Offer from Oceania to Switch Cruise Just Booked!

[Carol From California]

The cruise we booked (Australia/New Zealand February 2016) became available for booking a few weeks ago and we booked it the very first day. It is 16 months away as I write this! This week Oceania offered to us to switch to a different cruise which is in January, 2015, a cruise that is much longer (28 days) for no additional cost! We are not going to do it because we are so looking forward to this cruise (on bucket list), plus we could never take off for a very long cruise like the one being offered. I am amazed at how fast this cruise is selling out! All cabins from penthouse and higher are sold out. The lowest priced cabins are also sold out. There are very few cabins available in A and B categories. So glad we booked it when we did!

[Mura]

We took an offer to switch cruises ONCE but I'm stunned that you got this offer so soon. In our case, we were a month away from the cruise departure.

 

But if you want to do the cruise as booked, go for it. We accepted one offer because it was so far superior to what we already and and that cruise was NOT on our bucket list since we'd already cruised there before.

 

We've received a number of offers to switch or to ADD on, but the one offer that we accepted (from Alaska on Regatta to the Med on Marina with an free upgrade from a PH to a VS) was something we couldn't refuse. The other offers we've received were not nearly as enticing.

 

Have a great cruise. We did Auckland-Sydney in 2008 and loved it.

 

Mura

[Tarpeian Rock]

With 6 months to go until our April Miami --> San Francisco cruise on Regatta, we've already received a couple of offers from O to switch cruises. In the weeks leading up to our Riviera Mayan Mystique cruise last March, we received numerous invitations to swap for another cruise, with increasingly interesting (but unsuccessful) financial offers.

 

Is this a common thing on O? We've also just booked a January 2016 Valparaiso --> Papeete cruise on O, and now I'm wondering how soon we'll be receiving offers to swap that one too. Why is this practice seemingly such a standard part of O's business model?

[LHT28]

Maybe you are on popular cruises some book up faster than others or they could have a group & want more cabins

 

If you do not want to entertain offers just tell your TA & they will not present them to you in future

 

Some people are willing to take the deals

 

Lyn

[Love.II.Cruise]

WOW, for a 2016 cruise!

[Jancruz]

Oceania is trying to sell out cruises closer in than 2016..thus the good offers ..

Jancruz1

[newbie60]

We are on the Sydney-Auckland cruise in Feb. 2015 and the cruise was totally sold out within a couple of weeks of being posted. Our roll call started in September 2013, 17 months ahead of sailing. It's all about the itinerary.

[Carol From California]

We are on the Sydney-Auckland cruise in Feb. 2015 and the cruise was totally sold out within a couple of weeks of being posted. Our roll call started in September 2013, 17 months ahead of sailing. It's all about the itinerary.

 

And it looks like our cruise in 2016 will also be sold out soon!

[Merriem]

We are on the 2016 New Zealand and booked a PH as we did not want to risk waiting. So glad we did.

[Carol From California]

We are on the 2016 New Zealand and booked a PH as we did not want to risk waiting. So glad we did.

 

Hi Merriem,

 

Please add your name to the roll call thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2102788

 

We also booked a Penthouse. Now that they are all sold out we are glad we booked it too! It's going to be a wonderful cruise!

 

If you want to email me, a few of us are going to be coordinating some small group excursions so you can join us if you would like.

[pinotlover]

We're on the 2015 AU/NZ cruise and it did book up very fast, as well as the 2014 which we didn't book fast enough. Don't understand O's actions on this very popular cruise. Back a couple years ago, they ran Auckland to Sidney then turned around to go Sidney to Auckland, then to Papeette. So two tours were offered and as I understand both sold out fairly rapidly. I've heard that the reason for dropping the second run, is to fill up the around the world cruise that also visits there on a leg, but cabin options on that leg can be slim pickings.

 

I'm surprised that I haven't been offered any changes on this cruise so far. Unless it was an upgrade to a PH, I'd turn any down fwiw. So looking forward to that cruise. Within a month of being able to make dining reservations!

[Merriem]

I was offered the same long cruise January 2015. Would have been nice but we were already booked for the Celebrity Xpedition trip in the Galapagos. Enjoyed it so much, had to go back.

 

Never had that happen before.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We had that cruise booked on Regent - also sold out and our bump offer was exceptional and we took it. We ended up booking a land tour on Tauck because they do not do the cruise itinerary very often in the time frames in which we can travel.

[corpkid]

We're on the Sydney to Auckland Feb 2015 cruise (booked "our" cabin the day the cruise came available - that's 7009 :) ) and we keep getting all these incredible offers to switch to another cruise from our TA, and they are VERY enticing. This is really a bucket list item for us otherwise we'd switch, not to mention the huge amount of legwork we've done with pre/post hotels, private & group tours, upgraded flights, etc...

 

You do have to wonder why O doesn't have at least 2 rounds of this cruise - it's super popular and certainly would sell out twice over. Our roll call is over 100 at this point which is really large for an O cruise.

[pinotlover]

I've often wondered if O is making so much money running that air charter to Papeete, where they seem to have multiple cruises revolving around, that they just don't care about running another Aus/NZ cruise? My guess is that if NCL believes they'll make money back faster adding cruises to that area, it'll be done.