Extraordinary Savings Sale

[PhD-iva]

8 hours ago, JoePDX said:

Hi @Jancruz -   We just met @PhD-iva on Sirena and she is just as lovely in person.   😀

 

Joe

Awww, shucks! (thank you!)

[WayneLaR]

16 hours ago, jonthomas said:

 

Our Nov 19 b2b only has one segment on sale...so O decided that there would be NO reduction...

 

it is the TA from BCN to MIA.

Hi Jon, as you know we are on this cruise with you and I got the same answer from our TA.  Disappointing.

[jonthomas]

It's like it was said here, the agents don't want us to benefit from the sale and lose something off their commission. 

I called O and the rep said one portion is Definitely on sale but it would be up to the agent to break it up and see what the total would come to.

A good agent would do that. Ours aren't willing to.

[Jayne E]

39 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

It's like it was said here, the agents don't want us to benefit from the sale and lose something off their commission. 

I called O and the rep said one portion is Definitely on sale but it would be up to the agent to break it up and see what the total would come to.

A good agent would do that. Ours aren't willing to.

You can run the numbers yourself as 2 cruises. Then remove your B2B discount. Also remove any On Board Booking discount. If it’s still worthwhile, call your TA and insist to be rebooked. 

[jonthomas]

yes, 

 

O is closed today, so cant check out the sale prices...strange how you can only see them by calling...

[jonthomas]

1 hour ago, WayneLaR said:

Hi Jon, as you know we are on this cruise with you and I got the same answer from our TA.  Disappointing.

 

O is closed today, cant get the pricing. Will try again tomorrow. We have a prem econ for 149 on this, so that would be lost, but if there is a substantial discount on the Lis to BCn  portion to be had, it may be worthwhile. 

[LHT28]

59 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

yes, 

 

O is closed today, so cant check out the sale prices...strange how you can only see them by calling...

It is marketed  as  grand voyage  so unlikely  they will  break it up

 Cancel the  first cruise  & just  do the  crossing  then you can ask for the deal provided the cabin category you are booked in is available

[jonthomas]

yes, will work on it tomorrow....all is available...thank you...

[tigerfan75]

On 4/12/2023 at 7:42 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Every once in awhile, there’s temporary O prices so low that they don’t show on the O web (this is in addition to the rotating TA “quiet sales.”

One of those times is going on right now. If you look on the O website and click on the Extraordinary Savings banner, you’ll see a whole bunch of remaining 2023 cruises on “the list.” 
I saw one of my current bookings on the list and, while checking on an out-of-the-blue <$200 O refund that just appeared on my credit card account, asked the O rep to look up the current price for my cabin class (since I had originally booked it onboard and, even transferring it to my TA, I have the price drop match guarantee!

In checking, the agent said “only cabin availability is in C and below and the savings are huge” (and they are- like >$1k/pp for a C on a 3 week cruise).

Since we’re in a higher cabin level and don’t want to move, that’s the end of the new deal for me. Yes, there’s that pesky Book Onboard “price drop match” fine print that requires cabin availability in your class in order for the price match to be OK.

 

In any case, there may be some of you who are still looking for a 2023 cruise. So, you may want to check out the “Extraordinary Savings” list now on the O website. However, to get the sale price (which is not listed), you’ll need to call your TA or O direct.

FF, just a note to say THANKS for the post.  Worked with my TA on Friday and saved thousands on a sailing later this year....so much so, that I upgraded to our first PH.  I hope I don't regret it, as the wife may come to like it too much.  Look forward to seeing you and Lydia again on another cruise (we met on the Marina B2B2B Barcelona to Miami).  Keep up the good work in educating us newbies...

[AMHuntFerry]

5 hours ago, jonthomas said:

 

O is closed today, cant get the pricing. Will try again tomorrow. We have a prem econ for 149 on this, so that would be lost, but if there is a substantial discount on the Lis to BCn  portion to be had, it may be worthwhile. 

If you want to look at pricing today, you can see many (all?? not gonna look) of the starting prices for each category on the Cruise Critic "search for a cruise" site; Choose either "balcony" or "Suite" for cabin category in the lefthand search menu; the cheapest price may only be visible in the "View All Prices" pull down menu (not the upper right). The site I use (can't post) also shows these prices.
If you are on the Riviera cruises starting Nov 9 and Nov 19, they are both on sale. The balconies start at $1699 for Nov 9 and $1849 for Nov 19 (suites $2799 and $2999); cruise only price.

Edited April 16, 2023 by AMHuntFerry

[jonthomas]

Thanks for this, very savvy..

 

We are on Nov 13 to Dec 3....

[itzfitz]

Had my TA call on Friday. Saved $5000 on my Riviera cruise in September.  Had to relinquish my ultimate OLife perks, just got 1 OLife.  It's amazing to me that they're offering to discount the fares so drastically. The itinerary must not be selling well but it sure worked out for us!

[jonthomas]

This discounting worries me...we have deposits on 10 cruises.

We made the decision to sail O only. Just sailed with Viking Ocean. Would not sail with Viking again.No comparison in any area to O.

We are sorry that we didn't switch years ago and would now have the benefits of loyalty. No other line has the Loyalty program that O does.

 

In keeping with the topic, we also saved a great deal with this last promo.

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

This discounting worries me...we have deposits on 10 cruises.

We made the decision to sail O only. Just sailed with Viking Ocean. Would not sail with Viking again.No comparison in any area to O.

We are sorry that we didn't switch years ago and would now have the benefits of loyalty. No other line has the Loyalty program that O does.

 

In keeping with the topic, we also saved a great deal with this last promo.

I wouldn’t worry about the remainder of 2023 price cuts as a sign of really bad financial trouble. Rather, I see it as trying to get things back to normal before 2024 (basically a published clearance sale that we won’t see again for a long time in the future).

IMO, the only negative PR side of this is reflected in my post #97 above. Lots of  misinformation for folks with existing bookings wanting a price adjustment; unhappy TAs whose commissions will decrease due to the adjustments; and the aforementioned TAs and even O reps who contradict each other about what is allowable to get the better price.

Allow me to suggest a possible strategy if you are unsure regarding whether your TA is getting (or relaying) the correct info about price adjusts (e.g., for book onboard price match guarantees) for complex “custom” or “enhanced journey” itineraries  [though, remember that they require cabin availability]:

 

Call O and do a “booking hold” on your same complex cruise. If the new “extraordinary” price can be applied to the complex cruise (I.e., price is significantly lower for exactly the same cruise specifics) AND there’s cabin availability AND you have the low price match guarantee AND the price is extremely lower, show a copy of the “hold booking” to your TA and ask for the “price match.” If s/he says “no can do,” you can always cancel the cruise (even if you have to pay a reasonable penalty in the penalty phase) OR use your other “book onboard perk” of allowance of a single itinerary change.

Now is this worth all that work? Depends on your needs and expectations as well as the bottom line net savings.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

This discounting worries me...we have deposits on 10 cruises.

We made the decision to sail O only. Just sailed with Viking Ocean. Would not sail with Viking again.No comparison in any area to O.

We are sorry that we didn't switch years ago and would now have the benefits of loyalty. No other line has the Loyalty program that O does.

 

In keeping with the topic, we also saved a great deal with this last promo.

I wouldn’t worry about the remainder of 2023 price cuts as a sign of really bad financial trouble. Rather, I see it as trying to get things back to normal before 2024 (basically a published clearance sale that we won’t see again for a long time in the future).

IMO, the only negative PR side of this is reflected in my post #97 above. Lots of  misinformation for folks with existing bookings wanting a price adjustment; unhappy TAs whose commissions will decrease due to the adjustments; and the aforementioned TAs and even O reps who contradict each other about what is allowable to get the better price.

Allow me to suggest a possible strategy if you are unsure regarding whether your TA is getting (or relaying) the correct info about price adjusts (e.g., for book onboard price match guarantees) for complex “custom” or “enhanced journey” itineraries  [though, remember that they require cabin availability]:

 

You can always call O and do a new “booking hold” on your same complex cruise. If the new “extraordinary” price can be applied to the complex cruise (I.e., price is significantly lower for exactly the same cruise specifics) AND there’s cabin availability AND you have the low price match guarantee AND the price is extremely lower, show a copy of the “hold booking” to your TA and ask for the “price match.” If s/he says “no can do,” you can always cancel the cruise (even if you have to pay a reasonable penalty in the penalty phase) OR use your other “book onboard perk” of allowance of a single itinerary change.

Now is this worth all that work? Depends on your needs and expectations as well as the bottom line net savings.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

This discounting worries me...we have deposits on 10 cruises.

We made the decision to sail O only. Just sailed with Viking Ocean. Would not sail with Viking again.No comparison in any area to O.

We are sorry that we didn't switch years ago and would now have the benefits of loyalty. No other line has the Loyalty program that O does.

 

In keeping with the topic, we also saved a great deal with this last promo.

I wouldn’t worry about the remainder of 2023 price cuts as a sign of really bad financial trouble. Rather, I see it as trying to get things back to normal before 2024 (basically a published clearance sale that we won’t see again for a long time in the future).

IMO, the only negative PR side of this is reflected in my post #97 above. Lots of  misinformation for folks with existing bookings wanting a price adjustment; unhappy TAs whose commissions will decrease due to the adjustments; and the aforementioned TAs and even O reps who contradict each other about what is allowable to get the better price.

Allow me to suggest a possible strategy if you are unsure regarding whether your TA is getting (or relaying) the correct info about price adjusts (e.g., for book onboard price match guarantees) for complex “custom” or “enhanced journey” itineraries  [though, remember that they require cabin availability]:

 

You can always call O and do a new “booking hold” on your same complex cruise. If the new “extraordinary” price can be applied to the complex cruise (I.e., price is significantly lower for exactly the same cruise specifics) AND there’s cabin availability AND you have the low price match guarantee AND the price is extremely lower, show a copy of the “hold booking” to your TA and ask for the “price match.” If s/he says “no can do,” you can always cancel the cruise (even if you have to pay a reasonable penalty in the penalty phase) OR use your other “book onboard perk” of allowance of a single itinerary change.

Now is this worth all that work? Depends on your needs and expectations as well as the bottom line net savings.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

56 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

This discounting worries me...we have deposits on 10 cruises.

We made the decision to sail O only. Just sailed with Viking Ocean. Would not sail with Viking again.No comparison in any area to O.

We are sorry that we didn't switch years ago and would now have the benefits of loyalty. No other line has the Loyalty program that O does.

 

In keeping with the topic, we also saved a great deal with this last promo.

I wouldn’t worry about the remainder of 2023 price cuts as a sign of really bad financial trouble. Rather, I see it as trying to get things back to normal before 2024 (basically a published clearance sale that we won’t see again for a long time in the future).

IMO, the only negative PR side of this is reflected in my post #97 above. Lots of  misinformation for folks with existing bookings wanting a price adjustment; unhappy TAs whose commissions will decrease due to the adjustments; and the aforementioned TAs and even O reps who contradict each other about what is allowable to get the better price.

Allow me to suggest a possible strategy if you are unsure regarding whether your TA is getting (or relaying) the correct info about price adjusts (e.g., for book onboard price match guarantees) for complex “custom” or “enhanced journey” itineraries  [though, remember that they require cabin availability]:

 

You can always call O and do a new “booking hold” on your same complex cruise. If the new “extraordinary” price can be applied to the complex cruise (I.e., price is significantly lower for exactly the same cruise specifics) AND there’s cabin availability AND you have the low price match guarantee AND the price is extremely lower, show a copy of the “hold booking” to your TA and ask for the “price match.” If s/he says “no can do,” you can always cancel the cruise (even if you have to pay a reasonable penalty in the penalty phase) OR use your other “book onboard perk” of allowance of a single itinerary change.

Now is this worth all that work? Depends on your needs and expectations as well as the bottom line net savings.  

[jonthomas]

I worked it out using the strategy suggested by a poster, to use the prices given by the cruise critic agency.

 

We booked a two segment TA when it first came out and got prem econ for 149. That is still the best deal. Even with one segment on sale, opening prices are still the way to go.

 

Thank you to all.

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

I worked it out using the strategy suggested by a poster, to use the prices given by the cruise critic agency.

 

We booked a two segment TA when it first came out and got prem econ for 149. That is still the best deal. Even with one segment on sale, opening prices are still the way to go.

 

Thank you to all.

Two segments published as an extended journey or two segments you’re custom adding together and discounting by 5%?

 

In any case, If the “CC” price you’re seeing is the same as what you see on the O website (with/without the 5% discount for custom cruise) either there’s no extraordinary break for multisegments OR CC is not really showing the extraordinary pricing.

[jonthomas]

Yes you are "possibly, probably right". The only way to know for sure is to call O and then work it out.

Two agents have now said we are better off with the deal we have. Premium econ is now 699 pp, we would lose that, we also have prep great on 7 days out of 20, we would lose that.

I think we are good, not willing to spend more time on it, but I thank you for your logical thinking.

[WayneLaR]

9 hours ago, jonthomas said:

 we also have prep great on 7 days out of 20, we would lose that.

Not following on this one, Jon?

[LHT28]

39 minutes ago, WayneLaR said:

Not following on this one, Jon?

my guess is Prepaid grats  but who knows 😉

 

[WayneLaR]

Just now, LHT28 said:

my guess is Prepaid grats  but who knows 😉

 

That makes sense.  Thanks LHT!

[Sujormik]

We got a PH with an upgrade 2 levels promo last year.  Our itinerary is on the list…will we have a chance of $$ savings or is our level too high to benefit.

 

Hubs not a big cruiser so we do fewer trips but bigger spaces/more perks.  Allegedly.  Our first O.  Thanks.

[jonthomas]

Sorry about that...yes prepaid gratuities.