How does the "O Life Choice" included roundtrip air work?

[cayman09]

Where are the TA recommendations on the Oceania site?

[Flatbush Flyer]

57 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

Where are the TA recommendations on the Oceania site?

There used to be a link on the old website that offered options based on your location. Hasn't been that way for several years. 

Do the research to whittle down the list of Connoisseurs Club TAs you find and you will be rewarded.

[cayman09]

Thanks Flatbush Flyer, one other question regarding air. If we book the Oceania pre-cruise hotel package do we need the air deviation of will Oceania Air recognize that it's their own package and simply book the appropriate day?

 

I've always booked my own air so this is new to me.

[ORV]

One word concerning their hotel package, "don't. "

[cayman09]

Care to expand on your reply?

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

Care to expand on your reply?

Pro: convenient

Con: you can do the same arrangements for far less $

[BigNance]

Call your TA.  Tell them you want air deviation.  Even when you do a precruise w hotel with Oceania, you need to follow up.   Because of CC members, I called my TA about 90 days out, and the air options were getting very limited. I was going to wait until they sent me my tickets, thinking I would get the best.  I'm glad I didnt' wait...

 I paid the deviation, and had to pay extra for the incoming flight (non stop, arriving at 9 AM, WELL worth it).

Will probably do our own air from now on.  That was our first Oceania cruise, and, I hope it is NOT my last.  We loved it!!!

N

[Mura]

I'll join in.

 

What Flatbush Flyer is saying (I think) is that the Oceania hotel package is vastly overpriced.  Yes, it does include a transfer (again, I believe so -- we've never done it through O) and occasionally perhaps a city tour.  But you are paying for a hotel per person rather than per room, and the difference between what you would pay if you booked the same hotel on your own is VAST.

 

Check it out yourself.  Go to the hotel website and see what the room would cost if you booked it yourself.

 

If you book the hotel on your own, you can easily afford to pay for the equally over-priced O transfer if you wish!  We usually just take a cab.  Yes, in some locations you are far from the port (or airport) and it can be worth it to pay for the ship's transfer.  But most of the time it is not.

 

We stayed at O's London hotel a couple of years ago (a new Marriott at the time in the Big Ben district) but booked it on our own.  When we checked in with a few other couples we encountered a couple who'd used the O package.  I cannot tell you how upset this gentlemen was when he realized we were in a Marriott (the hotel name didn't show that fact) because he was a platinum member and was paying more than twice what it would have cost if he'd booked it privately.  He was equally upset because the hotel staff should have realized that he was a platinum member but did not say anything.  Myself, I'm not so sure that they would automatically have known ... but perhaps the computer would have shown that fact upon entry of his name.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

19 minutes ago, Mura said:

I you  I cannot tell you how upset this gentlemen was when he realized we were in a Marriott (the hotel name didn't show that fact) because he was a platinum member and was paying more than twice what it would have cost if he'd booked it privately.  He was equally upset because the hotel staff should have realized that he was a platinum member but did not say anything.  Myself, I'm not so sure that they would automatically have known ... but perhaps the computer would have shown that fact upon entry of his name.

 

Mura

..and he possibly didn’t even get credit for staying there as bulk hotel rates often do not qualify to get credit for stays. 

Bottom line - one can do much better booking the same (or better) hotel on their own and even when adding own transfers one comes out ahead.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, cayman09 said:

Thanks Flatbush Flyer, one other question regarding air. If we book the Oceania pre-cruise hotel package do we need the air deviation of will Oceania Air recognize that it's their own package and simply book the appropriate day?

 

I've always booked my own air so this is new to me.

with the hotel package  do the math 

the prices are PP 

If you do not need a 5* hotel you usually can get a hotel for less  & transfers for less  depending on the port city

JMO

[Mura]

29 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

..and he possibly didn’t even get credit for staying there as bulk hotel rates often do not qualify to get credit for stays. 

Bottom line - one can do much better booking the same (or better) hotel on their own and even when adding own transfers one comes out ahead.

I don't doubt that, Paul!  We didn't see him after that first morning but I think you're right.

 

We've always done better by booking our own hotel and transfers.

 

The one exception was on our last Renaissance cruise, and we lucked out there.  We booked our own air but happened to be on a flight with many passengers heading to our cruise.  There was a bus waiting to transfer everyone to the hotel and we just walked on ... Back then, Ren gave passengers in higher categories (not necessarily the highest, on that cruise we were in what Oceania calls a PH) free hotel stays, so we didn't need to book our own ... and the bus took us to our hotel.

 

Mura

[pinotlover]

Actually that hotel, I’ve stayed there,  is a Marriott AC hotel not actually a Marriott, but they are affiliated. They are privately owned hotels that individually have booking agreements.  I’ve stayed in quite a few AC hotels throughout Europe booked through Marriott. The hotel would have no way of recognizing that gentleman unless he showed them his Marriott rewards card. One would not normally get Marriott unless booked through Marriott. Another flip in the system is that the Marriott Credit Card does not recognize AC hotels for awarding of extra bonus points for hotel stays.

 

The patron would not get points credit from Oceania’s bulk rates. Chances are the cruiser was not booked through Marriott but directly with the hotel.

Edited January 13, 2019 by pinotlover

[Mura]

Pinot, your post led me back to my records.  We were at the St. Ermin's Hotel in Westminster back in June 2014.  I was thinking it was a more recent cruise than that.  But you are certainly right that there was no label of "Marriott" on the hotel, although we booked our stay with Marriott points.  No doubt that's why this man didn't realize he was going to a Marriott-affiliated hotel when he accepted O's package.  At the time St. Ermin's was relatively new, as I recall.  And I don't doubt that he didn't get credit for staying at a Marriott even after paying at least double what it would have cost him to use his membership.

 

I guess he learned his lesson ...

 

Mura

 

 

[pinotlover]

Mura;

 

The St. Ermins Hotel it is. Very nice hotel in a great location! I believe we first booked it based on your recommendation here. Thanks for that.

 

It’s actually a very old hotel that had a tremendous facelift and renovations.

[Mura]

Thanks, Pinot.  I'd forgotten about my recommendation!  We did enjoy the hotel, and it was a great location.

[ano]

Here is how to find the best Oceania travel agent. 1) Search on-line for one of the sites, where travel agents compete for your business.  2) Enter the cruise you want and in hours you will have 10+ offers. 3) From there look at other ratings for them, like the BBB, then pick your travel agent, and stick with them unless they let you down.

 

I would NOT book an Oceania cruise directly, because travel agents can get you much better deals.

Edited January 15, 2019 by ano

[Paulchili]

28 minutes ago, ano said:

Here is how to find the best Oceania travel agent. 1) Search on-line for one of the sites, where travel agents compete for your business.  2) Enter the cruise you want and in hours you will have 10+ offers. 3) From there look at other ratings for them, like the BBB, then pick your travel agent, and stick with them unless they let you down.

 

I would NOT book an Oceania cruise directly, because travel agents can get you much better deals.

I know some very good O TAs and they do not participate on that site.

[ano]

1 minute ago, Paulchili said:

I know some very good O TAs and they do not participate on that site.

That certainly might be true, but since you only need one TA and not them all, this usually works fine.

 

[Paulchili]

4 minutes ago, ano said:

That certainly might be true, but since you only need one TA and not them all, this usually works fine.

 

Agreed, but..

You said that this is how to find “the best O travel agent”

That part I don’t agree with - you can find an O TA but “the best”?

Edited January 15, 2019 by Paulchili

[pinotlover]

Words have meanings. Often times on this subject, posters use words and terms rather loosely, First of all Oceania specifically identifies its OCC as Agencies not Agents. In maybe a few instances the Agency might be one Agent, but that is rarely the case. So one’s internet search for an OCC Agent  almost always actually yields an Agency of multiple Agents not an  individual Agent . The individual Agents working for that Agency will have varying degrees of familiarity with Oceania themselves based upon their regular customer preferences.

 

Different Agencies handle these matters in different fashions, but often when someone bids for lowest prices possible, a Supervisor Agent typically responds to the bid. If successful, the contract is often handed down to a newer Agent, trying to establish themselves,  to handle on a transaction fee basis because most of the juice from the Commission is gone.

 

Fwiw, good TA can’t exist on those transaction fees alone. They have to be out selling so to get their contract percentage of the actual commissions paid to the Agency. 

 

Different posters here have completely different viewpoints and usages of their TA. Certainly a mixed bag of approaches. Some flip TAs nearly every cruise always demanding the best price. Others take a more long term relationship approach while enjoying good benefits and service.

[ORV]

I'm thinking the best one don't have to use that service. 

[joan081460]

Upgrade to Business Class Question    

We have the O air in our package for a 2020 transatlantic cruise.  We understand there is an upcharge to talk to Oceania to do special travel arrangements, we just wonder if their fare for business class is less or equal to what we can get.  Has anyone used them to upgrade the class of flight?

Thanks, Joan

[Mura]

In my experience, if you want business class you are better off booking it yourself and not using O's air.  Whenever I checked what O would charge for a business fare, it was a lot more than what I found on my own.

[ORV]

2 minutes ago, Mura said:

In my experience, if you want business class you are better off booking it yourself and not using O's air.  Whenever I checked what O would charge for a business fare, it was a lot more than what I found on my own.

Having access to a major airport(or your choice of 3) helps though. Many of us in the interior and smaller markets don't have those cheaper options. I usually don't fly business but most of the time it's cheaper for me to take Oceania's air. It helps though that we have the Deviation included with our level. 

[LHT28]

26 minutes ago, joan081460 said:

Upgrade to Business Class Question    

We have the O air in our package for a 2020 transatlantic cruise.  We understand there is an upcharge to talk to Oceania to do special travel arrangements, we just wonder if their fare for business class is less or equal to what we can get.  Has anyone used them to upgrade the class of flight?

Thanks, Joan

we booked our own

Unless they have  a sale on for Bus class seats   you are better off booking your own