ak1004

My CIBC visa has $2500 CAD per person cancelation insurance. But it has an annual fee. So it would cover deposits and initial cancelation fees unless you book like $20k+ trip.. Sometimes it's worth to oay the CC AF to get all the extra benefits.

Don't credit cards have cancellation insurance? I know mine does.

Thank you. Yes, I'm aware of the deviation fee - $150 I believe? But my understanding is that if you book the pre cruise hotel with them, they might waive the deviation fee?

How long in advance do SS offer the flights? Our cruise is May 6 2024. Also, do we need to let them know in advance that we want to fly 2 nights before?

My point was to show that itinerary changes are not unique to O, they can happen on any line.

SS cancellation policy: From the date of deposit to 151 days prior to the initial sailing date: USD 250 / CAD 300 per person; this admin fee this admin fee will be automatically converted to a future cruise credit (FCC) 150 – 121 days prior to the initial sailing date: 15% of the total cruise fare per person; Not sure if it's better..

I remember that this was the case on our previous O sailings, so I was really surprised to see 40 people on every single excursion we booked. Maybe this was an anomaly, not sure.

Yea.. the only problem with the explanation we got was that Qatar banned cruise ships for the World Cup back in April, and SS waited till October (after final payment) to make the itinerary change.

Thank you. On our last cruise from Barcelona to London, they consistently had 40 people on all excursions that we took, and this was the main issue for me. 30 is still reasonable, 40 is way too many.

Interesting. Maybe this is a recent change and they have some kind of grace period?

I believe this can happen with any line. We sailed with SS last year, and less than 2 months prior to the sailing, they cancelled 3 days in Qatar. This was devastating to many guests who wanted to attend the World Cup. They did not provide an option to cancel. Got this on October 19 for Dec.8 sailing.

If I cancelled cruises every time a cruise line made a change in the pricing/cancellation policies, I would run out of cruise lines very quickly.. btw, as far as I know, O is still one of the very few lines that has a 100% deposit refund policy if cancelled before the penalty period starts.

How many people did you have on average on O excursions? And where was the cruise?

Encouraging or forcing? If you ask the chef to cook, they will refuse?

And only in certain areas of the ship.

Maybe pricing was comparable because you stayed in PH? We found that regular veranda (or even OV) on Riviera/Marina is more than enough for us. Typical veranda to Europe for 10 nights is around $5,000-5,500 CAD. Add beverage package, gratuities and excursions brings you to around $7,500 CAD top. Regent typical 10 night to Europe is around $13-14k CAD. If you remove the air credit, it's around $10k CAD. For us the difference is even more because we don't drink and take mix of private and ship excursions, and also take OV most of the time.

They offered us very high prices for BC upgrade to Dubai last year. But the upgrade to Europe for the next year is very reasonable, lower than we could book on our own. So maybe it depends on the region? Of course it remains to be seen what flights they will offer. Anyone has experience with flights from Toronto? Do they use Air Canada and direct flights?

I would love to try Regent, but every time we check Regent, the price is at least 30-40% higher even after adding all the inclusions. So in your opinion, they provide comparable experience in terms of service, food, entertainment etc?

I really don't see where the issue is. Many cruise lines do all kinds of cruises, gay, lesbian, swingers etc. What's the problem?

I think 99% of people have no idea that some of the sailings are chartered as Lifestyle Cruises. I believe other lines do it too.

How does it impact the next cruise guests?

On "ordinary" cruises, people don't sleep naked in the bed? I know that I do.. On "ordinary" cruises, people don't do what you imply people do in their cabins? I know that I do..

Maybe wait till the new pricing and full terms are published by Oceania and then make your conclusion? I keep reading your negative comments, and it makes me wonder - with all you hate and negativity, why you still keep sailing with them? You know the old saying - actions speak louder than words.

Premium economy fares offered by O are excellent deals. Business are not.

100% agree. The "convenience and piece of mind" of booking through the cruise line is an illusion. The only time we booked through the cruise line was our upcoming cruise on SS next May where they offered a flight to Venice and back from Rome for under $4k CAD. Booking myself would cost at least 25-30% more.