Memorial Day sale, 4 category upgrade

[Bone1]

9 hours ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

I checked with my travel agent, and he confirmed that the Extraordinary sale is not combinable with the four category upgrade.  So I am sticking with the Extraordinary sale deal.  

Our TA insists that if you book early you always get the best price and the prices never, ever go down. We will be traveling soon and will be discussing this with the rep on the ship to get some clarification about their sales. When I did a mock booking for the 4 cabin upgrade sale, I chose a veranda category and I was never told I’d get the 4 cabin upgrade when, in fact, I knew there was availability at that level. Extremely frustrating. 

[LHT28]

7 hours ago, Bone1 said:

Our TA insists that if you book early you always get the best price and the prices never, ever go down. We will be traveling soon and will be discussing this with the rep on the ship to get some clarification about their sales. When I did a mock booking for the 4 cabin upgrade sale, I chose a veranda category and I was never told I’d get the 4 cabin upgrade when, in fact, I knew there was availability at that level. Extremely frustrating. 

compare the price  of the 4 cat upgrade  to prices  in the brochure or the price you paid if booked

The discount is factored into the  sale price

 

[MEFIowa]

8 hours ago, Bone1 said:

Our TA insists that if you book early you always get the best price and the prices never, ever go down. 

I've used these cabin-upgrade and other sales since my very first O booking in Jan 2021. A couple weeks after we booked Riviera in a C, there was the 2021 Presidents' Day sale. The price of an A4 essentially that of a C before the sale. Since then I've watched every sale for the 3 cruises we've got in 2023 & 2024. I've used them to go from F to A3 on Riviera (10-11/2023) and from a C to B4 to B3 on Riviera (11/2023), saving $ at every sale. The recent Extraordinary Savings Sale was amazing! Too bad our 2024 Baltic cruise not included, though I did use a prior sale to upgrade from a G to a "big" C1 (Sirena, 7006).

 

Per my Guest statements, for our 11/2023 cruise on Riviera:

 

C (booked 4/5/2022) at $1994 PP

B4 (rebooked 5/25/2022) at $2249 PP (Memorial Day Sale)

B3 (rebooked again 4/13/2023) at $1749 (Extraordinary Savings Sale)

 

So the cabin fare for the B3 went down $245 from the initial C and I'm in a much nicer cabin with veranda.

[Jancruz]

11 hours ago, Bone1 said:

Our TA insists that if you book early you always get the best price and the prices never, ever go down. We will be traveling soon and will be discussing this with the rep on the ship to get some clarification about their sales. When I did a mock booking for the 4 cabin upgrade sale, I chose a veranda category and I was never told I’d get the 4 cabin upgrade when, in fact, I knew there was availability at that level. Extremely frustrating. 

Whoever told you that is incorrect..

Jancruz1

[Jayne E]

On Riviera.  Received flyer for this sale. None have an A1 to PH3 upgrade available as in the past. 😢

[3littlefonzies]

This looks like it would be a good deal for us.

 

Can anyone tell me how many little fonzies I can squeeze into a basic cabin?

[Woofa]

Well, if your asking about children then we have to let you know O is not the best choice for most families.  They do have some Alaskan itineraries in the summer but for the most part, there are no children activities on board.  Check with your TA about prices after the second in cabin.

[LHT28]

42 minutes ago, 3littlefonzies said:

This looks like it would be a good deal for us.

 

Can anyone tell me how many little fonzies I can squeeze into a basic cabin?

Some cabins  have space  for  3  some quads ( 4)  but not too many

Check the deck plans 

[Bone1]

On 5/26/2023 at 9:18 AM, MEFIowa said:

I've used these cabin-upgrade and other sales since my very first O booking in Jan 2021. A couple weeks after we booked Riviera in a C, there was the 2021 Presidents' Day sale. The price of an A4 essentially that of a C before the sale. Since then I've watched every sale for the 3 cruises we've got in 2023 & 2024. I've used them to go from F to A3 on Riviera (10-11/2023) and from a C to B4 to B3 on Riviera (11/2023), saving $ at every sale. The recent Extraordinary Savings Sale was amazing! Too bad our 2024 Baltic cruise not included, though I did use a prior sale to upgrade from a G to a "big" C1 (Sirena, 7006).

 

Per my Guest statements, for our 11/2023 cruise on Riviera:

 

C (booked 4/5/2022) at $1994 PP

B4 (rebooked 5/25/2022) at $2249 PP (Memorial Day Sale)

B3 (rebooked again 4/13/2023) at $1749 (Extraordinary Savings Sale)

 

So the cabin fare for the B3 went down $245 from the initial C and I'm in a much nicer cabin with veranda.

Was all of this done by a TA or did you book this directly with Oceania?

[Bone1]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:32 AM, Jancruz said:

Whoever told you that is incorrect..

Jancruz1

Let me clarify something, when I did my mock booking, I chose a veranda stateroom and when I finished the invoice showed the veranda stateroom at the price shown without the 4 category upgrade. Does something like this have to be done via a phone call to Oceania and not on line?

[AMHuntFerry]

4 minutes ago, Bone1 said:

Let me clarify something, when I did my mock booking, I chose a veranda stateroom and when I finished the invoice showed the veranda stateroom at the price shown without the 4 category upgrade. Does something like this have to be done via a phone call to Oceania and not on line?

The price showing online already has the "Upgrade sale" discount. If you look at the price before the sale (such as in a brochure), it was higher (for cabins on sale). In other words, your mock booking shows the price to be paid; the only options are to include air and/or O-Life or not (which will reduce the fare by the price of the air or OLife package).

[Bone1]

I must say that I have been cruising for many years and have tried different lines as my family grew up.  I finally settled on Oceania, however, since the pandemic, I am so frustrated because it has caused so many changes.  I am positive that I am not the only one that feels this way and now it is just a game we all have to play to choose which line is best for what we want. I have not been a member of CC for a long time, but I have learned a lot and am very grateful to those who have taken the time to respond to my questions and I plan to keep learning and reading all the information on Cruise Critic. I love looking at all of the info that is out there for us to take advantage of and use if we choose to do so. 

[Bone1]

49 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

The price showing online already has the "Upgrade sale" discount. If you look at the price before the sale (such as in a brochure), it was higher (for cabins on sale). In other words, your mock booking shows the price to be paid; the only options are to include air and/or O-Life or not (which will reduce the fare by the price of the air or OLife package).

So I redid the mock booking and the pricing made sense.  The actual cost was for a category C2 but the booking was upgraded to a B2 category (which was a 2 category upgrade).  Thank you for clarifying that for me. 

[Psoque]

On 5/26/2023 at 1:22 AM, Bone1 said:

Our TA insists that if you book early you always get the best price and the prices never, ever go down.

I am not sure this is really true.  Unless your TA has an exclusive access to some secret super-low early-booking prices, what you have been told is basically a reflection of the (un)willingness of your TA to re-price a booked cruise when it comes down in price.

[mauibabes]

@Bone1

DITTO for Jan’s post, #29. Lots of CC poster’s are avowed DIYers and that is good but NOTHING  beats an Oceania Connoisseur Club member TA to get the real facts and protect their client guests. 
We always book cruises on board and have developed wonderful relationships with many of the Oceania Club Ambassador’s. YES, they advertise and reinforce the “Best Price Guarantee” with those bookings and Oceania will stand by that for like bookings that are offered. That TA who says the Best Price is offered at the time of the cruise release is correct but maybe not 100% of the time. But be aware, prices can be and are increased over time. Can a price go down, yes again in some situations where a special sale may be offered for cruises with unsold inventory. You can be perpetually vigilant checking the websites or again, just use a well connected and Oceania experienced/ knowledgeable TA and let them work for you. 
Just remember, an apples to apples comparison can be quite challenging, especially with multiple promotional offers and their combine ability.  JMHO

Mauibabes

[shepherd really]

Had a bump in the road regarding my upgrade, I'm waiting for a response from Oceania via my TA.  I'll share the details once the situation is resolved.   It may be of use to others. 

 

 

[shepherd really]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:39 PM, shepherd really said:

Had a bump in the road regarding my upgrade, I'm waiting for a response from Oceania via my TA.  I'll share the details once the situation is resolved.   It may be of use to others. 

 

 

My bump was a roadblock.  Oceania not only has alternative meanings for the word free, but also the word upgrade.

 

I really like their product, but their backroom operation and the byzantine way they structure their pricing and "sales" leaves much to be desired.   

[shepherd really]

Well persistence finally won over resistance from O 

 

I've been upgraded from a B3 to an A3 of my choice after several weeks of back and forth with O (through my super-secret TA).  They needed an explanation of the meaning of the word sale, it was an interesting process.  

[Woofa]

30 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

Well persistence finally won over resistance from O 

 

I've been upgraded from a B3 to an A3 of my choice after several weeks of back and forth with O (through my super-secret TA).  They needed an explanation of the meaning of the word sale, it was an interesting process.  

Good for you.  I can only assume you did not have an extended balcony B3. Don't think we would give that up for less than a named suite.

[shepherd really]

24 minutes ago, Woofa said:

Good for you.  I can only assume you did not have an extended balcony B3. Don't think we would give that up for less than a named suite.

It in fact was an extended balcony, but there were several factors that made this a good decision for me.  We are traveling with good friends in a named suite, so their balcony trumps the B3 in every way and we will have liberal use of it, and we are now midship. Since this cruise will be going through the Drake Passage, I decided discretion is the better part of valor.  

[Woofa]

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

It in fact was an extended balcony, but there were several factors that made this a good decision for me.  We are traveling with good friends in a named suite, so their balcony trumps the B3 in every way and we will have liberal use of it, and we are now midship. Since this cruise will be going through the Drake Passage, I decided discretion is the better part of valor.  

Yes that sounds like a winner.  Have a great cruise and let us know what you think of the A3 when you get back.