O's Misleading Pricing

[SellaVee]

8 hours ago, shepherd really said:

Let's play a game. 

 

We go out for the evening, and you ask me to hold your $300.  When the check arrives you generously offer to pay the $250 bill, so I do so with the money you asked me to hold.  Time to go home and you would like me to give you the remaining $50. but oh no.  I inform you that due to the terms and conditions I gave you (which you didn't bother to read) that money is non-refundable, so I keep it and go my merry way with your $50.

 

That's all you are doing when you pay Oceania for a non-refundable credit.  

 

 

Ah, but, I'm not that daft.  I would already have worked out how I was going to spend that $300.  We have gratuities to pay, and the odd cocktail to enjoy.  I've never had a problem spending on board credit.  YMMV.  

[shepherd really]

Just now, SellaVee said:

Ah, but, I'm not that daft.  I would already have worked out how I was going to spend that $300.  We have gratuities to pay, and the odd cocktail to enjoy.  I've never had a problem spending on board credit.  YMMV.  

Then you have a leg up on many.

[Sthrngary]

I am completely confused.  What the heck is going on.  When you join a group, you do so to learn, be educated, enjoy the posts and have the ultimate outcome of a better vacation.  No cruise line is perfect and I despise the marketing departments for all cruises brands. They have what should be simple and easy to in many cases rocket science.  Unless you are going on your first cruise ever, you already know this.  Whether we like if or not, it is our job do our due diligence.  We are not booking a round trip to Miami here.  We are booking a full vacation on the sea where "Murphy's Law" is alive and well. 

 

If you don't like the way a cruise brand lays out their information and TRULY believe it is deceptive.  How can you even consider booking with them. That just does not make sense.  

 

Every CruiseCritic.com blog of a specific brand has members that are Super Positive, Super Negative and other they just complain about every think imaginable. At first, I thought this Blog on Oceania Topics was different.  That the folk here were older, wiser and understood nothing ever works our or is exactly as it seems on any cruise brand.  I hope that last thought will continue to be true. 

 

If you think a product is deception. contact the the company if you like or don't.  Buy from the company it simply does not make sense.  If you think they could communicate better, that is a whole different story.  Lets be clear, Lets be fair, lets be educated, and lets focus on making vacations better. Sorry for the rant.  Mic Drop.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by Sthrngary

[YourWorldWithBill]

On 5/27/2023 at 3:02 PM, SellaVee said:

Ah, but, I'm not that daft.  I would already have worked out how I was going to spend that $300.  We have gratuities to pay, and the odd cocktail to enjoy.  I've never had a problem spending on board credit.  YMMV.  

Yes: although I might or might not spend the OBC, when I booked my cruise I knew that I would be using the Oceania excursions, so there was no question that the credit in the OLife package was worth it.

About the whole airfare discussion: if you opt for the OLife with air but decide to book your own ticket, Oceania will refund $1,100 per ticket for the cost of the airfare. Not too bad, but then they don't cover transfers. There's always an irritating element.

[basor]

9 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Yes: although I might or might not spend the OBC, when I booked my cruise I knew that I would be using the Oceania excursions, so there was no question that the credit in the OLife package was worth it.

About the whole airfare discussion: if you opt for the OLife with air but decide to book your own ticket, Oceania will refund $1,100 per ticket for the cost of the airfare. Not too bad, but then they don't cover transfers. There's always an irritating element.

If you know you are going to book O excursions than you will get better "bang for your buck" by choosing the excursions option for your OLIfe perk.....with this option you can book any excursion up to $195.00USD per person (or there abouts) so if you will receive 3 excursions than that would be $195.00 x 3 = $585.00 versus $300.00 (just an example since I do not know how many free excursions are offered on your specific cruise)

[YourWorldWithBill]

15 minutes ago, basor said:

If you know you are going to book O excursions than you will get better "bang for your buck" by choosing the excursions option for your OLIfe perk.....with this option you can book any excursion up to $195.00USD per person (or there abouts) so if you will receive 3 excursions than that would be $195.00 x 3 = $585.00 versus $300.00 (just an example since I do not know how many free excursions are offered on your specific cruise)

Last March Oceania had an anniversary sale, that included both the $600 credit as well as $600 shore excursions. It hasn't come back, but the current four cabin upgrade is a similar benefit.

[LHT28]

49 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

About the whole airfare discussion: if you opt for the OLife with air but decide to book your own ticket, Oceania will refund $1,100 per ticket for the cost of the airfare. Not too bad, but then they don't cover transfers. There's always an irritating element.

Not always  the  case

The amount of the air credit  will vary with the itinerary

[basor]

23 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Last March Oceania had an anniversary sale, that included both the $600 credit as well as $600 shore excursions. It hasn't come back, but the current four cabin upgrade is a similar benefit.

Yes - we booked a cruise with the Ultimate sale , didn't realize that you had booked the Ultimate...for those that haven't booked that, it is good for them to know that the shore excursions can be worth a lot more than the OBC.

[Psoque]

52 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Yes: although I might or might not spend the OBC, when I booked my cruise I knew that I would be using the Oceania excursions, so there was no question that the credit in the OLife package was worth it.

About the whole airfare discussion: if you opt for the OLife with air but decide to book your own ticket, Oceania will refund $1,100 per ticket for the cost of the airfare. Not too bad, but then they don't cover transfers. There's always an irritating element.

In my experience, the cost of airfare from the cruise line is rarely cheaper than what you can find yourself.  In the case of our upcoming Oceania cruise, we managed to get airfare much cheaper than what the cruise line was asking for, and the itinerary was very humane.  Often, the cruise line would give you a less than optimal itinerary on a consolidator bucket, hoping that the passenger would not notice.  Also, cruise lines inflate the actual cost/value of transfer to/from the airport.

[SellaVee]

Air credit does indeed vary, quite considerably.  I'm in the UK so for European embarkation ports I usually find the air credit covers the flights, and the taxis, no problem.  On a short flight I don’t mind travelling in economy, which gives me a wider choice of carriers.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

….About the whole airfare discussion: if you opt for the OLife with air but decide to book your own ticket, Oceania will refund $1,100 per ticket for the cost of the airfare. Not too bad, but then they don't cover transfers. There's always an irritating element.

I hope you understand that the amount of the air credit can vary significantly based on the start/end ports. It can be as little as about $250 to more like $1500.

[lkloc]

Thanks so much for posting this question bubbaed. I understood the cruise-only fare but didn't realize the OLife "freebie" wasn't free. I did notice the difference in price but hadn't figured out why. I am just beginning to consider my first ever cruise, so I have a lot to learn!

[DachshundsRule]

Ditto!

[Psoque]

35 minutes ago, SellaVee said:

Air credit does indeed vary, quite considerably.  I'm in the UK so for European embarkation ports I usually find the air credit covers the flights, and the taxis, no problem.  On a short flight I don’t mind travelling in economy, which gives me a wider choice of carriers.

I’m not sure how Oceania is sold in UK, but if the “credit” covers the flights with no problem, that’s a sign that Oceania is overcharging for the flights for those who decide not to take the “credit.”

[Flatbush Flyer]

17 minutes ago, lkloc said:

Thanks so much for posting this question bubbaed. I understood the cruise-only fare but didn't realize the OLife "freebie" wasn't free. I did notice the difference in price but hadn't figured out why. I am just beginning to consider my first ever cruise, so I have a lot to learn!

So, gotta ask: what did you think accounts for the extra cost of the O Life fare, when compared to “cruise only?”🤔

[SellaVee]

6 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I’m not sure how Oceania is sold in UK, but if the “credit” covers the flights with no problem, that’s a sign that Oceania is overcharging for the flights for those who decide not to take the “credit.”

Not necessarily.  I think it’s fair to assume Oceania sells very many more flights in the US than it does in the UK, therefore it won't have the same "purchasing power" with the European airlines, so Oceania Air isn't such a bargain as it seems to be for some posters in the US.  If, pro rata, they have to pay more, so they must charge more, hence more air credit.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I’m not sure how Oceania is sold in UK, but if the “credit” covers the flights with no problem, that’s a sign that Oceania is overcharging for the flights for those who decide not to take the “credit.”

Maybe it covers the cost if you’re willing to accept the “swill” of airline reservation itineraries.

Want non-stops or intercontinental hub connections with 3-4 hour layovers and/or biz class on your preferred carrier’s “hardware?” You’ll pay the same fare differential that equates to the DIY price (if you know what you’re doing).

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 hours ago, Psoque said:

In my experience, the cost of airfare from the cruise line is rarely cheaper than what you can find yourself.  In the case of our upcoming Oceania cruise, we managed to get airfare much cheaper than what the cruise line was asking for, and the itinerary was very humane.  Often, the cruise line would give you a less than optimal itinerary on a consolidator bucket, hoping that the passenger would not notice.  Also, cruise lines inflate the actual cost/value of transfer to/from the airport.

Thanks to all for the comments. The airfare we found was very similar to what Oceania was offering, but the itinerary they chose was definitely unacceptable. That's how they save, of course.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Thanks to all for the comments. The airfare we found was very similar to what Oceania was offering, but the itinerary they chose was definitely unacceptable. That's how they save, of course.

When we used O air  we would pay the deviation fee & choose the flights/routing that suited us 

YMMV

[lkloc]

37 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

So, gotta ask: what did you think accounts for the extra cost of the O Life fare, when compared to “cruise only?”🤔

I haven't gotten very far in my research. When I said I'm just beginning I meant it. It's not quite as obvious as the brochure/airfare/cruise-only categories. All I know is, I went through the booking process and noticed the price changed at the end to an additional $300pp. I didn't connect the dots at that point.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, lkloc said:

I haven't gotten very far in my research. When I said I'm just beginning I meant it. It's not quite as obvious as the brochure/airfare/cruise-only categories. All I know is, I went through the booking process and noticed the price changed at the end to an additional $300pp. I didn't connect the dots at that point.

Of course, if you pick the excursions option for O Life which, using you $300/person fare difference for that would translate to 3 tours per person where you could book tours with up to $199 retail cost. You come out even when compared to buying those tours retail (pay $300 and get $600).

[Psoque]

10 hours ago, SellaVee said:

Not necessarily.  I think it’s fair to assume Oceania sells very many more flights in the US than it does in the UK, therefore it won't have the same "purchasing power" with the European airlines, so Oceania Air isn't such a bargain as it seems to be for some posters in the US.  If, pro rata, they have to pay more, so they must charge more, hence more air credit.

 

I, for one, never thought airfare from the cruise line is a “bargain” as you call it.  They typically overcharge for inferior itineraries, typically on consolidator inventories.  And some cruise lines are notorious for keep changing the itineraries as cheaper consolidator seats open up.  My points are:

 

1.  The “Air Credit” from Oceania is not a “gift” to you, but a refund of what they were planning to charge you for whatever flights they were planning to foist on you.

2.  If the amount of “Air Credit” appears “too generous” to you, that’s the sign that you should never bother to pay them that much money when you first booked the cruise, but to just book your flights on your own.  (Obviously, I have no idea if that is possible with Oceania when you are a UK customer.  This is 100% possible in the US.)

3.  When you do the math to estimate the value of airfare from the cruise line, one must not just accept the advertised “cost/value” of airport transfers, which are over-inflated.  Depending on the ports involved, the cost of group bus transfers offered by the cruise line could be (sometimes a lot) more than the actual cost of a taxi fare.

 

 

 

[PaulMCO]

As far as I am concerned Oceania and Regent are both the worst offenders of this marketing hype of free whatever.

 

But they all play the game.  At least these two include port taxes in the fares, while other like Crystal, Seabourn etc. do not

 

On Regent they advertise a "free" hotel room, free 3 day land package.  Again those free items are subject to a credit if you do not want them.

 

Suggestion as many here know,  Do your research, pick a cruise, then find a GOOD & KNOWLEDGEABLE TA who can navigate and advise on the free items...

 

 

[pinotlover]

When I bought my last car, the salesman came out after my first offer with a new price offer telling me how the deal saved me $XKs . Questioning him, his savings number included the cost of me being able to save $10 everyday for a year on a free car wash that the dealership would perform. I walked out.

 

I have the same feeling here every time certain Cheerleaders make their saving calculations on those often fathom $199 OLife shore tours. I have been on several O cruises where exactly zero such tours were offered. The most expensive included tour would be a 3-4 hour tour priced at $135-$155 that could be booked privately for half that. On others maybe one $199 tour existed.
 

Instead of paying for that daily free car wash for a year, I beseech thee to actually look at the offered tours on your specific cruise to see what fathom savings might be available. I’m willing to bet it won’t be the numbers a certain Cheerleader is giving you.

[ORV]

I don't get all bent out of shape over marketing. It's been around a while. I understand what phrases like, "up to", "included" "available" "as much as" "optional" "starting at" and many other similar statements mean. Pretty much all businesses do it. What's that old latin advice? Caveat emptor.