Just got a new brochure and rates lower

[Acrusa]

There was a promotion for our cruise showing the price lower.O does not provide free air if cruise is less then 30 days out.

[alexandra cruiser]

got ANOTHER brochure with cruise only price,but STILL lower than what I m paying AGAIN.Every brochure seems to be lower,checked O web price and not reflected there,what gives?

What am I missing this time?

Contacted my TA again to check this out.

Dont remember this on my last cruise in Oct.,,,anyone else noticing big changes in prices,brochures,etc.?

Cant imagine what price will be by time I actually take cruise in Dec????:confused::(

[gillianrose]

Just received an email with an offer for $999 biz class airfare for "New York and New Jersey residents" only. Sounds like mass market to me. It appears to be only for the May 22 NY-London cruise so if you live in NY or NJ, you'd only need the air one-way.

 

I don't like the "NY or NJ residents only" restriction at all. Oceania could offer the air fare to anyone who chooses to use NY or NJ as a gateway and sees the $999 biz class airfare as desirable.

 

Better yet, negotiate good nonstop business class airfares for more markets.

[Paulchili]

 

Better yet, negotiate good nonstop business class airfares for more markets.

 

It makes little difference as the "business" class airfares are for the overwater portion of the flight only and the flight from West Coast to NY/NJ would be in economy anyway (and about as long as the over water portion) :(

Nonstop business class flights from the West coast would be at a premium and a lot more than $999.

[alexandra cruiser]

that had lower fares DID NOT inc.gov.fees and taxes.And he felt it should not have been sent out "that way" as "its a bit confusing".

Ya think??

 

Did not even see the small print on THAT ONE,where was it inc.??

 

Am NOT appreciating this new brochure game,its VERY CONFUSING and frustrating to say the least.

 

I HOPE O reads these posts,at some point,and realize the tactics are not working and making regular cruisers on O very upset.!!:mad:

[roothy123]

I keep looking at every brochure I get, hoping to find a reduction in price, as I don't think our particular cruise is selling all that well. So far the price and freebies haven't changed, but hop hope springs eternal! In the past, I have never seen a lower price from the one I booked.

 

I personally love the "free air" as I can very seldom book anything close to what Oceania does in price, except perhaps if the ship is leaving from Miami. Most of our cruises, however, would have come with pretty expensive price tags if I wanted to buy my own airfare, especially on the fly to one place, leave from another itineraries we love.

 

One thing to consider if you DO find a lower price is that some travel agents charge a fee to cancel or change your booking!

 

The last brochure I received (for Caribbean/winter destinations) had something new. There is a printed message on the back that says the "free airfare" includes Washington Reagan National Airport, not just Washington Dulles. I was happy to see that. It opens up more choices, as in the past we had to pay extra if we wanted to fly out of Reagan (or BWI, too, although that is also now being offered for many cruises).

Edited February 2, 2014 by roothy123

[pinotlover]

I don't typically use the free air and take the credit. I always go into the departure city early and do a little touring there. Plus my convienent departure cities are always price add-ons. So add the two deviations together and Oceania's air prices are rarely a deal. Which brings us to another big reason. Oceania will book you cheap economy or business/first. I've never been on one of their flights were their upgrade was especially attractive pricewise, so I will typically fly economy plus. Oceania does not, and will not, offer this seating. They told me it's because of the super discounted rate they get for economy. So, for me, if I'm flying 10-14 hours over water, I'd rather pay the extra for economy plus which O won't offer. Turning down the "free" air is easy.;)

[JimandStan]

Oceania does not, and will not, offer this seating. They told me it's because of the super discounted rate they get for economy.

 

This may be the case for a particular Airline which you inquired about, but I myself have successfully upgraded to Economy comfort on Delta, based on an Oceania purchased Economy seat so what you say is not universally true.

 

It is always worth the Passengers time to price the Air both through Oceania and independently.

[pinotlover]

Jim;

 

Did Oceania upgrade you to Econ Plus or did you do it personally through Delta?

 

The time I tried it, and used Oceania air, Oceania put us on Scandinavian/United. Oceania would not allow the upgrade. I tried to do it through Scandinavian beforehand, and they would only refer me back to O. At the airport, pre flight, SA gave me the option to do the upgrade, but the price was near $1K each because of class of our ticket. Had we bought the tickets originally ourselves the total price would have been far less.

[Kinkajou]

In order to upgrade, you need to tell your TA that you plan to do that when your TA contacts Oceania. This affects the ticket Oceania issues. A caveat: we always pay the deviation to do this. In order to get Oceania to issue the ticket, your cruise must be paid in full. We paid for one of our cruises about 90 days before the last payment was due. We have been able to upgrade to economy comfort on both AA and Delta for very little. We do this directly with the airline.

 

Doesn't work on Air Tahiti. :eek:

[newbie60]

Our very first Oceania cruise, we took the 'free' airfare plus deviations for our home airport/flying in early, etc. We were booked on Delta both ways. I called Delta and applied a very small number of frequent flyer miles to our return flights from Anchorage (A red eye) and flew home first class.

 

Perhaps this was a one time fluke, but it's always worth contacting the airline to see what's available.

[pinotlover]

Kinkajou;

 

Thanks, I'll try that next time. For the last two I've booked after you add the $399 air dev for flying in early, plus the $199 for alternative airport, the free air offered was not a deal for me. I could book it cheaper myself, and that's before I address going economy plus in addition to booking my own seat selection.

[JimandStan]

Jim;

 

Did Oceania upgrade you to Econ Plus or did you do it personally through Delta?

 

The time I tried it, and used Oceania air, Oceania put us on Scandinavian/United. Oceania would not allow the upgrade. I tried to do it through Scandinavian beforehand, and they would only refer me back to O. At the airport, pre flight, SA gave me the option to do the upgrade, but the price was near $1K each because of class of our ticket. Had we bought the tickets originally ourselves the total price would have been far less.

 

Kinkajou phrased it perfectly in Post 35 :D

The key is being upfront with Oceania about what you are trying to do.

*NOTE* it is only necessary to be paid if full (for the cruise) if the AIRLINE requires that the reservation be ticketed (as opposed to reserved) when the upgrade is accomplished. Delta requires this, some others don't.

[Kinkajou]

I always enjoy your comments, and especially your photographs. Hope to cruise with you sometime in the future.

 

Susan (and William)

[YoHoHo]

Kinkajou;

 

Thanks, I'll try that next time. For the last two I've booked after you add the $399 air dev for flying in early, plus the $199 for alternative airport, the free air offered was not a deal for me. I could book it cheaper myself, and that's before I address going economy plus in addition to booking my own seat selection.

Current air deviation fee is $175 pp. There can be additional cost for sir fare (we have never paid this) but that is very dependent on the flights you are considering.

[alexandra cruiser]

you will see a sticky re.this.Many of these problems are discussed in detail.Learned a lot, and now do own airfare for the reasons listed there.

 

Lot more complicated than I thought at first,do yourself a favor and read it .:cool:

[roothy123]

you will see a sticky re.this.Many of these problems are discussed in detail.Learned a lot, and now do own airfare for the reasons listed there.

 

Lot more complicated than I thought at first,do yourself a favor and read it .:cool:

 

Thanks. That was informative. However it makes it look like if you don't request an air deviation before making final payment, or if you simply take oceania free air, you will end up with a three or four leg trip. That has never been the case for us. Obviously it depends a lot upon your To and From cities but as others have said it certainly pays to do your research.

 

Thanks to those who posted. I learned a lot.

Edited February 4, 2014 by roothy123

[roothy123]

A number of online cruise agencies give discounts after the cruise. We use one also, but not the one you mention. I didn't think it was OK to mention travel agencies, otherwise I would recommend mine. Once I found my guy, I stopped looking around much. It's kind of like using Priceline Name Your Own Price to bid on car rentals. I used to try coupon codes and what not to get a good price, but after spending a lot of time for nothing, I now go straight to Priceline and place a bid.

 

Nice to know that I will soon get free gratuities from Oceania! I think our next cruise will be number 9...