OCAPP-TON my OCAPP-TON

[shepherd really]

Just wondering if there is any way to know in advance if a particular cruise is eligible for OCAPP gratuities?  I understand it will also depend on which TA's are included in particular promotions. 

 

 

[basor]

12 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

Just wondering if there is any way to know in advance if a particular cruise is eligible for OCAPP gratuities?  I understand it will also depend on which TA's are included in particular promotions. 

 

 

Your TA should be able to tell you,  I don't know of any "public" link where it has the list.  

[AMHuntFerry]

52 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

Just wondering if there is any way to know in advance if a particular cruise is eligible for OCAPP gratuities?  I understand it will also depend on which TA's are included in particular promotions. 

 

 

This info is available to me via both my TA's website and the consortium's website.

[shepherd really]

15 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

This info is available to me via both my TA's website and the consortium's website.

Thank you.  Knowing a thing exists is the first step in finding it.  Much appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

 

[jazznruby]

https://oceania.gage.com/28virtuoso8

 

You're welcome.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by jazznruby

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, jazznruby said:

https://oceania.gage.com/28virtuoso8

 

You're welcome.

 

 

I actually found it based on the breadcrumbs left by AMhuntferry, but thank you.

[AMHuntFerry]

4 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

I actually found it based on the breadcrumbs left by AMhuntferry, but thank you.

Sorry for the breadcrumbs...I assumed consortia names/link were banned according to TA-related CC rules.

[shepherd really]

5 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Sorry for the breadcrumbs...I assumed consortia names/link were banned according to TA-related CC rules.

Not at all, I assumed the same and appreciated the assist.

[AMHuntFerry]

10 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

Not at all, I assumed the same and appreciated the assist.

One thing to note, my TA's consortium website does not always have the sale prices, especially if it is a silent sale, so a TA's site is "best" (e.g., the Extraordinary Sale was available for weeks on my TA's site before it was advertised by O which is when it showed up on more public sites like CC cruise search and the consortium site).

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, shepherd really said:

Just wondering if there is any way to know in advance if a particular cruise is eligible for OCAPP gratuities?  I understand it will also depend on which TA's are included in particular promotions. 

 

 

Your TA will have a regularly updated list of which cruises they and/or their TA consortium  will provide them with OCAPP pass through funding.

BTW, there’s only one major snafu with OCAPP: If you’ve booked a multi-segment cruise and your TA’s OCAPP is for only one segment AND you get a new invoice when you transfer your BoB or O direct cruise to that TA, your O Club gratuities for each segment will change to only the OCAPP for the TA segment. Instead of the O Club gratuities for the other segment, the invoice will show that you’re only getting the $250 “in lieu” O $ for the TA OCAPP tip payment.

it’s a known glitch in O’s booking software and it’s supposed to get corrected by Special Services about a week before embark when the review the perks for O Club members that would be affected by the glitch.

All should be fine when you board. But, I always ask my TA to get a quick email note from O stating that I’m due full gratuities coverage. With or without that note, I always get the full gratuities coverage due.

[Jules of The Seas]

Hi,

Sorry to sound a bit dim, but I have never heard of this. Would the included gratuities apply if booking was made direct with Oceania? Perhaps it only applies in the US. It’s very rare that any UK travel agent would give added gratuities as a benefit to book with them. In fact you’re lucky to get any type of reduction.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Jules of The Seas said:

Hi,

Sorry to sound a bit dim, but I have never heard of this. Would the included gratuities apply if booking was made direct with Oceania? Perhaps it only applies in the US. It’s very rare that any UK travel agent would give added gratuities as a benefit to book with them. In fact you’re lucky to get any type of reduction.

OCAPP (I used to remember what was the meaning of the acronym - something like Oceania Cruises Amenities Provision Program[?]) is provided to select travel agencies (most likely O Connoisseur Club and Preferred Partners) and travel agency consortia as incentive funding (most often in the form of gratuities coverage to be passed through to their customers and thus bolster the TA’s Oceania sales. You cannot receive OCAPP funds from a direct booking with an O phone rep or a shipboard O Ambassador. 

Some folks wonder why O does this on top of the commissions already paid to to TAs (which are on a sliding scale depending on multiple factors such as volume of sales). The answer is very simple. It’s far less expensive for O to outsource the bulk of its marketing/sales operation to contractors (in this case, Travel Agencies) than to broaden its own workforce and incur the additional human resources and other operational expenses.

 

As for the OCAPP policy/practice being available to TAs outside of North America, I haven’t any information. But, as regards other monetary incentives or passenger perks like commission sharing, I do know that pricing of commercial goods and services is negotiable no matter where you reside.
 

Fortunately, at a very young age, growing up in Brooklyn NY, I learned and embraced the mantra “Never Pay Retail.” That said, I certainly have heard from some foreigners that they too have received some forms of financial incentives, rebates and/or other TA perks. Perhaps you need to do more research regarding how/who best to use for booking your O cruises. 

[Jules of The Seas]

Thank you Flatbush. Now I understand. We have in the past used an excellent TA , who used to give us free parking, transfers etc. problem is he has retired!!

I think it’s mainly the larger well known ones who find it difficult to give anything away. Will keep searching for the best one. Once again, thanks for the explanation.

[TFree]

I had never heard of OCAPP until yesterday.  I looked at that Virtuoso website for our November 3 Panama Canal cruise on Vista, and I found: 

Guests may also be entitled to the following complimentary benefits. Please consult your Virtuoso travel advisor for restrictions that may apply.

Prepaid Onboard Gratuities

Oceania Cruises: Virtuoso Guests will enjoy complimentary prepaid gratuities on select voyages.

Restrictions apply; please see Terms & Conditions for details.

 

So it appears to me as if this cruise is one of the "selected cruises" as to which the right kind of travel agent would be able to pass on prepaid gratuities.  So I asked our TA about this.  She responded by saying:

"I spoke to Oceania this morning. The agent did not see the OCAPP promotion with [agency name redacted] for this sailing.  He was nice enough to go to a higher level to be sure and it is not being offered to [agency name redacted]."

 

So, question for those more knowledgeable.  Is this an indirect way of saying that her agency does not participate in OCAPP?  Or are OCAPP benefits offered to some OCAPP participant agencies and not others (so that on a different cruise in the future, it is possible that we might get such benefits).  This cruise is past final payment and has been booked for a long time.  So there is no possibility to change TA.

 

Tom & Judy

 

[EJL2023]

5 minutes ago, TFree said:

I had never heard of OCAPP until yesterday.  I looked at that Virtuoso website for our November 3 Panama Canal cruise on Vista, and I found: 

Guests may also be entitled to the following complimentary benefits. Please consult your Virtuoso travel advisor for restrictions that may apply.

Prepaid Onboard Gratuities

Oceania Cruises: Virtuoso Guests will enjoy complimentary prepaid gratuities on select voyages.

Restrictions apply; please see Terms & Conditions for details.

 

So it appears to me as if this cruise is one of the "selected cruises" as to which the right kind of travel agent would be able to pass on prepaid gratuities.  So I asked our TA about this.  She responded by saying:

"I spoke to Oceania this morning. The agent did not see the OCAPP promotion with [agency name redacted] for this sailing.  He was nice enough to go to a higher level to be sure and it is not being offered to [agency name redacted]."

 

So, question for those more knowledgeable.  Is this an indirect way of saying that her agency does not participate in OCAPP?  Or are OCAPP benefits offered to some OCAPP participant agencies and not others (so that on a different cruise in the future, it is possible that we might get such benefits).  This cruise is past final payment and has been booked for a long time.  So there is no possibility to change TA.

 

Tom & Judy

 

Is your TA’s agency a Virtuoso member? Looking at that site that was in the link it does state Virtuoso Preferred, which would seem to perhaps there are various levels within Virtuoso? And perhaps the agency is not in the Preferred tier?? 

Edited July 12, 2023 by EJL2023

[pinotlover]

This program is used as a promotional technique by Oceania to inspire Travel Agencies and their Agents to recommend newer cruisers to Oceania. It’s a freebie for the customer that the Agency or Agent doesn’t pay for.

 
There are three or four of the major travel agent consortiums and Oceania rotates this pass through perk to those consortiums, not the independent Agencies. None of the consortiums get the benefits all the time.If the consortium gets the benefit, all the Travel Agencies members of that consortium get it.

 

FWIW, Travel Agencies mostly belong to Consortiums to strengthen their negotiating power and to get booking advantages such as this. For most of the Consortiums, a percentage of the payable cruise line commissions are payable to the Consortiums, from the Agency, to cover their costs and other expenses.

Edited July 12, 2023 by pinotlover

[TFree]

17 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Is your TA’s agency a Virtuoso member? Looking at that site that was in the link it does state Virtuoso Preferred, which would seem to perhaps there are various levels within Virtuoso? And perhaps the agency is not in the Preferred tier?? 

Bottom line: I don't know.  When I look up the agency's name on Virtuoso, nothing comes up.  Same with her individual name, same with the agency owner's name.  So I think probably not.  But based on @pinotlover's separate comment, it may be that even if they were members, benefits on a given cruise might not be offered to their agency.

 

I understand Cruise Critic's rule on agency names not being used.  But I have found it very frustrating over the years.  

 

Tom & Judy

[EJL2023]

2 minutes ago, TFree said:

Bottom line: I don't know.  When I look up the agency's name on Virtuoso, nothing comes up.  Same with her individual name, same with the agency owner's name.  So I think probably not.  But based on @pinotlover's separate comment, it may be that even if they were members, benefits on a given cruise might not be offered to their agency.

 

I understand Cruise Critic's rule on agency names not being used.  But I have found it very frustrating over the years.  

 

Tom & Judy

If they are a member I would think they would indicate it on their own website, usually toward bottom of home page they indicate what consortiums they have members. 

[pinotlover]

Just ask your Agent which consortium their Agency belongs to. 

[AMHuntFerry]

Even if the ppg promo can be used for a particular cruise, it may or may not be combinable with another promo. For example, I had a cruise where OCAPP ppg was combinable with the onboard booking promo; however, I also have a cruise where OCAPP ppg is not combinable with the Extraordinary sale promo.

[ORV]

One we have had perks from in the past is Travel Leaders Distinctive Voyages. 

[Croooser]

4 hours ago, TFree said:

I had never heard of OCAPP until yesterday.  I looked at that Virtuoso website for our November 3 Panama Canal cruise on Vista, and I found: 

Guests may also be entitled to the following complimentary benefits. Please consult your Virtuoso travel advisor for restrictions that may apply.

Prepaid Onboard Gratuities

Oceania Cruises: Virtuoso Guests will enjoy complimentary prepaid gratuities on select voyages.

Restrictions apply; please see Terms & Conditions for details.

 

So it appears to me as if this cruise is one of the "selected cruises" as to which the right kind of travel agent would be able to pass on prepaid gratuities.  So I asked our TA about this.  She responded by saying:

"I spoke to Oceania this morning. The agent did not see the OCAPP promotion with [agency name redacted] for this sailing.  He was nice enough to go to a higher level to be sure and it is not being offered to [agency name redacted]."

 

So, question for those more knowledgeable.  Is this an indirect way of saying that her agency does not participate in OCAPP?  Or are OCAPP benefits offered to some OCAPP participant agencies and not others (so that on a different cruise in the future, it is possible that we might get such benefits).  This cruise is past final payment and has been booked for a long time.  So there is no possibility to change TA.

 

Tom & Judy

 

Tom & Judy,

 

We are on the 11/3 Panama Canal on Vista in a category A1. Our copy of the Oceania invoice shows - US$256 Travel Leaders OCAPP Pre-Paid Gratuities (Guests 1 VIS231103 * for each of us a total of $512.

 

We use two different TAs, both of whom have given us OCAPP gratuities in the past on some (not all) O bookings. Both are with large on line agencies. One of the agents shows up on the Virtuoso search, but the one we are booked with on this cruise, does not. Both TAs also provide us additional incentives on all bookings.

 

 

HTH

Edited July 12, 2023 by Croooser

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, TFree said:

I understand Cruise Critic's rule on agency names not being used.

Yes, you seem to have it right.  For those who are still confused: the rule is against giving any hint that can lead people to figure out a specific travel agent or agency.  Discussing TA consortia like Virtuoso is allowed.  [Don't ask me to explain the rule, but that is the verified rule.]

[TFree]

23 minutes ago, Croooser said:

Tom & Judy,

 

We are on the 11/3 Panama Canal on Vista in a category A1. Our copy of the Oceania invoice shows - US$256 Travel Leaders OCAPP Pre-Paid Gratuities (Guests 1 VIS231103 * for each of us a total of $512.

 

We use two different TAs, both of whom have given us OCAPP gratuities in the past on some (not all) O bookings. Both are with large on line agencies. One of the agents shows up on the Virtuoso search, but the one we are booked with on this cruise, does not. Both TAs also provide us additional incentives on all bookings.

 

 

HTH

Thanks.  There are no guarantees here, but this tends to reinforce my hunch that our TA is not part of the program.  I see you on the Roll Call spreadsheet.  I will send you an email.

 

Tom & Judy

[marylovestotravel]

8 hours ago, Jules of The Seas said:

Thank you Flatbush. Now I understand. We have in the past used an excellent TA , who used to give us free parking, transfers etc. problem is he has retired!!

I think it’s mainly the larger well known ones who find it difficult to give anything away. Will keep searching for the best one. Once again, thanks for the explanation.

 

Have you thought of contacting your old TA and asking if s/he could recommend anyone who might give you the same types of benefits?

 

Sometimes worth a try and it's alway nice to reconnect and offer a note of appreciation.

 

Mia