Grand Voyage

[Flatbush Flyer]

17 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

What will happen if you book the first segment of an extended voyage (provided it is available as a separate cruise) with one booking # and a month later you book the following segment with a different booking #?

Will O combine it for you into one extended journey?

My understanding is that, you or your TA will be notified of a conflict (but don't quote me).

 

In any case, even for Platinums where you get $500 SBC per each single segment cruise vs only $500 for an entire multi-segment extended journey, the extended journey discount will often at least make up for any O Club perk losses. There are just too many variables from itinerary length to cabin class to  whatever to make a definitive answer.

 

One of our future bookings is a 45 day extended journey comprised of 3 base segments. The extended journey gets 4 cruise credits. The three segments get 1 each. 

Even though the segments couldn't be booked separately, I did the theoretical math because there would be the 5% combination cruise discount, O Club platinum perks, more air credit, etc. Bottom line? Reducing everything to $ value, the extended journey's cabin price break made for a "far and away" better deal.

[Paulchili]

I suspect that you are right in most cases.

One of the advantages of separate segments is that if that segment sells poorly, the prices may go down and you could benefit from that. In our case one segment offered PPG (not the other) thus we were able to get the full value of that PPG as refundable OBC.

Admittedly, these may have been unusual cases.

[Redtravel]

17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

No. 

Firstly, (again) there's no such thing as a "grand voyage." It's an artifact title still on the website from years ago.

What you are referring to is an "extended journey" (which is what it is booked as). And you get the cruise credits based on its length. If you book a 25 day cruise, it would be 2 cruise credits. But 24 or less days only get 1 credit. And 45 days = 4 credits, etc.

The bottom line is that the price discount for an extended journey is very significant when compared to the total cost of its included segments. But, it often means loss of a cruise credit or two (all depending on itinerary lengths) and multiple O Club perks. But, it's all moot because you can't separately book all the segments together that are in an "extended journey."

 

ALWAYS DO THE MATH.

I booked direct with O. They called it GRAND.    Maybe you should tell them that they are wrong.

[pinotlover]

I booked one today. I thought I was booking a single cruise. Oceania, via my TA, said it’s a Grant Voyage, $1500 each not $750. The brochure didn’t have it listed as a grand voyage, they just told me it was when we booked!

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I booked one today. I thought I was booking a single cruise. Oceania, via my TA, said it’s a Grant Voyage, $1500 each not $750. The brochure didn’t have it listed as a grand voyage, they just told me it was when we booked!

Some TAs still use the old lingo. 

But the brochures don't lie.

 

Here's pics from one of the recent brochures including the correct "Extended Voyage"  terminology and an example of an autumn 2020 "extended journey" cruise (cancelled like the others during Covid times).

 

Do note, however, that the latest O brochures have started folding the "extended journeys" into the regular regions' listings along with the single segments that make them up.

 

 

 

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I booked direct with O. They called it GRAND.    Maybe you should tell them that they are wrong.

See the brochure pix I just posted. Even some of O's own reps till use the old lingo.

However, as I pointed out to pinotlover, the newest brochures (e.g., the one that just came out) are now including the "extended journeys" in the same "region" sections as the single segments.

[pinotlover]

Flatbush Flyer;

 

I have double checked the brochures. No where is my 17 day cruise listed as an Extended Voyage or a Grand Voyage! I had to search and find the individual 10 & 7 day cruises that make it up! 
 

Squeezing a nearly 25% deposit out of a short cruise! I’m booked on a couple 20 day cruises where the deposit is only $750 each. $1500 deposit each for this short cruise is a new invention! 
 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Flatbush Flyer;

 

I have double checked the brochures. No where is my 17 day cruise listed as an Extended Voyage or a Grand Voyage! I had to search and find the individual 10 & 7 day cruises that make it up! 
 

Squeezing a nearly 25% deposit out of a short cruise! I’m booked on a couple 20 day cruises where the deposit is only $750 each. $1500 deposit each for this short cruise is a new invention! 
 

 

As I said earlier, the newest brochures (including 2022 cruises) have stopped listing the "extended journeys" in their own section.

 

The double deposit for "extended journeys" (and the previously named "grand voyages") have been doubled for many years.

 

I just booked two adjacent late 2022 "extended journeys" and had I not had multiple FCCs and a Future Deposit Certificate with associated "book onboard" perks (e.g., reduced deposit), I'd have been on the hook for $3k deposits on each cruise.

 

BTW, our two extended journeys were listed alongside the four segments involved in the brochure that just came out.

 

I did some more memory exercising and even looked for some much older brochures (to no avail). But, I can still picture in my mind some brochures where there were four sections: the separate regions with single segments; the extended journeys of two adjacent segments; the grand voyages with three or more segments and the world cruise (with two different start/end versions). 

The grand voyages has some extra perks over the extended journeys (e.g., free laundry).

 

Perhaps someone who's got iron glad memory and a long history with O can expand on what used to be.

 

 

 

[Redtravel]

16 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Flatbush Flyer;

 

I have double checked the brochures. No where is my 17 day cruise listed as an Extended Voyage or a Grand Voyage! I had to search and find the individual 10 & 7 day cruises that make it up! 
 

Squeezing a nearly 25% deposit out of a short cruise! I’m booked on a couple 20 day cruises where the deposit is only $750 each. $1500 deposit each for this short cruise is a new invention! 
 

 

When I booked, the cruise was listed in a mailing from O as one cruise.  It wasn’t until the O agent asked for big deposit that I questioned it.  That’s when she said it was GRAND.  Aside from double deposits, there was no mention of any features.  She also pointed out that I had booked a similar 2 week grand cruise a few years ago and had paid $3000 deposit.  That was correct.  She questioned why I balked at $3000 now.  There was one difference then compared to now. Back then, there wasn’t a pandemic and ships were sailing. I got ok to use fcc as the deposit.  If I had to pay out money now, I probably would have not booked until ships safely sail again. On that other grand cruise, I also didn’t realize that I was then on a b2b until turnaround day when breakfast stopped earlier than usual. Never heard about free laundry. Are there any real benefits that unadvertised? 

[Hawaiidan]

24 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

When I booked, the cruise was listed in a mailing from O as one cruise.  It wasn’t until the O agent asked for big deposit that I questioned it.  That’s when she said it was GRAND.  Aside from double deposits, there was no mention of any features.  She also pointed out that I had booked a similar 2 week grand cruise a few years ago and had paid $3000 deposit.  That was correct.  She questioned why I balked at $3000 now.  There was one difference then compared to now. Back then, there wasn’t a pandemic and ships were sailing. I got ok to use fcc as the deposit.  If I had to pay out money now, I probably would have not booked until ships safely sail again. On that other grand cruise, I also didn’t realize that I was then on a b2b until turnaround day when breakfast stopped earlier than usual. Never heard about free laundry. Are there any real benefits that unadvertised? 

Well  thats up to your travel agent....  some give larger obc's and rebates and get gratuities and other extras .....  Its all  up to negotiations between you and the agent...  and his relationship with and status with the company.....

[ORV]

39 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Well  thats up to your travel agent....  some give larger obc's and rebates and get gratuities and other extras .....  Its all  up to negotiations between you and the agent...  and his relationship with and status with the company.....

She's booking direct with Oceania, so none of that figures in, unless she's transferring. 

 

As far as the free laundry goes, for a while some of the longer Grand Voyages came with some free laundry, details varied by cruise. I don't think they're doing that anymore. Now the only free laundry is with Concierge or higher. 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

She's booking direct with Oceania, so none of that figures in, unless she's transferring. 

 

 

oh....... well that reverts back to basic travel rule 1..... dont book direct     ( I once talked to a Line rep direct... and asked for more obc....NO,   I asked for Gratuities...NO  ..  Etc.....NO..... Then he replied look if you want any of those things you have to go  to a Travel Agent!)

[Redtravel]

On 11/18/2020 at 2:21 PM, Hawaiidan said:

oh....... well that reverts back to basic travel rule 1..... dont book direct     ( I once talked to a Line rep direct... and asked for more obc....NO,   I asked for Gratuities...NO  ..  Etc.....NO..... Then he replied look if you want any of those things you have to go  to a Travel Agent!)

Booked directly and then transferred to a travel agent.  Getting lots of added amenities. 

[pinotlover]

11 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Booked directly and then transferred to a travel agent.  Getting lots of added amenities. 

Truly don’t understand this approach. I merely tell my TA which cruise I want and give her our individual cabin Preferences.  A couple hours later we have a contract. 
 

When booking newly released cruises the TAs can effectively pre-book you and lock in your cabin before general bookings even starts. On highly subscribed cruises there are sometimes allocations to be delved up, but all of the TA requests are taken care of before direct bookings. I’ve been on cruises where PH and above completely sold out to TA orders before direct bookings were even considered. Those can be interesting days!

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Truly don’t understand this approach. I merely tell my TA which cruise I want and give her our individual cabin Preferences.  A couple hours later we have a contract. 
 

When booking newly released cruises the TAs can effectively pre-book you and lock in your cabin before general bookings even starts. On highly subscribed cruises there are sometimes allocations to be delved up, but all of the TA requests are taken care of before direct bookings. I’ve been on cruises where PH and above completely sold out to TA orders before direct bookings were even considered. Those can be interesting days!

Of course, with "book onboard" (which, IMO, is the best way to do most bookings - as long as you're on the ship at opportune times [if new itineraries are rolling out]), you get perks that a TA usually cannot provide. These include immediate SBC for the current cruise, "book onboard" discount pricing, price reduction matching, and a no penalty cruise change. And, if you want, you can assign it to yourself if you choose to "shop it around" to your favorite TAs for transfer w/i the 30 day window.

 

That said, and with our most-often-used TA's understanding (to whom we will transfer this booking[s]), we just used THE Oceania rep (who is recognized by many regulars as the most knowledgeable/experienced one) to make a very complicated late 2022 booking (from the just announced itineraries) that mixed four adjacent segments capable of multiple configurations (that ended up with booking two adjacent "extended journeys").

 

What made it "complicated" was the goal of using a Future Cruise Deposit Certificate (with discounted "book onboard" pricing [not immediately viewable by a TA], multiple FCCs (some of which required O management's approval of extensions on the "cruise by" dates) and immediately securing the extended B3 balcony 7108 (one of the only four wraparound balconies on Marina) for 47 days. 

 

IMO, the real challenge for most O cruisers is finding the right TA who knows Oceania "inside/out" including every policy change during these challenging times. The same is true for O's own sales folks. 

[pinotlover]

I have been aboard ship once when new cruises was released and opened for bookings. What a cluster! Took them several days to get the cruises printed out and circulated. Unless you stayed upon until 2:00 in the morning good luck with internet on that cruise.

 

About 650 people onboard wanting to book over 1000 cruises, with two days left aboard, with one OCA aboard! She didn’t have good internet connections either! I got an email off to my TA while ashore, and got everything we wanted. People got off the ship not knowing whether, or when, their cruise would be booked! I showed Guest Services my confirmation contract and they still gave me the $100 OBC and thanked me for not burying the OCA further.

 

I have booked cruises while aboard, but my only experience showed that during a new release isn’t a good time to do so. Actually, we almost always buy a FCC when aboard that gives us the OBC, best price guarantee, and reduced deposit for some future cruise. Then we can book when we’re ready.

[Hawaiidan]

On 11/21/2020 at 12:22 PM, pinotlover said:

I have been aboard ship once when new cruises was released and opened for bookings. What a cluster! Took them several days to get the cruises printed out and circulated. Unless you stayed upon until 2:00 in the morning good luck with internet on that cruise.

 

About 650 people onboard wanting to book over 1000 cruises, with two days left aboard, with one OCA aboard! She didn’t have good internet connections either! I got an email off to my TA while ashore, and got everything we wanted. People got off the ship not knowing whether, or when, their cruise would be booked! I showed Guest Services my confirmation contract and they still gave me the $100 OBC and thanked me for not burying the OCA further.

 

I have booked cruises while aboard, but my only experience showed that during a new release isn’t a good time to do so. Actually, we almost always buy a FCC when aboard that gives us the OBC, best price guarantee, and reduced deposit for some future cruise. Then we can book when we’re ready.

Its  FUBAR  to book on board.... mass hysteria  and incompetent agents creates not good....That is my experience     I will never do that again....    My Travel agent for 15 years take good care of me.. why change as she gives better $$$ than any on board shill.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

Its  FUBAR  to book on board.... mass hysteria  and incompetent agents creates not good....That is my experience     I will never do that again....    My Travel agent for 15 years take good care of me.. why change as she gives better $$$ than any on board shill.

As I have posted previously, it all depends on who is the onboard ambassador (I've only encountered one guy with an attitude) or the O phone rep. And, likewise, not all TAs are created equal.

The best of the Ambassadors use "take a number" during cruises where new itineraries are rolled out. And despite some degree of waiting (go have a latte and return in 30 minutes), the perks/guarantees of "onboard booking" are unique to that product.

 

Of course, once we do the onboard bookings, we will do a TA transfer for their added perks.

 

And, as aforementioned, there are several O phone reps who have been there more than a decade, "know the ropes" and can immediately handle some complex bookings' details (multiple FCCs, Deposit Certificate, comp cruises, deadline exemptions, etc) that might take the TA  a few phone calls.

 

[pinotlover]

My direct comments were about booking new releases from the ship. I haven’t personally found the OCA to be incompetent. They were merely overwhelmed with an impossible task to be performed in a short period of time.

 

I have book a future cruise, not on a new release, where the OCA did fine. No problems.

 

For that booking, or my FCC, the notice always automatically goes to my TA. Our arrangements are then taken care of. There is no transferring my cruise to a TA. The cruise goes automatically to my TA! ( yes that’s a repeat!) Are people actually booking directly with O, telling them to hold the booking, and bidding every cruise to multiple Travel Agencies for the most perks??? Am I totally missing what people are implying, or do they earn every cruise every time.

 

I have a wonderful professional TA that takes incredible care of us. Pull that crap about twice and she’ll never respond to your request. Each to their own. Enjoy the lowest bidder!

[Silver Sweethearts]

9 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Its  FUBAR  to book on board....

 

Wash your mouth out, Dan.

[ORV]

16 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Are people actually booking directly with O, telling them to hold the booking, and bidding every cruise to multiple Travel Agencies for the most perks??? Am I totally missing what people are implying, or do they earn every cruise every time.

 

I have a wonderful professional TA that takes incredible care of us. Pull that crap about twice and she’ll never respond to your request. Each to their own. Enjoy the lowest bidder!

And some people wonder why they can't get certain things to happen. Perhaps connected TA's save those special favors for those that don't work them over to see what the max amount of the commission they will "share" with them. 

 

From many of your posts I would almost bet we have the same TA. On this subject we agree. Of course many people probably have never experienced superior service. For those that use the big online TA's with the "agent of the week" that takes care of them, they'll never get it. 

[Traveler67]

50 minutes ago, ORV said:

And some people wonder why they can't get certain things to happen. Perhaps connected TA's save those special favors for those that don't work them over to see what the max amount of the commission they will "share" with them. 

 

From many of your posts I would almost bet we have the same TA. On this subject we agree. Of course many people probably have never experienced superior service. For those that use the big online TA's with the "agent of the week" that takes care of them, they'll never get it. 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by Traveler67
delete

[Hawaiidan]

On 11/24/2020 at 9:21 AM, ORV said:

And some people wonder why they can't get certain things to happen. Perhaps connected TA's save those special favors for those that don't work them over to see what the max amount of the commission they will "share" with them. 

 

From many of your posts I would almost bet we have the same TA. On this subject we agree. Of course many people probably have never experienced superior service. For those that use the big online TA's with the "agent of the week" that takes care of them, they'll never get it. 

Yes....I agree...  the penny-wise is pound foolish in the big picture of things.   I have had the same great agent for over 20 years now....  We have a partnership of sorts.   I pick the cruises, select all the details and  they  have the job of working with Oceania to get the best deal.   

 Putting an agent in a continuous bidding war for your business...  is very shortsighted in the long run   

As I see it, booking on board lets the company you are already "sold" and their is little incentive to sweeten the pie so to speak to sell you.  >>>You just gave up any leverage you might have had

 Plus transferring to another agent  just puts another person in the mix  and multiplies the chance for problems.    Too many cooks spoil the broth.    Loyalty is  very rewarding for ALL parities  

[Paulchili]

17 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

As I see it, booking on board lets the company you are already "sold" and their is little incentive to sweeten the pie so to speak to sell you.  >>>You just gave up any leverage you might have had

How is it different from using the same agent for 20 years - he/she already knows you will book with them and not another agent so where is their incentive to give you the best deal?

[Hawaiidan]

25 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

How is it different from using the same agent for 20 years - he/she already knows you will book with them and not another agent so where is their incentive to give you the best deal?

It is called insurance of reliability........In a dog eat dog world  fighting for every buck  you tend to want to insure those customers that require little effort  for you..   You make the same profit as you would have if you had to do a hard sell and work hours and days on tough customers.    It is win win for you and the agent  who knows  he wants to keep you  and does so with the best deals he can in order to insure your being his client.       An order taker on a ship or Miami  is salary... and  there is no such relationship between you an him... no motivation to keep him as you will probably never see him again.

In business you took care of proven long term " cash cows" knowing if you did not give then best they could easily jump to a competitor in a heartbeat....        Maybe not the same up in the bay area but it is here.