‘Jury’s out’ - Oceania customer service

[Emily Kate]

My husband and I are due to embark on our first cruise with Oceania soon.  We are experienced cruisers, having sailed previously with many other cruise lines, and we felt confident in booking a Transatlantic crossing with Oceania.  To date I can tell you it has been the most miserable, soul destroying experience.  We have needed to contact Oceania on several occasions and to say their customer service/care has been shabby is being way too kind to them.  We have experienced rude, ill-informed staff members, an example being their refusal to accept that they were giving out incorrect information regarding Covid testing requirements for our upcoming trip.  This resulted in significant expense on our part in being forced to purchase incorrect and unnecessary testing services which, of course, resulted in no refund possible.   Every single request we’ve made in an endeavour to resolve various issues with our booking has been firmly denied  (the computer says ‘no’ springs to mind) and their apparent unwillingness to even consider a customer’s point of view has been an eye-opener.   At this point, quite frankly, our dealings with the company thus far have certainly taken the shine off the forthcoming cruise.  I do want this not to be the case but we are struggling to accept that this is the way that Oceania sees fit to conduct business.  Maybe the fact that the business hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday only is indicative of the mindset of the Company in relation to ‘customer service’.  It seems to me that these hours are not set with the convenience of the customer in mind.  I will be very interested to learn if others have had a similar experience with Oceania or if we are just unlucky?  Meanwhile, our cruise fast approaches and rather than preparing with eager anticipation, I find myself worrying that this culture of ‘no can do’ we are experiencing will be replicated on board ship.  I certainly hope not!

[basor]

We use a TA and in over 15 cruises on "O", she has handled any questions, concerns for us and has always come back with a satisfactory response, perhaps you could be more specific on exactly what you were asking/wanting that you received an automatic "no".  I do know with the changing COVID requirements it has been difficult for "O" and us to keep up with each country's new requirements,  

[PhD-iva]

Use a well-respected, customer-centric TA. Else you will have the result you are finding now. Probably too late for this cruise, but while on board your cruise, be sure to ask others whom they use and why they would recommend them to you.
Usually folks are happy to pass along the name of their hard-working TA; it’s the best compliment they can provide.

I don’t think experienced O cruisers would expect a different result than you are now finding, some of which can be explained by high staff turnover and constantly changing requirements.

But, you WILL have a great cruise experience on O, and going forward (working with a TA), it will be MUCH easier!

[LHT28]

I am with the others  we use a very good TA

 I know in the UK there are issues with some Travel agencies there  & they are a lot different than i North America

I believe the Oceania offices in the USA  have longer hours ( I do not use them so not sure)

 

Your onboard experience will be much better   so relax & enjoy  your cruise

JMO

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Emily Kate said:

My husband and I are due to embark on our first cruise with Oceania soon.  We are experienced cruisers, having sailed previously with many other cruise lines, and we felt confident in booking a Transatlantic crossing with Oceania.  To date I can tell you it has been the most miserable, soul destroying experience.  We have needed to contact Oceania on several occasions and to say their customer service/care has been shabby is being way too kind to them.  We have experienced rude, ill-informed staff members, an example being their refusal to accept that they were giving out incorrect information regarding Covid testing requirements for our upcoming trip.  This resulted in significant expense on our part in being forced to purchase incorrect and unnecessary testing services which, of course, resulted in no refund possible.   Every single request we’ve made in an endeavour to resolve various issues with our booking has been firmly denied  (the computer says ‘no’ springs to mind) and their apparent unwillingness to even consider a customer’s point of view has been an eye-opener.   At this point, quite frankly, our dealings with the company thus far have certainly taken the shine off the forthcoming cruise.  I do want this not to be the case but we are struggling to accept that this is the way that Oceania sees fit to conduct business.  Maybe the fact that the business hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday only is indicative of the mindset of the Company in relation to ‘customer service’.  It seems to me that these hours are not set with the convenience of the customer in mind.  I will be very interested to learn if others have had a similar experience with Oceania or if we are just unlucky?  Meanwhile, our cruise fast approaches and rather than preparing with eager anticipation, I find myself worrying that this culture of ‘no can do’ we are experiencing will be replicated on board ship.  I certainly hope not!

One might say that your disappointing experience is by design. Oceania caters primarily to experienced cruisers who have figured out that using the right TA is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Do the research and find an  O preferred provider TA.

[1985rz1]

I'm going to chime in that we use an excellent TA who takes care of any issues we have and we don't deal directly with O.  It's a big corporation, serving thousands of passengers with limited staffing because of a COVID employment issues.  COVID requirement are changing constantly and all cruise lines are struggling to keep up, and the front line "cruise specialists" at O are often the last to know what the current situation is.

 

An experienced TA with a history with O has a dedicated contact who is much more up to date and will probe much deeper if answers are not transparent.  But even then, all is fluid, and answers can change quickly.  So in these times, everyone has to be flexible and understanding.

[ronrick1943]

Agree this is a easy one, using a great TA comes with benefits —— like letting them be one the phone with “O”.  Besides you are only one customer to “O”, while aTA gives them a lot of business—if the TA is good they most likely have a back line to get the answers…..but like stated above things/policies change fast.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

I realize that since you are in the UK your options are fewer than for us in the US.  One that you might consider is to use a US TA.  You would give up the UK consumer protection laws [which don't seem to be been all that helpful with the Covid and Russia tsunamis] and take a foreign exchange-rate risk [which can be mitigated by paying in full upfront – since as a US booking you can cancel and get most or all of your money back].

 

Unfortunately we are unable to give you any further guidance on this, because of CC's rules against mentioning TAs by name.  The best approach is to use this as an ice-breaker when meeting Yanks on a cruise:  "Do you have a good TA?  How much rebate do you get?"]

[davencl]

I can't address the issues you've experienced so far.  I can say our first cruise on Oceania in January this year was fantastic.  Staff was great, food was great(maine lobster and prime beef steak every night),  meeting many of the posters commenting here was great.  I think you'll enjoy the cruise.

[Jancruz]

Host Jazzbeau

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I realize that since you are in the UK your options are fewer than for us in the US.  One that you might consider is to use a US TA.  You would give up the UK consumer protection laws [which don't seem to be been all that helpful with the Covid and Russia tsunamis] and take a foreign exchange-rate risk [which can be mitigated by paying in full upfront – since as a US booking you can cancel and get most or all of your money back].

 

Unfortunately we are unable to give you any further guidance on this, because of CC's rules against mentioning TAs by name.  The best approach is to use this as an ice-breaker when meeting Yanks on a cruise:  "Do you have a good TA?  How much rebate do you get?"]

Host Jazzbeau,

US travel agencies under ordinary circumstances are not allowed to deal with UK clients unless there are special circumstances the same with Australia..

Jancruz1

[comcox]

My only frustrating customer service issue with Oceania has been with the Oceania Club department.  For over two years I have tried to get them to correct the website that shows I have no prior cruises with them, which is not true.  It took my TA a while to get them to find my club number when she recently booked a solo cruise for me and now I am trying to get my husband's club number as we just booked a joint cruise and the TA could not get them to look it up.  All I get are automated responses saying "Thank you for contacting us for more information. Please note that all correspondence is answered in the order in which it is received and every effort will be made to respond to you within a timely manner."

[kjbacon]

8 hours ago, Emily Kate said:

My husband and I are due to embark on our first cruise with Oceania soon.  We are experienced cruisers, having sailed previously with many other cruise lines, and we felt confident in booking a Transatlantic crossing with Oceania.  To date I can tell you it has been the most miserable, soul destroying experience.  We have needed to contact Oceania on several occasions and to say their customer service/care has been shabby is being way too kind to them.  We have experienced rude, ill-informed staff members, an example being their refusal to accept that they were giving out incorrect information regarding Covid testing requirements for our upcoming trip.  This resulted in significant expense on our part in being forced to purchase incorrect and unnecessary testing services which, of course, resulted in no refund possible.   Every single request we’ve made in an endeavour to resolve various issues with our booking has been firmly denied  (the computer says ‘no’ springs to mind) and their apparent unwillingness to even consider a customer’s point of view has been an eye-opener.   At this point, quite frankly, our dealings with the company thus far have certainly taken the shine off the forthcoming cruise.  I do want this not to be the case but we are struggling to accept that this is the way that Oceania sees fit to conduct business.  Maybe the fact that the business hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday only is indicative of the mindset of the Company in relation to ‘customer service’.  It seems to me that these hours are not set with the convenience of the customer in mind.  I will be very interested to learn if others have had a similar experience with Oceania or if we are just unlucky?  Meanwhile, our cruise fast approaches and rather than preparing with eager anticipation, I find myself worrying that this culture of ‘no can do’ we are experiencing will be replicated on board ship.  I certainly hope not!

Could you please be specific regarding the expensive testing service that you have already purchased? I am not familiar with any requirement on the part of Oceania that would have your testing purchase this far in advance.

 

Which sailing are you on?

[ToxM]

I am in the UK, we use a Travel Agent for our cruises just because i can plan with them what cabins I want grabbed when they open up on sailings. We don’t get commission based savings to the extent that US travellers get so unless you have very specific needs (like a certain cabin) or very occasionally tips included, it makes very little difference to go with a travel agent here. 

 

I have had one query that I rang O about rather than our TA and found them to be useful. But it wasn’t anything major. 

 

I would be interested to know what the actual issues are the OP is having and what trip they are booked on.

 

Also from experience sat here in Barbados watching conversations in various corners of Social Media about what people understand to be fact about gaining entry to Barbados for cruises or just vacations in general - there is a LOT of misinformation and misunderstanding going around about different covid tests needed. 

 

My own tactic in these weird times is to make sure I have the information from the horses mouth (the government website of the place I am travelling to) as well as the cart (the cruise company), that way I can make sure I have the latest guidance. Information and testing requirements change so frequently. I know we go on a cruise so we don’t have to think (apart from at Trivia) but these are still extraordinary times.

 

I hope OP is on Sirena on 29th as I am on that and we can have a good chat over a drink and restore their faith in Oceania.

[PhD-iva]

1 hour ago, ToxM said:

I am in the UK, we use a Travel Agent for our cruises just because i can plan with them what cabins I want grabbed when they open up on sailings. We don’t get commission based savings to the extent that US travellers get so unless you have very specific needs (like a certain cabin) or very occasionally tips included, it makes very little difference to go with a travel agent here. 

 

I have had one query that I rang O about rather than our TA and found them to be useful. But it wasn’t anything major. 

 

I would be interested to know what the actual issues are the OP is having and what trip they are booked on.

 

Also from experience sat here in Barbados watching conversations in various corners of Social Media about what people understand to be fact about gaining entry to Barbados for cruises or just vacations in general - there is a LOT of misinformation and misunderstanding going around about different covid tests needed. 

 

My own tactic in these weird times is to make sure I have the information from the horses mouth (the government website of the place I am travelling to) as well as the cart (the cruise company), that way I can make sure I have the latest guidance. Information and testing requirements change so frequently. I know we go on a cruise so we don’t have to think (apart from at Trivia) but these are still extraordinary times.

 

I hope OP is on Sirena on 29th as I am on that and we can have a good chat over a drink and restore their faith in Oceania.

I hope the OP will join the rollcall for their cruise. This was especially helpful to me last year when cruising was first opening up and there was so much confusion as to what forms were needed to enter a European country and what testing was required.
Our roll call was so helpful. I was able to, in many occasions, to post links directly to the relevant government guidance. Also with directions like, “on page 2 in the 3rd paragraph take a look at those instructions …….”

Back in those days we had a terrible time filling out the entry forms needed to be able to disembark in a port. France was giving everyone fits. So someone posted that if you submit your form just as the office is opening in France, the form would get processed quickly. So, many of us stayed up until midnight or so and it worked for many of us. Then others would post the response got stuck in their junk folder. All of this sharing of information was so helpful to us. Many of these forms have very strict time requirements when they can be submitted, so it can be very specific to the timing of your cruise embarkation or visit in a port.
So,  please join your rollcall and this also might be an additional help for you to get good information. And you can help your fellow travelers by posting good information. One of the best aspects of a cruise on Oceania are your fellow passengers!
I hope you will enjoy your cruise!

[ToxM]

3 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I hope the OP will join the rollcall for their cruise. This was especially helpful to me last year when cruising was first opening up and there was so much confusion as to what forms were needed to enter a European country and what testing was required.
Our roll call was so helpful. I was able to, in many occasions, to post links directly to the relevant government guidance. Also with directions like, “on page 2 in the 3rd paragraph take a look at those instructions …….”

Back in those days we had a terrible time filling out the entry forms needed to be able to disembark in a port. France was giving everyone fits. So someone posted that if you submit your form just as the office is opening in France, the form would get processed quickly. So, many of us stayed up until midnight or so and it worked for many of us. Then others would post the response got stuck in their junk folder. All of this sharing of information was so helpful to us. Many of these forms have very strict time requirements when they can be submitted, so it can be very specific to the timing of your cruise embarkation or visit in a port.
So,  please join your rollcall and this also might be an additional help for you to get good information. And you can help your fellow travelers by posting good information. One of the best aspects of a cruise on Oceania are your fellow passengers!
I hope you will enjoy your cruise!

This is really good info and I posted a step by step how to on the BIMSafe app on our roll call which I think people have found useful. 

 

 

[brittany12]

Limited Monday to Friday hours for the Oceania customer service seems to be cruise line issue—not just Oceania. Airlines do not shutdown on weekends. Nor do hotel chains. I completely agree that in these difficult times the hours and days should be expanded.

[pinotlover]

12 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

Limited Monday to Friday hours for the Oceania customer service seems to be cruise line issue—not just Oceania. Airlines do not shutdown on weekends. Nor do hotel chains. I completely agree that in these difficult times the hours and days should be expanded.

Still fighting for the wrong solution! The desire for Control and DIY just doesn’t work well with Oceania. If that is overwhelmingly important to you, you probably have the wrong cruise line.

 

I have a TA and know how to use her.

[Emily Kate]

Thank you very much for all your comments and for trying to be helpful.  It is clear that the majority of you believe that the best way to manage a booking with Oceania is by using a TA, and we take that advice on board.  However, should the representatives at Oceania not be courteous and helpful to all customers, be they TA’s or travellers?  Historically, we have preferred having the ability to talk directly with the cruise company, not having to go through the extra layer of a TA, and we do not have similar problems with any other cruise line.  Perhaps some of our difficulties have come due to a fairly late change of Oceania cruises, but we have had problems with incorrect and contradictory information (in particular, referring to Covid testing requirements on the original cruise that led to the unnecessary purchase of PCR testing and proctoring at the insistence of ‘O'), refusal to refund cruise credits (even though the criteria for such was met), failure to allow us to make dining reservations as stated on the website, and their failure to mail cruise documents to us.  And don’t even get me started on their abysmal website.  Customer service at ‘O' should not be limited to TA’s, it should encompass all travellers, no matter how they booked the cruise.  All that being said, we will be on the Sirena sailing on 29 March from Barbados and very much look forward to meeting some of you.  We will keep an open mind going forward and hope to enjoy our first cruise with Oceania.

[ToxM]

9 minutes ago, Emily Kate said:

Thank you very much for all your comments and for trying to be helpful.  It is clear that the majority of you believe that the best way to manage a booking with Oceania is by using a TA, and we take that advice on board.  However, should the representatives at Oceania not be courteous and helpful to all customers, be they TA’s or travellers?  Historically, we have preferred having the ability to talk directly with the cruise company, not having to go through the extra layer of a TA, and we do not have similar problems with any other cruise line.  Perhaps some of our difficulties have come due to a fairly late change of Oceania cruises, but we have had problems with incorrect and contradictory information (in particular, referring to Covid testing requirements on the original cruise that led to the unnecessary purchase of PCR testing and proctoring at the insistence of ‘O'), refusal to refund cruise credits (even though the criteria for such was met), failure to allow us to make dining reservations as stated on the website, and their failure to mail cruise documents to us.  And don’t even get me started on their abysmal website.  Customer service at ‘O' should not be limited to TA’s, it should encompass all travellers, no matter how they booked the cruise.  All that being said, we will be on the Sirena sailing on 29 March from Barbados and very much look forward to meeting some of you.  We will keep an open mind going forward and hope to enjoy our first cruise with Oceania.

 

See you onboard 🙂 Everything will be fine once you are onboard. Safe trip if you aren’t in Barbados already 🙂

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Emily Kate said:

Thank you very much for all your comments and for trying to be helpful.  It is clear that the majority of you believe that the best way to manage a booking with Oceania is by using a TA, and we take that advice on board.  However, should the representatives at Oceania not be courteous and helpful to all customers, be they TA’s or travellers?  Historically, we have preferred having the ability to talk directly with the cruise company, not having to go through the extra layer of a TA, and we do not have similar problems with any other cruise line.  Perhaps some of our difficulties have come due to a fairly late change of Oceania cruises, but we have had problems with incorrect and contradictory information (in particular, referring to Covid testing requirements on the original cruise that led to the unnecessary purchase of PCR testing and proctoring at the insistence of ‘O'), refusal to refund cruise credits (even though the criteria for such was met), failure to allow us to make dining reservations as stated on the website, and their failure to mail cruise documents to us.  And don’t even get me started on their abysmal website.  Customer service at ‘O' should not be limited to TA’s, it should encompass all travellers, no matter how they booked the cruise.  All that being said, we will be on the Sirena sailing on 29 March from Barbados and very much look forward to meeting some of you.  We will keep an open mind going forward and hope to enjoy our first cruise with Oceania.

Interesting that you’ve had so many O issues???

BTW: I’ve had every iteration of the SailSafe FAQs and O has never required PCR testing  for embarkation (unless an itinerary port required it). O recommends it but accepts Antigen tests (proctored of course).

And we use TAs primarily for commission sharing though we often book onboard and then transfer to a favored (O preferred partner TA)

And what’s the food res. issue? Have never encountered a web problem with that.

Hmmmm🤔

Edited March 25, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[patty1955]

We didn't book with a TA and we've had no problem. Covid requirements are fluid and are changing daily.  As much as I'd like to get accurate information from the cruise lines, if it's changed recently it might not have been disseminated yet.

I was actually very impressed with Oceania after our first cruise with them, that's why we've booked a second. 

[ToxM]

2 hours ago, Emily Kate said:

Thank you very much for all your comments and for trying to be helpful.  It is clear that the majority of you believe that the best way to manage a booking with Oceania is by using a TA, and we take that advice on board.  However, should the representatives at Oceania not be courteous and helpful to all customers, be they TA’s or travellers?  Historically, we have preferred having the ability to talk directly with the cruise company, not having to go through the extra layer of a TA, and we do not have similar problems with any other cruise line.  Perhaps some of our difficulties have come due to a fairly late change of Oceania cruises, but we have had problems with incorrect and contradictory information (in particular, referring to Covid testing requirements on the original cruise that led to the unnecessary purchase of PCR testing and proctoring at the insistence of ‘O'), refusal to refund cruise credits (even though the criteria for such was met), failure to allow us to make dining reservations as stated on the website, and their failure to mail cruise documents to us.  And don’t even get me started on their abysmal website.  Customer service at ‘O' should not be limited to TA’s, it should encompass all travellers, no matter how they booked the cruise.  All that being said, we will be on the Sirena sailing on 29 March from Barbados and very much look forward to meeting some of you.  We will keep an open mind going forward and hope to enjoy our first cruise with Oceania.

One thing, the load for this cruise appears to be quite light, so restaurant reservations should be relatively easy to come by 🙂

[Emily Kate]

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

 

See you onboard 🙂 Everything will be fine once you are onboard. Safe trip if you aren’t in Barbados already 🙂

Thank you very much.  Looking forward to meeting you soon.  We are currently in Florida and will join the ship on Tuesday.   Enjoy the remainder of your time in lovely Barbados 🏝️

[shank63]

Our first Oceania cruise was booked direct from O because we had not cruised in 30 years and was not aware of the benefits of using a TA.  We received excellent service from our O contact, booked custom air (international) through O, and were very pleased with the entire experience.  We did discover that using a travel agent could result in some nice benefits, but not necessarily great service.  We now have a TA that provides great service plus some financial spiffs.  Regardless, the onboard experience is outstanding, enjoy the cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Limited Monday to Friday hours for the Oceania customer service seems to be cruise line issue—not just Oceania. Airlines do not shutdown on weekends. Nor do hotel chains. I completely agree that in these difficult times the hours and days should be expanded.

No weekend calls? You may want to try again.