Please explain Oceania's excursion prices.

[ShopperfiendTO]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before but...

 

We are on a cruise with the OLife shore excursions package, 6 total (3 per person).  For our cruise, we need 4 excursions each to obtain the YWYW 25% discount.

 

We have each selected our 3 included excursions and have one in mind for our 4th excursion which is "OS" category, so the 4th excursion is not part of the included excursions in any event.

 

However, we want to book our included excursions now to make sure we have secured seats on those excursions and then perhaps add the 4th excursion later on, but want to make sure that we will get the YWYW pricing/discount on that 4th excursion if we add it later.

 

The question I have is this: How should we transact this plan on the O website? 

 

Do we just book the 3 included excursions each to lock them in and if so, how?  What confuses me is that if we have just the 3 included excursions each in the cart, there is no ability to book the "YWYW" package (this makes sense but I am worried that it might lock us out of "YWYW" if we add excursions later on).  So what happens if we add just the 4th excursion say a month later, will we be able to select the "YWYW" package and get the 25% discount on that excursion then even though only 1 excursion is in the cart at that time?

 

Thanks for any help!  

[mauibabes]

Just go to your account, Manage my Reservation/Booking, and book your excursions. I would suggest you book the 4th excursion at the same time. As you are making the bookings you have the option of selecting the YWYW Discount and it will automatically discount the higher priced tour. Booking 4 now makes sure you get the tour and it can always be cancelled/refunded. Remember, if you have any SBC in your booking account, it can also be used to pay for the tour. JMHO. If you are a Shareholder, depending on the length of your cruise, you will also earn $100-250 additional SBC when you file for it before you sail. 

Enjoy, Mauibabes 

[Flatbush Flyer]

43 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before but...

 

We are on a cruise with the OLife shore excursions package, 6 total (3 per person).  For our cruise, we need 4 excursions each to obtain the YWYW 25% discount.

 

We have each selected our 3 included excursions and have one in mind for our 4th excursion which is "OS" category, so the 4th excursion is not part of the included excursions in any event.

 

However, we want to book our included excursions now to make sure we have secured seats on those excursions and then perhaps add the 4th excursion later on, but want to make sure that we will get the YWYW pricing/discount on that 4th excursion if we add it later.

 

The question I have is this: How should we transact this plan on the O website? 

 

Do we just book the 3 included excursions each to lock them in and if so, how?  What confuses me is that if we have just the 3 included excursions each in the cart, there is no ability to book the "YWYW" package (this makes sense but I am worried that it might lock us out of "YWYW" if we add excursions later on).  So what happens if we add just the 4th excursion say a month later, will we be able to select the "YWYW" package and get the 25% discount on that excursion then even though only 1 excursion is in the cart at that time?

 

Thanks for any help!  

“Close but no cigar.”

Firstly, get a copy of the most current “shore excursions” PDF for your cruise (call O). When you do, you’ll find that it is far easier to use for planning than the O website. You’ll also learn that the PDF and the web listings often don’t jive completely.

 

In your case, pick your three o life allowable tours pp and the one extra paid tour pp to qualify for the total four tours/person for YWYW on your itinerary. Use the O website to mock book. Then go to the cart and check the YWYW button for each person. The total bottom line cost should then adjust (but the individual $ next to each tour will probably make zero sense). The system online is very glitchy. Do not purchase the tours there.

So, before you put anything in the cart, do your selection calculations on your own spreadsheet and then proceed to that mock tour booking to see if your total matches the cart’s.

If it does match you should now NOT buy the tours online. Rather, call O and have the phone rep do the booking. Again, the cart (including its memory of your choices) is VERY glitchy.
 

Note, sadly, that not all O phone reps are created equal. So, you may need to try several initial calls to find one that works for you (and when you do, get his/her direct phone extension and email address). But there is a core group that are excellent and, even if you used a TA, you can do optional purchases direct with O (which we have done for years). Our TA is extremely knowledgeable. Yet we DIY the tours. Why?  As good as your TA might be, s/he will not be onboard with you when there’s an emergent problem.

AND, perhaps most importantly, DIYing the O Life/YWYW tours gains you a very good understanding of the tour policies (maybe even more than some of the Destination Services staff onboard) and you will /should get (ask nicely but demand if necessary) a PDF of the “pre-purchased shore excursions that shows all the math of your transaction. This document is extremely important -particularly when O misses a port or otherwise cancels one or more of your tours. It trumps everything else in a staff whizzing match when the onboard tour modification “poop hits the fan.”

Some others here may say just let your TA do it. Again, the TA won’t be standing next to you when you have an emergent Destination Services issue. And fully understanding the policies (thanks to DIY and that “prepurchased PDF) puts you way ahead in any disagreement.

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Flatbush Flyer

[mauibabes]

@ShopperfiendTO

I would Ditto FF.  We always work from a PDF of the Excursions and print them off for discussion sake with the DW.  Run the numbers and validate the total costs. Also a good TA experienced with Oceania is important. Keep reading the Boards and ask questions of the posters, any questions. O can be a little different than other lines so ask away.

Enjoy your cruise.

Mauibabes

[ShopperfiendTO]

Thanks for the input mauibabes and Flatbush Flyer.

 

My quirk however is that I do not want to book the 4th excursion right now.  We may go the private excursion route instead.

 

If we later do decide on in O excursion, we want to make sure that it we will be given the YWYW discount on that single excursion added later.

 

Has anyone done it this way and how did it work?  Since the website would show the 3 excursions I (will) have booked, shouldn't this carry on to booking the single 4th excursion and I be able to select the YWYW toggle for that excursion?

 

The reason I am asking before just doing it and seeing how it goes is that I don't want to risk locking myself out of the YWYW by initially booking below the threshold YWYW requirement. 

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

The reason I am asking before just doing it and seeing how it goes is that I don't want to risk locking myself out of the YWYW by initially booking below the threshold YWYW requirement. 

You may want to lock in the tour  now  before it gets sold out  

also be sure to "check out " of the cart   with your "free " excursions  as they are not really booked until you complete the process

so you may find you are SOL 

You can always cancel the  4th  tour  before  embarkations day if you find  a private option

JMO

[AMHuntFerry]

3 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Has anyone done it this way and how did it work?  Since the website would show the 3 excursions I (will) have booked, shouldn't this carry on to booking the single 4th excursion and I be able to select the YWYW toggle for that excursion?

The advice from the O-experts (not me!) is solid. As soon as you know you may want a shorex, book it! You are not locked in to anything until the deadlines for cancelling (see your invoice for these dates..O-Life is first, then YWC just before embarkation). Until then, what was once, for example, an O-Life "freebie" can become a YWC/YWYW, and vice versa. The only drawback of booking the YWC shorex now is that it is charged to your CC unless you have OBC.
And to actually answer your question (me babble? nooooo), yes, you can book your O-Life qualifying shorex (any number of them) now, and when you add more later you'll get the YWC price on the rest. There are more complicated scenarios, so find one of FF's explanations for the whole picture.

[D. B.]

On 2/25/2023 at 6:57 AM, MEFIowa said:

And for a specific example of how MEDIOCRE O's offerings can be, Sirena docks at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, on 11/26/22 a Saturday from 0900-1700. Per O's "Destination Services Shore Excursion Overview" that I'm reading from right now, O listed 23 excursions.

 

Puerto Plata has the ONLY cable car in the Caribbean. It goes to the top of a mountain where there is BOTH a national park & forest/jungle with scenic views AND a 1/2 replica of the Rio "Jesus" (donated by the Brazilian government in 1974).

 

NOT a single one of O's 23 excursions went to this place. We did. Set up our own excursion.

 

Experiencing the Cable Car 🚡 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 - Bing video

Humm....we were on a cable car in the USVI recently.

 Is that not part of the Caribbean?

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

The advice from the O-experts (not me!) is solid. As soon as you know you may want a shorex, book it! You are not locked in to anything until the deadlines for cancelling (see your invoice for these dates..O-Life is first, then YWC just before embarkation). Until then, what was once, for example, an O-Life "freebie" can become a YWC/YWYW, and vice versa. The only drawback of booking the YWC shorex now is that it is charged to your CC unless you have OBC.
And to actually answer your question (me babble? nooooo), yes, you can book your O-Life qualifying shorex (any number of them) now, and when you add more later you'll get the YWC price on the rest. There are more complicated scenarios, so find one of FF's explanations for the whole picture.

You can add the YWYW qualifier later (pre-cruise). But, waiting until you’re on the ship might not work and you’d be stuck with a la carte prices (even if the tour is available).

Also, glad you mentioned that, once onboard being able to move O Life vs YWYW designation is great (e.g., cancelled port axes a booked O Life tour? You can assign that spot to another allowable O Life tour or take a $100 refund and/or always add more YWYWs.

 

FWIW, folks can search here on CC for several of my very detailed posts on “best bang for your buck” O Life and YWYW strategies. 

[MEFIowa]

9 minutes ago, D. B. said:

Humm....we were on a cable car in the USVI recently. Is that not part of the Caribbean?

PP/DR: "No visit to Puerto Plata is complete without riding the teleférico–the only complete cable car ride you’ll find in the whole Caribbean region, operating continuously since 1975. A breathtaking 10-minute ride takes you soaring in one of two cable cars 800 meters (2,625 feet) above Puerto Plata’s magical landscape–from the sea on your north to the lush, verdant plains that eventually lead you to the other end of the cable, at Mount Isabel de Torres."

 

USVI: "Come and see the spectacular views at Paradise Point! Located across from the Havensight cruise ship dock. A short tram ride from our base station to 700 feet above sea level".

[NewSalty]

23 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You can add the YWYW qualifier later (pre-cruise). But, waiting until you’re on the ship might not work and you’d be stuck with a la carte prices (even if the tour is available).

Also, glad you mentioned that, once onboard being able to move O Life vs YWYW designation is great (e.g., cancelled port axes a booked O Life tour? You can assign that spot to another allowable O Life tour or take a $100 refund and/or always add more YWYWs.

 

FWIW, folks can search here on CC for several of my very detailed posts on “best bang for your buck” O Life and YWYW strategies. 

One semi-minor point about cancelled ports and the YWYW discount - on our recent Marina cruise, we had two ports and associated excursions cancelled. Both were OLife excursions, and would have disqualified our YWYW discount, but the excursions desk told us that "Oceania-cancelled" excursions would NOT have that effect. So we maintained our discount on the separately purchased excursions, despite opting for the $200 pp SBC.  And much to my surprise, the SBC was refundable, even to the point that they gave us actual cash back!

[Flatbush Flyer]

25 minutes ago, NewSalty said:

One semi-minor point about cancelled ports and the YWYW discount - on our recent Marina cruise, we had two ports and associated excursions cancelled. Both were OLife excursions, and would have disqualified our YWYW discount, but the excursions desk told us that "Oceania-cancelled" excursions would NOT have that effect. So we maintained our discount on the separately purchased excursions, despite opting for the $200 pp SBC.  And much to my surprise, the SBC was refundable, even to the point that they gave us actual cash back!

Good news: port cancel allows replacement O Life selection.

Bad news: if you take cash instead, it’s only at the base $100.

BTW: as a reminder, never take the SBC for your O Life perk. You paid for it in your total cruise fare - dollar for dollar. Zero added value.

[NewSalty]

Well, by comparison, $100 back is better than $0 back, which is what you get (for an "included" excursion) when Viking cancels a port. (You still paid something for that excursion, it's just a part of your fare...)

 

As for never taking OLife OBC, I couldn't agree with you more. I guess some people just don't really understand their finances.

[ShopperfiendTO]

On 3/20/2023 at 2:01 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

The advice from the O-experts (not me!) is solid. As soon as you know you may want a shorex, book it! You are not locked in to anything until the deadlines for cancelling (see your invoice for these dates..O-Life is first, then YWC just before embarkation). Until then, what was once, for example, an O-Life "freebie" can become a YWC/YWYW, and vice versa. The only drawback of booking the YWC shorex now is that it is charged to your CC unless you have OBC.
And to actually answer your question (me babble? nooooo), yes, you can book your O-Life qualifying shorex (any number of them) now, and when you add more later you'll get the YWC price on the rest. There are more complicated scenarios, so find one of FF's explanations for the whole picture.

 

Just as a follow-up, I locked in the included O-Life excursions that are just below the minimum needed for YWYW and then after receiving the confirmation for these, I tried adding the OS/excluded excursion and the price is the regular single tour price with no option to select the YWYW button to apply the YWYW discount.  😕

[AMHuntFerry]

7 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 

Just as a follow-up, I locked in the included O-Life excursions that are just below the minimum needed for YWYW and then after receiving the confirmation for these, I tried adding the OS/excluded excursion and the price is the regular single tour price with no option to select the YWYW button to apply the YWYW discount.  😕

I've never had the discount price show in the itemization, but the total paid is correct (has the discount). If the "pay this much" amount isn't what you expect before you hit the final button, call O and they will fix it. Or just call first. You want the itemized receipt anyway which requires a call. O IT is glitchy in general so I never expect it to work correctly.

[AMHuntFerry]

If you haven't read Flatbush Flyer's full page (or more) explanation of the vagaries of O-Life, please search for it and read it. I learned sooooooo much from reading the advice from FF and other seasoned O-veterans.

[1985rz1]

29 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 

Just as a follow-up, I locked in the included O-Life excursions that are just below the minimum needed for YWYW and then after receiving the confirmation for these, I tried adding the OS/excluded excursion and the price is the regular single tour price with no option to select the YWYW button to apply the YWYW discount.  😕

The web site cart can be cranky.  The best way to add an excursions and get the right price is to ask your TA to do it, or call O directly.

[Mccarbe2]

On 2/25/2023 at 10:33 AM, deck chair said:

Hello!   People can do what they want but I gave up on ship's excursions decades ago. 

 

1.  Very costly compared to doing it on your on.  There are so many options. In addition, you can see and experience more than those on the ship tours.

2.  You don't have to listen to the tour guide (Often with a thick accent) rattle on and on with TMI.

3.  You are herded around with very little independence.  Forget about stopping where you would like to stop!

4.  You are on a crowded tour bus many of which have poor leg room.

5.  Almost without fail someone goes missing.

6.  It takes forever for everyone to get off the tour bus at the various stops. 

7.  There is always someone coughing and sneezing in the bus.

8.  There are almost always passengers with mobility issues who never should have been on the tour in the first place.  Don't get upset!  I am a slow walker myself these days.

No doubt others can add to my list. 

I do recognize many passengers are terrified of being on their own especially when the cruise lines emphasize with subtle hysteria that you will not be left stranded if you are late back to the ship when you are on an organized excursion.  The cruise lines want to scare you into taking one of their tours.  (Like you could be kidnapped and held for ransom if you are on your own.)  In the EXTREMELY unlikely event a passenger touring independently misses the ship no doubt they will have the attitude that it just the adventure of travel!! 

Be well. 

Deck Chair.

We are going on Oceania Marina Sept 2023 Barcelona to Trieste(Venice) do you have any recommendations for tour companies 

[1985rz1]

53 minutes ago, Mccarbe2 said:

We are going on Oceania Marina Sept 2023 Barcelona to Trieste(Venice) do you have any recommendations for tour companies 

Check the Roll Call for your cruise.  Folks there may be discussing options.

[gkbiiii]

I was looking at the 200 day , 2025 World Cruise Fort Lauderdale to San Diego.  The is an O' option for 64 comped excursions.  This seems like a good deal to me, I don't drink a lot and wonder how I would spend $2,000+, when everything seems to be included? 

[LHT28]

25 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

I was looking at the 200 day , 2025 World Cruise Fort Lauderdale to San Diego.  The is an O' option for 64 comped excursions.  This seems like a good deal to me, I don't drink a lot and wonder how I would spend $2,000+, when everything seems to be included? 

Other ship excursions  /gift shop  /spa

 

[gkbiiii]

Just now, LHT28 said:

Other ship excursions  /gift shop  /spa

 

So 64 pp, must be worth some $$$$+ then.  What about the special functions on land, something like Grand Events on World Cruise?

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

So 64 pp, must be worth some $$$$+ then.  What about the special functions on land, something like Grand Events on World Cruise?

You pay for those included excursions in your fare. And, if it’s like the regular O Life perk, the included “allowable” tours are probably those under $200 pp and w/o special designations like OS, OE, GL, etc.

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

So 64 pp, must be worth some $$$$+ then.  What about the special functions on land, something like Grand Events on World Cruise?

Is it 64 pp or per cabin?  either way  worth at least $6400 or more as excursions  are about $200 or less in the O life  program

They are  the basic  O life  excursions

Look at the  ports & excursions offered  then decide what works  best  for you

 

Keep in mind you are  just giving $2000  to Oceania to hold for you  & it becomes non refundable  OBC that you are paying up front

I am sure you could  make better use of the  excursion Perk on a RTW cruise

JMO

[AMHuntFerry]

49 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

So 64 pp, must be worth some $$$$+ then.  What about the special functions on land, something like Grand Events on World Cruise?

If you don't have the brochure you can order one:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/request-brochure

or view the e-version:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/emags/around_the_world_2025/

go to p. 27+ for the special functions