreciate you darn experts to enlighten me!

 

Many thanks! 

 

 

I am on the same sailing as a single. The fare increase (an A3) was only $200 so it was a no brainer to take the Ultimate package. Between the beverage package and the shore excursions, I netted over $800 in savings.

One side note is that the O agent at first said my onboard cruise credits would be cut in half since I was a single. I objected and noted that Olife benefits are per stateroom. I insisted he check with the revenue department. And, sure enough he was wrong and I got the full Olife credit. I wonder how many other dingle cruisers he has told wrong information; and the passengers didn’t know any better.

On 3/31/2022 at 10:31 PM, LHT28 said:

What cruise  & what cabin cat did you book?

 

Looking at the  2 Aug cruises only A & B cabins are included in the SS deal 

If you are booked in those  then ask for the SS deal

I would call or have your TA call do not go by the website price

How do you know what categories and price without calling O?

Appears Cat. E will only show up if, when potentially booking a cruise, you indicate only 1 passenger.

On 3/22/2022 at 3:39 AM, rojaan19 said:

Jeez,  how hard is it to  pack,  a jacket,  a pair of dark  trousers, and a tie  !!! 

 

I really cant see what all the fuss is about. dress appropriately.  Or sit at the Grill.

Or better yet, I could chose a different cruise line like Regent and be in the 21st. century.

Riding It Out (maritime-executive.com)

The inability to see all cabin categories and their pricing on one page for any particular cruise is a big step backwards IMHO. Now, with the 2-category upgrade promotion, what was difficult to make an informed decision becomes almost impossible. Please bring back the one-page summary with availability (waitlisted, guaranteed, unavailable).

44 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Not true..

Never has been ...they try to keep them very separate

Jan

On a lot of things that makes good business sense, but not on an issue impacting all 3 lines the same way. Gives the cruising public the wrong impression of NCLH.

Can you imagine GM using the same tires on all cars in all divisions. Yet voluntarily doing a recall on Buicks, but making Cadillac owners grovel for replacements. That's what O is doing now.

46 minutes ago, ORV said:

Not sure how it works on Oceania, but there will be some gotcha there. I know Celebrity has a system to make this work in their favor. Chips purchased with non refundable have to be played. If you win then you can cash in your winnings. So do you feel lucky? 

Chips purchased through your on board account carry a service charge (3 or 5%??).

Below is what Oceania has on their web site; presumably current as of yesterday. Regent should be ashamed for not having similar information. Time for Mr. DelRio to have a prayer meeting with Regent.

TRAVEL AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR DECEMBER 2021 + JANUARY 2022 VOYAGES
The information presented below is current as of December 21, 2021. As health and entry requirements vary by country and are rapidly evolving, we strongly suggest you re-check this information five (5) days prior to commencing travel.
The information contained in this document is applicable to the following voyages:
Marina – January 8 and 28, 2022 (Page 3)
Riviera – December 23, 2021 and January 4, 14, and 28, 2022 (Page 😎 Insignia – January 6, 2022 (Page 12)
Sirena – January 22, 2022 (Page 13)
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Please ensure that prior to commencing travel, you have all of the travel documents and pre-travel……

Was placed at a table with a woman 2 weeks ago that opened her mouth when we sat down and didn’t shut it until desert finished. The worst dining experience ever. Either go with friends or beware.

Regent (O’s NCLH sister) has an excellent air department. For a cruise in April, after doing my research, I told them the flights I wanted for a flight to Tokyo. The R agent consulted her computer and confirmed my selection. I thus paid the $175 and got confirmed reservations 9 months before sailing and I picked my seats. This cruise included Business class air as opposed to O’s often included economy. But the logistics are the same.

16 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Can you share the contact info of your vendor? THX!

Vendor is a local higher end pharmacy chain in Charlotte: Carolina Pharmacy

3 hours ago, Cliff-FLL said:

  Our negative test results, for which Holy Cross in Fort Lauderdale charged $790pp, were also summarily put to the side and never glanced at by the check-in staff.  

 

790pp is about $630 more than I am paying for a PCR test with results within an hour. Did they also take out your gall bladder?