Ragnar Danneskjold Posted August 25, 2011 #26 Share Posted August 25, 2011 The driving tenents of marketing are: 1) - There is a sucker born every minute. 2) - Never give a sucker an even break. Don't be a sucker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted August 25, 2011 #27 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Cancellations DO happen, especially as the pay-up-or-else date approaches. So I myself don't worry too much about cabins that are sold out one week and not the next. We have cancelled more cruises than we have ended up taking, I think ... our plans change, or maybe we were never sure we REALLY wanted to take it but it was easy enough to book with a fully refundable deposit. And cancellations happen even close to a sail date -- emergencies do occur. That's how we got an OS for a nominal extra price (we'd been booked in a PH) several years ago. So maybe you shouldn't presume that this is all dishonest marketing. I'm not saying it isn't -- I'm just saying it may well NOT be. We also benefited once from at last minute sale when we'd been booked long before. (I'm not sure this would happen NOW but it did 6-7 years ago.) The cruise was undersold so they had a two or three day "automatic upgrade" sail. This took place 10 days before departure -- but we got the benefit of the sale. My mother had been booked in a "E", I think, and ended up in a "C". We'd been in a "C" and ended up in a "PH". For no extra $$. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&G Posted September 14, 2011 Author #28 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I started this tread three weeks ago and wish to update my experience with Oceania. Though I was unable to book an Oceania cruise for the Spring 2012 out of Miami (interior/window cabins sold out), I asked Oceania when would their Spring 2013 be posted. Oceania stated it would be posted in Sept 2011. Since 08/31/2011 until today I had been checking the schedule and this AM the Spring 2013 schedule was posted. I was able to book a 10 day cruise on the Riveria out of Miami for Jan 2013 at a great price (interior cabin). By noon today all interior cabins on the Riveria for Jan 2013 (3 sailings) had been sold out and or wait listed :eek: ! We look forward to sailing for the first time on Oceania even though it is 16 months till sailing ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 14, 2011 #29 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I was able to book a 10 day cruise on the Riveria out of Miami for Jan 2013 at a great price (interior cabin). By noon today all interior cabins on the Riveria for Jan 2013 (3 sailings) had been sold out and or wait listed :eek: ! We look forward to sailing for the first time on Oceania even though it is 16 months till sailing ! Glad you were able to secure a cabin The time will fly by Be sure to join the ROLL CALL for your cruise & you can chat & plan with others on your cruise Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandB_Toronto Posted September 15, 2011 #30 Share Posted September 15, 2011 At least you all are getting mail with some gorgeous photographs - I haven't received a piece of anything from Oceania for months - not one of those magnificent catalogues, not even an interim mailer/folder/flyer. And I'm feeling pretty low about it. Now from Holland-American - on which I have never sailed - I am barraged, minimally, thrice weekly. I'm beginning to think I really should book a cruise, any cruise, just to repay them for the paper and ink! How strange! We have sailed on Oceania only once in 2007 and still get material from them frequently -- seems like at least once a week. (Although we have recently booked two cruises next April) On the other hand, we did a cruise on HAL last summer and almost never get anything from them!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&G Posted September 15, 2011 Author #31 Share Posted September 15, 2011 How strange! We have sailed on Oceania only once in 2007 and still get material from them frequently -- seems like at least once a week. (Although we have recently booked two cruises next April) On the other hand, we did a cruise on HAL last summer and almost never get anything from them!!! HAL sends out their promotions by email. In fact today is the last day of a 3 day sale with great deals in the Caribbean. You have to sign up with HAL to get the email promotions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted September 15, 2011 #32 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I I was able to book a 10 day cruise on the Riveria out of Miami for Jan 2013 at a great price (interior cabin). I am happy to hear you were able to book an Oceania cruise at a price to your liking... There is a reason these cheap inside cabins go fast...they are a great value...If you don't care if you get a balcony or a window, if all you use your cabin for is to sleep and change clothes, you get a great itinerary, outstanding food and a relaxing, upscale cruise at a very minimal cost. congratulations.... I was on Marina while this thread was raging, so I missed it...but would like to add my two cents... I am somewhat obsessed, so, among all of the constant planning I do, I often check out how my cruises are selling. There are other websites (other than Oceania), where you can get a pretty accurate accounting of available cabins at any particular time. For example, I know that, as of yesterday, over three months before my Christmas/New Year Celebrity Century ship, the ship had exactly 33 cabins available... But, here is the thing: On EVERY cruise, every cruise line, the number of available rooms--and the categories they are in--fluctuates day to day, even minute to minute...It may be 33 yesterday at 3:00 pm and 6 this morning at 9:00 am, then 45 tonight at 8:00 pm...Today, there may be no suites available but plenty of insides, tomorrow, there may be six of them but no insides... Over the course of time, some people cancel out existing bookings, others decide to upgrade...or downgrade...Sometimes the cruise line might hold back cabins for a particular purpose, then decide to release them...Sometime travel agents hold a block of cabins then release some...It is a FLUID thing... I think, over the course of my 30+ cruises, I, myself, have upgraded my cabin choice somewhere in the process on about a third of them... So, just because, say, inside cabins sold out three months ago, it doesn't mean that some of those inside cabins haven't come back on the market at various times over the past three months... The problem is, that when they do come back on the market, they sell out again FAST...Even if you do call as soon as you receive the advertisement, it doesn't mean someone else hasn't gotten the ad quicker and beat you to it...or even that someone else hasn't gotten lucky and called in before anyone got the ad... I ONCE bought a car at the price in the newspaper ad...the really low price where the small print says "one at this price"...I was lucky...I walked into the dealership first thing Friday morning...the first day the ad was published. I am certain dozens of other people walked into that dealership later in the weekend and were disappointed because all of the available cars of that model were at a much higher price...That's the nature of "special deals"... IF you are lucky enough to book an Oceania cruise for $799, you are getting a heck of a deal...You cannot expect that they are giving away too many cruises at that price...Heck, people pay more than that for Carnival and Carnival is not even close to being in the same ballpark as to the quality of the experience and product. Also, one must understand the nature of ALL advertising...The idea is to attract your attention, to get you to consider or to purchase the product... I think MOST people see right through the "2 for 1/Free Air" stuff...It is promotion...It's there to attract attention, to make people think they are getting an outstanding bargain...The "Brochure Price" is no different than any other product's "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price"...no one ever pays it...When you buy electronics or TV, for example, don't you expect the ad to say something like "$500 below MSRP"? Sure...because everyone sells the item for about that...no one would buy at MSRP... So, you look at the price, in the end, and you don't think about the "2 for 1" or the "Free Air", what you look at is the BOTTOM LINE...What do I have to pay for THIS cruise? Then you have to ask yourself "Am I willing to pay THAT?"... If you are, don't think twice about it...The fact that there was an advertised $799 special that YOU didn't get is moot...The end question is what you have to pay, whatever that is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&G Posted September 15, 2011 Author #33 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I am happy to hear you were able to book an Oceania cruise at a price to your liking...There is a reason these cheap inside cabins go fast...they are a great value...If you don't care if you get a balcony or a window, if all you use your cabin for is to sleep and change clothes, you get a great itinerary, outstanding food and a relaxing, upscale cruise at a very minimal cost. congratulations.... I was on Marina while this thread was raging, so I missed it...but would like to add my two cents... I am somewhat obsessed, so, among all of the constant planning I do, I often check out how my cruises are selling. There are other websites (other than Oceania), where you can get a pretty accurate accounting of available cabins at any particular time. For example, I know that, as of yesterday, over three months before my Christmas/New Year Celebrity Century ship, the ship had exactly 33 cabins available... But, here is the thing: On EVERY cruise, every cruise line, the number of available rooms--and the categories they are in--fluctuates day to day, even minute to minute...It may be 33 yesterday at 3:00 pm and 6 this morning at 9:00 am, then 45 tonight at 8:00 pm...Today, there may be no suites available but plenty of insides, tomorrow, there may be six of them but no insides... Over the course of time, some people cancel out existing bookings, others decide to upgrade...or downgrade...Sometimes the cruise line might hold back cabins for a particular purpose, then decide to release them...Sometime travel agents hold a block of cabins then release some...It is a FLUID thing... I think, over the course of my 30+ cruises, I, myself, have upgraded my cabin choice somewhere in the process on about a third of them... So, just because, say, inside cabins sold out three months ago, it doesn't mean that some of those inside cabins haven't come back on the market at various times over the past three months... The problem is, that when they do come back on the market, they sell out again FAST...Even if you do call as soon as you receive the advertisement, it doesn't mean someone else hasn't gotten the ad quicker and beat you to it...or even that someone else hasn't gotten lucky and called in before anyone got the ad... I ONCE bought a car at the price in the newspaper ad...the really low price where the small print says "one at this price"...I was lucky...I walked into the dealership first thing Friday morning...the first day the ad was published. I am certain dozens of other people walked into that dealership later in the weekend and were disappointed because all of the available cars of that model were at a much higher price...That's the nature of "special deals"... IF you are lucky enough to book an Oceania cruise for $799, you are getting a heck of a deal...You cannot expect that they are giving away too many cruises at that price...Heck, people pay more than that for Carnival and Carnival is not even close to being in the same ballpark as to the quality of the experience and product. Also, one must understand the nature of ALL advertising...The idea is to attract your attention, to get you to consider or to purchase the product... I think MOST people see right through the "2 for 1/Free Air" stuff...It is promotion...It's there to attract attention, to make people think they are getting an outstanding bargain...The "Brochure Price" is no different than any other product's "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price"...no one ever pays it...When you buy electronics or TV, for example, don't you expect the ad to say something like "$500 below MSRP"? Sure...because everyone sells the item for about that...no one would buy at MSRP... So, you look at the price, in the end, and you don't think about the "2 for 1" or the "Free Air", what you look at is the BOTTOM LINE...What do I have to pay for THIS cruise? Then you have to ask yourself "Am I willing to pay THAT?"... If you are, don't think twice about it...The fact that there was an advertised $799 special that YOU didn't get is moot...The end question is what you have to pay, whatever that is... We are very pleased to have been able to book an Oceania cruise for the 1st time. We have been on +40 cruises and have heard many great things about Oceania. We have had every type of cabin category on our cruises from bottom deck inside to suites on the top deck. I like inside cabins since it is so dark when the lights go out :eek: ; my DW likes balconies ! I understand your logic but the problem I had was receiving the same 2 for 1 promotion three times during the month of August 2011 implying the interior cabins were available. I had called Oceania and was told there were 18 & 11 reservations on the wait lists for F & G cabins ! I can not believe that these wait lists would disappear in one month and the cabins were become available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted September 15, 2011 #34 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I understand your logic but the problem I had was receiving the same 2 for 1 promotion three times during the month of August 2011 implying the interior cabins were available. I had called Oceania and was told there were 18 & 11 reservations on the wait lists for F & G cabins ! I can not believe that these wait lists would disappear in one month and the cabins were become available. I doubt they would become available either...I was just noting that, when they actually printed these promotions, they probably were available...and, after the promotion appeared, that waiting list built quickly...Things change...and sometimes rapidly...The advertisement mailings don't adapt that quickly... They are not considered a misrepresentation under the law so long as tey were, at some time, available at that price and ONE person was able to book at that price...They are not required to make all cabins available at the sale price and there is an implicit representation that these category cabins are extremely limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted September 15, 2011 #35 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I am happy to hear you were able to book an Oceania cruise at a price to your liking...There is a reason these cheap inside cabins go fast...they are a great value...If you don't care if you get a balcony or a window, if all you use your cabin for is to sleep and change clothes, you get a great itinerary, outstanding food and a relaxing, upscale cruise at a very minimal cost. congratulations.... I was on Marina while this thread was raging, so I missed it...but would like to add my two cents... I am somewhat obsessed, so, among all of the constant planning I do, I often check out how my cruises are selling. There are other websites (other than Oceania), where you can get a pretty accurate accounting of available cabins at any particular time. For example, I know that, as of yesterday, over three months before my Christmas/New Year Celebrity Century ship, the ship had exactly 33 cabins available... But, here is the thing: On EVERY cruise, every cruise line, the number of available rooms--and the categories they are in--fluctuates day to day, even minute to minute...It may be 33 yesterday at 3:00 pm and 6 this morning at 9:00 am, then 45 tonight at 8:00 pm...Today, there may be no suites available but plenty of insides, tomorrow, there may be six of them but no insides... Over the course of time, some people cancel out existing bookings, others decide to upgrade...or downgrade...Sometimes the cruise line might hold back cabins for a particular purpose, then decide to release them...Sometime travel agents hold a block of cabins then release some...It is a FLUID thing... I think, over the course of my 30+ cruises, I, myself, have upgraded my cabin choice somewhere in the process on about a third of them... So, just because, say, inside cabins sold out three months ago, it doesn't mean that some of those inside cabins haven't come back on the market at various times over the past three months... The problem is, that when they do come back on the market, they sell out again FAST...Even if you do call as soon as you receive the advertisement, it doesn't mean someone else hasn't gotten the ad quicker and beat you to it...or even that someone else hasn't gotten lucky and called in before anyone got the ad... I ONCE bought a car at the price in the newspaper ad...the really low price where the small print says "one at this price"...I was lucky...I walked into the dealership first thing Friday morning...the first day the ad was published. I am certain dozens of other people walked into that dealership later in the weekend and were disappointed because all of the available cars of that model were at a much higher price...That's the nature of "special deals"... IF you are lucky enough to book an Oceania cruise for $799, you are getting a heck of a deal...You cannot expect that they are giving away too many cruises at that price...Heck, people pay more than that for Carnival and Carnival is not even close to being in the same ballpark as to the quality of the experience and product. Also, one must understand the nature of ALL advertising...The idea is to attract your attention, to get you to consider or to purchase the product... I think MOST people see right through the "2 for 1/Free Air" stuff...It is promotion...It's there to attract attention, to make people think they are getting an outstanding bargain...The "Brochure Price" is no different than any other product's "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price"...no one ever pays it...When you buy electronics or TV, for example, don't you expect the ad to say something like "$500 below MSRP"? Sure...because everyone sells the item for about that...no one would buy at MSRP... So, you look at the price, in the end, and you don't think about the "2 for 1" or the "Free Air", what you look at is the BOTTOM LINE...What do I have to pay for THIS cruise? Then you have to ask yourself "Am I willing to pay THAT?"... If you are, don't think twice about it...The fact that there was an advertised $799 special that YOU didn't get is moot...The end question is what you have to pay, whatever that is... That is the best, most reasonable explanation I have ever heard. Great post, as usual, Bruin Steve! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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