Reviews of Oceania excursions

[harlor]

Does anyone know if there is a way to review passengers' comments on specific Oceania excursions? I'd like to be able to type in an excursion number and see what people have said about the tour.. 

Thank you!

 

[MEFIowa]

Not that I'm aware of. You might try checking out a previous O sailing to the same port on the Roll Calls of the past and then contact someone off that who may have done an excursion you're interested in.

 

And before you book an O excursion, also see if there is a non-O excursion doing the same or similar. If so, read any reviews of that excursion.

[ORV]

I don't believe they have that. I'm always a bit leery of companies that have user reviews on their website. A third party review is ok, except for the manipulators and influencers.

[Jamietravelstheworld]

Oceania wouldn't want you to be able to see reviews because no one would then book their shore excursions. I just got off a 53 day cruise and I'd say I was disappointed in at least half of the ship's excursions, especially those in Asia (cruise was Asia and Australia). Most of the other passengers I spoke with agreed. And again, mainly for the Asia excursions, the descriptions rarely matched what the excursions did.

[Hlitner]

Let's be clear about excursions, the cruise lines (and this is all cruise lines) simply contract with local providers who then provide the excursions.  Most cruise lines use the same providers (for example, in Puerto Vallarta all cruise lines use Vallarta Adventures).  The cruise lines then mark-up the price, big time, over what they pay the local provider.  If you happen to be in Puerto Vallarta on a cruise that departs late at night, the ship will offer "Rhythms of the Night."  You could be on O or Carnival, and you will get the same excursion.  

 

There are exceptions (such as when Seabourn has a private dinner/show in the ruins of Ephesus) but for the most part you are getting the same as every other cruiser who books a similar excursion on any line.  DW and I truly dislike cruise line excursions and much prefer to do our own thing or sometimes will join with a few others on a small group private tour.  In the case of O, because of their package we have held our noses and booked the minimum number of excursions to use our O excursion credit.  We look forward to the ports we will do on our own, and will tolerate the places where we are on "O" excursions.

 

As to the excursion description, they are provided to the cruise lines by the local providers.  They may or may not be accurate.  If the line happens to be in a port multiple times, the shore excursion folks hear feed-back and can sometimes pass this along to cruisers.  Otherwise, they are at the mercy of the local providers just like the passengers.  

 

Over the years we have found a pretty decent exception to the rule.  It is excursions that are "culinary based" such as cooking classes.  For whatever reason, when we have booked that type of excursion (be it through a cruise line or directly with a local provider) we usually have fun and enjoy the experience.  This just happened to us, again, last week in Cozumel when we booked a Mexican cooking class and beach visit excursion on a Princess cruise.  On our upcoming O cruise (35 days on the Vista) we have mostly booked culinary excursions with the hope that our rule holds :).  

 

In our experience, many so-called "walking tours" are overpriced hype and just plain ridiculous.  For example, if you are in Kotor (Montenegro) your ship (whether it is O, Seabourn, or Princess) will offer a walking tour of Kotor.  Kotor is a relatively compact walled town, within a very short stroll from the pier.  Anyone can simply walk around the town, and if you truly want a guide you can download various guides on your phone for little or no cost.  Paying $70-$100 for a local to walk you around like a school group, and tell you some local history (which you can also read on your phone or in a free local tour brochure) is, IMHO, a joke.  One time we actually were near a walking tour in Fira, Santorini when we heard the guide say, "this is a jewelry store."  In Puerto Vallarta (where we live 10 weeks a year) we watch the cruise line tours and find the laughable.  And yes, they all go to the same jewelry store...not because it is a good store but because that store pays a hefty promotional fee (kick-back) to the excursion company.

 

Hank

 

 

[pinotlover]

Hank;

 

I generally agree with all you’ve said. However, here is the major glitch in the process. Oceania’s tour descriptions look exactly the same today as they did in 2015. Attractions close, and/or other events occur, but the tour descriptions never change. Part of this is because tours are advertised a year plus in advance. The other part seems to be the Regional VPs , whose people actually book the tours, aren’t getting the tour descriptions updated. 
 

It’s not uncommon, when arranging private tours with the actual tour operators, to have them tell you certain sites have been shut down for renovations for several years and not scheduled for reopening until X years out. Meanwhile, Oceania is advertising going to those exact sites. Absolutely, people get upset. Correcting the problem will take time, thus money, which isn’t something NCLH has a lot of currently.

 

We did all private tours in the Vista this past June in the Med and Israel. People on O tours complained repeatedly about this issue. The issue is not limited to Asia.

[sunlover12]

I haven't seen reviews of shore excursions anywhere.

 

At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, which I am not, my experience has been generally good with the couple of dozen Oceania excursions I have been on. My excursions have followed the descriptions and haven't wavered from it. There is one exception that I can think of and it was because of weather. It was in Madeira in 2022. The tour operator suggested that we not go to the top of the mountain as planned because of fog and we wouldn't be able to see anything. She suggested another view point but before we did that, she polled the group and we all agreed. She was very aware of what the tour description said and was hesitant in wavering from it. 

 

My most recent O cruise was in the Mediterranean in August of this year. The Oceania excursions that I was on followed the description exactly on each one. 

[AMHuntFerry]

I have had some luck finding reviews on mainstream cruiseline websites and TripAdvisor (sibling of CC). I start with NCL and then go to other lines that are dense in that region (e.g., Princess in Alaska). The tours often have the exact same title and description. I also google the tour title and can sometimes identify the tour operator; this is great since I can see a current description of the tour and any recent closures/etc. that affect tours. It can be time-intensive which sort of defeats the simplicity/convenience of just booking an O tour compared to private tours. I'm not a group tour sort of person anyway, but with SM I'll end up doing things like kayaking and whale watching in Alaska (finding those reviews and tour operators was a piece of cake).

[Jamietravelstheworld]

6 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

 

Q - what specifically were the issues with the shore excursions in Asia?

Would greatly appreciate your experience being shared.

 

The descriptions didn’t match what we did. Guides were difficult to understand. Descriptions when we boarded were different from when we booked. Book independent tours in ports where you don’t tender and you’ll be fine.

[DENIE]

We generally prefer private tours (Tours by Locals, especially), but they aren't everywhere we are going in the Caribbean in another month.  We are trying our hand with 4 Oceania-sponsored tours, so will see how they go. On other lines, the ship tours have been mostly ok, but not as good as private.

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Hank;

 

I generally agree with all you’ve said. However, here is the major glitch in the process. Oceania’s tour descriptions look exactly the same today as they did in 2015. Attractions close, and/or other events occur, but the tour descriptions never change. Part of this is because tours are advertised a year plus in advance. The other part seems to be the Regional VPs , whose people actually book the tours, aren’t getting the tour descriptions updated. 
 

It’s not uncommon, when arranging private tours with the actual tour operators, to have them tell you certain sites have been shut down for renovations for several years and not scheduled for reopening until X years out. Meanwhile, Oceania is advertising going to those exact sites. Absolutely, people get upset. Correcting the problem will take time, thus money, which isn’t something NCLH has a lot of currently.

 

We did all private tours in the Vista this past June in the Med and Israel. People on O tours complained repeatedly about this issue. The issue is not limited to Asia.

You will not get me to defend anything having to do with O or their excursions.  Yes, we have decided to finally try O, and have booked the necessary excursions to use our credit, but much of what we read in the various blogs and reviews has me scratching my head why anyone would call this a "Premium" cruise line.  

[clo]

15 hours ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

Oceania wouldn't want you to be able to see reviews because no one would then book their shore excursions. I just got off a 53 day cruise and I'd say I was disappointed in at least half of the ship's excursions, especially those in Asia (cruise was Asia and Australia). Most of the other passengers I spoke with agreed. And again, mainly for the Asia excursions, the descriptions rarely matched what the excursions did.

https://www.google.com/search?q=oceania+cruises+shore+excursions+reviews&rlz=1CAUSZT_enUS1086US1086&oq=oceania+cruises+shore+excursions+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBEAAYgAQyCggAEEUYFhgeGDkyBwgBEAAYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyCAgDEAAYFhgeMggIBBAAGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMggIBxAAGBYYHjINCAgQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAkQABiGAxiABBiKBdIBCTIwOTI0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

Scroll down past the O and CC reviews and you'll find some 'real' ones. I do this regularly and don't buy things I was leaning towards.

[Vallesan]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You will not get me to defend anything having to do with O or their excursions.  Yes, we have decided to finally try O, and have booked the necessary excursions to use our credit, but much of what we read in the various blogs and reviews has me scratching my head why anyone would call this a "Premium" cruise line.  

If you have never tried Oceania before go with an open mind and ignore the majority of gripes on these threads. Without preconceived ideas the cruise will be what you want to make it!

Edited December 22, 2023 by Vallesan

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, Vallesan said:

If you have never tried Oceania before go with an open mind and ignore the majority of gripes on these threads. Without preconceived ideas the cruise will be what you want to make it!

I think your advice is excellent and should apply to any cruise :).  That being said, we all do set our expectations based on experience, what a line promises, and the comments of others. 

 

Hank

[Jamietravelstheworld]

One other factor of note. On my recent Asia/Australia cruise, I believe Intercruises (https://www.intercruises.com/what-we-do/shore-excursions/) was the subcontractor who provided the shore excursions. So it may not matter what cruise company you're on, if your ship is docking at a port where Intercruises is the contractee, they may be who provides the ship's shore excursions. Looking at their website, it seems they provide shore excursions for a good portion of the world.

[pinotlover]

7 hours ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

One other factor of note. On my recent Asia/Australia cruise, I believe Intercruises (https://www.intercruises.com/what-we-do/shore-excursions/) was the subcontractor who provided the shore excursions. So it may not matter what cruise company you're on, if your ship is docking at a port where Intercruises is the contractee, they may be who provides the ship's shore excursions. Looking at their website, it seems they provide shore excursions for a good portion of the world.

This was true in South America also. During Covid, many of the small operators went under. They couldn’t make payments on the vehicles and other properties. The big operators bought them. So even though you thought you were dealing with a small operator, it was now part of the big boys being ran out of the main office. We were merely there during the transition.

[wayfarer1]

We just booked our 1st O cruise. In looking at the excursions, it is a bit confusing, as there are different prices shown for each excursion. Can anyone explain what the difference is between the different categories for the exact same excursion - shown as

Tour Price             $319

Simply More Shore Excursion Package $239

Unlimited             $149

Also, how does one access the Simply More or Unlimited pricing?

Thanks for any illumination!

[daydreamer62]

1 hour ago, wayfarer1 said:

We just booked our 1st O cruise. In looking at the excursions, it is a bit confusing, as there are different prices shown for each excursion. Can anyone explain what the difference is between the different categories for the exact same excursion - shown as

Tour Price             $319

Simply More Shore Excursion Package $239

Unlimited             $149

Also, how does one access the Simply More or Unlimited pricing?

Thanks for any illumination!

To get the simply more price you need to book the minimum number required for your cruise. You can see this on the book shore excursions page at the top of the section on the gold bar . My 15 day cruise has a minimum of 7 required. If I book 6 or fewer then I pay the tour price. 7 or more I pay the simply more price. Unlimited only applies to bookings before the simply more packages were introduced so if you just booked this will not apply to you and you can ignore it

[wayfarer1]

Thanks Daydreamer.

IMHO not very guest friendly, but c'est la vie

[daydreamer62]

29 minutes ago, wayfarer1 said:

Thanks Daydreamer.

IMHO not very guest friendly, but c'est la vie

No it isn't user friendly at all. I agree . I also wish there were more reviews of excursions but they seem few and far between 

[AMHuntFerry]

4 hours ago, wayfarer1 said:

Thanks Daydreamer.

IMHO not very guest friendly, but c'est la vie

If you don't have shore excursion pdf, ask your TA to send it. It has the discount info and other important info (like cancellation policies).

[Ecurb447]

OCEANIA HAS BOMBED OUT on seamlessly offering excursions. I'm going to Japan April 1 on the Riviera.

I booked this cruise one year before sailing.

I was never notified at that time BY OCEANIA that excursions could be booked 365 days before departure. Hello, email?

Not knowing this, I started to wait to book excursions 6 months before. It seemed reasonable.

I was immediately closed out at 6 port locations.  
At this juncture, I'm wait listed on 3 excursions with 3 months to go.

And cannot find any private tours available at those 3 locations.

 

Not comforting! Not impressed! Not happy!

O, can't find a few guides at any cost?

[EJL2023]

17 minutes ago, Ecurb447 said:

OCEANIA HAS BOMBED OUT on seamlessly offering excursions. I'm going to Japan April 1 on the Riviera.

I booked this cruise one year before sailing.

I was never notified at that time BY OCEANIA that excursions could be booked 365 days before departure. Hello, email?

Not knowing this, I started to wait to book excursions 6 months before. It seemed reasonable.

I was immediately closed out at 6 port locations.  
At this juncture, I'm wait listed on 3 excursions with 3 months to go.

And cannot find any private tours available at those 3 locations.

 

Not comforting! Not impressed! Not happy!

O, can't find a few guides at any cost?

Did you set up an account on their website when booked so you could Manage your Booking?

[1985rz1]

19 minutes ago, Ecurb447 said:

OCEANIA HAS BOMBED OUT on seamlessly offering excursions. I'm going to Japan April 1 on the Riviera.

I booked this cruise one year before sailing.

I was never notified at that time BY OCEANIA that excursions could be booked 365 days before departure. Hello, email?

Not knowing this, I started to wait to book excursions 6 months before. It seemed reasonable.

I was immediately closed out at 6 port locations.  
At this juncture, I'm wait listed on 3 excursions with 3 months to go.

And cannot find any private tours available at those 3 locations.

 

Not comforting! Not impressed! Not happy!

O, can't find a few guides at any cost?

 

O does not email out reminders of when excursions open for bookings, but it is stated in your online booking when you click on the excursions line under manage your booking.

 

Our TA sends us a copy of the excursion pdf about a week or so before the bookings open, so we can plan our port activities.  If you booked within a year, a good TA should send you the pdf when you book.

 

If you were unaware of the excursions booking openings, you also may be unaware of the date when online dining reservations can be made.  The dates are linked you your stateroom category and you should be prepared to book as soon as they open (almost down to the minute) if you want a 2-top or want specific times.  The date is listed on your invoice, although our TA reminds us in advance.  Oceania does not send you a reminder.

 

If you don't know how many advance reservations you can book online, here is the list:

 

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

Edited December 30, 2023 by 1985rz1

[SATaxman]

Did you book through a TA or Oceania? We booked our first O cruise last year for this October. Directly from O. The guy told me I could start booking excursions right away. We have a 2nd cruise booked for 2025. When I look at the "manage this cruise" it states 365 days before. I have looked at excursions on the O website in the ports we are going to in order to get an idea what might be available. I hope that you are able to book the excursions you want. Happy New Year.