Hanoj

I don't foresee O rolling back to cruise only fares. Instead, we will likely see more inventive "sales" if they are unable to fill ships after the new program is implemented. They want to raise fares, but it remains to be seen how price sensitive cruise consumers are presently. I think we are observing some of the "revenge spending's" impact on present sailings across many lines and this will dissipate, especially if service doesn't soon return to pre-shutdown levels. But, then there may be enough customers who have accepted the devolution affecting many industries and will pay simplyMORE for less.

When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's simply(a)MORE!

Oceania is beginning to look simplyMORE like Viking.

I agree.

Any additional information leaks?

Non sequitur. O still serves the tasteless cookies.

I believe brand loyalty is a casualty of the resumption after the shutdowns. Lines are scrambling to fill ships while minimizing costs to deal with debt loads. Those that are able to meet or exceed customer expectations will likely maintain some brand loyalty. However, it seems some lines, Oceania among them, are willing to roll the dice with new marketing campaigns, even if it means losing long term, loyal customers. For those with great flexibility, there will likely be “arbitrage” bargains if willing to use various brands. I suspect there will be leapfrogging going on between lines. This will make cruise booking decisions more difficult for cost conscious consumers. Of course the flip side is brand loyalty will be more, err Simply More in O’s case, expensive for consumers,

I was thinking the Ensure Cocktail: 1 single serving bottle of Ensure, 1 small scoop of ice cream, 1 shot crème de cacao, and 1 shot Kahlua.

More so now than ever before. Which is more likely to fail first, the cruise line or the insurer?

Is Ensure available?

Which these cruises may become after the Simply More alcohol inclusions take effect. Or, perhaps there is a more disturbing motive at play: cost cutting food quality deterioration. Liquor up the pax, like on Viking (from reading alleged comments) and other mass market lines, so they won’t know the difference. I acknowledge this is purely speculation.

Attempt at being funny, in anticipation of the new marketing campaign beginning 7/1. I seem to recall there was considerable discussion about butlers on this recent thread:

Simply More!

Mixing metaphors. Perhaps the Viking Ocean management has become arrogant after great success during its rapid expansion. Growing too fast and becoming distant from its customers. Many were (are) willing to endure difficulties dealing with land based operations since the ship based experiences have consistently met or exceeded expectations. However, there is a significant risk the ship based expereinces may deteriorate due poor management.

While I agree “I don't see any point in getting into details of both incidents, other than noting that their treatment of customers fell well below our expectations, not once, but twice (from OP post #1),” it begs the question of what character the mistreatment took. I, too, have read all the comments. Inferring from these comments combined with my own experiences (both direct and via our TA), I conclude the treatment “well below” expectations was a combination of dismissive, aggressively hostile, condescending and or belligerent. In a word, paternalistic.

You might also check any drafts folder.

Big boy britches?

Curious about what markups the rare wines entail over retail prices. Are they higher than other markups for other ship offerings? More simply less but paying simply more?

I’m relieved this thread has not become a “hot topic.”

Ember and cookies and Germain, oh my!

Come and go as we please from 11am to 9pm would make Ember a more distinctly American dining experience.

I can see a situation where cruise only will be available, but not actively promoted by Oceania (e.g., no mention of it in brochures or on website). Perhaps making it only available through TA’s.

Viking PIF dates may vary depending upon customer residence at booking.

“Patience, young grasshopper.” Oceania hasn’t announced anything yet. They had a webinar with many representatives of their top producing travel agencies and “leaked” some information about their planned changes July 1. The text we have read in this thread with details of the new simply more program are attributed to notes taken by TA’s who attended the webinar. It’s possible that management may tweak its planned changes before they are rolled out.

Viking is continuing its relentless expansion, not so much to grow the industry but to increase their market share by expanding its ocean fleet, much like they did with European river cruises. This requires significant capital investment and Viking has convinced its customers to provide interest free financing by requiring payment in full very far in advance of other lines. This approach is not without its risks, especially if the quality deteriorates - an acute risk if expansion is too rapid. There is some evidence of this, if only anecdotal. By changing its marketing and pricing strategies, Oceania may be able to capitalize on Viking vulnerabilities to attract such customers. One of the increasing complaints about Viking’s on board experience is that their itineraries have become stale. Two weeks ago we booked our first Oceania cruise on Vista in August ‘23. This is for a 12 nights British Isles itinerary. We had a similar (but not quite as interesting) fully paid Viking cruise for May 2020 that was cancelled. Interestingly, the Viking cruise was 14 nights (and still is - they just have the one itinerary that can be done in opposite directions), but two of the nights are in the embarkation and debarkation ports. Very expensive hotel stays called a cruise since it’s on the ship. But, beer and wine with lunch and dinner are included in the fare.