confusing Oceania air deviation/precruise hotel

[dundeene]

1st I would like to say thank you all for the replies to my recent queries!

This will be my first cruise.

 

I am confused about the advice to save money by booking your own hotel vs Oceania. Please set me straight;)

 

Their prices seem high, but my understanding is without booking through them I MUST pay $125 ea for airline deviation to fly in any day except departure. And it also includes transfer from the hotel to ship, breakfast, and a short city tour.

So their $500 credit for a $250 room, is really . . . . a $250 room plus $250 air deviation, plus breakfast, and $99. x2 transfers.

It's looking better now.:rolleyes:

Please share your Oceania pre-hotel experiences good or bad.

Christine

[john2003]

You are correct that if u don't take the hotel and want to fly in early u will have to deviate. I am not sure if the free hotel includes the transfers. You are suggesting it does and this may be correct.

 

I guess the point is that a hotel can probably be had for very much less and the same goes with the transfers. If you want to be met and looked after it may seem worth it. If you are happy doing your own thing there is probably money to be saved.

[LHT28]

1st I would like to say thank you all for the replies to my recent queries!

This will be my first cruise.

 

I am confused about the advice to save money by booking your own hotel vs Oceania. Please set me straight;)

 

Their prices seem high, but my understanding is without booking through them I MUST pay $125 ea for airline deviation to fly in any day except departure. And it also includes transfer from the hotel to ship, breakfast, and a short city tour.

you pay the deviation fee if you do not take the hotel package or maybe if you choose your own flights & not what O offers with the hotel package

So their $500 credit for a $250 room, is really . . . . a $250 room plus $250 air deviation, plus breakfast, and $99. x2 transfers.

It's looking better now.:rolleyes:

Please share your Oceania pre-hotel experiences good or bad.

Christine

 

Your free hotel is $500 includes room, transfer from the hotel to ship & breakfast maybe a city tour

 

As I understand it

You do not pay the deviation fee with the hotel package & depending on if it is the "FREE" hotel you will only get the transfer to the ship from hotel

If you take their other hotel package you get transfers from the airport to hotel & hotel to the ship

At the end of the cruise you are on your own unless you take another hotel package

 

It is confusing ;)

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/hotels/default.aspx

[hondorner]

If you plan to arriive just one day early and leave on the dfay the cruise is over, you do save the $125/person administrative fee for a deviation. If you pan to stay a little longer in the destination city, or you plan to arrive more than one day in the departure city, you'll still pay the deviation fee. Plus, if you plan to arrive a couple of days early, you'll either be paying through the nose for the extra night(s) in that pricey hotel or you'll be switching hotels.

 

Our plans fr the Maiden Voyage of Riviera are typical -- we're arriving in Athens 3 days early, and plan to spend 3 days in Istanbul at the end of the cruise. We've found a highly recommended hotel in Athens that will cost us about the same for 3 nights as the hotel credit. In Istanbul, we're paying with Starwood points. We let Oceania do the air arrangements because we can't match their deal by booking ourselves, even after the $250 deviation fee. But, we'll handle the transfers ourselves -- it's always less expensive than Oceania charges.

[candbgirl]

Let me get this straight before I talk to my sister. We are all booked on the Regatta in June. I already have my flights and I did not opt out of the hotel so I'm all set. My sister and her husband and 2 of our friends are booked on the same cruise. They have opted out of the hotel. They plan to arrive in Miami the day before the cruise. Since they have opted out of the hotel do they have to let Oceania know they still want to fly in on the day before the cruise. Is there an air deviation fee for this? Thank you so much for your help.

[john2003]

You only get to go in a day early with the hotel deal. If this is refused then u have to deviate to go in the day before. Sorry!!

[JimandStan]

You only get to go in a day early with the hotel deal. If this is refused then u have to deviate to go in the day before. Sorry!!

 

To put it slightly more concisely:

 

If your sister and her party are using Oceanias' airline arrangements, but have opted out of the hotel, then Oceania is now expecting that they WISH to get to Miami on the day that the ship is sailing.

 

If they DON'T want to arrive on Sailing Day then they will either need to cancel the Oceania Air Arrangements and make their own plans, or stick with Oceania and pay the deviation fee.

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for the info.