How far in advance does Oceania tell you your flights

[funny26]

The part of your post I underlined is the part that is confusing me.

 

Given final payment (which is when the full payment is made) is at 90 days or earlier, then why does a cruiser who opts for Oceania's air wait until 75 days for the itinerary to come out, when you say it's at the time of final payment?

 

Is this some subtle way to encourage deviations? For deviations, the days out don't even matter because you know exactly what your flights are when you accept it and it's just a formality when the tickets are actually issued.

 

The problem here is finding out what the itinerary is, and for those who elect Oceania's air, it seems to be 15 days after final/full payment.

 

Let's put examples out:

 

Example 1:

1. I book a 10-night cruise with O today.
   
2. It sails on January 1 2014.
   
3. I choose O's air.
   
4. For whatever reason, I pay in full today as well.
   
5. Can I request my flight schedule today and get it? The answers seems to be yes?
   

Perhaps today or within a few days based on workload at Oceania.

 

 

 

Example 2:

1. I book a 10-night cruise with O today.
   
2. It sails on January 1 2014.
   
3. I choose O's air.
   
4. For whatever reason, I pay in full September 15, 2013.
   
5. Can I request my flight schedule today and get it? The answer is NO because I didn't make full payment.
   
6. Can I request my flight schedule on September 15, 2013, when I paid in full, and get it? The answers seems to be yes?
   

Again, within a few days based on workload.

 

 

 

Example 3:

1. I book a 10-night cruise with O today.
   
2. It sails on January 1 2014.
   
3. I choose O's air.
   
4. For whatever reason, I pay in full today when final payment is due, which is around October 1, 2013.
   
5. Can I request my flight schedule today and get it? The answer is NO because I didn't make full payment.
   
6. Can I request my flight schedule on October 1, 2013, when the final payment is due and I've paid in full, and get it that day? The answer seems to be no, I have to wait until around October 15, 2013 (75 days out)???
   

Believe I answered this below.

 

 

 

 

Good questions and I'll do my best to help. While I don't have a complete knowledge of the internal workings of the air dept., some logic comes to play with the delay between final payments and availability of flight schedules.

 

The following are my thoughts simply based on logic: Final payment is made 90 days out. Takes a few days to be sure the payment clears your checking account or credit card account. At this point Oceania is ready to book your flights. Along with your flights there are probably hundreds of others who just made final payment plus those who are checking on and booking deviations. It takes time to book every one of those deviations and Oceania Air so most probably Oceania is allowing time for this to occur and thus the 15 day delay.

 

Put some responses in blue within your quoted message to comment on your examples. Believe a lot depends on workload so with luck, you may get something back on the day you make final payment but, allow for a delay as you are not the only passenger that Oceania Air has to respond to.

 

Any further thoughts are certainly welcome.

[LHT28]

The part of your post I underlined is the part that is confusing me.

 

Given final payment (which is when the full payment is made) is at 90 days or earlier, then why does a cruiser who opts for Oceania's air wait until 75 days for the itinerary to come out, when you say it's at the time of final payment?

 

Is this some subtle way to encourage deviations? For deviations, the days out don't even matter because you know exactly what your flights are when you accept it and it's just a formality when the tickets are actually issued.

 

The problem here is finding out what the itinerary is, and for those who elect Oceania's air, it seems to be 15 days after final/full payment.

 

 

The best place to get the correct answers is to contact Oceania air dept ..if you used a TA they should be able to get the correct information for you

 

Some people using O air want to upgrade their seats to economy comfort + (different airlines use different names)

so they must be paid in full & then ask to be ticketed early

[JimandStan]

It now seems to me that some of us may be pretending to misunderstand the rules in order to make editorial comments about the Oceania Air Policies; however, I'll try one more time:

 

Once the Passenger has paid for the Cruise in full, they may absolutely obtain their Reserved Air Itinerary immediately, provided that the Airline Schedules are in place.

 

Naturally, those Airline Tickets cannot be used until that Passenger is actually travelling TO THE SHIP, therefore Oceania purchases those reserved tickets at 75 days before the Sailing Date.

 

If the Passenger wants the tickets purchased earlier than 75 days out , then the Deviation Fee kicks in.

:D See, As Simple as pie! :p

[Iceberg 3]

It now seems to me that some of us may be pretending to misunderstand the rules in order to make editorial comments about the Oceania Air Policies; however, I'll try one more time:

 

Once the Passenger has paid for the Cruise in full, they may absolutely obtain their Reserved Air Itinerary immediately, provided that the Airline Schedules are in place.

 

Naturally, those Airline Tickets cannot be used until that Passenger is actually travelling TO THE SHIP, therefore Oceania purchases those reserved tickets at 75 days before the Sailing Date.

 

If the Passenger wants the tickets purchased earlier than 75 days out , then the Deviation Fee kicks in.

 

Didn't work for me. Then again I had a TA in the middle. I was told I couldn't find out O's routing until 75 days out even if I paid in full. I was trying to determine if I should go the deviation path, but wanted to know their proposed routing before making that decision. I gave up, and booked my own flights.

[JimandStan]

Didn't work for me. Then again I had a TA in the middle. I was told I couldn't find out O's routing until 75 days out even if I paid in full. I was trying to determine if I should go the deviation path' date=' but wanted to know their proposed routing before making that decision. I gave up, and booked my own flights.[/quote']

 

With all due respect to your travel agent, I hope that the inference wasn't that the Cruise Line waits until 75 days out to MAKE the reservation :eek:

 

Frankly, the more that I think about it, the more that it seems clear that a new Agent is in order, as yours was not a very good advocate for you.

 

Then again, I'm not very good with being told, "there is no reason for it, it is just our policy".

[funny26]

It now seems to me that some of us may be pretending to misunderstand the rules in order to make editorial comments about the Oceania Air Policies; however, I'll try one more time:

 

Once the Passenger has paid for the Cruise in full, they may absolutely obtain their Reserved Air Itinerary immediately, provided that the Airline Schedules are in place.

 

Naturally, those Airline Tickets cannot be used until that Passenger is actually travelling TO THE SHIP, therefore Oceania purchases those reserved tickets at 75 days before the Sailing Date.

 

If the Passenger wants the tickets purchased earlier than 75 days out , then the Deviation Fee kicks in.

:D See, As Simple as pie! :p

 

So, you are telling everyone that if on final payment day everyone on Marina or Riviera that is using Oceania Air that the Oceania Air people are able to book 1200 round trips (600 bookings based on double occupancy) on that day?? Actually by your use of the word immediately that means that at 9 AM everyone on that cruise can call in and get their itinerary immediately. Sincerely doubt that they have enough people in the Air Department to fulfill your pipe dream!!! Probably within the next few days but, certainly not immediately as you stated except in a few cases!!!

[JimandStan]

Now I see why you call yourself Funny26, because this must be a spoof. :eek:

 

The scenario that I was describing related to making final payment EARLY, in order to gain the advantage of knowing ones' air itinerary far enough in advance that there would still be other options with the Airlines.

[Pearl64]

We are cruising on the Marina departing Barcelona Nov. 10. Originally we were on just on the TA but then booked the cruise before the Transatlantic also when Oceania offered a deal. We paid the deviation in April before we had booked the second cruise. Oceania changed our date for the flight to Barcelona without question. I paid for both cruises in full yesterday. Final payment dates were August 12 and 22 respectively. Today I received my ticketed flights. I was then able to go into the airline's website and upgrade to Economy Comfort and select our seats. My travel agent was great in helping me through the process. Now we had to pay the deviation to do this but we were going to Barcelona early and staying later after the cruise anyways.

 

It was easy peasy. Oceania's flights were good. Our TA told us to search for flights so we could be prepared and knew what the options were. We accepted the first ones offered by Oceania.

 

I cannot say what will happen without the air deviation. I also could not beat Oceania's price.

 

Pearl

[terry&mike]

Travel agent is telling us that Oceania does not book air from our market (Baton Rouge), and that if using O air then we would need to be ticketed from one of their gateways, which for us Houston or Atlanta would be the simplest.

If we go with the deviation, can they then book us from Baton Rouge? Or would they still be booking us from Houston or Atlanta, with us adding in the leg from our home city to their gateway city?

If the answer is the first option, we'll probably go with O air; if the answer is the second option, we'll probably do our own air all the way through, so as to have everything on one ticket booking number.

[LHT28]

Travel agent is telling us that Oceania does not book air from our market (Baton Rouge), and that if using O air then we would need to be ticketed from one of their gateways, which for us Houston or Atlanta would be the simplest.

If we go with the deviation, can they then book us from Baton Rouge? Or would they still be booking us from Houston or Atlanta, with us adding in the leg from our home city to their gateway city?

If the answer is the first option, we'll probably go with O air; if the answer is the second option, we'll probably do our own air all the way through, so as to have everything on one ticket booking number.

I think you can book from BR if you pay the extra fee from an airport other than their gateway

A deviation fee is something different it is if you want to fly in earlier or stay longer in the disembarkation city

 

Just looked & they have added NOLA to the new Gateway cities list

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/documents/promotions/Free-Airfare-Gateways.pdf

 

It may be just for specific sailings so check if your cruise is listed

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/featuredpromotion/

[terry&mike]

Thank you LHT.

We are planning on arriving into Istanbul a few days earlier, and staying on longer after we end in Athens. Our cruise is not on the list of ones allowing the new departure city of New Orleans, but I will check on adding the Baton Rouge leg again and see if I can get a positive answer, and in also using the air deviation for the change in arrival and departure dates.

[LHT28]

Thank you LHT.

We are planning on arriving into Istanbul a few days earlier, and staying on longer after we end in Athens. Our cruise is not on the list of ones allowing the new departure city of New Orleans, but I will check on adding the Baton Rouge leg again and see if I can get a positive answer, and in also using the air deviation for the change in arrival and departure dates.

You may want to do a search for Deviation fee threads here to see how it works

 

Our friends from out west usually have to pay an extra fee from their city for the Oceania air ..I think theirs was $199.pp ..it probably varies by departure city

The other option is to fly yourself to a gateway city & just do the O air from their Gateway

 

Check all the options then decide ...enjoy the cruise

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

Generally speaking, the air credit in the past was more generous and it could pay to do your own air, especially using miles.

Lately the air credit it much less generous and most of the time you cannot beat O's air price. That is often true even if you do a deviation; plus then you have more control over your flight choices and you can arrive early/depart later.

These are just generalizations.

Do a search here on the topic of air deviation - it has been discussed frequently.

[terry&mike]

When I originally booked, and was given a no on the Baton Rouge leg question, I opted for the air credit and decided to use miles for our air, so didn't pay a lot of attention to the deviation information.

Since then, we've decided to use miles for a spring land trip, and now I'm looking in to the deviation option.

I just emailed our travel agent to see about upgrading our cabin, and adding back in the air, plus the deviation so we can arrive and depart early, plus having her re-check on adding the extra leg to/from Baton Rouge. If she can't do the extra leg, I'll book that portion myself, I just prefer it all to be on one confirmation number for simplification in changes, late flights, etc.

Hopefully, all can be accommodated. Thanks for all your input, it's very much appreciated.

[Paulchili]

If she can't do the extra leg, I'll book that portion myself, I just prefer it all to be on one confirmation number for simplification in changes, late flights, etc.

 

Having the same PNR (confirmation number) is more than just a convenience.

With the same PNR, if your flight is late and you miss the connection, the airline is responsible for making changes for you at no cost.

With separate PNRs, you are on your own and the airline owes you nothing if you miss your connection.

They might help you, but they are not obligated to do so.

Of course, you may already know this :)

[terry&mike]

Yes, Paulchili, that's why I'm hesitant to go with O Air if they can't do the leg to my hometown. I don't mind an additional fee for the extra leg, and I don't mind the deviation fee for the early arrival and departure, but I'm not keen on the separate booking of that little extra leg. I'm rechecking with the agent now, but haven't heard back.

Has anyone had experience with this - adding an extra leg to a non-gateway airport through O? If so, were you able to book it as one booking all the way through, or were you told no, that the extra leg was on your own?

I have had a bad experience with a bike trip where Icelandair was the carrier to JFK, and arrived 4 hours late, causing me to miss my connection going home, and working it out on my own; and I've had a few close calls that caused some unwanted stress - so, hoping to avoid all that.

Also, I admit to having some control issues, and usually like to really study and pick my own air.....

[JimandStan]

Yes, Paulchili, that's why I'm hesitant to go with O Air if they can't do the leg to my hometown. I don't mind an additional fee for the extra leg, and I don't mind the deviation fee for the early arrival and departure, but I'm not keen on the separate booking of that little extra leg. I'm rechecking with the agent now, but haven't heard back.

Has anyone had experience with this - adding an extra leg to a non-gateway airport through O? If so, were you able to book it as one booking all the way through, or were you told no, that the extra leg was on your own?

I have had a bad experience with a bike trip where Icelandair was the carrier to JFK, and arrived 4 hours late, causing me to miss my connection going home, and working it out on my own; and I've had a few close calls that caused some unwanted stress - so, hoping to avoid all that.

Also, I admit to having some control issues, and usually like to really study and pick my own air.....

 

 

Opting to travel from a non-Gateway Airport is VERY, VERY Common, and as long as you are paying the Deviation Fee, anyway, Oceania will allow you to choose the flights which suit you best (within the limits of their Airline contracts, of course).

If the flights that you like are significantly more expensive, you may either pay the difference or choose another flight altogether, but since the Deviation Fee's do not kick in until you and Oceania have a meeting of the minds, you will always have a choice.

[terry&mike]

Thanks JandS, and all who weighed in. I have heard back from my travel agent, and the responses were all positive -

I was successful in upgrading our cabin for just a little extra.

O has changed our invoice to departing from New Orleans for an additional $199 per person for this leg; the air department will be able to change this to Baton Rouge at a later date. This will give us one record locator number from our hometown all the way through.

We will customize our air at 270 days out, and pay the deviation fee, allowing us to arrive a few days early and depart later.

This will get us everything we want - a better cabin, flights when we want them, from our hometown, all on one record locator.

I love this site and all of the information it provides. Thanks folks!

[LHT28]

This will get us everything we want - a better cabin, flights when we want them, from our hometown, all on one record locator.

I love this site and all of the information it provides. Thanks folks!

Good news

Do not forget you can ask for specific flights sometimes there may be an upcharge but you can work with O (via your TA) to get something you really want

 

I like this site to look for the flights I want then have my TA present them to O and see if they can make it happen

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

Good luck

 

lyn