OLife Ulimate- Worth It?

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Psoque said:

Unless I’m misunderstanding your question, I think only the “standard” excursions that cost $199 or less are eligible to be counted for your “free” excursion.  My suggestion is to log in to your profile and add your desired excursions to your cart and price them out.  Make sure you look at different pricing from “regular” “passport” and “YWYW” scenarios (have to click on one of three radio buttons).  This will tell you how much “savings” you get from the OLife add-on.  If the “savings” is less than what you paid for the OLife add-on, you should consider asking your TA to remove that option.  Most likely, your savings should be a lot more than the cost of OLife.

NEVER trust the Cart. VERY Glitchy. Do the math yourself and then call an O Rep to see what s/he cones up with.

You can also have your TA call to book the tours. But, not all TAs “have a clue” when it comes to getting the combo of O Life and YWYW tours in the best configuration (and that includes some of the TAs who swear they understand the O system).

[Rainbow3fe]

47 minutes ago, harlor said:

We have the 4 free excursions on an upcoming cruise. Do you know if we can just pay the extra $$ to go on an OS category excursion? I see an excursion for $250 that I like; could I just pay the extra $50 to go on the OS one? I have a call to find out  but haven't heard back yet.

Thank you for all your help

Loretta

     Yes. Definitely, but of course there's a premium. We did that on our last Oceania cruise.

     I cannot figure out how Oceania comes up with the numbers but for example, if an excursion costs $249 they don't charge the $50 difference between that and the $199 max for free. They will charge around $69 or whatever they decide.  It's in the list but I don't know how to tell you which column.

   Good luck. 

[Sthrngary]

I don't mean to be negative here.  When a new guest chooses Oceania like myself/others and many asking questions above, it shows some lack of clarity on the brand's standpoint.  Most of the question seem to be about the drink packages, upgrades to drink packages, excursions perks, the discounting on quantities of excursions and sale pricing.

 

The very kind past guest of Oceania Cruise on this CruiseCritic.com site show patients and understanding when teaching Newbies like myself how to navigate our new choice of cruise brands.  Your efforts are noticed and appreciated.  That said, it still can be a chalenge to fully understand the topic.  

 

Every cruise brand has similar area's of confusion.  Most of the time it is the marketing department who is attempting to differentiate one brand from another. Yet it does very much frustrate those new to the brand.  To take Olife or skip; to take Olife Ultimate when available or to skip; to up grade your drink package to the Prestige package on-board or to buy it upfront using OBC is provided; most recently for me at least it is the sale on selected voyages that you have to contact Oceania for accurate pricing because online pricing do not represent the sale; the list goes on.

 

I love to research this kind of stuff personally but many new guest really don't or do not have the time.  I asked my travel agent question who is one of the best and she is even confused.  My hope is a representative from Oceania is reading these ports and will take action to simplify each offering to give new guest a better feeling of confidence. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Rainbow3fe]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:07 PM, MMDown Under said:

Thank you. I’ll be happy with coffee or tea.

Lots of specialty coffees and a nice selection of tea. Also Virgin Pina Coladas and Virgin Marys are free if you're in the mood for something different.  You are permitted to bring bottles of wine aboard

[Rainbow3fe]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:07 PM, MMDown Under said:

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Rainbow3fe

[Rainbow3fe]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:07 PM, MMDown Under said:

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Rainbow3fe

[Rainbow3fe]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:07 PM, MMDown Under said:

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Rainbow3fe

[MMDown Under]

22 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

Lots of specialty coffees and a nice selection of tea. Also Virgin Pina Coladas and Virgin Marys are free if you're in the mood for something different.  You are permitted to bring bottles of wine aboard

Thank you

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Rainbow3fe said:

     Yes. Definitely, but of course there's a premium. We did that on our last Oceania cruise.

     I cannot figure out how Oceania comes up with the numbers but for example, if an excursion costs $249 they don't charge the $50 difference between that and the $199 max for free. They will charge around $69 or whatever they decide.  It's in the list but I don't know how to tell you which column.

   Good luck. 

Did you book more excursions  than the  4 free PP O life  allotment?

 

 

[Psoque]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

I don't mean to be negative here.  When a new guest chooses Oceania like myself/others and many asking questions above, it shows some lack of clarity on the brand's standpoint.  Most of the question seem to be about the drink packages, upgrades to drink packages, excursions perks, the discounting on quantities of excursions and sale pricing.

 

The very kind past guest of Oceania Cruise on this CruiseCritic.com site show patients and understanding when teaching Newbies like myself how to navigate our new choice of cruise brands.  Your efforts are noticed and appreciated.  That said, it still can be a chalenge to fully understand the topic.  

 

Every cruise brand has similar area's of confusion.  Most of the time it is the marketing department who is attempting to differentiate one brand from another. Yet it does very much frustrate those new to the brand.  To take Olife or skip; to take Olife Ultimate when available or to skip; to up grade your drink package to the Prestige package on-board or to buy it upfront using OBC is provided; most recently for me at least it is the sale on selected voyages that you have to contact Oceania for accurate pricing because online pricing do not represent the sale; the list goes on.

 

I love to research this kind of stuff personally but many new guest really don't or do not have the time.  I asked my travel agent question who is one of the best and she is even confused.  My hope is a representative from Oceania is reading these ports and will take action to simplify each offering to give new guest a better feeling of confidence. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You are too kind.  In my view, Oceania is blatantly confusing their prospective customers with intentionally misleading and some patently false marketing language on their brochures and their website.  I’m really hoping that our first onboard experience with them would not be like that at all.

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, Psoque said:

You are too kind.  In my view, Oceania is blatantly confusing their prospective customers with intentionally misleading and some patently false marketing language on their brochures and their website.  I’m really hoping that our first onboard experience with them would not be like that at all.

@Psoque I am really not trying to be kind.  Years ago, I was severely criticized for being very blunt on-line in social media. I changed my writing approach/style which got much better clarity and results. I don't think any company intentionally tries to be Misleading.  They tend to come from a perspective a a company and often not the guest. My issue is simple clarity so any of us can make a informed business decision.  I am really not being critical because as my post states, this kind of marketing is common in the industry.  

 

I personally know many people that simply love their experience on Oceania.  That was one reason I am trying them for the first time.  My hope as stated is maybe by posting how confusing some of there information is for me and others, they might clean it up a bit.  Do I think my small request will be done, not really.  But I had to say it anyway.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Rainbow3fe said:

     Yes. Definitely, but of course there's a premium. We did that on our last Oceania cruise.

     I cannot figure out how Oceania comes up with the numbers but for example, if an excursion costs $249 they don't charge the $50 difference between that and the $199 max for free. They will charge around $69 or whatever they decide.  It's in the list but I don't know how to tell you which column.

   Good luck. 

This is SO…. incorrect!

….see my earlier post. When you get your onboard account printout (ask for the one that specifies each transaction completely). Better still, get the updated version of the “prepurchased shore excursions PDF. It will show you how what replaces what as O Life, YWYW, etc.

 

Without seeing your docs, I can only guesstimate how you got a break beyond YWYW on a non-O Life allowable tour $>199.

Most importantly, regardless of the retail cost of an O Life eligible tour I.e., up to $199, if that tour is cancelled by O, you’ll only ever get a $100 credit in non-refundable SBC. Next, if you decide to replace it with a non-O Life >$199 tour (that qualifies for YWYW 25% off), your net final cost for a $250 tour would be $250 x .75 (YWYW 25% off) = $187.50 - the $100 SBC you received for cthe lost O Life tour. You then owe O $87.50. That may then be further adjusted due to other similar cancel/changes.

But, the bottom line remains that you cannot initially select non-O life allowable tours as one of your allotment.

 

[Rainbow3fe]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Did you book more excursions  than the  4 free PP O life  allotment?

 

 

Yes. ❤️ We booked one in every port. South Africa has important places to visit and it's not easy to get there from NYC.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

Yes. ❤️ We booked one in every port. South Africa has important places to visit and it's not easy to get there from NYC.

Then you probably got the  25% YWC  discount on the other tours  

that explains  the Oceania math 🙂

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

...I don't think any company intentionally tries to be Misleading.  They tend to come from a perspective a a company and often not the guest. My issue is simple clarity so any of us can make a informed business decision.  I am really not being critical because as my post states, this kind of marketing is common in the industry. I personally know many people that simply love their experience on Oceania....

Though you have to define terms like "intentionally" and "misleading".

 

What is fascinating is how complex O tries to make things starting with all the claims of "free" that aren't free because you can compare the "cruise only" price and quickly see that "free" is marketing fluff. Sadder still is how complex O seemingly makes everything else, trying to decide if their airfare, excursions, drinks packages, etc. are "worth it".

 

For us, "cruise only" has been the only way to go, eliminating all the questions and unclarity and complexity of O's marketing on everything but the fare. Thankfully, I learned that before our first cruise in 12/2021 and it served us well in 2022 and has been serving us well for our 2023 and 2024 cruises.

[Psoque]

18 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though you have to define terms like "intentionally" and "misleading".

 

What is fascinating is how complex O tries to make things starting with all the claims of "free" that aren't free because you can compare the "cruise only" price and quickly see that "free" is marketing fluff. Sadder still is how complex O seemingly makes everything else, trying to decide if their airfare, excursions, drinks packages, etc. are "worth it".

 

For us, "cruise only" has been the only way to go, eliminating all the questions and unclarity and complexity of O's marketing on everything but the fare. Thankfully, I learned that before our first cruise in 12/2021 and it served us well in 2022 and has been serving us well for our 2023 and 2024 cruises.

I agree.  Every time Oceania adds "Free Airfare!!" to their brochure, they are consciously adding a piece of false information.  Also, showing just "OLife with Air" and "Cruise Only" prices on each of the sailings, Oceania is intentionally making it somewhat difficult (but not impossible) for a new customer to figure out the true cost of OLife add-on.

I have this funny feeling that someone in the marketing department foolishly thought tactics like this were clever.  I don't really think they are.  It really makes the company look bad.  If Oceania is offering a good product at a fair price point (and I like to think they are, based on personal recommendations from those who has done cruises on a variety of lines) they don't have to resort to this pure madness.  I think Oceania is truly doing themselves a great disservice in doing this.

[Rainbow3fe]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

This is SO…. incorrect!

….see my earlier post. When you get your onboard account printout (ask for the one that specifies each transaction completely). Better still, get the updated version of the “prepurchased shore excursions PDF. It will show you how what replaces what as O Life, YWYW, etc.

 

Without seeing your docs, I can only guesstimate how you got a break beyond YWYW on a non-O Life allowable tour $>199.

Most importantly, regardless of the retail cost of an O Life eligible tour I.e., up to $199, if that tour is cancelled by O, you’ll only ever get a $100 credit in non-refundable SBC. Next, if you decide to replace it with a non-O Life >$199 tour (that qualifies for YWYW 25% off), your net final cost for a $250 tour would be $250 x .75 (YWYW 25% off) = $187.50 - the $100 SBC you received for cthe lost O Life tour. You then owe O $87.50. That may then be further adjusted due to other similar cancel/changes.

But, the bottom line remains that you cannot initially select non-O life allowable tours as one of your allotment.

 

Sorry. I don't want to argue but for this cruise there was no YWYW available. That happens sometimes.  We paid for unlimited and used the 4 free.  The entire thing definitely was convoluted. 2 tours were canceled and we received full credit for them.

[Rainbow3fe]

9 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I agree.  Every time Oceania adds "Free Airfare!!" to their brochure, they are consciously adding a piece of false information.  Also, showing just "OLife with Air" and "Cruise Only" prices on each of the sailings, Oceania is intentionally making it somewhat difficult (but not impossible) for a new customer to figure out the true cost of OLife add-on.

I have this funny feeling that someone in the marketing department foolishly thought tactics like this were clever.  I don't really think they are.  It really makes the company look bad.  If Oceania is offering a good product at a fair price point (and I like to think they are, based on personal recommendations from those who has done cruises on a variety of lines) they don't have to resort to this pure madness.  I think Oceania is truly doing themselves a great disservice in doing this.

     You're right. It's totally confusing. 

     We book OLife and take a credit for the air.  We like to book far in advance, spend time before and after the cruise and buy Comfort Plus air. Deviation fees with Oceania add up and make no sense to us. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

Sorry. I don't want to argue but for this cruise there was no YWYW available. That happens sometimes.  We paid for unlimited and used the 4 free.  The entire thing definitely was convoluted. 2 tours were canceled and we received full credit for them.

Still - the basic issue remains that you cannot use the O Life tour option allocation for other than the basic <$200 tours.

Now that you’ve said you purchased the Passport, everything changes.
First, your original O Life tour option becomes O Life SBC and that is available as credit for any of the non-O Life eligible tours you want (all the O Life ones are now “no added cost” to you). The more expensive tours are then priced at 40% off retail.

If I had your account in front of me, I could show you how it all balances.

[FetaCheese]

42 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

     You're right. It's totally confusing. 

     We book OLife and take a credit for the air.  We like to book far in advance, spend time before and after the cruise and buy Comfort Plus air. Deviation fees with Oceania add up and make no sense to us. 

Re:  O air.  Found out that O now allows up to 3 days prior and 3 days end of cruise n/c deviation.  

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, FetaCheese said:

Re:  O air.  Found out that O now allows up to 3 days prior and 3 days end of cruise n/c deviation.  

 

Old news.

[Rainbow3fe]

6 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

Re:  O air.  Found out that O now allows up to 3 days prior and 3 days end of cruise n/c deviation.  

 

Thanks.  Will think about that for future trips.  Our next 2 both have a week before and 3 weeks after. 😎🌊

[Sthrngary]

Again and I don't want to be a broken record here.  Every cruise line does things like what is being outlined.  Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers "Free" Business Class Airfare.  It is only Business class one the international leg.  If you don't want the Airfare, you can get a discount on the fair.  If you want to select your airfare brand or itinerary, there is a fee.  Celebrity you can get all the so called All Inclusive items or without.  This includes the VIP Section called the Retreat.  NCL says they have Free at Sea that comes with a "FREE" drink package except you pay a couple of hundred dollars for tips.  If you don't take the Free at Sea, it will cost less just like Oceania Cruise Only.

 

This is an industry issue, not an Oceania Issue.  This is a Marketing Issue, not a Oceania only issue.  My thought is figuring out how things to get the best value like Excursions, there is a lot to know that is different than other brand.  It would be wrong to make this an Oceania ONLY issue.  

 

We all have to ask ourselves why Oceania and other brands do these Marketing issues.  The answer is, it works.  It might not work for some of use, but it works over all.  Just like when you get a massage at any cruise line spa, the tip is included but the bill shows a place for tip which those not informed think they have to add a tip.  The issue is industry wide.  

 

I want to apologize the the author.  We have hijacked you question.  I hope earlier your question was answered by those that know because of their real experience.  Yet this progression to this part of your topic does relate, just not what I think your original question was asking. 

 

Push comes to shove, if you are new like myself and others, you are much more educated now, because of your topic then we were before because or you.  So thank you.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Still - the basic issue remains that you cannot use the O Life tour option allocation for other than the basic <$200 tours.

Now that you’ve said you purchased the Passport, everything changes.
First, your original O Life tour option becomes O Life SBC and that is available as credit for any of the non-O Life eligible tours you want (all the O Life ones are now “no added cost” to you). The more expensive tours are then priced at 40% off retail.

If I had your account in front of me, I could show you how it all balances.

Again- to be crystal clear: if you want to buy the tours Passport, do not select the O Life tours option since the Passport includes all the eligible o Life allowable tours at no cost. Instead, you can opt for the O Life BASIC booze or even the SBC option which can then be used for those paid Passport tours which are 40% off.

[FLConnie]

On 4/19/2023 at 11:23 AM, Sthrngary said:

Well all of this is clear as mud to someone just now considering Oceania Cruises for the first time.  If is a first time for me as well however I studied O a few years ago, booked it and it got cancelled due to Covid.  I am back booked for November 2023.  

 

When I tell everyone on this blog that O is kind of confusing to new folks like myself, I am really not kidding.  Yet it would be of great value to new bookings and new O guests to read and learn as much as possible on the different plans.  I am by no means an expert on O.  I do like to know what I am buying and if their is a way to make the entire situation less of an investment without taking away value.

 

1. OLife: This was my first lesson.  Choose one of three perks.  Were every other cruise brand I have used provided a full adult drink package, O was beer/wine at lunch/dinner.  Some of the blogs on this were pro/con like everything else on a cruise.  The debate of which perk was the best value were all fun to read.  My decision was $600.00 of onboard credit which I used pre-cruise to purchase the full Adult Drink package called the Prestige Drink Package which was $600 per guest, spirits, wine and beer when ever a bar/restaurant was open.  It also gave discounts on some of the unique dinning opportunities. I paid another $600 for the second guest.  Was this a deal or a value, not really.  About a wash.
2. OLife Ultimate:  I was literally upset when I say this on my cruise, until I went back to the fare I got originally and realized my initial fare was fair less.  In doing a math competition, it seems adding the other two perks, raised the fare about what you would expect.  All that went through my mind was, the Marketing Department strikes again.
3. O Air:  Oh boy was this one debated on this and other social media site.  There are advocates to both.  There are some contributors on this blog for O that are literal experts. I am not.  I am just old and set in my ways.  I thought I knew lots about airfare until I met the experts.  What I did know was to do my best to book my flights directly with the air brand, fully refundable if possible, as early as possible to get the best itinerary and price.  If the fare went down, cancel and rebook since it was fully refundable.  Kind of like with fully refundable cares fare deposits.  For me, not everyone, my strategy worked very well.  By booking directly with the Air Brand, my Cruise Fare was $1,000.00 less per guest which was very close to what I paid.
4. Cruise Only:  Oh boy was this confusing at first.  In my past, cruise only simply meant no air.  With Oceania it meant no OLife and no Air.  I figured it out simply by doing the math.  One perk was worth about $600.  The air credit was $1000.  Take those off and my fare was that much less.  Many say this is the way to go for them.  That is cool.  However just knowing how it seems to work is enough for most of us newbies to make a decent business decision.  
5. Extraordinary Saving Sale: I again did the math however it seems that the PH3 I choose really was not an Extraordinary Saving for my situation.  The lower categories seems to be a very good deal for some.  O marketing needed to sell more cabins and did so by making the lower categories very attractive.  Since everyone when they leave their stateroom are treated the same on an O voyage, if I was booking again, I would definitely consider this.  
6. Four Category Upgrades: The labor day sale was a four category upgrade.  That is when I booked.  Since then all kinds of marketing and promotion has happened including price increases.  When I do the math, I look at my category of PH3 and see where we would be for each promotion. Your situation may differ. 

 

Now this is my experience currently.  As I stated, it was a bit confusing at first.  I kept asking the previous O guest questions to get to this point.  I hope my experience thought this learning curve helps some. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

How did you go about upgrading the beverage package before the cruise?  Oceania told me we could do it onboard but prefer to do it before. Thanks