Three things you should never do when booking Oceania

[LHT28]

an option to consider if you are thinking of taking the OBC perk

 Just give yourself  a gift OBC  & if you do not use all the $$ you are not "forced" to use it & will get a cash refund  at the end of the cruise

 

If you know your will spend all the OBC O Life  perk  then it is  a wash

[jazznruby]

33 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

Question - If you purchase the OLife OBC, can you use that to book your shore excursions in advance or would they have to purchased once you are onboard only? If it's the latter, I don't want to take the chance of the shore excursion I want to be on being sold out. 

 

OBC can be used to purchase shorex in advance.

[jonthomas]

dont miss the opportunity to book a cruise within 30 days of sailing...you get the same perks as if on Board...reduced deposit and a discount off the price...I believe it is $200pp...

 

love this topic...thank you for creating it....

[jazznruby]

1 hour ago, Psoque said:

So you prefer that you pay Oceania, say $300 ahead of time so that you can spend that $300 as on-board credit while you are on the cruise??  If that floats your boat, I can’t argue with that.  I think the point made by many of us is that the only tangible advantage of paying for OLife (wihtout air) is possible discount on shore excursions (if you are going to do shore excursions that, combined, cost more than the cost of OLife) or alcohol package (if you plan on actually plan on consuming alcohol that cost more than the cost of OLife add-on if paid by the glass).

It's not a tangible advantage if you choose not to do O shorex and/or the booze package. We do the occasional shorex which we usually arrange independently. We drink, which we also arrange independently. 😉

[Psoque]

18 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

It's not a tangible advantage if you choose not to do O shorex and/or the booze package. We do the occasional shorex which we usually arrange independently. We drink, which we also arrange independently. 😉

It’s true that none of the options will result in tangible benefit.  Perhaps I did not write this clearly enough.  My point is that if you actually pay for OLife without air for the purpose of on board credits, you are guaranteeing NOT to receive anything more in return.  Basically you are permanently converting some of your money to “funny money” that can only be used on the ship.  In the case of using the OLife without air benefits for shore excursions or alcohol package, you could come out ahead based on what you choose to do with it.

 

In my opinion, if you are not planning to use the OLife benefits for shore excursions or alcohol package, it’s probably even better not to pay for the OLife benefits up front.

[jazznruby]

42 minutes ago, Psoque said:

It’s true that none of the options will result in tangible benefit.  Perhaps I did not write this clearly enough.  My point is that if you actually pay for OLife without air for the purpose of on board credits, you at of allre guaranteeing NOT to receive anything more in return.  Basically you are permanently converting some of your money to “funny money” that can only be used on the ship.  In the case of using the OLife without air benefits for shore excursions or alcohol package, you could come out ahead based on what you choose to do with it.

 

In my opinion, if you are not planning to use the OLife benefits for shore excursions or alcohol package, it’s probably even better not to pay for the OLife benefits up front.

First of all, you should take your 'O Life without air' out of the equation. Air has nothing to do with O Life. As I've tried to explain, we like the OBC perk because we KNOW we're going to use it onboard; and we like knowing that while yes, they're just giving us back the money we paid up front, we won't have a huge final bill slipped under the door on the last night.😳 Would not be the case if we went a la carte all the way. Maybe we can just agree to disagree?

[Robjame]

Another not to forget, is to have your stateroom set up to your liking

prior to your arrival:

 

- type of soda you want in the fridge - for us it is Diet Pepsi and diet 7-up

- distilled water for the CPap machine

- champagne bucket, ice and 2 glasses for the bottle of Veuve we bring on board - we don’t get the free bubbly perk in our stateroom level

- reminder to have 2 loungers added to our extended balcony

- bed setup - a queen or 2 twins

- flowers for the room - our cc is billed

 

We simply send an email to our TA and she makes sure O knows our preferences

 

[goletans]

distilled water for the CPap machine???

 

We didn't know this was an option ~ Thanks!

[ORV]

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

As for that "cost you anything"... They tend to operate on commission. That middleman who gets his cut. Either from you or the entities they work with regarding the vacation. They are not working for free but with your money either directly or indirectly. Adding middlemen who get their cut rarely saves you money compared to DIY.

 

What's funny is that none of the TA advocates on these boards tells us exactly how much they spend annually with their TA to get unspecified "benefits". And that is the issue. These claimed benefits. I have no doubt but that if you spend thousands annually and tens of thousands of dollars over time they'll provide you some "benefit". But you paid for it over time. TANSTAAFL.

 

When I contacted one regarded TA who dealt a lot in O, they couldn't get lower than the sale price and they weren't going to do anything "benefit" wise on a sale-priced cabin, "cruise only", with no airfare, drinks package, or excursions.

 

A point of the modern technologies available is that I can readily shop around for airfares and excursions on my own and save. And book thru O at sales times. My wife loves to monitor airfares and enjoys finding the best excursions for the lowest prices. Works for us. BUT YMMV.

Obviously your mind is made up on this subject, and as I have mentioned before, I’m not going to waste keystrokes trying to convince you, BUT, the TA is compensated by the cruise line, not you. 

4 hours ago, sunlover12 said:

Something I'd add to the list is don't overlook the value of booking onboard or purchasing a Future Cruise Certificate.  

The benefits are a)lower deposit  b)OBC on your current cruise  c)savings off the list price on your future cruise if purchasing a Future Cruise Certificate.  

You can also apply that OBC to the future cruise you book. Right now it is currently $300. 

[tgg]

1 hour ago, goletans said:

distilled water for the CPap machine???

 

We didn't know this was an option ~ Thanks!

 

Our travel agent remembers to include this with all our reservations. It's always in the cabin when we board.

[zalusky]

We paid our gratuities up front now because Amex has an offer if you spend $800 on Oceania they will give you a $250 instant rebate.  I had to use the offer well before our sailing date!

[thespiritmovesme]

So for my upcoming Sirena cruise, the difference between "cruise only" & "Cruise with Olife/air" was $1000 for which I got a "choose all 3" Ultimate deal as well as air booking directly with O so I certainly feel I got a great deal. I think everyone should just see a what works best or them.

 

[seachelt]

22 minutes ago, zalusky said:

We paid our gratuities up front now because Amex has an offer if you spend $800 on Oceania they will give you a $250 instant rebate.  I had to use the offer well before our sailing date!

Is this just for US citizens? I cannot find such an offer with Amex in Canada.

Thanks!

[ejohansen341970]

11 hours ago, Robjame said:

1. Take the OBC as your OLife perk - there is no monetary advantage and you are lending $ to Oceania, interest free.

 

2. Book a cruise through Oceania and fail to follow up with a TA to see what value-added benefits she can add if you transfer your booking to her. - often if not always you will get great perks from the TA like OBC, free gratuities, money back.

 

3. Assume that Oceania Air is a deal or that it provides guarantees that you will make your cruise. Unless you add more money you will arrive on the day of the cruise on an airline of their choosing and a routing of their choosing. No guarantees of making the ship either. At least ask your TA if she can do better.

 

and an added one:

4. Never book an Oceania hotel. Often it is twice the price with the pricing being per person. Check the same hotel through the hotel’s own website or one of the major consolidator companies.

 

Have you got other things not to do?

 

 

 

Wow! I feel like a pro.  Booked on Rome to Athens in April 2023 and did a ton of research.  Originally booked with Oceania, transferred to TA and got a $600 OBC and OB Gratuities paid for just for the transfer.

 

Then took the Beverage package which we will upgrade on board using some of the OBC

 

Next waited for the air to come through with deviations for day before and day after cruise and looked at hotel offerings through Oceania.

 

Said no way, took the $1100 p/p refund, booked my own air and my own hotels which was several hundred dollar savings from Oceania when all fees were factored in.

 

Having just read your post, I'm pretty proud of myself!

[Robjame]

46 minutes ago, seachelt said:

Is this just for US citizens? I cannot find such an offer with Amex in Canada.

I phoned Amex and just Americans

[zalusky]

13 minutes ago, Robjame said:

I phoned Amex and just Americans

In general it’s always a good idea to login to your Amex account and look at available offers and get them added to you card.  Sorry it’s not available for our northerly neighbors.

 

I got a triple whammy for our upcoming sailing with this offer, followed by shareholder credit, followed by some TA credit, followed by credit card points.

[mauibabes]

Do not ever miss an opportunity to make an On Board Booking, be it in the prior to sailing window or on board, BOOKEM DANO!

Since you can always swap them for a different cruise one time, DO NOT MISS OUT and you always get the Best Price Guarantee.  We never leave a ship without one or more future cruises booked and most often they are upwards of two years out so if some other itinerary  comes available or some friends twist your arm, you are ready to swap and go. 
Gee, maybe that could be the name of a Oceania Promo, “Swap n Go” 🤪

ENJOY, Mauibabes 

[Kristal Blade]

If you have time available and like a bargain; book late and get Olife Ultimate, all 3 free. We are about to go on our 3rd Oceania cruise and have always just checked over the cruises on offer and chosen one we like the sound of, get drink package, OBC and a few free excursions. 
Oh, this is a thing to do! Not a not do.

[pinotlover]

6 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

If you have time available and like a bargain; book late and get Olife Ultimate, all 3 free. We are about to go on our 3rd Oceania cruise and have always just checked over the cruises on offer and chosen one we like the sound of, get drink package, OBC and a few free excursions. 
Oh, this is a thing to do! Not a not do.

This post clearly differentiates a traveler from a cruiser. Kristal certainly understands that the reason any particular cruise is on sale or deep discount is because it has an itinerary that most travelers are not fond of. Thus, to attract those cruisers, that just want to be on a ship regardless of where it goes, Oceania slashed prices.

 

There are a multitude of very popular, with infrequently visited ports, cruises that Kristol’s plan of waiting for a sale means one never gets on that cruise. 
 

It is worthwhile to note that pure cruisers can often do so less expensively than travelers seeking itineraries.

[LHT28]

7 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

If you have time available and like a bargain; book late and get Olife Ultimate, all 3 free. We are about to go on our 3rd Oceania cruise and have always just checked over the cruises on offer and chosen one we like the sound of, get drink package, OBC and a few free excursions. 
Oh, this is a thing to do! Not a not do.

 

This option is not always offered  in all markets   more so in the UK market

Not offered on all cruises  

you just got lucky with the timing of an offer & when you wanted to cruise

JMO

[Robjame]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

This post clearly differentiates a traveler from a cruiser. Kristal certainly understands that the reason any particular cruise is on sale or deep discount is because it has an itinerary that most travelers are not fond of. Thus, to attract those cruisers, that just want to be on a ship regardless of where it goes, Oceania slashed prices.

A little simplistic I think. There are many other reasons a particular cruise is not filled. Many reasons beyond itinerary. And a lot of reasons that don’t result in dividing clients into two distinct classes which, of course, you find yourself in the “superior” group. 
 

“Oh they put us down below, where we’d be the first to go …”

[Flatbush Flyer]

23 hours ago, Psoque said:

I’m saying this because the OLife add-on airfare, which is touted as “free airfare” by Oceania is NOT free.  You actually have to pay Oceania for the cost of this “free” air add-on.  I’ve heard many people here who somehow believes airfare is a free gift from Oceania.  It is not.  And in some cases, you can find airfare that is about the same or cheaper on your own, especially if you account for the $175 per person deviation fee (to arrive before the day of the cruise, for example) and $200 per person fee to fly out of “non-gateway” airports.

Historically, the O airfare inclusion was originally not optional. The cruise price included the air whether you used it or not. In essence then, the price was the price. The difference today (started years ago) is that you have a choice to get a credit off the cruise fare if you do not want the “free” (I.e., “included” airfare). 

[Kristal Blade]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

This post clearly differentiates a traveler from a cruiser. Kristal certainly understands that the reason any particular cruise is on sale or deep discount is because it has an itinerary that most travelers are not fond of. Thus, to attract those cruisers, that just want to be on a ship regardless of where it goes, Oceania slashed prices.

 

There are a multitude of very popular, with infrequently visited ports, cruises that Kristol’s plan of waiting for a sale means one never gets on that cruise. 
 

It is worthwhile to note that pure cruisers can often do so less expensively than travelers seeking itineraries.

Agreed, but we have still visited some new ports (to us) by this method.

And yes, LH28, we do find some great discounts in the U.K. it’s not just Oceania who come up with great offers. A few years back we sailed from Singapore to Sydney on Ovation of the Seas for less then the business class airfare, which we were considering doing. It was 2 weeks of fun for us!

[pinotlover]

14 minutes ago, Robjame said:

A little simplistic I think. There are many other reasons a particular cruise is not filled. Many reasons beyond itinerary. And a lot of reasons that don’t result in dividing clients into two distinct classes which, of course, you find yourself in the “superior” group. 
 

“Oh they put us down below, where we’d be the first to go …”

No superior group at all. People pay their money and do as they please. Here is a fact: ( yes I know facts are optional here) if one only books sales and/or when aboard ship, there will be many cruises they will never get on unless lucky. 
 

Here’s another: for some the ship is the destination; for others the ship is mostly a means to get to the ports they want to see.

[janecambridge]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

This option is not always offered  in all markets   more so in the UK market

Not offered on all cruises  

you just got lucky with the timing of an offer & when you wanted to cruise

JMO

True..It also does not include the top suites for Ultimate.