Final Payment Extentions...

[Nashna]

Yippee!  Oceania just extended the final payment on our April 22nd cruise from November 23 to February 21st.  I think this is a very reasonable action on Oceania's part.  We had so many if"s regarding this cruise actually operating that we had decided not to make the final payment and were going to cancel the cruise.  We should definately know if the CDC will restrict cruises to 8 days and we should know if Covid has been contained enough to allow cruising.   

[palakika]

We decided to cancel April 22 cruise.  Got deposit back quickly from O.  Too much uncertainty at this time about what a cruise will actually look like!

[Hanoverian]

Nashna, did Oceania contact you or did you have to ask for the final payment extension?

[Nashna]

Our TA checked a few weeks ago and was told that there was no extention.  I was checking our reservation online and saw the change of date had been made by Oceania.  Since ours in an 18-day sailing we willl not be able to sail if the CDC sticks to their current guidelines which prevent cruises of more than 8 days to sail.  

[Hanoverian]

Nashna, we checked with Oceania and no such luck here.  No mercy from above, our full payment for 22 days on Sirena starting in Southampton May 12 is still due on December 13.  Possibly because this cruise obviously never touches the United States and is in line with pre-COVID corporate policy.   It was worth a shot, good to hear that Oceania was good to you.

[Nashna]

6 hours ago, Hanoverian said:

Nashna, we checked with Oceania and no such luck here.  No mercy from above, our full payment for 22 days on Sirena starting in Southampton May 12 is still due on December 13.  Possibly because this cruise obviously never touches the United States and is in line with pre-COVID corporate policy.   It was worth a shot, good to hear that Oceania was good to you.

Our extention just occured two weeks prior to our final payment so you may still get a reprieve.  We are also on a sailing that the CDC has currently restricted as it is over the 8 day maximum. 

[Hawaiidan]

4 minutes ago, Nashna said:

Our extention just occured two weeks prior to our final payment so you may still get a reprieve.  We are also on a sailing that the CDC has currently restricted as it is over the 8 day maximum. 

Ya  I tried again for a sept 2021 cruise.... asked for a  change for a April to a June final  but was told to " Pack Sand"     Well I used my agent and  she was told that.....  April was bad because its tax time and has a HUGE negative cash flow.   I tried 2 times..... Oh well

[Hanoverian]

Finally, we were told today that our final payment scheduled for Sunday (?) December 13 is now due on March 13.  That was not what the web site told us earlier this morning nor, as I said in my November 19 post on this thread, what we were told by an Oceania rep at that time.  We decided to storm the ramparts once more this morning and reached another Oceania rep who was able to give us the correct date.  Our online reservation has also finally been updated to March 13.  Must be a lot of things falling through the cracks in the midst of all this current turmoil.  A satisfactory ending, but it does point out that you do need to fight for your right to party.  

[ORV]

28 minutes ago, Hanoverian said:

Finally, we were told today that our final payment scheduled for Sunday (?) December 13 is now due on March 13.  That was not what the web site told us earlier this morning nor, as I said in my November 19 post on this thread, what we were told by an Oceania rep at that time.  We decided to storm the ramparts once more this morning and reached another Oceania rep who was able to give us the correct date.  Our online reservation has also finally been updated to March 13.  Must be a lot of things falling through the cracks in the midst of all this current turmoil.  A satisfactory ending, but it does point out that you do need to fight for your right to party.  

And herein lies the perfect example for just one of the reasons to use a knowledgeable, connected Travel Agent. 

[pinotlover]

7 minutes ago, ORV said:

And herein lies the perfect example for just one of the reasons to use a knowledgeable, connected Travel Agent. 

Oh ORV! I like control! I want to control and do everything myself. I prefer sitting on hold and then wrangling with an Oceania rep myself. No intermediary for me to lessen my control.Why would I ever want a TA to do that for me? They’re only for benefits. 🧐

[Hanoverian]

We have a TA who failed, for the first time in our fourteen year association, to sort this out.  So, the ball was dropped by him and by Oceania.  We will continue to do business with both.  Thanks, though, for all of the very helpful advice.  

[Kate-AHF]

4 hours ago, ORV said:

And herein lies the perfect example for just one of the reasons to use a knowledgeable, connected Travel Agent. 

Hanoverian is my better half.  As he said, we've been using this TA for a loooong time.  Whenever things have gone south, he has been a pit bull in getting things right.  This time he slipped.  He gets a pass.  And the rep he references on 11/19 called US, we didn't call him and while we were on the phone, we asked him to check.  More information than is needed here, but assumptions will be made.

[ORV]

13 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

Hanoverian is my better half.  As he said, we've been using this TA for a loooong time.  Whenever things have gone south, he has been a pit bull in getting things right.  This time he slipped.  He gets a pass.  And the rep he references on 11/19 called US, we didn't call him and while we were on the phone, we asked him to check.  More information than is needed here, but assumptions will be made.

My mistake, by all appearances it would seem that was that was a interaction with an Oceania rep. It was my understanding that pretty much all interactions would need to be with your TA when it has to do with a booked cruise. Apparently not in this case. Sorry for jumping to confusions. 

[pinotlover]

Some fresh new TA banter:

 

Is an extended payment in full date the new “ this cruise will be cancelled “ signal replacing the old fully waitlisting of a cruise?

 

It’ll be a few months before we know, but I wouldn’t bet against it.