New to Oceania. A fee booking questions.

[cbfb]

We are new to Oceania and are considering an Athens to Rome cruise in 2024. We are debating including airfare. I see it’s a $1000 credit per person. If the airfare is higher are we charged? How does it work?
 

Also, I was told you can cancel your cruise up to 6 months out and be fully refunded. Is this correct?

 

 I had a trip advisor from Oceania contact me. I don’t have a TA so is this the best way to go? Will they be upfront with me? she told me there are quarterly  increases  and I can lock in The price with a refundable deposit? 
 

Thanks so much for help with this. I am not used to not knowing what I’m doing!! 

[LHT28]

It depends on the sailing length  the cancellation fee timeline

Check the  T & C s

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/

 

The air  credit varies by sailings  but  the air provided  is economy  unless  they have a special fare for PE

You get what they give you & may not know until 60 days out

 You can also  give O the flights you would like & see if they can get them with no upcharge 

you will pay the non refundable deviation fee once you & O come to an agreement

 If you are in a non gateway  airport there will extra charges

 

some people are happy with the O rep

I would shop around & find a TA that specializes with Oceania  & you can get extra perks   with some

eg PPG  or OBC

 Do you homework  before you book

read through the forums here

 

Enjoy  whatever cruise you choose

[cbfb]

5 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

It depends on the sailing length  the cancellation fee timeline

Check the  T & C s

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/

 

The air  credit varies by sailings  but  the air provided  is economy  unless  they have a special fare for PE

You get what they give you & may not know until 60 days out

 You can also  give O the flights you would like & see if they can get them with no upcharge 

you will pay the non refundable deviation fee once you & O come to an agreement

 If you are in a non gateway  airport there will extra charges

 

some people are happy with the O rep

I would shop around & find a TA that specializes with Oceania  & you can get extra perks   with some

eg PPG  or OBC

 Do you homework  before you book

read through the forums here

 

Enjoy  whatever cruise you choose

Thank you! Great information and advice. 

[ak1004]

Most of the time O air is not a good deal, you can usually book cheaper on your own. Some cruises have special rate for PE, this might be a good deal. 

[vslparis]

1 hour ago, cbfb said:

We are new to Oceania and are considering an Athens to Rome cruise in 2024. We are debating including airfare. I see it’s a $1000 credit per person. If the airfare is higher are we charged? How does it work?
 

Also, I was told you can cancel your cruise up to 6 months out and be fully refunded. Is this correct?

 

 I had a trip advisor from Oceania contact me. I don’t have a TA so is this the best way to go? Will they be upfront with me? she told me there are quarterly  increases  and I can lock in The price with a refundable deposit? 
 

Thanks so much for help with this. I am not used to not knowing what I’m doing!! 

If you opt to take the $1000 off for not using Oceania’s air, you will need to find airfare on your own.  For something like a trip to Europe, it more than likely is going to be a better value to take Oceania’s flight unless you are using miles for flights. No way will you get economy airfare for $1000 per ticket these days . However, if you are picky about your routing or airline the better option for you might be to pay more and find the flights you want on your own. Oceania charges $195 per person for you to be able to pick specific flights. If those flights are more than their contracted rates, then you will pay the difference also. 
Yes Oceania does periodic price increase and the next one will be on 03 April .

Generally, your deposit is refundable up until 180 days before departure but to know for sure, just put the sailing on hold ( usually about a week without a deposit) and look at the Guest Cancellation Schedule usually found on the second page. Also pay attention to the Cancellation of Ancillary Fees schedule ; the  custom air fee of $195 is non refundable once you pay for it .

[ak1004]

6 minutes ago, vslparis said:

If you opt to take the $1000 off for not using Oceania’s air, you will need to find airfare on your own.  For something like a trip to Europe, it more than likely is going to be a better value to take Oceania’s flight unless you are using miles for flights. No way will you get economy airfare for $1000 per ticket these days . However, if you are picky about your routing or airline the better option for you might be to pay more and find the flights you want on your own. Oceania charges $195 per person for you to be able to pick specific flights. If those flights are more than their contracted rates, then you will pay the difference also. 
Yes Oceania does periodic price increase and the next one will be on 03 April .

 

 

It might be different for Canadians, but for European cruises, a typical difference between cruise only and oLife is $2,000 CAD, which includes air and oLife around $500 CAD. So the air itself is around $1,500 CAD, which is more expensive than the average flight price to Europe from Toronto, not to mention the potential deviation fee.

[vslparis]

2 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

It might be different for Canadians, but for European cruises, a typical difference between cruise only and oLife is $2,000 CAD, which includes air and oLife around $500 CAD. So the air itself is around $1,500 CAD, which is more expensive than the average flight price to Europe from Toronto, not to mention the potential deviation fee.

The OP did say that the air credit was $1000 ( USD I imagine since they are in Florida) ,so around $1400CAD I think.  It certainly could be more advantageous to book outside the cruise line ; certainly is if you want more control over your flights . Just depends on the time of year  and what city you are flying from ; is certainly worth a look by cruiser . From Miami it could be possible to stay in that $1000 pp range at times but from other cities not so much .

[AMHuntFerry]

3 hours ago, cbfb said:

We are new to Oceania and are considering an Athens to Rome cruise in 2024. We are debating including airfare. I see it’s a $1000 credit per person. If the airfare is higher are we charged? How does it work?
 

Also, I was told you can cancel your cruise up to 6 months out and be fully refunded. Is this correct?

 

 I had a trip advisor from Oceania contact me. I don’t have a TA so is this the best way to go? Will they be upfront with me? she told me there are quarterly  increases  and I can lock in The price with a refundable deposit? 
 

Thanks so much for help with this. I am not used to not knowing what I’m doing!! 

I really wish O would make the FAQs easier to find. They are way at the bottom of the website in small print. Anywhoo...here is a link to the "planning" FAQs shich includes "Air" info to get you started:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000484693-Planning-My-Cruise

 

I don't usually use TAs but for cruises with O, it's a good idea (search Oceania "Connoisseur Club" to find one that understands the O-craziness). However, you can book directly with O and transfer the rez to a TA within 30(? check this) days. Note that the quarterly increases are possible but don't occur for all cruises. From my semi-random checks, cruises that are underfilled do not increase in price (some never increase), while popular cruises tend to go up slightly (I haven't seen huge jumps but I only track a small percentage of offerings). Since the deposit is easily refundable up until the deadline, it doesn't hurt to book as long as you're OK with the money being locked up.

 

I also like to know what is going on, so spent literally months browsing the O site and this site. There is a lot of good info here, but some is hidden deep in unrelated topics (we tend to wander sometimes 🙂 ). Enjoy learning about O!

[cbfb]

1 hour ago, vslparis said:

The OP did say that the air credit was $1000 ( USD I imagine since they are in Florida) ,so around $1400CAD I think.  It certainly could be more advantageous to book outside the cruise line ; certainly is if you want more control over your flights . Just depends on the time of year  and what city you are flying from ; is certainly worth a look by cruiser . From Miami it could be possible to stay in that $1000 pp range at times but from other cities not so much .

Yes we are in Florida but Tampa so flights are expensive! I priced it for this year since I couldn’t see next Fall yet. $2400 each to fly into Athens and out of Rome with somewhat decent flights! Crazy! But I know if I leave it to O they will be terrible flights. 

[cbfb]

35 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

I really wish O would make the FAQs easier to find. They are way at the bottom of the website in small print. Anywhoo...here is a link to the "planning" FAQs shich includes "Air" info to get you started:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000484693-Planning-My-Cruise

 

I don't usually use TAs but for cruises with O, it's a good idea (search Oceania "Connoisseur Club" to find one that understands the O-craziness). However, you can book directly with O and transfer the rez to a TA within 30(? check this) days. Note that the quarterly increases are possible but don't occur for all cruises. From my semi-random checks, cruises that are underfilled do not increase in price (some never increase), while popular cruises tend to go up slightly (I haven't seen huge jumps but I only track a small percentage of offerings). Since the deposit is easily refundable up until the deadline, it doesn't hurt to book as long as you're OK with the money being locked up.

 

I also like to know what is going on, so spent literally months browsing the O site and this site. There is a lot of good info here, but some is hidden deep in unrelated topics (we tend to wander sometimes 🙂 ). Enjoy learning about O!

Thank you! Yes it seems hard to find information but I am brand new to this line. Trying to get out of my comfort zone. I appreciate the info and advice. 

[MEFIowa]

2 hours ago, vslparis said:

If you opt to take the $1000 off for not using Oceania’s air, you will need to find airfare on your own.  For something like a trip to Europe, it more than likely is going to be a better value to take Oceania’s flight unless you are using miles for flights. No way will you get economy airfare for $1000 per ticket these days . However, if you are picky about your routing or airline the better option for you might be to pay more and find the flights you want on your own. Oceania charges $195 per person for you to be able to pick specific flights. If those flights are more than their contracted rates, then you will pay the difference also. 

Really, that's news to us. Wife uses The Hopper & Booking.com and more as means of checking airfares. She's been watching for some time. We fly from Des Moines (Iowa/USA) to Venice in late October 2023, take our 20-night cruise, and then fly from Barcelona back to Des Moines in late November 2023. She recently got the airfare for $1016 PP roundtrip. Total cost. All taxes and fees included. Economy. United Airlines. O's airfare is NOT even close to this. And we'd have to pay more just for us to get from our small airport to one of their American starting points or drive to Chicago (for example) and pay to park.

Edited March 25, 2023 by MEFIowa
clarifying point

[MEFIowa]

52 minutes ago, cbfb said:

Yes we are in Florida but Tampa so flights are expensive! I priced it for this year since I couldn’t see next Fall yet. $2400 each to fly into Athens and out of Rome with somewhat decent flights! Crazy! But I know if I leave it to O they will be terrible flights. 

I think my wife would say, "Always be checking all your sources all the time, automatically with alerts." She waits and watches like a U-boat commander.

 

She recently got us flights from Des Moines (Iowa/USA) to Venice in late October 2023, take our 20-night cruise, and then fly from Barcelona back to Des Moines in late November 2023. She got the airfare for $1016 PP roundtrip. Total cost. All taxes and fees included. Economy. United Airlines. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, LHT28 said:

It depends on the sailing length  the cancellation fee timeline

Check the  T & C s

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/

 

The air  credit varies by sailings  but  the air provided  is economy  unless  they have a special fare for PE

You get what they give you & may not know until 60 days out

 You can also  give O the flights you would like & see if they can get them with no upcharge 

you will pay the non refundable deviation fee once you & O come to an agreement

 If you are in a non gateway  airport there will extra charges

 

some people are happy with the O rep

I would shop around & find a TA that specializes with Oceania  & you can get extra perks   with some

eg PPG  or OBC

 Do you homework  before you book

read through the forums here

 

Enjoy  whatever cruise you choose

Search here on CC for my several detailed posts about finding a good cruise specialist TA.

[vslparis]

5 hours ago, cbfb said:

Yes we are in Florida but Tampa so flights are expensive! I priced it for this year since I couldn’t see next Fall yet. $2400 each to fly into Athens and out of Rome with somewhat decent flights! Crazy! But I know if I leave it to O they will be terrible flights. 

I know ! You should look into driving to Miami and doing your own flights from there . I would price out what it would be to fly from there on a schedule you like ( at least 1 day before the cruise leaves please ! ) , then call Oceania and see what it might cost to have them do the flights ( including the $195 pp fee and any extra up charge) . Doesn’t cost anything to ask. 

[vslparis]

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Really, that's news to us. Wife uses The Hopper & Booking.com and more as means of checking airfares. She's been watching for some time. We fly from Des Moines (Iowa/USA) to Venice in late October 2023, take our 20-night cruise, and then fly from Barcelona back to Des Moines in late November 2023. She recently got the airfare for $1016 PP roundtrip. Total cost. All taxes and fees included. Economy. United Airlines. O's airfare is NOT even close to this. And we'd have to pay more just for us to get from our small airport to one of their American starting points or drive to Chicago (for example) and pay to park.

All depends on your departure city and the time of year .  As the OP mentioned, from Tampa it is crazy high ; same from the DFW area. Airfare is never a one size fits all thing.  All about supply and demand in the market you are flying from. Late October can be very different than the middle of summer when it comes to pricing. 

[MEFIowa]

10 hours ago, vslparis said:

All depends on your departure city and the time of year....

Yes, we both know there are many variables. So that does mean "It all depends". Yet TIME is the one key factor. IF you can use it to LOOK for flights over a significant period of time. In 2021 I waited and watched for about 4 months trying to find an inexpensive flight from Des Moines, Iowa to Asuncion, Paraguay. For a 16-day life-time trip that I put together with a local expert. She kept bugging me to make the airfare so we could nail down the actual start and stop dates in April-May 2022. But I couldn't find the fare I wanted. Then one morning a fare for $850 roundtrip economy on United (taxes, fees, everything) popped up on one site. I hit immediately. She was amazed at the fare. 

[PaulMCO]

I still fly internationally 8 to 12 times per year.  I find MCO the best choice.

I can regularly find tickets for under 1K.  My company allows PE to the EU so my last two tickets to Geneva and Vienna were both around $1300 round trip in PE on United and Austrian.

 

The $1000 pp ticket balloons to $1200 if you decide to deviate and pick your own dates to arrive a day or two earlier (advisable)

 

Cheap tickets are non refundable.  The good thing about O, is that if you cancel your cruise within the no penalty period your flights are cancelled too without any fee.

Edited March 26, 2023 by PaulMCO

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, PaulMCO said:

 

 

The $1000 pp ticket balloons to $1200 if you decide to deviate and pick your own dates to arrive a day or two earlier (advisable)

 

 

No longer a correct statement. You can now choose to fly in up to 3 days before and after your cruise with no additional charge, but you cannot choose your flights with this deviation unless you pay the deviation fee.  

 

I did this a week or two ago, this is a first hand experience.

[PaulMCO]

2 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

No longer a correct statement. You can now choose to fly in up to 3 days before and after your cruise with no additional charge, but you cannot choose your flights with this deviation unless you pay the deviation fee.  

 

I did this a week or two ago, this is a first hand experience.

I meant to say pick you own flights, which is the point of deviation, as the OP wants a non stop. It is the same on Regent which I recently did.

 

Another point -- is Oceania deviation date is 270 days out.   Regent recently changed theirs to 210 days out.   I might expect to see a change to O's policy soon??

Edited March 26, 2023 by PaulMCO

[shepherd really]

15 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

I meant to say pick you own flights, which is the point of deviation, as the OP wants a non stop. It is the same on Regent which I recently did.

 

Another point -- is Oceania deviation date is 270 days out.   Regent recently changed theirs to 210 days out.   I might expect to see a change to O's policy soon??

The deviation is really two-fold.  Pick your travel dates and pick you flights.  This new "deviation" (which needs its own name to avoid confusion) is limited as I described. The cruise I booked is in May, 2025 so the 270 or 210 days don't appear to apply to this.

[cbfb]

3 hours ago, shepherd really said:

No longer a correct statement. You can now choose to fly in up to 3 days before and after your cruise with no additional charge, but you cannot choose your flights with this deviation unless you pay the deviation fee.  

 

I did this a week or two ago, this is a first hand experience.

Thank you for this information. On the FAQs it says day of which wouldn’t work for us. No way would I risk flying into Athens day off!!! Glad they changed it. 

[shepherd really]

Just now, cbfb said:

Thank you for this information. On the FAQs it says day of which wouldn’t work for us. No way would I risk flying into Athens day off!!! Glad they changed it. 

But you do have to request it, otherwise they'll book it for arrival on the embarkation day.

[AMHuntFerry]

2 minutes ago, cbfb said:

Thank you for this information. On the FAQs it says day of which wouldn’t work for us. No way would I risk flying into Athens day off!!! Glad they changed it. 

The extra days are a very recent development. O can take a little too long to update the FAQs, so they are a good starting point, but the older their "updated" date is, the info becomes iffy.

[mitz18]

On 3/25/2023 at 2:01 PM, ak1004 said:

Most of the time O air is not a good deal, you can usually book cheaper on your own. Some cruises have special rate for PE, this might be a good deal. 

ok sorry - what does PE stand for in this case? 🤔

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

ok sorry - what does PE stand for in this case? 🤔

Premium Economy  usually on flights to/from Europe