Does O Raise Prices Every Quarter?

[harryw]

Just fact checking. I was told that by an O Personal Consultant.

[AMHuntFerry]

O has the option every quarter to raise the base fare. Whether the price goes up or not depends on sales; some less popular cruises that I've tracked have never increased in price since the first day while others have had small increases during one or more of the quarters (say, $100 on a $2-3000 fare).

In addition to the quarterly increase, sales often end at the same time. So, if you don't track the historical price, the change on January 1st may look like a huge increase when it's really just the end of a sale.

Every catalog has something similar to the following (sorry so small, but it's called fine print for a reason 😉 ) :

The more complete version is on O's website:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/promotion-terms

Edited December 28, 2023 by AMHuntFerry
added website

[harryw]

Thanks. I wish that the Consultant was as transparent.

[ORV]

Are you here to just stir things up? You seem to have a much different slant in your posts than the average poster here. Don't you want to know what time Happy Hour is? Or if there's noise underneath Terrace Cafe? 

[harryw]

I was just surprised what the Consultant said. He didn't qualify his comment.

Also, until very recently, I haven’t  read or posted on CC boards for a couple of years.

So I have no idea what “average” is.

[MEFIowa]

O does periodically raise the "book"/"list" price for some cruises. We likely will see such activity come 1/1/24. Of course, the popularity of the cruise makes a huge difference. AND most importantly the "book"/"list" price is all but meaningless given that O had 6-8 major sales in 2023! So many sales, one right after the other. You need to constantly check each sale out in regard to how it is impacting an already booked cruise or one you're interested in.

 

I've booked a G and then used sales to go to C then B then A cabins. Never worrying about the "book"/"list" price. I've found the "cabin upgrade sales" to be the most advantageous for us, esp. since we only want G-A cabins (no PHs or above).

[AMHuntFerry]

15 hours ago, harryw said:

I was just surprised what the Consultant said. He didn't qualify his comment.

 

I have only used the O-phone to book a few shorex, so my experience is limited, but the general theme on CC is that O-reps vary tremendously with respect to quality/knowledge. Your O-rep may have stated the price change info in good faith because they are inexperienced and don't know reality (or they know what's coming and in a departure from past trends, every fare is going to rise). Some people recommend calling repeatedly to find an O-rep they like. I prefer to utilize a full service TA (for cruises only) and sometimes get consortium perks.

[harryw]

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

O does periodically raise the "book"/"list" price for some cruises. We likely will see such activity come 1/1/24. Of course, the popularity of the cruise makes a huge difference. AND most importantly the "book"/"list" price is all but meaningless given that O had 6-8 major sales in 2023! So many sales, one right after the other. You need to constantly check each sale out in regard to how it is impacting an already booked cruise or one you're interested in.

 

I've booked a G and then used sales to go to C then B then A cabins. Never worrying about the "book"/"list" price. I've found the "cabin upgrade sales" to be the most advantageous for us, esp. since we only want G-A cabins (no PHs or above).

Good advice! Thanks! 

[Sthrngary]

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

I've found the "cabin upgrade sales" to be the most advantageous for us, esp. since we only want G-A cabins (no PHs or above).

@MEFIowa Hello friend.  I loved our discussions on our last cruise.  Just to clarify.  I have used the four category upgrade to get to the PH level.  Worked great.  Hope it happens again.  

 

Cruise well and keep sharing the best place to buy wine at ports.  That was great fun. 

[MEFIowa]

18 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

 ... Just to clarify.  I have used the four-category upgrade to get to the PH level.  Worked great.  Hope it happens again.... 

Yes, each sale is unique and some of the cabin upgrade sales have included the PHs. But for the cruises I've been interested in, the C-B-A cabins were less expensive, compared to the PHs, so we've booked them. We're just not willing to pay the additional $ for the PHs.