Benefits of booking onboard

We've booked our first O cruise and from what I've read so far, it sounds like it won't be our last O cruise. So here's my question... On other cruise lines, if you book your next cruise while on board your current one, you can hold a room for a $100 deposit for either a specific cruise or one TBD. Does Oceania have that option?

If I remember correctly, 50% deposit, $100 on board credit, $250 credit towards your next cruise, and quite often prepaid gratuities. The first two I know I am correct on but the next two, not quite as positive.

The 50% deposit, $100 OBC only applies if you also book on board not just purchase a future cruise certificate, or whatever it is called and IF they still sell those. We have not inquired recently.

As for the rest of the offer, it varies.

In the old days it was simple: $200 or 5% whichever was less. No gimmicky, IMO, reduced deposits or OBC.

Now they send to your cabin so many printed offers of pages of dollars off this and that, but no actual prices. So without online research or spending time to review with the onboard sales rep, err, Ambassador you cannot determine what they are actually selling. Waste of vacation time for me.

I *believe* the offers are the same as one could get from the comfort of their own home excepting the possible OBC and reduced deposit. Perhaps I am wrong and have missed some great deals but too convoluted a process for me.

I don't want to spend vacation time waiting to speak with a sales rep to get actual prices for the possible $100 obc. Perhaps I have misunderstood what they are promoting. It does give them the flexibility of changing deals on the fly depending on current bookings. The point of their on board promotion is here is a deal and here is another but then try to not say what the deal is. They have soooo many $X off this 'brochure' price or that it has no meaning.

In fact last time, for the first time, we did not book a cruise on board

From what you describe, it doesn't sound like there is much incentive to book onboard as a 50% deposit is not a savings and the $100 OBC can also probably be found online.

I disagree

It is ALWAYS better to book on board

Your TA will always be able to get you a better deal after you transfer the booking than he or she can get if you did not book on board.

The 100 OBC is for the cruise you are on at the time (they have been offering this for a while -- no idea if it will continue).

I always have a "future cruise" on board booking in my pocket and I apply to an itinerary as soon as I find one I want.

My experience is that on board booking is better than the offers I see after returning. Besides the earlier you book the greater chance to get a cabin/suite that you want.

I agree on board booking used to be a better program with bigger savings.

I don't anticipate booking on board during my next cruise, but then...

Booking on board always has benefits - including 50% deposits and the $100 OBC (they have been giving the $100 OBC for 2 years - since the reduced the 5% past savings). You also get a savings depending on cruise, length, and category.

You can book a "placeholder cruise" as you can change it one time while maintaining the discounts and the OBC.

Or you can purchase a $1500 Future Cruise credit that gets you the same savings. Amount of savings does vary depending on cruise and cabin type. For a PH on an "R" class it amounts to around 4%. These are good for two years and are refundable any time during the period.

I agree on board booking used to be a better program with bigger savings.

 

I don't anticipate booking on board during my next cruise, but then...

That's no excuse

So just to be clear, are they actually offering better prices while on board than the lowest we find now in their flood of brochures o sends us, with discounts (price, air included, etc), O website, on-line, or is the only benefit supposed to be a reduced deposit & small obc? I keep track of fares offered for cruises I'm interested in, so could readily see if a fare offered was a true savings, but like you, I don't want to spend an hour with a sales rep to find I won't really save anything by doing so. I have cruised many times with many lines, & never booked on board, but have sometimes wondered if they had a bag of goodies I should check out.

If you have a cruise in mind, print out the details before you leave home and plan to book on board. Then you can easily (and quickly) determine any additional savings. We always get on the ship with an idea of where we want to go next!

We have found booking on board gets you the best deal. If, for some reason, the price goes down (which it did on an Alaskan cruise for us a couple of years ago), your travel agent can renegotiate for the lower price and/or additional amenities that may have been added.

We just booked, for the first time ever, a future cruise on board. We already had an idea of where and when we wanted to go, so just for "fun" we went along to the cruise consultant to price it up as we really didn't understand all the pricing structure.

So she gave us the pricing, then we went off and I did a simple exercise of how it would come out if I booked it online and then phoned our TA and asked her if we should go ahead. She said yes, we would save booking on board and we would also get further bits and pieces from the TA once the booking was passed to them. I was concerned this might not happen.

So from memory, we are saving a good bit from making this booking - it will depend on which cruise you book, level of stateroom etc., but if you decide to cancel then all you will lose is the $100 OBC they give you for your current cruise from the deposit paid, the rest will be refunded in full. That is if you cancel outwith the 180 days, if less than that you go into the cancellation charge policies.

Your OBC for the future cruise varies also with the level of stateroom you book and further amenities vary also as some cruises offer free internet, or pre-paid gratuities whilst others do not.

We have actually booked a cruise that we want to take, but should the need arise, we have a few months before we have to make a final decision, that is reach the 180 days limit, but we are happy because we have the exact stateroom we want on that cruise.:D

Also, if you book a suite - Oceania, Vista or Owners - your deposit will be 10% of the total cruise fare, not the $250 pp promoted.

It's all about reading the small print and to be honest once you get your head around it, it's quote simple really - way too simple, especially in the glow of enjoying your current cruise!! LOL! ;):D

Best offer is not always on board a current cruise. For example, we made our July 2015 reservations back in April 2014 when the summer 2015 cruise schedule first broke. I checked on board offers during our August 2014 cruise and the total offer was not as good. April 2014 offered 50% deposit as well as free prepaid gratuities for our 2015 cruise- the FPP gratuity perk ended May 2014. (plus you don't get the full choice of staterooms that you have when the cruises are first announced).

Also, in March of 2014, Oceania sweetened the offers for 2014 Baltic cruises with the addition of $300 on board credits, free prepaid gratuities, and $99 upgrade to premium economy in addition to free unlimited internet offered in Dec. 2013. Then they later came out with free excursions in St. Petersburg (which we didn't use as we had private tours).

If you look at the latest offers coming out from Oceania for the winter 2014, spring 2015 season, you will find additional or increased perks being offered on quite a few cruises.

So....my point is, you have to research from the time the cruises are announced to the time of final payment to make sure you get the best of all offers.

That's so right Arima22 and why we have been so reluctant to book before whilst on board.

But the cruise consultant assured us that we could amend our booking to another cruise without any charge, one time only, or cancel whilst out with the cancellation policy dates, without losing anything other than the $100 current cruise OBC from the deposit paid. She also said they would amend the cruise amenities if a better deal was offered in the future, but in that case you would cancel and then re-book, but this would also run the risk of not getting the stateroom you specifically wanted and you would lose any amenities which came with the cruise you booked on board. So then you would have to weigh it all up - again! (Amenities being OBC, free internet, pre-paid gratuities etc.)

Being a Scot, I do like to get the best deal! ;):D.

But for this particular booking, it is for a "big birthday", so we booked the cruise we wanted, the suite we wanted and are very happy with that, and hopefully will be even happier after I've spoken with our TA tomorrow! :D.

One thing that must be remembered is that some of the cruise destinations are very popular and book up quickly. This is especially the case if you want even Concierge and up. For the cruises I want, I book them as soon as they become available from Oceania. Waiting can yield regrets.

Perfect example is O's single cruise to Australia and New Zealand. If you wait to board that trip until your next cruise, don't expect to get on the ship! Many of the cruises just book up to fast to wait on maybe saving a couple hundred dollars by booking on board. If one wants to do one of the Baltic cruises in mid summer, when the weather is better, you'd better book early. If you don't care and are willing to risk crappy weather in Sept, you can probably book whenever you want.

Then there is the air portion. If one just takes whatever economy flights and seats that O gives them, it doesn't matter, but screwing around and waiting to book on board, can easily significantly reduce your options for airtravel, especially in P.E. O is not the only tour company flying people around the globe.

Best offer is not always on board a current cruise. For example, we made our July 2015 reservations back in April 2014 when the summer 2015 cruise schedule first broke. I checked on board offers during our August 2014 cruise and the total offer was not as good. April 2014 offered 50% deposit as well as free prepaid gratuities for our 2015 cruise- the FPP gratuity perk ended May 2014. (plus you don't get the full choice of staterooms that you have when the cruises are first announced).

 

Also, in March of 2014, Oceania sweetened the offers for 2014 Baltic cruises with the addition of $300 on board credits, free prepaid gratuities, and $99 upgrade to premium economy in addition to free unlimited internet offered in Dec. 2013. Then they later came out with free excursions in St. Petersburg (which we didn't use as we had private tours).

 

If you look at the latest offers coming out from Oceania for the winter 2014, spring 2015 season, you will find additional or increased perks being offered on quite a few cruises.

 

So....my point is, you have to research from the time the cruises are announced to the time of final payment to make sure you get the best of all offers.

That is not our experience. We have two cruises coming up both of which we booked on board. The on board benefits included price reductions on the two cruises plus a $100 credit toward the cruise we were on. One of these cruises is coming up in a few weeks. For that cruise Oceania and my TA have special offers including free internet, included gratuities and $500 per cabin cruise credit. ALL are in addition to the on board booking benefits. In our experience you do not lose anything if you accept on board benefits…they are in addition to whatever offers are out there. There may be some exceptions, but I do not know of any.