New final payment deadline and cancellation policy

[SedonaJoel]

On 7/25/2021 at 10:15 AM, LHT28 said:

My TA  has ours on file  but does check that it is OK to use that one  when the payment is about a week away

We've been using the same travel agency for about 15 years.  I generally use my or my wife's Chase Sapphire Reserve card for travel, especially for cruises.  This gives us trip cancellation insurance.  My travel agent keeps both cards on file and she always asks which card to use before she charges anything.

Edited August 18, 2021 by SedonaJoel

[SedonaJoel]

Is anyone booked on the Marina Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022?  If you are did they offer you an opportunity to cancel with no penalty?

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, SedonaJoel said:

Is anyone booked on the Marina Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022?  If you are did they offer you an opportunity to cancel with no penalty?

We’re on the next cruise, Santiago to BA. Final Payment was moved to 60 days or 11/29. Therefore no penalty to cancel. Same for the 1/8 cruise.

[Hunding]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:56 AM, ak1004 said:

Our December 1 cruise from Miami to Lima shows now almost all categories as available. Inside and outside were waitlisted for over a year (we ended up booking veranda). We were #3 for outside and #4 for inside. There is very limited number of those cabins on the Marina (around 20 I think) Not sure how to interpret this - did people cancel, or Oceania released cabins that were reserved? 

 

My guess is that many, many people have cancelled, as we would, were it not for the steep financial penalties.  The situation in Central and South America has not improved in the last months, and one wonders how it possibly could in time to ensure even a relatively safe cruise.  There are any number of ports on this itinerary in which we will emphatically not be debarking for the day...and wondering what may be brought back from shore onto the ship.  The idea of having to quarantine either on the ship or in Argentina for two weeks is - how can I put this? - not very appealing.   We are between Scylla and Charybdis.  Aside from handing over tens of thousands of dollars to Oceania (and American Airlines), we are stuck waiting to see...hoping...wondering...fretting...mostly hoping....

[pinotlover]

4 hours ago, Hunding said:

 

My guess is that many, many people have cancelled, as we would, were it not for the steep financial penalties.  The situation in Central and South America has not improved in the last months, and one wonders how it possibly could in time to ensure even a relatively safe cruise.  There are any number of ports on this itinerary in which we will emphatically not be debarking for the day...and wondering what may be brought back from shore onto the ship.  The idea of having to quarantine either on the ship or in Argentina for two weeks is - how can I put this? - not very appealing.   We are between Scylla and Charybdis.  Aside from handing over tens of thousands of dollars to Oceania (and American Airlines), we are stuck waiting to see...hoping...wondering...fretting...mostly hoping....

What “ tens of thousands of dollars “ are you talking about. Oceania has waived those cancellation fees until final payment date!!!!! 
 

I too have bought tickets on AA. If we cancel we get a credit to use on later flights. Are you so old you never expect to fly again?

 

please elaborate your lost thousands of dollars. I call fake news.

 

I believe your new final payment date, with new penalties will be around 11/9. 
 

Here’s a fact for you. Oceania’s first cruise, from Miami to Lima embarks on Dec 1. Final payment for those folks is 10/2. Oceania will have to decide by that date if the entire South American cruise schedule is a go or not. 10/2 is five weeks before 11/9. You’ll know the status of your cruise by 10/2, just 5 weeks or so. Can’t stand the pressure, cancel now!!! 
 

To add to your decision points, the FAA, has just announced the extension of the mandatory face mask policy on all airlines, trains, buses, and public transportation through 1/18/22. 
 

 

[Homerody]

13 hours ago, SedonaJoel said:

Is anyone booked on the Marina Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022?  If you are did they offer you an opportunity to cancel with no penalty?

From Roll Call thread seems that @SedonaJoel has already decided to cancel his cruise.

[SedonaJoel]

18 hours ago, pinotlover said:

What “ tens of thousands of dollars “ are you talking about. Oceania has waived those cancellation fees until final payment date!!!!! 
 

I too have bought tickets on AA. If we cancel we get a credit to use on later flights. Are you so old you never expect to fly again?

 

please elaborate your lost thousands of dollars. I call fake news.

 

I believe your new final payment date, with new penalties will be around 11/9. 
 

Here’s a fact for you. Oceania’s first cruise, from Miami to Lima embarks on Dec 1. Final payment for those folks is 10/2. Oceania will have to decide by that date if the entire South American cruise schedule is a go or not. 10/2 is five weeks before 11/9. You’ll know the status of your cruise by 10/2, just 5 weeks or so. Can’t stand the pressure, cancel now!!! 
 

To add to your decision points, the FAA, has just announced the extension of the mandatory face mask policy on all airlines, trains, buses, and public transportation through 1/18/22. 
 

 

Where did you read that all cancelation penalties are waived until 11/9 for the Jan. 8 cruise?

[pinotlover]

16 minutes ago, SedonaJoel said:

Where did you read that all cancelation penalties are waived until 11/9 for the Jan. 8 cruise?

Notification from Oceania via my TA.

[SedonaJoel]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Notification from Oceania via my TA.

Thanks for your posts.  I never realized that I could cancel penalty free.  My travel agent was able to cancel my Jan 8 reservation and have all the payments and FCC credited to a new booking Papette to Papette Feb 15, 2022 in an owner's suite.

[Homerody]

There are many nuggets of great tips and advice here!!!

[jean163]

We are booked on the 16 day holiday cruise Miami to LA (leaving Dec. 21).  Had to pay in full back in June (6 months out).  Now we're in penalty of 50% and going up to 75% later this month.  We have heard NOTHING about a relaxation of penalties from our TA or Oceania.  Has anyone heard anything about this sailing?  Certainly it includes Central America and South America on Christmas Day.

 

[jean163]

23 hours ago, jean163 said:

We are booked on the 16 day holiday cruise Miami to LA (leaving Dec. 21).  Had to pay in full back in June (6 months out).  Now we're in penalty of 50% and going up to 75% later this month.  We have heard NOTHING about a relaxation of penalties from our TA or Oceania.  Has anyone heard anything about this sailing?  Certainly it includes Central America and South America on Christmas Day.

 

Thank you Cruise Critic posters all!  I emailed my TA and she has confirmed that our  Dec. 21 cruise is penalty free for cancellations up until Oct. 21.  Wouldn't have known that without these boards as she said because we were already paid in full when the change came that we didn't get an email.  (Don't think that's right and she probably just didn't forward it!...)  Now we can relax a bit before finally deciding whether to pull the plug.  Really hope that things have calmed down by then and we can go and enjoy.

 

[SedonaJoel]

The only reason to cancel early rather than waiting.  It gives you the ability to book a replacement cruise and get a good cabin.  That is what I did.

 

Argentina is still closed to visitors.  My guess is that Oceania will cancel their entire South American itinerary and substitute a Caribbean itinerary.

 

Joel

Edited September 8, 2021 by SedonaJoel

[pinotlover]

What does “ still “ have to do with it???

 

Argentina, Chile, and Brazil have all announced upcoming re-opening dates for their summer season, which includes those from the US , Europe, etc.

 

So, if schools were “still” closed in August, they didn’t re-open in September as they said they would?? 🙄

 

How many ships do you believe can ply the Carribean waters during a season? 

[Homerody]

40 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

What does “ still “ have to do with it???

 

Argentina, Chile, and Brazil have all announced upcoming re-opening dates for their summer season, which includes those from the US , Europe, etc.

 

So, if schools were “still” closed in August, they didn’t re-open in September as they said they would?? 🙄

 

How many ships do you believe can ply the Carribean waters during a season? 

Love your post.  And agree with you.  (Too bad I missed your post that got eaten by the interwebs gremlins.)

 

Nonetheless,  we can all posit guesses and base actions on guesses.  So OP is guessing that cruises will be canceled and makes decisions based on that - that is fine for them. But I think they should refrain from second - ummm, er.... "guessing" us who stick it out and wait and see.

 

I think rather than guessing, though, an informed cruises/traveler (not a tourist) would have all available information to weigh - including the info you note about re-opening.

 

Oh well, I "guess" that is what makes CC interesting we are all so different, yet the same in so many ways.  Including the fervent desire to cruise again!

[SedonaJoel]

The Caribbean is the most popular cruise destination in the world.  There are are lots of ports and lots of ocean to anchor in.  The country has to first open and then the CDC has remove the "do not visit" red flag.  I'm pretty sure that Oceania has already decided to reroute Marina. They posted the late payment offer to slow cancellations.  We've been through this drill twice before this year.

 

I wish you the best of luck but I'd try to book this cruise for 2023 as I did months ago just as a backup.

[Homerody]

38 minutes ago, SedonaJoel said:

The Caribbean is the most popular cruise destination in the world.  There are are lots of ports and lots of ocean to anchor in.  The country has to first open and then the CDC has remove the "do not visit" red flag.  I'm pretty sure that Oceania has already decided to reroute Marina. They posted the late payment offer to slow cancellations.  We've been through this drill twice before this year.

 

I wish you the best of luck but I'd try to book this cruise for 2023 as I did months ago just as a backup.

The way I'm reading it, you had a booking on the 8 January and a second booking for a 2023 sailing.

 

After you posted on this thread and a related one (roll call, as I recall) you find out from the sage advice here that you can cancel 8 Jan cruise without penalty.  And cancel you did per your post on 20 Aug.

 

Your more recent posts appear to use guessing and speculation to either dissuade from waiting and/or to prove you made the right choice.

 

You may be right or not.  Only time will tell.  In any event, if you have solid factual information about rerouting of Marina, South America travel restrictions etc...I would welcome the information so that I (and others) can make informed decisions. 

[jean163]

On 9/7/2021 at 5:07 PM, SedonaJoel said:

The only reason to cancel early rather than waiting.  It gives you the ability to book a replacement cruise and get a good cabin.  That is what I did.

 

Argentina is still closed to visitors.  My guess is that Oceania will cancel their entire South American itinerary and substitute a Caribbean itinerary.

 

Joel

We already have another cruise booked for August 2022, different itinerary.  We really only booked this holiday one as a way to 'get away' so wouldn't just rebook.  Did they offer you a refund or a FCC Joel?

 

[SedonaJoel]

1 hour ago, jean163 said:

We already have another cruise booked for August 2022, different itinerary.  We really only booked this holiday one as a way to 'get away' so wouldn't just rebook.  Did they offer you a refund or a FCC Joel?

 

I got a return of my FCC and a cash refund for the other items (excursions, taxes and port charges).  I used the FCC to immediately book a Tahiti cruise for Feb. 15, 2022.

Edited September 10, 2021 by SedonaJoel

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 7/16/2021 at 5:21 PM, ORV said:

Pinot has a theory on this that it is one of the steps to cancellation of a cruise. So far he's been pretty much right, but these are after the announced restart. I personally don't think the SA ones will go, not sure about the Med. 

If I were Oceania, I'd think twice about letting SA cruises go out right now.   While I would love to go there, I'm putting it off for probably another year. 

[Homerody]

7 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

If I were Oceania, I'd think twice about letting SA cruises go out right now.   While I would love to go there, I'm putting it off for probably another year. 

I think some posters are conflating personal cancelation choices with what O should or should not do.  Separate issues- say O is going, cruiser may (even during penalty ohase) decide "no go."

 

In the era of Covid cruisers and O will make decisions that are sometime  mutually beneficial, sometimes they benefit O only, and a few times benefit cruises.

 

 

[ak1004]

So with final payment 60 days prior to departure, is the penalty the same 100% as before for 60 days or less prior to departure?

[SedonaJoel]

All penalties are waived as long as you cancel before final payment is due according to Oceania.

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, SedonaJoel said:

All penalties are waived as long as you cancel before final payment is due according to Oceania.

 

I understand that, but what about penalties after the final payment (within 60 days)? is it 100% as it was before?

[AweighToSea]

Just to clarify, the current policy has percentage penalties at 90 days prior to embarkation and their "administration" penalty at 120 days for 14 day and fewer cruises:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005306234-What-is-your-cancellation-and-refund-policy-

 

"60 day" Final Payments are exceptions and not a policy.

 

For our cruise, due to its length (> 14 days) Final Payment was to be 150 days prior to embarkation and that date has not been changed. With administration penalty coming up next week we have reluctantly decided we must cancel. FP would be shortly before Nov 1 and so makes little sense to not cancel now.

 

Disappointing as we have been looking forward to this for a long time, as so many others. We have a booking on a different small ship line for late 2022 so still have a cruise to look forward to.