Booking Next Cruise Onboard--What I learned

[Sthrngary]

I had no intention of booking a cruise while onboard, NONE.  However, my friends, wife and I had such a good time, we did book another 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the Vista for October 2025.  The port we missed was Florence so our next cruise will go there.  Also we will go back to Rome which is great because we never got to go to the fountains. The rest of the new itinerary will be new. 

 

Before I do anything, I study the rules and love the process of due diligence.  I went to future booking desk a few day before the end of the cruise.  I had a list of very specific question which I asked in front of my friend so he would clearly see where I was going with those questions. Here are some things I learned and I hope it will be helpful to so.  I am not selling to book on a cruise but this was a first for me so I figured it might be a first for some reading this. 

 

1. My Travel Agent Got the Booking Automatically:  Even though I booked on the ship (Riviera), my travel agent got the booking.  Since my agents, agency had a promotion to pay for my gratuities, the computer on board recognized it and provided it in the booking.  I thought that was cool. 
2. Benefits of Booking On the Ship: Unless I really wanted to book another cruise, the benefits were just ok in my opinion.  For a concierge level stateroom, the benefit was $400.00 off the stateroom with $250.00 of On-Board Credit for the stateroom.  You could take the OBC on the cruise you were currently on or save it for the cruise you are booking.  The issue is, if you take it now, and cancel the booking they charge you for the $250 so I save it for the next cruise. 
3. Making Changes and Staying on the Same Cruise Booked:  I initially booked the Concierge Stateroom one for me and one for my friends.  I did it because of their budge.  Yesterday, I upgraded my wife and I to a PH2 with a specific cabin number.  My benefit went from $400 to $600 for the stateroom, same On-Board-Credit, the agency now is paying a higher gratuities fee, when I booked originally, the SimplyMore Excursion Credit was $800.00. It has since gone down but I was grandfathered in for the $800.00.  Also, when I booked, there was a 5% discount for booking so early.  It applied to my new booking.  So it was as if I booked the Penthouse while onboard. 
4. Upgrade to the Prestige Drink Program: While my agent was moving me to the PH category, I asked her to do the upgrade for the Prestige package.  In the past before the SimplyMore(tm) program, you could only do this onboard. I wanted to do it now if it was possible because if the price went up, I would be locked into the lower price. It was $30.00 per per day per person. 
5. Change Cruise Once with No Fee:  So if we wanted another cruise instead of what we booked, we could do it once with no fee or penalty. 
6. New $150.00 Admin Fee: The agent must have told me five times about the new admin fee of $150.00.  No issue for me but my friend was with me and I wanted him to understand also. 
7. American Express Platinum Perks:  The AMX perks were not possible with the Travel Agencies payment of my gratuities.  No issue, the gratuities were more then the AMX perk.
8. Booking Excursions:  It was made clear to me to let my Agent book my excursions using the SimplyMore(tm) $800.00 credit.  The reason was, if I did it from my computer, Oceania's system would take my $250.00 On-Board-Credit first instead of starting with the excursion credit.  As we all know, all you can use the Excursion Credit for is excursions.  However the On-Board-Credit which came from booking the the ship could be used for anything. 
9. Lower Deposit:  Not that is matters but the deposit given was a reduced amount. 
10. Documents Provides: First, you could not use your stateroom account for the deposit.  You had to give them your credit card. The documents give were clean and easy to understand. 

 

I should have gone to the Oceania Ambassadors desk and ask if there were any other special benefits.  I don't know if that would have benefited me but someone made that comment online.  Next time I will try that. I hope my explanations help someone.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[babysteps]

Excellent recap @Sthrngary ! 

 

Not sure about #8. We booked our first SM cruise for Jun 2024 onboard Dec 2023. We booked excursions online after getting home and the SM excursion credit was charged before OBC. Ymmv! 

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, babysteps said:

Excellent recap @Sthrngary ! 

 

Not sure about #8. We booked our first SM cruise for Jun 2024 onboard Dec 2023. We booked excursions online after getting home and the SM excursion credit was charged before OBC. Ymmv! 

@babystepsI think my issue was that I was changing my stateroom to a PH. It did something to the what their computers used the monies.  I have no issue using my agent.  So even it that is not the case, happy to follow the process they gave me. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Tranquility Base]

Thanks.

Two points.

 

Item # 5. I believe the no fee change is only up to the 180 day point.

 

Best price guarantee. If the fare on your cabin category reduces you can refare up to the day before I believe.

Of course existing vs new promo / perks would also need to be considered as part of the maths.

[Snaefell3]

One more consideration…  As the cruise progresses, more and more folks descend upon the guy, and he has less and less time or attention to devote to you.  If you're going to book aboard, earlier in your cruise is better.

[Redtravel]

As cruise progressed the offer $250 dropped to $100 OBC.  We didn’t book. We have a spring cruise booked. It will be using Simply More. While we have used the credit for excursions, we seldom drink. We wonder what will be the vibe if most people have included drinks. On Vista last week, there were people who drank too much. It wasn’t pretty. There were some very loud obnoxious people onboard. 

[Vallesan]

4 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks.

Two points.

 

Item # 5. I believe the no fee change is only up to the 180 day point.

 

Best price guarantee. If the fare on your cabin category reduces you can refare up to the day before I believe.

Of course existing vs new promo / perks would also need to be considered as part of the maths.

 
I think the $150 fee applies to all cruises booked from October 1st 2023.

 

In the UK I have a booking made before October 23, for May 2024 with the following penalties:

Cancelling prior to departure

181+ days.     O%

180 - 91           £200

 

For a  booking made recently for September 2024 the penalties are:

Cancelling prior to departure

181 days or more £150

180 - 151 £500

150 - 91 50% of full fare.

 

So quite a dramatic change. I can’t imagine thatenalties on cruises booked in other countries will vary.

I would advise anyone who has booked a cruise since October 1st 2023 to check the cancellation details on their invoice carefully  to avoid a nasty shock in the case of cancellation.

Edited January 25 by Vallesan

[Vallesan]

4 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks.

Two points.

 

Item # 5. I believe the no fee change is only up to the 180 day point.

 

Best price guarantee. If the fare on your cabin category reduces you can refare up to the day before I believe.

Of course existing vs new promo / perks would also need to be considered as part of the maths.

 

Sorry misread your post!

 

Looking at my Pre-Cruise savings letter it says:

….you may transfer your cruise date and deposit one time outside the 181 or more days  prior to sailing, free of charge.

 

Not sure how this will work now that there is no ‘penalty free’ time prior to sailing? 

 

 

 

[Sthrngary]

9 hours ago, Redtravel said:

As cruise progressed the offer $250 dropped to $100 OBC.

@Redtravel That is interesting.  On my cruise, there were to plans.  One, book a specific cruise, date and itinerary, $250 obc. Two, book a cruise with those items open for a bit, $100 obc.  I did not notice the OBC change during my sailing. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.  

[MEFIowa]

Of course, things get interesting again if there is a sale (and there usually is one) and it applies to your booked cruise. And the sale price is a lot lower.

 

We booked our 2nd cruise (Sirena 11/2022) while on our first (Riviera 12/2021). Unfortunately, it never went on sale so all we got were the benefits of booking on board.

 

I've never had the great pleasure of being on board while a fantastic sale was happening, trying to combine both the best of booking on board with a great sale price. I've wondered, "What must it have been like to book an Extraordinary Savings Sale-eligible cruise while on board?" 

[Acrusa]

10 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

One more consideration…  As the cruise progresses, more and more folks descend upon the guy, and he has less and less time or attention to devote to you.  If you're going to book aboard, earlier in your cruise is better.

last year on Riviera we booked early for our cruise this year. A week before the cruise was over they had a special sale so had to go back to get the new savings 

[the mice]

16 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks.

Two points.

 

Item # 5. I believe the no fee change is only up to the 180 day point.

 

Not any more.  Changed a while ago.  Did a booking about a week ago for 12/27 sailing on Vista.   Here are the first 2 lines of the cancellation policy:

 

Guest Cancellation Schedule
The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure.
181 days or more prior to departure $150.00 per person
180 to 151 days prior to departure 20-Jun-24 to 19-Jul-24 $500.00 per person

[Tranquility Base]

3 minutes ago, the mice said:

Not any more.

Did you book whilst onboard ?

[the mice]

No.   I copied that from the invoice I received a week ago.   I believe this has been discussed on other threads in the Oceania forum.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2958035-new-cancellation-policy/#comment-65934277

 

Edited January 25 by the mice
inserting as link

[Tranquility Base]

1 minute ago, the mice said:

No.   I copied that from the invoice I received a week ago. 

Yes, you are correct regarding when you are generally booking whilst onshore.

However, this thread (and point #5 of the OP's post), is specifically about the perks and conditions when booking onboard.

[the mice]

3 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Yes, you are correct regarding when you are generally booking whilst onshore.

However, this thread (and point #5 of the OP's post), is specifically about the perks and conditions when booking onboard.

OK, understand the confusion. 

Point #5  above is to allow a 1 time CHANGE of cruise. 

Point #6 is if you cancel outright.  This was a change effective Sept 1, 2023.   New and high fee.

The discussion in referenced thread seems to be about O trying to cut down on people doing placeholder bookings while they try to decide what cruise(s) to keep.  

[ORV]

Just spoke with the OCA, just to cut through the confusion of a couple of posts above. 
 

Currently if you book a named cruise while onboard you get $250 OBC to spend on this one or the one you select. You can change it once during the first 181 days with no penalty, after that standard penalties apply. If you cancel it altogether standard penalties apply and if you took the OBC on your current cruise then you will also have to repay it. 
 

If you buy a future cruise certificate the OBC is $100, for either this cruise or the one you pick. You have one year to select a cruise and it is fully refundable during the first year. Of course if you take the $100 on this cruise and then cancel that amount will come out of your refund. 
 

As always the Onboard Savings is dependent on cruise length and category. 
 

Concerning changing to a lower price later. Your onboard savings do not always combine with Special Pricing. But you would still get your OBC if you chose it for your future cruise. 
 

Hope this helps. 

Edited January 26 by ORV

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, ORV said:

Just spoke with the OCA, just to cut through the confusion of a couple of posts above. 
 

Currently if you book a named cruise while onboard you get $250 OBC to spend on this one or the one you select. You can change it once during the first 181 days with no penalty, after that standard penalties apply. If you cancel it altogether standard penalties apply and if you took the OBC on your current cruise then you will also have to repay it. 
 

If you buy a future cruise certificate the OBC is $100, for either this cruise or the one you pick. You have one year to select a cruise and it is fully refundable during the first year. Of course if you take the $100 on this cruise and then cancel that amount will come out of your refund. 
 

As always the Onboard Savings is dependent on cruise length and category. 
 

Concerning changing to a lower price later. Your onboard savings do not always combine with Special Pricing. But you would still get your OBC if you chose it for your future cruise. 
 

Hope this helps. 

 

Sorry, can you please clarify regarding the 181 first days - is it 181 days after you book, or up to 181 days prior to sailing when standard penalties start?

 

Also, I understand that OBC is less for future cruise certificate compared to booking a specific cruise, but does one change still apply?

[ORV]

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Sorry, can you please clarify regarding the 181 first days - is it 181 days after you book, or up to 181 days prior to sailing when standard penalties start?

 

Also, I understand that OBC is less for future cruise certificate compared to booking a specific cruise, but does one change still apply?

Let me check the details a little closer.  But I believe it’s from when you booked. 
 

I don’t think one change applies to FCC  but I’ll check in to that. 

[ak1004]

10 minutes ago, ORV said:

Let me check the details a little closer.  But I believe it’s from when you booked. 
 

I don’t think one change applies to FCC  but I’ll check in to that. 

 

This is taken from my future cruise certificate that we got in May 2023 (so prior to the recent changes):

 

"Once applied to a voyage, guests may utilize their one-time change-of-sailing prior to the cancellation penalty period of the voyage selected."

[ORV]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

This is taken from my future cruise certificate that we got in May 2023 (so prior to the recent changes):

 

"Once applied to a voyage, guests may utilize their one-time change-of-sailing prior to the cancellation penalty period of the voyage selected."

As I said I’ll check a little closer, it was early in the day and she talked fast, and I’m slow. Did yours expire in a year if you didn’t pick a cruise and could you cancel with no penalty in the first year?

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, ORV said:

As I said I’ll check a little closer, it was early in the day and she talked fast, and I’m slow. Did yours expire in a year if you didn’t pick a cruise and could you cancel with no penalty in the first year?

 

We asked to extend. They didn't agree so we canceled for a full refund. 

[Vallesan]

11 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

This is taken from my future cruise certificate that we got in May 2023 (so prior to the recent changes):

 

"Once applied to a voyage, guests may utilize their one-time change-of-sailing prior to the cancellation penalty period of the voyage selected."

There is no longer a ‘penalty free’ period for any cruises so Oceania really needs to be clear now that cancellation policy has changed.

 

To be honest I found the FCC ‘s a waste of time. We have had two and both times we couldn’t combine with this offer or that offer. I think we should have done what you’ve done and just cancel them but we didn’t. I wouldn’t purchase one again.

[ak1004]

6 hours ago, Vallesan said:

There is no longer a ‘penalty free’ period for any cruises so Oceania really needs to be clear now that cancellation policy has changed.

 

To be honest I found the FCC ‘s a waste of time. We have had two and both times we couldn’t combine with this offer or that offer. I think we should have done what you’ve done and just cancel them but we didn’t. I wouldn’t purchase one again.

 

This quote was from an FCC before they introduced the $150 admin fee. I assume it's worded differently now.

 

We used another FCC in October. Were able to combine it with 5% early bird discount, so save just over 10%. 

 

Somehow cruises we book never go on sale. If this one will and the savings are larger than the FCC savings, we will switch. But I think there is still value. And the one time switch is still valuable.

[Sthrngary]

16 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Somehow cruises we book never go on sale.

@ak1004 I was reading through comments and I read this one.  I got a big smile on my face.  YEP, I tend to make a choice that seems to not qualify also.  I got lucky on my last cruise but that was definitely the acceptation, not the rule. 

 

19 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

If this one will and the savings are larger than the FCC savings, we will switch. But I think there is still value. And the one time switch is still valuable.

If the math works, it is a good business decision.

 

I was the author of this thread.  I kind of figured it would end up focused on the $150 per guest fee for cancelation.  Yet while onboard, one of the rules was, I could change the ship, itinerary and date of sailing once at no fee.  With the exception of the normal cancelation policy prior to 180 or so before the cruise.  

 

Funny thing.  Nice to know I can do one change.  However, the cruise I choose is the one I want.  If I don't go, I will most likely simply pay the $150 penalty.  Odds are, all will go smoothly as they do most of the time. My fingers are crossed. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.