OLIfe Choice - some advice please

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It turns out we agree all around.  Also, if I remember correctly [and I think it was you who told me], the O Life tours perk has a nasty cancellation policy that if Oceania cancels a tour you only get $100 back even if it listed for more.  With cruise only, you pay for the tours on a credit card and if Oceania cancels the full amount should go back to that credit card.  [Do I have that right?]

Yes-  you get the original base $100 non-refundable SBC on your cruise account if O cancels an O Life tour once onboard. But, you can substitute any available, allowable replacement O Life tour instead at no extra cost. And, also yes, any paid non-O Life tour appears as a refundable credit on your onboard account. 

[Paulchili]

11 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Also, if I remember correctly [and I think it was you who told me], the O Life tours perk has a nasty cancellation policy that if Oceania cancels a tour you only get $100 back even if it listed for more

That is true but remember that you only paid $100 for that O Life tour and not $199 (or what ever the O price is).

Otherwise one could buy 3 tours for $300 and get back up to twice the money for cancellation.

PS mea culpa - this should be a reply to Jazzbeau's post and not FF's post.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Paulchili

[Harters]

My thanks all round.

 

ToxM's personal experience does support what s/he said about sloppy copywriting and that the O's UK domain website, priced in sterling, is going to be a net price for this UK to UK cruise.  But we'll obviously verify that when we come to book.

 

Lots of other considerations for the excursion versus credit matter. As someone said, upthread, we need to have an idea what we want to do at each port. For example, we've no need for any excursion at Le Havre - I'll be quite happy walking round the town trying to find locations mentioned by men from our local Territorial Army battalion when they landed there in September 1914. So, once we've decided this is the cruise for us, we''ll make some decisions about the other ports and decide what excursions we may want.

 

At least, I'm clear on the way forward.

[Paulchili]

4 hours ago, Harters said:

At least, I'm clear on the way forward.

As was mentioned above your choice is limited and clear.

I you get O Life you have a choice of:

 

1) drinks - you said you do not drink.

 

2) OBC - worst possible choice. You are essentially prepaying something months ahead of time you could just pay for once on the ship - no extra value in it. You put in $300 and get $300 back months later.

Plus it's non-refundable OBC so you must spend it or lose it

 

3) Shore excursions. These have a potential value as you pay $100/per O Life excursion and can get ones up tp $199. If, however, you plan doing most things on your own, you do not need shorex's but cruise only.

So if you are interested in the number of excursions that are part of O Life - get it. If you are doing everything on your own, get cruise only.

Edited May 1, 2021 by Paulchili

[SSCAF001]

On 5/1/2021 at 7:18 PM, Paulchili said:

3) Shore excursions. These have a potential value as you pay $100/per O Life excursion and can get ones up tp $199. If, however, you plan doing most things on your own, you do not need shorex's but cruise only.

So if you are interested in the number of excursions that are part of O Life - get it. If you are doing everything on your own, get cruise only.

I have just booked my first Oceania cruise. I have read several time that the price limit for a shore excursion to be part of the Olife option is $199. But I cannot find this criteria on Oceania website. I have read that the following shore excursions are excluded (Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar, Go Local, and Culinary Discovery Tours), but nothing regarding a price limit. So my question is simple : if I see a shore excursion that is not among the excluded shore excursion by nature, but whose price is higher than $199, I should consider that I cannot go for it?

[LHT28]

12 minutes ago, SSCAF001 said:

So my question is simple : if I see a shore excursion that is not among the excluded shore excursion by nature, but whose price is higher than $199, I should consider that I cannot go for it?

There is no price limit  but generally the  ones  part of the  O Life offerings are  under $200  mark

If you find one that is not in the excluded list  then  it will be part of the Olife deal

 

When I look  it shows in CAD  so prices are over the  $200 mark   😉

 

[SSCAF001]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

There is no price limit  but generally the  ones  part of the  O Life offerings are  under $200  mark

If you find one that is not in the excluded list  then  it will be part of the Olife deal

 

When I look  it shows in CAD  so prices are over the  $200 mark   😉

 

Thanks. May I give you 1 example? In Kuala Lumpur, shore excursions KUL-003 "Kuala Lumpur - The garden City". Price is 186€ which is around 225 USD. And I have seen several excursions in Jerusalem (ASH-002, 003, 005, 007) priced at 177€ (215 USD). So you think I could choose them within my Olife package?

[LHT28]

7 minutes ago, SSCAF001 said:

Thanks. May I give you 1 example? In Kuala Lumpur, shore excursions KUL-003 "Kuala Lumpur - The garden City". Price is 186€ which is around 225 USD. And I have seen several excursions in Jerusalem (ASH-002, 003, 005, 007) priced at 177€ (215 USD). So you think I could choose them within my Olife package?

The  KUL-003   I am seeing has  the OS designation  so not part of the  O Life  included toors

 

 You could  do KUL -002 or KUL -001

[Flatbush Flyer]

25 minutes ago, SSCAF001 said:

I have just booked my first Oceania cruise. I have read several time that the price limit for a shore excursion to be part of the Olife option is $199. But I cannot find this criteria on Oceania website. I have read that the following shore excursions are excluded (Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar, Go Local, and Culinary Discovery Tours), but nothing regarding a price limit. So my question is simple : if I see a shore excursion that is not among the excluded shore excursion by nature, but whose price is higher than $199, I should consider that I cannot go for it?

If you have selected O Life tours as your perk and place your tour preferences in the O web  “cart” for your cruise (along with any OE/OS/etc), it will assign $0 to the most expensive allowable O Life tours in your allotment and put the retail price next to the non-allowed ones. The cart will also let you know how many other tours may be needed for the YWYW discount and figure that in if you check the button for YWYW (the bottom line price will then adjust for YWYW).

You can then print your selection math (without purchasing anything) and you’ll see that USUALLY you are being charged for any non-OE/OS etc. tours >$199. If you see $0 next to a >$199 tour you want, go for it. But, save that printout just in case.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[SSCAF001]

5 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

The  KUL-003   I am seeing has  the OS designation  so not part of the  O Life  included tours

 You could  do KUL -002 or KUL -001

Sorry my mistake. Let's take Jerusalem excursions HFA-005, 009, 010, 012. They are all priced @ 177 € (215 USD).

[SSCAF001]

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you have selected O Life tours as your perk and place your tour preferences in the O web  “cart” for your cruise (along with any OE/OS/etc), it will assign $0 to the most expensive allowable O Life tours in your allotment and put the retail price next to the non-allowed ones. The cart will also let you know how many other tours may be needed for the YWYW discount and figure that in if you check the button for YWYW (the bottom line price will then adjust for YWYW).

You can then print your selection math (without purchasing anything) and you’ll see that you are being charged for any non-OE/OS etc. tours >$199.

Thanks. My concern is that my cruise is only in 2023 so I think I cannot do what you suggest. Am I correct?

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, SSCAF001 said:

Sorry my mistake. Let's take Jerusalem excursions HFA-005, 009, 010, 012. They are all priced @ 177 € (215 USD).

do not get hung up on the price point  just check the ones without  OS OE etc  in the description   like next to the walking figures

[SSCAF001]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

do not get hung up on the price point  just check the ones without  OS OE etc  in the description   like next to the walking figures

Thanks! I will follow your advice.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, SSCAF001 said:

Thanks. My concern is that my cruise is only in 2023 so I think I cannot do what you suggest. Am I correct?

If you can see the tours as available to purchase in your account for that cruise, you can purchase them now (or at least do the cart exercise). You can also call O directly- even if you’ve booked with a TA and they’ll do the math (I sometimes do this as a double-check).

 

Also, you’re talking about a few dollars difference at $215. Just enter what you want and see what happens.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[SSCAF001]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you can see the tours as available to purchase in your account for that cruise, you can purchase them now (or at least do the cart exercise). You can also call O directly- even if you’ve booked with a TA and they’ll do the math (I sometimes do this as a double-check).

Thank you, They are not available at the moment. I got a price estimate by taking the same shore excursions for earlier cruises.

[Paulchili]

Don’t forget that if you take your allowed number of O Life excursions you will then enter “YWYW” territory. That means you can book ANY additional excursions (including OS, OE, etc) at 25% discount