bob brown

Agreed, but the current method of awarding cruise credits in effect penalises those booking longer than 7 day cruises…

It’s about time that Oceania converts to giving loyalty credits by days sailed, rather than the present plan. Most other lines I believe have done that.

One thing that always annoyed me about the previous list of excursions included with O Life, was that if any were priced higher than the allowed $199. limit, you were charged quite a lot more than just the difference in listed prices to book the higher priced ones. Under the new plan allowance, that should end…

That’s fine, but on the Milestone cruise, you didn’t get that, either…just the cruise only…

One plus of the new plan, that I don’t believe was previously mentioned, but may benefit a miniscule portion of cruisers, is for those embarking on their comped “Milestone” cruise. They should receive the benefits of Simply More, which they would not under the previous O Life option…🙂

I doubt that even with the changes coming, Oceania fares will be a “clone of Regent”. Regent will be priced considerably higher, and offer a higher level product…

Yes and no. No, not added to advertised fares, as other cruise lines do. Yes, they are charged to you, whenever you take your loyalty complimentary “Milestone” cruise. Travel agents know what they are, as they only receive commission on the base fare, not on the port charges and taxes.

One of the most popular facets of Cruise Critic boards in general…😉

Thanks, Jan….I’ll pass it on her when she gets up.🙂 I will be watching closely for Oceania’s announcement. I am not sure I will be pleased to see more inclusives, as it will probably result in higher basic fares. Some dislike “nickel and diming”, but I think of it as “ala carte” pricing, only paying for what you want to have. The current model works just fine for me…

Thanks for the “leaks”, Jan.😁 Just to clarify, like prior “O Life”, Simply More, is still an extra cost option package to “cruise only” basic fare?

The Insignia “Artist’s Loft”, does offer classes on sea days, or sometimes when port arrival is later. Art supplies are furnished. Be sure to sign up early, as space is limited.

Nobody has suggested that, thank you.

We are only in an inside, category ‘G’ cabin, yet our wonderful cabin stewardess provides us with any Bulgari product we want… We have two types of bar soap, plus shampoo, conditioner, and different “flavors” of body lotion, in small, large, even pump containers…😎

Curious about that… if you happened to sell your stock before the cruise, would they become aware of that, and remove the benefit?🤔 Not that I would sell mine, but just curious if they monitor your ownership eligibility. And if they did, it would be nice if they would automatically apply that benefit to all future cruises, without the need to apply each time…🤷‍♂️

I have not ever used the services of a butler on a cruise ship, as I am of the “I’d rather do it myself” personality. In reading various accounts on butler services on different Cruise Critic threads, I can see that for some people, the butler does provide valuable extra services, especially for those in large suites hosting cocktail or dinner parties. But in my view, offering butler service is just a marketing ploy…🤷‍♂️

Nice that Mr. Del Rio responded to the criticism, although his response indicating that you had to pay more to get better tasting cookies doesn’t ring true to me. Maybe comparing Oceania and Regent, but if that is the case, why then did NCL have better cookies then Oceania? Anyway, if the last two days aboard Insignia are what will be the new standard, I am quite satisfied…🙂

Just had some more for dessert, and they were as good as yesterday’s. So good, I even asked for a couple more to take “home” to my cabin.🙂

Not sure, but it sounds to me like Oceania is adopting the marketing model of sister, NCL. Instead of the former optional “O Life” bundle, they will offer what amounts to NCL’s “Free at Sea” bundle. I still believe they will offer “Cruise Only” fares.

I like the tag line of a company that advertised: ”An educated consumer is our greatest asset”🙂

That quote was actually from me, but anyway, I tried reading your link to learn from it, but did not want to register with that site to enable access. I am certainly not a nutrition expert, all I know is, is what my taste tells me, and it tells me that those Kirkland chocolate chunk cookies are vastly superior to what Oceania offers, in general. Having said that, I must disclose that the ones served me at the Insignia Grand Dining Room last evening were greatly improved. I really enjoyed them and made sure to pass along comments to the chef…🙂

Maybe it was that way in the past, but with todays social media, and instant access to information, I don’t think consumers (or most of them) are so easy to “fleece”…🤔

Feel free!🙂

When you are on wifi calling, your phone acts like you are at home, except there is somewhat of a lag, and its easy to “step on” the other persons voice…

Works fine on the Insignia…just be sure to enable it on your phone and with your cell provider before leaving home…very difficult to do after.

Okay, thanks…now it begins to make sense…a “last minute” redesign does sound likely. Hopefully they had time to correct that for the Allura, if not too extensive or costly…