Simply More Excursion Credit Question

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Just a quick question:  Simply More is new to us (two people in same stateroom).  I love excursions but my travel partner does not.  To get the 25% Simply More shore excursion package discount of 25%, do each of us need to book the required number of excursions, or can I get 25% off for mine without worrying how many excursions my travel partner books?  

[rebeccac]

You should be able to get the discount by booking the required number of excursions without your partner also having to book the same number.  Of course, they will not get the discount if they book fewer excursions.  I seem to remember that I had to actually check the discount box along with the (in my case five) excursions in order for the discount to show up.  

[Redtravel]

Call Oceania.  Couldn’t get discount booking excursions online.  Every cruise has a specific number of excursions needed to get the 25% discount.  Keep track.  We needed 6 for our last cruise.  We selected 6 about 6 months before cruise.  Later one of the ports was changed. That brought us down to 5 excursions. That made our total price for excursions increase by $300+.  Crazy?  Looked at remaining available excursions. Didn’t see anything that we really wanted. Booked a really cheap tour just to get the discount. That excursion was actually good.  
Having cruised with Simply More, not sure if I like it.  I seldom drink and  prefer to book private tours.  The six tours were good and bad.  Descriptions often didn’t describe the actual tour or ability level. The groups were often big.  We often book future cruises while sailing.  That didn’t happen. We wanted to book winter Caribbean cruise. Having been to most islands, we have no interest in taking excursions. Looked for other cruise lines that didn’t include excursions.  There are many good options.  Just booked our Caribbean trip, not on O.  

[clo]

24 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Later one of the ports was changed. That brought us down to 5 excursions.

Were you notified of that change?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 6/24/2024 at 3:24 PM, rebeccac said:

You should be able to get the discount by booking the required number of excursions without your partner also having to book the same number.  Of course, they will not get the discount if they book fewer excursions.  I seem to remember that I had to actually check the discount box along with the (in my case five) excursions in order for the discount to show up.  

I didn't see any discount box to check.  But I'm just going to figure out what I want, and let my spouse do the same, and then call Oceania to have them book them for me.  I have almost used up the SM excursion credit and the shipboard credit I have from O's loyalty program plus my TA's gift.  So if I book anything else on the website, I'm assuming I'll be charged for the overage, which I'd rather avoid, at least until I'm sure I know what I want. 

[PJsArtFun]

9 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Having cruised with Simply More, not sure if I like it.  I seldom drink and  prefer to book private tours.

Yay! I finally found someone who has experience with SM! Do you happen to know how Oceania deals with remaining excursion credit if you don’t use it up? I can’t find anything at their web site or in the reams of paperwork I received. And if it’s been answered here somewhere I haven’t found the magical combination of search terms that would pull it up.

 

I have a cruise in April and have booked something in nearly every port with enough to get the SM discount and more… but still haven’t used up my total credits. I don’t drink at all and tried to get the least active excursions I could find due to my age and arthritis. I probably will be worn out if I actually go on all of my booked excursions but since it’s “included” and I’m paying extra to begin with (Solo charges because I want a real balcony) I feel almost forced to use what I can.

 

Tips are covered through my agent for one portion of the trip, but I’m wondering if unused excursion credits will be available to pick up the rest, and/or other onboard charges.

 

Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.

[AMHuntFerry]

32 minutes ago, PJsArtFun said:

 Do you happen to know how Oceania deals with remaining excursion credit if you don’t use it up?

SM shorex credit can only be used for shorex; anything left over goes goes into the abyss. That's how it currently works, but change is always possible. If any of your tours have a spendier version "OE" that would be a way to eat up the remainder while taking the same but less crowded tour.

One thing to note is that the SM shorex credit will be used first, so if your other shorex are being covered by OClub and TA OBC, then any remaining OClub/TA OBC is put toward grats (or other onboard spending).

Edited Wednesday at 02:25 AM by AMHuntFerry

[PJsArtFun]

4 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

SM shorex credit can only be used for shorex;

Thanks, It’s all confusing to me… When I go to my account at the website, under beverage packages it says credit CAN be used for beverage packages. Even though I don’t drink, I clicked on it out of curiosity just to see how much they charge. I think what’s there right now is actually left over from pre-SM though… Within that section was also an option to prepay tips. But since I already have about 20% of mine covered I didn’t want to prepay the full amount, which is what it appeared would happen. Also, since this is my first time on Oceania, I haven’t been added to OClub yet. At this point, I’ll just wait until the end of the cruise to pay the tips. The unused credit is not much, as long as none of the excursions are canceled.

[AMHuntFerry]

15 minutes ago, PJsArtFun said:

Thanks, It’s all confusing to me… When I go to my account at the website, under beverage packages it says credit CAN be used for beverage packages. Even though I don’t drink, I clicked on it out of curiosity just to see how much they charge. I think what’s there right now is actually left over from pre-SM though… Within that section was also an option to prepay tips. But since I already have about 20% of mine covered I didn’t want to prepay the full amount, which is what it appeared would happen. Also, since this is my first time on Oceania, I haven’t been added to OClub yet. At this point, I’ll just wait until the end of the cruise to pay the tips. The unused credit is not much, as long as none of the excursions are canceled.

O's website does not meet modern expectations shopping-wise, so I avoid using it except for specialty reservations (but keep my email "receipts" as proof in case of glitches) and for pre-boarding check-in.

If your TA hasn't sent a shorex pdf with descriptions, get one since it sometimes has shorex that don't show on the website. They update once in a while, so it doesn't hurt to ask for the current one every so often to see if there is anything new.

I also just pay at the end of the cruise. At/near the beginning, your credits and booked shorex will show on your account as credits/debits. Gratuities show up a few days in, and daily charges for anything purchased onboard show up that day in my experience. I just check the TV every few days to see if the numbers match our spending. On the day before disembarkation I run all the numbers; mine have always matched O's, but there are people who have needed to get something fixed.

[PJsArtFun]

9 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

If your TA hasn't sent a shorex pdf with descriptions,

Thanks, I don’t have this… but I think my TA is still learning about the intricacies of SM. The shorex link she sent me to browse through was from a 3rd-party they typically recommend, not the cruise line. I’ll ask if she has one from Oceania that she can send.

[osandomir]

11 minutes ago, PJsArtFun said:

Thanks, I don’t have this… but I think my TA is still learning about the intricacies of SM. The shorex link she sent me to browse through was from a 3rd-party they typically recommend, not the cruise line. I’ll ask if she has one from Oceania that she can send.

Even if you booked through the TA you can call Oceania yourself and they will email you a current shore excursions PDF for your cruise.

[ORV]

16 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I didn't see any discount box to check.  But I'm just going to figure out what I want, and let my spouse do the same, and then call Oceania to have them book them for me.  I have almost used up the SM excursion credit and the shipboard credit I have from O's loyalty program plus my TA's gift.  So if I book anything else on the website, I'm assuming I'll be charged for the overage, which I'd rather avoid, at least until I'm sure I know what I want. 

Your OBC from your TA is showing on the website?

[PJsArtFun]

14 hours ago, osandomir said:

Even if you booked through the TA you can call Oceania yourself

Oceania actually told me I have to get it from my TA. 🤦‍♀️ So I’m just waiting for her to get back to me. Thanks!

[osandomir]

48 minutes ago, PJsArtFun said:

Oceania actually told me I have to get it from my TA. 🤦‍♀️ So I’m just waiting for her to get back to me. Thanks!

That seems strange to me because I have done it many times before. No need to wait for TA. Maybe you can try different representative one more time.

[ORV]

Why does this have a FB vibe to it? 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

9 hours ago, ORV said:

Your OBC from your TA is showing on the website?

Not sure if this was addressed to me or not.  But yes, my OBC shows up, along with the Oceania Club amount, and everything is correct.  The TA OBC is also reflected in the "Your Purchases" summary I got this morning from the "My Account/Reservation" section of website.  It's also reflected on the  "Pre-Purchased Shore Excursions & Onboard Experiences" document that O emailed me this afternoon after I used the Chat feature.  (And yes, you can call Oceania directly about excursions even if you use a TA.  I just had Oceania adjust the cost of what I owe for my excursions.  My spouse will do that eventually.........)

 

I notice that somewhere on the "Pre-Purchased" document is a note that excursion packages must be selected no later than 14 days prior to sailing, which is more specific that what was posted on my invoice. Obviously, we have plenty of time to select excursions (or not!), but just thought I'd mention this in case some people were planning to do it a lot later. 

 

I also notice there are 4 or 5 cooking classses under the "Other Options" tab.  You can't use your SM shore excursion credit for those, but you CAN use OBC.

 

 

[ORV]

9 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Not sure if this was addressed to me or not.  But yes, my OBC shows up, along with the Oceania Club amount, and everything is correct.  The TA OBC is also reflected in the "Your Purchases" summary I got this morning from the "My Account/Reservation" section of website.  It's also reflected on the  "Pre-Purchased Shore Excursions & Onboard Experiences" document that O emailed me this afternoon after I used the Chat feature.  (And yes, you can call Oceania directly about excursions even if you use a TA.  I just had Oceania adjust the cost of what I owe for my excursions.  My spouse will do that eventually.........)

 

I notice that somewhere on the "Pre-Purchased" document is a note that excursion packages must be selected no later than 14 days prior to sailing, which is more specific that what was posted on my invoice. Obviously, we have plenty of time to select excursions (or not!), but just thought I'd mention this in case some people were planning to do it a lot later. 

 

I also notice there are 4 or 5 cooking classses under the "Other Options" tab.  You can't use your SM shore excursion credit for those, but you CAN use OBC.

 

 

Yes, since I quoted you I was addressing it to you. Interesting that your TA OBC shows up there, mine never has, perhaps it's the way the TA handles it. I always get a card in my room showing it and then it shows up on the TV in a day or two into the cruise. I'll double check in case Oceania has changed this recently. 

[edgee]

On 6/25/2024 at 10:21 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

SM shorex credit can only be used for shorex; anything left over goes goes into the abyss. That's how it currently works, but change is always possible. If any of your tours have a spendier version "OE" that would be a way to eat up the remainder while taking the same but less crowded tour.

One thing to note is that the SM shorex credit will be used first, so if your other shorex are being covered by OClub and TA OBC, then any remaining OClub/TA OBC is put toward grats (or other onboard spending).

I love your use of the term "abyss." Definitely accurate. We were on LA to Miami cruise on Vista last November. Excursion at Grand Cayman, our last stop, was cancelled after we got off the tender boat in port. (Seas too choppy for snorkel excursion.) No alternate tours available...went to reception desk who sent me to destination services for clarification whether there was a way to use the now remaining $198 worth of SM excursion credit. Was inaccurately told it could be used for cooking classes, but they were all booked. Destination services sent me back to reception desk where the officer in charge told me that the $198 was now unusable since there were no more ports to take excursions.

[EJL2023]

5 hours ago, ORV said:

Yes, since I quoted you I was addressing it to you. Interesting that your TA OBC shows up there, mine never has, perhaps it's the way the TA handles it. I always get a card in my room showing it and then it shows up on the TV in a day or two into the cruise. I'll double check in case Oceania has changed this recently. 

We only get it to show if we have the TA send their own copy of the invoice. It then shows under Gift Orders. 

[ORV]

1 minute ago, EJL2023 said:

We only get it to show if we have the TA send their own copy of the invoice. It then shows under Gift Orders. 

Our TA only sends the Oceania invoice. 

[EJL2023]

23 minutes ago, ORV said:

Our TA only sends the Oceania invoice. 

It is an Oceania invoice….to look at it, it is identical to ones we get directly from Oceania. Perhaps their version may show total costs from a commissions standpoint?? Which then also show gifts they have ordered. They always just send the page which shows the amenities…..perhaps so they don’t share what the commissionable fare is?? Not sure really how it works. At the top left corner it actually states Agency Statement. 

Edited Thursday at 06:43 PM by EJL2023

[Thought2go]

Just make sure you have a copy (even a screenshot) of anything you are booking as shore excursions prices are in serious flux. O doesn’t always tell you what the current price is-so you need to ask. It may alter your decision. They just automatically take any additional amount from your OBC or show it as money due.

And SM shore excursions credits when unused just disappear from the ether when you disembark. One big POOF!

Recommendation is to book Shore excursions ASAP and lock them in before the price changes.

Edited Thursday at 07:03 PM by Thought2go
Fix letter

[terrydtx]

We just finished booking our SM shore excursions for our cruise next March and the website is very confusing about the 25% discount. After we each booked our 6 excursions which we put all together in our cart and went to the payment screen there was a box to check that said Apply SM 25% discount. When we checked that box the $800 SM credit was deducted from the total showed the 25% discount. The screen then showed us the cash balance to pay over the $800 SM credit. If we had not checked that box the whole amount of the tours shows without a discount less the SM credit and due payable in cash.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We just finished booking our SM shore excursions for our cruise next March and the website is very confusing about the 25% discount. After we each booked our 6 excursions which we put all together in our cart and went to the payment screen there was a box to check that said Apply SM 25% discount. When we checked that box the $800 SM credit was deducted from the total showed the 25% discount. The screen then showed us the cash balance to pay over the $800 SM credit. If we had not checked that box the whole amount of the tours shows without a discount less the SM credit and due payable in cash.

So what you're saying is it requires paying attention to detail? I notice many people have trouble with that. But do agree their website leaves somewhat to be desired. But, it doesn't hold a light to being anywhere as bad as Celebrity's website. 

[terrydtx]

33 minutes ago, ORV said:

So what you're saying is it requires paying attention to detail? I notice many people have trouble with that. But do agree their website leaves somewhat to be desired. But, it doesn't hold a light to being anywhere as bad as Celebrity's website. 

The one big problem with the O website is that there is no way to cancel a booked and paid for tour online. On one of the tours, we booked, there were 3 times we could choose for one particular tour. I booked a time that afterwards I wanted to change. There was no way to modify or cancel the tour so that I could rebook with the correct time. I ended up having to send an email to Oceania customer services to get my tour changed to the right time. On Celebrity's website I could have done this all online, without any problems. I have to disagree with you, the Oceania website is 5-10 years behind Celebrity's technology.

Edited Friday at 04:35 PM by terrydtx