Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18 Posted February 3, 2013 #1 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I am weighing the choice of booking air and one night hotel accommodations prior to and following my cruise in July. Unfortunately, I do not have frequesnt flyer points to use. My daughter will be flying from San Francisco and I will be flying from Charlotte to Copenhagen and returning from Stockholm. What experiences have you had using Oceania's air travel? Was it reliable and cost effective? I read that I might not receive frequent flyer points for my airline ticket. My travel agent advised that it is financially better to use the hotels provided by Oceania in Copenhagen and Stockholm. They are the Palace Hotel in Copenhagen and the Scandic Park in Stockholm. I would greatly appreciate your responses because I will be making my air arrangements at the end of February for my July cruise. Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck.qc Posted February 3, 2013 #2 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I am weighing the choice of booking air and one night hotel accommodations prior to and following my cruise in July. Unfortunately, I do not have frequesnt flyer points to use. My daughter will be flying from San Francisco and I will be flying from Charlotte to Copenhagen and returning from Stockholm. What experiences have you had using Oceania's air travel? Was it reliable and cost effective? I read that I might not receive frequent flyer points for my airline ticket. My travel agent advised that it is financially better to use the hotels provided by Oceania in Copenhagen and Stockholm. They are the Palace Hotel in Copenhagen and the Scandic Park in Stockholm. I would greatly appreciate your responses because I will be making my air arrangements at the end of February for my July cruise. Bonnie, It has been my experience, and those of most CCmembers, that the cost of hotels, transfers & excursions booked with 'O' are significantly more expensive. I would go online and view the rates of the two hotels. You can also book a private transfer for far less than the bus O supplies. You can join a group from your RollCall to share the cost. Same applies to the excursions, you can join a small group from your R.Call..it is a great source of info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 3, 2013 #3 Share Posted February 3, 2013 My travel agent advised that it is financially better to use the hotels provided by Oceania in Copenhagen and Stockholm. They are the Palace Hotel in Copenhagen and the Scandic Park in Stockholm. Bonnie Better for who?? The price of the hotel package is PP not per couple You can do better on your own We use Priceline & bid on Hotels in Europe worked out a lot better for 4 & 5* hotels ... Not for everyone but if you use them do your homework on how to bid Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted February 3, 2013 #4 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I roughly checked rates in CPH and Stockholm out of idle curiosity. The July Stockholm-Copenhagen cruise is charging $300 pp for 1 night, $489 pp for 2 nights and $697 pp for 3 nights for the Copenhagen hotel. I found four rates posted at the hotel's website; a middle-level price was 1300DKK which at today's works is roughly $238 for one night (and as Lyn says, that's not per person, that's for the room). Likewise for the Stockhom hotel which had DIY rates for one night between 893-1190 SSK (about $142 to $189 per night). There's no transfer that could make up for that difference. I can't begin to imagine why your TA says that using O's hotels is cost effective -- unless perhaps (s)he means take those hotels and book them on your own. At least you know they are excellent hotels rather than guessing at them. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nana541 Posted February 3, 2013 #5 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Have to say ditto to the comments above, can't imagine paying Oceania's prices! We did the exact cruise only on Regent and booked the hotels Regent/Oceania uses in both cities and saved a bundle. We took a taxi to the ship and beat the crowd on the bus by over 2 hrs.... Can't figure out what took them so long, checked in, dropped our bags and headed back to town to enjoy the city! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy.qc Posted February 3, 2013 #6 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I am weighing the choice of booking air and one night hotel accommodations prior to and following my cruise in July. Unfortunately, I do not have frequesnt flyer points to use. My daughter will be flying from San Francisco and I will be flying from Charlotte to Copenhagen and returning from Stockholm. What experiences have you had using Oceania's air travel? Was it reliable and cost effective? I read that I might not receive frequent flyer points for my airline ticket. My travel agent advised that it is financially better to use the hotels provided by Oceania in Copenhagen and Stockholm. They are the Palace Hotel in Copenhagen and the Scandic Park in Stockholm. I would greatly appreciate your responses because I will be making my air arrangements at the end of February for my July cruise. Bonnie As for the air, taking the deviation option (150pp) & choosing the flights that you and your daughter would prefer, is usually cost effective in your case. Submit your choices to your travel agent. T.a. should be able to get back to you with suitable flight arrangements. You could also ask if the credit oceania gives for flights would be sufficient to pay for the flights yourselves. This deviation process is covered in many posts, click on the 'search' for air, deviation and you'll find a wealth of info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted February 3, 2013 #7 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Oceania Hotel plus transfer $300 ea x 2 =$600 Includes free option to arrive a day earlier without paying air deviation Usually includes breakfast Total cost for 2 is $600 DYI Hotel for 2 $238 VAT tax can be as high as 25% let's guess $40 transfer for 2 in a taxi about $50 Breakfast for 2 about $30 Air deviation for 2 to come in the day before $150 x 2 = $300 total cost for 2 with DYI $658 This is only a good deal if your air-deviation was only to come in a day early. Without it you will be allowing Oceania to choose your flights. This also doesn't consider if you are using pts or loyalty awards. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tansy Mews Posted February 3, 2013 #8 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Oceania Hotel plus transfer $300 ea x 2 =$600Includes free option to arrive a day earlier without paying air deviation Usually includes breakfast Total cost for 2 is $600 DYI Hotel for 2 $238 VAT tax can be as high as 25% let's guess $40 transfer for 2 in a taxi about $50 Breakfast for 2 about $30 Air deviation for 2 to come in the day before $150 x 2 = $300 total cost for 2 with DYI $658 This is only a good deal if your air-deviation was only to come in a day early. Without it you will be allowing Oceania to choose your flights. This also doesn't consider if you are using pts or loyalty awards. Good luck This scenario is only true if you require Marriott style hotels. We don't. We stayed at Wakeup Copenhagen. Current rate for July 2013 is $112 including taxes for two. In Stockholm this past July, we stayed at the Columbus Hotel in Sodermalm, Stockholm. For two nights for two adults, we paid a total of $490 including breakfast. Note that these prices did not include transfers. Nice to have options though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted February 3, 2013 #9 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Oceania Hotel plus transfer $300 ea x 2 =$600Includes free option to arrive a day earlier without paying air deviation Usually includes breakfast Total cost for 2 is $600 Is this true with all Oceania hotel arrangements or was this a special promotion? I never seen the air deviation fee waived if using O hotel arrangements. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18 Posted February 4, 2013 Author #10 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I am on the roll call forum for the July 5 sailing of Marina cruise to the Baltic. A group of 10 of us have booked a 3 day tour to St. Petersburg which we customized. I agree that the tours are more costly. Oceania only offers $950.00 if you don't take their air and the cost of airline tickets is significantly more. You make very good points about the hotels and transfers. Thank you. Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted February 4, 2013 #11 Share Posted February 4, 2013 The deviation fee is not waived. The point of the example was for someone who wants to fly in a day earlier than the cruise leaves. This is only "free" if you use Oceania for hotel reservations. Obviously if you are reserving a night in a hotel with Oceania you can not arrive the same day you sail;) True air deviation not only gets you there earlier than the sail date, but also allows you a voice in the flight times, routing etc. My example was for people who only pay air deviation to allow themselves the extra security of arriving a day prior to the cruise. They would save the $150 each by purchasing their hotel through Oceania. This amount could make the extra cost Oceania charges worth it. Many cruisers also like the idea of letting Oceania take care of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted February 4, 2013 #12 Share Posted February 4, 2013 The deviation fee is not waived.The point of the example was for someone who wants to fly in a day earlier than the cruise leaves. This is only "free" if you use Oceania for hotel reservations. Obviously if you are reserving a night in a hotel with Oceania you can not arrive the same day you sail;) True air deviation not only gets you there earlier than the sail date, but also allows you a voice in the flight times, routing etc. My example was for people who only pay air deviation to allow themselves the extra security of arriving a day prior to the cruise. They would save the $150 each by purchasing their hotel through Oceania. This amount could make the extra cost Oceania charges worth it. Many cruisers also like the idea of letting Oceania take care of everything. Thanks for the clarification - good information. I have seen other posts where it has been reported they did not pay deviation when they have purchased the pre-cruise hotel option but this clears it up. I have not considered this choice because a quick look at the pp hotel cost seemed so very high and also because we have always (but once) flown in several days before. However if we are to fly in the day before I will look into this now and assess what hotel and cost is being offered at the time for our cruise. If all we want is to arrive the day before then this might be a reasonable option. btw, in the past we have been a fan and promoter of O's deviation service and until now have stayed silent. The one time we have not requested a deviation and the most recent where we declined O's air completely (1st ever for us) is because of the doubling of the deviation fee in just a few years. We now do some research. It costs $300 (realistically one deviation request covers two bookings so the work involved is really is done just once) to have O's deviation dept (though they are very good) change a flight booking (they do have to make the booking anyway.) For a North American flight I think I'd rather save the fee and deal with the airline directly (and get better/easier response from the airline because we have made the booking.) Now that O has also (as reported on CC) reduced the credit for not taking 'free air' I assume they have made a case for selling $300 deviation requests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 4, 2013 #13 Share Posted February 4, 2013 When we did the hotel package there was no extra deviation fee maybe they have changed this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted February 4, 2013 #14 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Am I correct that flights purchased via deviation, even if you pay for them in advance, would still be refundable if you cancel the cruise prior to the penalty period? I intend to request a premium economy flight to Barcelona this fall from O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted February 4, 2013 #15 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Our TA explained that yes the cruise is still refundable within the normal time frame. The air deviation fee once agreed to is NOT refundable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 4, 2013 #16 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Am I correct that flights purchased via deviation, even if you pay for them in advance, would still be refundable if you cancel the cruise prior to the penalty period? I intend to request a premium economy flight to Barcelona this fall from O. I am not sure they do Premium Ec, they may have Business class but it may be a premium price unless your cruise is one of the ones offering the Business class promo Gook luck Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted February 4, 2013 #17 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I am not sure they do Premium Ec, they may have Business class but it may be a premium price unless your cruise is one of the ones offering the Business class promo Gook luck Lyn I have read that they will now book PE for you, at a price of course--no special deals. But since PE is way cheaper than Business, it makes sense, especially on a Crossing when you're only paying one-way. NO, our cruise has no Business class promo, at least not yet. And the deviation fee is a no brainer--there's no way I would ever fly to Europe the day of a cruise. In fact I hope to fly in a week in advance for this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 4, 2013 #18 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I have read that they will now book PE for you, at a price of course--no special deals. But since PE is way cheaper than Business, it makes sense, especially on a Crossing when you're only paying one-way. NO, our cruise has no Business class promo, at least not yet. And the deviation fee is a no brainer--there's no way I would ever fly to Europe the day of a cruise. In fact I hope to fly in a week in advance for this one. Please post the results I fly in early just going to MIA I am not one to take a chance of missing the ship ;) I usually just book my own air for Europe KLM have had some good prices when we needed to go in the past & I then upgrade to PE ...last trip we got first class at check in (for a fee of course) Worth every $$ Lyn Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepawa Posted February 4, 2013 #19 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Wendy I found a great fare from Air Canada, Ottawa to Barcelona, returning from Lisbon in September 2013. We are staying over in Lisbon for a few days, so with the air credit from Oceania and no deviation fee, we are ahead of the game, Cheers, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted February 4, 2013 #20 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Please post the results I fly in early just going to MIA I am not one to take a chance of missing the ship ;) ... KLM have had some good prices when we needed to go in the past & I then upgrade to PE ...last trip we got first class at check in (for a fee of course) I'm like you, Lynn, I do the same. I didn't know KLM had PE. Cheap upgrades at the gate work too. Just don't like Coach over the pond any more. Wendy I found a great fare from Air Canada, Ottawa to Barcelona, returning from Lisbon in September 2013. We are staying over in Lisbon for a few days, so with the air credit from Oceania and no deviation fee, we are ahead of the game, Cheers, Don Nice. I'm looking for November, but one-way, from Florida (we winter here). I've got a TA looking into one-way deals, but Oceania may be our only choice for a decent price. Just hoping they will do the PE for us. I will certainly post the results when I find out. We're flying BA PE over to Lisbon next month, hoping it's good--I think it will be BA for us in November too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorotheajn Posted February 6, 2013 #21 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Oceania Hotel plus transfer $300 ea x 2 =$600Includes free option to arrive a day earlier without paying air deviation Usually includes breakfast Total cost for 2 is $600 DYI Hotel for 2 $238 VAT tax can be as high as 25% let's guess $40 transfer for 2 in a taxi about $50 Breakfast for 2 about $30 Air deviation for 2 to come in the day before $150 x 2 = $300 total cost for 2 with DYI $658 This is only a good deal if your air-deviation was only to come in a day early. Without it you will be allowing Oceania to choose your flights. This also doesn't consider if you are using pts or loyalty awards. Good luck VAT is included in the hotel daily rate so that is $40 less The hotel usually have special BB rates during the summer so that is another $30 off So now the OP is already below what the Oceania is charging.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.