AMHuntFerry

The price that is charged has absolutely nothing to do with the value to an individual. This is where we differ. I think you are more about comparing different prices, not price-to-value. For example, I will not pay a dime to go on an excursion that has no ($0) value to me even if it's price is $500.

You only lose the ability to compare the value/price ratio on individual items. The ability to compare the total price is preserved since you can add up what you are willing to pay (e.g., cabin = $150/person/day, drinks = $20/person/day, laundry = $0, lattes = $10/person/day, pool/hot tub = $0, etc.).

Did you have "OLife" as part of your booking and you chose the beverage package instead of shore excursions? I'm thinking that you possibly have the "House Select" beverage package which includes certain wines and beer at lunch and dinner.

No hurry. Planning travel more than a few months out is not my style, but I love to shop!

I don't think comparing a heavily discounted itinerary (it's had every sale under the sun) to later cruises is telling. I'm more interested in the 2024-2025 prices since we're booked solid for 2023.

I dug out a March 2023 catalog with regular pricing (no sale, although they were offering OLife Ultimate, but that doesn't change the price). B4 was $5149 for OLife and $3849 cruise only. SInce the July 1 price is $5199 and $3899, respectively, the price only went up $50 since March (ignoring current sales prices). However, since this cruise is waitlisted, I'm not sure it's a good indicator of price increases for 2024 and beyond. What are we going to talk about after Saturday? 😉

The before price is the upgrade sale, so I think the price has only gone up $300 for this case...need to check my math.

The "After" prices are "upgade sale" prices. Half of the "brochure price" would be $5199, so no increase. However, this cruise is fully waitlisted. Do you have any prices for a farther out cruise?

If there is truly a net savings you should be able to get it. That said, talk to a TA today (or call the O line and talk to a different rep); fares change on July 1st and you will be required to use the new SimplyMore program (replacing cruise only and OLife), plus sales end June 30th and fares may (almost certainly will) go up.

By default, my TA finds out the costs of optional items provided by the cruise line (e.g., air, shorex, hotels) and also provides quotes for these items from the travel agency directly. She has said "we are a full service travel agency", but it sounds like there are many TA that don't provide this service; there is no direct cost to the consumer for these "extras" although I would expect to pay a fee if I asked for my TA to do any non/low-commission work (e.g., book a flight only). If you or someone you know doesn't want to book their own airfare, etc., I highly recommend using a full service TA so as not to be at the mercy of just the cruise line's offerings.

At least until the last OLife-qualifying cruises are completed (mid-2025), I would expect that anyone ordering drinks with meals will need to show their card, the same as current practice. After SimplyMore is the only game in town, cards may only be needed when not at a meal. We shall see...

Before the vac bags existed, we used sealable bags and rolled the filled bag toward the opening while squishing down to remove air. When done rolling, we sealed the bag an either left rolled or flattened. It doesn't flatten quite as much as with vac, but it works.

There is some sort of port talk/information on the TV but I've never viewed it so don't know anything more than "it exists". In addition to the safety info above, on our June Regatta cruise the CD came on the speakers (in room included) and did the emergency signal plus gave info...maybe ~5 minutes.

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but there is the phrase "this is the geatest value in luxury cruising...". O has used the term "luxury" in its marketing when describing amenities or other specifics, but not to the entire cruise (although I've only been paying attention post-pandemic). The lack of lower level cabins on the A-class ships indicated to me that O is moving out of the premium level and into luxury and this seems to support that theory. Time will tell. My guess is some of the sailings that were within my "maybe" category will move into the "no" category, but there will still be some to choose from. July 1st is going to be fun! 🙂

There is a concierge (hours are posted) that you can use instead of the regular concierge. Usually there are a couple of computers (and printer at concierge desk) that you can use instead of your own device. There is also a TV but I don't think it is used much.

I think you did a really good job comparing apples to (similar) apples given the info that is available. It's not a simple exercise, plus you need to evaluate/prioritize what is valuable to you (and your traveling partner if applicable) while ignoring marketing hype. I enjoy seeing what others have done even if it doesn't apply directly to me. It's all part of the fun (like speculating on what O will do next 😉 ).

If you are interested in spa services/facilities or fitness, take a tour of the spa/fitness area on embarkation day. There will be a handout a list of spa services with prices and another with the fitness classes/services (free like yoga/pilates and for a fee like personal training). Food expectations have been mentioned, and I agree. On my first O cruise (Dec. 2021, also first cruise ever) I was initially disappointed in the food. But then I realized that I was comparing it to the places I normally eat which rarely seat more than 50 and are chef-owned (or partially owned) farm to table type places. This was very unfair of me since the O kitchens are cooking for 100s (or 1000s on the larger ships including crew) with food of varying freshness. As my expectations adjusted to reality, I've chosen foods wisely (for the most part) and enjoyed most of what was served. Always leave room for dessert!

Yep, still 2 in June 🙂 (different screen images though)

Is there a "hot water" button?

I've been a DIYer my whole life (camping was our typical family vacation mode when I was young) and both of us were raised by silent-gen. parents, so we're still getting comfortable with $300/person/day spending which seems incredibly extravagant to us. I just don't think we would value the things available on luxury lines enough to spend more. Now Windstar on the other hand is creeping into the "maybe" category even though it's closer to $400. (Note: being of the DIY mind set, any group tour, no matter the size, is not attractive to us for any price. We'd rather trek off on our own unless there is danger in doing so)

This brings up an important point when comparison shopping. The luxury brands become comparable to O when comparing PH and above (sometimes concierge veranda), but less so when comparing inside, OV, french balcony, or B-cabins. One thing I do when looking at a new brand is to see where their lowest price point is; this makes elimination of some brands easy. For example, I choose 2024 (to avoid ship-filling sales) and don't limit where or when then see what the lowest prices are. SB's lowest prices for a <2 week cruise are about $500 per person per day; O is about $200 (Vista ~$300 since no inside or OV). For someone "moving up" or for whom luxury-style doesn't work (for whatever reason), O has a less expensive entry point as long as you are OK without a full balcony (which makes sense since it's premium, not luxury). That said, SB on sale becomes price-competitive even though I won't utilize some of the luxury perks.

You must have had the sibling of the woman on our cruise who was practically apoplectic because her PH was ready 15 minutes later than she expected. I wanted to tell her to grab a cookie and relax, but I just kept sipping my Barista latte.

Haha, your family probably plans farther out than our families. We got less than 2 weeks warning for one wedding. Other things that make me hesitant to plan fun trips more than 3 months in advance: international meetings (professional and volunteer) that don't get scheduled until at most 6 months (or less) out. We had to move one cruise this year because of that. I've checked out all of the major credit cards in the US; Canada seems to have cards with quite a bit more coverage. I believe the gold-standard (i.e., best trip insurance) is the Chase Sapphire Reserve and it doesn't have anything too exciting regarding medical. Here are its medical coverage parts: Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit If you're 100 miles or more from home on a trip, you can be reimbursed up to $2,500 for medical expenses if you or your immediate family member become sick or injured. Emergency Evacuation and Transportation If you or a member of your immediate family are injured or become sick during a trip far from home that results in an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000. There is also AD&D to $1M.

On Regatta there is a "real" espresso machine in the Terrace bar. However, there is also an automated espresso machine where the servers get water, coffee, tea, juice; so you may need to specify espresso from the bar if the automated kind is not what you want. The ships sometimes vary when it comes to small things like this, so you may want to ask about a specific ship (unless I hit the jackpot and you're on Regatta 😉 ).

The following comment is more for people unfamiliar with credit card travel insurance than for you: the credit card insurance that I have researched are not cancel-for-any-reason insurance. For example, if I have a trip booked with non-refundable costs and my niece decides to get married during my trip so I cancel, my credit card trip insurance will not cover this instance. The message to people looking at credit card insurance (or any insurance for that matter) is to carefully read what is and is not covered. I got this particular credit card when my other cards all dropped rental car insurance. As I mentioned before, I use the credit card for simple trips (<$5k per ticketed person, or $10k), but if I want medical transportation back to the US from Timbuktu (or other higher level insurance), I need to buy it (note that I already have international medical insurance through my everyday medical insurance so no need to duplicate).