Help Needing Information on contact address in Oceania

[qldtraveller]

Is anyone able to provide a direct e-mail address to sales & marketing or to Frank Del Rio's department so I can send an open letter regarding cruise pricing and the differences in costs beween countries.

 

I have tried the web site in the FAQ section but they just send it onto the Oceania Australia office and the wholesaler and therefore no further action is taken.

 

We have tried a number of avenues but have met with a blank walll or no success

 

Many thanks for any input.

 

Frustrated with Oceania cruisers and their pricing policies or lack of when delaing with non-north american clientele.

[rallydave]

Is anyone able to provide a direct e-mail address to sales & marketing or to Frank Del Rio's department so I can send an open letter regarding cruise pricing and the differences in costs beween countries.

 

I have tried the web site in the FAQ section but they just send it onto the Oceania Australia office and the wholesaler and therefore no further action is taken.

 

We have tried a number of avenues but have met with a blank walll or no success

 

Many thanks for any input.

 

Frustrated with Oceania cruisers and their pricing policies or lack of when delaing with non-north american clientele.

 

Don't have what you want but, do have Frank's direct e-mail and it is FrankDelRio@PrestigeCruiseHoldings.com

Good luck in your endeavor.

[JimandStan]

Is anyone able to provide a direct e-mail address to sales & marketing or to Frank Del Rio's department so I can send an open letter regarding cruise pricing and the differences in costs beween countries.

 

I have tried the web site in the FAQ section but they just send it onto the Oceania Australia office and the wholesaler and therefore no further action is taken.

 

We have tried a number of avenues but have met with a blank walll or no success

 

Many thanks for any input.

 

Frustrated with Oceania cruisers and their pricing policies or lack of when delaing with non-north american clientele.

 

 

The proper contact information is below, so please feel free to "vent to your hearts content".

 

If you are really interested in making a difference, however, I believe that you would be better served to rally your fellow countrymen to your cause (I'm assuming that you are Australian). Frankly speaking, there is little incentive for change if the population that claims to be mistreated continues to book in droves.

 

The present system for passenger bookings is grossly unfair, and one of those bizarre holdovers from the "Australia is a penal colony at the ends of the Earth" days, but Oceania (like almost every other cruise line) is economically tied into that system, and will be until you lot draw a line in the sand.

 

You may or may not be aware of this, but the founders of Oceania have a history of trying to renovate the booking system (vis a vis the use of Travel Agents) and it didn't go well, so the company is unlikely to be the standard bearer for this kind of change again. A mass market line with deeper pockets might be the best place for the thin edge of this wedge.

 

That being said, i think that you are in the right, and wish you every success in your efforts.

 

 

Victor Gonzalez, Executive Vice President of Passenger Services

OCEANIA CRUISES, INC.

8300 NW 33rd Street, Suite 308

Miami, Florida 33122

Local: 305.514.2300

Toll-free: 800.531.5619

[trina2]

[...] regarding cruise pricing and the differences in costs beween countries.[...] Frustrated with Oceania cruisers and their pricing policies or lack of when delaing with non-north american clientele.

I agree - in some cases there can be a huge difference but this applies across the board in all areas of travel (air, bus tours, cruises etc). This is not just applicable to Oceania and in fact, Oceania's hands are tied - it was not long ago when we could book through US websites etc but that has changed - we cannot legally book without a US or Canadian address. Unfortunately this is all somehow tied up by the wholesalers here and so complaining to Oceania probably won't have much affect. Generally speaking, prices come down if more people are booking. (Some travel agents get better deals with wholesalers because they sell more. If you shop around for a TA, you may increase your OBC as well as getting included pre-paid gratuities) That is why countries like the US can get better deals - look at their population compared to ours.

 

[...]If you are really interested in making a difference, however, I believe that you would be better served to rally your fellow countrymen to your cause (I'm assuming that you are Australian).

I'm 100% behind this idea if we are talking bananas [Here, banana prices hit $16/kilo and I refused to buy them - especially since I could get them free :D in the Grand Dining Room every morning for breakfast. Sadly, I haven't had one since but the price has now come down to $4.95/kilo]

Where I (and fellow Oz travellers) cannot get behind this idea is that life is only so long and there are so many places to see - if we wait until the prices are the same, the Oz $ is up, the euro/pound/yen is down, we'd never get a chance to see anything.

 

Frankly speaking, there is little incentive for change if the population that claims to be mistreated continues to book in droves.

Now, if we really want to make a statement, let's ask our US buddies to stand beside us in our fight. With their huge population not booking holidays, they'll have to notice. :p

 

But seriously, this problem lies here and not with Oceania.

[JimandStan]

it was not long ago when we could book through US websites etc but that has changed - we cannot legally book without a US or Canadian address.

 

It is my understanding that Australian passengers were never officially sanctioned to book through United States Agents or websites, but that until the volume of those doing so "hurt" the Australian wholesalers, they didn't force the issue.

[qldtraveller]

To those that provided a response to the issu

 

A great many thanks for the information and details and reasons for this issue. I am well aware it is the Aussie wholesaler who is the problem.

 

However, what I cannot deal with is the reasons provided for various things that are provided to North American Customers and not to other nationalities and not just Australians. I have English and New Zeland friends who have suffered from the same "this is the reason you cannot have what is offered in the USA" excuse.

 

The local wholesaler thinks that everyone just accepts the price that is provided and no-one checks it further.

 

I am just really trying to understand what Oceania says about the their international wholesalers and what they expect from them in providing a product related to Oceania.

 

Again many thanks to all of you and will follow through on this

[qldtraveller]

Hi

 

Many thanks for the additional input and thoughts. It is interesting to note that RSSC(another cruise line within the same group as Oceania), Cunard, Seabourn, Silverseas, Victoria Cruises, and others permit us to book direct with them in the USA and get the deal offered. It just seems that lines like Carnival, HAL, Princess, P&O and similar lines do not.

 

So it seems there is no consistency in the way things operate.

[qldtraveller]

I agree - in some cases there can be a huge difference but this applies across the board in all areas of travel (air, bus tours, cruises etc). This is not just applicable to Oceania and in fact, Oceania's hands are tied - it was not long ago when we could book through US websites etc but that has changed - we cannot legally book without a US or Canadian address. Unfortunately this is all somehow tied up by the wholesalers here and so complaining to Oceania probably won't have much affect. Generally speaking, prices come down if more people are booking. (Some travel agents get better deals with wholesalers because they sell more. If you shop around for a TA, you may increase your OBC as well as getting included pre-paid gratuities) That is why countries like the US can get better deals - look at their population compared to ours.

 

 

I'm 100% behind this idea if we are talking bananas [Here, banana prices hit $16/kilo and I refused to buy them - especially since I could get them free :D in the Grand Dining Room every morning for breakfast. Sadly, I haven't had one since but the price has now come down to $4.95/kilo]

Where I (and fellow Oz travellers) cannot get behind this idea is that life is only so long and there are so many places to see - if we wait until the prices are the same, the Oz $ is up, the euro/pound/yen is down, we'd never get a chance to see anything.

 

 

Now, if we really want to make a statement, let's ask our US buddies to stand beside us in our fight. With their huge population not booking holidays, they'll have to notice. :p

 

But seriously, this problem lies here and not with Oceania.

Hi Just beware we are still proceeding with our vacations. In fact we have 2 cruises booked with Oceania and are looking at a 3rd plus some other trips to other areas that may not involve Oceania. It does not stop us moving on.

 

We book nearly all our travel requirements anywhere in the world thru the Internet except the Oceania Cruises.

 

It is just the inconsistency of the whole thing.

 

We found booking a cruise with Oceania on board whilst on another Oceania cruise gave us the US Price from the US brochure and airfares included if we wanted them etc.

 

They then notified the Australian Wholesaler for Oceania who accepted the cruise costs and inclusions.

 

Different again.

[trina2]

It is my understanding that Australian passengers were never officially sanctioned to book through United States Agents or websites, but that until the volume of those doing so "hurt" the Australian wholesalers, they didn't force the issue.

While maybe not officially sanctioned, it was possible (so I am told - I've always used TAs for things like cruises / coach tours etc - TAs have more clout should problems occur).

I can't imagine there being such a huge volume (the majority would use TAs, I would think) but you could be right. It probably only took 1 person to bypass them to "hurt".

I suppose the most annoying thing about it is getting a proper explanation for why it occurs - wholesalers blame tour operators/cruise lines and vice versa. Every time I could be bothered to ask someone in the industry, I got a different explanation... so I don't bother any more... and am a lot happier!

[trina2]

[...]

However, what I cannot deal with is the reasons provided for various things that are provided to North American Customers and not to other nationalities and not just Australians. I have English and New Zeland friends who have suffered from the same "this is the reason you cannot have what is offered in the USA" excuse.[...]

It wasn't that long ago I was following a thread where English passengers claimed they were offered a huge discount (around 50% it was claimed) that US passengers weren't getting (+ OBC $1000). Apparently cabins needed filling and this was in lieu of Free Air that US passengers receive.

I'm not sure if we were offered same deal at the time - but I know we do get some good offers every now and then.

 

 

[...]I am just really trying to understand what Oceania says about the their international wholesalers and what they expect from them in providing a product related to Oceania.[...]

I did happen to ask Oceania (well, Oceania "Ambassador" on board) since he had to look up on computer what the Australian price for cruise I was interested in was and could not give me quote based on brochure price. His response: "Our hands are tied - you can blame wholesaler", of course.

 

 

Many thanks for the additional input and thoughts. It is interesting to note that RSSC(another cruise line within the same group as Oceania), Cunard, Seabourn, Silverseas, Victoria Cruises, and others permit us to book direct with them in the USA and get the deal offered. It just seems that lines like Carnival, HAL, Princess, P&O and similar lines do not.

 

So it seems there is no consistency in the way things operate.

Seems to be the case - I've just been looking at Silverseas - I can only download a brochure in AUD (website seems to know I live in Aus - but because of this discussion I then checked USA but still got brochure in AUD so cannot compare)

 

 

It is just the inconsistency of the whole thing.

 

We found booking a cruise with Oceania on board whilst on another Oceania cruise gave us the US Price from the US brochure and airfares included if we wanted them etc.

 

They then notified the Australian Wholesaler for Oceania who accepted the cruise costs and inclusions.

 

Different again.

And we found the opposite - couldn't get same price as US (even ignoring the "free air" completely). We were offered slightly higher price but $250 OBC per passenger and pre-paid gratuities (OBC & gratuities equal free air) plus the 5% for booking on board, of course.

Your experience - how long ago was that? (and does the person who sold you US price with airfares still work for them?)

 

Hi Just beware we are still proceeding with our vacations. In fact we have 2 cruises booked with Oceania and are looking at a 3rd plus some other trips to other areas that may not involve Oceania. It does not stop us moving on.

This inconsistency/inequality thing used to really bother me but I don't let it get to me any more - don't want to waste my time with negative thoughts. I'm certainly not going to hold my breath until prices across the world come in line - would probably mean waiting for our population to reach the USA's so that we become a better market.

Like you, "it does not stop us moving on"

[qldtraveller]

It wasn't that long ago I was following a thread where English passengers claimed they were offered a huge discount (around 50% it was claimed) that US passengers weren't getting (+ OBC $1000). Apparently cabins needed filling and this was in lieu of Free Air that US passengers receive.

I'm not sure if we were offered same deal at the time - but I know we do get some good offers every now and then.

 

 

 

I did happen to ask Oceania (well, Oceania "Ambassador" on board) since he had to look up on computer what the Australian price for cruise I was interested in was and could not give me quote based on brochure price. His response: "Our hands are tied - you can blame wholesaler", of course.

 

 

 

Seems to be the case - I've just been looking at Silverseas - I can only download a brochure in AUD (website seems to know I live in Aus - but because of this discussion I then checked USA but still got brochure in AUD so cannot compare)

 

 

 

And we found the opposite - couldn't get same price as US (even ignoring the "free air" completely). We were offered slightly higher price but $250 OBC per passenger and pre-paid gratuities (OBC & gratuities equal free air) plus the 5% for booking on board, of course.

Your experience - how long ago was that? (and does the person who sold you US price with airfares still work for them?)

 

 

This inconsistency/inequality thing used to really bother me but I don't let it get to me any more - don't want to waste my time with negative thoughts. I'm certainly not going to hold my breath until prices across the world come in line - would probably mean waiting for our population to reach the USA's so that we become a better market.

Like you, "it does not stop us moving on"

 

 

Hi

Yes, they still work for the cruise line.

 

It was in March 2011 when we booked on baord. They booked it at US price(we asked for a/fares to be excluded for that cruise) and we paid a deposit on board and the Australian Wholesaler had our invoice forwarded to them at our price. It was also forwarded to our Cruise only TA and they receive the commission.

 

In fact we believe we could cancel a booking on board and re-book the same cruise and obtain the benefits as the cruise we have booked may not have been available when we last cruised.

 

Anyway, not to worry as we continue to look at itineraries, locations, etc. for the next 2 years.

 

Thanks again for your input

[qldtraveller]

Have accessed Silverseas, Carnival and Seabourn and can book direct with USA and get their prices. Vacations to Go allows us. Tried it today. Our responsibility is to get to the USA so we can use US gateways if flights included.

 

Seabourn have just sent me the latest brochure and all prices in it are USD and the e-mail address for booking them.

[LHT28]

Have accessed Silverseas, Carnival and Seabourn and can book direct with USA and get their prices.

Because those lines do not have the restrictions on booking non North American passengers like

Costa Cruises

Cunard

Holland America

MSC Cruises

Oceania Cruises

Princess*

Royal Caribbean

Star Clippers