Oceania Book on Board - I Still Don’t Understand

[World20]

Subtitle: How to book Ocenia using an existing on board pruchased cruise.

After reading several posts here, I am still confused about buy onboard Oceania discounts. Here are my assumptions – the questions follow. Please let me know if any of my assumptions are not accurate. This is for a cruise with two in the cabin. The fares shown are made up and are just for illustration purposes only for this example and question.

First, the full brochure fare per guest is a completely fictitious price. No one pays this much. This really approximates the fare per two guests. $21,000.

Second, the special offer fare per guest times two is what Oceania will sell you the cruise; they may or may not be other pricing benefits. This fare is typically a little less than 50% of the full brochure fare. This fare seems to have replaced the 2 for 1 fare per guest which was confusing. $10,000.

Scenario 0. Buy the cruise from Oceania for $20,000. No questions. May or may not include OBS and/or prepaid gratuities.

Scenario 1. Take the $20,000 fare to an Oceania specialist TA and book the fare for $20,000, less any additional discounts, OBC and prepaid gratuities the TA/Oceania may offer. I don’t really know who is paying for these (TA, Oceania, some combination)?

Question 1. What if I give the TA an already purchased onboard booking to change for the first time and within validity dates. I assume the lower deposit then carries over to the new cruise? My question is how the 5% discount works. I understand that the onboard 5% of something discount also carries over to the new booking. So what is the price of the cruise booked this way? Seems to be the TA would just combine behind the scene their existing discount/OBC/prepaid gratuity with e 5% of something to get a final price. I am concerned that the 5% of something just became devalued in this process.

Scenario 2. The same as scenario #1 but with the big internet/big box TA’s. These guys are always offering special 37th annual ground hog day special discounts that are larger than Oceania’s for the first 72 people to book. Do you get a final quote first and then add the 5% to maximize its value? Or do they just mix up the 5% with a discount for your cost?

[sitraveler]

Booking using an on board booked cruise is a older system that O gave up on. While on board an O cruise you would book a cruise you didn't necessarily really want. That way you get a 5% "on board" discount. You could then transfer the discount to another cruise when you found it. There is now an future cruise certificate for sale on the ship to do the same thing.

 

The transfer gimmick just confused O as to what was sold.

[wripro]

And you are absolutely right about the fictitious brochure prices. Most cruise lines do this and then claim you are getting a 2 for 1 fare. Amazingly, some people fall for this marketing ploy. What they probably do is establish the fair price for a cruise, then double it to get the brochure price.

[World20]

I just booked a future cruise last month with a 5% discount. This booking is fully refundable or transferable once only to maintain the 5% discount as I understand within specified dates. They were also offering future cruise certificates. So apparently they are offering both methods.

[willmschen]

We were recently on Regatta. If you booked a future cruise, they were offering a reduced deposit of $375 per person. If you wanted to book using the future cruise certificate, you had to pay the full deposit of $750 per person. They called the reduced deposit a special offer, so I don't know if this is something that they will continue to offer. To take advantage of the reduced deposit and have the option to transfer the discount to a future cruise, we just booked a cruise as far into the future as possible, which I believe was late October, 2013. We will likely transfer the discount and deposit to a future cruise when the new itineraries are published.

[dundeene]

We could not find the exact cruise that worked for us while on-board Marina in April.

We received a"coupon" from Oceania shortly after we arrived home. It offered the 5% on-board discount if we booked a cruise within 45 days of our last cruise.

We found a cruise we liked, called our TA who offered us usual OBC etc. and she booked the cruise with Oceania.

The billing showed exactly as expected with the 5% off, TA OBC etc. We then had to fill out the coupon with past cruise date, Oceania Club #, and future cruise info and mail it to Oceania.

 

Good luck and happy sailing!

[LHT28]

We could not find the exact cruise that worked for us while on-board Marina in April.

We received a"coupon" from Oceania shortly after we arrived home. It offered the 5% on-board discount if we booked a cruise within 45 days of our last cruise.

This must be something new

Usually the coupon is for $200 off the stateroom with the 45 day condition

 

Lyn

[hondorner]

Like Lyn, all the coupons I;ve received after I got home, including one just a few weeks ago, were for $200 per cabin ($100 each when booking two per cabn). that's the discount for being an Oceania Club member, which is automatic after your first cruise. You can apply that amount to a new reservation or to an existing reservation, but you have to use it within the specified time,

 

When you book a cruise on board, the discount is 5%. You make the reservation with the on board cruise specialist. If you used a Travel Agent for the cruise you are currently sailing, your reservation will automatically be transferred to them. There was some discussion a few weeks ago about having it sent to a different TA; I can't recall the final outcome of the discussion. They used to let you book a dummy cruise then transfer it; they now offer a future cruise certificate. You can either book a specific cruise or buy a future cruise certificate by maing a deposit. There is a current sale involving 2-for-1 deposits; since that sale may not be in effect when you use the 5% certificate, you'll have to pay the normal deposit.

 

According to the rules, you can't use both the 5% discount and the $200 coupon -- it's one or the other. So, if you are making reservation for, say, an inside room that's less than $2000 per person, you'll be better off using the coupon. Anything higher than that amount, you're better off using the 5%. The cruise consultant on board knows that and will help to prevent you from making a mistake.

 

Any offers that Oceania is making directly, regardless of how you book, regarding gratuties or onboard credit will not be affected. You'll get the offers and the 5% as an additional incentive. If your reservation is ransferred to a TA, any incentive they are offering, regardless of the source, are also not affected. the 5% discount is an additional incentive to book while on board.

[dundeene]

I kept a copy of the coupon, it was $200 off the next cruise.

On a 7-day cruise in a B cabin it was equal to the 5%, so I believe that is what stuck in my mind.

Sorry I confused the two.

It would be a much bigger savings on a longer cruise at 5%.

It was nice to have the coupon after the cruise to allow time to ponder up-coming offerings.

The next time we cruise I think we will just purchase the future cruise credit instead.

[Benita]

If you "buy" a FCC, does it expire? Do you have to make the booking within 45 days of returning home like when they sent the $200 voucher? When on the Marina last year, we booked our Sept. 2 cruise for this year and then used the $200 voucher to book a third cruise for 2013. I wonder if you can get 5% off on each of several cruises if you book them all while onboard.

[no fuss travel]

We had booked our next Oceania cruise before we sailed last February to ensure we got the cabin we wanted. When we boarded the Insignia, and spoke to the Ambassador, we were allowed to take an additional 5% off the cruise price on our future cruise that we had already booked. She wrote a letter to head office and also to our travel agent. It worked out perfectly for us. Now that I am retiring this December, we are waiting for the 2014 brochures so that we can decide if we want to book Oceania ahead again and then go for the 5% additional discount when we sail next February. We know we are going with a different cruise company for the Galapagos Islands October 2013, because they offer the itinerary that we want.

[ORV]

This must be something new

Usually the coupon is for $200 off the stateroom with the 45 day condition

 

Lyn

 

I received ours 38 days after our disembarkation. We had a week to use it, I found that amusing. :)

[Jancruz]

We could not find the exact cruise that worked for us while on-board Marina in April.

We received a"coupon" from Oceania shortly after we arrived home. It offered the 5% on-board discount if we booked a cruise within 45 days of our last cruise.

We found a cruise we liked, called our TA who offered us usual OBC etc. and she booked the cruise with Oceania.

The billing showed exactly as expected with the 5% off, TA OBC etc. We then had to fill out the coupon with past cruise date, Oceania Club #, and future cruise info and mail it to Oceania.

 

Good luck and happy sailing!

 

From Oceania:

 

If you book onboard for either a specific cruise or a “Future Deposit Certificate” you can save 5% off your future cruise (sometimes more). If you don’t book onboard you can still get a certificate that offers you $100 off per person if you book within 45 days from your return home. I don’t believe Oceania is mailing 5% off certificates, only the options that I mentioned. Of course, I’m not sure why anyone would wait to book… the deposit is refundable, you can change your date one time if needed, and 5% can add up… especially in those suites!

 

 

 

Jancruz1

[sitraveler]

And on board you don't have to book ONLY ONE CRUISE!!!!!!!

[PaulMCO]

If you "buy" a FCC, does it expire? Do you have to make the booking within 45 days of returning home like when they sent the $200 voucher? When on the Marina last year, we booked our Sept. 2 cruise for this year and then used the $200 voucher to book a third cruise for 2013. I wonder if you can get 5% off on each of several cruises if you book them all while onboard.

 

Benita -- FCC is valid for 2 years.

[mountain grandma]

We had booked our next Oceania cruise before we sailed last February to ensure we got the cabin we wanted. When we boarded the Insignia, and spoke to the Ambassador, we were allowed to take an additional 5% off the cruise price on our future cruise that we had already booked.

 

You can only receive this if the category that you are booked in is still available. We also like to book future cruises right away when the itinerary is published so that we can get the best cabin selection. Then if we are sailing soon on another cruise, we get the additional 5% as soon as possible after boarding so that the availability is still there. It has worked successfully every time.

 

Billie

[Balloon Man]

Not my experience mountain grandmother. I booked two Oceania cruises with my on-line TA. The category chosen for our second cruise quickly became non-available (I couldn't actually get the cabin I wanted but settled for one of the same level in a different location) but when I spoke to the Ambassador on our first cruise I received 5% off our second cruise.

[Cruiser John]

The discount offered on board O doesn't always work. In March we "rebooked" a previously booked cruise while sailing Au to NZ. Everything seemed to work fine. Our category was still available so we rebooked on board to get the additional 5% discount. When back on land, our TA ,of many years, declared that our June cruise had been discounted enough and we were not entitled to the additional 5%. Buyer beware!! Obviously, we are l looking for a new TA. JH

[Jancruz]

The discount offered on board O doesn't always work. In March we "rebooked" a previously booked cruise while sailing Au to NZ. Everything seemed to work fine. Our category was still available so we rebooked on board to get the additional 5% discount. When back on land, our TA ,of many years, declared that our June cruise had been discounted enough and we were not entitled to the additional 5%. Buyer beware!! Obviously, we are l looking for a new TA. JH

 

I hve to say..I never heard of anything like that!!! Not sure what buyer beware means in this case...

 

Jancruz1

[mountain grandma]

Not my experience mountain grandmother. I booked two Oceania cruises with my on-line TA. The category chosen for our second cruise quickly became non-available (I couldn't actually get the cabin I wanted but settled for one of the same level in a different location) but when I spoke to the Ambassador on our first cruise I received 5% off our second cruise.

 

Were these two cruises back-to-back? Then you automatically get a discount for the second cruise.

 

If not a B2B, was your second choice for the cabin on the second cruise still available when you were on the first cruise? If so, you probably received the 5% discount on that cabin category. We have been told many times by every O Club Ambassador that the category you were booked in had to be available to book in order to receive the 5% discount while on board.

 

Anyway, I am glad you were able to get the 5% off of something.:D

 

Billie

[Balloon Man]

Mountain Grandma (what a lovely name) our cruises were more than six months apart; both PH, and the PH grade we were booked-in on the second cruise was only available on a GTY basis. Maybe we were just lucky.