Back to Back or Grand Voyage

[rheasue38]

Hi!

We are considering doing a back to back in Sept. 2017. One cruise is 12 days and the other is 10 days. It is being sold as a grand voyage and as separate voyages. Which is a better way to book it?

Rhea

[JVNYC]

Book it as a B2B. I want the 2 cruise credits if I'm attending 2 muster drills! We switched our grand voyage to a B2B this coming July on Riviera & the price is less than $100 pp more as a B2B vs the grand voyage ....plus we are getting our bronze shipboard credit twice instead of once. It's a no brainier for us. We are doing it again in 2017.

Edited April 2, 2016 by JVNYC

[TERRIER1]

The other advantage of booking as a B2B is if one of the legs is undersold and gets discounted. We were not allowed to book our 32 day cruise as a B2B although it was comprised of two voyages. The second leg was greatly undersold and then heavily discounted. Oceania would not give us the discounted fare. If we canceled and rebooked we would have lost our cabin on the first leg which was oversold.

[arima22]

Rhea, you must be up to booking your 35th Oceania cruise by now- sailed with you last July on your 30th!

On that July cruise we booked a grand voyage for Oct. 2016. I compared the prices at the time for the B2B against the grand voyage and the savings were significant. If using Oceania Air, to compare correctly you need to take out one half of the air credit for the first cruise and one half of the air credit for the second cruise.

I didn't have any Oceania Club perks to figure in at the time (now I do), but your club status would mean quite a difference to get the perks on both of the B2B cruises instead of just on the grand voyage. and...2 cruise credits will get you to your 40th (free) cruise faster.

 

For my Oct. 2016 cruise, current pricing for the B2B cruise has now been lowered and so has the air credit- especially for the second leg. The Grand Voyage price has not changed. But I'm still ahead on the grand voyage pricing advantage due to the extra promo O'life perks given last July vs. current O'Life "choose one" program.

[rheasue38]

Hi!

I do remember cruising with you last year on the British Isles cruise. We have been on 24 Oceania cruises and have 8 more booked.

I definitely want to book these cruises as a b2b.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Rhea

[JVNYC]

Looks like Oceania has caught on & changed their tune. I was looking at 2 different B2B itineraries for summer 2017 & was informed by Oceania that if the voyages are offered as a Grand Voyage you will no longer get the 5% discount if booking them separately to get the 2 cruise credits. Hmmmm.

[TERRIER1]

Looks like Oceania has caught on & changed their tune. I was looking at 2 different B2B itineraries for summer 2017 & was informed by Oceania that if the voyages are offered as a Grand Voyage you will no longer get the 5% discount if booking them separately to get the 2 cruise credits. Hmmmm.

 

That is what we were told when we booked our 32 Grand Voyage last year. Oceania then proceeded to heavily discount the second leg with a large OBC offer and we were not allowed to cancel and rebook although this voyage was now being offered as a back to back. They wouldn't even give us the OBC. Pay attention to the legs that make up a Grand Voyage. Usually it is comprised of one segment that is not that desirable and would be difficult to fill.

[grmmybtty]

That is what we were told when we booked our 32 Grand Voyage last year. Oceania then proceeded to heavily discount the second leg with a large OBC offer and we were not allowed to cancel and rebook although this voyage was now being offered as a back to back. They wouldn't even give us the OBC. Pay attention to the legs that make up a Grand Voyage. Usually it is comprised of one segment that is not that desirable and would be difficult to fill.

 

We have encountered the same problem twice now. When we booked, we tried to book as a B2B, but were told that is must be sold as a Grand Voyage. Same thing happened with one leg being reduced in price, plus more OBC and other perks. UGH!!!

[LHT28]

My TA was able to do the B2B it was also a GV

We booked a few days apart

no discount but still got the perks offered

Edited April 8, 2016 by LHT28