Waitlisting--why no cabin assignment?

[hypercafe]

I get it very well, poor thing. The cruse line never heard of this. If you are their spoke person then I guess this is the grand announcement. If not be careful what you say on their behalf.

[JimandStan]

I get it very well, poor thing. The cruse line never heard of this. If you are their spoke person then I guess this is the grand announcement. If not be careful what you say on their behalf.

 

I don't claim to be anyones' spokesperson, but I assure you that their "never having heard of this" has more to do with the way that you phrased the question, than with Oceania's business practices.

 

If somebody at Oceania told you that they would not contact you about availability without your having first made a deposit, I would be interested in knowing who it was.

[hypercafe]

I do not want to pound this to death, get the last word or picture paste however I am not stupid or crazy. This is the recent talk I had with the Oceania reservation dept.

 

Me, I want a OV room for the March sailing of the Rivera

Oceania, They are waite listed

Me, put me on the list

Oceania, you have to reserve the next open cabin type to get on it

Me, is there any other way

Oceania, no if you want to be on the cruise

Me, Ok

 

Do not get me wrong, this is a very fair way to do it but there was no other wait list.

[hondorner]

I do not want to pound this to death, get the last word or picture paste however I am not stupid or crazy. This is the recent talk I had with the Oceania reservation dept.

 

Me, I want a OV room for the March sailing of the Rivera

Oceania, They are waite listed

Me, put me on the list

Oceania, you have to reserve the next open cabin type to get on it

Me, is there any other way

Oceania, no if you want to be on the cruise

Me, Ok

 

Do not get me wrong, this is a very fair way to do it but there was no other wait list.

You're mixing apples and oranges. Note, the Oceania Rep said, "No if you want to be on the cruise" [emphasis added]. That's what we've been saying all along. Being put on a waitlist is NOT a guaranty you'll be on the cruise. You CAN be put on the waitlist for that OV, but if it doesn't clear, you'll be staying home. However, if you book the next open level, you WILL be going on the cruise, perhaps in the more expensive level. At that point, you can request a waitlist status for the OV, and you may get it, after all the GTY's and all the other waitlist members ahead of you have cleared.

 

Notice that while you will be deposited on the cruise, in a higher category, you will NOT be deposited in the OV unless you put down an ADDITIONAL deposit, at which point you will be in what we have called the priority waitlist. Oceania may not call it that officially, but Jim and I have given it that label to make it more easily understood.

 

So, what you were told by the Oceania Rep matches perfectly with what you have been told in this thread.

 

You should have gone further in your inquiry, and asked, "What if I'm willing to take the risk of NOT going on the cruise? Can I get on the waitlist that way? I'd be interested in hearing the answer to that one...

[Jancruz]

I will quickly try to clear this up..YOU MAY GO ON A WAIT LIST FOR ANY TYPE CABIN WITHOUT BOOKING ANOTHER CABIN OR PUTTING DOWN A DEPOSIT..

Jancruz1

[shipscat]

We are waitlisted on a cruise for February 2014 which we booked in March of this year. Already we have been offered another cruise for November this year which we had to decline. We are guessing that a cabin might be assigned after full payment comes due at which time passengers make the final decision to take the cruise or not. Meanwhile, it is a bit of a problem as flights have been on sale, but we are reluctant to book just yet.

[sjde]

These may be stupid questions, but

 

Hondorner--why would someone decline a complimentary upgrade.

 

wripro- Why should you always book with a TA and not the cruiseline? From what I understand, there is sometimes a more restrictive cancellation policy with a TA?

[LHT28]

These may be stupid questions, but

 

Hondorner--why would someone decline a complimentary upgrade.

Some people choose a cabin for the location that suits them & their needs

Some people do not like the forward cabins as they may have a problem with the "motion of the ocean"

[YoHoHo]

Obviously not hondorner or wripro so just ignore me if you only want answers from them. I'll try anyway.

 

Hondorner--why would someone decline a complimentary upgrade.

Because you might have the cabin location you want. For some that is very important. Also on the R-ships most of the cabins below penthouse level are the same size if balcony is not included. So an inside is the same as a balcony. Except for the lowest obstructed view, category E. It is 143 sq ft vs 165 sq ft. Personally, I think with the different layout and no sofa it is very similar in feel but others have posted very strongly on this board that they do not like E's. So some one who has booked an inside @ 165 sq. ft. on a low deck might not want an upgrade to a 143 sq ft on a higher deck.

 

wripro- Why should you always book with a TA and not the cruiseline? From what I understand, there is sometimes a more restrictive cancellation policy with a TA?

Two questions.

1. Many people book with a TA for possible additional amenities that might come from say a group booking. For me more important is I have someone that will take the time to explain what I am buying, alternatives, alert me to something I might want to consider and generally interface with O for me (i.e. IF I am presented with an upsell offer, if it meets these terms automatically accept for me, etc.) A good agent would hopefully be able to explain the differences between waitlist and GTY to their client.

 

2. First off only speaking of US and Canadian based agents and policy. While O's policy is the same for US and CDN pax there are in fact slight differences with CDN vs. US agents because for example CDN must pay into an 'insurance' fund to automatically cover a loss if they (the agency) goes bankrupt while fess have not been paid to the vendor leaving pax with no flight home or no cruise to go on, etc.) So for that, advantage CDN TA vs. the cruise line direct.

 

For pax in other geographic areas there are very different cancellation and deposit policies from their agents and the cruise line. Consequently I will not comment on them as that would be a separate comparison.

 

To your comment, I have not heard that there is a restrictive difference with cancellation policy but interested in hearing about that (again not considering jurisdictional differences)

 

The official cancellation policy is what O describes in your contract. Their Statement / Invoice now clearly shows the dates when events occur such as when the penalty for cancellation (the amount refunded) changes.

 

A TA might have some additional penalty. I have seen where an agent charged a non-refundable $50 fee, a fee not unlike agents who still book air only as they have to get something for their time, but that fee paid up front and in your agreement with the agent. In return for booking with them and paying that fee they might then be able to promote a cruise with a $50 OBC (just getting your money back :)

 

Other than that I am all ears on what other restrictions a TA might have.

[TERRIER1]

These may be stupid questions, but

 

Hondorner--why would someone decline a complimentary upgrade.

 

wripro- Why should you always book with a TA and not the cruiseline? From what I understand, there is sometimes a more restrictive cancellation policy with a TA?

 

I am not either of these people but will offer my two cents.

 

A complimentary upgrade may come with additional charges or not. However, you may not want the cabin they are offering. For instance, we do not like to be forward so we declined an upgrade at an additional cost to us that was foward. For the most part, these are not additional upgrades at no cost. They come with a cost that you will have assess if they add value to your cruise.

 

I have found that booking with a TA will provide you with amenities that are not available with booking directly with the cruise line. For example. pre-paid gratuities and OBC credits. It took me a couple cruises to figure this out. I have in the past booked with O to reserve a cabin and then moved the reservation to a TA who gave me more amenities. Price it out. Enjoy your cruise.

[robbie21]

Earlier in this thread there was some confusion about whether GTY's might receive "Free" upgrades on Oceania. The general answer was no.

 

Yesterday I received an Oceania invoice for a GTY that had the specific wording as follows:

 

"GTY's will be berthed in the category purchased and may not be assigned until the day of sailing."

 

That's pretty clear and consistent with what Horndoner andLH28 (and others) have been saying. GTY is a guarantee for what you contracted for, period. I don't see where there is much room for confusion;). Whenever you get a cabin assignment you may then participate in the upsell process should one be offered.

 

Robbie

[LHT28]

Earlier in this thread there was some confusion about whether GTY's might receive "Free" upgrades on Oceania. The general answer was no.

 

Yesterday I received an Oceania invoice for a GTY that had the specific wording as follows:

 

"GTY's will be berthed in the category purchased and may not be assigned until the day of sailing."

 

 

Robbie

 

Just to add to the confusion;)

Oceania MAY at their discretion upgrade a GTY status to a higher Cat, but do not count on it as a certainty

 

Many times people book a GTY thinking they WILL be upgraded like on the mainstream lines

 

Lyn

[Caroldoll]

and then you can list what you want below, i.e. many categories. Since we do OS, we now have deposits on two in March. The one we really want, we probably won't get as they are people who always travel in OS, but we put money on the second choice as we get that for sure. Oceania will give our money back if we don't get the first one. They are honest! If you want something, you have got to pay for it! As they say, there is no free ride. My opinion only.