Interesting (?) prices on certain cruises

[AMHuntFerry]

I keep my eyes out for "O treasures" to tempt my pocket book (in normal people words, "deals")...usually a few itineraries in different seasons. Every once in a while I do a more comprehensive scan just to see what's out there. Lately there has been nothing that wasn't also on the O site, but today...bingo! If you use a TA who sometimes gets silent sales (and no, it's not just the primo-O-connected TAs), it might be worth checking. Example I just found:

Marina June 1-13, 2024 (W Med) Verandas (only-category on sale) for $2220 (the weird price caught my eye); O-site starts at $5199.

 

Then this one is on the O-site too (notice PH3 is less than an Inside) so no TA needed if that's not your thing:

Riviera July 7-17, 2024 (Greece) Veranda $2299, PH $3199; O-site  (Inside $3499, OV $4249)

 

Happy treasure hunting!!

[AMHuntFerry]

I think I noticed the following E. Med cruises last week (on O site):

Riviera 10 night starting Sept 28. 2024 Verandas start at $2099, PH2 $3099

Riviera 7 night starting Oct 8, 2024 Verandas start at $2199  (OV $2549)

Istanbul is either the start or end so may not appeal to some (I'm not even bothering to list the fire sale cruises through the Suez Canal).

Edited January 11 by AMHuntFerry

[AMHuntFerry]

I'm starting to think that I haven't paid attention to the NY sale, or are these new?

On O-site, Riviera 10 night starting July 24 (Med) Veranda $2399 PH3 $3399

These seem better than I saw before, but they are mostly the Med which I haven't been tracking.

[terry&mike]

This past Sunday, my brother, who is not well traveled, wanted me to help him find a Med cruise for his first visit to that area, any cruise line. I found him a wonderful sailing on Riviera, 10 nights, June 27-July 7, 2024, Trieste to Athens, in an A3 Concierge Verandah for $2749 pp. He is booked, and I'm working on port tips for him now. 

Edited January 11 by terry&mike

[MEFIowa]

Did Riviera pre-SM cruise only $1899 A3 (Trieste to Athens, 10/30-11/9, 2023) and $1749 B3 (Athens to Barcelona, 11/9-19, 2023) off the Extraordinary Savings Sale in early 2023. If you add in the SM increases, which seemed to be around $600, anything in the low $2000s for verandas is quite good for 10-night cruises in the Med!

[SATaxman]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Did Riviera pre-SM cruise only $1899 A3 (Trieste to Athens, 10/30-11/9, 2023) and $1749 B3 (Athens to Barcelona, 11/9-19, 2023) off the Extraordinary Savings Sale in early 2023. If you add in the SM increases, which seemed to be around $600, anything in the low $2000s for verandas is quite good for 10-night cruises in the Med!

Next time I want to book a cruise, I am going to contact you. Have no idea how to find these bargains.

[whiteowl uk]

On 1/11/2024 at 11:13 AM, terry&mike said:

This past Sunday, my brother, who is not well traveled, wanted me to help him find a Med cruise for his first visit to that area, any cruise line. I found him a wonderful sailing on Riviera, 10 nights, June 27-July 7, 2024, Trieste to Athens, in an A3 Concierge Verandah for $2749 pp. He is booked, and I'm working on port tips for him now. 

Just looked on the UK site.  A3 is currently £3,186 (approx $4k) with air and includes free grats plus SM.  Without air it is £2,526 (approx $3,160).  Even after taking account of the 'free' grats, yours is still a very good deal.

[QuestionEverything]

I have a cruise booked Jan 25 S.E. Asia. I checked the current "sale" and the cabin is almost $2,000 less than when I booked aboard Insignia in August. 

I also note that every category is available, it used to not be that way.......seems to me that the demand for this cruise is worsening as time goes on, ............

Q - I transferred my booking to my TA. Can I call Oceania directly and get the reduced price or do I have to wait for my TA to do it (I messaged my TA yesterday)? Guidance would be appreciated.

[babysteps]

1 minute ago, QuestionEverything said:

............

Q - I transferred my booking to my TA. Can I call Oceania directly and get the reduced price or do I have to wait for my TA to do it (I messaged my TA yesterday)? Guidance would be appreciated.

We went through our TA last week, got an updated invoice in just a couple days

[QuestionEverything]

Just now, babysteps said:

We went through our TA last week, got an updated invoice in just a couple days

Thanks so much.

I want to make sure the TA does not miss the timeline for the reduced pricing.

I find this voyage interesting as the # of available cabins keeps increasing (I check every week or less). which is confirmed by the reduced pricing.

Wonder if given the state of the world, and costs these days, and Simply More, are O guests booking less?

Myself, with SM, this is the last cruise we will likely take with 0 - we do not drink and we usually do group excursions privately. Paying for SM is not supported by us consumers. This cruise is an exception as it is the last geographic area in my trip bucket. 

[Redtravel]

Most comments are from cruises before 2024.  In past, we just ordered anything and got it. There was no event special menu.  Things change. Now they take away the usual bar menu and  put an event menu on each table.  Accept the change. Changes are happening.  The cruise is still very good.  We are enjoying being on Vista.  

[EJL2023]

10 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Most comments are from cruises before 2024.  In past, we just ordered anything and got it. There was no event special menu.  Things change. Now they take away the usual bar menu and  put an event menu on each table.  Accept the change. Changes are happening.  The cruise is still very good.  We are enjoying being on Vista.  

What was on the Event menu? Just wine and champagne?

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, whiteowl uk said:

Just looked on the UK site.  A3 is currently £3,186 (approx $4k) with air and includes free grats plus SM.  Without air it is £2,526 (approx $3,160).  Even after taking account of the 'free' grats, yours is still a very good deal.

And can be booked by UK residents, I've just checked my 'go to' US website and the cruise only USD price quoted is genuine! 

Edited January 12 by hamrag

[PaulMCO]

Every cruise line is doing this now including sister line Regent which is doing a 2 cabin upgrade promotion going out to even 2026.  Seabourn 25% off (even applied to 2025).  SS is $4000 off..

Explora Jouneys has an up to 40% off sale (during black Friday it was 50%).  Cruise booking are soft and they are trying to fatten their 1Q 2024 booking and revenue guidance.

[Redtravel]

53 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

What was on the Event menu? Just wine and champagne?

Some California wines and a few mixed drinks. No beer.  It was even more restricted than Simply More meal drinks.  

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

Some California wines and a few mixed drinks. No beer.  It was even more restricted than Simply More meal drinks.  

WOW! Definitely a change.

 

I really dislike Californian wines in general so it will just have to be Champagne for me.

 

Oh dear! How difficult is that!

[AMHuntFerry]

If the August 3, 2024 10-day Riviera sailing in the French riviera region is of interest, you might want to check with your TA to see if you can get the $1600 Veranda price that I can see.

There is also a new 50% off second guest (=25% off cabin) sale that just appeared on a bunch of itins, but I haven't heard back from my TA yet.

Edited January 20 by AMHuntFerry

[WildWanderers]

Hi @AMHuntFerry,

 

Keep up the good work on finding deals, you're doing a great job.

 

Cheers,

Greg from the WildWanderers

[Redtravel]

At the repeaters party, there were no restrictions. Nice to order anything. They introduced the officers, announced the couple onboard who had sailed most, and left. Also, the doors to Horizon were closed until the 5:45 shown on the invitation.  The line waiting was long. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/12/2024 at 5:20 AM, QuestionEverything said:

I have a cruise booked Jan 25 S.E. Asia. I checked the current "sale" and the cabin is almost $2,000 less than when I booked aboard Insignia in August. 

I also note that every category is available, it used to not be that way.......seems to me that the demand for this cruise is worsening as time goes on, ............

Q - I transferred my booking to my TA. Can I call Oceania directly and get the reduced price or do I have to wait for my TA to do it (I messaged my TA yesterday)? Guidance would be appreciated.

If you transferred your booking to a TA they now own the reservation and you will have to call them to service your booking.

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/10/2024 at 9:05 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

I keep my eyes out for "O treasures" to tempt my pocket book (in normal people words, "deals")...usually a few itineraries in different seasons. Every once in a while I do a more comprehensive scan just to see what's out there. Lately there has been nothing that wasn't also on the O site, but today...bingo! If you use a TA who sometimes gets silent sales (and no, it's not just the primo-O-connected TAs), it might be worth checking. Example I just found:

Marina June 1-13, 2024 (W Med) Verandas (only-category on sale) for $2220 (the weird price caught my eye); O-site starts at $5199.

 

Then this one is on the O-site too (notice PH3 is less than an Inside) so no TA needed if that's not your thing:

Riviera July 7-17, 2024 (Greece) Veranda $2299, PH $3199; O-site  (Inside $3499, OV $4249)

 

Happy treasure hunting!!

 

Wonder if you could give a hint to finding one of these Prim-O TA's.    I know you can't recommend an agent here but  possibly you could give me a hint via email in my signature.

We are looking for a filler cruise for sometime this summer.

[SATaxman]

11 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Wonder if you could give a hint to finding one of these Prim-O TA's.    I know you can't recommend an agent here but  possibly you could give me a hint via email in my signature.

We are looking for a filler cruise for sometime this summer.

I received a message from CC when I tried to ask for a way to find a list ot these top TAs.

[AMHuntFerry]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Wonder if you could give a hint to finding one of these Prim-O TA's.    I know you can't recommend an agent here but  possibly you could give me a hint via email in my signature.

We are looking for a filler cruise for sometime this summer.

I do not use one of the Oceania Connoisseur Club TAs (and certainly not the top 20 Elite version) as there are no OCC TAs in my area. My TA is a local, family-owned, full-service agency with a brick and mortar presence that has been around for decades; they still have access to spiffy (silent and not so silent) sales and other perks. If you want to google for a better-connected-to-O TA, have at it, but it's not required to access sales.  

[PhD-iva]

5 hours ago, SATaxman said:

I received a message from CC when I tried to ask for a way to find a list ot these top TAs.

I have my email listed in my signature line, and I have received personal email correspondence from CruiseCritic posters who would like to follow up on a specific situation with me. The 29 November 2023 Riviera Holy Lands cruise snafu comes to mind.

[edgee]

6 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

I do not use one of the Oceania Connoisseur Club TAs (and certainly not the top 20 Elite version) as there are no OCC TAs in my area. My TA is a local, family-owned, full-service agency with a brick and mortar presence that has been around for decades; they still have access to spiffy (silent and not so silent) sales and other perks. If you want to google for a better-connected-to-O TA, have at it, but it's not required to access sales.  

IME whether a TA is physically located two miles or two thousand miles from my home is completely irrelevant. I currently use a cruise travel agency based in NM, working with one of their home based agents who lives in NC. I live part of the year in NY and also spend significant time in CA. Makes no difference, as the business is virtual these days.