titong

That may be but I would double check that. They have always asked me about the MP card specifically to be eligible for the full bonus. After all, that is the name of the website.

Paulchili, thank you for the information. Who do you double check it with? I spoke to a travel agent on the phone number given for that website. He told me that they were a separate travel agency, and that they were contractors for United Airlines. He also stated that his particular office specialized in luxury cruises like Oceania and Crystal. This sure is a lot of work.

Thank you for the information. Maybe I could not find the trees for the forest. Anyway after talking to several people at Chase Sapphire and United the website containing those deals is at http://cruises.united.com/

Hopefully other people won't have to spend several hours and phone calls finding that site. If I am in violation of the terms of agreement on Cruise Critic for posting that site, the moderators are free to delete this post.

Also, I found out that you do not have to use the UA Mileage Card to get those deals, you can use any credit card to get those extra points to include Chase Sapphire. I am glad I am retired, because trying to figure out the best way and best cards to use for points is like a full time job.

Yes, that is the card.

Search for United cruises. Even now I see some cruises that will give you 8 UA miles for $1 spent (not Oceania) - same price & offers as those offered by cruise line itself (minus some potential OBC/refund you may get from your TA).

You have to do the math.

Thank you for the information. Maybe I could not find the trees for the forest. Anyway after talking to several people at Chase Sapphire and United the website containing those deals is at http://cruises.united.com/

Hopefully other people won't have to spend several hours and phone calls finding that site. If I am in violation of the terms of agreement on Cruise Critic for posting that site, the moderators are free to delete this post.

I apologize if I misread his post but I think titong was asking how one could earn bonus points booking a cruise with his United card.

Chuckie, you are absolutely correct. Also, I have read the white booklet, and I don't see where anything about any additional points. In addition, I don't see how any can be any violation of cruise critic policies.

I recently earned 56K UA miles with UA card booking a Princess cruise ($7K X 8 points = 56K UA miles). All I gave up was a couple of hundred $$ of OBC from a TA.

The 56K UA miles were worth to me a lot more than 3 or 4 hundred $$ OBC (1 business class ticket to Europe, to be exact :D).

Disclaimer - they don't always offer 8 points/$ spent, but they did when I booked the cruise.

Paulchilli, I just saw your post. I have both the Chase Sapphire Card, and the UA Mileage Plus Card. The only offer I have seen with the Mileage Plus Card is for two points for each dollar spent on UA purchases, and two free passes for the U/A lounges. As a result I was thinking about cancelling the U/A Mileage Plus Card, and just using the Chase Sapphire Card. This UA Mileage Plus Card is the one that costs $95 per year. Is this the same Card that you have? If so, where are the offers that you are getting at?

I am still learning how to maximize points earning opportunities for cruising. While Sapphire earns 2X the points for travel spending I just learned the United MileagePlus Card can earn much, much more for an expensive cruise that might be worth enough for two first class tickets anywhere.

The pointsguy dot com had a recent post on this strategy

I have to figure if the obc and personal service is worth passing this up.

I too have both the Chase Sapphire Card and the Mileage Plus Card. The Mileage Plus Card that I have is the one that I pay 95 dollars a year for. Is this Mileage Plus Card the same one that you have? The reason I ask is because the only benefit I see in addition to the two free lounge passes I get each year is the two points for money spent on United Airlines purchases. I have never gotten any additional offers of points. Could you please explain about the offers you have received for additional points on that Mileage Plus Card?

Hi Paul

For those of us in the know.

 

How many Seabourn cruises have you been on so far?

Plus 2! Great question!

Don't travel solo on Oceania. Some of the suggestions here are good ... like Trivia, but the 24 days I did solo were mostly awful. It was like Noah's Ark ... everything was two by two. Sitting at a shared table with an empty chair and being ignored was not pleasant. You might say it was just me but I've traveled solo in many other situations and had great experiences.

Leslie, excellent advice. "Don't travel solo on Oceania." You have been warned. Let the buyer beware. Oceania is a couples ship: If you are not a couple or traveling with someone else-Oceania makes it clear that we do not want you. The two groups that Oceania is not interested in having are children and solo travelers.

What you say about Singles may be true (I have no experience with that), but the elaborate style of dining on Crystal where there were some venues in which a sub-waiter was assigned only to me, would be my idea of torture if I were travelling alone.

If you are a solo traveler on Crystal, and you ask for a table of 8, they assign you to a table with 8 persons-almost all or all of the 8 persons are single or solo travelers. What do you mean by "sub-waiter?" I have never heard of that term before. Also, why do you post in such large font? Your font size is irritating.

While I've been "young" and on Oceania before, it was always with my daughter and we were able to find plenty of fun and safe mischief to get into. Especially on those evenings in port when we'd usually end up in these wonderful out of the way places with the ship's entertainers. I'm doing this next trip solo and I'm looking for any tips on where to best socialize in the evenings, find ways not to be the third wheel at dinner (or have to eat in my stateroom every night), and finding small tours to tag along with (I am using the roll call function, here I'm looking more for the advice or experiences of others that have done this solo, especially in the Baltics.

 

Any tips are appreciated, I'm rather an introvert, prefer (actually love) hearing other people's stories rather than talking myself, and a real history buff. Daughter has to make her own way in the world now and there are too many places in the world I want to see so I can't wait until she can afford the time and money to be my traveling companero (companion) again! 😊

Alaala, I have cruised on both Oceania and Crystal as a solo passenger. Never again on Oceania as a solo passenger. Crystal is 1000 percent better as a single or solo passenger. They have tables for eight with mostly solo or single passengers. The coffee bar is a central meeting place on the ship-easy to meet and mingle with persons. Crystal also has much better entertainment and guest speakers. In addition, they make it clear that they cater to and want single passengers. As an example, they offer a low single supplement to those singles who cruise on Crystal. My recommendation: Don't even think about going on Oceania as a solo or single passenger: In my opinion, Oceania management does everything possible to make it clear that they do want you.

Sheehan has no rights. The board has the fiduciary obligation to set the record straight.

Hogwash. He has the right to privacy-just like the rest of us do.

The basis upon which I report is the NCL Holding Leadership team web site located at: http://www.nclhltd.com/leadership-team.cfm

 

They have created five vice president positions, under NCL Holdings, for the following functions for all three brands;

 

Michael Flesch

Executive Vice President, Shipboard Operations

Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

Andrew Stuart

Executive Vice President, International Sales and Charters, Meetings and Incentives

Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

Crane Gladding

Senior Vice President, Passenger Services

Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

John McGirl

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

Colin Murphy

Senior Vice President, Destination and Port Operations

Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

Shipboard Operations, Passenger Services, Human Resources, and Destination and Port Operations seems to sum up all of the passenger interfaces of a cruise line. There is no doubt that NCL Holdings will try to keep the "Brand Identity" of Oceania and Regent separate from the NCL Brand - considering Oceania and Regent are upscale and NCL is more economical - but it is very clear that the officers of Oceania/Prestige Holdings do not have the same control as before. Also, it is not clear that they have any direct control outside of these NCL Holding's vice presidents.

 

The largest model of Cruise line acquisitions is Carnival Corp's acquisition of Costa, Holland America, Princess, AIDA, Seaborn and Cunard. In those cases, Carnival Corp went to great lengths to preserve the brand identities. Of note, Carnival Corp web site (Carnivalcorp.com not Carnival.com) does not indicate any form of shared services.

 

In other mergers of travel providers, such as Northwest's acquisition of TWA and the US Air merger with American West; the inferior brand disappeared entirely in a few years.

 

So you have two models of the extremes of what may happen - only time will tell if any of the impact is seen in the cost or service to the passengers - but it is naive to think that seeing impact is impossible.

 

As a further variable NCL Holdings did an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and is now publicly traded on the NASDAQ as NCLH. The good news is that you can buy stock in the company - 100 shares minimum - and get $250 shipboard credit for a cruise of 14 days or more on NCL, Oceania, or Regent. The bad news is the company now has a financial/legal responsibility to the shareholders of a for profit company. One further detail, NCL Holdings is incorporated in Bermuda.

 

This is probability more detail than needed - but I assure none of it comes from my wild imagination. BTW, I am booked on Insignia and look forward to sailing on her. I have no plans to change my booking strategy but I will keep my eyes open.

Thank you. Very helpful, very well thought out, and well researched. Excellent post.

The harsh truth is that O don't really need singles on board......their occupancy level are already high. Unsold inventory is sometimes sold as a late deals for twin occupancy' date=' and it's sometimes also sold to travel industry staff on a space available basis, which means they are still getting two in a stateroom, protecting on board revenue (bar/tours etc), albeit at a lower fare. They will have done the sums.....[/quote']

 

I agree with you that Oceania does not need single persons on board. It is also obvious that they do not want singles on board. Thus, why would a single person or persons even want to cruise on Oceania-when one can go on Crystal or Silverseas as stated above at anywhere from a 10 percent supplement to a 25 percent single supplement? I took one Oceania cruise with my wife, and the only thing I liked about it was the food in the specialty restaurants and the buffet in the evening. However, the food is also excellent on both Crystal and Siverseas. I am not a masochist. Thus, if I traveled solo, I would never go on Oceania-and as a couple my wife and I both prefer Crystal or Silverseas-much better entertainment, guest lecturers, easier to meet and talk to other persons on board, and better coffee bistro.. Oceania-no way -certainly no way without a single supplement. But hey, to each his own.

In my humble opinion Oceania is awful for singles. They make it clear (in my estimation) that they do not want singles. On the other hand, Crystal clearly welcomes them. Their single supplement is usually around 25 percent or in cruise parlance 125 percent. In addition to that it is much easier to meet people on Crystal than it is on Oceania. For example the coffee Bistro on Crystal is set up as a meeting place and chatting place on Crystal. It has lots of delicacies all day long-unlike Oceania's Rivera which is set off somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and seems to have mostly croissants and a few finger type sandwiches. Also if you ask for a table for eight on Crystal, they usually seat you with other singles. Therefore, if you want to meet other people, it is easier to meet them. If you are single and mostly alone or married and only want to chat with your spouse and no one else Oceania is probably okay. This is based on my one cruise on Oceania Rivera. Also, if money is no option-and you are willing to have no single supplement. If you are single and want a deeper and more meaningful cruise-I strongly recommend Crystal. You should also check out the Crystal forum on Cruise Critic. I wish you the best of luck in choosing your next cruise. Obviously, my preference is Crystal. Happy cruising on whatever cruise you select. :)

Oh yes, another issue with posting experiences in order to understand the Air Deviation process is that some of what is written will be so self aggrandizing that it will be impossible to decipher any usable information at all....:rolleyes:

Wow, "self aggrandizing." As the saying goes: "pot meet kettle."

If we go into this right off the bat thinking of reasons why it won't work, of course it's going to fail. It will only work if the people here want it to work.

 

If we think about reasons why it will work, possibly something useful might emerge, who knows? Personally, I would find the information interesting, and maybe, just maybe, useful. We'll see.

I agree. Also, nothing ventured nothing gained!

An important distinction. Thanks for letting me know.

 

That means if I book a cruise a year in advance, I am covered no matter what happens before final payment as long as I had no pre-existing conditions or medical events in the 60 day look-back before deposit. Of course, one can cancel before final payment without penalty; but having that period at the beginning rather than immediately prior to final payment, eliminates vulnerability to last minute problems. That is a good thing because I can control when I make a deposit but not when final payment is due.

 

Most travel policies require purchase at time of deposit. I guess I thought the Chase policy would be different because it is open-ended, so to speak, and the language in the benefits booklet does not make it clear.

 

The important thing is to know ahead of time how it works, and I was making an incorrect assumption. Thanks again for getting the real answer.

You are welcome. I am glad that the issue of the 60 day look back is now hopefully cleared up.

The way I understand it is that if you have a medical issue in the sixty days prior that requires you to cancel after final payment, then you don't have coverage.

 

Suppose you had some symptoms within that 60 period before final payment that were significant enough for you to consult a doctor. The doctor identifies a problem that bears watching but does not prohibit you from traveling; then, after final payment, the condition develops into something that causes you to cancel. At that point you would not have any coverage under the Chase card because the initial treatment occurred in that 60 day look-back period.

 

The same thing could happen if you had an accident. Perhaps an injury appears to heal properly, but complications appear after you've made final payment. Even healthy people are subject to accidents.

 

The only way to avoid being caught like that is to cancel without penalty before final payment or to purchase a comprehensive policy that will cover pre-existing conditions at final payment. The only requirement there is that you were clear to travel at the time you purchased the policy.

 

Sure, it is an outside chance that something would happen in a short window of time, but in my mind, that is what I buy insurance for - to guard against the unforeseen.

Babr, I just contacted Chase, and the Chase representative put me on hold. She then came back quickly with the answer to my question. She told me that the 60 day pre-existing clause for the cruise cancellation applies to the INITIAL payment or deposit-not the final payment. Thus, it appears that if you want to be on the safe side, it is best not to go see any doctors or go to any hospital-unless it is an emergency prior to 60 days of making the INITIAL deposit or payment-not the final payment.

Titong, could you let me know who your supplement health policy is through, since I know of no medicare supplement that does not limit coverage outside the US to $50,000. Thanks

I just sent you a private message per your e-mail with the details you asked for.

FYI: CSA Custom Luxe provides a pre-existing condition waiver if the policy is purchased prior to or within 24 hours of final trip payment.

Ohmark, thank you for your reply. However, for my purpose, the price is outrageous. I am 72 years old and for a coverage of $2900, it would cost me $354. I have Medicare and an excellent supplemental health insurance policy that includes all overseas or cruise related medical costs. It also includes all co-payments and deductibles. I don't care about lost baggage coverage, medical coverage which I already have, concierge services, and the many other items CSA includes. Thus for me, the United Airlines credit card and or Sapphire Preferred card cover exactly what I want ie., cruise costs in the event of illness. Again, thank you for your reply.

I think you are correct. If there is no medical event in the 60 days, you meet the definition since medication for a stable condition does not count.

 

There is a catch in some policies that says even a medication change in that period nullifies coverage because the condition is not stable. So you are probably right that any doctor visit in that 60 day period before final payment would be scrutinized.

Babr, thank you very much. That is very good information.

Assume that I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred and/or the United Mileage Plus Card. On March 11, 2014, I had to have cardiac bypass surgery. I am now doing fine-thank goodness. I made the final payment on an upcoming cruise on May 20, 2014. The cruises leaves Sept. 20, 2014. The way I am reading or interpreting the posts is that since it is more than 60 days between the time I had the surgery and the time I made the final payment, I should be reimbursed for this cruise by my credit card in the unlikely event, I have to cancel. Am I correct in making this assumption? Also, if you are using the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the United Mileage Plus credit card for the cruise cancellation provisions-would you be wise to not go see a doctor or hospital-unless it is a medical emergency within the 60 days prior to making your final payment?

Great advice. I'd add that I wouldn't rely on verbal assurances, but would request an email confirming the advice given or reference to a link that confirms the info. Having enjoyed the substantial benefits of a successful trip insurance claim last year, I would not want to be left high and dry.

Excellent advice about requesting an email or reference to a link to confirm information given over the phone.

I notice that the United Airlines mileage plus credit card excludes pre-existing conditions from their cruise cancellation coverage. Do you happen to know if the Chase Sapphire card also excludes pre-existing conditions from their cruise cancellation coverage?

Oops, I just looked online at the benefits of the Chase Sapphire card and I see that it too does not cover pre-existing conditions.

Does anyone know of a credit card that does cover pre-existing conditions?

I had to cancel a cruise and claim a refund with my Sapphire card, which is essentially the same card, I believe (i.e. Chase Visa). AFAIK they both use the same insurance company - ?Chubb.

Had no problem - received full amount claimed.

I notice that the United Airlines mileage plus credit card excludes pre-existing conditions from their cruise cancellation coverage. Do you happen to know if the Chase Sapphire card also excludes pre-existing conditions from their cruise cancellation coverage?