Oceania cross-marketing to Regent customers

[kvisf]

I have been getting Regent brochures in the mail for years, but this week I got something new -- an Oceania brochure for their Summer 2010 European Escapes collection. From the way it is addressed and the references to the TA we have used for past Regent cruises, it's obvious that Oceania is marketing to Regent's customer base. I don't have any problem with that, but was struck by the similarity of the Oceania brochure to what I have been used to getting from Regent. It features "up to $2,000 price reduction off 2 for 1 cruise fares with Free Airfare plus $100 shipboard credit." The offer expires March 31. Other than being on somewhat flimsier paper, it looks very much like a Regent brochure.

 

My curiosity was piqued so I took a quick look at two 10-day Mediterranean itineraries that I thought were roughly comparable for Regent and Oceania (Mariner and Nautica, respectively). I've never cruised on Oceania but it looks to me like their Penthouse suites are the closest comparison to Mariner's regular suites (with which I am familiar) in terms of space and amenities, so I checked the fares to see what the difference is, and it is about $600 less for Oceania on this particular comparison. So if you factor in the included excursions and alcohol on Regent, I'm guessing that the cost difference is vanishingly small, assuming you drink and take a few excursions. The Oceania penthouse suites include butler service, which I disregarded based on many comments here about it being an insignificant benefit for most.

 

While I don't have any objection to Prestige Cruise Holdings cross-marketing to its customer base, I'm curious whether others on this board also received the Oceania brochure, and what speculations may arise about why this is being done. My guess: test marketing to help them decide where to allocate their advertising and marketing dollars, Oceania vs. Regent.

[lkakers]

I took my first Regent cruise last May, and have been receiving both Regent and Oceania brochures ever since. I was surprised to see you've only now started receiving the Oceania ones; I assumed they would have started doing this as soon as Apollo purchased Regent.

 

I wonder if they're using any demographic information to decide, or if they did a pilot group (which, if they did, I must have been in) to see what kind of response they'd get.

 

I agree with you about it being dubious whether Oceania is truly a better deal. I think you have the opportunity to get a less expensive cruise with Oceania, but if you end up choosing so many upgrades/expenses to make it match your Regent preferences, it may be a wash.

[Travelcat2]

We signed up for the Oceania brochures. The brochure on their new ship, the Marina, was more professionally done than any Regent brochure we have received (and, we did not see any typo's -- that was surprising). I also saw the announcement today that the next Oceania ship is being started.

 

In order to get a suite on the Marina that is comparable to the ones we are used to, we would have to book an upper level suite. When you add in tipping, cocktails and excursions, there really isn't much of a cost difference. They do, however, have more desirable itineraries than Regent.

 

Given the supposedly huge "family" market looking for upscale cruises, Oceania could tap into that and, hopefully, Regent will be left alone to become an even better luxury product.

[cruiseluv]

I agree, the Marina brochure was beautiful, very professional. I wanted to run and book a cruise right away! Unfortunately, the itineraries for Summer 2011 and beyond are not yet available.

 

The standard balcony cabins on Marina will be very similar to the standard cabins on Regent's Mariner, with the added bonus of separate shower and tub. If Oceania doesn't market Marina at higher prices than its siblings it would make for a very good alternative to Regent as I will not feel I have to upgrade to a higher price cabin to obtain more space.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I also get the Oceania brochures, and was impressed with the Marina one.

 

I disagree they are going after the family market--there are no indications of this, and in general O has not been encouraging to families with children.

 

I agree that prices for comparable cabins are pretty close, although at least you have the choice to get something cheaper with a smaller cabin. Something we may try in future.

[Travelcat2]

Wendy, I agree that, so far, Oceania has not targeted families. However, there has been discussions about families being the target market in the future (supposedly stated by Mark Conroy at some meeting). Since Regent isn't the best venue for children, perhaps the new and larger Oceania ships will be. From a selfish point of view, I'm hoping that this is the case. As it stands now, Regent and Crystal are the only luxury lines that have children programs during the summer.

[Sunviking]

We are booked on our first Regent Voyager cruise in November. We have never sailed on the "premium" cruise lines but we have been sailing in Owner's suites on lines like Princess and HAL for some time. We've been getting brochures from Silversea, Regent, Seabourn and Oceania for several years. I think there must be some data-mining based on one's credit card usage.

[Roland4]

I also get the Oceania brochures, and was impressed with the Marina one.

 

I disagree they are going after the family market--there are no indications of this, and in general O has not been encouraging to families with children.

 

I agree that prices for comparable cabins are pretty close, although at least you have the choice to get something cheaper with a smaller cabin. Something we may try in future.

 

As an FYI, you might want to keep in mind that the "cheaper" cabins on Oceania's three original ships also have just about the smallest bathrooms in the industry!!:D

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yeh, I know. And I'm sure I'd miss the wonderfully-appointed, arranged suites on Regent. But you do what you have to do. As it is, I have no cruises planned this year. We may stick to land for a while in general, much cheaper and in some ways more fun.

[poss]

I, too, have received and been impressed by the Marina brochure. Also looking forward to seeing the spring/summer/fall itineraries.

 

Question: OP suggested that Penthouse suites on Marina are closest to Mariner's regular suites. As I see it (and what I'm hoping is the case), what Cruiseluv suggests is more accurate, viz that standard balcony cabins on Marina will be most similar to standard ("deluxe") cabins on Mariner.

 

Btw, the bed size on Marina is more narrow than on Mariner. I gather that virtually no one else seems to care about this (at least not to the crazy extent that we chronic insomniacs do), but FYI (if I have it right) Marina bed width is 66" compared to Mariner 71"

 

Happy planning everyone!

[OrpingtonT]

Yeh, I know. And I'm sure I'd miss the wonderfully-appointed, arranged suites on Regent. But you do what you have to do. As it is, I have no cruises planned this year. We may stick to land for a while in general, much cheaper and in some ways more fun.

 

I do agree with you, Wendy. If we were not limited by age and mobility I wouldn't hesitate to continue to explore countries by land. I can control where I go, and for how long, limited only by my booked flight home.

[Travelcat2]

I do love land vacations -- we did them for 20 years and then switched to cruising. We considered doing another one in 2011 -- then checked Business Class airline prices. They are the highest I have ever seen. We could take a cruise on Regent for the cost of roundtrip air to some of our favorite destinations. We also considered Oceania and Seabourn. . . . just got tired of waiting for the itineraries for mid to late 2011. So, we booked a Regent cruise on Friday. We are cutting back -- only one cruise in 2010:o

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We considered doing another one in 2011 -- then checked Business Class airline prices. They are the highest I have ever seen.

 

Yeah, well that's one reason to cruise, for sure. So we may do a combo to Europe at some point. Or, we may just try one our charter companies that has premium economy.

[Travelcat2]

Yeah, well that's one reason to cruise, for sure. So we may do a combo to Europe at some point. Or, we may just try one our charter companies that has premium economy.

 

We have flown premium economy out of Vancouver to Heathrow -- it was quite nice! Also, some fares off season in Europe aren't bad. We checked a flight from Vancouver to Cape Town and were astonished when the price came to $18,000 (for two -- roundtrip bus. class). We did that trip on British Air in Nov./Dec. with Regent and paid $4,000 for the upgrade. Doesn't look like we'll be going to Cape Town any time soon.

[Emdee]

I dont think Oceania is targeting families at all. At 56 we were the young ones along with another family on a far east cruise on Oceania. They do have great itineraries though and I love the look of Marina so shall try it some time.

 

I have nothing against travelling with families and have taken my daughter on cruises and other trips from the age of 18 months. I shall let everyone know my thoughts after Navigator in August though.... I may change my story.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Another good reason why Oceania has not been targeting families perhaps is the size of most staterooms. In a Regent standard stateroom, there's room for a kid, or even a third adult. Perhaps this will change with Marina.

[hondorner]

I dont think Oceania is targeting families at all. At 56 we were the young ones along with another family on a far east cruise on Oceania. They do have great itineraries though and I love the look of Marina so shall try it some time.

 

I have nothing against travelling with families and have taken my daughter on cruises and other trips from the age of 18 months. I shall let everyone know my thoughts after Navigator in August though.... I may change my story.

Mr. Del rio has been quoted as saying the target demographic for Oceania is 50+. While children are not prohibited, Oceania has no provision for any children's programs, except a limited acknowledgment of them on Winter holiday sailings.

 

While it's just a guess, I would go so far as to say that 80% (or more) of Oceania's guests are "empty nesters".

 

I saw a greater diversity of age on my first (and only) Regent cruise -- more folks under 50, and more folks over 80, than I have seen on Oceania. That's not to say that there are no passengers under 50 on O, just that they seem to be more frequent on Regent.

[Travelcat2]

Mr. Del rio has been quoted as saying the target demographic for Oceania is 50+. While children are not prohibited, Oceania has no provision for any children's programs, except a limited acknowledgment of them on Winter holiday sailings.

 

While it's just a guess, I would go so far as to say that 80% (or more) of Oceania's guests are "empty nesters".

 

I saw a greater diversity of age on my first (and only) Regent cruise -- more folks under 50, and more folks over 80, than I have seen on Oceania. That's not to say that there are no passengers under 50 on O, just that they seem to be more frequent on Regent.

 

Yes -- I was wondering if things will change now that the will have two large ships with larger suites. Mr. Del Rio also supposedly said (don't know this as a fact -- it was posted by someone else) that families are the growing market. Crystal's top brass apparently said the same thing (they must think that baby boomers, with their money and time to travel have died:confused:). Anyway, this poster said that Regent, effective last year, was attempting to attract more families. Frankly, I don't see it -- especially since they raised prices for children in 2009.

[Emdee]

Oceania needs to realize that the children of today are the cruisers of tomorrow. I remember when I first went on Royal Caribbean with my daughter many years ago she loved all the programs they had and as years went by almost grew up in those programs. RCCL still holds a soft spot for her though I know for a fact that as an adult she enjoys Regent's luxuries. When we went on Oceania a couple of years ago her first comment was that if Oceania doesnt make the younger generation welcome then they will likely become extinct. I think she was refering to the forty plus generation that we found on Regent and not her age group ( mid twenties).

 

Oceania may be targeting 50+ but with cruises of 20 and 30 days on some of their intineraries the only people who are able to go on them are those who are retired. Silversea on the other hand has a nice mix of days so people like us who like to both work and travel are able to go. Regent too is in that category though like others on this board I am planning a land vacation in 2011 and no cruise booked yet due to the high prices on Regent.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

On my two cruises with Oceania there were less than two or three kids onboard Istanbul/ Greeke isles - none on Baltic Itin. More on Regent each time. There are no facilities on these ships for kids.

[orchestrapal]

Oceania seems to be doing very well without catering to children and we hope they will continue to do so. There is a definite need out there for an all adult, very limited smoking, casual with great food cruise line and Oceania is it. :)

[hondorner]

...When we went on Oceania a couple of years ago her first comment was that if Oceania doesnt make the younger generation welcome then they will likely become extinct...

I think the reality may be that when she reaches 50 plus, and is quite possibly retired at that point (as most of Oceania's guests appear to be), she will reach the same conclusion that so many of us have -- take the grandkids on Carnival or Disney or RCCL, but be able to come back to the sanctuary of few, if any children, and the enjoyment of longer cruises.

 

We took the 30-something kids and the grandkids on a 7 day Carnival cruise in the summer of 2008, and while they absolutely loved Camp Carnival and Funship Freddie (the mascot), 7 days was enough for everyone.

[Emdee]

Hondorner,

That may well be true but somehow I doubt it.....

[Travelcat2]

Hondorner. . . I get it and agree completely!