Booking on board vs. 'early booking' perqs

[greydog]

Hello, I'm frequent Celebrity cruiser - been lurking on this board for a while now gaining 'insider' tips.

 

Have first Oceania trip booked for this December. :)

 

QUESTION: I have read that booking on board generally gets a favorable deal on future cruises vs. online rack rate. When the future schedule is extended in March(?), are the likely 'early booking' perqs roughly equal to perqs from waiting and booking later during my Dec. trip? (My TA of 15 yrs is not 'high volume' Oceania TA)

 

I guess the answer may be complicated by new O-Choice perq program. We would typically be booking OV category, so its likely the on board booking perqs would be more limited.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[LHT28]

Oceania has changed it's game plan in recent months

I would say book the cruise you want now (or when new releases come out)

Watch for pricing changes & perk additions then ask your TA to get the new program

 

The O Life program at present expires June but no doubt another variation will come along

 

On the O class ships the OV's go very quickly

 

Lyn

[bitob]

And use a ta with lots of Oceania bookings. You will probably do better

[Iamthesea]

What, if any, are the perks of booking onboard versus on land? I.E. - On Celebrity, we receive OBC that equals the amount of our deposit.

[arima22]

The offerings on our last couple of cruises were a discount from the current cruise price per person. For the cruises I was interested, the discount was about 3.5% of the current cruise cost. Emphasis is on "current cruise cost" as one of the cruises I had booked when it was first opened, the "current" price had increased from the original availability for booking, and the additional early booking perks had gone away- the early booking was and is the best for this cruise. The cruise I booked while on board had all the original perks and the price is still the same - 6 months later. So still the best price to book that cruise while on board. But, I keep watching for any changes....

 

So....the best price?? Sometimes the early booking, sometimes on board booking, sometimes later offerings (like the 70+ cruises Oceania reduced prices for last week- and I did have one on that list), and sometimes your TA has special offers from Oceania to consider.

[PaulMCO]

What, if any, are the perks of booking onboard versus on land? I.E. - On Celebrity, we receive OBC that equals the amount of our deposit.

 

You get the same that is being offered on land plus-

-lower deposit

- $100 OBC on your current cruise

- a further discount that ranges from 3 to 5% depending on the category stateroom being booked.

- you can then assign this when booked or later to your TA -- where you would get any benefits that they would typically give you

 

If itineraries are not out or you just want to wait -- you can purchase a future cruise credit for $1500 that can be applied within two years to any cruise gaining the discount benefit. The FCC is fully refundable in that two year period if you do not use it.

[Iamthesea]

Thank you!

[sammiedawg]

We've only booked on board twice with Oceania. Both times the booking went back to a high volume O TA. Subsequently we had move over offers on both cruises, we accepted one and received considerable cash back.

They sell lots and lots of cruises on board. I think people get caught up in the excitement. The financial benefits are as listed. You can do a random on board booking with the right to make a total change one time with no penalty as long as the change is before final payment.