Alaska! Does Oceania offer ‘close to sailing’ rates? Flash sales?

[dcsam]

I just cancelled a hold on an upcoming Alaska cruise. It was with Holland America.  We’ve cruised with HAL many times, but our tastes have changed.   Viking Oceans and Azamara has spoiled us.  This cruise was listed under Holland America’s Top Ten deals.  Does Oceania have anything similar for an upcoming Alaska cruise?  We are very flexible in our travel, and Seattle is just a drive away.   

Thank you!

[jackdeb]

We are avid O cruisers and prefer them over everything else, we keep looking for sales for Alaska, no luck. We just got off  HAL cruise to Alaska because it was an unbelievable price, living in Vancouver there is no air travel. The old adage about you get what you pay for is true, we didn't pay a lot so we didn't get a lot. Glacier Bay is a highlight, HAL is one of the few cruise lines that go into Glacier Bay to see the glaciers up close. The food is fine and the bed comfortable but nothing is close to O's food and service. Depends on the price with the itinerary.

[dcsam]

Thank you.  

Azamara does have some decent deals for Alaska - but only 1 that’s RT out of Vancouver.  The other’s require flight to Anchorage and then transfer to Seward.  Since my husband has mobility issues, keeping things easy is quite important.  Round trip out of Seattle is certainly the easiest.  Yes, there’s always Holland America.  But I do want to try Oceania. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, dcsam said:

I just cancelled a hold on an upcoming Alaska cruise. It was with Holland America.  We’ve cruised with HAL many times, but our tastes have changed.   Viking Oceans and Azamara has spoiled us.  This cruise was listed under Holland America’s Top Ten deals.  Does Oceania have anything similar for an upcoming Alaska cruise?  We are very flexible in our travel, and Seattle is just a drive away.   

Thank you!

Find yourself one of Oceania's top-seller TA's (O's Connoisseurs Club members). They have access to "quiet" partner sales which rotate among them (worth at least an approx. 5% discount) as well as Oceania incentive funds (e.g., new O cruisers). They will also be able to keep you posted regarding any close-to-sailing price reductions where O is trying to fill a ship (e.g., short Caribbean itineraries might save you 15%+\-).

 

Note, however, that most of O's longer and/or more exotic cruises fill shortly after the itinerary is first announced. So price drops would be few and far between..

 

Alaska itineraries on Oceania are very popular and the ability of their smaller "R" ships (<700 passengers) to get "up close and personal" with the Hubbard Glacier is an amazing experience. 

 

BTW, none of the lines you've mentioned come close to Oceania when it comes to the quality of food.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Kingofcool1947]

2 hours ago, dcsam said:

I just cancelled a hold on an upcoming Alaska cruise. It was with Holland America.  We’ve cruised with HAL many times, but our tastes have changed.   Viking Oceans and Azamara has spoiled us.  This cruise was listed under Holland America’s Top Ten deals.  Does Oceania have anything similar for an upcoming Alaska cruise?  We are very flexible in our travel, and Seattle is just a drive away.   

Thank you!

Yes.  On my recent Oceania cruise to Alaska on Regatta, the ship was not filled to capacity.  I was told around 580 PAXs.   Oceania could not fill up the ship.   I received a very sizable last minute price reduction offer just prior to sailing for a nice balcony cabin.👍

Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[Kingofcool1947]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Find yourself one of Oceania's top-seller TA's (O's Connoisseurs Club members). They have access to "quiet" partner sales which rotate among them (worth at least an approx. 5% discount) as well as Oceania incentive funds (e.g., new O cruisers). They will also be able to keep you posted regarding any close-to-sailing price reductions where O is trying to fill a ship (e.g., short Caribbean itineraries might save you 15%+\-).

 

Note, however, that most of O's longer and/or more exotic cruises fill shortly after the itinerary is first announced. So price drops would be few and far between..

 

Alaska itineraries on Oceania are very popular and the ability of their smaller "R" ships (<700 passengers) to get "up close and personal" with the Hubbard Glacier is an amazing experience. 

 

BTW, none of the lines you've mentioned come close to Oceania when it comes to the quality of food.

 

 

 

Having sailed to Alaska more than 15 times on various cruise lines,

I generally agree with your comments regarding Oceania. 

However, on the Alaska cruise, two weeks ago on Regatta, the greatest disappointment was the ship not being able to get “up close and personal” to view the Hubbard Glacier.  YMMV.  Impossible distance to view any calving or appreciate how massive Hubbard Glacier is.  Our captain did not go into the inlet due to “excessive“ ice in the water.  👎

BTW, due to low PAX count, it was a very quiet ship.

Enjoy your cruise on Oceania.  You may enjoy the upscale quality and presentation of cuisine. 👍

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[dcsam]

Thanks y’all.  I went back and booked with holland America.  They were able to book  me into an ADA balcony cabin on an upper deck (something a popular travel agency was not able to do).  However, we are booked for the Oceania Riviera in December.  I’ll just have to wait until then.  

[Shawnino]

Not only do Oceania's longer itineraries fill up fast, the relative shortage of accessible cabins also fill up fast. We find ourselves pinned into booking O upon itinerary release if we see something we want, to get one of those two balconies on Deck 7 on Marina/Riviera.

 

HAL seems to have more accessible cabins closer to sailing. Have not sailed HAL yet (next month) but they also claim to have different gradings of accessibility. All I really need, for instance, is flat entry into bathroom (HAL classifies this as "ambulatory") but HAL offers other rooms with more accessible features.

[pinotlover]

With Oceania, allocation of highly desirable cabins and suites is done through the Travel Agency pecking order. If the class or type of cabin is over subscribed upon release, Oceania splits and doles out those cabins among the various Agencies. If you’re trying to book an oversubscribed cabin on your own, forget about it. If your Agent or Agency has a request in for 5 PH3s, and they get allocated 2, you’d better hope your high on your TA’s liked list or you get to choose another category. 

 

If you would like to entertain an upsell offer on any cruise, inform your TA and let them work it. All upsell offers come via your TA. Let me add that it helps if you give them parameters up front.  Such as price limit or desired ship location. One makes no friends having their TA bust their bottom to get an upsell to then have the cruiser refuse the offer because the only available cabins are in the front of the ship and you don’t want there! Talk to your TA so they can efficiently work for you! 

 

It is only in rare situations that Oceania publicly advertise “ flash “ sales. Those opportunities are handed down to the TA to work from their customer lists. Oceania chooses not to utilize the “ blue light special “ ( for those old enough) method of marketing.

Edited June 4, 2019 by pinotlover

[LHT28]

DCSAM

Have you signed up for the special offers email on the O website ?

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

Might  work for future  sailings

[Hawaiidan]

15 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

Having sailed to Alaska more than 15 times on various cruise lines,

I generally agree with your comments regarding Oceania. 

However, on the Alaska cruise, two weeks ago on Regatta, the greatest disappointment was the ship not being able to get “up close and personal” to view the Hubbard Glacier.  YMMV.  Impossible distance to view any calving or appreciate how massive Hubbard Glacier is.  Our captain did not go into the inlet due to “excessive“ ice in the water.  👎

BTW, due to low PAX count, it was a very quiet ship.

Enjoy your cruise on Oceania.  You may enjoy the upscale quality and presentation of cuisine. 👍

 

To be fair, knowing Alaska very well getting close to the Hubbard before August is very very risky.   Yes things can change  but historically  August  September is the best time.   Choose carefully.  I was on Regatta in Lat may a year or so ago and we could not get within 4 miles of the Glacier

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

With Oceania, allocation of highly desirable cabins and suites is done through the Travel Agency pecking order. If the class or type of cabin is over subscribed upon release, Oceania splits and doles out those cabins among the various Agencies. If you’re trying to book an oversubscribed cabin on your own, forget about it. If your Agent or Agency has a request in for 5 PH3s, and they get allocated 2, you’d better hope your high on your TA’s liked list or you get to choose another category. 

 

If you would like to entertain an upsell offer on any cruise, inform your TA and let them work it. All upsell offers come via your TA. Let me add that it helps if you give them parameters up front.  Such as price limit or desired ship location. One makes no friends having their TA bust their bottom to get an upsell to then have the cruiser refuse the offer because the only available cabins are in the front of the ship and you don’t want there! Talk to your TA so they can efficiently work for you! 

 

It is only in rare situations that Oceania publicly advertise “ flash “ sales. Those opportunities are handed down to the TA to work from their customer lists. Oceania chooses not to utilize the “ blue light special “ ( for those old enough) method of marketing.

Excellent explanation  of WHY YOU USE A TRAVEL AGENT... and not your self... with O.   And their is a well established pecking order as to who gets what.

 Too, that O is not a mass market bargain basement  K mart type of operation.    I have seen O sail only 75% full rather than chopping prices which would have hurt booked passengers and the on board experience.   I have seen first hand the very different demeanor of passenger that  hunt to the rock bottom... and it is no all that pretty.    Be grateful that O does not 

With the mass market boys its a buyer beware and it is somewhat foolish  to book untill the last min as they have thousands of cabins to fill.

 

[Cruise Junky]

Right now Regatta is showing up a few times on an online agencies 90 day ticker for last minute deals

[Hawaiidan]

4 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Right now Regatta is showing up a few times on an online agencies 90 day ticker for last minute deals

Read the fine print.....they cut out things like port and other charges to LOOK like a super deal....   Read it vary carefully...   Too they may have add on fees that you only find after they get you....   I got suckered once by the  90 day ticker....    the only thing  I found ticking was a time bomb !!!

[Cruise Junky]

16 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Read the fine print.....they cut out things like port and other charges to LOOK like a super deal....   Read it vary carefully...   Too they may have add on fees that you only find after they get you....   I got suckered once by the  90 day ticker....    the only thing  I found ticking was a time bomb !!!

 

I've used them a few times and I admit, they do usually quote crystal for instance with the extra 2.5% or whatever it is off for early payment, etc. But on lines like Oceania where the tax is in the price, they're usually pretty good.   Of course, everyone mileage is different.