Online Cruise Fares and Inside Cabins

[huskerdan25]

Hi everyone! I have not cruised on Oceania yet but am seriously considering the Regatta in Jan 2008. I have only cruised on Princess and was thrilled with my experience on the Sapphire in Jan 2006 and will be on the CB next month.

 

I have a question pertaining to Oceania cruise fares from online cruise outlets. I can go to oceaniacruises.com and can book the cruise I am interested in there and get the 2 for 1 cruise fares. When I go to some known online cruise outlet sites and try to book the same cruise, I get the full brochure prices. Why would they charge the full brochure price and what would be the incentive to book through them if I can book directly through Oceania and get the 2 for 1 cruise fares? I ask because I usually do not book my cruises on Princess directly with Princess because I always get a better price from an online TA.

 

We have only booked a balcony cabin on Princess and while we have never booked an inside cabin, we might consider it on Oceania because of the prices. Has anyone been in an inside cabin on the Regatta before and can you tell me of your experiences in being in an inside cabin on a ship the size of the Regatta? We usually can afford between $4K-$6K a year for cruises and getting a B1/B2 category cabin on an Oceania cruise pushes us to the limit for one cruise a year. An inside cabin obviously would be a bit more affordable but there is something special about having a balcony.

 

Thanks for your input and I must say, from everything I have read on this forum, Oceania sounds like a wonderful cruiseline and is one we are seriously considering patronizing.

 

Dan

[tampatramp]

huskerdan25: isn't this a great country! you can charge double and people will buy it and you make a fortune. And (Or?) you can shop around and buy the same thing for half and be able to afford an Oceania cruise!!

 

Since we do the latter all year long, we booked our first ever cruise (Oceania B2) with an on-line TA for half the brochure price with some extras thrown in.

 

caveat emptor

[RetiredinPrescott]

Hi everyone! I have not cruised on Oceania yet but am seriously considering the Regatta in Jan 2008. I have only cruised on Princess and was thrilled with my experience on the Sapphire in Jan 2006 and will be on the CB next month.

 

I have a question pertaining to Oceania cruise fares from online cruise outlets. I can go to oceaniacruises.com and can book the cruise I am interested in there and get the 2 for 1 cruise fares. When I go to some known online cruise outlet sites and try to book the same cruise, I get the full brochure prices. Why would they charge the full brochure price and what would be the incentive to book through them if I can book directly through Oceania and get the 2 for 1 cruise fares? I ask because I usually do not book my cruises on Princess directly with Princess because I always get a better price from an online TA.

 

We have only booked a balcony cabin on Princess and while we have never booked an inside cabin, we might consider it on Oceania because of the prices. Has anyone been in an inside cabin on the Regatta before and can you tell me of your experiences in being in an inside cabin on a ship the size of the Regatta? We usually can afford between $4K-$6K a year for cruises and getting a B1/B2 category cabin on an Oceania cruise pushes us to the limit for one cruise a year. An inside cabin obviously would be a bit more affordable but there is something special about having a balcony.

 

Thanks for your input and I must say, from everything I have read on this forum, Oceania sounds like a wonderful cruiseline and is one we are seriously considering patronizing.

 

Dan

Hi,

We just returned from Insignia Mediterranean cruise. All 3 Oceania ships are virtually identical. We had a deck 7 inside cabin at center of ship because we are prone to seasickness. No problem for us. Cabins are same size as standard balcony cabins. Other than to sleep, we didn't spend much time in the cabin. With the money saved we did ten port tours.

Hope this helps.

[Liv4cruzin]

Dan,

A good friend & I did a 2 wk. Med. Cruise on Regatta this spring. We had a Cat F (inside twin) on Deck 7. Cabin, though modest in size, was well appointed w/ plenty of room for 2 women to get dressed at the same time. Closet space was quite good for longer cruises. I usually cruise by myself & tend to book inside cabins so that I too can cruise several times a year. The dress code being what it is, makes it so easy for packing. The open dining & excellent cuisine are also a big plus IMO. I liked it so much that I immediatly booked a transatlantic repositioning cruise so that I could have more sea days to enjoy the ship. My vote is....give it a try.

[Napi's Mom]

We would always point out that all cabins on Oceania are nearly the same inside, outside or Balcony. We always felt it was a waste to pay for anything more than inside. Well....this cruise (Nautica 11/15) we had a fantastic upgrade experience, from inside to C2 then to A2 concierge class. Well I finally admit we got spoild! Coffee on the Balcony in the morning before breakfast...oh yes was just great. I still did not feel that the Concierge Class is worth all that extra money over the B, just not enough usable perks, 2-3 pressing of clothes, laprobes for the balcony, 2 extra reservations for alternate rest., a bottle of Champagne upon arrival isn't worth whatever..$700-900, depending on if you're A1,2 or 3! But the balcony...yes we just might be spoilded forever....:D