Hanoj

“Patience, young grasshopper.” Oceania hasn’t announced anything yet. They had a webinar with many representatives of their top producing travel agencies and “leaked” some information about their planned changes July 1. The text we have read in this thread with details of the new simply more program are attributed to notes taken by TA’s who attended the webinar. It’s possible that management may tweak its planned changes before they are rolled out.

Viking is continuing its relentless expansion, not so much to grow the industry but to increase their market share by expanding its ocean fleet, much like they did with European river cruises. This requires significant capital investment and Viking has convinced its customers to provide interest free financing by requiring payment in full very far in advance of other lines. This approach is not without its risks, especially if the quality deteriorates - an acute risk if expansion is too rapid. There is some evidence of this, if only anecdotal. By changing its marketing and pricing strategies, Oceania may be able to capitalize on Viking vulnerabilities to attract such customers. One of the increasing complaints about Viking’s on board experience is that their itineraries have become stale. Two weeks ago we booked our first Oceania cruise on Vista in August ‘23. This is for a 12 nights British Isles itinerary. We had a similar (but not quite as interesting) fully paid Viking cruise for May 2020 that was cancelled. Interestingly, the Viking cruise was 14 nights (and still is - they just have the one itinerary that can be done in opposite directions), but two of the nights are in the embarkation and debarkation ports. Very expensive hotel stays called a cruise since it’s on the ship. But, beer and wine with lunch and dinner are included in the fare.

So. . . no changes to any sailings before October 1, 2023. But after this the fun begins. Will service be adversely impacted when servers have to differentiate the nuances of having guests booked under both systems? Imagine waiting on a table of 8 guests where there could be many different outcomes for ordering a beer at lunch. How much time will guests have to spend before disembarking to sort out account errors? Seems O is rolling the dice with this.

Will cookies have "taste" beginning July 1, 2023 with the introduction of "Simply More?"🤑

We're the same with regard to alcohol and ship tours and since we fly business class on international flights, we have already looked closely at Regent (SB and SS don't appeal to us, each for different reasons). Regent still appears too formal for our preferences, which is why we gave the nod to O for our first cruise since the shutdowns (formerly only cruised with Viking River and Ocean but not likely again). The new prices should reveal whom O regards as its competition. This will be interesting.

This is how I understand it. "Simply More" is the new cruise only. The old ala carte pricing structure is sitting on the ocean floor. Ostensibly, O is seeking to attract younger clientele. I can appreciate wanting to make it simpler, but hopefully the new marketing initiative won't be primarily a method to deliver disguised price increases. If it is, it may sink the line since loyal, repeat customers who are familiar with the extant pricing model will quickly discern the differences.

You’re welcome.

We are looking forward to our first cruise with O aboard the Vista in August. One thing I especially liked with the Viking ships is the full promenade deck that equals a 1/4 mile. The Viking ships also felt airy, and I liked being able to easily see outside while in most the public areas.

The 2 for 1 is misleading, and potentially discriminatory though solo travelers are not a protected class. It should read 1/2 off the brochure fare!🤑

Well, at least there is not a long list of nos. Otherwise Simply More is looking like Viking!

Does 2 for 1 cruise fares mean solo travelers pay half?

We are booked for a British Isles cruise the latter part of August. We might have preferred a concierge stateroom (weren't available when we booked) vs. a veranda stateroom but the concierge would have been $1,000 higher for our 12 nights itinerary. I won't again spend my time doing self serve laundry, but for the $1,000 lower fare we can pay O to do our laundry and still come out well ahead. We will pack one trunk suitcase each (these will be checked), which will be "lighter" than our last trip overseas in 2019. Our suitcases will each include an empty carryon bag should we decide to bring more home than with which we left. Hopefully, we won't experience much inclement weather since I only plan to bring one combination of clothes for such a contingency.

This 👆. Last thing the cruise industry needs is to validate the Viking model by imitation.

Evidently, customer convenience is not a high priority as it seems O would rather have guests submit insurance claims for recompense of missed ports.

Where simply more is less.

Is this a fact? Or, your interpretation? It's possible Oceania is making calculated short term decisions to reduce costs to positively impact their parent company's bottom line, even if it may affect long term prospects. NCLH stock price is well below its pre shutdowns price and has generally trended downward the last two years. Its unsecured debt rating is in the junk bond range. If NCL is not able to meet is obligations its future is tenuous. In such circumstances it is not uncommon for publicly traded companies to emphasize the short term over the long run. And, yes I'm speculating. "Never again" spoken in the heat of frustration is not definitive. Its possible O is confident many passengers will take your view of accepting missed ports, even if they become more prevalent.

Concluding "it's not the cruise lines interest to cancel ports" is speculative too. We really don't know what their interests entail. Companies, even large public ones, seemingly make decision blunders at times. Bud Light anyone?

Hi Frank!

Does Frank poach, err, post here?

I too @QuestionEverything. First Oceania cruise this August. We don’t drink alcohol and I won’t buy shipboard credit unless at a discount. We typically purchase our own airfare. We only bought O Life for three pp excursions, just to sample these on a new line. I suspect the new marketing initiative may be a cloak for steep price increases, which will be promoted using the abused “free” euphemism. Will O need to change its YWYW slogan since it implies choices the à la carte pricing model entails? Or will this be a pax be damned full speed ahead campaign?

It’s on page two of thread. It wasn’t easy for me either and more difficult the second time. Often I am able to search and find CC content I know I’ve seen by using google, etc.

It seems some are willing to give Oceania the benefit of the doubt regarding port cancellation decisions, and others are doubting the benefits of cruising with Oceania, in part, because of such decisions and ensuing communications. Status quo bias may impact perceptions of pax with either viewpoint. Our perceived objectivity is often more subjective than we realize and admit. We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. One viewpoint (with its biases) is not right and the other wrong (with its biases). Both, and all the variants between, are relevant. These biases reveal themselves during such discourse. Discovering and owing our own biases is valuable, whereas defending such biases (which are belief based) is unproductive. I appreciate the commenting has been civil, though I admit I am prone to poke fun and use hyperbole - though this awareness has moderated these tendencies. I appreciate reading about other cruisers experiences and discussions about such, both positive and negative, in order to inform and hopefully improve my own decision making regarding cruising in general and selecting specific itineraries and or cruise lines (and even different ships in a fleet). I’ve yet to cruise with Oceania. My DW and I are booked for an August 2023 sailing on Vista. My only experience is with Viking. There were many things we liked, but there are enough reasons about dislikes for why we decided to try Oceania. I recognize many of my own biases (and preferences) and I am presently attempting to develop expectations that will increase the likelihood I will be satisfied. And of course the most important expectation is I will be satisfied. Gratitude, not ignorance,is bliss. So, although I hope our upcoming British Isles Splendors cruise arrives safely and timely in each scheduled port, I am better prepared if ports are missed and if communications are poor by reading this thread. Thanks @hankandteri, et al.

Indeed, maritime law governs here. It would behove cruise lines to capitalize on the captain being the ship’s CEO by providing them training to maximize achieving passenger happiness, if they are not already doing so. Such training should emphasize communication skills development.

Perhaps when “rocket science” produces space cruises, these will be easier to make a completely informed booking decision than presently for an Oceania cruise. 😎

I expect it’s easier to fleece consumers than it is to convince them they’ve been fleeced. Perceptual programming is highly effective. At any rate, I was intentionally hyperbolic to add my agreement with the OP.