Rare LHT28 Posted March 18, 2013 #26 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Not a hub ($400), deviation($300), hotel ($300). Fdr why does Oceania charge a deviation fee? Thank you for your comments. Save some $$ TTB Red Arrow from Edmonton to YYC $74 pp the savings would almost pay the deviation fee ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 18, 2013 #27 Share Posted March 18, 2013 guess that is the point , if most did not take the deviation and there were multiple problems with getting people on the ship, the line would make coming in the day before standard and not something extra to pay for.... If they allowed people to arrive the day before with no deviation fee then you would want a free hotel next They had this promotion before but of course prices went up to include the "FREE HOTEL" You cannot have it both ways I am afraid It is a for profit business You are spending thousands on a cruise ...a few hundred more to arrive a day early is worth peace of mind to some people YMMV Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAexNY Posted March 18, 2013 #28 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Agreed, Lyn. And in addition, some embarkation ports are not worth an overnight, in my opinion, e.g., Dover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floatplan Posted March 18, 2013 #29 Share Posted March 18, 2013 If you book a one night pre-cruise hotel stay with Oceania do you still pay the Air Dev fee? And that way transfers to hotel, then hotel to ship are included? You are paying a premium of a different type since the hotel will probably cost much more then booking it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 18, 2013 #30 Share Posted March 18, 2013 If you book a one night pre-cruise hotel stay with Oceania do you still pay the Air Dev fee? . NO ..but you are still subject to the flights Oceania chooses for you If you request specific flights then you do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck.qc Posted March 18, 2013 #31 Share Posted March 18, 2013 We have a great TA..they throw in OBC.+ PPG and 300$ to cover our deviation fee. There is sometimes an up charge which we pay for. For our first cruise we didn't know all the particulars, now we are better informed (CC is a wealth of info) Your TA should help you thru the flight arrangements. Arriving there a day or two before is IMO best...The deviation is a small price to pay considering you've invested thousands for your trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachchairs2 Posted March 18, 2013 #32 Share Posted March 18, 2013 lyn you are right of course...we are spending so much already, why not spend a bit more..and yes that is exactly the kind of thinking lines are hoping we will have... I heard the hotels are very expensive...way more than what you can book yourself... we may be a large group going out of toronto....hope to encourage all of them to not do the deviation... but can I handle the blame if something goes wrong?....here is that fear factor.... our cruise is not till nov 2014...so lots of time still to look at this issue... but would be very interested in anyone who does NOT take the deviation and how they do.... especially if they are getting in at 9am on the sail day.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachchairs2 Posted March 18, 2013 #33 Share Posted March 18, 2013 canuck you are right.... but been to lisbon..dont want to stay over.... and yes we also have a TA that has done all she can for us .... if it had been a port I have not been to before, or one that I would like to be in again, that would be different...no question, would arrive a couple of days earlier.....no prob.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 18, 2013 #34 Share Posted March 18, 2013 we may be a large group going out of toronto....hope to encourage all of them to not do the deviation... but can I handle the blame if something goes wrong?....here is that fear factor.... Can you handle the expense of getting everyone to the ship should something go wrong??? Many people will fly in the day of the cruise with no problems It is all about your comfort level in doing so Has all of your group been to Lisbon before & have no interest in returning?? Just a suggestion You can always bid on Priceline for a hotel ..usually a good rate ...if you do fly in early There is a saying & I am sure you have heard it before The only guarantees in life are Death & taxes:D Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 18, 2013 #35 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Agreed, Lyn. And in addition, some embarkation ports are not worth an overnight, in my opinion, e.g., Dover I have to disagree with you on this one, Dave. We've spent several days in Dover (granted we had a car on one of those trips) and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are a number of places to see in town that can be accommodated in one day, and also a number of entertaining drives up and down the coast if you are there longer. But it may well be true that most people wouldn't want to overnight there. One shop owner (I do business with him selling my Dad's music books) was astounded that we would enjoy staying there. So you certainly aren't alone! But I also agree that many of these ports are not worthy of an overnight, and many of those that are -- Istanbul and Venice come to mind -- get them. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted March 18, 2013 #36 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Yep, in my experience with international flights, booking your own just can't compete with cruiseline air, especially open-jaw flights and from Canada. But I would still pay the deviation fee to get the flights you want, and plan on arriving in Lisbon at least a day before--why not take several days and enjoy the city? It's a lovely city (and I'll be there tomorrow!) I have flown in the same day several times never a problem I dont live in a gateway city but for 1/2 the air devation fee I can fly round trip to one. If you do an air devation and it is not a charter and on your own routing then I would arrive eariler. I have found however that you will pay dearly for that. Example; HNL to MIA Oceaina will credit me with about $400, and The cheapest air fare is $1100. You must look at every case On Oceaina's charter flights for a specific cruise I would not worry at all because like a ships tour, they ar not going to leave without you... Third many cruises have a second port if you miss the departure very close by and easy to get to Pisa from Rome, Split from Venice. My take , that is for me, I have been to just about all the regular embarkation ports more than once and the less time spent in any the better. Like Papteete, where spending a day before can set you back $700 to 1000 per day ! The same for Venice, Buenos Aires, and Istanbuhl. So, in reality it is and will always be cruise and port and air specific...there is no always correct answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 18, 2013 #37 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Right, there is no correct answer. Even so, I don't understand resisting coming in a day early! I understand that because I love Lisbon doesn't mean everyone does. I understand that because we enjoyed Dover, others will find it a small town. But for me coming early is a security blanket as well as permitting me to see something of the departure port. Likewise, we enjoy extra time in the arrival port, even when we've been there before. But as I say that -- we're going into Barcelona two days early for our November TA to Rio but we changed our minds about spending extra time in Rio, which we last saw in 1974. That is largely because we will have two full days of private tours and decided those tours will pretty much cover what we want to see. And since they are private tours, we can make requests for deviations. For people willing to risk flight cancellations, by all means come in on the day of departure. And if you are using O's air, you are pretty much protected. But not always! Our first O cruise was a B2B La to Costa Rica/Costa Rica to Miami through the Panama Canal. There were a number of people on O flights who couldn't get there in time because of bad weather up north, and the ship had to leave without them because the ship would have lost its slot going through the Canal. So that is a risk. It is a rare risk, but it is a risk. For us, living in NYC, we can be pretty secure that flying from JFK or Newark will get us nonstop to a European departure point in time. But even so, we choose to come in early. I'd rather pay for a cheap hotel (we don't book 5 stars) than miss my cruise. If it's a short hop to the next day's port I might risk it. A friend on the May 2013 NYC-Southampton cruise pointed out (regarding private tours) that they don't do private tours in a port where the next day is a sea day. I hadn't thought of it that way before but it's an excellent point! Especially if you are on a transatlantic, as she will be and we will be for our next two cruises. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 19, 2013 #38 Share Posted March 19, 2013 A friend on the May 2013 NYC-Southampton cruise pointed out (regarding private tours) that they don't do private tours in a port where the next day is a sea day. I hadn't thought of it that way before but it's an excellent point! Especially if you are on a transatlantic, as she will be and we will be for our next two cruises. I'm sorry Mura, but the logic of this "no private tours on the day before a sea day" thing escapes me completely. :confused: Will you please elucidate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfyachtie Posted March 19, 2013 #39 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm sorry Mura, but the logic of this "no private tours on the day before a sea day" thing escapes me completely. :confused:Will you please elucidate? Lovely word Jim. I think what Mura is saying is that if for whatever reason there is a problem with a private tour and you miss the ship departure before a sea day (especially a transatlantic) it can be difficult to recover. The risk is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted March 19, 2013 #40 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Jim and Stan it appears to be another rule to avoid missing the boat. If you are on a private tour and arrive late to the boat and it leaves with you. . . you miss a sea day on-board and the ship has sailed even farther away! Meaning farther to travel to get back on-board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 19, 2013 #41 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='surfyachtie']Lovely word Jim. I think what Mura is saying is that if for whatever reason there is a problem with a private tour and you miss the ship departure before a sea day (especially a transatlantic) it can be difficult to recover. The risk is there.[/QUOTE] Exactly! That isn't to say that I'm abiding by the recommendation. We are on the Barcelona-Rio TA on Marina in November and we have set up private tours in every port that we could without concern about not being able to catch the boat in case of a flat tire. But it IS something to consider. I sure don't want to miss the boat if the next port is three days away. And that is also why we played it safe on our Buenos Aires-Valpo cruise on NCL back in January 2002. We booked too late to make private plans, and didn't know about making them back them anyway, so on that cruise we pretty much depended on ship's tours. Today we might do otherwise, but we'd still be cautious about getting back to the ship on time when the next port is a two day sail away. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 19, 2013 #42 Share Posted March 19, 2013 We mainly do private tours & have not missed the ship YET!! We always plan to be back 2 hr or more from sail away Some people can almost miss the ship while at the beach next to the dock :D Those people will remain nameless Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 19, 2013 #43 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Lyn, we have planned as you have but it hasn't always worked out. Not that we've missed a ship yet! We had a private tour from Cadiz to Jerez back in Nov '05 but our guide had to park his van a ways away. And when we went to get the car, thinking he'd be back in a few minutes, it was a very long wait. He got stuck in traffic. By the time he picked us up we had maybe a half hour to get back to the ship. He floored the pedal and we were probably doing 120 kms (I didn't look) and by the time we got back to the ship they were calling our names. Then there was the time when we were in Oslo with Ren. We had LOTS of time to get back to the ship, but DH had to make a bathroom run as the bus showed up at Vigeland and once he got back the next bus didn't arrive for half an hour. By the time we got back to the ship they were hauling up the gangway. (We weren't more than 10 minutes late at that point.) So lots of things can happen. The only time we were REALLY really late was on a ship's tour in South America where the bus broke down and it took them an hour and a half to get a replacement to pick us up. It could have been worse -- the place we were at continued serving hors d'oeuvres and drinks. But had we been on our own, we would have had a two day trek to the next port. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceansandseas Posted March 19, 2013 #44 Share Posted March 19, 2013 If you take O's air, and your flight is delayed and you miss the ship, will O arrange and also pay for you to get to the next port? Often the plane that we are on will have many O passengers (50 or more people sometimes) when we fly out of Toronto. Anyone had this experience? How was it handled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 19, 2013 #45 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='oceansandseas']If you take O's air, and your flight is delayed and you miss the ship, will O arrange and also pay for you to get to the next port? Often the plane that we are on will have many O passengers (50 or more people sometimes) when we fly out of Toronto. Anyone had this experience? How was it handled?[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/703158/20090807/002654.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial"]Yes, they will get you to the ship. How it is handled depends on what transportation is available to the next port, but Oceania handles [I][U]everything[/U][/I] (buses, hotels food and plane). If it happens, heaven forbid, You'll feel [I][U]very[/U][/I] taken care of. [/FONT][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdn.cruiser Posted March 19, 2013 Author #46 Share Posted March 19, 2013 That is very interesting. I didn't realize Oceania will take care of everything. That does make a difference. Remember I am not complaining about a few hundred dollars, it is more like a thousand dollars between air deviation, not being a hub and hotel for one night. I will talk to Oceania air and see what they say. Also depends what time we get in. In the past we have gotten into Barcelona at around 2 in the afternoon. That would be too late of course. They wouldn't book us on a flight that got us into the port city at 2 o'clock would they? I wonder if there has ever been a case where they can't get you in to the port city in time even if you don't miss a flight. Do they book you a day ahead then? Thanks everyone for all your comments. We will probably come in a day early not to risk missing the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenamber Posted March 19, 2013 #47 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Yes Jim and Stan as always are correct. I too was stressing about this question a couple of weeks ago. My DH is still working and although we would love to fly in a few days early, his work commitments will just not allow it. We have taken Oceania air arrangements and all being well the flight will arrive 4 hours before the ship departs! My TA contacted Oceania who have assured us that if for any reason we are delayed, it will be their responsibility to look after us and get us to the next port. In our case the next port is only about 3 hours drive, so it would not be too bad. For this reason we have also booked Oceania transfers, so we will be completely in their hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachchairs2 Posted March 19, 2013 #48 Share Posted March 19, 2013 wow guys...thank you , that is the answer I was looking for to bolster my confidence about not paying the deviation fee...yes I am very stubborn....lol.... and there will be many of us on a flight all bound for the same sailing... thank you again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted March 19, 2013 #49 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='JimandStan'][IMG]http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/703158/20090807/002654.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial"]Yes, they will get you to the ship. How it is handled depends on what transportation is available to the next port, but Oceania handles [I][U]everything[/U][/I] (buses, hotels food and plane). If it happens, heaven forbid, You'll feel [I][U]very[/U][/I] taken care of. [/FONT][/SIZE][/QUOTE] Does O take care of you if you take the deviation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 19, 2013 #50 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='TERRIER1']Does O take care of you if you take the deviation?[/QUOTE] [SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial"]They certainly do, although every scenario that I can imagine for a deviation guest missing the ship involves a problem with the ship itself, in which case everybody would qualify. Whether or not one uses Oceania Air, if you are planning on making your own hotel arrangements at the embarkation port, it is SO IMPORTANT to have that contact information noted in your Oceania File. [/FONT][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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