2 for 1 - really?

[nacdcruiser]

Tell me about this - I'm used to the cruise lines you see below and there is no such thing as this.

 

Anyone here ever paid a "brochure rate?" Seems like a cheap jewelry store and I can't imagine a true higher end product doing this if they never sold anything at the "brochure" rate.

 

Correct me, Oceania fans - I want to try a luxury line, but this makes me wonder. Anyone spent $2000 for an Invicta watch?

[mytank]

Sounds like the rack rate on the hotel door, who ever pays those prices!

 

 

Kari

[hypercafe]

All that 2 for 1 stuff is like paying sticker price for a car, just there so you can be told what a great discount you are getting. The free air isn't free because if you do not want it you get a air credit off of the ticket price. All just marketing 101 IMO !!!

[orchestrapal]

All that 2 for 1 stuff is like paying sticker price for a car, just there so you can be told what a great discount you are getting. The free air isn't free because if you do not want it you get a air credit off of the ticket price. All just marketing 101 IMO !!![/quote

 

That is exactly what it is, marketing and has been discussed to death on this forum before. :rolleyes:

[Fam_Cruise]

...and has been discussed to death on this forum before. :rolleyes:

That can be said about 99% of the new threads, whether it be air deviation, food, toiletries, tote bags, closet size, laundry, Butlers, cabins info, guarantee cabins, Visas, <insert port name here> questions, or the all-important threads like "Another question" or those with the nondescript "newbie" reference.

 

Having been on these boards a long time with very few posts, I tend to pass by those threads I find redundant and let others enjoy what may be a new discussion for them. After all not everyone spends their life on the CC message board.

 

Now having said that, I come here, and if I want to find something I generally search for it. But newbies, and others who feel a sense of community, relish in the conversation. Also CC does not actively moderate redundant posts like mods on other forums, like FT for example; and it seems that asking the same question numerous times a week is the norm. Another reason for more active conversations, is that there is no easy mechanism like private messages used on other forums for contacting other posters. The only way to do it is providing ones email which then makes it subject to spam bot crawlers/sniffers. OK, I went off on a tangent there... back to our normal programming.

[LHT28]

It is marketing pure & simple.... several cruise line have the same ploy

[Hawaiidan]

Is that you get a excellent value and product for your dollar. I don't look at the discounts but to what the overall net net cost to me, door to door is.

In that respect, I don't care what you call it or how they market their product. You get a very high end luxury product with variety and quality from ship size to cuisine.:D It has everything I want and none of the things I do not want. ...OK

[Ronniewales]

Is that you get a excellent value and product for your dollar. I don't look at the discounts but to what the overall net net cost to me, door to door is.

In that respect, I don't care what you call it or how they market their product. You get a very high end luxury product with variety and quality from ship size to cuisine.:D It has everything I want and none of the things I do not want. ...OK

 

Including a show!!!!!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Noxequifans]

If the O advertising a seems to be a problem for the OP there is a solution. Book a cruise with O then revisit the ad issue upon return.

[wripro]

It's not just O, it's a deceptive marketing ploy used by most cruise lines. Here is how 241 works imo.

1. The cruise line determines how much they want to get per person for each cabin.

2. They double that fare.

3. They market the cruise as 241 by posting the original amount as the brochure fare and hope there are enough suckers out there who will fall for the gimmick.

[hypercafe]

I really must say that I do not think O tries to suck anybody in. They have this two for one deal but so what, the trip is priced on what you pay regardless of the starting price. I think Oceania plays less games with the price than most. Many lines lower the price on the day after final payment when people are locked into the price they already paid. Oceania runs this upsell program which I think works out very well. To the original poster do not get turned off by the two for one deal, they deliver a great product at a good price point. It's up to you if you want mass market or a step above. I am not a cheer leader but fair is fair!

[SeagoingMom]

"Brochure price" = MSRP -- "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price". No one pays it -- it is just a number to which discounts and sales can be applied by stores that sell the product.

 

I myself find this "2 for 1" advertising by cruise lines to be so confusing that I lose interest in the line altogether. Not saying I would never sail, but I use other sources than the line itself to find out what the price really is.

 

My in-laws just this week asked me to do a little research for them on Oceania; the brochure my mother-in-law was looking at was very confusing and I found the website equally so. This kind of marketing strategy doesn't work for me, anyway!

 

And it certainly was not working for my MIL, who thought she could never afford the cruise she was interested in, as she thought the brochure was saying she would have to pay about 6 grand, though I believe the price was half that. The major confusion is in figuring out how many people are sailing for that discounted price listed on the brochure/webpage -- one or two? (Yes, it is possible to figure that out, but I don't think Oceania makes it easy.)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Radisson, now Regent and Oceania's sister line, started doing this in about 2003-2004. Before that time, there were discounts, but they disappeared gradually over time as the date of the cruise approached. In that period and after I got 50% and even 60% off the "full" fare. Then it settled into a pure ploy, where there is rarely any deviation from the 50% off standard, always. Oceania has adopted the same model.

 

But in their defense, it theoretically allows them to raise prices as the cruise approaches, if demand is strong. Haven't seen that in a while, but it would provide them with flexibility. It also allows them to offer different discounts in different markets, like the U.K., Europe and Australia.

[wripro]

Of course they're trying to suck people in. Imagine Mercedes advertising 241 E Class cars. You go into the showroom and the car is priced at $150K but they are offering 2412 so you can get each one for 75K. That's what this is.

[LHT28]

And it certainly was not working for my MIL, who thought she could never afford the cruise she was interested in, as she thought the brochure was saying she would have to pay about 6 grand, though I believe the price was half that. The major confusion is in figuring out how many people are sailing for that discounted price listed on the brochure/webpage -- one or two? (Yes, it is possible to figure that out, but I don't think Oceania makes it easy.)

 

If you have not completely ruled out Oceania yet

 

The easiest way to read the website or brochuse is to look at the 2 columns of prices & take the EB or Special promotion rate & forget the Brochure price

It includes port taxes & airfare in the price shown

Prices are PP

 

With Oceania everyone get the same rate.... there is no rate difference for the 1st 10 to book then a different rate for the the next 20 etc...

[TKS]

Our first O cruise in 2008 was researched by a friend who found this great 2-4-1 deal. We were thrilled, booked and loved the cruise. When we went back to take our second look at O, we discovered the 2-4-1 is their standard market pricing.

 

Did I feel ripped off? No, we had a wonderful time on our first cruise. Did I continue to book O? Yes, I did, but I'm wiser to their marketing now. There are "deals" once in a while, and you learn to look for those and recognize them when they come through. This is where a really good TA can be of help.

 

I do think the 2-4-1 marketing strategy is more transparent than some. We sailed Celebrity for the first time in May, with their 1-2-3 promotion. We booked, then watched the fares go up and down and up again for the same cabins, with the promotion applicable to some, not to others. I didn't worry. We had a wonderful cruise, paid a fair price and got their cruise incentive on top. I try to book at a price I believe is fair and don't worry about it after that. I also don't ask, or answer, questions about how much was paid for the cruise.

 

Don't discard O because of their marketing. Just make sure you understand it, find a good TA and go for it. You won't be sorry you did.

[FreedomSeeker]

Of course they're trying to suck people in. Imagine Mercedes advertising 241 E Class cars. You go into the showroom and the car is priced at $150K but they are offering 2412 so you can get each one for 75K. That's what this is.

 

Completely agree.

 

Easiest way around this is to ignore the "sales and marketing" altogether, and simply call your TA and ask them the price per person for the cruise you're looking for in the cabin type you want....

 

And be very clear about asking what is included, and what isn't. And what the options are and how much they cost, and if any of them are "mandatory options" eg pre-paid gratuities etc.

 

There are all sorts of marketing schemes. Another example is the cheapo pricing "four day cruises from $129"....its the word "from" that is important. There's likely only ONE vacation at that price. Similar to the "Toyota Camry 2013 model - $19,998"....read the small print "only one at this price, white, 4 cylinder base model, must take delivery of this VIN number by 2pm yesterday".....

 

I don't think Oceania is any worse, or any better, than any other company that is trying to sell something in a competitive market.

 

It's up to the consumer to become informed and make realistic choices.

[Waynetor]

I understand the marketing behind the 2 4 1 offer but I feel the way they promoted the world cruise was misleading. The promotion shows a 2 4 1 price offer and a 70% early booking discount. On the invoice for the cruise it shows the brochure price, then the 2 4 1 discount and then a 20% further early booking discount.

The promo should say 2 4 1 plus 20% early booking or just 70% but not 2 4 1 and 70%.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Mr. Gurgel, my Algebra teacher in 9th grade said every thing is always on sale. All the time. Sometimes you get a good price for something. The price is always based on what you are willing to pay and they are willing to charge you. If they want more people to book, they lower the price until they have their occupancy numbers and when they reach the target they go up.

[Hawaiidan]

Of course they're trying to suck people in. Imagine Mercedes advertising 241 E Class cars. You go into the showroom and the car is priced at $150K but they are offering 2412 so you can get each one for 75K. That's what this is.[/quote

 

First Merceds dosent offer or make a 241E a C or an S 350 and 500 yes 241 no or 2412 ???????????. Checket the MBZ line up and they have never made that model

 

As to suckers... if you think the price fair and good then whats the big deal? ]

[computerworks]

 

First Merceds dosent offer or make a 241E a C or an S 350 and 500 yes 241 no or 2412 ???????????. Checket the MBZ line up and they have never made that model

 

 

Dan... I think he used "241" as a quicktype for "Two For One," not as a particular model of car. ;)

[dorisis]

It should read 1 for 2. Because single travelers can pay up to twice the price for 1 cabin.

[nacdcruiser]

Thanks for the comments and I’m so sorry for those offended - we’re just looking for the next step up (and there are several) and this marketing to me seemed counter-intuitive to a higher end product.

 

We’ll give Oceania a try and I’m sure we’ll love it! We haven’t been a cruise yet we haven’t totally enjoyed and I can’t imagine how much better this line will be!

[kuldalai]

In Australia there are very strict laws against such deceptive marketing practices .

 

For example if you advertise a saving on a launch or brochure price the promoter must be able to demonstrate that the claimed saving is a real saving and that a substantial number of purchasers have actually paid the higher price on which the advertised saving is now claimed.

 

Further one cannot advertise a price that is not all inclusive . So no advertising of a cruise fare and then adding on after compulsory daily gratuities, or port charges.

 

Finally companies that claim free inclusions in their price must be able to demonstrate that the claimed inclusions are in fact free, as distinct from simply being included in an inflated price .

[wripro]

Thank you, computer works, for explaining my intentions. I am well aware that Mercedes does not make an E Class 241.