Aussies Disadvantaged by Oceania

[Rogey]

We thoroughly enjoyed two cruises with Oceania last year - Hong Kong to Athens and Venice to Rome - and looked forward to the Europe 2012 Itineraries being released. We found two cruises that suited and went to book before the March 31 promotion deadline.

 

However, we discovered:

1. Oceania doesn't allow Aussies to book through US travel agents unless we have a US residential address. Aussies have to book through the sole Oceania agent in Australia and in our case to pay an USD $1500 pp. above US online rates. Apart from costing us an extra USD $6000 total (also AUD $6000) for the two cruises, it is arguably a restraint of trade.

 

2. Oceania doesn't offer free air or air credits to Aussies. It is expensive for us to fly to Europe, so it isn't unreasonable that free air isn't offered, but an air credit of a few hundred dollars would be a positive gesture.

 

3. Oceania doesn't offer Aussies the $1000 bonus included in its current promotion. No reason given other than the fact that we aren't Americans.

 

In fairness, Aussies can take advantage of the Europe 2012 pre-cruise hotel or elect to have a $250 pp deduction from the cruise price.

 

The Australian economy is strong and international cruising is rapidly increasing in popularity here. Cruise lines recognise this and are competing strongly for Aussie clients. One would have expected Oceania to do the same, but instead the company is treating its loyal Club members and potential clients as second class citizens. It is discriminatory and very disappointing.

 

What do we advise Aussie friends who read Cruise Critic and see Oceania's promotions? Should we tell them that Oceania's offers and prices don't apply because they live in Australia?

 

We would be interested to hear whether CC members from other countries have similar stories about Oceania's promotional offers and prices.

 

Please share.

[rhohea]

Having just paid a deposit on 2 Riviera cruises for April 2012 I would also like to add that I was made to pay $1250.00 per person per cruise I feel like we Aussies have also been disadvantaged with regard to the deposits we pay. It clearly states on the Oceania web site that the deposit is $750 per person per cruise. Due to being disadvantaged (as Aust bookings opened 9 hours later than the US) with opening day bookings on Riviera I phoned Miami from Australia at 1am our time to make a booking to ensure I got the Cat of cabin I wanted and when the Invoices arrived they also stated $750 Per person which I had clarified with the lady who made my booking in Miami. I made my bookings for my Marina cruises while onboard Insigna last year and paid $750 per person per cruise.

So when I went to pay the deposit within the 7 days I was advised that I had to pay $1250.00 per person. I was told "that's the way we do it".

My TA (who I have used for over 30 year) has had so much trouble over the last 3 years with Oceania's Australian office and can wait anything up to a week to get a reply from them when asking for basic information on my behalf (and for other clients).

I booked my 1st Oceania cruise through a US agent and then when I went to book the 2nd cruise (both in 2008) I has told by the agent that unfortunatley Oceania had stopped US agents from booking Australians.

Why is this??????? Oceania. I know Australians are not in your high percentage of passengers but we are still paying passengers.

I phoned Oceania's Australian office to ask about the Free Air. My TA has also asked on my behalf as well. I will be in the US prior to my April 2012 cruise and asked if I could take advantage of the Free Air that is advertised (everywhere) to Eurpoe and back to LA - that was 3 weeks ago and we are still waiting for a reply.

I also agree with everything in the original post above.

[rhohea]

Also want to say that Australian's have to pre-pay all gratuities we also never get any OBC.

I have never heard of any Australians receiving upsell offers or upgrades.

We both love Oceania but having to deal with the booking .... everytime we go to book is very frustrating. The difference in the cost to us is approx then same as our airfares per person to Europe or the US. We consider that all passengers should be free to book when & with the TA of their choice. Therefore being treated as equal to their US/Canadian fellow passengers.

[2kiwis]

Hi

Have a look at the following thread which is about the same thing - New Zealander's are in the same boat (excuse the pun)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=683897&highlight=non+americans

 

Cheers

 

If you want to post a contact email I can forward you some good information about this problem :)

[rhohea]

If you want to post a contact email I can forward you some good information about this problem :)

rhohea23@yahoo.com.au

Read most of the info on the link you sent. How come no-ne from Miami ever responds. You will laugh at this. Last week when we had to pay our deposit for our B2B Riviera cruises in 2012 the AUD was $1.02 to US 1.00. Our TA told us that he had been told by the Aust Oceania office that the conversion from the quoted US$ price would be calculated at .88cents AUD. Still waiting for an explanation on that as well as the reason we had to pay $1250 deposit and not $750.

[meow!]

What do we advise Aussie friends who read Cruise Critic and see Oceania's promotions? Should we tell them that Oceania's offers and prices don't apply because they live in Australia? .

Different cruise lines put their efforts in different geographic market regions. So far, Oceania has kept its existing model, which incidentally has been debated on this board for years now. Down the road, if they have difficulties filling their large new ships, they may think of other plans.

 

For now, there are other cruise lines which give Australians a better deal. Silversea, for example, has a corporate office in Australia, and there hasn't been much complaint from Australian customers about "differential pricing" on the Silversea board. Being an Australian, you may get a cheaper, more price inclusive voyage on Silversea than Oceania, and other than the smoking and formal night issues, it is at least just as good.

 

P.S. As for airfare, no cruise line that we know of includes Australasia. Some how, Asia, Europe are alright, but not Austraia.

[Mura]

When I asked our TA (on behalf of Rhonda) whether he could take a booking for Australians, he replied as above ... but he also said Australia wasn't the only country in this boat. (He didn't mention specifically any other countries, just that it is not so uncommon a problem.)

 

It would seem that the official Australian agency has a monopoly on Oceania's business down under. I can see the requirement that you book with an agent in the country where you live. But why is there only one?

 

Or am I wrong in assuming that is the case? It sure doesn't sound like it!

 

Rhonda, that "official" exchange rate sounds a lot like what a hotel does when you cash a traveler's check ... It never bears a real relationship to the true exchange rate. But $.88 instead of $1.02 must be setting a record. Talk about gouging!

 

Mura

[meow!]

(He didn't mention specifically any other countries, just that it is not so uncommon a problem.)

There are probably no deals for South Americans, Africans, Indians or mainland Chinese, but there are not enough cruisers from those regions to register complaints on this board!

[JimandStan]

There are probably no deals for South Americans, Africans, Indians or mainland Chinese, but there are not enough cruisers from those regions to register complaints on this board!

 

Sadly, it only takes one

[Rogey]

2Kiwis.

 

Thanks for your offer to send some information. Contact us on:

geoff.glenrogerson@bigpond.com

 

Rogey

[minz56]

I'm in New Zealand and can sympathise. I spoke to O in Miami last year and they said it was due legal jurisdictions and I, the passenger, was safer to book through a local agent where I would have legal recourse if necessary. Personally I would prefer to take the risk. Holland America now allow non North Americans to book on their website but they warn you about this.

 

Has anyone outside North America been able to make a booking on their website? Or does it direct you to make a booking with a local agent?

 

There will be one wholesaler in Australia and NZ who handle all O bookings. You can of course book through your own TA who channels it through this wholesaler.

 

I would much rather book with O direct given that I am not going to get any agency deals, pay the standard deposit and then have this and the balance charged to my credit card at the "correct" exchange rate. Also in this situation they would give you a credit for the air and hotel not used.

[Mura]

I'm not an Aussie or a Kiwi but clearly your are disadvantaged when you have to go through ONE supplier.

 

And I'm not at all sure that I buy the liability argument either!

 

Not that my personal opinion helps you at all! But my sympathies are with you, and I hope that SOMEONE can convince FDR that a monopoly on reservations in other companies may be great for the TA but it is NOT great for the passengers ...

 

And may lead to them going elsewhere.

 

The first time we saw Aussies on our Oceania cruises was a number of years back, and THEY (as far as I recall) were getting prepaid gratuities when North American passengers did not. And now I understand it's the reverse?

 

So what gives?

 

Why can't all of us get prepaid gratuities? Or at least a discount? (And I will add that I can understand that certain perks go to repeat passengers.)

 

Mura

[minz56]

Mura - as I understand it US agents can offer prepaid gratutities because top O sellers get higher commissions and so they can pass on some of that extra commission to the passenger by way of free gratutities and/or an OBC.

 

That doesn't happen here as I susupect that agents are on standard commissions as sales will not be high enough to warrant 'top seller' status.

 

That being said my main gripe is that I can't book where I want to book. It really annoys me when you see better prices on US TA websites (and hear about them here on CC!) but they can't take your booking. Cruise lines (and not just O) need to wake up to the fact that everyone around the world can see the US prices and maintaining different prices and conditions for different markets is rediculous.

 

As a result of this, and also the fact that O rarley have reduced single supplements, I am looking more and more at Azamara, which can be booked in the US.

[ShopperfiendTO]

A lot of this has to do with agreements. For example, Dell has a Canada website and a US website and Canadians cannot order from the US website (which is often cheaper for the same item and configuration) for delivery to Canada even though other computer companies do allow it.

 

Don't know how much complaining to Dell USA or Dell Canada will fix this.

 

Same kind of situation here.

 

I don't know, but what if there is some Aussie/NZ government rule about foreign companies entering their markets that increases the cost of doing business for Oceania that, unlike the larger lines, cannot be easily absorbed?

 

In any event it really shouldn't matter because in the end it is an offer and acceptance - if you don't like the offer (quoted price for your situation), you don't accept (book) - and sometimes a better price is available to some and not others for no justifiable reason (a home seller does not have to accept the highest offer made).

 

Customer fairness is a matter of customer relations and not usually financial-based (someone who pays $1000 for an economy seat is going to get the exact same service as another person who paid $200 for another seat in economy).

 

Really, your best bet is to vote with your feet. If Oceania starts to feel the pinch, it will consider changing its policy.

 

Fortunately there are many other options available out there that are comparable (albeit perhaps not the same as one's preferred line).

[Mura]

Mura - as I understand it US agents can offer prepaid gratutities because top O sellers get higher commissions and so they can pass on some of that extra commission to the passenger by way of free gratutities and/or an OBC.

 

 

I don't doubt that at all. If I were in this position, I would be far more concerned about the ability to get the lower fare than I would be bemoaning the lack of OBC and free gratuities. In fact, once you've been cruising with O a fair number of times, you get some OBC from them as well-- not that O has ever given free gratuities that I have noticed!

 

I guess what bemuses me is the monopoly one agency gets in Australia ... if there were only one agent we could use in the U.S. we'd be complaining, too.

 

Obviously, TAs make their judgments about how much they can give to their clients and still make a profit. On our cruise last summer, one of our group's TAs hosted our M&G in Horizons, complete with wonderful hors d'oeuvres and wine. The clients travel frequently and always in the most expensive cabin. Clearly that TA felt for all the business she got from this couple, it was worth it to her to pay for our party.

[minz56]

Hi

If you want to post a contact email I can forward you some good information about this problem :)

 

Hi 2kiwis ... would be grateful if you can email me the information you have

msinclair@xtra.co.nz

 

Thanks

[Karri Bay]

Have a look at the Vacations to Go website. They list the cruise lines that will not permit internationals booking cruises with US travel agents. These include Cunard, Princess, P & O ,Oceania, Costa, Celebrity and a couple of others. We were fortunate last year to make booking through a US TA before the axe fell on Oceania and had a wonderful cruise and the US TA was very efficient. I have made enquiries this year locally:confused: about an Oceania Marina cruise for 2012 and at present the fare includes all gratuities but it is more expensive than the discounts offered in the USA. I am investigating Seabourne. As Aussies we can still book these with a US TA. I am told it is the nominated cruise lines and TAs locally who kicked up the fuss. Surely this is international discrimination. Karri Bay

[Karri Bay]

By the way Cool Cruiser According to my local TA even if you have a US address as soon as Oceania sees you have an Aussie passport - tough luck Jose. She has tried this one for some clients. Karri Bay. My email address is skfavas@bigpond.net.au if anyone wants to contact me about our experiences.

[Fam_Cruise]

By the way Cool Cruiser According to my local TA even if you have a US address as soon as Oceania sees you have an Aussie passport - tough luck Jose.

I'm sorry but that just doesn't make sense.

 

My neighbors who work for the Australian consultant here in DC can't book a cruise ex-USA because they have a OZ PP? There will be a lot of foreign ex-Pats here in the US that will be pissed about this if that is the case including my best friend who is a UK citizen and has lived here for 40 years. US address, US CC, US job with Japanese company, but UK PP. He has also gone on cruises and never encountered anything like this.

 

BTW one doesn't even provide their passport info when booking? I know I didn't. All that is provided is name, Credit Card/Payment info, and billing address. I would venture to say that the reason Aussies are not allowed to book is that they do not have a US CC and billing address. Now that would make sense.

[Fam_Cruise]

BTW for those of you in Australia, I feel your pain. I encounter the same thing from the airlines and jump through hoops to save a ton of money.

 

A Circle Pacific First Class ticket on oneworld (AA, QF, CX, etc) is $12,700 ex-USA whereas it is $7,106 ex-HKG. You actually have to physically purchase the ticket in Hong Kong at least 7 days in advance of your departure date. Actually there is a loop hole thanks to laws in Canada that allows one to purchase the ex-HKG price in Canada. Nice for us in the US, but doesn't help those in OZ.

 

So one can book this through the American Airlines Around the World Desk, setting it up for purchase in Canada with point of origin being HKG. Then you actually fly to Canada (in my case Toronto) and go to the AA TA at the airport and purchase your ex-HKG/ex-AMM/ex-JNB/etc ticket. Once purchased, then you have to get to HKG or other originating point to start your journey. You use miles to get an award ticket there (actually you book this prior to finalizing and purchasing your CirPac/RTW ticket). After that you can just purchase your next CirPac/RTW ticket and become a CirPac or RTW trip junkie (raising hand and shouting: guilty!).

 

It has been fun exploring Asia and Australia the past few years. You guys have an awesome country. BTW, while US is one of the highest cost places to originate a CirPac or RTW trip, the bad news is that Australia is the same or even higher. But you are closer to HKG for those who may be interested.

 

I forgot to mention, if you choose to purchase this over the phone from the AA RTW desk then the price is the higher of the prices in the originating country or the country where the CC is issued. Actual rule is stated below:

 

When travel originates in a country for which a specific local currency fares is published and

the ticket is sold in another country, the fare will be that published for the country of origin

converted to the currency of the country of sale at the bank selling rate. The resultant fare

must not be lower than from the country of sale.

Exception: Not applicable for sales made and/or travel originating in Canada or when BOTH

travel originates and sales are made within the European Common Aviation Area

(ECAA)/Switzerland.

 

Best place to originate RTW trips are the Middle East (Jordan) and South Africa.

 

Prices below are in USD as of this posting:

 

CirPac First (22K miles)

HKG - $7106

OZ - $12409

US - $12700

 

CirPac Business (22K miles)

HKG - $4977

OZ - $9537

US - $9300

 

RTW First (4 Continents)

JNB - $10607

AMM - $10014

OZ - $17845

US - $14899

 

RTW Business (4 Continents)

JNB - $6984

AMM - $7193

OZ - $11999

US - $10799

 

BTW, you can purchase RTW tickets online at oneworld.com at the prices shown above based on the departure point. Keep in mind that AA or RJ (Royal Jordanian who books through AA) produce the lowest prices because they don't add of Fuel surcharges like QF and BA, and to a lesser extent CX. When purchasing online the issuing airline is determined by the first segment flown. So booking ex-AMM (Amman Jordan would be on RJ which would result in AA ticketing and no fuel fees. FYI - taxes and fees are added to the above prices.

 

For endless detailed discussions of RTW and CirPac tickets, booking and pricing strategies see the FlyerTalk oneworld forum. There are also Star Alliance and Sky Team forums on Flyertalk, but since most of this threads audience is from OZ I figure oneworld was more appropriate and it is also the one I use and know the most about. Hopefully someone may find this info helpful.

 

If you are so inclined to use the products mentioned above, they are very nice especially for booking cruises at points you visit around the world or Pacific. I did an Alaska cruise and a New Zealand cruise in conjunction with two of these tickets.

[Frede Sander]

The same goes for Europeans, I`we been told it`s the US Government who

dictates this, but it would be nice to hear from top Oceania if it is so.

I`d love to go on Nautica`s cruise from Capetown to Singapore, but flying to those places is indeed very expensive.

[minz56]

The same goes for Europeans, I`we been told it`s the US Government who

dictates this...quote]

 

It is not the US Government that dictates this. It is O's policy.

[JimandStan]

The same goes for Europeans, I`we been told it`s the US Government who

dictates this...quote]

 

It is not the US Government that dictates this. It is O's policy.

 

It has already been established that almost all non Asia based Cruise Lines have a similar policy when it comes to Australian Bookings; so it seems unfair to single out Oceania. :mad:

 

If you cannot get P&O (which owes its' very existance to the Australian trade) to allow you to book through an overseas TA, why do you expect Oceania to be able to do it? :confused:

[minz56]

 

It has already been established that almost all non Asia based Cruise Lines have a similar policy when it comes to Australian Bookings; so it seems unfair to single out Oceania. :mad:

 

If you cannot get P&O (which owes its' very existance to the Australian trade) to allow you to book through an overseas TA, why do you expect Oceania to be able to do it? :confused:

 

While it may seem that O is being singled out it just happened that the OP was experiencing this problem with O. There is a similar discussion going on at the moment on the Cunard boards.

 

Yes, many cruise lines adopt the same policy. However in this day and age of a "global market" I do not think that such protectionist policies should apply any more.

[Mura]

I wonder who they are "protecting" -- certainly not potential passengers in the affected foreign countries!

 

And not U.S. TAs who might like the business ...

 

I guess it's the TA who has the monopoly "over there" ... and I am just assuming it's a monopoly, but I gathered it is from some of the comments by Australians.