Upgrade offer

[british betty]

This is a dilemma, or maybe it's not :confused:

We have 7008 an extended B3 on our upcoming Riviera cruise and I have just received an email offering us an upgrade to a concierge "A" cabin on various decks.

I'm thinking "thanks but no thanks"

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thank you

[Pet Nit Noy]

[quote name='british betty']This is a dilemma, or maybe it's not :confused:

We have 7008 an extended B3 on our upcoming Riviera cruise and I have just received an email offering us an upgrade to a concierge "A" cabin on various decks.

I'm thinking "thanks but no thanks"

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thank you[/QUOTE]

I'm guessing you've already worked your way through the specifics of the upgrade VS keeping your existing reservation since you have a tentative decision. Just in case you haven't , here are some specific questions you may want to ask yourself:

Which is more appealing given the itinerary of the cruise: an extended balcony cabin that I selected VS whatever cabin is left at the moment to get the advantages of concierge level?

How many of Concierge's advantages are still available given the date of the cruise? If you've already made your dinner reservations (45 days out) then switching to Concierge Class doesn't produce that typical advantage (60 days out).

I assume you've made your travel plans to the port. Will those arrangements allow you to take advantage of the noon boarding time VS Veranda-cabin's 1:00 PM boarding time?

I'd be in the same "thanks but no thanks" category.

[jertom]

[quote name='british betty']This is a dilemma, or maybe it's not :confused:

We have 7008 an extended B3 on our upcoming Riviera cruise and I have just received an email offering us an upgrade to a concierge "A" cabin on various decks.

I'm thinking "thanks but no thanks"

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thank you[/quote]

I would only take the "upgrade" if they pay YOU something to do it. We had a concierge A once and the only advantage for us was the lounge happened to be close to our cabin, to to pick up water or a snack. Even so, sometimes it was overly crowded with underdressed loungers. :):eek:

[orchestrapal]

Usually by the time you post the question and get answers and get back to O the offer has been taken by someone else.
Personally I would stay with what you have as space is everything to me,

[Queen of DaNile]

Unlimited access to the Canyon Ranch spa terrace that comes with Concierge level is nice depending on your interest and itinerary but the other benefits are minimal, IMHO. The extended balcony is wonderful and yours alone to enjoy. Unless they are really "giving" away the concierge cabins, I'd pass and stick with the cabin you know.

[SellaVee]

We had the same offer last year but decided we'd prefer to hang on to the extended balcony. The following week we got an even better offer to upgrade but still held on to the extended balcony - and never regretted it. We loved that extra space.

[british betty]

Yes, the space on the balcony wins every time , so we're sticking with our B3 :D.

Thank you for your opinions.

I did call my TA to decline the offer and added that as it was my DPs birthday when we board, an offer of an upgrade to an OS , which is still available, at the same extra charge as the concierge, would certainly be a consideration. She chuckled sweetly and advised that that would probably be unlikely. :p

[ladysail2]

[quote name='british betty']Yes, the space on the balcony wins every time , so we're sticking with our B3 :D.

Thank you for your opinions.

I did call my TA to decline the offer and added that as it was my DPs birthday when we board, an offer of an upgrade to an OS , which is still available, at the same extra charge as the concierge, would certainly be a consideration. She chuckled sweetly and advised that that would probably be unlikely. :p[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Purple]Also, you may receive many more offers to switch. I did....it was to switch cruises and I waited until I couldn't pass up their offer, which was wonderful. It's fun to receive the offers and take a look at what they have in mind. Even if you don't want to switch...it's fun to think about it. :D
[/COLOR][/FONT]

[ladysail2]

[quote name='jertom']I would only take the "upgrade" if they pay YOU something to do it. We had a concierge A once and the only advantage for us was the lounge happened to be close to our cabin, to to pick up water or a snack. Even so, sometimes it was overly crowded[COLOR=Red][B] with underdressed loungers. [/B][/COLOR]:):eek:[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Purple]What's an underdressed lounger in your opinion? I often went into the lounge for a coffee or water or snack. I certainly didn't get all dressed up to do it. Just interested...:confused:
[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Paulchili]

[quote name='ladysail2'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Purple]What's an underdressed lounger in your opinion? I often went into the lounge for a coffee or water or snack. I certainly didn't get all dressed up to do it. Just interested...:confused:
[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]

I would imagine it was someone in a bathrobe?

[Travelcat2]

Yes - bathrobes. We even saw someone brushing their teeth in the Executive Lounge (so gross).

[Iamthesea]

[quote name='british betty']Yes, the space on the balcony wins every time , so we're sticking with our B3 .

Thank you for your opinions.

I did call my TA to decline the offer and added that as it was my DPs birthday when we board, an offer of an upgrade to an OS , which is still available, at the same extra charge as the concierge, would certainly be a consideration. She chuckled sweetly and advised that that would probably be unlikely. :p[/QUOTE]

In your original post, I thought you said the offer was an upgrade. Then you mentioned "extra charge" which would be an upsell. ;) Was it a free upgrade or was Oceania quoting you a charge to upgrade?

The reason I am curious is because we have 7111 (sister veranda to 7008) and did consider switching to a CC so that we would have access to the Spa Terrace and have 300 Internet minutes, among other perks. We decided that at the moment, the extended balcony wins out over paying another $300 pp for the CC.


[quote name='SellaVee']We had the same offer last year but decided we'd prefer to hang on to the extended balcony. The following week we got an even better offer to upgrade but still held on to the extended balcony - and never regretted it. We loved that extra space.[/QUOTE]

Curious that Oceania wants/wanted both your extended balconies. Makes me wonder if someone else with clout has asked for it??? :rolleyes:


[quote name='british betty']Yes, the space on the balcony wins every time , so we're sticking with our B3 :D.

Thank you for your opinions.

I did call my TA to decline the offer and added that as it was my DPs birthday when we board, an offer of an upgrade to an OS , which is still available, at the same extra charge as the concierge, would certainly be a consideration. She chuckled sweetly and advised that that would probably be unlikely. :p[/QUOTE]

We would probably only consider a FREE upgrade to a PH, but may also consider one to a CC if the location is good. Our cruise is port intensive, so we will probably not use our veranda very much.

Enjoy yours! :) When do you leave? Edited September 10, 2015 by Iamthesea

[british betty]

Sorry, I used the wrong terminology. There was a nominal extra charge to go for the "upsell" . There are still various categories available on our sailing on 17 September, however there appears to be a wait list for the B category staterooms.

I'd swap for one of the wrap-around suites on the aft of the ship, ;) a straight swap for my extended B3 I think is a fair deal . Don't you agree ? :D Edited September 10, 2015 by british betty

[no fuss travel]

I like your reasoning. We got an offer as well, and basically said for $53.00 Canadian per day, it was not worth it for concierge, a bottle of champagne, and an Oceania bag. Too short of a cruise to pay the extra.:D

[Iamthesea]

[quote name='british betty']Sorry, I used the wrong terminology. There was a nominal extra charge to go for the "upsell" . There are still various categories available on our sailing on 17 September, however there appears to be a wait list for the B category staterooms.

I'd swap for one of the wrap-around suites on the aft of the ship, ;) a straight swap for my extended B3 I think is a fair deal . Don't you agree ? :D[/QUOTE]

Yes, that sounds fair. :D:)

[quote name='no fuss travel']I like your reasoning. We got an offer as well, and basically said for $53.00 Canadian per day, it was not worth it for concierge, a bottle of champagne, and an Oceania bag. Too short of a cruise to pay the extra.:D[/QUOTE]

No, and I am not a fan of upsells. Haven't heard of one that ever peaked my interest. ;)

[Mura]

Well, I differ about upsells because we have taken one or two, but I understand when others disagree. What I want and what YOU want don't have to be the same thing.

I've said this before but in 2005 we took an upsell to an OS on Regatta (we'd been in a PH) which turned out to be a great decision but not because the OS is so much better than a PH (which it is), but because I blew out my knee the day before we boarded and ended up in a wheelchair or on crutches. The OS was big enough that I could maneuver around the room in the wheelchair but I couldn't have done so in the PH. And I wouldn't have had that great Jacuzzi (no longer available, I understand) to "massage" my knee.

I agree that it's not a good enough to reason to take such an upsell because MAYBE you will need the extra space! I had taken the upsell because I'd always wanted to see what those top suites were like and the price was too hard to resist. We were just lucky that the timing happened to be right.

Many who inquire about upsells here are happy with their non-concierge cabins and want to know if they should bite. My guess would be (from what I have read over the years) is that if people wanted the concierge perks they'd have booked concierge to begin with. And in that case, it probably is NOT worth the extra cost.

But it's an impossible question to answer since we all have our personal preferences.

I will just remind anyone who is still reading that if you get an offer for an upsell or an upgrade, or a solicitation to switch to another cruise with perks -- decide immediately and don't waste time asking for opinions here. Collect those opinions in advance because if you don't jump immediately, the offer probably will no longer be on the table by the time you do.

Mura

[dorisis]

We had a concierge on Marina and it is NOT worth the extra charge.

[ladysail2]

[quote name='Paulchili']I would imagine it was someone in a bathrobe?[/quote]

[quote name='Travelcat2']Yes - bathrobes. We even saw someone brushing their teeth in the Executive Lounge (so gross).[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Purple]Oh my goodness....I would consider them to be not only underdressed, but downright rude. I would not be amused to see that kind of 'thing' either!!
[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Iamthesea]

If one were to receive a call, would it come directly from Oceania, or from the travel agent (if cruise was booked through one?) And do they leave messages if we are not home or just go to the next call on their list? Edited September 12, 2015 by Iamthesea

[Paulchili]

[quote name='Iamthesea']If one were to receive a call, would it come directly from Oceania, or from the travel agent (if cruise was booked through one?) And do they leave messages if we are not home or just go to the next call on their list?[/QUOTE]

If you booked through a TA then that is who would contact you.
All people are informed at the same time (presumably) - first to call back and confirm gets the upsell. I believe this is different from waitlist, where there is an actual number order on the list.

[Mura]

We have gotten these offers by email from our TA.

If you book directly with O, I have no idea how they handle it. Perhaps by phone, perhaps by email. But it doesn't matter how you get the offer ... if you want it, you need to say yes asap.

Otherwise, they go down the list.

Mura

[Iamthesea]

Funny you should say that you received an email from your TA. We received one last night about a "Voyage Extension Offer" from Oceania. The deal was to extend our cruise by during the cruise before ours. Frankly, I didn't see any savings from what our original cruise cost. :rolleyes:

I will check my email box for more offers. ;)

[Mura]

We have received any number of similar offers -- either to add on a cruise before the one we have booked or the one after. Sometimes the prices are very good but we've never taken such an offer. Usually we have previously booked airfare that would eliminate any financial benefit to the offer.

Mura

[Iamthesea]

Yes, we had already booked airfare, plus DH is not yet retired. His vacation schedule is already maxed for 2016. And as I said, the "deal" was about the same price as it would have normally cost.

[Mura]

I didn't look that closely at the offers we received but I do think they were discounted from what they would have cost had we booked them to begin with.

But as with you, the airfare was the real consideration ... as was the extra time.

For example, we received multiple offers to add on the cruise before our Lima-NYC last April/May BUT not only had we already booked our airfare, we also had a 6 day private tour of the Andes ... there was no way we could fly to Papeete and make it worth it!

Maybe next time.

Mura