harlor

Thank you for this thread everyone.

We too are Oceania lovers, but have booked the Queen Anne for a January 2025 sailing from Southampton to San Francisco, where we live. We wanted to try a newly built ship, and liked this itinerary.

Several of you have mentioned you'll be on the Queen Anne. We'd appreciate your thoughts on the Queen Anne vs the O class Oceania ones. We especially like O's food, so that comparison would help too.

Thanks 

Loretta

Does anyone know if we can now store our luggage at SCL for half a day?  We have an Oceania transfer on February 14, 2024, and our flight to SFO is late that night. We'd like to store our luggage at the airport, then head to Santiago to tour on our own. I've read that  luggage storage was supposed to open soon, but haven't heard when.

Thank you

Loretta

Does anyone know if there is a way to review passengers' comments on specific Oceania excursions? I'd like to be able to type in an excursion number and see what people have said about the tour.. 

Thank you!

1 minute ago, harlor said:

Are they still in business?  I can't get on that website.

Thanks!

oops, I see now they are not doing tours in 2024.

On 4/17/2023 at 7:19 AM, FlaMariner said:

Paying it forward....we used these folks last month and had an excellent wine tour before boarding our ship in San Antonio......We found two other couples from cc to join us and they had no problem picking us up at 3 different Santiago hotels.

 

https://www.ilovechiletours.com

Are they still in business?  I can't get on that website.

Thanks!

We've been on two 20 day cruises this year on the Riviera. Closet space is not an issue. There are also lots of drawers.  And as said before, we kept our suitcases unfolded under the bed.

3 hours ago, grmmybtty said:

We will be on the South American cruise right before yours, beginning in Miami and ending in Rio. We've done similar itineraries with Oceania a couple of times and have missed the Falklands both times due to high winds. We are hoping to do this again and will book Patricks tours once again. He does not take money up front, knowing that the chance of making the port is unpredictable. This time we will book the Oceania tour to Magdalena Island since both times we booked with Solo Expeditions and they cancelled on us. We took a private tour in Puerto Madryn to Punta Tambo and saw thousands of penguins up close.

We're also doing Patrick's tour, now called Adventure Falklands I think since Jimmy retired. I tried to book Solo Expeditions to Magdalena Island, but because we don't dock until noon, they couldn't take us (nor other tours I had contacted.) So we're also on the ship's tour.

If you don't mind, could you let me know afterwards how both your tours went. Hope you make it this time!

Loretta

Incredible information....thank you very much, again!  I've now learned to double check with Oceania to make sure our tours aren't mistakenly canceled!  In Port Stanley, we're hoping to get to Volunteer Point in a 4x4, but once again, only if the ship doesn't cancel the Port. As you did, we booked O's tour to Magdelena Island, so hopefully we will be able to see penguins at one of the Ports! I'll study the other Ports too with your suggestions.

Much appreciated!

Loretta

3 hours ago, meg1021 said:

We took the Sao Paulo tour with Oceania, while cruising on Insignia this past February.  You are correct that the bus trip is rather long and that Sao Paolo, a city of 22 million people, has a lot of traffic.  One thing that's not mentioned, is that the Oceania tour is mostly panoramic, meaning that you actually get off the bus on very few occasions.  The main reason for this seemed to be their overwhelming concern with street crime.  For example, we passed many interesting public plazas and parks, but were told that homelessness, drugs, and the risk of street crime, made it too dangerous to venture into the area.  We did stop at the Parque da Independencia, and the Pinoteka, an art gallery, but under the watchful eye of police.  We also ate lunch at a traditional steak Brazilian steak house. We also arrived back to the port late, but of course, being on a ship's tour, means that they will wait for you.  We opted not to do Santos, because we had already been to a working coffee plantation and coffee museum in Guatemala, during a previous port stop.

 

Just as an aside, the concern with street crime was also a worry for the cruise line during previous stops in Guayaquil, where we had a police escort alongside the bus, an officer riding on the bus, and a constant police escort while walking in the city.  In Santiago, our guide would not let us leave the bus to walk in the city, with jewelry, purses, or cellphones.  I, along with most other women, left everything on the bus, and my husband had everything in his front pockets.  I felt this was another advantage of taking a ship's tour, in order to get the added level of security, but everyone has to make their own assessment of risk, and act according to their level of comfort.  I hope this information helps you out a little.

Thank you so very much! 

Our January 2024 cruise begins in Rio, and ends in  Santiago. We don't go to Guayaquil but here are our other stops: Ilha Grande, Itajai, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Puerto Chacabuco, Castro, Puerto Montt. We're hoping to see penguins in either Port Stanley or Punta Arenas depending on weather! Is there any advice you can give us on these other Ports, if you did any of these?

Really appreciate it!

Loretta

Thank you all for the very informative responses!

Keep them coming!

Loretta

6 hours ago, ORV said:

It varies by length and room booked, as well as the cruise you're booking, I think. They generally have an "up to" price. On an upcoming cruise in a B4 we got $400 per person for a total of $800. It really does depend on various factors though. I have another that we only get $300 total, but it was a lower category. There are some promotions that the onboard discount doesn't combine with. You have to decide what is best. 

Thanks!

Thank you

The big negative, other than cost/crowds, is that the O tour bus is required to take the crowded road back to the Port, same as the road the trucks take. Therefore, the O tour is more of a "drive-by" tour. If in a minivan, then we could take the faster road back and have a real tour. So I'm told. I don't know if that is accurate.

Any advice on whether or not to go to Sao Paulo from the Santos cruise Port? We're on the Oceania Marina in January 2024. 

I've read that traffic is really bad, so we need to allow extra time to get back to the ship. Wondering if it's even worth going there since traffic could cause our visit to be so short. Should we stay closer to Santos?

I've read that, if going to Sao Paulo, it's better to take a tour that goes by car or minivan because those vehicles can take a faster route back to the ship than buses or bigger vans. 

Thoughts?

Thank you

Loretta

17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Reduced deposit, SBC on the current or future cruise (amount depends on new booking specs), discounted fare and price drop match guarantee. Nothing beats BoB. And you can then transfer the booking to your TA within the 30 day transfer window for added TA perks/$ rebate or refundable SBC.

Hi Flatbush Flyer!

I'm not aware of the discounted fare. Do you have a ballpark on what kind of savings BoB offers?

Thanks 

Loretta

Any advice on whether or not to go to Sao Paulo from the Santos cruise Port? We're on the Oceania Marina in January 2024.

I've read that traffic is really bad, so we need to allow extra time to get back to the ship. Wondering if it's even worth going there since traffic could cause our visit to be so short. Should we stay closer to Santos?

Apparently, it's better to take a tour that goes by car or minivan because those vehicles can take a faster route back to the ship than buses or bigger vans. 

Thoughts?

Thank you

Loretta

On 8/1/2023 at 7:05 AM, pinotlover said:

As far as numbers on a small group tour; as has happened before, we had four fellow passengers join us on one of our private tours on our Vista cruise. There were 14 of us in total. Four from an Oceania tour, and ten of us signed up for a private tour. We paid $150/ couple, they paid Oceania $350 each. They got what they paid for. An excellent small group tour of 16 or less passengers. We also got what we paid for.

 

For planning purposes, have you chosen alternative uses of your SM credits if O cancels either port or tour? 

Hi, 

Could you explain your comment about alternative uses of SM credits if O cancels. Do you mean choosing a different O excursion or are you saying we can use the SM credit for something else, maybe ship board credit?

Thanks

Loretta

On 7/23/2023 at 4:24 PM, Queen of DaNile said:

How much time did you have in Bayeaux?

I think it was 1.5 hrs, but the guide is totally flexible for you to set how long you want. 

Loretta

We recently took an Overlord tour to the DDay beaches while on the Riviera. Their tours are phenomenal. Ask for Chris as your tour guide.

Loretta

On 3/13/2022 at 10:19 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

No- we have to warn people about making this mistake. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” 

Hi FF!  Is that an extended balcony in the forward or aft of the ship? btw, we always try to get 7108, as you have in Oct. I'd like to know if the forward ones are too bouncy. We've always taken the aft ones when we had a choice.

Loretta

We also recommend Overlords. We took Tour 9, 8 people. Our guide was Chris, who is absolutely phenomenal. We all said he was the best tour guide we have ever had! We were on a Riviera cruise, visited DDay beaches from Le Havre in early June this year.

Loretta

Hi ORV!

We were on the Riviera for the 2 cruises (BTB) before yours. We got off in Southampton as you were getting on.

As you probably know by now but worth explaining for others, HH is from 5-6 in 3 bars: Martinis, Grand, and upstairs in the Horizons Bar. Horizons also has a 10:30-11:30 HH for those that stay up late!) We found the food to be extremely good: both the quality and the variety. Having all you can eat lobster tails in the Terrace Cafe buffet is unreal!

I need to tell you not to miss the O singers and dancers show called "The World Beat". (Different from the one called "What the World Needs Now.") It was on the 2nd last night of both of our cruises. Sit up front to see the leg work of the performers using sticks. We've never seen anything like it. The costumes alone are worth seeing. If I could ask a favor: if you get a chance, please say Hi to one of the male singers, Wyatt, from Loretta and Jan. He sings "Bring Him Home" from Les Miz on Broadway night. He also staffs some of the on-board activities.

Let me know if you have any Riviera questions. We did a 20 day Riviera cruise to the Caribbean in February/March and this past 20 day to France/Spain.

Have fun!

Loretta

On 5/5/2023 at 5:26 PM, FetaCheese said:

Re:  O air.  Found out that O now allows up to 3 days prior and 3 days end of cruise n/c deviation.  

 

I hadn't heard about that change. Does anyone know what happens then to the free transfers from the ship to Port or vice versa that we would normally get with the same day air travel? I'm assuming we would lose them but worth asking.

Thanks

Loretta

17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As long as the “higher” priced tours are allowable O Life ones (I.e., <$200 and no letter designations, e.g., OS, OE, etc)

We have the 4 free excursions on an upcoming cruise. Do you know if we can just pay the extra $$ to go on an OS category excursion? I see an excursion for $250 that I like; could I just pay the extra $50 to go on the OS one? I have a call to find out  but haven't heard back yet.

Thank you for all your help

Loretta

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The term “B2B” on Oceania is useless in understanding O’s idiosyncrasies. 
As I have posted a zillion times, there are three main types of multi-segment O bookings and the importance of understanding that difference can save you (or cost you) $ thousands.

1) O publishes many multi-segment cruises as “Extended Journeys” - most often two consecutive segments totaling up to approx. two months in duration. They have a single booking number and, generally, cannot be disaggregated to qualify for sales that affect one of the multi-segments (or even both single segments). Why? The two segments have already been discounted significantly and O’s “default” rule is “no double dipping.”

2) O publishes some select/longer cruises (most often 3 or more segments totaling more than two months in duration) as “Grand Voyages.” They are treated exactly the same as Extended Journeys regarding booking policies/procedures including a significantly discounted fare. What difference exists is usually additional perks like free laundry et al. 
Years ago, there were quite a few Grand Journeys published. There was even a section in the fat brochures and on the website’s Find a Cruise called Grand Voyages where O then started also listing the shorter Extended Journeys. But then, the Grand Journey arrangements disappeared for quite a number of years. But O never changed the Find a Cruise section title that then only housed the shorter Extended Journeys. That changed this year with the reintroduction of actual long Grand Journeys - three of them starting in December 2023. 
3) Combination (aka Custom) Cruises are UNPUBLISHED multisegment cruises that you assemble as a single itinerary comprising X number of consecutive segments. They get an approx. 5% discount on the combined individual fares (which may not be as much as the Extended Journey and Grand Voyage fare savings). However, Combo/Custom cruises get O Club perks for each of the included segments as well as option for air credit that is per segment. Those extra “perks” may easily add up to more than the savings in the discounted EJ and GV fares.
NO- you can’t make a Custom Cruise out of two EJs. That would violate O’s dislike for “double dipping.” 
 

Why is understanding the difference important (even to the point of using the right terminology when seeking a Cruise Critic answer about fare savings)?

 

The perfect example is this Extraordinary Savings Sale. Only one segment of your multisegment cruise on sale? If it’s a Custom Cruise (and there’s cabin availability in your category), YES. If it’s an Extended Journey or a Grand Voyage NO (though, in rare instances, an “elite”  O Club member [Platinum or above] and/or the right TA, who is a top seller of O, may get some added SBC as a consolation).

 

OOPS! One more very important item. Book Onboard cruises still have their price drop match guarantee (as long as there’s cabin availability in your cabin category) and, if you have a custom cruise booking, that guarantee is the main point you want to make in asking for a sale price adjustment on the segment in question. And don’t buy any argument you get that “you’ll have to rebook and the current prices/perks will negate your sale savings”!

 

BTW: Always remember that some perks are not combinable (e.g., Book Onboard discount and Ultimate O Life). Make a habit of reading the O T&Cs and Ticket Contract- particularly as regards Promotions.

 

Complicating this rather simple distinction is the harsh reality that many O regulars, their “lovable” TAs  and even O phone reps (AND some O supervisors) either haven’t “got a clue” or (in the case of some TAs and O staff) don’t want to make an accommodation that costs them lost commissions and/or fare dollars.

 

In any case, I hope/expect that this post will help a few folks who are getting/believing misinformed answers about their bookings as regards this (and other “sales” still to come). 

Thank you! This really helps!

Loretta

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Availability right now is all that matters. Of course, if people cancel, there’ll again be cabin availability. But, you’d have to have a faster trigger finger than everyone else who is checking daily. I can’t remember a better O sale within the past decade.

Thanks for the info. I've been trying to get the extraordinary savings sale but, since our June 1 cruise is sold out, we haven't been able to get it. Also, I have been wondering how often O has these sales. You answered it...looks like it's rare! Hope we're still cruising a decade from now!