Oceania Shore Tour pricing

[EDLOS]

Am I missing something here, A typical 3 1/2 to 4 hour shore tour from Oceania priced at $129.00 /person or more which is generally $49.00 to $69.00 on other Cruise Lines ??? That's 258.00 for 2 !!

A 1 Ltr. Bottle of liquor to have a drink on your verandah is $110.00 versus on HAL is $34.50

I am starting to regret booking my July cruise on the Regatta, i.e. $10.00 to launder a pair of socks is also a possiblity and $20.00 to attend " life boat drill " ??

Please don't answer me with " stay on the ship, don't drink and you can wear your socks more than once":confused:

[LHT28]

Book private tours & take your own liquor to drink on your veranda

 

Self serve laundry $2 per load to wash $2 to dry ;)

 

 

No charge for the muster drill ;)

[Pandora1958]

Am I missing something here, A typical 3 1/2 to 4 hour shore tour from Oceania priced at $129.00 /person or more which is generally $49.00 to $69.00 on other Cruise Lines ??? That's 258.00 for 2 !!

A 1 Ltr. Bottle of liquor to have a drink on your verandah is $110.00 versus on HAL is $34.50

I am starting to regret booking my July cruise on the Regatta, i.e. $10.00 to launder a pair of socks is also a possiblity and $20.00 to attend " life boat drill " ??

Please don't answer me with " stay on the ship, don't drink and you can wear your socks more than once":confused:

 

Have sailed Oceania a dozen times and have NEVER heard of a charge for drill. Don't know what cabin you booked but I always do hand wash using the machines for jeans, shorts, shirts. So easy especially with balcony. And, Oceania allows passengers to bring on own liquor and wine. They just request not to drink it in public rooms. Tours? Much better on own with group from ship which you can usually find on this board.

[Shining Clem]

If you don't want to spend time (wait time plus wash time) in the one laundry room on Regatta, it'll take you about 5 minutes to wash & rinse several prs of socks, roll them up in a towel, drape them over the shower clothes line provided and wait over-night. (A blast from the bathrm hair dryer helps too). The sink is large enough to do this.

 

Bring some clothes pins & wash out underwear too. A couple of plastic hangers will take care of knit tops, plus you can get more wire hangers. Sometime during the week, they might run a laundry special - same day service same price as overnight. We used that and for abt $25. had a couple of things & a heavy duty canvas pr of pants which had gotten quite dirty & dusty on a day trip to a Nature Sanctuary in NZ washed.

 

As for the booze, you are allowed to bring 2 bottles of whatever on board. Many ports/airports have nearby liquor stores (some duty free) Just remember you have to pack it in checked luggage initially. (Lots of posts here, plus check your contract for the latest) Following suggestions here, we exchanged our bottle of champagne for red wine, plus a gift from our TA & had the housekeeping staff exchange dirty wine glasses for clean ones. They were a little slow with the ice bucket filling, but we never pushed it.

 

Yes, the day trips are too expensive. Unfortunately, as we found out, especially at small ports with highly desired destinations, Oceania will have bought up all the available tickets, and you will not be able to make your own arrangements directly with the operator. (This stinks, IMO) They also might advance the ship departure just enough, so you can not take advantage of a tour later in the day. This is less likely in cities or larger ports; depends upon where you are going.

 

Even at some of the smaller places in NZ, we found independents with signs advertising their travel services. But you probably can't count on this.

 

As has been suggested, sign up here on CC for your particular voyage & form (or join) your own group. Also do research on the destination area of CC & Trip Advisor. Guide bks such as Frommer's, Steves, Lonely Planet, etc can be consulted about what is available in the area. Hopefully you have access to a good library system, if you don't wish to buy right away.

 

The price of such things as transfers and pre & post voyage hotels also are generally over priced. All can be generally worked around with a little research. All the cruise lines try to get more $$ from you once you are on-board - you just have to decide what you want to or need to, pay for this service, and how resourceful you are.

 

Have fun & a great time!

[Mura]

I'm not at all sure about the two-bottle limitation on liquor. Agreed, not everyone wants to haul around a case or two of booze or wine, but many people have posted here about doing so. They've had the case delivered to their cabin with no problems. (Just don't try drinking it all at once or they may well throw you off the ship ...) :D

 

Mura

[neepawa]

We take wine or liquor onto the ship in our carry-on luggage. You may also buy spirits at all the ports for your personal use in your cabin.

 

Don

[Shining Clem]

We take wine or liquor onto the ship in our carry-on luggage. You may also buy spirits at all the ports for your personal use in your cabin.

 

This is probably more accurate. I may have been thinking of Celebrity, plus transferring from airport directly to the ship. And yes, you can bring liquor on-board from any of your port stops.

[RetiredFL]

If you look at the web sites offering travel supplies or are near a travel shop consider buying blow up hangars. We wear knit polo shirts during the day and if you get the combo cotton and synthetic fabric they dry overnight on these hangars as they blow up is wide enought to keep the front and back separated.

Other than that the laundry service is not expensive, all things considered.

We also try and hang things up when we take them off and smooth them out. They look good much longer.

If you plan to use the laundry machines, the soap is provided but take some dryer sheets in a baggie as they really help.

As to shore excursions, do your homework and check your roll call. We usually find some kindred spirits for private tours.

[no fuss travel]

Remember too that you don't have to pay for bottled water or for soft drinks as well. HAL was charging $3.95 for a bottle of water on our New Year's cruise. The best thing as far as I am concerned is that there is not a haggle of photographers following always trying to take your picture.

[Bruin Steve]

Am I missing something here, A typical 3 1/2 to 4 hour shore tour from Oceania priced at $129.00 /person or more which is generally $49.00 to $69.00 on other Cruise Lines ??? That's 258.00 for 2 !!

 

I am not sure which "typical 3 1/2 to 4 hour shore excursion" this is...

I am guessing you are just pulling numbers out of the air...

 

We cruise on a number of different lines...and from my experience, Oceania's shorex prices MAY be slightly higher in some places...but most definitely not out of line...

 

All cruise lines use the same local providers for shorexes...and prices are typically arrived at by taking what that local provider charges and adding a premium for the cruise line to cover the costs of its handling and administration...and, of course, a small profit...

 

I think that, due to the larger volume and spreading out of overhead over more passengers, many larger ship lines can sptread those costs over more passengers and, therefore, charge a slightly lower price...

 

But, not always true...

I have compared shorex costs on several lines over the years...

Oceania has typically been about 10-12% higher than Celebrity...but Royal Caribbean, surprisingly, has also been about 5% higher than Celebrity--and they are in the same parent umbrella! We just compared ALL of the excursions for our upcoming Iceland/Norway cruise on Celebrity with those offered this summer by a similar RCCL cruise to the same ports...and every RCCL excursion was priced at about $5-10 more!

Interestingly, I have also found Shorexes on Princess to be about 12-15 higher than Royal Caribbean...so higher than even Oceania, despite larger number of passengers!

 

While cruising on Oceania, I have always taken a combination of private tours and shorexes...There are ports where the shorexes make sense for a number of reasons...

 

Face it, shorexes are typically expensive however you do it...but think of it in the context of the overall cost of your cruise vacation...

 

If you wish to have a tour in port, you usually have options...If you can do better than the shorex, go ahead...

 

If you think HAL's shorex pricing is that much an attraction, then, by all means, cruise with HAL...

 

Of course, for some of us, price is not the determinant of which cruise or cruiseline we choose...

If price alone...or costs of any particular part of the cruise budget were the ultimate concern, we'd all be cruising on Carnival...

[CAG]

We have done a few Oceania tours and one of the nicest things about them is that Oceania does not pack the buses to their full capacity. On a 40 passenger bus, I have never had more than 26 or 28 other guests on board. Of course, this may now not be the case and every tour I am sure is different. This has just been our experience.

Cenia

[ClaudiaF]

bring more socks:D

[EDLOS]

My apologies for the laundry and lifeboat comments, I was being facetious about those, but not about shore tours and liquor purchases. Istanbul Blue Mosque, Topkaki Palace etc. half day tour Oceania $129.00.....HAL $79.00 per person and help me with Oceania logic no sales of liquor at $110.00/ bottle versus a lot of sales at say $50.00/bottle to people like me who don't want lug booze in their suitcase:confused:

[winegirl]

Oceania shore excursions are more expensive than charged by other lines. Most Oceania cruisers seem arrange their own excursions or join other small group excursions arranged by others. That brings down the per person cost and usually gets you a better experience. On our 2 week trip from Barcelona to Amsterdam, we used Oceania's excursion once, in Valencia, which did not have much in the way of private tour operators. Others just got off the boat and took private taxis to where they wanted to go. Look on your ship's roll call for others offering to share excursions. The ones we joined were marvelous and relatively inexpensive.

 

We did not bring booze on board at embarkation, but did pick up multiple bottles of wine in many ports, which were a bargain at less than $ 20 a bottle for some really nice Spanish and French wines. We paid the $ 20 corkage fee if we brought them to the dining room.

 

I also do wash some quick drying items in our cabin and hang that in the shower with a clothespin. Other items, like cotton socks or t shirts, I sent to the laundry for washing, and it was cheap in my opinion.

[winegirl]

One other thing: I recall Oceania offered some "packages" of shore excursions, an introduction to the port type package and a package targeted to a more seasoned traveler. These packages saved you some money off the cost of individual excursions. If you plan to take a lot of excursions through the ship, see if these packages are offered and compare prices.

[aohkay]

I don't understand why anyone would book with a cruiseline when they didn't agree with their pricing? :confused:

[JimandStan]

My apologies for the laundry and lifeboat comments, I was being facetious about those, but not about shore tours and liquor purchases. Istanbul Blue Mosque, Topkaki Palace etc. half day tour Oceania $129.00.....HAL $79.00 per person and help me with Oceania logic no sales of liquor at $110.00/ bottle versus a lot of sales at say $50.00/bottle to people like me who don't want lug booze in their suitcase:confused:

 

One of the reasons why Oceania has been able to offer what I consider to be a FAR superior product at the price point that they do, is that they know their client base and have tailored their product accordingly.

 

Many, if not most Oceania clients prefer to plan their own shore excursions. This, and the fact that their ships carry far fewer passengers than the Mass Market Ships, means that the per person cost is going to be higher. The economy of scale just isn't there. If a passenger needs the level of hand holding that a ships' tour implies, then Oceania offers that option, but at the higher price. Otherwise, Oceania is happy to see its' clients do their own thing.

 

Likewise, the Mass Market Liquor Rules are formulated around the theory that their liquor is the only game in town. A passenger may not bring on their own supply, so the benevolent monopoly sells it to them.

 

Oceania passengers, on the other hand, are not restricted as to the Spirits that they may carry on to the ship. Therefore, if you prefer that Oceania carry it on for you, that is a luxury service that you are choosing to buy.

[RandB_Toronto]

Oceania offers discount packages on tours. There is a 25% discount if you pre-book a certain number of excursions. (On our 10 day upcoming cruises that number is six.) Or you can get an unlimited number of excursions for a fixed price ($999 for our cruises.) I think they price the excursions high so they can offer a discount. Sort of like their totally phony "two for one" pricing.

 

(I still like them even if I think their pricing is ridiculous!)

[findacruise]

On our recent Caribbean B2B we booked 3 Oceania tours over the 20 days. We were very pleased this time with the quality and size of the tours. The tour guides on 2 of them were outstanding (one had a guide only part of the time and the rest was on your own. Had we known we would not have booked it). One of them was a full day to the Kohunlich Mayan Ruins including a meal and was $205 each. Probably could have found it for less, but could not have had a better guide. She was part Mayan and even had brought a number of pass arounds for the coach ride and had a binder she carried with her to illustrate things while we walked the ruins.It departed from Costa Maya where there really isn't anyting else - what is there was built for the ships coming in.

 

Other places we did on our own since we had been in Caribbean before. As with most everything, it's a matter of preference, but I was glad to see the improvement over the last time we were in the Caribbean with Oceania and did some of their excursions. BTW if you are in La Romano, Dominican Republic and get the chance, go see the Taino Caves. We had an excellent guide and it exceeded my expectations - beautiful inside with stalagtites and mites and lovely lighting.

[Bruin Steve]

EDLOS, you started with this statement:

 

...A typical 3 1/2 to 4 hour shore tour from Oceania priced at $129.00 /person or more which is generally $49.00 to $69.00 on other Cruise Lines...

 

...and I called you on it--challenged you to come up with a specific shore excursion which sells for $129 on Oceania and only $49 to $69 on other cruise lines...

 

And you came up with THIS alleged specific:

 

...Istanbul Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace etc. half day tour Oceania $129.00.....HAL $79.00 per person...

 

So, suddenly, it has gone from "$49-69" up to $79...

Of course, there is no way to tell this from the HAL site...You would have to first be booked on the cruise...HAL only gives vague "$", "$$", "$$$" notations for its shorex pricing...

 

This one says "$$"--which translates to $51 to $100...

 

What does it cost on Oceania?

 

Well here is the description on the HAL site:

 

Ottoman Wonders

Approximately 4½ Hours $$

Your first stop on this fascinating tour will be at the Blue Mosque, named for its richly adorned interior of magnificent Iznik tiles. Nearby is the Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans. The palace consists of courts, pavilions, mosques, fountains and a rich treasury section. Enjoy some free time to browse on your own. Stop for a carpet demonstration and visit the Grand Bazaar to shop en route back to the pier.

Expect dense traffic conditions in Istanbul. Modest attire is required; knees, shoulders and midriffs must be covered and shoes must be removed to enter mosque(s). Shoe bags will be provided. Tour does not include a visit to the harem section at Topkapi Palace. Use of an audio headset (included) will enhance your tour experience.

 

The closest thing on Oceania is NOT an exact match...AND it is a 2013 price (I got this off a June 2013 sailing, so expect everyone's prices to have gone up):

 

 

Excursion 8: Ottoman Wonders With Visit to Spice Market

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

Tour Price: $109

Istanbul's stunning architecture reigns supreme on this tour, which begins with a short drive to the remarkable Blue Mosque, the only mosque in the world with six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I, and named after him, the mosque is now known as the Blue Mosque because of the 21,000 blue-green Iznik tiles that adorn the interior. The city's famed Hippodrome lies in front of the Blue Mosque, where it was once a center for entertainment and sporting events, particularly horseracing. Next, you will visit another of the most recognized buildings on Istanbul's skyline: Topkapi Palace, which served as the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for nearly 400 years. Situated on one of the seven hills of Istanbul, where the Acropolis of Byzantium once stood, the sultan's palace features incredibly elaborate pavilions, mosques, fountains, a harem and an outstanding treasury. Then, it's on to the sprawling and exotically fragranced Spice Market, which was constructed in 1664 as part of an imperial mosque complex. Besides its seemingly endless supply of spices and dried fruits, you will find locally made merchandise such as jewelry and pottery.

 

So...here is the difference I see: HAL's tour takes you to the Blue Mosque then leaves you with "free time" at the Topkapi Palace...then subjects you to one of those awful carpet "presentations"...

Oceania's excursion takes you to the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and the Spice Bazaar...NO "free time", no hard-sell sales pitch...

Price difference? $30 pp, but, adjusted for 2012/2013 price changes, more likely only $15-20 more--assuming, of course, that EDLOS' "$79" is accurate...

IMHO, Oceania's pricing is NOT in any way out of line on this one...

Of course, Istanbul is also a place where you can make a very reasonable deal on a FULL day tour from a private guide or tour company...so, my advice here would still be to just hire your own guide...

[EDLOS]

EDLOS, you started with this statement:

 

 

 

...and I called you on it--challenged you to come up with a specific shore excursion which sells for $129 on Oceania and only $49 to $69 on other cruise lines...

 

And you came up with THIS alleged specific:

 

 

 

So, suddenly, it has gone from "$49-69" up to $79...

Of course, there is no way to tell this from the HAL site...You would have to first be booked on the cruise...HAL only gives vague "$", "$$", "$$$" notations for its shorex pricing...

 

This one says "$$"--which translates to $51 to $100...

 

What does it cost on Oceania?

 

Well here is the description on the HAL site:

 

Ottoman Wonders

Approximately 4½ Hours $$

Your first stop on this fascinating tour will be at the Blue Mosque, named for its richly adorned interior of magnificent Iznik tiles. Nearby is the Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans. The palace consists of courts, pavilions, mosques, fountains and a rich treasury section. Enjoy some free time to browse on your own. Stop for a carpet demonstration and visit the Grand Bazaar to shop en route back to the pier.

Expect dense traffic conditions in Istanbul. Modest attire is required; knees, shoulders and midriffs must be covered and shoes must be removed to enter mosque(s). Shoe bags will be provided. Tour does not include a visit to the harem section at Topkapi Palace. Use of an audio headset (included) will enhance your tour experience.

 

The closest thing on Oceania is NOT an exact match...AND it is a 2013 price (I got this off a June 2013 sailing, so expect everyone's prices to have gone up):

 

 

Excursion 8: Ottoman Wonders With Visit to Spice Market

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

Tour Price: $109

Istanbul's stunning architecture reigns supreme on this tour, which begins with a short drive to the remarkable Blue Mosque, the only mosque in the world with six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I, and named after him, the mosque is now known as the Blue Mosque because of the 21,000 blue-green Iznik tiles that adorn the interior. The city's famed Hippodrome lies in front of the Blue Mosque, where it was once a center for entertainment and sporting events, particularly horseracing. Next, you will visit another of the most recognized buildings on Istanbul's skyline: Topkapi Palace, which served as the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for nearly 400 years. Situated on one of the seven hills of Istanbul, where the Acropolis of Byzantium once stood, the sultan's palace features incredibly elaborate pavilions, mosques, fountains, a harem and an outstanding treasury. Then, it's on to the sprawling and exotically fragranced Spice Market, which was constructed in 1664 as part of an imperial mosque complex. Besides its seemingly endless supply of spices and dried fruits, you will find locally made merchandise such as jewelry and pottery.

 

So...here is the difference I see: HAL's tour takes you to the Blue Mosque then leaves you with "free time" at the Topkapi Palace...then subjects you to one of those awful carpet "presentations"...

Oceania's excursion takes you to the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and the Spice Bazaar...NO "free time", no hard-sell sales pitch...

Price difference? $30 pp, but, adjusted for 2012/2013 price changes, more likely only $15-20 more--assuming, of course, that EDLOS' "$79" is accurate...

IMHO, Oceania's pricing is NOT in any way out of line on this one...

Of course, Istanbul is also a place where you can make a very reasonable deal on a FULL day tour from a private guide or tour company...so, my advice here would still be to just hire your own guide...

 

Bruinsteve,

I understand your resentment and frustration as UCLA did not have a good year in basketball and I am from the BIG EAST! Yes I did ballpark the HAL price and where I come from 15 to 25 % price differential starts to add up to real money times 2 persons times 6 or seven tours. I have sailed on Silverseas, Regent, HAL, Celebrity, Princess, Viking and more and when all is said and done, it's all about the guide and I have had good and bad on all of them. I really am a pretty easy going guy, just making some observations and have observed from time to time that cruise lines read our comments which is reason for posting and even sometimes make changes,:):) key word, sometimes !

[eddmel]

Our experience with O offered excursions has been consistently positive. The ease of booking is one of the key factors for us. We look at price in the context of the entire vacation experience.

[LHT28]

There is a simple solution

If you think the excursions are TOO expensive then do not use them

Book your own

We have done a few ship's tours & they were just fine ..we were will to pay the price for convenience but most of the time we book private tours & share with people on the roll call

[Bruin Steve]

Defending Oceania at all costs

 

Well...Anyone who knows me...or who has even read enough of my posts on these boards knows, I am NOT "defending Oceania at all costs"...

 

I have always attempted to be very even-handed...with Oceania and every other cruise line...

They all have good points and bad points...and I will not stoop from criticizing where appropriate...

I do allow that Oceania's shore excursion pricing is a little higher than some other lines...as is their gift shop pricing and their drink pricing...and a few other things...

 

I just got the feeling that you were engaging in a bit of exaggeration in the aim of trying to make your point. You came on with a comparison that Oceania was charging $129 for the same tour someone else was charging $49 for...

 

Having cruised Oceania a few times...and several other cruise lines as well...and in a lot of the same ports...I knew that this depiction was not accurate. And THAT is why I put forth the argument in their defense...

 

I could accept if you had noted that their shorexes were slightly higher...but, what you were setting up as your premise was that they were from twice to two and a half times more expensive--a premise you needed to support your feigned outrage...

 

It would be difficult to maintain that stance if you started with "Oceania's shorexes appear to be about 10% higher and the whole and, in an instance or two, as much as 15-25% higher"...

 

Shore excursion prices may even be a deterrent to some customers...However, if you've sailed with those other lines, including Silverseas and Regent, it is hard to imagine that specific pricing on such a small part of the cruise budget can be that much of an overall deterrent...Regent, in fact, is within the SAME OWNERSHIP as Oceania...

 

If you are cruising on Silverseas, they could give you FREE shore excursions and still you'd be paying a much higher overall price than on Oceania...

 

Some cruise lines make their money on higher cruise fares, some find the profit in the extras...

 

Compared to most mass market lines, Ocenaia is foregoing some of the "extras"--they are not hitting you up for those ship photographers, for example...

 

And, again, it really comes down to what you are willing to pay for what is, in general, a superior cruise experience...

 

The good thing about profit being hidden in the shorexes is that shorexes are, basically, completely optional. If you feel one is overpriced, you simply do not have to take it...You can usually arrange your own tour in most ports--so you are in no way required to accept their shorex pricing. Some luxury cruise lines INCLUDE the shorexes...but does that really mean you are not paying for them? In fact, you are paying--and you are paying an even steeper price...they are just hiding it in your cruise fare...and taking away your choice and control.

 

And, yes, some lines offer shorexes at a lower price. But it is not a competition. The stark reality of business is that you don't have the choice to book that lower priced excursion on HAL--unless you are cruising on HAL...and that would NOT be the same thing...Cruises, ships and cruise lines aren't generic.

 

Now, cruise lines, especially Oceania, DO read these boards...and there are things they will change due to popular opinion here. Include soft drinks? There was a bit of a clamor here for that, so they went ahead and made that change...Of course, as a principle of business, you need to account for that--so it does go into the pricing...buit, it's a small concession, so most don't notice the impact. Include alcohol? More of an impact and not universally a concern...So, you can include it--and raise everyone's price...or you can offer packages...The choice here is again the smart one.

 

If there was a clamor for lower shorex prices...or included shorexes...Oceania COULD accommodate it by including them or by subsidizing them...but, like alcohol, that would not be universally welcomed if the impact was a rise in everyone's cruise fare...As has been noted, a large number of passengers elect to NOT use the shorexes...or to use them in only some ports...By pricing shorexes based on Oceania's cost--which is higher than HAL's or Celebrity's or other cruise lines/companies with many more passengers over which to spread the overhead costs and more bargaining power with the contracted providers--Oceania leaves YOU with the choice on how to manage that portion of your cruise budget...

 

One thing Oceania does NOT do is to cut a lot of corners. Carnival does that. They start with trying to achieve a price point that their customers need to reach to keep the cruise affordable within the budget of their demographic, then they cut wherever necessary to stay close to that goal. Oceania, like most businesses, also needs to reach a price point...They have positioned themselves where they need to provide a product within the reasonable reach of Celebrity or HAL customers but not drift up to where their prices match Silverseas or Seabourne. If you've ever run a business, you'd recognize that it is never quite as simple as saying "someone's complained about our pricing, so we'll lower it"while trying to maintain the same standards and quality.

 

So, again, I am trying to be fair here, not "defending Oceania at all costs"...I am trying to base it on my understanding of business and logic...Part of this is from my background in accounting and business, part my training and education as an attorney, part in that I have spent a 34-year career as in-house counsel and as an executive with some major corporations...My frustration here is NOT because my Bruins suffered through a rare mediocre basketball season...it is because I understand the business...

[Wineart]

The problem I've had with O's shore excursions on the smaller ships is cancellation due to lack of enough bookings. After that happened to me twice, I started booking my own private tours, sometimes joining up with other passengers. I don't know if this is a problem on the new builds, or if it's only on the R-ships because of their smaller size.