Booked 1st Oceania cruise today-a few questions

[KS&JW]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Were you given an approx. 5% discount from Oceania on the total cost of the two cabins (i.e., above and beyond any book onboard discount and compared to the sum of the individual cruises?

If you are paying the regular published cost of the two cruises and you have no "status" for O Club loyalty SBC, OOPS! You should've asked your TA to do the math on creating a "custom cruise" with a single booking number and an approx 5% discount just on the cruise.

 

I received a 5% discount for booking both and I also receive two cruise credits.  So no OOPS!.  

[Nymich]

55 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps you're missing the crucial point:

What it is booked as (the types described above) can mean a significant amount of savings.

Nope not missing any points.  What one wants to call two cruises that happen consecutively is pretty much their own business.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, KS&JW said:

 

I received a 5% discount for booking both and I also receive two cruise credits.  So no OOPS!.  

Then what you booked qualifies as a "custom" cruise and  (though it may take some time) those two booking numbers eventually will be coordinated under one single number by the home office in Miami.

 

It is my understanding that some TAs and even some of Oceania's phone reps are unaware that they are now supposed to create custom cruises (one booking number). The edict is only about 6 months old.

 

During the transition, there was some leeway to continue doing the two number route, in part because the website registration couldn't handle the "custom" cruises. But that was fixed within the last few months and, at least all the O Club Ambassadors onboard the ship's know they are supposed to assign a single number.

 

In any case, I'm glad you got the 5% on each cruise and the two credits. Did you also get two air credits?

[CruisingCleo]

On 11/7/2019 at 2:16 AM, NCHPcruiser said:

We booked our first Oceania cruise today (Marina back to back, August 7-29, 2021) and I have a few questions to start off with.  

 

Are Roll Calls generally active?  I ask because we prefer small group tours (less than 10) and have in the past either organized or joined tours with others on our Roll Call and are hoping to do the same in a few ports on this itinerary.

 

We are excited about sailing on a ship much smaller than any of our previous cruises!  And for me, the planning is half the fun.  

 

Thank you!

 

Martha

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it depends on the cruise if the roll call is very active. So far we have made 3 Carribean cruise and 1 TA with Oceania and in all cases have had very active roll calls. We have another TA and Carribean cruise booked for oct/nov 2020. The roll call for the TA is already very active but the one for the Carribean cruise not at all.

That being said, Oceania excursions are so expensive that a lot of individual tours are organised on the roll calls. You just need some one to take the initiative (or do that your self).

Edited November 9, 2019 by CruisingCleo

[Paulchili]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps you're missing the crucial point:

What it is booked as (the types described above) can mean a significant amount of savings.

One of the benefits in having separate booking numbers is that if any of the 3 segments goes down in price, we can take advantage of that savings. If the booking was under a single number, we could not.

Also, we will get credit for more cruises this way and two extra Plat benefits than we would get under single booking.

[ORV]

Maybe there's a benefit to having a TA that you are loyal to and they return that loyalty. Perhaps if you are always shopping your cruise to whomever will share the most of their commission with you then the TA or TAs may not be inclined to get a "special" situation for you. 

 

Just saying. 

[keithm]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 8:16 PM, NCHPcruiser said:

We booked our first Oceania cruise today (Marina back to back, August 7-29, 2021) and I have a few questions to start off with.  I’m sure I’ll have others!  We are in a PH2 and our TA will send an email when we are able to make our specialty reservations (sometime in May I believe).  At that point, is it difficult to get preferred times?  Is La Reserve booked prior to boarding?   I understand that we may make other reservations once onboard and getting preferred times at that point would be more difficult and vary cruise to cruise.    

 

I think we are able to bring six bottles of wine onboard.  Are we able to bring 12 bottles aboard initially since we are on a back to back?   Is this a strict policy?  It seems in the past I remember reading on CC about people bring significantly more than 6 bottles onboard but this may have changed.   In any event it is better than Celebrity’s two bottle policy.  We have the beverage package and will upgrade once onboard.  

 

For anyone who has also cruised in a suite on Celebrity,  is a PH fairly comparable in size to a Sky Suite on a S-class ship?  

 

Are Roll Calls generally active?  I ask because we prefer small group tours (less than 10) and have in the past either organized or joined tours with others on our Roll Call and are hoping to do the same in a few ports on this itinerary.

 

We are excited about sailing on a ship much smaller than any of our previous cruises!  And for me, the planning is half the fun.  

 

Thank you!

 

Martha

 

 

 

 

 

As to La Reserve, we always booked once on board. We'd go to La Reserves & make a booking for the dinner type that was offered. After seeing Mura's response, I think next time, I'll book online as well.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

One of the benefits in having separate booking numbers is that if any of the 3 segments goes down in price, we can take advantage of that savings. If the booking was under a single number, we could not.

Also, we will get credit for more cruises this way and two extra Plat benefits than we would get under single booking.

Not unlike other "belt-tightening" policy/practice changes (including modifying the O Club loyalty perks, starting its own spa operation and switching to the Vero water production), the recently introduced requirement for assigning one booking number ("custom" cruises) to multi-segments that are not published "extended journeys" is designed to both streamline ops while maximizing profits. 

 

And, like any major change to longstanding policies/practices, a complete conversion to the new status quo takes time, particularly when your operation depends in large part on TAs outside of your own operation. Even then, there may always be exceptions when (as also cited in this thread), someone does you a "solid."

 

47 minutes ago, ORV said:

Maybe there's a benefit to having a TA that you are loyal to and they return that loyalty. Perhaps if you are always shopping your cruise to whomever will share the most of their commission with you then the TA or TAs may not be inclined to get a "special" situation for you. 

 

Just saying. 

We are "shoppers." But, our shopping is among only three top selling Oceania Connoisseurs Club TAs and we tend to book at least one Oceania cruise per year with each one of them.  

 

Because each TA may or may not be a member of a TA consortium with an additional Oceania discount agreement for our desired itinerary AND/OR because it's that TA's current time window for a rotating Oceania "quiet" sale, we'll USUALLY (but not always) make any particular  TA selection on the best "bottom line" for the itinerary in question.  And we do keep our TA list "current" based on their commitment to service (as much as to the price). For example, we stopped using one TA in Florida (who would always "beat anyone's price") because his office made too many mistakes). We replaced him with another TA highly recommended by multiple Oceania ATW cruisers.

[KS&JW]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Then what you booked qualifies as a "custom" cruise and  (though it may take some time) those two booking numbers eventually will be coordinated under one single number by the home office in Miami.

 

It is my understanding that some TAs and even some of Oceania's phone reps are unaware that they are now supposed to create custom cruises (one booking number). The edict is only about 6 months old.

 

During the transition, there was some leeway to continue doing the two number route, in part because the website registration couldn't handle the "custom" cruises. But that was fixed within the last few months and, at least all the O Club Ambassadors onboard the ship's know they are supposed to assign a single number.

 

In any case, I'm glad you got the 5% on each cruise and the two credits. Did you also get two air credits?

 

Yes, I received two air credits.  

Not sure why you are so hung up on others referring to something as a B2B.  Oceania may have their own internal verbiage, but most people know what a B2B is and will continue to call it by the industry wide term.   I have CCC TA.  I think she knows what she is doing.  

 

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

One of the benefits in having separate booking numbers is that if any of the 3 segments goes down in price, we can take advantage of that savings. If the booking was under a single number, we could not.

Also, we will get credit for more cruises this way and two extra Plat benefits than we would get under single booking.

 

Yes, I wanted the two cruise credits.     Like you,  I was also able to take advantage of one of the cruises going down in price because I had two numbers.  My TA told me about the lower price and just sent me an invoice with the reduced cost.  I initiated nothing.  I, like ORV, am loyal to my TA.  

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

17 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

Not sure why you are so hung up on others referring to something as a B2B.  Oceania may have their own internal verbiage, but most people know what a B2B is and will continue to call it by the industry wide term.   I have CCC TA.  I think she knows what she is doing.  

Not "hung up" on the verbiage. Rather, just want folks who are newer to Oceania to know what their options are when looking at doing multi-segment cruises. Nothing beats being an informed consumer.

[LHT28]

14 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Were you given an approx. 5% discount from Oceania on the total cost of the two cabins (i.e., above and beyond any book onboard discount and compared to the sum of the individual cruises?

If you are paying the regular published cost of the two cruises and you have no "status" for O Club loyalty SBC, OOPS! You should've asked your TA to do the math on creating a "custom cruise" with a single booking number and an approx 5% discount just on the cruise.

So what makes you think  other TA's are not  competent to "do the math"  that only your  TA has that gift?

There are many very good TA's  that are also part of  CCC  with Oceania  maybe KS  uses one of them

it really is none of your business if they got the discount or not

JMO

[Flatbush Flyer]

18 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

So what makes you think  other TA's are not  competent to "do the math"  that only your  TA has that gift?

There are many very good TA's  that are also part of  CCC  with Oceania  maybe KS  uses one of them

it really is none of your business if they got the discount or not

JMO

Never said any particular TA is/was "incompetent." 

Rather, just trying to get the missing facts straight on a topic that can inform while also making recommendations aimed primarily at folks new to Oceania.

BTW, I don't care what they got. My concern/aim is to help make Oceania cruisers (including myself) knowledgeable consumers by having veteran O posters share complete/accurate statements.

[NCHPcruiser]

We used a TA with Oceania Connoisseur’s Club to book our cruise.  The two segments were given one booking number.   As an Elite plus  I know the in’s and out’s of booking Celebrity cruises.    I have a steep learning curve to overcome with Oceania!  

[Kate-AHF]

2 hours ago, NCHPcruiser said:

We used a TA with Oceania Connoisseur’s Club to book our cruise.  The two segments were given one booking number.   As an Elite plus  I know the in’s and out’s of booking Celebrity cruises.    I have a steep learning curve to overcome with Oceania!  

 

"Steep learning curve" is a phrase I've used very consistently since beginning to sail with O.  The struggle is real, and I can relate.  It gets better - it just takes longer than one thinks it should.  O is complicated.  (But worth that struggle - we were SO pleased with our first cruise, we will spend another month on board in December, and have yet another booked in May).  Wishing you fair winds. 🙂

[Still traveling]

On 11/8/2019 at 6:02 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania no longer permits people (or TAs) to book consecutive cruise segments for you (each with a separate booking number, i.e., "back-to-back" cruiseS)

Instead, they market/publish two or more consecutive cruise "segments" (with a single booking number and unique name) as "extended journeys" with a discounted total price. 

In the event that you want to book two or more consecutive segments, which are not officially published/marketed as "extended journeys," a "custom cruise," also with a single booking number and similarly discounted total cost, will be assembled for you.

There are some other pluses beyond the discounted cabin cost (but also the occasional minus) regarding certain perks with these multi-segment cruises. The bottom line deal will be based on interrelated conditions (cruise length, air credit, O Club Credits/SBC, restaurant reservation times, etc) and it can get a bit complicated though the overall value math is doable in terms of determining "great deal"'or not.

Nonetheless, if you want the consecutive segments, no matter whether "extended journey" or "custom cruise," you cannot book two (or more) separate cruises with individual booking numbers (which Oceania would consider "back-to-back" cruises).

 

We just booked 3 consecutive segments of the 2020 world cruise starting in Santiago Chile and ending in Capetown South Africa and have separate booking numbers for each segment. So the policy may change depending on the voyage. 

[Paulchili]

18 minutes ago, Still traveling said:

We just booked 3 consecutive segments of the 2020 world cruise starting in Santiago Chile and ending in Capetown South Africa and have separate booking numbers for each segment. So the policy may change depending on the voyage. 

Are those 3 segments also offered as a single extended voyage on the O website?

 

[Still traveling]

2 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Are those 3 segments also offered as a single extended voyage on the O website?

 

I don'tknow.'We just phoned Oceania & said what we wanted.

[Flatbush Flyer]

35 minutes ago, Still traveling said:

I don'tknow.'We just phoned Oceania & said what we wanted.

Were you given a 5% discount on each segment's price?

And, perhaps more importantly, is it your plan to transfer them to a TA?

 

In all honesty, this will be very surprising if each segment got the discount AND it was done by an Oceania phone rep. Three different onboard O Club Ambassadors (two of whom we've known for quite some time) over the past 12 months have said that the non-"extended journey" multi-segment cruises must be done as "custom cruises" with a single booking number and that the home office will correct the "errors" where consecutive segments were given separate booking numbers.

 

Hmmmmm???

Edited November 10, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Are those 3 segments also offered as a single extended voyage on the O website?

 

Looks like  they could be 

Feb 17th has  a 27 day & a 16 day  cruise

 

[LHT28]

42 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Were you given a 5% discount on each segment's price?

And, perhaps more importantly, is it your plan to transfer them to a TA?

 

I thought  yo did not care what people got ??

 

[ORV]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Were you given a 5% discount on each segment's price?

And, perhaps more importantly, is it your plan to transfer them to a TA?

 

In all honesty, this will be very surprising if each segment got the discount AND it was done by an Oceania phone rep. Three different onboard O Club Ambassadors (two of whom we've known for quite some time) over the past 12 months have said that the non-"extended journey" multi-segment cruises must be done as "custom cruises" with a single booking number and that the home office will correct the "errors" where consecutive segments were given separate booking numbers.

 

Hmmmmm???

I have one of those custom or Combo cruises booked and although it has one reservation # I get two cruise credits for it. It is only 20 days, had it been an Extended voyage that would only get you one credit. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

I thought  yo did not care what people got ??

 

If you reread the posts on this issue, you should be able to understand that what I have been trying to do is establish whether (and perhaps what percentage of) individuals with two booking numbers for multi-segment cruises are also getting the same base 5% discount as those who were given one booking number for the multiple segments. 

 

All I am interested in is establishing the current status quo practices vs a stated policy change. 

 

Not unlike many Internet forums, CC's posts are often misstated/misunderstood/etc. Thus, the bottom line for me is accuracy and consistency in what information is being transmitted to Oceania customers - either by Oceania itself or by TAs. 

 

And, with an in depth understanding of the complete and actual situation,  folks (including YOU) will be in a better position to make informed decisions about how to approach multi-segment bookings.

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you reread the posts on this issue, you should be able to understand that what I have been trying to do is establish whether (and perhaps what percentage of) individuals with two booking numbers for multi-segment cruises are also getting the same base 5% discount as those who were given one booking number for the multiple segments. 

 

All I am interested in is establishing the current status quo practices vs a stated policy change. 

 

Not unlike many Internet forums, CC's posts are often misstated/misunderstood/etc. Thus, the bottom line for me is accuracy and consistency in what information is being transmitted to Oceania customers - either by Oceania itself or by TAs. 

 

And, with an in depth understanding of the complete and actual situation,  folks (including YOU) will be in a better position to make informed decisions about how to approach multi-segment bookings.

Are you an employee with Oceania?

 

Seriously I do not see the point in badgering people  on if they get  1,2 or 6 booking numbers or the discounts 

As you can see here in this thread  many people  get different options  so If Oceania is not giving  more than 1 booking number for several cruise segments  you have incorrect information  or  those people they booked with did not get your memo

JMO

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

I have one of those custom or Combo cruises booked and although it has one reservation # I get two cruise credits for it. It is only 20 days, had it been an Extended voyage that would only get you one credit. 

In many cases, particularly the longer cruises or otherwise more "expensive" cruises, it would seem that "custom cruise" is the way to go since the 5% "real money" discount might easily outweigh the O Club higher end loyalty non-refundable SBC.

But, from some of the posts on this thread, it appears that some individuals may be getting the same discount with/without one booking number. What we don't know is how this relates to recent policy changes. And since it seems to possibly be a "moving target," decision making about how best to book will remain muddied because different rules seem to be in play.

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Are you an employee with Oceania?

 

Seriously I do not see the point in badgering people  on if they get  1,2 or 6 booking numbers or the discounts 

As you can see here in this thread  many people  get different options  so If Oceania is not giving  more than 1 booking number for several cruise segments  you have incorrect information  or  those people they booked with did not get your memo

JMO

If I am/was an employee of Oceania, I wouldn't be able to afford as much travel as we do 👀. Rather, I am an "attentive to detail" informed consumer (as should be anyone who is about to make a "significant" purchase).

If the multi-segment booking RULES are actually based on the Pirate Code (i.e., "more a set of guidelines"), shouldn't we all know that such multi-segment cabin pricing can/should be negotiated (even before any TA added perks are addressed)?

Edited November 11, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer