Oceania's price policy

[Cruzin Terri]

Everybody’s situation is different.

While we very much like the European cruises, we now find that they are more than DH can handle.  Traveling to and from Europe had become difficult and touring in the various ports too tiresome.  

However a Caribbean Cruise where we occasionally disembark and go to a beach or just decide to remain on the ship is just what we want.  We still get a break. I don’t have to cook and we get to enjoy something different.  

So what you may call “junk,” I call relaxation.  To each his own.
Terri

[Vallesan]

6 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Everybody’s situation is different.

While we very much like the European cruises, we now find that they are more than DH can handle.  Traveling to and from Europe had become difficult and touring in the various ports too tiresome.  

However a Caribbean Cruise where we occasionally disembark and go to a beach or just decide to remain on the ship is just what we want.  We still get a break. I don’t have to cook and we get to enjoy something different.  

So what you may call “junk,” I call relaxation.  To each his own.
Terri

We are the same as you but ‘Europe’ is our home turf. The rest of the world now involves long haul and we no longer do that!

[ak1004]

Comparing cruises to Europe and to Caribbean is really not apples to apples.

 

We go to Europe to see things. Still many new ports for us. Caribbean is to relax, to get spoiled with good food, service etc. Not to mention the fact that you cannot cruise to Europe in Winter.

 

But I do agree that O wouldn't be my first choice for the Caribbean cruise.

[fizzy]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

 

 

One doesn't cruise in a vacuum but in a world of choices. So COMPARING what you can SEE and DO in say the Baltic or Med, for example, the Carib, both E and W, pales.

 

We had a fine time on our very first ever cruise, on Riviera in the W Carib in 12/2021. But I have no inclination to ever go back. Take the "fake" cruise-dominated "Costa Maya". All but a purpose-built tourist trap from the late 1990s. Big deal. And our 2nd cruise, on Sirena 11/2022, was in the E Carib. Another 1 and done for us. We enjoyed it. Did some interesting things. But you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all and there isn't that much to see or do on any of the islands that can't be seen or done elsewhere. Though, as I said, the only places I'd be interested in returning there for would be the Dutch A-B-C islands.

 

As for the private cruise islands (e.g., off Belize or in the Bahamas), who cares about spending a few hours one day on their beach? I can do that in places like Destin, Florida. Really enjoy some serious sun and sand.

 

So if you like repetitive plain vanilla just-hours-for-the-day tourist trap destinations, the Carib is for you. Or day drinking on the ship. Oh boy....

I thank everyone for the answers to my question. I can walk to my own beach and don't need to go to Florida. The cruise descriptions sound quite nice and relaxing. I also don't think we are as obsessed with squeezing a dollar out of every aspect of travel as you are.. For what it's worth...one could say that when you've seen one church, vineyard or museum... you've seen them all and they get to seem sort of vanilla.

[MEFIowa]

57 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Everybody’s situation is different. ... a Caribbean Cruise where we occasionally disembark and go to a beach or just decide to remain on the ship is just what we want.  We still get a break. I don’t have to cook and we get to enjoy something different....

Though at say $400-900 dollars per day per couple (in G-A cabins), I can think of so many other more interesting places, just as easy to get to, that fit that bill at a much lower price point. Say a week to ten days at a nice beach resort or hotel in an interesting location. To each their own.

[Redtravel]

Know the terms. Each cruise line has its own rules.  I tend to only book when the price is acceptable.  I don’t expect to get a better deal. Once in awhile the prices do go down. On some lines, not O, you can ask for compensation after final payment.  Usually once you pay in full, that’s it.  You cannot compare what happens from one cruise line to another.  After final payment, often prices drop.  Last minute bookings can be extremely cheap. If you are set on a certain sailing, book it. Stop looking at new prices after you pay in full.  

[ak1004]

6 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though at say $400-900 dollars per day per couple (in G-A cabins), I can think of so many other more interesting places, just as easy to get to, that fit that bill at a much lower price point. Say a week to ten days at a nice beach resort or hotel in an interesting location. To each their own.

 

We were in all inclusive twice and were bored to death. Not to mention that a comparable all inclusive will be probably similar price if not more than O cruise.

[basor]

As I repeat this is one person's opinion and has no more or less value than others...we have been all over the world and still enjoy cruises in the Carib and find interesting things to see and do on all of the islands....please don't put down others people's opinion just because it doesn't match yours.  Being on an Oceania ship just make a Carib sailing even more enjoyable....

[MEFIowa]

4 minutes ago, fizzy said:

... one could say that when you've seen one church... you've seen them all and they get to seem sort of vanilla.

That depends on the churches... Just this month we did the full Sunday liturgy in Stockholm at the national cathedral, St. Nicholas church, with their amazing large choir. Late in August we did morning prayer in Westminster Abbey at 0730 with just 7 of others. Feet away from where Charles III was coronated. That same day with did full Tuesday afternoon liturgy at St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Last year we did full Sunday liturgy in St. Mark's Venice at noon. Spent nearly 2 hours there! Nothing vanilla about Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

 

And we climbed over 400 steps up the massive St. Mary's church in Gdansk for the view on top outside! After we did full Sunday liturgy at St. Bridget's Cathedral before that, with her amazing Amber Altar. Not to mention full Saturday liturgy at the Nevsky Cathedral in Copenhagen, the full Orthodox liturgy with all the incense.

 

AND I happened to be standing at the right spot in the massive St. Mary's church in Rostock at 1155 when the organist takes tourists WAY UP to the organ loft, where we looked down at the congregation doing noon prayer. We were the only two that day. He then took us FURTHER UP into the organ itself. Over 5,000 tubes!

 

Storkyrkan - Wikipedia

 

The Remarkable Amber Altar of St. Bridget's (inyourpocket.com)

 

St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk - Wikipedia

 

St. Mary's Church, Rostock - Wikipedia

 

 

[iowananny]

Cruzin Terri says it best.  So what you may call “junk,” I call relaxation.  To each his own.

 

I made a big mistake in my life.  I got old.  I guess it's better than the alternative, but my husband and I agree we just can't do the things we used to do.  We traveled extensively in Europe when we were younger and will always have those memories.  Traveling internationally has become harder and harder, but a Caribbean cruise is always fun and they now have a nonstop flight from Des Moines to Miami.  So much easier than an international flight.

 

Last winter on our Caribbean cruise there was a blizzard in Iowa with very cold temperatures. Our son kept sending pictures saying we picked the perfect time to head south.   I never left the ship but still had a great time.  The food was good, I meet a lot of really nice people, and it made an Iowa winter go by a little faster.

 

We did go to Europe this summer for a Baltic cruise, but we now go business class.  I've heard it said over and over again that everyone arrives at the same time.  But we want to arrive feeling fairly good and are willing to spend the money for the extra comfort.

 

Everyone has the decision to pick a cruise that is best for them.  But we're at the stage in our lives that being the first to leave the ship and the last to get back on are over.  Yet on our last cruise we still saw some amazing things and had a great time.  And we had some great times sitting around the pool or in one of the bars meeting new people and having a good time.

[Woodrowst]

1 hour ago, fizzy said:

.one could say that when you've seen one church, vineyard or museum... you've seen them all and they get to seem sort of vanilla.

While I can think of exceptions to this statement (e.g. Sagrada Familia in Barcelona) it does bring up memories of Aussies referring to a Danube river trip I was on as an “ABC cruise” - Another Bloody Cathedral 😀 

[Cruzin Terri]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Though at say $400-900 dollars per day per couple (in G-A cabins), I can think of so many other more interesting places, just as easy to get to, that fit that bill at a much lower price point. Say a week to ten days at a nice beach resort or hotel in an interesting location. To each their own.

Your budget may not be the same as mine.  We are quite happy with what Oceania provides on a Caribbean cruise.  I can drive to Miami, taking our time to get there.  Don't have to worry were to go for meals and plenty to do on the ship.  Not looking for bargain basement prices. Thank you for your input and suggestions.

Terri

[MrsSheba]

23 hours ago, fizzy said:

Why are Oceania Carib cruises junky?  Are there lowered staff ratios?  Poor / lower quality provisions? This is disappointing to hear.

Didn't find anything junky about our 12 day Caribbean cruise on Vista - food, service and ship were wonderful 

[osandomir]

18 minutes ago, MrsSheba said:

Didn't find anything junky about our 12 day Caribbean cruise on Vista - food, service and ship were wonderful 

And the ports are delightful for many who book Caribbean cruises year after year. The ones who are not interested have many other options which also might be not that attractive to everyone else.

[Oceangoer2]

23 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

 

 

One doesn't cruise in a vacuum but in a world of choices. So COMPARING what you can SEE and DO in say the Baltic or Med, for example, the Carib, both E and W, pales.

 

We had a fine time on our very first ever cruise, on Riviera in the W Carib in 12/2021. But I have no inclination to ever go back. Take the "fake" cruise-dominated "Costa Maya". All but a purpose-built tourist trap from the late 1990s. Big deal. And our 2nd cruise, on Sirena 11/2022, was in the E Carib. Another 1 and done for us. We enjoyed it. Did some interesting things. But you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all and there isn't that much to see or do on any of the islands that can't be seen or done elsewhere. Though, as I said, the only places I'd be interested in returning there for would be the Dutch A-B-C islands.

 

As for the private cruise islands (e.g., off Belize or in the Bahamas), who cares about spending a few hours one day on their beach? I can do that in places like Destin, Florida. Really enjoy some serious sun and sand.

 

So if you like repetitive plain vanilla just-hours-for-the-day tourist trap destinations, the Carib is for you. Or day drinking on the ship. Oh boy....

If you've often been to the ABC's, the experience can be just as repetitive as the E/W islands.  For us, we enjoy ship life and all the islands for what they offer.  Just being on the ocean, relaxing with book in hand, fine dining, some socializing, some entertainment and a change of day-to-day life is enough for us.  Not sure what you're looking for but it must be quite exhilarating. 

[iowananny]

@Oceangoer2Just being on the ocean, relaxing with book in hand, fine dining, some socializing, some entertainment and a change of day-to-day life is enough for us.

 

You're my kind of cruiser.  We'll be back in the islands in January but plan on a little bit more excitement as we go up the Amazon.  We cruise to have fun, not to see how much we can do.  I understand that is important for many people, but we know what we can do and what we can't do at this stage in our lives.  And we're not that old, just in our 70s but there does come a point where you start to slow down.  We hope we have several years of fun cruises ahead of us. 

[Tr1v1alCru1ser]

So in reality, when O advertises “Best Price Guarantee’, they don’t mean it?  We were told on board that this applies up to the day of sailing, which infers if the price goes down, that’s what you’ll pay.  On their blurb it doesn’t say, only if you haven’t already paid in full. 

 

Edited to clarify that I mean if you make a future cruise booking on board and this is subsequently priced lower than you paid. 

Edited Sunday at 01:29 PM by Tr1v1alCru1ser

[skiinglaketahoe]

On 9/26/2024 at 10:57 PM, Cadorina said:

We booked the Vista, for Jan 8 Miami to Los Angeles. We had an advertised "Early Booking Savings". Shortly after booking, we were required to pay in full - six months before departure. Last week, Oceania published new prices for this cruise, lower than what we had paid. I asked for an adjustment, and was told I could not have it because I had paid in full. I asked for some shipboard credit as compensation. Oceania refused.

No luxury cruise line would have handled a repeat guest this way. No way will I ever sail with Oceania again.

Hi

 

See my reply to a similar situation 

Under the Topic Oceania Cruise Prices

 

Susan

[Harters]

On 9/28/2024 at 2:46 PM, Cruzin Terri said:

While we very much like the European cruises, we now find that they are more than DH can handle.

We are sort of in the reverse of your situation. European cruises only involve a shortish flight for us. And only a drive if it's a UK/UK one. Flying to the States has become an effort for us - and that's leaving aside the fact our already expensive travel insurance can double even for a few days cover in the States or Caribbean. But even with European cruises, port intensive ones are now too tiring unless we treat some port days as sea days, or just go for a relaxed wander round the town. It really is now very much that our cruise enjoyment is from the facilities of the  floating hotel, rather then where it goes to. 

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, Tr1v1alCru1ser said:

So in reality, when O advertises “Best Price Guarantee’, they don’t mean it?  We were told on board that this applies up to the day of sailing, which infers if the price goes down, that’s what you’ll pay.  On their blurb it doesn’t say, only if you haven’t already paid in full. 

 

Edited to clarify that I mean if you make a future cruise booking on board and this is subsequently priced lower than you paid. 

For BPG to apply, voyage must have availability in "your" Category.  If lower price after FP, O may give OBC instead.

[Tr1v1alCru1ser]

There is availability in our category, but the O rep our TA spoke to today, said they won’t do anything. They changed their policy in July of this year, so if we want the lower price, we have to cancel, which will incur a 75% penalty loss on what we’ve paid! Then we can rebook at the lower price.

[cruiserchuck]

The OP did not state that the booking was on board, and thus it appears that the booking would not have been covered by a best price guarantee.  

 

For clarification, are folks saying that O has changed their best price guarantee for booking made on board?

 

Or are folks saying that O has changed their apparent past policy of sometimes making adjustments for price reductions after final payment, for cruises not booked on board?

 

 

[Tr1v1alCru1ser]

I can’t answer for anyone else @cruiserchuck, but in our case, we were told, on board, that by booking the cruise we have, we would be covered by their best price guarantee up to the day of sailing.   As you can see from my above post, they’re saying the only way we can get the “better” price now, is to cancel, lose 75% of what we’ve paid, and then rebook.  Our TA is going to follow this up with them as she has other clients in the same situation as us.  

[EJL2023]

5 minutes ago, Tr1v1alCru1ser said:

I can’t answer for anyone else @cruiserchuck, but in our case, we were told, on board, that by booking the cruise we have, we would be covered by their best price guarantee up to the day of sailing.   As you can see from my above post, they’re saying the only way we can get the “better” price now, is to cancel, lose 75% of what we’ve paid, and then rebook.  Our TA is going to follow this up with them as she has other clients in the same situation as us.  

Did you not receive a letter with your booking onboard when it was done? By letter I mean cover email.  When we booked on board in February it clearly stated how the BPG works, with details on what entitled to if price reduced after final payment. Even if they changed in July….I would think you would be entitled for it to be handled in the manner outlined when it was booked onboard and with the letter in hand I’d certainly press the issue. 

[ak1004]

7 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Did you not receive a letter with your booking onboard when it was done? By letter I mean cover email.  When we booked on board in February it clearly stated how the BPG works, with details on what entitled to if price reduced after final payment. Even if they changed in July….I would think you would be entitled for it to be handled in the manner outlined when it was booked onboard and with the letter in hand I’d certainly press the issue. 

 

This is the email we got along with the FCC attached:

 

As you can see, there is no mentioning of BPG in the email, and not in the FCC itself. This was our last O cruise in May 2023.

 

I do remember that she mentioned something, but I couldn't find it anywhere in written.