wombatjoey

A significant price drop for our cruise.

We are booked with an agent.

Has anyone been able to do anything about that , either from Celeb or their agent?

Anyone have an idea when they might be released?

Those of you who are experienced O cruisers.

If you have a cat G or F and are hoping to do better with an upsel, who is better off, someone who has an assigned cabin or someone who was given a cabin guarantee?

Need your patience here as I have no real experience with Oceania.

You need to get the facts right...

1) United does not have PE

2) American, and Delta do not have PE -- announced but only on their new planes which they do not yet have

3) Swiss does not have PE

 

PE gets you (I have flown multiple times on Virgin and LH) -- wider seat (over 18-20 inches depending on airline), free drinks, priority boarding, separate cabin, and YES better food. On Virgin you get real china and the last time the meal and the service was better than my previous Upper Class meal on the outbound leg.

So then what happens if you pay the $99 and get a flight on Delta with NO PE.? Do you get your $99 back? or does O only put you on a flight that offers it?

Thank you to all for taking the time to give me this information.

We are booked on the Barcelona to Lisbon itinerary, for Nov 2018.

Will wait for someone to start the Roll call or maybe start it myself and share what I have learned from all of you.

Yes I see how that could go.

When air is included, will O put you on the cheapest airline with a stop rather than an expensive one that is direct?

We have no experience with this, so I am grateful for any comments.

Has anyone taken this offer?

What was the benefit? Was it worth it?

Thank you. Yes I have seen the basic info on the "free" tours. It is not what is the latest that you can book them but the earliest. I will find that out on monday when my dep is made.

My question that remains is, if most have these inclusive tours, how difficult is it to have others join you on a private tour?

Yes, just called O. If it is 6, it is per stateroom, 3 per person.

The rest is guesswork on my part.

Once the deposit is made, go to MY account and prebook the 3 free shore excursions if they are available. Apparently, you will be charged for them and then at some point it will be free.

If anyone has done this, please correct me if my assumptions are wrong.

On Monday when I do the deposit for the cruise, I will ask the questions for the free tours and will post the answers here in case there are others who are new to this and are wondering as well.

Wow 6 each, I thought it was per stateroom.

If you cant prebook them , then how do you know if you need to organize your own?

This is still complicated.

If you organize your own, how easy is it to find others to join you, if most have the O tours included?

Thank you, you have been very helpful.

I am able to tell which approximately I would chose and which I would organize on my own.

Ah, NO letters. Got it. Prices are not out yet for the one we are doing. It is in November of 2018. Barcelona to Lisbon.

I really appreciate your patience with someone who is new to this. We have done one O cruise but have never done the O tours.

Well I figured out how to see the tours. It is part of the cruise page description.

Once you get to the tours, they are coded. Some have O choice option. So seems they tell you what you could have if you have chosen the free tours. Out of 7 options, you can only chose the one that has OE beside it. Hmmm.....

could not find previous pdf's of tours.

If the tours are available only 75 days prior to sailing, how will I be able to organize private tours for the ones I am doing on my own. Usually I research and organize those about a year or so prior to.

This is getting complicated.

Frances, that sounds like what we will do.

And I am answering my own question, to see the tours, once you book, go to my account and download the pdf of tours , once it is available.

So we would have 6 free , 3 pp tours.

Is there anywhere on line I can see what they are , so I can decide before booking that I am taking the option of the free tours and giving up the 600 OBC?

Or just go for the free tours as the one choice to be made and hope for the best.

Yes so that is 3 free tours per person. Would have to arrange some private tours as well. It is the Barcelona to Lisbon itinerary, with Canary Islands.

thank you everyone.

we DO have prep gratuities and unlimited internet with the promo .

.but have a choice of 600 Obc, 6 free , tours, or drink package. Not drinkers.

So from what I hear here, take the free 6 tours.

The promo for a cruise we are considering comes with 6 included excursions as one of the options.

We always organize our own private tours. Has anyone done the o life option of included tours? I understand they are basic not the upgraded ones. Any advice would be appreciated.

If we dont take them, the option is for a 600 obc, which would buy a watch. Dont need a watch.

We are used to doing all day wonderful private tours. Would not like to spend each day with inferior options, so that is why I am asking for opinions here.

I assume that you are therefore against having ships with Xmas decorations and Xmas trees in December.

 

I have not sailed on Celebrity yet, but on Princess and RCCL every Sunday there are services for Christians (conducted by clergy or ship's personnel) and every Friday evening there are services for Jews (conducted by passengers). These are usually mentioned in the daily summary of activities.

 

Nobody is forced to go to any of these services and their existence should not detract from anyone's on-board experience.

Christmas trees, halloween decorations, valentines, super bowl, crossing the equator, whatever else, are all decorations of seasons, traditions, fun etc.

I can think of many more, does not at all equate to what the OP and others here are suggesting.

Celeb may have offered an effort to provide some services in its manifesto, but no one should expect it to be up to their own personal stadards.

Yes there IS freedom from religion.

Oxfan, this is not about the cruiseline. It is about the OP's expectations.

The tone, that a cruiseline owes them, is what is embarrassing to me. Celeb does not owe any interest group anything, the fact that you may get it is a bonus. So be grateful for what you get, instead of whining for what you want.

If you want special treatment, go with a specialty line that may cater to you, if that exists and if not then stay home.

I find this whole topic just embarrassing. Where in the world does one have the "hutzbah" to think that a cruise line should cater to any faith, belief, indulgence, ideology of any particular group.

I want Celebrity to keep it as far from religious overtones of any kind as possible. No special services for any group. That is a personal matter so keep it personal. Do whatever you do in your own home, dont inflict it on others.

If you want immersion in a particular ideology/faith, you can expect it in a country of its predominance. Not on a ship where we are all from different backgrounds and faiths or no faiths.

And then there is Hypocrisy.

I overheard someone on the last cruise complain that they could not find a prayer room, that it needed to be more prominent or how about this one....

One couple complained that the services were conducted not by a real person but a Video. All insisted that they were being slighted and wanted compensation.

Celebrity, please keep ships secular.

You will have a wonderful time as a couple and probably wonder why you had not done that before. Casual is the way to go. I like to think it is classy casual.