ak1004

After further correspondence with SilverSky, turns out that the $1,100 CAD (~800 USD) is IN ADITTION to the deviation fee of $150! So now they expect me to pay $3,950+1278=$5228. while I can book independently for $4,474 CAD. Needless to say, I will be cancelling the whole air portion of the booking and getting an air credit.

For the itineraries and categories that I checked, the prices are the same.

They don't appear in a search but if you saved a direct link, the itineraries are still there. Funny.

I'm not really concerned too much about cancellation policy. But sometimes there are really good deals on points, so I try to book fully refundable flights when possible so I can cancel and rebook with points. This is the only concern.

Okay, got you. But isn't it the same if you buy independently? So what are disadvantages of buying from the cruise line if the price and routing are right? The cancellation policy seems much better than buying from the airlines.

What do you mean by bulk tickets? Aren't SS tickets fully refundable up to 3 months before sailing? This is what my reservation says. As for routing, if you not happy with the routing they offer, you can always say no and get the air credit. In our case, we were very happy with our flights (direct both directions) and we would be saving a lot, the only issue was the deviation fee. I was actually very surprised about the price which was more than $2k CAD cheaper than the retail price for similar price, plus you save on transfers.

Probably. But in our case they quoted us $1,220 USD per person for 2 nights ($2,440 USD total). Same hotel on Expedia is $1,500 USD for 2 nights. So in most cases you would be still paying more, just in a different way, but the bottom line is the same.

Thanks for the insights, very helpful! So you are basically saying that while they originally get prices well below retail, to change the date they might be forced to pay the retail (or close)? And this is the reason why they have to charge so much extra? But many others reported that SS charged them only the standard deviation fee of $150. You are absolutely right. And I'm usually book with points, which translates to much lower prices. However, in this case, when I checked prices, the SS price was below $4k CAD, while retail price for the same flight was over $6k. But now the retail price came down to $4,500, so if they keep insisting on the $1,100 CAD extra, I will just take the air credit and book myself.

Thank you for clarifying this. So the price they locked is for specific dates even if the contract is for flights 2 years in advance? And yes, I'm aware that they are getting better prices than the retail. But this makes the difference they request even less reasonable. If my booking was at $3,950 CAD (charged by SS) and the current retail price is $4,450 CAD, that's a difference of $500 CAD ($350 USD) round trip, and they are asking $1,100 CAD ($800 USD) extra for one direction. btw, at the tome of booking the price for those flights was over $6k CAD, so this was an excellent deal. But prices came down recently, and with the change and the difference they are asking, I would be actually paying more than buying them independently.

When we book, the total cost of business class flights was $3,950 CAD(charged by SS). Current retail price is $4,450 CAD. I'm pretty sure they are locked in the previous price contract, even if they have to change the date. But even if not, the difference is $500 USD for the whole flight, while they are asking $800 extra for one direction.

Well, in our case it's #1. They do have contract flights on the same date we want to fly (2 days early), but asking $800 per person to change them.

An update: Looks like I spoke too early. The flights they gave us were for arrival the same date. When I requested to fly to Venice 2 days early, they quoted $1,100 CAD ($800 USD) per person to change the date. Those are the same flights, just flying 2 days earlier. I thought the deviation fee is $150 USD per person??

Rest of the ships too.

I guess O will do what they believe is best for them and we will do what's best for us. While we are not happy for the new pricing model, if I stopped cruising every time a line does something I don't like, I would be running out of lines very quickly. Besides, for non drinkers like us, there are not many alternatives (only Windstar comes to mind, everyone else includes drinks).

We were in touch with them when we applied for a visa. They admitted that they don't have any control over the process or processing times. They just help you to fill the forms and submit them, which can be done independently with no issues. Once it's done, the rest of the process is the same. There is no need to pay the surcharge.

This is just terrible. I could tolerate an overcooked steak and pathetic stir fry, but taking 2 layers from the cake is a deal breaker for me and especially for my wife.

Thanks for the review! very balanced and detailed, love it! The Bordeaux time reduction is really annoying, and the port time reductions look more and more like a real issue. We love almost everything about Oceania, but those itinerary changes and port cancellations are a real concern to us.

This is why I always order medium rare and usually get it medium lol..

I agree with you about the beef. We felt that this was the only food that was not as good as before.

Except for Viking, what would you consider as a viable alternative to O, with good itineraries and comparable (or slightly higher) pricing if itinerary is the main driver?

Okay, I just double checked, those are Canadian dollars (nowhere on the website it is mentioned), and they are using very unfavorable exchange rate of 1.40. In USD it is $650-700, which is still higher than comparable sailings on SB or SS, but not by much.

Thank you for providing the feedback! I just checked Explora website, prices start at $900/night. At those prices, they have to be not just better, they have to be in a different league. Are they?

I completely understand your point of view and 100% respect it. It's just that things that are important to you are less important to me. btw, for the record, to comment in the escrow issue, I had 3 deposits for future cruises and it took a lot of time and effort to get them back. However, I don't believe that the new owners should be held responsible for the sins of the previous owners. This is not something that would affect my decision to book or not to book Crystal cruise. And as usual with CC threads, we are now completely off the original topic. I'm not sure why this is even being discussed now - this is ancient history.

So now you are saying that passengers on Crystal are more special than on other lines? We treated the crew exactly the same way on Crystal, SS and other lines, but we did not get any special treatment back. Great service? Yes, but no more "special" on Crystal than SS or Oceania or Azamara. Now I know why. It's because we are not special.

I thought that officers are supposed to engage with guests and not the opposite? Keith, as someone who spent more than 4 years (almost quarter of your life in the last 20 years) on board Crystal, I can completely understand why Crystal is so special to you. But maybe try to understand that for most people Crystal is just another luxury line and not something special like it is to you? You have an answer for every critical comment, but your case and your experience are not typical. Not even close.