Shore Excursions - Book, Cancel, & Rebook

[deadzone1003]

Hi,

 

We are booked for the Regatta on 1/6/14. Because of abnormal amount of OBC's, we are expecting to book a couple of ship excursions as we are not big drinkers and tips are already pre-paid. Going through this site, people seem to use the procedure of booking a shore excursion before boarding, canceling once on board, and re-booking the same shore excursion using OBC's. Have anyone ever have problems with this procedure - such as if the excursion was waitlisted? I'm expecting both of these excursions to be sold-out due to time limitations at one of the ports and the other because there is not much to do on a Sunday.

 

Jim

[grmmybtty]

Bumping this up since I have the same question.

[leonardray]

If you don't pay for them when you book them, you pay with final payment. so if you cancel on board the money you paid becomes an onboard credit, unless it has changed.

[JimandStan]

Bumping this up since I have the same question.

 

I believe that the thread went unanswered in the first place, because the answer is self explanatory.

 

If a Particular Excursion is sold out, and you don't want to lose your place in the queue (or the bus), then don't cancel it just to save the money.

 

My experience with Oceania Excursions, on the R ships, anyway, is that they are far more likely to be cancelled for lack of participation than sold out, however, in the case where they are just about the only game in town (this happened to us once in Santorini), they are extremely popular.

[grmmybtty]

Thank you for the replies. I guess the best answer is: if I want to go on a particular excursion, I need to book it ahead of time. I can always buy my new friends onboard an occasional drink with my extra OBC.

[deadzone1003]

Just to confirm, if you pay for a shore excursion with a credit card (before final payment) and you cancel it while aboard, Oceania does not credit your credit card account, but the credit goes to your OBC account. I presume that credit will be considered refundable OBC. If you re-book that excursion can I assume that Oceania will be using the non-refundable OBC first? Just trying to use up all the non-refundable OBC that Oceania and my TA had given us. As you may gather, this will be our first Oceania cruise.

[hypercafe]

I really do not think it a fair and honest practice to book, cancel and rebook shore trips with some idear of using up some OBC. Those of us who take the trip and want a shore trip are held hostage to the false bookings. If you have some big OBC buy a watch or just leave it, after all it did not cost you any dollars!

[deadzone1003]

I really do not think it a fair and honest practice to book, cancel and rebook shore trips with some idear of using up some OBC. Those of us who take the trip and want a shore trip are held hostage to the false bookings. If you have some big OBC buy a watch or just leave it, after all it did not cost you any dollars!

 

If everyone on your excursion did this procedure except you, how will it affect you in any way? If everyone in your excursion, (except you), waited until they got onboard before booking the excursion, what is the probability that the excursion gets canceled before embarkation?

[JimandStan]

If everyone in your excursion, (except you), waited until they got onboard before booking the excursion, what is the probability that the excursion gets canceled before embarkation

 

Excellent point, and something which seldom if ever happens on the Mass Market Lines, so even experienced Cruisers coming from there never consider it.

 

When the passenger pool is as small as it is on the R ships, it can be tough to rustle up the required number for anything.......except Bingo and Tirivia. :rolleyes: