New Cancellation Policies

[LHT28]

Does the new policy allow for folks to cancel without penalty if the cruise line makes changes that result in a fundamentally different cruise? I'm not talking about changes that are as the result of war or natural disaster. I'm not talking about ports that get skipped as the result real-time sea conditions/weather. I'm talking about fundamental changes in the nature of the itinerary made well in advance.

I would read the terms & conditions of your ticket contract & if still unsure contact Oceania & get it in writing

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/corporate/legal/default.aspx

 

Keep in mind all cruise lines "reserve the right" to make any changes they want;)

[pacheco18]

I would read the terms & conditions of your ticket contract & if still unsure contact Oceania & get it in writing

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/corporate/legal/default.aspx

 

Keep in mind all cruise lines "reserve the right" to make any changes they want;)

 

If a particular port or ports induced you to book the cruise, unless O will put in writing, as Lynn suggests, that you can get a refund if those ports changed, you at the mercy of the cruise line.

[CintiPam]

If a particular port or ports induced you to book the cruise, unless O will put in writing, as Lynn suggests, that you can get a refund if those ports changed, you at the mercy of the cruise line.

 

And good luck with getting it in writing! :D

[Pet Nit Noy]

... Consider the other side of the coin from the ships and other passengers point of view. Your booking may have precluded others from booking and denied them the cruise. The line may not be able to fill those cabins and loose money. While these adjustments were important to you, they were not to many others.

 

I hope your wording was not intended to link me to the fellow who was recently banned from Oceania. Your wording certainly uses phrases that you -- and others -- used in describing the outrageous practice of people deliberately making bookings they never intended using. The two situations are hardly analogous.

 

...So consider it is a 2 way street Part of travel is being flexible . The more rigid your schedule the more it is prone to disappointment.

 

What you say is true, but the logical conclusion of that train of thought is that people who have more than a casual interest in their destinations should not cruise or take group land tours. In both forms of travel, people are giving up control of their vacation.

 

Frankly, so far, my husband and I have primarily chosen independent travel. We were into our third decade of annual trips to Europe, before taking our first European cruise last summer. It was a qualified success. The cruise aspect of our trip was a great -- everything we knew an Oceania cruise would be. (After two land trips to Madrid, we were especially grateful to be eating dinner earlier than 10:30 PM in the Spanish ports) We did as much as we could to make our experience in the ports feel like our independent travel style; we booked private guides for the two of us in most ports and joined eight-person private groups in two other ports. Still, we were constantly aware of our back-on-board time and the feeling of leaving places where we might have been able to linger.

 

Bottom line: We definitely preferred our independent travel a week before and after in London and in Barcelona. We'll continue to cruise in the Caribbean when we want the most relaxing vacation humanly possible, but we're not rushing to take another destination cruise.

[RJB]

I'm happy about the reservation policy--I think it should be more. I don't like seeing a cabin sold out or wait listed, just to find out 3 months before sailing the cabin has opened up for sale again---just because someone booked it to hold until they really make plans. People shouldn't book until they are ready, so let them pay a fee if they cancel.

Rick

Not a fair policy to most of us who book only when we want to go. We mostly book a year or more out and so far have not had to cancel. But you never know when something important comes and you need to change your plans. They should not let one rotten apple spoil the whole basket. :)

[JimandStan]

Not a fair policy to most of us who book only when we want to go. We mostly book a year or more out and so far have not had to cancel. But you never know when something important comes and you need to change your plans. They should not let one rotten apple spoil the whole basket. :)

 

...And just how, pray tell, do you suggest that Oceania separate the wheat from the chaff?

 

No, on second thought, please don't tell me.

 

Those Bad Apples of yours would only use your thoughts to ruin a whole new Basket.

 

[Hawaiidan]

I go on cruises to enjoy ocean travel and everything off the ship is gravy.;)

 

I may be the exception but I do not enjoy overnights. I would rather be moving...going some where. If I wanted to see a city I would return and spend time there. A cruise is a recon of the area not a finite and in depth experience

 

Then too I am going on a cruise in which I will stay on the ship at 6 out of the 20 ports. as the have no interest to me.

 

No I was not implying that you are of the same group of creeps who do syndicate bookings. However, does not booking and canceling on several cruises, even for cause, have the same effect?

[LHT28]

We book up to 18 months in advance with every intention of doing the cruise

 

Sometimes life does change & we must cancel ahead of final payment day..we do not do this willy nilly

 

A lot can happen is 12 months

 

The cancellation terms as they are now are fine with me

 

YMMD

Lyn

[journeyfan]

Has anyone noticed that a thread that has garnered so much attention the last couple of days is suddenly missing?

[Host Jazzbeau]

No I was not implying that you are of the same group of creeps who do syndicate bookings. However, does not booking and canceling on several cruises, even for cause, have the same effect?

 

No, not if they book 1 cabin and only occasionally cancel it. The scam apparently involved booking multiple cabins on multiples cruises and cancelling all except the best upgrade offer.

 

If you never change your mind, or have anything unusual crop up in your life - you are a perfect customer for Viking cruises with their full payment due over a year in advance policy. The rest of us prefer the normal cruise industry practice that allows honest people to make honest mistakes.

[pacheco18]

Has anyone noticed that a thread that has garnered so much attention the last couple of days is suddenly missing?

 

LOL

Good catch

Good riddance to that thread

[RJB]

Has anyone noticed that a thread that has garnered so much attention the last couple of days is suddenly missing?

I did this morning. WHY? :confused:

[Pet Nit Noy]

I did this morning. WHY? :confused:

 

Unless a moderator chimes in to offer an explanation, anything we suggest is nothing more than speculation.

 

Chalk it up to the consequences of participating in a moderated board. Frankly, our CC mods seem to have a lighter hand supervising the site than other sites where I participate.

[Caroldoll]

I am assuming that FDR was checking the boards and wanted that most unpleasant thread gone. It showed how evil some people are and there are some out there who would take those ideas and try to use them. I feel that whomever it was who did this deserved to be banned from Oceania. This person will probably try the same on another unsuspecting cruise line. I see that some of you are discussing cancelling cruises. Honestly, I have booked in the past thinking that was "just the right cruise" and because Oceania only publishes several months at a time, when the next round comes up, there, on occasion, has been something that is much better. This, in my opinion, is the down side of Oceania not publishing an entire itinerary at least a year in advance. On the up side though, sometimes things change, and they are able to offer better ports by doing it this way. Not sure. That is my two cents.

[GeezerCouple]

My guess is that one or more "powers that be" decided there was NO real (honest) value in publicizing the details of a scam that might not immediately be noticed.

 

Most of us were appalled or just confused, and maybe not everyone else initially agreed about what actually was being "done".

 

But for those few bad apples out there, why help them with some novel ideas that not ONLY help them, but HURT the others of us who make reservations that we genuinely expect/hope to use.

 

I didn't initially "get" the full picture of what the scam was, although I figured there was a LOT more going on than was initially disclosed when the OP (the scammer) complained.

And I'm not sure why that person expected a lot of sympathy here!:eek:

At least not once the full picture (or most of it) was disclosed...

 

Hopefully the "powers that be" of various cruise lines have their own network and will pass along some of this so it is less likely to affect other lines, or at least not for as long before being noticed.

 

Good riddance.

 

GeezerCouple

[Hawaiidan]

I didn't initially "get" the full picture of what the scam was, although I figured there was a LOT more going on than was initially disclosed when the OP (the scammer) complained.

And I'm not sure why that person expected a lot of sympathy here!:eek:

At least not once the full picture (or most of it) was disclosed...

 

Good riddance.

 

GeezerCouple

 

First thanks to the Staff...who ever you are for getting this con artists how -to off the web. What I found more appalling was the others who defended him....

 

But as to the arrogance of his:" innocent behavior" let me relate a little story.

Some years ago my uncle worked for the census and had to got to a state prison and interview 100 inmates at random. I week later he finished.... totally frustrated. He said I might have thought 25% or maybe even 50%... but never dreamed 100%. That is, 100% of the convicted criminals he interviewed, all claimed they did nothing wrong and were victims and were innocent of any mis deeds.

 

Con men and criminals have no remorse and no sense of right or wrong.... So too your cruise con.

[RJB]

Not trying to defend anyone, but what happened free speech?

[Hawaiidan]

Not trying to defend anyone, but what happened free speech?

 

You can only speak freely if you speak with responsibility and honesty

 

. Defending shady and criminal acts and those who promote them does not qualify.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Not trying to defend anyone, but what happened free speech?

 

Not trying to embarrass anyone, but what happened to learning? Free speech comes from the First Amendment, and only applies to government actions harming free speech. Private newspapers and websites have no free speech obligations.

[RJB]

Not trying to embarrass anyone, but what happened to learning? Free speech comes from the First Amendment, and only applies to government actions harming free speech. Private newspapers and websites have no free speech obligations.

Not quite true. Private newspapers and all other media have a duty not to slander, defame or report false info. There always is legal recourse if they do. You can not just get on your soapbox and say anything you want even if it is not true. Free speech goes both ways and it is not just the government actions that could trigger legal action.

[ronrick1943]

True, but the good thing about when you cruise is--You get to choose who you dine and socialize with!

Rick

[Host Jazzbeau]

Not quite true. Private newspapers and all other media have a duty not to slander, defame or report false info. There always is legal recourse if they do. You can not just get on your soapbox and say anything you want even if it is not true. Free speech goes both ways and it is not just the government actions that could trigger legal action.

 

The points you make are true, but have nothing to do with Free Speech. Our Ango-based legal system had rules about slander etc. long before the US Constitution enthroned Free Speech as a protection against the government. Don't confuse legal concepts, it leads to incorrect conclusions.

[RJB]

Sure seems to me that we are way off the topic so I am over and out. Lets all have a nice day and all look forward to our next great cruise. :):)

[Travelcat2]

I have an innocent question..... pretty much on topic because the topic is the cancellation policy. I don't understand how anyone can book one or multiple suites - wait for an upgrade and then cancel what they do not want. If an upsell is offered, it is always (or nearly always?) within the cancellation penalty phase. So, a person could be looking at a 50% or higher cancellation penalty. Am I correct in assuming that this penalty cannot be transferred to a future cruise?

 

Thanks much.

[deadzone1003]

I have an innocent question..... pretty much on topic because the topic is the cancellation policy. I don't understand how anyone can book one or multiple suites - wait for an upgrade and then cancel what they do not want. If an upsell is offered, it is always (or nearly always?) within the cancellation penalty phase. So, a person could be looking at a 50% or higher cancellation penalty. Am I correct in assuming that this penalty cannot be transferred to a future cruise?

 

Thanks much.

 

Well, I was offered a move-over offer before the penalty phase set in (like 3 or 4 offers) for my Jan 2014 cruise. I believed he was signing up for the cheapest insides available and hoping for a move-over offer from a cruise that he may be intererested in. If he didn't get it, he probably canceled before the penalty phase kicks in. He might have stayed while the $100 administrative fee may apply since he can apply it for a future cruise. He may have stayed up until the 91st day before a cruise. We can only speculate what he actually did. Past the 91st day, you are losing money. (assuming the cruise is less than 15 days long)