Rabidcruiser

Understood - BUT it evidently doesn't always happen as there are many cases of no problem on Azamara ships when Halifax card and others are used in Europe. Trouble is that if AI is being used and programmed for this then NO card is safe to use abroad!! As I commented - we need due diligence by fraud departments tracking immediate previous expenditure patterns. We cannot just rely upon this kind of speculative security reaction which NOT (always) in the customers interest but the banks! Not everyone will carry smart phones and not always will banks contact you - as we experienced..We even signed authorities onboard Azamara to prove presence and even that was blocked. Halifax subsequent report even got the supposed suspicious site completely wrong as it could not be found on subsequent Internet searches. Still, be safe, carry spare cards.....

After some 55 cruises (23 on Azamara) the Halifax card failure was more than a surprise for us. I also had an RBS ( Royal bank of Scotland ) mastercard card with us but that was new and had not even been activated by using as a chip and pin ( why not done on board) BUT surprisingly we managed to use this brand new card (without any special authority) for £750 deposit on Onward for two future cruises!. The additional issue with Halifax is that they refuse to engage in discussion as to how they came to make such a ***** up of blockage and failure to communicate - both on the cruise and after. The reason for my post here was that when I spoke to Halifax post cruise they could not guarantee it would not happen again. It is evident that such cards can be used on Azamara successfully but I continue to press what exactly made this failure occur - sofar no explanation , apology or offer of compensation. If banks have become a law unto themselves ( aka the UK Post Office scandal) someone on high needs to set them straight!. Always carry at least TWO cards on holiday. Ironically Halifax ( and other banks) now seem to think if you notify them where you are going they ignore it as fraud could occur anyway. If it is AI they are using then saints preserve us! They still need to use due diligence like where was the card last used ( In this case - T4 LHR Hilton, Marriott Sydney, taxi Sydney were ALL passed then why not Azamara?)

PLEASE NOTE - We travelled on Azamara Onward on March 1st 2024 from Sydney and the Halifax Clarity card was not recognised and was blocked causing much inconvenience and embarrassment. I have an ongoing complaint with Halifax getting them to explain why a $1 holding charge merited a fraud blockage - be warned - it could happen to you as they will not say it could not happen again

At the end of the day it was Oceania's total lack of communication to us as a booked customer (or our TA) which sparked my rant and finding out by e mail of offers to others that all was changing without being offered options really smacked of a total lack of customer service. Luckily our TA is now on the case ( despite late Covid attack on her and her husband) and we will be able to see the cost benefits or otherwise. But for this Cruise Critic thread we would have had no sensible update to what was an apparent Oceania marketing e mail..... NOTE - rather than sending us two brochures a month we would appreciate more Oceania focussing directly on its customers with its offers - at least in the UK. I cannot speak for the service in the rest of the world

We have done some 55 cruises over the last 20 years throughout the world, over quite a range of cruise lines, and are no strangers to change , BUT it would be nice when it occurs for Oceania to be honest as to how ones existing booking is impacted - I am not just referring to the upgrades from O-life which when you try to get to the bottom of them are muddled based on Oceania's replies to our TA and getting proper invoices was a task in itself. Perhaps they no longer fit our expectations as a reliable option. We choose cruises from a blend of cruise line / itinerary / price and overall service. Surprising that we have stuck solong with Azamara as their ships / staff / packages are great but shoreside communications are like root canal surgery in their complexity and confused messages. Sadly Oceania , for us , seems to be going this way as well. Good luck to those who enjoy the line and get great servicel

Thanks to those who made useful observations to my somewhat of a rant. The 2024 Sydney to Bali cruise may be a segment of a world cruise ( which "booked out" on Dec 2022) . To free up so many cabins a huge chunk ( most of the ship) must have dropped out of this segment or whoever reserved the booking dropped out- fair enough but we only found this by accident. Booking early we got a so-called £800pp discount.in February and paid a deposit (refundable) for the cabin. The same grade cabins are getting the same "Early bird discount" as of todays prices. No, we do not need to upgrade to the new system BUT what is being offered to our TA does not seem to match Oceania's online offers. We are still working out what we might need or save but this was not part of any original deal., Payment of Gratuities from OBC was an Oceania idea , not the TA. We have cruised Oceania at least twice before and my cruise log shows it must have been included in the price and does not show separately (unless i logged it wrong). If Oceania are going down the Regent route they are going to have to improve their quality considerably at the prices they are pushing. Being messed about by Oceania (both us and the TA) does not enamour them to us - as you might note from my tone. Still you pays your money and takes your choice- - still not sure if we will cancel before any deadlines.NOTE to Susiesan - Azamara DOES include some hard liquors in addition to some beers and some wines but not speciality ones. Oceania $80 per day means you have to drink a lot as two persons - or their drinks are wildly overpriced.

Having booked some time ago on Insignia for the Feb 2024 Sydney to Bali cruise being told that the only two remaining cabins were x and y only to find that now nearly ALL cabins are NOW suddenly available ( apart from top suites) and their replacement for O- life is being introduced AND we are alos now compelled to pay gratuities out of any onboard credits. ***** is happening Oceania? We travelled pre pandemic and got far better deals and better flexibility with you. Sadly an equivalent Azamara option is not available at the time where all the gratuities are included, a limited but acceptable free beverage package is included, often ( varying) onboard credit is included) and you do not have to pay for excursions you may or may not take. Just how is Oceania stacking up against this? (AND why are they changing the rules for prebooked passengers to try to screw yet more revenue from them for questionable benefit at best)