2/22/14 Riviera Cruise - Special Offers

[sabrefan]

I am booked on the Riviera, scheduled to sail on 2/22/14. Have received several offers from Oceania to sail on 3/28/14 cruise instead. Only problem with the itinerary on 3/28, more sea days plus have seen all the ports previously. Just wondering why Oceania has been so persistent?

[YoHoHo]

I assume those offers include an incentive to move your cruise to the next month.

Why are you getting them? Not everyone does - only a magically selected few do get such offers and only if the Revenue Dept determines there is a need in the first place.

Why are they being made? Because they have pax wanting the stateroom category on the cruise you are booked on and they have room on the one in March. Remember wait list bookings are sold at the current price with current offers so it may be more than you paid originally. Also they always fill Guarantee bookings so space is made (period)

Why are they persistent? - because not enough have taken the offer.

You can tell your TA you are not interested in such offers and they will stop.

[sabrefan]

The offers are for their sailing on Riviera on 3/28. We have to turn this down because of scheduling conflict and the itinerary we have done before. We sailed on Oceania for the first time last year and was offered a 14 day cruise to change from our schedule 10 day cruise, no extra cost for the 4 extra days.

 

 

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[Mura]

There have been booked cruises where we received multiple offers to switch (or to add on the cruise before or after). We have only accepted one of these offers to switch because it as TOO enticing.

 

But we've more than once or twice received additional offers, especially if it was an option to add on the cruise before or after.

 

I do think it depends on how the cruises before or after have sold ...

 

In the case where we switched the cruise, it was because they had seriously oversold the cruise and so they needed people to move.

 

On another occasion -- back in Jan-Feb '05 -- we were on the Auckland-Sydney cruise. Originally we'd been booked for the B2B which would have ended up in Bangkok. We decided not to do the B2B, so only did the first leg. But MANY people booked on the first cruise were being offered very enticing offers to cancel the second leg.

 

For most of those people (if not all) they had booked their own air, so it didn't matter how enticing O's offer was ... they just couldn't take advantage of it.

 

You really have to consider if you want to take the offer. If you don't, then don't.

 

Mura

[orchestrapal]

Just wondering which cabin category are you booked in?

 

We were already in Barcelona ready to board Insignia when the volcano in Iceland, which basically shut down Europe,erupted a few years ago. Of course we has no trouble getting to the ship but others were not so lucky and boarded as much as 5 days late.

Many we spoke did better with their own bookings than with the O bookings in dealing with the airlines. I do, however, know that O was working very for the

Passengers who debarked the morning we were beginning our cruise. They had set up in our hotel (Arts) and we're trying to get everyone hotel rooms and future flights.

Point, stuff happens! We prefer to have our destiny in our own hands.

[sabrefan]

We are booked in B3 and have been offered cash and upgrade to concierge but have to travel on 3/28 cruise which we did last year plus other ports.

 

 

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[Paulchili]

We are booked in B3 and have been offered cash and upgrade to concierge but have to travel on 3/28 cruise which we did last year plus other ports.

 

 

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It is very simple, really. As YoHoHo succinctly explained, they are doing this to entice some passengers to move their bookings.

You are either interested or not. If not interested in changing (for whatever reason) then simply inform your TA not to notify you about this anymore. Period.

Others, who were flexible to change, have greatly benefited from these offers in the past with longer cruises and/or cash (sometimes a lot of cash) :)