New O Life promo coming

[Beagle5]

Thanks to this thread I rushed out on New Years Eve to put a deposit on our first Oceania cruise. It was 37C/98F here in Melbourne so it was quite tempting to leave it to the New Year to do something.

 

Fortunately I braved the heat, as I see that not only did we lock in the gratuities/on board credit/ 5 shore excursions and internet, but the base price per person of our cruise also increased about 10% on 1 January (probably an adjustment for the sinking Australian dollar - unless it happened everywhere?)

 

So it looks like we are about USD1,500 ahead. So thanks for the advice on this thread!

[pinotlover]

My question is :

 

How much of all this must be figured out at the time of booking the cruise? Does one have the option of waiting until final payment is due to finalize the deal?

 

We're getting ready to book a summer 2017 cruise (when they come available in early March), but haven't a clue on which package will work best for us. Our TA's Agency always gives us free ppg's (plus OBC++), so we never pay those anyway. I'm not sure that getting the lower prices as before wasn't a better deal for us.

[LHT28]

My question is :

 

How much of all this must be figured out at the time of booking the cruise? Does one have the option of waiting until final payment is due to finalize the deal?

 

We're getting ready to book a summer 2017 cruise (when they come available in early March), but haven't a clue on which package will work best for us. Our TA's Agency always gives us free ppg's (plus OBC++), so we never pay those anyway. I'm not sure that getting the lower prices as before wasn't a better deal for us.

 

Since the cruise you want is not out yet the question is

1) will it have the O Life promo attached ?

2) will the current promo expire before your FP?

3) will there be a new better promo after the current promo expires in June

decisions decisions

[Hawaiidan]

My question is :

 

How much of all this must be figured out at the time of booking the cruise? Does one have the option of waiting until final payment is due to finalize the deal?

 

We're getting ready to book a summer 2017 cruise (when they come available in early March), but haven't a clue on which package will work best for us. Our TA's Agency always gives us free ppg's (plus OBC++), so we never pay those anyway. I'm not sure that getting the lower prices as before wasn't a better deal for us.

 

That if you book a cruise that has all the benefits you can modify them till final payment . example I booked a month or so ago fora trip in jan 17

Took the whole baisc offering air, grats, internet, shore ex. and locked it in as the O life deal was set to expire Dec 31. I sense this was going tobe not just another marketing roll over in Jan 1.... It wasen't ...and the new O choice isnt 1/3 as good.

 

Anyway, 2 weeks later after doing some research we dropped first the air fare. Then after reading more another week later we swapped the liquor for the shore ex, after calculating inboth cases that we would save/make more money by each action. No problem, each time the agent and O just changed our invoice.

So yes you can... Sadly the number of things you can swap has gone from 3 to just 1 as with O choice you have now only 1. $500 OBC, 0r 2 house beverage package or 3 4 shore ex.... (no internet. even offered now )

to pick ONE of those 3 .

[pinotlover]

Thanks for the replies. We'll be doing the Norwegian coast to Archangel cruise. We will book immediately in that we want to do a PH for that cruise and they have historically gone very fast, in that O only makes 1 trip per year there.

 

Hopefully, we will also get the Regent info for that cruise that goes on up to Spitzenberger. With Regent, the Business Class airfare included, the O trip and this Regent trip has been pretty close to a wash in price in the past. Decisions-Decisions. It'll be interesting to see what options are offered.

[LHT28]

The current deal is

FREE Unlimited Internet,

 

PLUS select one from a choice of generous amenities:

FREE Shore Excursions,

FREE House Beverage Package

Shipboard Credit.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/olife-choice/

Edited January 7, 2016 by LHT28

[azam71209]

We got the old OLife by booking before December 31. Oceania was willing to allow us to keep this package but swap out the 4 free tours for a $400 credit for each of us. We keep the Internet and gratuities. That gives us more flexibility since 4 tours on a large bus didn't seem like fun. And some of the most interesting tours are excluded from the package of four. A tour or two, some wine, that sounds nice.

[ABQcruiser]

I'm trying to get my head around this, here is the wording from the Oceania press release,

 

"The OLife Choice promotion provides guests with complimentary amenities that enhance their Oceania Cruises vacation, including free unlimited internet access and a choice of a beverage package, free shore excursions or a shipboard credit. The number of complimentary shore excursions offered and the amount of shipboard credit is dependent on the length of the cruise - ranging from three shore excursions or a $300 credit for voyages up to nine days to five shore excursions and $500 credit for sailings 14 days or longer."

 

The way I read that is that you get the internet, then take your choice between drink package, shipboard credit or excursions.

 

If that's the case 5 excursions each on a 15 day cruise would be 10 x $130(good average) for $1300, or a drink package at 39.99 a day x 2 x 15 = $1199.7, or you can have $500

 

........

I'm a total newbie to Oceania and its promotions (doing TA Rome-Miami in Nov 2017), but the previous sentence isn't quite right. "or you can have $500" should be $1000, considering the x2. That puts this otherwise very helpful comparison in a different light.

 

I am still trying to figure out the business of discounts offered for buying excursion bundles, with OBC given for such purchase; what excursions qualify and don't; how many excursions in a bundle... I don't find the Oceania website easy to navigate or find answers so I'm really glad to have you all for experience and information!

[JimandStan]

I'm a total newbie to Oceania and its promotions (doing TA Rome-Miami in Nov 2017), but the previous sentence isn't quite right. "or you can have $500" should be $1000, considering the x2. That puts this otherwise very helpful comparison in a different light.

 

I'm afraid that you are mistaken, Olife Benefits are per stateroom, not per person. I refer you to the terms and conditions.

 

I am still trying to figure out the business of discounts offered for buying excursion bundles, with OBC given for such purchase; what excursions qualify and don't; how many excursions in a bundle...

Onboard Credit is just what is sounds like. A credit which you will receive on the ship. It cannot be applied to excursions purchased before the cruise.

 

Once on the ship, you may use Onboard Credit to buy any excursion which you desire, it's your money.

 

The bundling of excursions is geared to the length of your cruise. Use your booking # to create an account and sign in; then check the pricing offers under shore excursions, there will be several option.

 

I don't find the Oceania website easy to navigate or find answers so I'm really glad to have you all for experience and information!

[pinotlover]

ORV;

 

I always looked at it as O calculating equivalency for them, not the customer.

 

What does that free $39.99 per day drinks package actually cost them? For most cruisers, probably less than $10/day, as low as $5 for many.

 

Those highly overpriced and very profitable land tours? 30-40% of charged cost.

 

OBC can be a different beast (or not) so it is limited to cabin, not per person.

 

It's all marketing,

 

An easy example. The Pine Ridge Viogner Chenin Blanc blend O often serves retails ~$13 in a store. A large cruise line, such as O, buying by the pallets/container is getting that delivered to their dock for $3-$4 per bottle. So if a customer drinks enough glasses to consume an entire bottle, O might have $5 into it, including cooling and handling.

[LHT28]

This thread was started over a year ago since then the O Life scheme has changed

Read the new O Life terms & Conditions for the current rules

[JimandStan]

The Pine Ridge Viogner Chenin Blanc blend O often serves retails ~$13 in a store. A large cruise line, such as O, buying by the pallets/container is getting that delivered to their dock for $3-$4 per bottle. So if a customer drinks enough glasses to consume an entire bottle, O might have $5 into it, including cooling and handling

:wine-glass:How much are you willing to allow them for carting it continuously around the World, until you drink it?

:wine-glass:Don't forget buying and cleaning the glassware that you drink it out of

:wine-glass:As well as creating and maintaining the lounge or restaurant which you drink it in,

:wine-glass: Finally, Employing, housing, feeding and in the case of the drinks package, TIPPING the wait staff which serves it to you-

[Acrusa]

Finally someone understands we owned reataurants and deli's in manhattan everyone thought we were making a fortune with no work because we served ice coffee and ice tea for $1.50. What about N.Y. rents, restaurant insurance, government taxes and employee salaries?

[DOJO466]

I'm a total newbie to Oceania and its promotions (doing TA Rome-Miami in Nov 2017), but the previous sentence isn't quite right. "or you can have $500" should be $1000, considering the x2. That puts this otherwise very helpful comparison in a different light.

 

I'm afraid that you are mistaken, Olife Benefits are per stateroom, not per person. I refer you to the terms and conditions.

 

I am still trying to figure out the business of discounts offered for buying excursion bundles, with OBC given for such purchase; what excursions qualify and don't; how many excursions in a bundle...

Onboard Credit is just what is sounds like. A credit which you will receive on the ship. It cannot be applied to excursions purchased before the cruise.

 

Once on the ship, you may use Onboard Credit to buy any excursion which you desire, it's your money.

 

The bundling of excursions is geared to the length of your cruise. Use your booking # to create an account and sign in; then check the pricing offers under shore excursions, there will be several option.

 

I don't find the Oceania website easy to navigate or find answers so I'm really glad to have you all for experience and information!

The beverage pkg is per person. On our upcoming 18 days T/A the beverage package would cost $720 each thus $1440. ( We add the premium package at $20 per day per person). So I figured the bev pkg was the way to go instead of selecting an $800 OBC per cabin.

[ABQcruiser]

I'm a total newbie to Oceania and its promotions (doing TA Rome-Miami in Nov 2017), but the previous sentence isn't quite right. "or you can have $500" should be $1000, considering the x2. That puts this otherwise very helpful comparison in a different light.

 

I'm afraid that you are mistaken, Olife Benefits are per stateroom, not per person. I refer you to the terms and conditions. ....

 

The bundling of excursions is geared to the length of your cruise. Use your booking # to create an account and sign in; then check the pricing offers under shore excursions, there will be several option.

 

Jim and Stan, I was disappointed at first to read your reply about "per person", but checked my documentation from our TA made in July 2016. It specifies Promotional Amenities as Internet (1 acct per stateroom) and [our choice, so far anyway] $500 Shipboard Credit Per Person for total $1,000.

I have created an account. Excursion pricing info isn't available this far out for our Nov cruise, but I've been able to get the info by looking at cruises coming sooner.

I'm learning. Thanks for your help and the help from all the experienced O cruisers!

-Alice

[rallydave]

:wine-glass:How much are you willing to allow them for carting it continuously around the World, until you drink it?

:wine-glass:Don't forget buying and cleaning the glassware that you drink it out of

:wine-glass:As well as creating and maintaining the lounge or restaurant which you drink it in,

:wine-glass: Finally, Employing, housing, feeding and in the case of the drinks package, TIPPING the wait staff which serves it to you-

 

OK, perhaps not $5 but, probably less than $10 for sure. The first 3 on your list are going to occur whether or not one buys the package or any liquor for that matter. Tipping would be over and about the bottle cost so that is additive but, not the other items you mention.

[JimandStan]

OK, perhaps not $5 but, probably less than $10 for sure. The first 3 on your list are going to occur whether or not one buys the package or any liquor for that matter. Tipping would be over and about the bottle cost so that is additive but, not the other items you mention.

 

Not sure where your logic is trying to lead you, Dave, but my point was that dividing the cost of the bottle by the number of glasses which they get out of it is a gross underestimation of what it costs the Cruise Line to provide wine service.

[rallydave]

What I am saying Jim is that all of the costs you claim need to be added to the bottle except the tips are costs are fixed costs not dependent on buying the wine or not and should not be added to the cost of the bottle.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[JimandStan]

I totally agree with you.

They are fixed costs of providing liquor service, therefore the income generated from selling Beverage Packages and retail liquor sales need to cover all of those costs.

 

They are just as valid a part of the costing equation as the price of the bottle or the number of servings derived from it.

[rallydave]

Not true. Those costs other than tips are fixed costs and therefore overhead and not dependent on selling any liquors and in accounting are applied against all costs in the overhead base and not just on the liquor sales.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[RJB]

I do not understand where we are going with this. Does not matter what the price per glass is since this is what O charges and we have to figure our if it works for us. Or the tours or the OBC. Not a big deal. We are paying a lot of money to sail with O and a dime here or there should not really matter in the big picture.

[Hawaiidan]

I do not understand where we are going with this. Does not matter what the price per glass is since this is what O charges and we have to figure our if it works for us. Or the tours or the OBC. Not a big deal. We are paying a lot of money to sail with O and a dime here or there should not really matter in the big picture.

 

 

Exactly... it is astounding to me that some people will lay out $10-20K frReminds me of the Carnival nickel and dime...gotta get my money worth.

I had to laugh yesterday I was getting my car washed in Palm Springs/Indian Wells, and an older lady drive in with her" new Bentley.".. dressed to the "9"s, and asked for a discount for cash, before counting out the wash price in quarters, nickels and pennies...!!!! She even came up a penny short and asked if anyone could help her. out with a penny:o

..... Talk about tight.... and cheap ( yea I know thats how people get their money but this was, in the situation absurd) I suppose this could happen on a Cruise too???? :confused: