OLife Ulimate- Worth It?

[marion10]

We just booked Legendary Pathways departing October 21, 2023 and I bought the O Life Ultimate Package and a Concierge Veranda. Ultimate was airfare, transfers, 6 shore excursions. beverage package and 600 shipboard credit. Oceania rep called me and wanted to talk me imto current promotion where I only pick one of the "perks"- beverage, 600 credit or shore excursions.  Difference would be $2000 a person cheaper. Said that beverage pacakge was just beer and wine and not mixed drinks. Is it worth it to go with the cheaper package?

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, marion10 said:

We just booked Legendary Pathways departing October 21, 2023 and I bought the O Life Ultimate Package and a Concierge Veranda. Ultimate was airfare, transfers, 6 shore excursions. beverage package and 600 shipboard credit. Oceania rep called me and wanted to talk me imto current promotion where I only pick one of the "perks"- beverage, 600 credit or shore excursions.  Difference would be $2000 a person cheaper. Said that beverage pacakge was just beer and wine and not mixed drinks. Is it worth it to go with the cheaper package?

Huh?

Did you book a cruise on the Extraordinary Savings Sale list or on the Ultimate O Life list?

The savings on the former is cash in your pocket while the savings on the latter is non-refundable stuff.

Only you can tell if your projected use of the non-refundable stuff would have more than $2000 cash value.

Do the math.

[Robson1]

I just went through something similar and for us it made much more sense to go with OLife Choice and the $600 OBC. 
 

- The OLife drinks package is just Beer and Wine but also only at lunch and dinner. I drink spirits and always after dinner, so I would have to

upgrade at $30 per day to the full package. 
 

- My wife doesn’t drink so there would be no value in the included drinks on her side.

 

- Our itinerary stops are mostly just self explore type destinations. I priced up some independent tours and it ultimately works out better. 
 

Olife Ultimate would have been $2,400 more however I would have needed pay an additional $360 for the drinks upgrade. Taking the Choice option with $600 OBC just leaves us with $840 additional for the Prestige drinks package for one. In theory $1,560 cash saving for tours which we won’t come near to spending. 

[marion10]

Thanks all.

[ORV]

36 minutes ago, Robson1 said:

I just went through something similar and for us it made much more sense to go with OLife Choice and the $600 OBC. 
 

- The OLife drinks package is just Beer and Wine but also only at lunch and dinner. I drink spirits and always after dinner, so I would have to

upgrade at $30 per day to the full package. 
 

- My wife doesn’t drink so there would be no value in the included drinks on her side.

 

- Our itinerary stops are mostly just self explore type destinations. I priced up some independent tours and it ultimately works out better. 
 

Olife Ultimate would have been $2,400 more however I would have needed pay an additional $360 for the drinks upgrade. Taking the Choice option with $600 OBC just leaves us with $840 additional for the Prestige drinks package for one. In theory $1,560 cash saving for tours which we won’t come near to spending. 

Actually you would have been better off just with cruise only. The OBC option is a dollar for dollar trade of real money for non refundable OBC. I don't know if you're getting air or not, but the air is not tied to getting Olife. This is part of the confusion on Oceania's marketing. 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, marion10 said:

We just booked Legendary Pathways departing October 21, 2023 and I bought the O Life Ultimate Package and a Concierge Veranda. Ultimate was airfare, transfers, 6 shore excursions. beverage package and 600 shipboard credit. Oceania rep called me and wanted to talk me imto current promotion where I only pick one of the "perks"- beverage, 600 credit or shore excursions.  Difference would be $2000 a person cheaper. Said that beverage pacakge was just beer and wine and not mixed drinks. Is it worth it to go with the cheaper package?

Does your $2000 a person cheaper still include air and transfers? And yes, the beverage package is just beer and wine with lunch and dinner, or when ordering room service. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by ORV

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, ORV said:

Actually you would have been better off just with cruise only. The OBC option is a dollar for dollar trade of real money for non refundable OBC. I don't know if you're getting air or not, but the air is not tied to getting Olife. This is part of the confusion on Oceania's marketing. 

There is one very rare occasion when the O Life SBC has some minimal value (though it is always dollar for dollar with what you paid for it in the fare. And that occasion would be when it’s a better value to use the tours “passport collection” rather than the YWYW package as an add on to the O Life tours option.

[Robson1]

@Flatbush Flyer 

 

No air and the OLife choice was part of the extraordinary savings deal, so there was no cheaper cruise only deal. 
 

The $600 is getting spent on board one way or another with the drinks package and gratuities still owed. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Robson1

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Robson1 said:

Taking the Choice option with $600 OBC just leaves us with $840 additional for the Prestige drinks package for one. In theory $1,560 cash saving for tours which we won’t come near to spending. 

You are paying for the non refundable OBC  you could just skip the  O Life perk & pay as you drink or buy the Prestige package

Do the math  & see what works for you

[davencl]

Can someone clarify.  I thought the OLife ultimate was all three free instead of just one.  Is there a price difference? If so why?  If so I'll have to go back and check the cruise I just booked.  Perhaps the latest current promotion dropped the two extra perks and reduced the fare.  If so I guess I need to revisit my booking.

[Robson1]

46 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

You are paying for the non refundable OBC  you could just skip the  O Life perk & pay as you drink or buy the Prestige package

Do the math  & see what works for you

I am buying the prestige package.
 

Olife Choice was an included perk so there is no further cash discount by not taking it. Even if they did give $600 off the cruise I’m going to be paying that straight back to them and more with the gratuities and prestige package so it being non refundable doesn’t matter. 
 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, davencl said:

Can someone clarify.  I thought the OLife ultimate was all three free instead of just one.  Is there a price difference? If so why?  If so I'll have to go back and check the cruise I just booked.  Perhaps the latest current promotion dropped the two extra perks and reduced the fare.  If so I guess I need to revisit my booking.

When it’s available, Ultimate is all 3 perks for the same prices as regular O Life (one perk). But, there are occasions when you can’t “double dip” (e.g., BoB discount plus Ultimate O Life, etc).

[davencl]

13 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

When it’s available, Ultimate is all 3 perks for the same prices as regular O Life (one perk). But, there are occasions when you can’t “double dip” (e.g., BoB discount plus Ultimate O Life, etc).

Thanks I thought I missed something when the OP said they saved $2000 by not booking O Life ultimate.   Yes I couldn't combine BoB but I saved more with O Life Ultimate as we'll use the excursion credits and $800 OBC.   The drinks at dinner and lunch are a minor add for us.

[MEFIowa]

14 hours ago, marion10 said:

We just booked Legendary Pathways departing October 21, 2023 and I bought the O Life Ultimate Package and a Concierge Veranda. ...

Per the O Extraordinary Savings Sale, you can book a Veranda cabin for that cruise for just $1799 PP. That is a HUGE real $ saving off the price. All that OLife material is just pennies on the dollar. Since YOU can bring your own alcohol on board, book your own excursions and do your own airfare. BUT only you know what math works for you.

 

The ESS worked perfectly for us, so I used it for both our Adriatic & Aegean Wonders and Italian Artistry  & Turkish Icons cruises on  Riviera (10/30-11/19). On the former, went from an inside F to an A3 for essentially the same price ($1899 PP) since it includes $300 SBC which will pay my gratuities.

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 hours ago, Robson1 said:

I am buying the prestige package.
 

Olife Choice was an included perk so there is no further cash discount by not taking it. Even if they did give $600 off the cruise I’m going to be paying that straight back to them and more with the gratuities and prestige package so it being non refundable doesn’t matter. 

 

Wrong.

See the attached pic of two example voyages (in the “extra…..” brochure - one without the “extra…” and one with the “extra…..” For both, you can do “cruise only” at a lower price.
 

And note that, with the “extra…..”  one (on the right), “O Life” gets you only $600/cabin SBC while “cruise only” gets you a cheaper price that is $800 pp lower (i.e., $1000 net savings/cabin).

“Cruise only” bottom line is an extra $400 purchasing power on board or $ back in your pocket.

Always do the math.

[shank63]

We had a cruise already booked when the Ultimate OLife offer was announced.  The difference in the fare was $600 but added $800 in OBC.  No brainer for me, our TA had the Ultimate package added with no other changes to our original booking.  It all depends on each individual situation.

[Sthrngary]

Well all of this is clear as mud to someone just now considering Oceania Cruises for the first time.  If is a first time for me as well however I studied O a few years ago, booked it and it got cancelled due to Covid.  I am back booked for November 2023.  

 

When I tell everyone on this blog that O is kind of confusing to new folks like myself, I am really not kidding.  Yet it would be of great value to new bookings and new O guests to read and learn as much as possible on the different plans.  I am by no means an expert on O.  I do like to know what I am buying and if their is a way to make the entire situation less of an investment without taking away value.

 

1. OLife: This was my first lesson.  Choose one of three perks.  Were every other cruise brand I have used provided a full adult drink package, O was beer/wine at lunch/dinner.  Some of the blogs on this were pro/con like everything else on a cruise.  The debate of which perk was the best value were all fun to read.  My decision was $600.00 of onboard credit which I used pre-cruise to purchase the full Adult Drink package called the Prestige Drink Package which was $600 per guest, spirits, wine and beer when ever a bar/restaurant was open.  It also gave discounts on some of the unique dinning opportunities. I paid another $600 for the second guest.  Was this a deal or a value, not really.  About a wash.
2. OLife Ultimate:  I was literally upset when I say this on my cruise, until I went back to the fare I got originally and realized my initial fare was fair less.  In doing a math competition, it seems adding the other two perks, raised the fare about what you would expect.  All that went through my mind was, the Marketing Department strikes again.
3. O Air:  Oh boy was this one debated on this and other social media site.  There are advocates to both.  There are some contributors on this blog for O that are literal experts. I am not.  I am just old and set in my ways.  I thought I knew lots about airfare until I met the experts.  What I did know was to do my best to book my flights directly with the air brand, fully refundable if possible, as early as possible to get the best itinerary and price.  If the fare went down, cancel and rebook since it was fully refundable.  Kind of like with fully refundable cares fare deposits.  For me, not everyone, my strategy worked very well.  By booking directly with the Air Brand, my Cruise Fare was $1,000.00 less per guest which was very close to what I paid.
4. Cruise Only:  Oh boy was this confusing at first.  In my past, cruise only simply meant no air.  With Oceania it meant no OLife and no Air.  I figured it out simply by doing the math.  One perk was worth about $600.  The air credit was $1000.  Take those off and my fare was that much less.  Many say this is the way to go for them.  That is cool.  However just knowing how it seems to work is enough for most of us newbies to make a decent business decision.  
5. Extraordinary Saving Sale: I again did the math however it seems that the PH3 I choose really was not an Extraordinary Saving for my situation.  The lower categories seems to be a very good deal for some.  O marketing needed to sell more cabins and did so by making the lower categories very attractive.  Since everyone when they leave their stateroom are treated the same on an O voyage, if I was booking again, I would definitely consider this.  
6. Four Category Upgrades: The labor day sale was a four category upgrade.  That is when I booked.  Since then all kinds of marketing and promotion has happened including price increases.  When I do the math, I look at my category of PH3 and see where we would be for each promotion. Your situation may differ. 

 

Now this is my experience currently.  As I stated, it was a bit confusing at first.  I kept asking the previous O guest questions to get to this point.  I hope my experience thought this learning curve helps some. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Robson1]

Thanks however that isn't my cruise or pricing. The price from one agent quoting without OLife in the promo was $600 cheaper, so no difference. Notice the fine print in the image states that the Cruise Only fair 'does not include airfare' which suggests the other prices do and explains the '$800 pp' difference. We had the air credit applied to the price as we don't need it, so we are paying cruise-only price + Olife Choice of AMENITIES (not flights) as a perk.

Automatic gratuities are going to be $432 and drinks will $840, so the $600 OBC being non-refundable really doesn't matter, its very literally already gone.

[Robson1]

44 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Wrong.

See the attached pic of two example voyages (in the “extra…..” brochure - one without the “extra…” and one with the “extra…..” For both, you can do “cruise only” at a lower price.
 

And note that, with the “extra…..”  one (on the right), “O Life” gets you only $600/cabin SBC while “cruise only” gets you a cheaper price that is $800 pp lower (i.e., $1000 net savings/cabin).

“Cruise only” bottom line is an extra $400 purchasing power on board or $ back in your pocket.

Always do the math.

Thanks however that isn't my cruise or pricing. The price from one agent quoting without OLife in the promo was $600 cheaper, so no difference. Notice the fine print in the image states that the Cruise Only fair 'does not include airfare' which suggests the other prices do and explains the '$800 pp' difference. We had the air credit applied to the price as we don't need it, so we are paying cruise-only price + Olife Choice of AMENITIES (not flights) as a perk.

Automatic gratuities are going to be $432 and drinks will $840, so the $600 OBC being non-refundable really doesn't matter, its very literally already gone.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Robson1
.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Robson1 said:

Thanks however that isn't my cruise or pricing. The price from one agent quoting without OLife in the promo was $600 cheaper, so no difference. Notice the fine print in the image states that the Cruise Only fair 'does not include airfare' which suggests the other prices do and explains the '$800 pp' difference. We had the air credit applied to the price as we don't need it, so we are paying cruise-only price + Olife Choice of AMENITIES (not flights) as a perk.

Automatic gratuities are going to be $432 and drinks will $840, so the $600 OBC being non-refundable really doesn't matter, its very literally already gone.

Excellent point! I hadn’t thought about the air since we would never use O air - particularly for bizclass.

Enjoy your cruise!

[h789ezc]

Hello Marion.

 

Its a great offer indeed

[AMHuntFerry]

21 hours ago, marion10 said:

We just booked Legendary Pathways departing October 21, 2023 and I bought the O Life Ultimate Package and a Concierge Veranda. Ultimate was airfare, transfers, 6 shore excursions. beverage package and 600 shipboard credit. Oceania rep called me and wanted to talk me imto current promotion where I only pick one of the "perks"- beverage, 600 credit or shore excursions.  Difference would be $2000 a person cheaper. Said that beverage pacakge was just beer and wine and not mixed drinks. Is it worth it to go with the cheaper package?

Did you get your answer?

I would take the $4000/cabin discount which let's you choose how it's spent. If you want the OLife shorex or drink package, go ahead and add regular OLife. That's me though.

Here are the numbers to run for Ultimate O-Life...OLife shorex can get you shorex up to ~$200, but the $199 shorex are not common and they need to be something you actually want to do, so let's call that a $170/shorex value (6*$170=$1020); House drink package gets you wine and beer with lunch and dinner worth $40/person/day (11*$80=$880); You are paying $600 for Ultimate (or regular) OLife so the OBC is a wash. With Ultimate Olife you get added value (assuming these are things you'd buy anyway) of $1020+$880 = $1900/cabin...HALF of the $4000 savings. I would take that $4000. You can use it to buy regular Olife (and choose shorex or House drink package), or you can purchase higher cost shorex using the YWC 25% discount if you buy the minimum number (likely 4or5 per person for this itinerary...it's in your shorex pdf info), or purchase the higher-level drink package (or upgrade if you choose OLife drink pkg), or buy things not related to O....etc.

Hope this gets you started on doing the math 🙂 Someone please check mine.

[marion10]

We went with whatever the sale thing is with airfare and one choice. I picked the excursions- but might change that to OBC. Will spend $199 to pick our own flights- now just decking how long we want to stay pre and post cruise. 

[AMHuntFerry]

14 minutes ago, marion10 said:

We went with whatever the sale thing is with airfare and one choice. I picked the excursions- but might change that to OBC. Will spend $199 to pick our own flights- now just decking how long we want to stay pre and post cruise. 

The shorex choice is "worth more" but only if you want to take the shorex that qualify for OLife. Use my "N/A in the Ultimate column" rule of thumb to browse online...if you find 3 per person that you like and they total more than $300/person, then shorex is a better fiscal choice. The shorex pdf may have additional shorex not showing online (I've never experienced this, but FlatbushFlyer has and only fools argue with FF 😉 ).

[See_More]

 marion10:  Do you know that Oceania now allows three days at the front or back end of your cruise when using their air, not including the day you leave, without paying the air deviation fee of $199.  Keep in mind though, you do have to accept what they offer if you are not paying the deviation fee.