ak1004

We are on Uniworld River Empress which is 110m I believe.

So basically Kaub is the weakest link.. no matter the levels in other ports, once Kaub is below certian level (50cm?), ships cannot pass from Basel to Amsterdam. if this happens, they da a swap? Meaning that ships that go in opposite directions just wait on both sides of Kaub and then swap guests? This would require a serious logistics..

Sorry if this was addressed before, it's a pretty long topic, but why people are so focused on Kaub specifically? We will be doing Basel-Amsterdam with Uniworld on Sep.2, didn't see Kaub as one of the ports.

Well, we have the booking at $6,700 CAD. I assume this is the price.. It's $10,900 CAD now.. I still don't know if it was a mistake, or from time to time they have those promotions of Canadian dollar at par.. I have seen it couple more times since then.

Okay, got it, thanks. https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/advisors/search#query=pavlus&sort=SearchRelevance

Exactly. I understand that they want to wait and see if maybe I would book something before it expires. And I would - but we are fully book till the end of 2024. Maybe Allura will have something attractive and we can use it. But we also have another certificate that we got on our last cruise in May

How do you know if a TA (or the agency) is a member of Virtuoso?

I will have to remember it, but not much I can do at this point. In any case, I can cancel it anytime if they still not able to extend it 2-3 weeks before expiration.

This is correct. Directly from the certificate T&C: "Certificate cancellations are fully refundable up until expiration." However, our next O cruise is in November 2024, so we would definitely like to use it for 2025 sailing, hence the extension request.

My TA spoke to Oceania, they said they may be able to extend it, they said to check back just prior to the expiration date and will see about getting them extended

Thank you, but this was booked on board and no specific booking. And TA was not involved yet.

I believe they use a term "excursions credit". Not that it really matters.. and we all know that it's not really FREE.

Do you have their email?

And if 4-6 is still too many, there is always an option to book those "Executive Collection" tours where you have a private car and driver. Problem solved. Really don't see what's the issue.

Can the Future Cruise Certificate be extended beyond one year? We got the certificate last September, my understanding is that 2025 itineraries will be released mid September, so I probably won't be able to book before it expires. Was anyone successful in extending it beyond one year?

Agree. And if your current booking is was done at least 6-12 months ago, it is safe to assume that the prices already increased even before SM, so the gap between the original price paid and the SM price is much wider.

Yes, cruise only now assumes SM, have to get used to it..

Wow, this is significant! I assume both prices are for cruise only, no air?

And if you book a minimum number of excursions and get 25% discount, then it's closer to 1.2 to 1.3. But also don't forget that with SM you can book any excursion, including OE and OS, which you could not with oLife. So for people who used to book ship excursions or mix of ship and private tours, not much is changing.

Agree 100%. There is such a big gap between great on board experience and the corporate behavior (including customer service, false advertising, website etc)

It was not. This was the original schedule I believe, the new date is April 2024.

Don't see the Summer Sale on the website. Are those savings real? Does the email have any sample sailings with prices so we can compare and see how does it compare to their website?

I think it's matter of perspective, and also depends on the ship. We sailed on the Riviera in May and on SS last December, and we found both lines comparable in terms of food and service. What makes SS more "luxury" than O is the fact that they are all inclusive, plus larger cabins and better space/passenger ratios. All other aspects - I didn't see anything on SS that makes it more luxury than O. On related note, we would sail on both O class and R class, but still consider the O class more "luxury". Much better cabins, newer ships, more ding options etc. I think that PH on the R class is not a good value (just my personal opinion).

I hope I'm not one of them.. But if I am, you won't see this post anyway.. kind of catch 22.. (Sorry, couldn't resist) 😁

Everyone is different. Could be work family elderly parents etc. Let's not judge people without knowing their situation.