How to find available suites

[plimsol]

I used to easily find which cabin/suite was available on interested itineraries. I haven't done it for quite sometime but trying to remember how I did it. I'm not getting any results.

 

I used to select Oceania itinerary, click on "available" category and got results for up to 7 available cabins. Now the site wants me to fill in my personal data so they can phone/e-mail me. I never had to do that previously. I also use to enter a desired cabin/suite number and it would let me know if it was available or not.

 

Is my memory failing me or has the procedure changed?

Edited August 27, 2017 by plimsol

[YoHoHo]

I used to easily find which cabin/suite was available on interested itineraries. I haven't done it for quite sometime but trying to remember how I did it. I'm not getting any results.

 

I used to select Oceania itinerary, click on "available" category but with no results. Now the site wants you to fill in your personal data so they can phone/e-mail you. I never had to do that previously, I would then enter cabin/suite number and it would let you know if it was available or not.

 

Is my memory failing me or has the procedure changed?

Yes, the process has changed. In a 'we-know-what-you-want-better-than-you-do" world, O's website is now tracking your location, detects you are connecting from Canada and decides therefore you clearly must want to see prices in Canadian dollars only. I suppose if you happen to be a resident of the USA and happened to be visiting Canada you would have to wait until you're back home to even get pricing information.

 

And now that that launched this, I suspect prematurely, it does not integrate with the rest of the inventory engine so you must request a quote. Dumb move.

 

Or, in the conspiracy theory corner, are they insisting you request a quote so that they get your name and contact info and then become one of "theirs". I wonder how Canadian travel agencies feel about this?

 

AZ allows one to choose currency of choice. O's new policy is more like the mainstream lines that have long offered various currency options and display pricing based on your detected location. That said even on HAL you can select your currency of choice though it is through a not readily available web page.

 

Personally with this and other design issues when shopping for cruise I've given up on their website and go elsewhere. And those sites ironically show me cruises from other lines of course.

 

Yes, I am unhappy with this "request a quote" improvement.

[cruisingxpert]

Plimsol

 

I posted on this last week. See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2535033

I emailed Mike Moore who said he would express my disappointment to whoever but I'm not holding my breath. If you check some other sites that have several cruise line searches and compare their US price with the CAD price you see on Oceania, the CAD price is quoted at a higher exchange than you could get at the bank right now.

I have also emailed my TA to complain as well. As YoHoHo said, if you think conspiracy theory, you must wonder if their intention is to have you deal direct with them. Their time frame to switch to a TA is only 30 days as compared to HAL which is anytime before final payment.

Hopefully, it is just a technical glitz.but it is frustrating and they do know that the site is not allowing you to check availability.

[LHT28]

My TA in the USA will get the currency I want to pay in

Either USD or CAD

Last year O offered a good rate for CAD so I booked that Next cruise is USD

But the website is annoying in that it knows where your live & gives you pricing in CAD & no option to choose USD

 

Catherine got the same reply from MM

[pinotlover]

If one is within the first week, after booking open for very popular cruises, the website won't help you. The higher tier TAs will attempt to prebook cabins for their customers. In the past, I've given my TA my 1st-3rd choice for cabins, and have ended up with different results. Oceania takes all those requests and works out the cabin assignments based on their own hierarchy after the first couple of days of open bookings. I've seen cruises where every thing PH3 and above sell out in prebooking. After that initial period,playing with the bookings on the website can give one a good idea of what's available.

 

In today's world, attempte to remain anonymous on one's personal computer is so 1990ish.

[YoHoHo]

If one is within the first week, after booking open for very popular cruises, the website won't help you. The higher tier TAs will attempt to prebook cabins for their customers. In the past, I've given my TA my 1st-3rd choice for cabins, and have ended up with different results. Oceania takes all those requests and works out the cabin assignments based on their own hierarchy after the first couple of days of open bookings. I've seen cruises where every thing PH3 and above sell out in prebooking. After that initial period,playing with the bookings on the website can give one a good idea of what's available.

No, the OP's issue has nothing to do with bookings within the week or a certain higher tier TA's booking strategies.

In today's world, attempte to remain anonymous on one's personal computer is so 1990ish.

In the 90's few companies had the technology to store such data about you nor the programs to (usefully?) process it so there was no need. Now they do and this thread is an an example of why I disagree with your statement. O knows best so we Canadians now have to "request a quote". Hardly progress.

 

And if living ones life out in public, "hey look! I am eating choco-flaverd cereal right now and then we'll be going to Japan" may be the current fashion but if missing out on that means I'm "so 1900'ish" then I am good.

 

A major collector of your data apparently will be allowing users to access their technology so the googler can tell them if they are depressed. Personally, I find that depressing.

[cruisingxpert]

 

In today's world, attempte to remain anonymous on one's personal computer is so 1990ish.

 

Not trying to be anonymous. Would just like the site to work. When I click on the available button it doesn't work and hasn't for a week.

[plimsol]

Thanks to all who have responded especially those from Canada expressing their comments re USD and CAD.

 

I have no interest in a quote in either CAD or USD. All I want is to be able to search for cabin/suite and find if it is available. eg. we have some interest for a particular itinerary and want to find if there are any cabins left in category B3, stern extended - 7115 to 7131. Our Oceania website do quote the cruise in CAD but it is only availability I'm interested in. I have no interest in contacting Oceania directly or our TA. We used to do this search and once we found the desired cabin, then we would proceed with a discussion and possible booking through our travel agent.

[OCruisers]

I used to easily find which cabin/suite was available on interested itineraries. I haven't done it for quite sometime but trying to remember how I did it. I'm not getting any results.

....................

...................

 

A good travel agent will easily be able to fine the info you want. ;)

[pinotlover]

YoHoHo;

 

I didn't say I liked the current state of internet affairs. I'm just saying with current technology one can't hide anymore online . Sad but true . It's not the 90s anymore,

 

OCruiser is correct. If you want info you can't find online, call your TA. They can get it.Also best way to stay anonymous with Oceania, especially if you're using a higher volume TA.

 

My TA makes good money taking cared of small deeds such as this!

[YoHoHo]

Yes, so true pinotlover, as attributed to Joe Lewis, you can run but not hide. I just prefer making my choices and not some algorithm. I'm out of fashion and, only on occasion, wear socks and sandals. :eek: (I attribute that to my locale)

[su-arizona]

I thought this thread was about finding available cabins? Am I missing something?

 

The website has been behaving badly in recents days, but prior to that it was a little cumbersome to find available cabins, but not difficult. I enter booking, select the cabin type, then look at the available cabins. Not all are shown at one time (that would arguably be a bit TMI) but if you keep asking for more cabins it will cycle them through your options. Caveat - this works for veranda and penthouses; I have not had the good fortune to have to sort thru suites - though I guess it would work much the same.

 

I have a good TA - but I have sailed on O more frequently and already have pretty firm opinions about where I want to be located. So I search for cabins and tell her which one I'd like her to book. Then she gets to negotiate with the fine folks in air deviation....(not me, thank goodness)

[LHT28]

Some of you in the USA are missing the point

If you are in Canada you can only see the cruise itinerary & prices in CAD

If we want to check on what is available online we cannot

In the USA & up until last week we could click on AVAILABLE next to the cabin cat & see what cabins were still open

Now we cannot

the site redirects Canadians to the Canadian site with limited access

 

We cannot even book a cruise online on the O website

 

Just as someone posted in another thread that they can only view the UK site when in Europe

 

I give up

Edited August 28, 2017 by LHT28

[ORV]

I have at least 3 or 4 websites saved in my favorites that shows me room availability for multiple cruise lines. They're really not that hard to find. Most big travel agencies have that info.

[Hokapontas]

Some of you in the USA are missing the point

If you are in Canada you can only see the cruise itinerary & prices in CAD

If we want to check on what is available online we cannot

In the USA & up until last week we could click on AVAILABLE next to the cabin cat & see what cabins were still open

Now we cannot

the site redirects Canadians to the Canadian site with limited access

 

We cannot even book a cruise online on the O website

 

Just as someone posted in another thread that they can only view the UK site when in Europe

 

I give up

 

Me too. I used to look up the US website from here and investigate the availabilities. Now we cannot connect to the US one. We haven't been able to book online (for O) for some time, so this time I did not call my TA (he has moved) but actually did 'get a quote', and am sticking with the agent fro Oceania. She seems competent.

 

So looks like they have taken the fun out of it for Canadians too.

[Hambagahle]

Here in Switzerland the Oceania site (in English) only gives fares in Euros. We do not use Euros here, we use Swiss francs. I also happen to use a US travel agency and pay in USD. it would be nice to be able to choose the currency of one's choice when looking at fares.