No more Simply More

[Sthrngary]

12 minutes ago, clo said:

OT so I'll keep this short. Maybe the 'gang' was sick of the rules and just wanted to do their own thing. Couldn't the 'rule have been "have a safe flight home and enjoy today"? If I were cruising with others we'd do our own thing and hopefully meet for dinner. I'm assuming we're not talking about young kids or faltering seniors 🙂

Quite the contrary.  There were not rules.  There were recommendations.  There was flexibility.  They just were tired and I fully understood that is why I did not push it.  The choices made were wrong, they understood that after.  Not children, we are all older between 65 and 73.  Lesson's learned.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

When I take a group I make it very clear this is not a democracy and there are no votes we follow the itinerary or you leave the group

Jancruz1

Good grief! Spare me from the likes of that kind of tour!!!! We've done quite a few escorted land tours over the last ten years and frequently break away from the group. Sheesh.

[clo]

6 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

There were not rules.

You used the word yourself and the overall tone was that. Sorry. Maybe ask your wife after a couple of glasses of wine and she'll be honest 🙂

[HaveDogWillTravel]

15 minutes ago, clo said:

Good grief! Spare me from the likes of that kind of tour!!!! We've done quite a few escorted land tours over the last ten years and frequently break away from the group. Sheesh.

I quickly learned hanging around Jan is where the most fun is. She’s a hoot and always makes magic happen.  But I do understand your comment if you have never sailed with her and didn’t know her style. 

Edited September 9 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Sthrngary]

26 minutes ago, clo said:

You used the word yourself and the overall tone was that. Sorry. Maybe ask your wife after a couple of glasses of wine and she'll be honest 🙂

Thank you for your honest feedback.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[cruisinsusin]

On 9/8/2024 at 5:05 PM, terrydtx said:

We looked at going to the falls next year, but our group decided they can't be any more spectacular than Niagara Falls which we all have visited several times.

Duplicate post

Edited September 9 by cruisinsusin

[clo]

5 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I quickly learned hanging around Jan is where the most fun is. She’s a hoot and always makes magic happen.  But I do understand your comment if you have never sailed with her and didn’t know her style. 

So was that an attempt at humor?

[FeliciaLee]

22 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Our preferred cruise lines have been Celebrity, HAL, Oceania and Viking Ocean, in no particular order. Over the past 2 years Celebrity has become so unrealistic in their pricing and for the most part no longer considered by us.  As I said earlier, our booking on the Marina in South America was much less on a cost per day than what Celebrity was offering, which is why we booked with Oceania. Going from a suite on HAL or Celebrity to a Concierge Class cabin on Oceania for me, is more like going from a Mercedes to a Lexus, not at all like going from a Honda to a Mercedes.

While my husband and I absolutely love HAL, even the Neptune experience for us is in no way comparable to a balcony cabin on Oceania. But like you, we are branching out, too. Yesterday we were able to book an Aqua balcony for 7 nights on Celebrity for only $900 over Christmas. If we can drive to the port, and see a fantastic deal we tend to jump on it.

 

Last Christmas we were on Insignia for 12 nights in an inside cabin for only $1600, so this might be somewhat comparable, but even so, we aren't expecting the same luxurious experience as Oceania.

 

My hope is that we will continue to find great deals on Oceania and it will remain our favorite line!

[jonthomas]

Some of us have reached a point when bargains on Celebrity no longer matter.

 

Would rather travel less.

[Croooser]

16 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Thank you for your honest feedback.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Props for exercising restraint in your response. Commendable.

[ORV]

17 hours ago, Jancruz said:

When I take a group I make it very clear this is not a democracy and there are no votes we follow the itinerary or you leave the group

Jancruz1

Just another reason why we love you. 

[ORV]

11 hours ago, clo said:

So was that an attempt at humor?

Sounded like a honest assessment. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

11 hours ago, clo said:

So was that an attempt at humor?

When I taught at the collage I routinely took large groups of students on multi day trips…like herding wet cats in a thunderstorm.  I didn’t have the luxury of telling them to leave the group if they didn’t care to follow the itinerary although I absolutely wanted to at times.  Being in a travel group is a voluntary experience and it stinks for the group when an individual doesn’t get with the plan. So I really loved Jan’s approach!  We had a total blast and we never felt pressured to do anything we didn’t care to do. 

[Cruzin Terri]

18 hours ago, Jancruz said:

When I take a group I make it very clear this is not a democracy and there are no votes we follow the itinerary or you leave the group

Jancruz1

How does one become part of your group? Just asking!

Terri

[Rainbow3fe]

     If you're unhappy with the new plan, I suggest calling Oceania to address your concerns to a representative. Posting it here will do us no good. If Oceania knows how people feel, they will have a better idea of how to proceed.

        The representative I spoke to yesterday said Oceania is listening to the customer comments. They have not decided whether they're going to continue this way after Jan 1.

       Please don't argue with me about this. I am just relaying his thoughts to you. He felt it was going to be a limited time plan so Oceania could get passenger feedback.

Safe travels

😎🌊

[Yesimapirate]

18 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

     If you're unhappy with the new plan, I suggest calling Oceania to address your concerns to a representative. Posting it here will do us no good. If Oceania knows how people feel, they will have a better idea of how to proceed.

        The representative I spoke to yesterday said Oceania is listening to the customer comments. They have not decided whether they're going to continue this way after Jan 1.

       Please don't argue with me about this. I am just relaying his thoughts to you. He felt it was going to be a limited time plan so Oceania could get passenger feedback.

Safe travels

😎🌊

I think you could make a good argument that the new policy is O listening to the complaints they had for the last year while also addressing their corporate needs to increase revenue. 

 

 

[Harters]

41 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

I suggest calling Oceania to address your concerns to a representative

Good idea. I've just sent an email to Guest Services. 

 

"I am writing to express my disappointment at your recently revised offer "Your World Included". Or Simply Less as it would be better called. 

 

When you introduced Simply More, I regarded that as a very positive way forward. As the company indicated at the time, the right move was towards a more inclusive customer offer. But your new offer is an even more backward step than the previous OLife arrangements which is what attracted us to Oceania in the first place, almost completely unpicking any sense of inclusivity (gratuities excepted). 

 

My recollection is that, when Simply More was introduced, prices were increased to reflect the "extras" over OLife. I had no issue with that whatsoever. My understanding now is that the company is removing the excursion credit and the included drinks with meals, yet is going to maintain prices at the same level. Clearly this is now a proposal which is much less value for money. Call it just a big price increase or call it Simply Less. 

 

We have an Oceania cruise booked for 2025 and we will need to reflect very carefully as to whether it will be our last with your line.  My guess, as at now, is that it will be and that competitors will prove to have a better offer. "

[Harters]

44 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

They have not decided whether they're going to continue this way after Jan 1.

If that is the case, then it seriously calls into question their ability to market their company. Successful marketing requires time for things to bed in. Selling expensive holidays is not a business in which you can judge success or failure in a very short time. 

 

It calls into question the original planning for and commitment to more inclusive arrangements under Simply More. And then to scrap SM so quickly and replace it with Your World Included again calls things into question. Now if as you suggest, YWI may not last past the end of the year, it really does make you wonder what on earth  the company is up to. 

[clo]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

When I taught at the collage I routinely took large groups of students on multi day trips…like herding wet cats in a thunderstorm.  I didn’t have the luxury of telling them to leave the group if they didn’t care to follow the itinerary although I absolutely wanted to at times.  Being in a travel group is a voluntary experience and it stinks for the group when an individual doesn’t get with the plan. So I really loved Jan’s approach!  We had a total blast and we never felt pressured to do anything we didn’t care to do. 

You were the teacher and they were the students. Different dynamic. When we've broken away from a group we always informed the tour leader and we knew when to be back if necessary. I remember in Hue, Vietnam, the group was going on some kind of day tour. We were going to a restaurant that Tony Bourdain said had "the best soup in the world." We were there at 8AM when she started serving and when it was gone that was it for the day. Our day in no way interfered with the group.
 

 

Edited September 10 by clo
wrong photo

[clo]

59 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

     If you're unhappy with the new plan, I suggest calling Oceania to address your concerns to a representative. Posting it here will do us no good. If Oceania knows how people feel, they will have a better idea of how to proceed.

        The representative I spoke to yesterday said Oceania is listening to the customer comments. They have not decided whether they're going to continue this way after Jan 1.

       Please don't argue with me about this. I am just relaying his thoughts to you. He felt it was going to be a limited time plan so Oceania could get passenger feedback.

Safe travels

😎🌊

I totally agree with you. Sites like this give people an opportunity to complain without any consequences. In other situations I've been known to go to the top pretty darn quickly. If someone cares a lot about this decision I'd suggest they speak up. And do so strongly. We've only traveled with O a couple of times and LOVED it. But I'll be looking around at others now.

[Cruzin Terri]

12 minutes ago, Harters said:

If that is the case, then it seriously calls into question their ability to market their company. Successful marketing requires time for things to bed in. Selling expensive holidays is not a business in which you can judge success or failure in a very short time. 

 

It calls into question the original planning for and commitment to more inclusive arrangements under Simply More. And then to scrap SM so quickly and replace it with Your World Included again calls things into question. Now if as you suggest, YWI may not last past the end of the year, it really does make you wonder what on earth  the company is up to. 

It looks like Junior needs to consult Daddy for some lessons on how to run a company.

[Harters]

5 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It looks like Junior needs to consult Daddy for some lessons on how to run a company.

A British phrase, which I'm not going to post, comes to mind. But, to paraphrase for my compatriots (and possibly others), it seems they are unable to organise a social event in a beer making facility. 

[Vineyard View]

I just went onto live chat on the O website. I was looking at 2026 Europe itineraries. I asked if the segment following two itineraries could be shared with me. 
‘Barcelona-Rome, Marina - ending 4/28

Rome - Athens, Allura, - ending 5/7

 

i was informed that there is nothing available on any of the ships other than what is on the website. Seven day itineraries are just not long enough, and these two are preceded by TA, so I was hoping for a B2B opportunity. 
 

The response was to check back in November. I explained that with the new program replacing SM on 10/1, we would not be interested, that it was a un-inviting new program. Whether that is being noted or not, I have no idea. Likely not. 

[terrydtx]

47 minutes ago, Harters said:

Good idea. I've just sent an email to Guest Services. 

 

"I am writing to express my disappointment at your recently revised offer "Your World Included". Or Simply Less as it would be better called. 

 

When you introduced Simply More, I regarded that as a very positive way forward. As the company indicated at the time, the right move was towards a more inclusive customer offer. But your new offer is an even more backward step than the previous OLife arrangements which is what attracted us to Oceania in the first place, almost completely unpicking any sense of inclusivity (gratuities excepted). 

 

My recollection is that, when Simply More was introduced, prices were increased to reflect the "extras" over OLife. I had no issue with that whatsoever. My understanding now is that the company is removing the excursion credit and the included drinks with meals, yet is going to maintain prices at the same level. Clearly this is now a proposal which is much less value for money. Call it just a big price increase or call it Simply Less. 

 

We have an Oceania cruise booked for 2025 and we will need to reflect very carefully as to whether it will be our last with your line.  My guess, as at now, is that it will be and that competitors will prove to have a better offer. "

I love this, it expresses our sentiments 100%. What email address did you send this too?  I want to do the same.

[Harters]

24 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

What email address did you send this too?

I sent it to 

 

GuestServicesEMEA@OceaniaCruises.com

 

which is on the UK version of O's website. I know from a recent thread that there's no equivalent email address on the US version of the site. But I presume the sentiments in your email would still get to the right place if you sent it to that address.