Military Onboard Credit / Included Airfare

Hello!

I'm a newbie here so please bear with me until I get the hang of it all here! Am taking my first Oceana cruise aboard the Marina on Dec. 1 for their Southernmost Wonders cruise. I've cruised numerous times on Cunard, so have their idiosyncrasies down, and am wondering what tips you might be able to offer regarding Oceania.

I'm particularly interested to know if they offer onboard credit for military service.

Also, airfare was included in the package and I wondered how your experience has been with the itinerary you get. Also, are there options to upgrade your flight? If so, is it a good value for the cost?

Thanks so much.

Welcome to cruise critic.

There is no on board credit for military service.

Air credit varies for every cruise. Most of us have been satisfied, although many of us make our own arrangements. If you want to not arrive day of cruise and leave later than day of arrival you must request a deviation-there is a cost for this.

There is an area called "Roll Calls" this is by ship and voyage, where you can connect with others on your voyage.

I am a vet... no credit or even a get-together. The ship is very low key unlike others.

You can pick your flights for $150pp otherwise they pick for you.

You can also purchase business or first class up grades for the difference between what the companys contract fare is and what the airline is selling the F or B seat regular fare. Figure several thousand $$$ pp

On some trips to Europe they offer a special one way business fare, on an airline and schedule they pick...... this is the exception. The business seat will be only for foreign travel. Flying SEA to So America, the domestic portion will be coach then from Houston or Miami to South America will be coach. I have never seen a business upgrade to So America. offered as a special.

My suggestion is take the air fare credit and use your CC miles id you want

Dan, I would like to report one significant experience for vets that I had on O. As our ship (the Nautica) approached Vietnam there was a non-hosted meeting for vets in Horizons. We each related something about our service. We were really spellbound as one participant told of his 6 1/2 years captivity there. This was not his first visit back and he was reconcilled to it all. A very memorable meeting.

In short, one can approach O and request a non-hosted event to be listed in Currents.

Dan, I would like to report one significant experience for vets that I had on O. As our ship (the Nautica) approached Vietnam there was a non-hosted meeting for vets in Horizons. We each related something about our service. We were really spellbound as one participant told of his 6 1/2 years captivity there. This was not his first visit back and he was reconcilled to it all. A very memorable meeting.

 

In short, one can approach O and request a non-hosted event to be listed in Currents.

We had a similar experience on our cruise that included Vietnam. I had to "drag" my husband -- he had two tours there and was not particularly anxious to return. On every sea day there were veterans get togethers and my husband thoroughly enjoyed them. For some strange reason almost every veteran on board was a pilot (as was my husband) (probably because the infantry guys saw all the horrors and would never return). One of the vets had been a POW and roommate of John McCain and told some amazing stories. It was quite a cruise. My husband loved the trip after all -- and was astounded how all the bicycles turned into scooters. We went back to some of the places he had been during the war (China Beach, Da Nang, Marble Mountain) and he thoroughly enjoyed talking with our guides, many of whose fathers (or grandfathers) also fought in the war.

I am a vet... no credit or even a get-together. The ship is very low key unlike others.

 

You can pick your flights for $150pp otherwise they pick for you.

 

You can also purchase business or first class up grades for the difference between what the companys contract fare is and what the airline is selling the F or B seat regular fare. Figure several thousand $$$ pp

 

On some trips to Europe they offer a special one way business fare, on an airline and schedule they pick...... this is the exception. The business seat will be only for foreign travel. Flying SEA to So America, the domestic portion will be coach then from Houston or Miami to South America will be coach. I have never seen a business upgrade to So America. offered as a special.

 

My suggestion is take the air fare credit and use your CC miles id you want

Small correction: air deviation is $175 pp.

Thanks Hawaiidan! Will hope whatever Oceania books for me isn't too bad. I suppose there's no way a flight of 16 hours is going to be "good" no matter what! I don't even like being cooped up in a car for 3 hours so it should be very interesting!

Thanks Hawaiidan! Will hope whatever Oceania books for me isn't too bad. I suppose there's no way a flight of 16 hours is going to be "good" no matter what! I don't even like being cooped up in a car for 3 hours so it should be very interesting!

I would try to fly in a day or more before the cruise

You can pay the deviation fee ($175 pp) then choose your routing well worth the $ to know your flights & routing well in advance JMO

We had a similar experience on our cruise that included Vietnam. I had to "drag" my husband -- he had two tours there and was not particularly anxious to return. On every sea day there were veterans get togethers and my husband thoroughly enjoyed them. For some strange reason almost every veteran on board was a pilot (as was my husband) (probably because the infantry guys saw all the horrors and would never return). One of the vets had been a POW and roommate of John McCain and told some amazing stories. It was quite a cruise. My husband loved the trip after all -- and was astounded how all the bicycles turned into scooters. We went back to some of the places he had been during the war (China Beach, Da Nang, Marble Mountain) and he thoroughly enjoyed talking with our guides, many of whose fathers (or grandfathers) also fought in the war.

Sounds like a wonderful experience for all those who were there. I'm glad to hear about it. Thank you for sharing. My husband is also a vet and pilot.

Thanks Hawaiidan! Will hope whatever Oceania books for me isn't too bad. I suppose there's no way a flight of 16 hours is going to be "good" no matter what! I don't even like being cooped up in a car for 3 hours so it should be very interesting!

While I appreciate the nam vets specific interaction, it is and had been my experience that is decidedly not the norm for any other area of the world. Normandy, Okinawa, Sicily. etc Many of the staff and cruise directors are clueless as to past military history and some hostile to the suggestion and deeply into revisionist history.. Sad but reality

Not sure where you are flying from or too but it it is a 16 hour one way trip I would totally skip Oceania's air program in favor of Milage Plus UAL

16 hours on the Hawaiidan scale of travel necessity indicates minimum business class in a lie flat.

Take the credit for air they give you, and don't spend the $175pp just to be independent and in business class. I recently took a UAL from Buenos Aires and it was a 767-400 with great lie flat seats.

Check too with special fares....I and others have seen business class rt fares to So America cheaper than coach.... strange but true. Book direct with a airline and ship a travel agent in cases of air fare they don't have the clout as before

I will assume your going to fly to Lima or Santiago.

What you can do there is use low saver miles ( domestic 35,000) to Lima. Then buy a cheap rt coach to Santiago on LAN for like $350 rt. ( one way is $750+) and throw away the return.

Ual does a great flight from IAH to LIM for domestic First miles.... If you do it You can get a RT SEA-IAH-LIM and return BUE-IAH-SEA for about 85,000 miles....chump change

For departures from Valpariso, I recommend staying at the Marriott Santiago and taking a shuttle 2 hrs. Valpariso is a deshevled port of a hodge-podge of colorful shacks....quaint but.......

Good Luck brother.....

I'm sorry to disagree about VN. I was there as a pilot (FAC) in '65-'66.

On my last cruise with a visit to Saigon & the Tunnel excursion - it was very unsettling. Our guide was constantly bragging about VN heroes who had killed many Americans. Also how successful the booby traps were with the poisoned bamboo stakes that made Americans suffer.

There was no mention of South VN. Only of America attacking VN.

Needless to say there was no tipping from me, but I did comment to him being full of propaganda.

I'm sorry to disagree about VN. I was there as a pilot (FAC) in '65-'66.

 

On my last cruise with a visit to Saigon & the Tunnel excursion - it was very unsettling. Our guide was constantly bragging about VN heroes who had killed many Americans. Also how successful the booby traps were with the poisoned bamboo stakes that made Americans suffer.

 

There was no mention of South VN. Only of America attacking VN.

 

Needless to say there was no tipping from me, but I did comment to him being full of propaganda.

We had the opposite experience with our guides. Very grateful for my husband's service.

Deleted

I'm sorry to disagree about VN. I was there as a pilot (FAC) in '65-'66.

 

On my last cruise with a visit to Saigon & the Tunnel excursion - it was very unsettling. Our guide was constantly bragging about VN heroes who had killed many Americans. Also how successful the booby traps were with the poisoned bamboo stakes that made Americans suffer.

 

There was no mention of South VN. Only of America attacking VN.

 

Needless to say there was no tipping from me, but I did comment to him being full of propaganda.

Our experience with the Vietnamese tour guides was that they were very patriotic but sensitive. I hesitated to visit until two years ago and my sense is that the majority of the citizens are focused on moving forward. Sounds like you got one of the bitter ones who should not have been a tour guide.

When we were there we had nothing but positive experiences.

All our guides made it clear they had despised the US Government but never the American People. Yes there were exhibits we found slightly offensive but imagine the Brits feel the same way about Independence Hall, etc.

If you read a good history of Viet Nam before you go, you will understand their attitude based on their long history and especially what the French did

.

We were in Viet Nam twice (2008 and 2011). Our guides were extremely sensitive to us as Americans. There was one museum we went into that upset many of us and we left. But that was all. They are very quick to tell you how Uncle Ho liberated Viet Nam, but never once did they say anything about how they won the war! We traveled the second time with our friend who was a trauma surgeon there. His memories were a lot different than some others who were traveling with us. Having spent a total of 7 days in Viet Nam, I can say that we had an excellent experience with truly wonderful guides, some of whom weren't even born until way after the war was over. And we would not hesitate to go back again if the moment presented itself. I think perhaps it depends upon the agency you are using and how they view Americans. Arlene

We were in Vietnam winter of 2013. On our private tour to Hue, we were 4 couples. One Canadian (us) and 3 Americans, all who had served in VN during the war. What a fascinating day we had as they talked about their memories. One of our best touring days ever.

We also did the tunnel tour. Our guide was excellent. No bitterness or recriminations. Top notch. I was really glad we did that tour in particular as it gave me an appreciation for what the soldiers endured in the jungle. Not just with the fighting, but the heat, the gear they carried and the conditions under which they fought.

We had some extra time and he took us for banh mi sandwiches which were delicious!

We very much enjoyed Vietnam and would like to return someday on a land tour.

Mo

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Hello!

 

I'm a newbie here so please bear with me until I get the hang of it all here! Am taking my first Oceana cruise aboard the Marina on Dec. 1 for their Southernmost Wonders cruise. I've cruised numerous times on Cunard' date=' so have their idiosyncrasies down, and am wondering what tips you might be able to offer regarding Oceania.

 

I'm particularly interested to know if they offer onboard credit for military service.

 

Also, airfare was included in the package and I wondered how your experience has been with the itinerary you get. Also, are there options to upgrade your flight? If so, is it a good value for the cost?

 

Thanks so much.[/quote']

 

I also inquired since someone on another thread said Oceania was offering a discount on certain cruises. This is Oceania's response:'

 

Good evening,

Thanks for your inquiry. To answer your question, Oceania Cruises does not offer military discounts on any of our sailings. Any other inquiries please don’t hesitate to call us at 1800 531 5658.

I also inquired since someone on another thread said Oceania was offering a discount on certain cruises. This is Oceania's response:'

 

Good evening,

Thanks for your inquiry. To answer your question, Oceania Cruises does not offer military discounts on any of our sailings. Any other inquiries please don’t hesitate to call us at 1800 531 5658.

I know the person who posted -- we are both military.

The military discounts to which the poster was referring are being offer on a popular discount booking site which has a category for "military discounts." His point was really that Regent and Oceania are now included in the offerings -- sailings are limited -- where they were not in the past. Our TA investigated after we saw the post to which you refer -- and confirmed that the military discounts are not from Oceania directly.

as my husband is a Veteran. I was told that only on cruises where they can not sell out and no promise of any particular suite.

These discounts are not for "veterans." They are for "retired military." In other words, you need 20 years of service to qualify and retirement (collecting a military pension). Just clarifying for those who may not be familiar with the policy.

Cabins are limited as are available sailings.

These discounts are not for "veterans." They are for "retired military." In other words, you need 20 years of service to qualify and retirement (collecting a military pension). Just clarifying for those who may not be familiar with the policy.

 

Cabins are limited as are available sailings.

See below for a cut and paste from the website I cannot identify which shows the exact applicability of the discounts:

Oceania Cruises offers military discounts on select sailings to active or reserve personnel currently serving in the Canadian Forces, United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard, Navy or Marines, as well as U.S. Armed Forces Personnel in the following branches; Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency (excluding Homeland Security), Secret Service, NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Johnson Space Center, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Cadets who are currently enrolled in a military academy with a scheduled entry date into the military. Retired personnel from any of these divisions are also eligible. "Retired" is defined as A) enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service, B) medically retired, or C) 100% disabled. Veterans with an honorable discharge serving a minimum of 2 years, or who served in an active war zone, in any of the United States service divisions listed above are eligible, as are all Veterans Advantage members. Finally, spouses of actively deployed, or deceased military personnel, are eligible to book one stateroom as long as the eligible spouse is occupying the stateroom. Qualifying guests must present the proper military ID and a driver's license or passport at the time of booking.

As you can see, many more people are eligible than only those drawing a military pension.

See below for a cut and paste from the website I cannot identify which shows the exact applicability of the discounts:

 

Oceania Cruises offers military discounts on select sailings to active or reserve personnel currently serving in the Canadian Forces, United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard, Navy or Marines, as well as U.S. Armed Forces Personnel in the following branches; Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency (excluding Homeland Security), Secret Service, NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Johnson Space Center, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Cadets who are currently enrolled in a military academy with a scheduled entry date into the military. Retired personnel from any of these divisions are also eligible. "Retired" is defined as A) enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service, B) medically retired, or C) 100% disabled. Veterans with an honorable discharge serving a minimum of 2 years, or who served in an active war zone, in any of the United States service divisions listed above are eligible, as are all Veterans Advantage members. Finally, spouses of actively deployed, or deceased military personnel, are eligible to book one stateroom as long as the eligible spouse is occupying the stateroom. Qualifying guests must present the proper military ID and a driver's license or passport at the time of booking.

 

As you can see, many more people are eligible than only those drawing a military pension.

Agree. Just thought the reference to "veterans" might be misleading to some. Just having "served" is not enough. Actually -- each cruise line's requirements are different (referring to the site we cannot mention).