I am a little confused re: 2for1 and free air

[KimmyinLA]

Hello,

I have not been in the Oceania thread before because I don't know much about the cruiseline. But recently while choosing a Med cruise for next summer -- my t/a gave me an Oceania brochure to look over and wow! it looks very impressive. I especially like the size of the ship.

But, my question is...can I afford this cruise? We like to cruise with a balcony. We are very flexible when it comes to our travel plans (we can go during the "slow" season -- whenever that is).

I looked on Oceania's website but am I reading it correctly that these cruises are still apprx $3500 pp for the lowest inside cat (including 2 for 1 and free air)???

I guess the more I read in the glossy brochure -- the more it makes me want to seriously consider them for our next cruise. But I also don't want to sacrafice a balcony...or at least a window:D

 

BTW, I post this because I'm having the darnest time trying to find online quotes -- they all ask for a phone number and I hate giving that out! (Most t/a seem to be closed on Sundays...why is that???? Don't they know people are reading the sunday travel section and feel the need to get some immediate quotes??;) )

 

thank you!

 

eta: your info will be greatly appreciated...because I don't want to set my heart on this line if it is simply out of our price range.

[Andee]

We are paying hunbdreds of dollars less pp than the amount you mentioned for a balcony cabin in October, 2004, so I'd recommend that you keep hunting for a TA with a good price.

[meow!]

You can find up to date prices on Oceania's own website at http://www.oceaniacruises.com Oceania normally gives the travel agent 10% commission just like most other cruise lines, though certain agents may have deals (such as bulk quantities) that give them lower costs. However, most agents will not give you prices at more than 5% below what is quoted on Oceania's own website. Some agents will actually not give you any discount at all, while they separate port charges etc., to make their quotes appear more attractive. Unlike the former Renaissance, Oceania is not known for deep "hidden" discounts beyond what is already published on their website. Moreover, once you book with one agent, Oceania will no longer deal with you directly, and your case is considered "sold", so it is very important to carefully choose a good, reliable agent, such as someone you can trust. I hope this helps.

[sea sick fool]

I booked with Oceania for the fall of 2005 and yes, they're pricey, but look at the ports compared with other cruiselines. Not your regular mass-market ports.

 

Decide what's important for you, compare fares and ports and book whatever you're comfortable with. I may be doing the Med only once, so doing it right this time was important for me.

 

Diane

[defenderswife]

We leave this morning for Barcelona to Venice on the Insignia. Our inside cabin was $2100 per person (14 DAYS) and included free airfare. When the taxes, transfers and insurance are added it was a total of $6300 for 2 of us.

 

If you want the great fares you need to call Oceania and ask for a brochure. Tell them what you are interested in. This puts you on thier mailing list. When they are trying to fill a sailing they send out flyers with great prices. Then you can take the flyer to your agent and see if she can do better. Probably not.

 

Joyce

[drwong]

Diane makes a good point - Oceania may seem a little pricey, but compared to what? Mass market cruise lines operating in the Med (like Princess, RCCL, and Costa) may have lower fares due to the economies of scale that come from having a larger number of passengers on each vessel, but Oceania has a pretty unique niche.

 

Considering the surcharge-free specialty dining restaurants, the exceptional bedding, the small passenger loads (making for easy boarding, disembarking, and sometimes tendering), and the high quality of personalized service, a window cabin on the Regatta or Insignia will probably be less expensive than one aboard HAL's Rotterdam or Westerdam.

 

Given that Oceania is providing free airfare (the mainline cruise companies will charge you between $700 and $1000 for the open-jaw ticket, i.e., different cities for your arrival and departure), and Oceania's cruises tend to be a little longer than the 7-day standard cruise, the price is comparable to, if not less than, the fare on a premium or luxury cruise line like RSSC, Crystal, or SilverSeas.

 

Your agent might be able to upgrade you to a window or balcony depending - good agents will know the booking rates for each cruise and whether a complementary upgrade is possible. We had a balcony upgrade on one Regatta cruise, but we rarely got to use it, given the port-intensive nature of a Med itinerary and the absence of sea days. But whatever cabin you decide to take, try to book soon, as they're filling fast for certain summer cruises.

 

Richard

[KimmyinLA]

Joyce, thanks for giving me an idea of the pricing. I'm sure you and your husband will have a magnificent time!!!

 

I guess I should clarify what I was asking.

 

How true to form are the prices on oceania's website?

 

If someone asked me regarding a Celebrity's brochure price vs. real price (comparable rates to be found via online or ta)...I would say that the brochure rates are mostly likely way higher than what you could find with an online or a b&m ta.

 

Ultimately, my question is...how much can I expect (a typical range) for a balcony on one of these sailings???

[roothy123]

We've booked two cruises on Oceania, using a travel agent. The first time, the travel agent gave us a small discount off of the cabin price (inside cabin) on O's website. For our upcoming cruise in Jan., we put a deposit down for the brochure price. I DID look around a lot, and while some travel agents will give you a little discount, it isn't all that much. This is one situation in which it doesn't seem to pay to spend a lot of time calling agents. So yes, I think you'll pretty much end up paying what O's web site states is the price for the cabin - no more, no less. They sometimes throw in free or 2 for 1 air, but I've never seen them come down on the cabin price, although I suppose anything's possible....

 

We did the western Med cruise in May (Barcelona to Lisbon) and loved it. If you like going to a lot of different places and spending only a few days totally at sea, you'll love Oceania.

[roothy123]

I should add that as someone else (Andee) alluded to, you can get a lower price if you're willing to go in the spring or fall rather than summer. As you can see from the brochure prices, summer is more expensive. It can also get quite hot in those Med ports! Personally, we found early to mid-May perfect -not too hot, not too cold, and very little rain. Fall is supposed to be good weather-wise as well.

 

We had an inside cabin, and while a cabin with a balcony would have been wonderful, we're not sure we would have even used it that much. On O's Med cruises, you're in port a lot or traveling at night, so your balcony time may be less than it has been on some of your other cruises! To get some fresh air, we ate breakfast outside on the Terrace, and did the Tapas on the Terrace (outside) two evenings. We DID have to leave the robes behind, however.....