Simply More Excursion Credit Question

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

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.

I agree more with you concerning the website comparison.  I also appreciate that the Celebrity website allows you to book air and constantly check air pricing on line.  (Although I hate that you have to call to cancel or make a change to the air).  I never had an issue with shore excursions on the Celebrity website.

 

It is a good thing that the cruise lines website has absolutely no influence on my choice of a cruise.  

[roothy123]

I never had any trouble before this.  But I've never booked a package before, just a couple excursions here or there. I guess until the site's online excursion booking process is updated to include the 25% discount, things will be lumpy.  But I've called Oceania recently and had no wait to get someone who changed a few choices for me.  Afterwards they emailed me an accounting of what I currently have that itemizes retail price, SM price, and 25% off difference. It's a handy way to see your O credit balance (from Oceania Club or my TA).  In cases in which there are two or more times for an excursion, it does not list that, so I've added that. 

[roothy123]

But ORV, obviously I'm not sure you'll see your TA's OBC reflected.  From the start, the system showed it under a tab in the shore excursions portion of My Account/Reservation.  And it was automatically deducted from my excursion choices.  But I don't know if my TA had to do anything to do with that or not.

 

[terrydtx]

20 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I agree more with you concerning the website comparison.  I also appreciate that the Celebrity website allows you to book air and constantly check air pricing on line.  (Although I hate that you have to call to cancel or make a change to the air).  I never had an issue with shore excursions on the Celebrity website.

 

It is a good thing that the cruise lines website has absolutely no influence on my choice of a cruise.  

We have also cruised with Holland and even their website has better excursions booking process. They also have a far superior airfare booking with Flight Ease,  you can book cancel and change flights all online without ever having to call.

 

You are correct, it is a good thing we don't let cruise line websites influence our brand choices,  in fact it probably is at the bottom of the list. 

[Tranquility Base]

A question regarding type of refund when cancelling an excursion pre cruise.

 

An example with some simple numbers.

No excursion discount package involved.

 

1. Had available $700 SBC with which to book excursions;

2. Booked online 5 excursions, each costing $200;

3. The SBC used up first, and then cash (card) paid for the remaining $300;

4. Booked the excursions over a period of a few weeks;

5. Will be ringing Oceania to cancel one excursion;

6. Can I expect cash refund of $200 back to the card, or refund of SBC ?

7. Does it matter if SBC or cash was used when initially booking this particular excursion ?

 

Just wanted a heads up before I phone.

Thanks.

[roothy123]

I'm guessing you'll get $200 back on your card.  And they'll likely email you or your travel agent a "Pre-Purchased Shore Excursions & Onboard Experiences" document which lists your remaining excursions with date, time, duration, retail/package prices etc.  It's similar to what you can get if you ask online for a summary on your purchases, but with a little more information.

 

Edited July 5 by roothy123

[goletans]

We recently did this and O's phone rep asked if we wanted the money back to our card or if we wanted it applied to the cruise fare. Final payment had not yet occurred.

[chocchic]

On 6/25/2024 at 10:00 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

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

What is shorex?  Is that left over from pre Simply more?  All of the abbreviations and insider stuff is a bit confusing.  I don't think I have a shorex account.  All i see is a credit for excursions which I probably won't use because the idea of climbing on a huge bus with 50+ people is just not my idea of fun.  Oceania does not give a clue as to size of their tours.  We've been waitlisted for two excursions that I thought might be on smaller size.

 

[EJL2023]

5 minutes ago, chocchic said:

What is shorex?  Is that left over from pre Simply more?  All of the abbreviations and insider stuff is a bit confusing.  I don't think I have a shorex account.  All i see is a credit for excursions which I probably won't use because the idea of climbing on a huge bus with 50+ people is just not my idea of fun.  Oceania does not give a clue as to size of their tours.  We've been waitlisted for two excursions that I thought might be on smaller size.

 

Shorex is simply shorter version for Shore Excursions. 

[Cruising Maryland]

56 minutes ago, chocchic said:

What is shorex?  Is that left over from pre Simply more?  All of the abbreviations and insider stuff is a bit confusing.  I don't think I have a shorex account.  All i see is a credit for excursions which I probably won't use because the idea of climbing on a huge bus with 50+ people is just not my idea of fun.  Oceania does not give a clue as to size of their tours.  We've been waitlisted for two excursions that I thought might be on smaller size.

 

I believe shorex is shore excursions

[ORV]

2 hours ago, chocchic said:

What is shorex?  Is that left over from pre Simply more?  All of the abbreviations and insider stuff is a bit confusing.  I don't think I have a shorex account.  All i see is a credit for excursions which I probably won't use because the idea of climbing on a huge bus with 50+ people is just not my idea of fun.  Oceania does not give a clue as to size of their tours.  We've been waitlisted for two excursions that I thought might be on smaller size.

 

Actually they do give a clue to the size of the excursions. Look at the excursions marked, OS, OE & OC. I think these are the designations. Many of these are for 16 or less. You can also get a car or van for a half day or full day and pick your own excursion. There are options to not let the Simply More SBC go to waste. 

[goletans]

When available, we opt for an OE excursion:

OCEANIA EXCLUSIVE EXCURSIONS

Designed for travelers who prefer an added measure of privacy, intimacy and flexibility, our Oceania Exclusive excursions limit group size to just 16 guests maximum.

[Thought2go]

18 hours ago, ORV said:

You can also get a car or van for a half day or full day and pick your own excursion. There are options to not let the Simply More SBC go to waste. 

So are you saying you can use your SM credits to book an excursion that is not on Oceania’s listing??

[terrydtx]

46 minutes ago, Thought2go said:

So are you saying you can use your SM credits to book an excursion that is not on Oceania’s listing??

No you can't,  only Oceania sponsored excursions can be used for SM credit.

[SATaxman]

50 minutes ago, Thought2go said:

So are you saying you can use your SM credits to book an excursion that is not on Oceania’s listing??

You can use it for a car 1/2 day or all day. These are on the O excursion list. Then you can create your own excursion by having the driver taking you where you want to go. 

[Thought2go]

9 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

You can use it for a car 1/2 day or all day. These are on the O excursion list. Then you can create your own excursion by having the driver taking you where you want to go. 

Thanks- will check it out- I don’t remember seeing that on the pdf-

[SATaxman]

4 minutes ago, Thought2go said:

Thanks- will check it out- I don’t remember seeing that on the pdf-

Maybe this option is not available in every port.

 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Thought2go said:

So are you saying you can use your SM credits to book an excursion that is not on Oceania’s listing??

As has been pointed out they are on many listings, and have been for quite a while. They have been on my last 4 cruises, and probably a few before that. They are also quite pricey, but it's better than paying for the SM and then complaining that there's nothing but big bus tours that you won't go on. There are options. 

[Thought2go]

26 minutes ago, ORV said:

They are also quite pricey, but it's better than paying for the SM and then complaining

I’m not complaining😎😎 I Just didn’t remember seeing car and driver as an option. I have a friend who lives in one of our POC who was going to pick us up and do a POI tour. If we have a car and driver SM option (and my friend agrees) we can all enjoy each other’s reunion - bring a bottle of wine- without them having to worry about being a driver or parking.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

1 hour ago, SATaxman said:

Maybe this option is not available in every port.

 

Wasn't on my January cruise.  So far, not for my December cruise.  

[mauibabes]

Whether you see it offered as an available excursion or not, check with O. I had been told by an O higher up they were available and could be arranged on board with Destination Services. 
Mauibabes

[ORV]

3 minutes ago, Thought2go said:

I’m not complaining😎😎 I Just didn’t remember seeing car and driver as an option. I have a friend who lives in one of our POC who was going to pick us up and do a POI tour. If we have a car and driver SM option (and my friend agrees) we can all enjoy each other’s reunion - bring a bottle of wine- without them having to worry about being a driver or parking.

I wasn't referring to you necessarily. Just people in general. In all fairness I just checked my upcoming cruise and it has 11 ports, and the car/van, half day/full day options are only offered on 2 of them. So it's understandable that they are not on all itineraries. 

[GrammieK]

3 hours ago, Thought2go said:

I’m not complaining😎😎 I Just didn’t remember seeing car and driver as an option. I have a friend who lives in one of our POC who was going to pick us up and do a POI tour. If we have a car and driver SM option (and my friend agrees) we can all enjoy each other’s reunion - bring a bottle of wine- without them having to worry about being a driver or parking.

we used the private car option pre covid at a few ports. Car option was only for 2 people. Van option was what we used for 4 people. The van option came with a much higher price. 
 

k🛳️

[Tranquility Base]

From experience, how long does it normally take for refund amount from a cancelled excursion to appear back on your card ?

Thanks.

For info: paid by card for the excursion and it is after final payment.

[ec6393]

A couple of years ago (not sure exactly when) we could cancel a tour that we decided we didn't want to take by just going to the particular port/excursion & then clicking on "remove" which was so easy. I don't know why O decided to do away with that option? 🤷‍♀️