Does O offer Excursions on Transition Days between B2B Cruises?

Our experience is that remaining OBC carried over on B2B to the next cruise. Have been on 13 cruises with O.

Our experience is that remaining OBC carried over on B2B to the next cruise. Have been on 13 cruises with O.

We talked with the O TA hotline today and the answer is "yes" and "no".

Yes - If the OBC is posted as REFUNDABLE, then any excess OBC from the first leg of the B2B will be transferred to the second leg.

No - If the OBC is NONREFUNDABLE, then any excess OBC from the first leg will disappear rather than transfer to the second leg.

That's how it was defined to us today with the operative words being "refundable" and "nonrefundable".

Now it's time to contact our TA to find out if their OBC is refundable or nonrefundable. When we previously asked them this question last year for a totally different reason, we were told it was nonrefundable.

we have always had the non refundable OBC transferred to the 2 nd leg of the B2B

near the end of the 1st segment just ask if the balance will be carried over

unless things have changed in recent months it has always worked this way

we have always had the non refundable OBC transferred to the 2 nd leg of the B2B

near the end of the 1st segment just ask if the balance will be carried over

unless things have changed in recent months it has always worked this way

Maybe the policy has recently changed as I talked with 2 separate O sources who double checked with their higher-ups and they both came back with the same answer.

However, with this knowledge when we negotiated with our TA today the terms of our recent O B2B booking, he gave us PPG and $600 in refundable OBC. He's also going to check on what type of OBC they've issued for our other O 2018 bookings.

The best part of knowing about refundable OBC is that we now don't have to figure out ways to spend it because any residual amount after the cruise will be posted back to our credit card which makes us very happy.

we have always had the non refundable OBC transferred to the 2 nd leg of the B2B

near the end of the 1st segment just ask if the balance will be carried over

unless things have changed in recent months it has always worked this way

Lyn,

I am glad that you (and palakika) remember it that way as I was beginning to doubt myself (as I do more & more these days).

That is how I remember them handling OBC - refundable or not - on B2B cruises. Ditto for outstanding balances.

Ken - FWIW, you can get the refundable OBC back in cash as well if you prefer.

I believe the refundable portion is paid in cash

In any case they send a letter to your cabin a day or so before the end of the cruise telling you when to get the refund from reception .

(we just did this so I know it is current info)

Maybe the policy has recently changed as I talked with 2 separate O sources who double checked with their higher-ups and they both came back with the same answer.

When is your cruise ?

I guess you will find out then & please report back what the new policy is at that time

I haven't taken a B2B in a while but in the past ALL OBC, regardless of refundable or nonrefundable, has transferred to the second cruise if we didn't use it all.

What happens on the ships isn't always what the CSR reps are told, or think.

I hope it does carry over for everyone's sake from one leg to the next on a B2B and this is just a worst case planning scenario. LHT28, we have a Cuba B2B in May 2018 and the Greece B2B in Oct 2018, so I'll let you know how it goes.

For us as I mentioned earlier the knowledge of how refundable and nonrefundable OBC works has been a big eye-opener. Up until our discussion in this thread and with O reps, we just thought OBC was OBC and you had to use it or lose it by the end of the cruise. The problem for us, and I'm sure is the case for some of you if you cruise on O a lot, is the more O cruises we go on, the more OBC we seem to collect from Captains Club perks as well as from NCL SHB and of course our TA.

For example on our Med TA when we turn Silver, we're going to have $1,800 OBC plus PPG and around $1,000 plus PPG for each of the B2Bs we have booked. It will be nice to know we'll get some of that unspent OBC back in our pockets rather than having to spend it all if the OBC we're getting from the TA is refundable. We now know it is on the Greek B2B because we were able to negotiate that option. However, even our TA, who is also learning about all of this, was unsure about the other O cruises we have booked when we talked yesterday and is supposed to find out and let us know if any or all of it is refundable or nonrefundable.

The bottom line is that it's all good. The key is just learning how the game works and once you learn a new rule, how to effectively use that knowledge to improve your position. Fun times!! :D

It would be great if reception folks would credit refundable OBC to credit card. Our experience is that they give you the cash. Once had to carry $600 back from lima. Great to get the $$ though!

I hope it does carry over for everyone's sake from one leg to the next on a B2B and this is just a worst case planning scenario. LHT28, we have a Cuba B2B in May 2018 and the Greece B2B in Oct 2018, so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

For us as I mentioned earlier the knowledge of how refundable and nonrefundable OBC works has been a big eye-opener. Up until our discussion in this thread and with O reps, we just thought OBC was OBC and you had to use it or lose it by the end of the cruise. The problem for us, and I'm sure is the case for some of you if you cruise on O a lot, is the more O cruises we go on, the more OBC we seem to collect from Captains Club perks as well as from NCL SHB and of course our TA.

 

For example on our Med TA when we turn Silver, we're going to have $1,800 OBC plus PPG and around $1,000 plus PPG for each of the B2Bs we have booked. It will be nice to know we'll get some of that unspent OBC back in our pockets rather than having to spend it all if the OBC we're getting from the TA is refundable. We now know it is on the Greek B2B because we were able to negotiate that option. However, even our TA, who is also learning about all of this, was unsure about the other O cruises we have booked when we talked yesterday and is supposed to find out and let us know if any or all of it is refundable or nonrefundable.

 

If your TA is giving you a refundable credit (from their own $$) why not just ask them to send you the money after the cruise then you do not have to worry about getting it onboard

If the OBC is from Oceania via the TA (an incentive to TA) then it will be non refundable

If you cannot sort it out with your TA prior to your cruise I guess you just have to wait & see how it plays out on the ship

This past cruise we took the "cruise only" pricing

We have the Oceania club credit $400 + $250 obc in lieu of PPG + ppg from TA

The O Life OBC was $600 per cabin

There is no way I would have spent $1250. on a 10 day cruise ...I spent all but $4.48 of the $650 obc

& that was a struggle as we drink very little do not do ship's tours .

A friend also gave us a $50 OBC which I got as a cash refund

Bottom line

figure out what works best for you in the long run

JMO

It would be great if reception folks would credit refundable OBC to credit card. Our experience is that they give you the cash. Once had to carry $600 back from lima. Great to get the $$ though!

I think it is done that way because the CC used to purchase the OBC is not the same as your CC number so they issue a cash refund

It may look like money laundering otherwise :D

We did a B2B on Marina in June this year and all our OBC carried from the first cruise to the 2nd cruise regardless of if it was Refundable or Non-refundable. We have done 5 x B2B and always have had the OBC carried over.

Have another B2B in March 2018 so will find out then if any changes.....hope not or the Spa will be busy along with the gift shop. These 2 cruises are on Sirena so shopping is not great compared to Marina & Riviera. Will have $1375 OBC on first leg and $1650 on 2nd leg. Plus our Oceania Club Spa credits. I don't drink and DH occasionally has wine with dinner.

Rhonda

We are on Marina now on a B2B. Were told by reception that the entire account rolls over to the second leg. I will post again if that turns out not to be the case.

We are on Marina now on a B2B. Were told by reception that the entire account rolls over to the second leg. I will post again if that turns out not to be the case.

Please do.

This seems to be the experience of most past O cruisers and just another example of misinformed CSRs

We are on Marina now on a B2B. Were told by reception that the entire account rolls over to the second leg. I will post again if that turns out not to be the case.

Just to be clear so when I go harass the Oceania TA Hotline folks, you are on a B2B, not a GV, with 2 separate booking numbers (a primary and a secondary) and all of the OBC is nonrefundable? In other words, you lose it if you don't spend it all when the cruise is over. I just want to make sure we are comparing apples to apples.

Just to be clear so when I go harass the Oceania TA Hotline folks, you are on a B2B, not a GV, with 2 separate booking numbers (a primary and a secondary) and all of the OBC is nonrefundable? In other words, you lose it if you don't spend it all when the cruise is over. I just want to make sure we are comparing apples to apples.

I just talked with the Oceania TA Hotline again and now they are saying any "complimentary" OBC will carry through to the end of a "Combo" cruise which is their term for a B2B as will all "purchased" OBC. This appears to finally confirm what you all have been saying. Wow! It's like pulling teeth to get a correct answer. It all depends on what the "supervisor" of anyone you talk with knows.

So, thank you everyone for all you've contributed and we now know all about the differences between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. But the lessoned learned for us when negotiating OBC from a TA is to always try to get refundable OBC rather than nonrefundable when at all possible.

But the lessoned learned for us when negotiating OBC from a TA is to always try to get refundable OBC rather than nonrefundable when at all possible.

Refundable OBC from your TA is money out of their pocket. Non-refundable can be from an agency or affiliation promo or a joint promo with the cruise line. Needless to say if your TA can get non-refunable OBC they will do that before reducing their own income. And the amount out of their pocket will be less as it is hard cash vs a virtual currency that must be spent on goods (that only the cruise line benefits from)

Just to be clear so when I go harass the Oceania TA Hotline folks, you are on a B2B, not a GV, with 2 separate booking numbers (a primary and a secondary) and all of the OBC is nonrefundable? In other words, you lose it if you don't spend it all when the cruise is over. I just want to make sure we are comparing apples to apples.

Yes, yes, and yes. All apples.

Yes, yes, and yes. All apples.

Ken,

1 That’s good news.

2 Don’t necessarily believe this. This would not be the first time someone in the home office gave wrong information. Check again. I am pretty sure our accounts on a B2B carried over to the next segment without being closed. As I said before, things might have changed, but.....

3 A car reserved for you for the 1/2 day by Oceania will cost you an arm and two legs - unless you share it with 12 other people :D Just look at prices for private cars on “regular” port days.

If O does not offer a “bus” tour on that day, just arrange the car on your own for a fraction of the cost

Paul, I agree with you on point number 2, as this was our experience this past April. We had booked the TA Miami to Lisbon, then added the Lisbon/Rome. When I questioned O about carrying over left over obc to the second leg, was told NO, so we planned on taking the remaining obc from Reception the day prior to arriving in Lisbon. HOWEVER, when we boarded the Marina we double checked and were told that the obc would be carried forward. Just to be sure, we double checked a few days later and were again told it would be carried forward. And it WAS.

as the saying goes

"sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing"

this analogy applies to some of the Oceania reps at H.O. & those on the ship.

Some passengers know more than the phone reps at H.O

JMO

:evilsmile:

as the saying goes

"sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing"

this analogy applies to some of the Oceania reps at H.O. & those on the ship.

Some passengers know more than the phone reps at H.O

JMO

:evilsmile:

This is one big reason why CC offers such a great service! We have found out so much associated with the every day aspects of cruising through CC we would have otherwise never been able to find out on our own.

Our O PCC called today and gave us an update with regards to a new official O term associated with B2B cruises. This new term, at least to us which defines separate cruises that have been booked back to back under one booking number, is called "Combo Cruise" and will be referred to as such on any applicable confirmation.

If you are on a Combo cruise, all OBC will carry over to the end of that combined cruise (as most of you have noted above). The only reason I'm bringing this up is because she introduced this relatively new term to us which upon checking is referenced on both our Cuba and Greek B2B cruises.

Not sure what the "official" policy was prior to when the new "Combo Cruise" policy went into effect, as noted by our above experienced-based discussions, but it appears this new policy seems to clear up any discrepancies between HQ information being disseminated and what actually takes place onboard.

Just thought I'd pass this along.

Ken,

Your post #21 above seems to indicate that your B2B has 2 booking numbers - one primary and one secondary. If that is the case, would this still be a “Combo cruise”?