Excursion booking and payment strategy

[Debbers]

Many thanks to all those who have posted the ways to book and pay for O excursions. Based on what I have read, this is the strategy you recommend, correct?

 

First, using O's website, choose and purchase the minimum number of excursions (four in our case) to trigger the discount.

 

Second, phone O's offices to ask them to refund the difference between the standard cost and the YWC cost. The refund will be credited to our CC account.

 

Third, after boarding the ship, visit the excursions desk. Ask that booked excursions be cancelled and immediately rebooked using OBC. The money already paid will be returned as refundable OBC.

 

Do I have this all correct? (We will not opt for the free excursions because the one we want most is not included in that offer.)

[LHT28]

 

Third, after boarding the ship, visit the excursions desk. Ask that booked excursions be cancelled and immediately rebooked using OBC. The money already paid will be returned as refundable OBC.

 

Keep in mind the refund will be issued the last night of the cruise if you have a balance in your favour

[azam71209]

If you cancel and try to rebook a sold out excursion with OBC, wouldn't you be put after any people who are waitlisted for that excursion?

 

And if the excursion hasn't already sold out, you needn't have bothered paying for it in the first place.

 

Mary

[durante]

I woul not recommend your strategy as you call it, for the reason given by azam71209, also it seems a very convoluted way of going about things as you seem more interested in getting a refund as refundable OBC and chancing your luck once you get onboard.

 

Regarding the discount on buying the package of 4, in our case the discount was applied at the time of purchase directly on the Oceania website. I assume this is still the case.

 

You said the reason you were not opting for the free shore excursions option was because the one you want most was not included under that offer. Were the other 3? Are you intending to take all 4 excursions? Depending on cost, it might be cheaper to take the free package and then pay for the other one.

Edited December 16, 2016 by durante

[ORV]

Where are you getting your information on how this works? I read most of the threads here and have not seen this before. Sounds like a lot of wishful thinking and surmising to me.

[Debbers]

First, like many others, we are trying to make the best decision about whether to choose the "free" excursions or the $800 OBC. Of the four excursions we wish to take, only 3 would qualify for the "free" offer. The cost of the three qualifying excursions (x 2 passengers) is less than $800, making the OBC the better value for us.

 

Second, various posts have recommended buying the excursions well before the cruise, to make sure we get our first choices. Naturally we would like to use the $800 OBC to pay for those excursions. At least one post recommended the cancel-and-rebook strategy as a way to pay for the excursions using the OBC. It seems a reasonable plan to me, but of course I am asking for comments. Thank you all!

[LHT28]

Second, various posts have recommended buying the excursions well before the cruise, to make sure we get our first choices. Naturally we would like to use the $800 OBC to pay for those excursions. At least one post recommended the cancel-and-rebook strategy as a way to pay for the excursions using the OBC. It seems a reasonable plan to me, but of course I am asking for comments. Thank you all!

One flaw in your theory could be sometimes DS dept are not as friendly about cancelling & rebooking tours when you board so you may lose the tour

If there is a waitlist for those tours they may just pass them on to the next person on the list

Maybe someone will comment if they have tried this with the FREE tours as they need to be booked 14 days prior to the cruise

 

 

Can the ports you are booking the tours be done with private guides or DIY ??

[ORV]

With the advent of the OLife promos the book & cancel strategy is not really valid anymore. Pretty much all of those excursions are closed or sold out by the time you get on the ship. And as soon as you cancel, someone else, not you, is going to be first on the wait list for that excursion.

 

It's not always easy getting the numbers to work out, good luck. Fun problems to have though.