Does 30 = 20 + 10

[dj_crusin]

We recently booked a 30 day Oceania cruise.  The same cruise is available as a 20 day plus 10 day B2B.

 

We selected the standard beverage package as Our O-Life choice.  When searching for upgrading the standard to a premium package someone mentioned that it had to be done on board for each segment of the cruise.

 

This will be our first Oceania cruise, although we have done B2B's and longer cruises several times before.  My quesion is concerning your shipboard account and ID, etc.  What should expect on turn-around day, or will there even be one?

 

Dan

Edited June 4, 2020 by dj_crusin

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, dj_crusin said:

We recently booked a 30 day Oceania cruise.  The same cruise is available as a 20 day plus 10 day B2B.

 

We selected the standard beverage package as Our O-Life choice.  When searching for upgrading the standard to a premium package someone mentioned that it had to be done on board for each segment of the cruise.

 

This will be our first Oceania cruise, although we have done B2B's and longer cruises several times before.  My quesion is concerning your shipboard account and ID, etc.  What should expect on turn-around day, or will there even be one?

 

Dan

If your 30 day cruise was advertised and booked as an "extended journey" with a distinct name and individual booking number, the two segments that make it up cannot be sold as two individual cruises combined (what Oceania calls a "custom cruise"), also with a single booking number while keeps ng the name of the first segment.

If two adjacent segments are not marketed as an extended journey, you can put them together as a custom cruise.

The difference involves fare discounts, O cruise credits, loyalty perks, etc and, in many cases (but not all), custom cruises are the better option. The only problem is that the most popular multi-segments are most often marketed as "extended journeys".

Either way (extended or custom), you're still getting a better deal than if you just booked two separate but adjacent cruises.

 

Other benefits of either extended or custom are that you get to do your second segment dinner reservations at the beginning cruise open date; you can opt not to do the premium booze packs for both segments; you don't have to change cabins at changeover - though you may have to leave the ship briefly in certain countries.

 

[KirkNC]

Which raises a question I have.  We are booked on a back to back on Insignia.  The first is a sixteen day, the second is a twenty day.  My O invoice has it as a thirty six day cruise with a “combination cruise” discount.  The is no thirty six day cruise separately marketed.  So my question is about O cruise credits.  Do I get 2 credits, 1 for a 16 day and 1 for a 20 day or do I get 3 credits for a 36 day voyage?  If it matters there is only one booking number.

Edited June 5, 2020 by KirkNC

[KS&JW]

 

10 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Which raises a question I have.  We are booked on a back to back on Insignia.  The first is a sixteen day, the second is a twenty day.  My O invoice has it as a thirty six day cruise with a “combination cruise” discount.  The is no thirty six day cruise separately marketed.  So my question is about O cruise credits.  Do I get 2 credits, 1 for a 16 day and 1 for a 20 day or do I get 3 credits for a 36 day voyage?  If it matters there is only one booking number.

 

If you only have one booking number you get credit for one, 36 day cruise. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

 

 

If you only have one booking number you get credit for one, 36 day cruise. 

This is true if it is an "extended journey" (I.e., marketed and sold as a single, multi-segment cruise. You get the fare discount et al. perks but cruise credits are treated as a single cruise.

 

Usually, one of the benefits of a "custom (aka combination) cruise" is that you also get cruise credits, air credits, etc based on each cruise. And, depending on days/segment, this can get you extra credit. For example, 10+8 extended = 1 credit; 10+8 custom = 2 credits. But, your 20+16 situation is one I haven't myself experienced since, clearly 36 days is usually 3 credits as a single or extended journey trip.

 

FWIW, sometimes the "extended journey" can have a much higher fare discount (and thus bottom line better deal) that if it were possible to do it as a custom cruise (which cannot be an option). You have to always do the math when comparing different multi-segment itineraries. But, comparing each way with the same multi-segment itinerary is only an academic undertaking since you can't choose one or the other (i.e., extended journey is extended journey).

 

So, call both your TA and O to see whether you'll get 2 or 3 credits. But, if you want that specific multi-segment itinerary, it is what it is.

 

And please report back here what you find out.

 

[KS&JW]

20 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

 

So, call both your TA and O to see whether you'll get 2 or 3 credits. But, if you want that specific multi-segment itinerary, it is what it is.

 

And please report back here what you find out.

 

 

Not my cruise, so better to have quoted person who is taking the cruise. 

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, KS&JW said:

 

 

If you only have one booking number you get credit for one, 36 day cruise. 

Thanks, that was what I hoped for!

[Flatbush Flyer]

42 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

 

Not my cruise, so better to have quoted person who is taking the cruise. 

I prefer to keep the thread as a stream.

[Flatbush Flyer]

28 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Thanks, that was what I hoped for!

We haven't established that. Remember that certain database functions may behave automatically and need to be overridden manually. If the custom cruise function behaves as designed, it will treat the segments separately (e.g., you get double O Club SBC and separated cruise credits).

And though this remains an academic exercise, I wouldn't rely on a single CC post as the definitive answer.

[dj_crusin]

15 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

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

Other benefits of either extended or custom are that you get to do your second segment dinner reservations at the beginning cruise open date; you can opt not to do the premium booze packs for both segments; you don't have to change cabins at changeover - though you may have to leave the ship briefly in certain countries.

 

Even though I am on an "extended journey" I can't find any reference to that on my reservation.  The 30 day, 20 day and 10 day segments all are advertised as bookable cruises.  As a sidelight the 20 day and the 10 day segments were part of the latest Memorial Day sale, but the 30 day was not!

Thanks for the info and tips.

Dan

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 minutes ago, dj_crusin said:

Even though I am on an "extended journey" I can't find any reference to that on my reservation.  The 30 day, 20 day and 10 day segments all are advertised as bookable cruises.  As a sidelight the 20 day and the 10 day segments were part of the latest Memorial Day sale, but the 30 day was not!

Thanks for the info and tips.

Dan

If you see it advertised as a 30 day cruise (with its own distinct name), it is an Extended Journey and the discount structure is definitely different than if it was just two segments put together as a custom (combination) cruise.

 

Note that, on the O website search engine, you'll find the Extended Cruises listed under Grand Voyages in the Region choices. (Grand Voyages is an older O term which used to refer to more than two segment extended journeys. It's no longer used in advertising but remains unaltered  in the O website menu).

 

Admittedly, this can all seem a bit confusing. But, once you've booked a few of them (particularly onboard and/or with a top selling O Connoisseurs Club TA), you'll be able to do the accurate math comparisons.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer

[Paulchili]

Depends on the specifics of each situation and cruise length, pricing, etc.

We had 3 B2B2B cruises booked under 3 booking numbers. We would have gotten more cruise credits, more perks (Plat OBC +spa for each segment vs just once), if the price of any one segment went down (as it did) we could take advantage of that, air credit for each cruise. etc

Unfortunately it was for this Fall and we cancelled all 3.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Paulchili

[Flatbush Flyer]

22 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Depends on the specifics of each situation and cruise length, pricing, etc.

We had 3 B2B2B cruises booked under 3 booking numbers. We would have gotten more cruise credits, more perks (Plat OBC +spa for each segment vs just once), if the price of any one segment went down (as it did) we could take advantage of that, air credit for each cruise. etc

Unfortunately it was for this Fall and we cancelled all 3.

I think it is you who has reported doing this before (2 or 3 booking numbers). This was possible until O started "cracking down" (last year plus) on TAs doing that after O decided to have the specific categories of "extended" (advertised) and "combination" (custom) with no choice of picking the better way to do multi-segments.

 

That said, and as aforementioned, "combination" cruises are often the best value particularly if you have higher O Club status and take air credit. But, there are some extended journeys where a higher overall price discount does make it the better value than if you had the (no longer available option of combination cruise).

We've got exactly that situation on multi-segments on Insignia ATW in 2022 (Cape Town to New York). We booked onboard and the total bottom line value ($/perks/credits/O Club/book onboard SBC) came in a few hundred $ better than if we had had the opportunity to do it as a combo cruise instead.

 

BTW (for earlier question posted): The O invoice will not say Extended Journey. You can tell by the distinct name and its cruise ID #. The price is the already discounted extended journey price and what percent discount that might be is not listed.

 

If it's a custom (combination) cruise, the name of the first segment will be retained (though its ID # will be modified) AND you will see the "combination cruise" 5% discount listed in the price structure.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

45 minutes ago, dj_crusin said:

Even though I am on an "extended journey" I can't find any reference to that on my reservation.  The 30 day, 20 day and 10 day segments all are advertised as bookable cruises.  As a sidelight the 20 day and the 10 day segments were part of the latest Memorial Day sale, but the 30 day was not!

Thanks for the info and tips.

Dan

You should clarify this with your TA (if you used one) or Oceania

It can get complicated  with the  B2B vs Grand Voyage/Extended voyages

they keep changing the rules

 

[Paulchili]

31 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Depends on the specifics of each situation and cruise length, pricing, etc.

We had 3 B2B2B cruises booked under 3 booking numbers. We would have gotten more cruise credits, more perks (Plat OBC +spa for each segment vs just once), if the price of any one segment went down (as it did) we could take advantage of that, air credit for each cruise. etc

Unfortunately it was for this Fall and we cancelled all 3.

I forgot to mention that one of the segments had TA included PPG which I got as full OBC (being grandfathered to full amount).

All in all for THIS situation taking B2B2B was a better deal - that may not always be the case.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Paulchili

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

You should clarify this with your TA (if you used one) or Oceania

It can get complicated  with the  B2B vs Grand Voyage/Extended voyages

they keep changing the rules

 

I alerted Mike Moore to the vestigial Grand Voyage wording on the website last year. But, I assume adjusting it to "Extended Voyages" has been a low priority.