New to Oceania and have a question

[Lew Port]

I am new to Oceania and have a question about  "O Life Choice".

This may seem a very basic question, but I am curious about it.

Esp when I get a brochure and the regular full fare is $5000 and the "O Life Choice"  fare

is half of that.  Is there some type of membership fee for "O Life Choice"  ?

I looked in the FAQ part of the Oceania website, but found no answers.

Thanks in advance from this newb to all you Oceania veterans.

 

A cruise I am interested in is a cruise around the British Isles with stops'

in Ireland and Scotland.

 

[wripro]

Ignore the full fare. It's nothing more than marketing gimmick which they hope some people will be naive enough to fall for and think they are getting a bargain.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Full cruise brochure fares are like the MSRP "sticker price" on a new car. Nobody in their right mind would ever pay that price. Just disregard it.

 

On Oceania, there are "O Life" and "cruise only" prices. O Life (no membership required) gets you airfare or an air credit plus a perk selected from booze, SBC or tours. Both fare types get free internet, beverages, specialty restaurants, et al.

 

In some cases, the difference is a wash (i.e., cruise only fare + air credit + SBC perk = O Life price). But, if you select booze or tours as your O Life perk, the value of O Life is a better choice.

 

OP: Oceania is a cruise line where it is best to use a TA who is one of O's top sellers (O's Connoisseurs Club) and who will most likely share their commission with you.

[LHT28]

O Life perk  gets you 1 of the 3 options  unless you get a special deal  where  that specific cruise  offer all 3 options

You  can take the airfare  or not  ..it is not part of the O Life deal  nor is the internet

[Seashoregal]

On 12/31/2019 at 12:22 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

some cases, the difference is a wash (i.e., cruise only fare + air credit + SBC perk = O Life price). But, if you select booze or tours as your O Life perk, the value of O Life is a better choice.

 

OP: Oceania is a cruise line where it is best to use a TA who is one of O's top sellers (O's Connoisseurs Club) and who will most likely share their commission with you.

We booked our cruise directly with them.

My question is why better to choose booze or tours for our $800 cabin credit?

 

Also, how do you find a TA that is O’s Connoisseur Club member?

[schmerl]

19 minutes ago, Seashoregal said:

We booked our cruise directly with them.

My question is why better to choose booze or tours for our $800 cabin credit?

 

 

 

Because for that $800 you can book eight tours for your cabin. The included tours are below $199. Even if you stick to those tours, eight tours will cost more than $800. If you don't plan to take the ship's excursions than that option is not what you want. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

42 minutes ago, Seashoregal said:

We booked our cruise directly with them.

My question is why better to choose booze or tours for our $800 cabin credit?

 

Also, how do you find a TA that is O’s Connoisseur Club member?

Search the Oceania forums and you'll find a zillion threads discussing the finer points of O Life. Here's a current discussion: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2723133-olife-excursion-credit/?tab=comments#comment-59134289.

Likewise, there's many many many threads on how to find a good TA including those who are Oceania Connoisseurs Club member agencies.

 

One tip is to, once onboard, ask Oceania regulars who they use. After awhile, you'll start hearing the same agencies mentioned. Interview them and make yourself a short list. Book your next cruise onboard and shop it around (for best added perks/service beyond what O is providing) for transfer within the allowable 30 day window. 

 

[Classiccruiser777]

5 hours ago, Seashoregal said:

 

Also, how do you find a TA that is O’s Connoisseur Club member?

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/find-agent/

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/find-agent/

 

Take that list with a "grain of salt." At least one of them for our zipcode is retired/retiring. And the search engine is only showing folks close to your zip code.

But, it's a start. 

Do the research!!!

[clo]

20 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

And the search engine is only showing folks close to your zip code.

Which I care nothing about. I have no intention of ever having a face to face.

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/find-agent/

 

Reread post 9 (my original reply to you) and disregard illogical post 10. Some of the best Connoisseurs Club TAs are NOT in your geographical region, which is all that is searched/shown when you use the provided Oceania link and enter your zip.

We're in NorCal and use TAs in distant areas including Seattle and Albuquerque .

[XCoastie73]

On 12/31/2019 at 12:22 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Full cruise brochure fares are like the MSRP "sticker price" on a new car. Nobody in their right mind would ever pay that price. Just disregard it.

 

On Oceania, there are "O Life" and "cruise only" prices. O Life (no membership required) gets you airfare or an air credit plus a perk selected from booze, SBC or tours. Both fare types get free internet, beverages, specialty restaurants, et al.

 

In some cases, the difference is a wash (i.e., cruise only fare + air credit + SBC perk = O Life price). But, if you select booze or tours as your O Life perk, the value of O Life is a better choice.

 

OP: Oceania is a cruise line where it is best to use a TA who is one of O's top sellers (O's Connoisseurs Club) and who will most likely share their commission with you.

Thanks for the basic info -- if I'd come here first, i would have saved some time.  We've done Viking, both river and ocean, and are now branching out to Oceania based on experienced cruisers' recommendations.

 

On maybe a more 'advanced' question about OLife, is it a decent deal when it comes to airfares, if you know?  We took the easy route with Viking, letting them do it for us, and it worked out fine since they 'owned' any flight or connection problems and we were still in training wheels.  Being relatively inexperienced, I was wondering if breaking out and making other flight arrangements than thru OLife would save enough (if anything at all) to offset any issues or complications that might arise.  

 

It looks like some cruise sites offer better deals than the line itself, but I'm finding out that may be apples to oranges without doing more due diligence.

 

(BTW, Flatbush, Brooklyn? I was a Dodgers fan until I was 6 and they moved.)

[YoHoHo]

On 1/12/2020 at 8:18 PM, clo said:

Which I care nothing about. I have no intention of ever having a face to face.

I rarely do too but my preference is to support the local economy where I live. No supplier suitable to me nearby then I open it up but I start at home. So AMZN is not at the top of my list but I do still shop there.

[clo]

1 minute ago, YoHoHo said:

I rarely do too but my preference is to support the local economy where I live. No supplier suitable to me nearby then I open it up but I start at home. So AMZN is not at the top of my list but I do still shop there.

But even if local I have no need to actually meet.

[YoHoHo]

10 minutes ago, XCoastie73 said:

Thanks for the basic info -- if I'd come here first, i would have saved some time.  

There are some knowledgeable and helpful people on this board, over the years I have learned a lot.

 

Thanks for the basic info -- if I'd come here first, i would have saved some time.  We've done Viking, both river and ocean, and are now branching out to Oceania based on experienced cruisers' recommendations.

 

Sorry dont know how to grab two quotes fomr the same post in this "new" version of CC

 

"On maybe a more 'advanced' question about OLife, is it a decent deal when it comes to airfares, if you know?  We took the easy route with Viking, letting them do it for us, and it worked out fine since they 'owned' any flight or connection problems and we were still in training wheels.  Being relatively inexperienced, I was wondering if breaking out and making other flight arrangements than thru OLife would save enough (if anything at all) to offset any issues or complications that might arise.  "

 

First off, while they say they will help you if there is an issue the Contract applies and you might be on your own if they deem it. This is all cruise lines that I know of. There are indeed cases where they have done amazing things to help but the obligation does not match the marketing.

 

As for price, maybe. O will almost always fly you out to arrive on embarkation  day and that is considered a bad move on these board and increases the risk of missing boarding. If you want to fly in the day before (or earlier) before you must purchase a deviation from O and that incurs a $175 admin fee pp. So to decide ask your agent to find out how much the air credit is (the earlier you ask the amount could be higher due to more availability I have read on this board). I consider the flight from O is costing me the air credit plus the $175. That is what I "save/dont spend/get back" if I buy flights elsewhere. I then do some flight searches. And not taking O I get more choices, seat, pay with miles, etc. For some here they always buy on their own. We've had a mix. Upcoming cruise one way is with O and the other on our own. It does take some research on your part to get what suits *you* (there are some on these boards with very strong opinions on air but it comes down to you and your comfort level and the time you want to spend on research, etc. Good 3rd party travel insurance can help (and they can have someone to call)  if you miss a connection.

 

[YoHoHo]

22 minutes ago, clo said:

But even if local I have no need to actually meet.

I do agree. I was just responding to " showing folks close to your zip code. " and your reply sounded to me like you do not care that they are local (as part of that "nothing"). Now I understand you were speaking of the face to face part.

 

It is part of the communication evolution. At one time most would prefer to meet a travel agent to get a feel for them, see the colourful brochures and treated skeptically someone who might phone them (dont you have a store front?) I think not only do many of us now not like to meet face to face we prefer email to a phone call, and my nieces & nephews are all texts before emails, and social media posts before a direct contact.

 

Sorry, getting off topic

Edited January 20, 2020 by YoHoHo
add OT apology

[Flatbush Flyer]

53 minutes ago, XCoastie73 said:

Thanks for the basic info -- if I'd come here first, i would have saved some time.  We've done Viking, both river and ocean, and are now branching out to Oceania based on experienced cruisers' recommendations.

 

On maybe a more 'advanced' question about OLife, is it a decent deal when it comes to airfares, if you know?  We took the easy route with Viking, letting them do it for us, and it worked out fine since they 'owned' any flight or connection problems and we were still in training wheels.  Being relatively inexperienced, I was wondering if breaking out and making other flight arrangements than thru OLife would save enough (if anything at all) to offset any issues or complications that might arise.  

 

It looks like some cruise sites offer better deals than the line itself, but I'm finding out that may be apples to oranges without doing more due diligence.

 

(BTW, Flatbush, Brooklyn? I was a Dodgers fan until I was 6 and they moved.)

O Life pricing includes the airfare plus one of three perks (basic booze, excursions or SBC). However, you can opt for an air credit instead of the tix (do a mock booking and check "no air," which will show a lower fare than on the initial webpage. The difference is the air credit amount).

 

The "cruise only" fare is no airfare or O Life perk.

In MOST cases the difference between O Life and Cruise Only prices is the value of the air credit and the SBC perk. Basically, it's a "wash." However, if you select the basic booze perk for O Life, your drinking habit can make it a good deal (particularly if you upgrade to Prestige Package for $20 pp/day). Or, if you select the excursions, there can be real value in that their saved cost can be double what the SBC would've been. The allowable O Life excursions can by up to $199 (and not OE, OS, etc types). That's up to twice the value of the SBC option.

 

FWIW, we do longer cruises where we usually do a mix of ship and private tours. We then take the O Life tours option and pick the most expensive of the allowable ones in which we have interest. Since they also count toward the minimum number of pre-purchased tours for the YWYW 25% discount on those tours for which you'd pay  (minimum number is specific to each cruise itinerary), the best value option of O Life is realized.

 

Because we most often do land stays pre/post cruise, we pretty much always take the O Life air credit and use it to supplement our DIY bizclass airfare purchase (including use of FF miles where that works best). And, even though we get air deviation with our loyalty level, the cost of bizclass air on Oceania is a deal breaker since it does not give you credit for the economy air you've already purchased. In essence, you end up buying two airfares (even the folks at O's "air department" will tell you that it's better to DIY bizclass air.

 

There was a time when we would consider the basic booze perk and upgrade. But, the combo of bringing our own wine onboard, multiple event invites (O Club, officer dinners, etc) and "happy hour" pricing negate those perk choices.

 

BTW, some itineraries have "ultimate O Life," which is all three perks with air or air credit. In the US, it's sometimes found on some slower selling itineraries. JUMP ON THAT FARE if you like the itinerary.

 

As for the Dodgers, I share your pain!

[XCoastie73]

Thanks!  I had puzzled myself to the bottomline of your first two paragraphs --excursions seem to be the way to go in choosing among the three options.  We don't drink (enough), and you can exceed $800 in excursions (even if the MSRP's are high).

 

The air part was exactly what I was looking for, so thanks again.  I didn't realize the OLife Business Class angle -- we're looking at Houston-Tokyo and Singapore-Houston, so Business Class is important.  I had the general feeling that we could do better than the OLife Economy fare PLUS an Oceania upgrade to Business Class.  great insight.

 

I've seen some better deals than the ones at Oceania.com on ***** and Cruise.com, but I also lurked enough here to have learned about OCC TA's, including specifically a highly-regarded nationwide one that happens to be based in Houston.

 

Yeah, my Dad and I went to Ebbett's Field a few times that I remember.  He got the Schaefer Brewery season tickets occasionally.  I happen to be in NYC at the moment, in SW Queens about five miles from the Gil Hodges Bridge and 2-3 miles from Erskine Street.  

[XCoastie73]

2 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

Thanks for the basic info -- if I'd come here first, i would have saved some time.  We've done Viking, both river and ocean, and are now branching out to Oceania based on experienced cruisers' recommendations.

 

Sorry dont know how to grab two quotes fomr the same post in this "new" version of CC

 

"On maybe a more 'advanced' question about OLife, is it a decent deal when it comes to airfares, if you know?  We took the easy route with Viking, letting them do it for us, and it worked out fine since they 'owned' any flight or connection problems and we were still in training wheels.  Being relatively inexperienced, I was wondering if breaking out and making other flight arrangements than thru OLife would save enough (if anything at all) to offset any issues or complications that might arise.  "

 

First off, while they say they will help you if there is an issue the Contract applies and you might be on your own if they deem it. This is all cruise lines that I know of. There are indeed cases where they have done amazing things to help but the obligation does not match the marketing.

 

As for price, maybe. O will almost always fly you out to arrive on embarkation  day and that is considered a bad move on these board and increases the risk of missing boarding. If you want to fly in the day before (or earlier) before you must purchase a deviation from O and that incurs a $175 admin fee pp. So to decide ask your agent to find out how much the air credit is (the earlier you ask the amount could be higher due to more availability I have read on this board). I consider the flight from O is costing me the air credit plus the $175. That is what I "save/dont spend/get back" if I buy flights elsewhere. I then do some flight searches. And not taking O I get more choices, seat, pay with miles, etc. For some here they always buy on their own. We've had a mix. Upcoming cruise one way is with O and the other on our own. It does take some research on your part to get what suits *you* (there are some on these boards with very strong opinions on air but it comes down to you and your comfort level and the time you want to spend on research, etc. Good 3rd party travel insurance can help (and they can have someone to call)  if you miss a connection.

 

Thanks!  Great intel.  We've gotten insurance for our last couple of trips.  I was figuring that we would arrive at the departure port at least one day early, to mitigate the possibility of something going wrong, too.

[kitty9]

1 hour ago, XCoastie73 said:

Thanks!  I had puzzled myself to the bottomline of your first two paragraphs --excursions seem to be the way to go in choosing among the three options.  We don't drink (enough), and you can exceed $800 in excursions (even if the MSRP's are high).

 

The air part was exactly what I was looking for, so thanks again.  I didn't realize the OLife Business Class angle -- we're looking at Houston-Tokyo and Singapore-Houston, so Business Class is important.  I had the general feeling that we could do better than the OLife Economy fare PLUS an Oceania upgrade to Business Class.  great insight.

 

I've seen some better deals than the ones at Oceania.com on ***** and Cruise.com, but I also lurked enough here to have learned about OCC TA's, including specifically a highly-regarded nationwide one that happens to be based in Houston.

 

Yeah, my Dad and I went to Ebbett's Field a few times that I remember.  He got the Schaefer Brewery season tickets occasionally.  I happen to be in NYC at the moment, in SW Queens about five miles from the Gil Hodges Bridge and 2-3 miles from Erskine Street.  

FYI, it’s against Terms of Service here to mention any travel agency or agent.

 

I’ve always found it interesting that the usual O flight benefit is $350.  I haven’t found a $350 flight in ages, so we just book our own flights rather than take the cruise line’s flights. We stopped doing that when Celebrity had us flying from Milwaukee to St Louis to Memphis to Montgomery to Ft Lauderdale for a cruise.   

[schmerl]

We are taking our first Oceania cruise this summer. We fly into Stockholm and home from Oslo. At first we thought we'd let Oceania do the air. We definitely want to fly business class. 

   I found very good flights for us on my own and saved us EACH $1600 from what Oceania would have charged us for air. We are taking the O Life for excursions. 

[clo]

9 minutes ago, kitty9 said:

We stopped doing that when Celebrity had us flying from Milwaukee to St Louis to Memphis to Montgomery to Ft Lauderdale for a cruise.   

Yep. They can be just terrible. And, as far as business class, even our O rep said don't do it.

[mexicobob]

On 12/31/2019 at 11:22 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Full cruise brochure fares are like the MSRP "sticker price" on a new car. Nobody in their right mind would ever pay that price. Just disregard it.

 

On Oceania, there are "O Life" and "cruise only" prices. O Life (no membership required) gets you airfare or an air credit plus a perk selected from booze, SBC or tours. Both fare types get free internet, beverages, specialty restaurants, et al.

 

In some cases, the difference is a wash (i.e., cruise only fare + air credit + SBC perk = O Life price). But, if you select booze or tours as your O Life perk, the value of O Life is a better choice.

 

OP: Oceania is a cruise line where it is best to use a TA who is one of O's top sellers (O's Connoisseurs Club) and who will most likely share their commission with you.

FF. Are you a travel agent?

[Mura]

Why would you ask that question?  The answer corresponds to what most of us non-TA-passengers would suggest.

 

And has already been stated several times here (and elsewhere):  if you want biz air, book it on your own.  If coach suits you, and you don't worry about possible flight delays, O air can be fine.  When we book O's air, however (I admit, not often, and not recently) we also take a deviation because we want pre- and post-cruise stays in the beginning/ending ports.  AND we don't want to have a problem that causes us to miss the ship!

 

Mura

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, mexicobob said:

FF. Are you a travel agent?

If I was a TA, I wouldn't be able to afford to cruise! 👀

I will admit that, because I have found Oceania to be a perfect match for our cruise travel profile (i.e., including preferences, expectations and affordable value), I have spent a lot of time and energy on fully understanding their policies and practices.

Trust me- if you do decide that you want to try Oceania -particularly on a pricey itinerary, you should do the research on finding a top seller for Oceania. As aforementioned, the commission sharing alone can be quite a "chunk of change."