Understanding Oceania Club

[2552phxcrzr]

I am trying to make sure I understood the O agent I spoke with correctly re: gold level benefits for a booking I am going to make today. Here's my situation.

 

We have done one O cruise that has given us 1 credit.

 

We are booked on the 2017 RTW, which will give us another 15 credits and thus put us in the gold tier.

 

Today or tomorrow I will be booking another O cruise for March 2018. Obviously I will not have completed the RTW yet, so I am trying to understand whether the gold tier benefits will be applied retroactively to the March 2018 booking after we complete the RTW in July 2017.

 

The agent I spoke with said yes, they would. But we all know that what agents tell us sometimes isn't what happens in reality. I just want to make sure I have the correct information ;-)

 

Thanks and happy sailing.

[ORV]

Yes, if you have completed the RTW by the time you take the other cruise then you will get Gold perks on it. I do believe you'll get the Gold perks on the RTW also.

 

If I could offer any advice it would be to get a good travel agent that specializes in Oceania cruises and not deal directly with the company. I'm pretty sure on a cruise like the RTW you are leaving a pile of money on the table.

[Paulchili]

Agree with ORV - you will get Gold benefits on your 2018 cruise for sure.

You will probably get Gold benefits towards the end of your WC as well (? on last segment) but why not ask this question of someone who has completed a WC or those who are on the WC now as to how the credits are given during the cruise (there are 2 threads from the current WC).

[2552phxcrzr]

Thank you both for the replies.

 

I am not booking directly with the cruise line ... I never do, no matter which cruise line I am sailing. I do have a travel agent who does quite well by me, so no complaints in that respect. In fact, for the RTW I will get a very nice rebate check from my agent ;-)

 

I'm not so much concerned about getting the gold tier benefits on the RTW as just making sure that the 2018 cruise I am booking now will get the gold tier benefits applied retroactively. I will need open jaw air tickets for the 2018 cruise, so having the air deviation waiver would be nice in case we decide to take the O included air. And if I am getting $500 shipboard credit with the gold benefit (+ whatever comes from my TA), I can choose something other than the OBC for the O Life choice for the 2018 cruise.

Edited April 9, 2016 by h2so4

[Paulchili]

Thank you both for the replies.

 

I am not booking directly with the cruise line ... I never do, no matter which cruise line I am sailing. I do have a travel agent who does quite well by me, so no complaints in that respect. In fact, for the RTW I will get a very nice rebate check from my agent ;-)

 

I'm not so much concerned about getting the gold tier benefits on the RTW as just making sure that the 2018 cruise I am booking now will get the gold tier benefits applied retroactively. I will need open jaw air tickets for the 2018 cruise, so having the air deviation waiver would be nice in case we decide to take the O included air. And if I am getting $500 shipboard credit with the gold benefit (+ whatever comes from my TA), I can choose something other than the OBC for the O Life choice for the 2018 cruise.

 

Your current booking for the 2018 cruise reflects your current Club level (obviously, as you cannot get credit for what you have not done yet) but it will be changed to reflect your new level after you complete your 15th segment, so that it will be reflected at the time of your 2018 cruise.

If you arrange your deviation after your WC you will be already Gold and get those benefits.

However, if you try (or have to) do it before your WC, then you cannot get the Gold benefits yet.

I hope I didn't confuse the issue :)

[2552phxcrzr]

Your current booking for the 2018 cruise reflects your current Club level (obviously, as you cannot get credit for what you have not done yet) but it will be changed to reflect your new level after you complete your 15th segment, so that it will be reflected at the time of your 2018 cruise.

If you arrange your deviation after your WC you will be already Gold and get those benefits.

However, if you try (or have to) do it before your WC, then you cannot get the Gold benefits yet.

I hope I didn't confuse the issue :)

 

Nope, you clarified it. No plans to do anything about the air until after we return from the WC, so that will work out perfectly. Thanks.

[Paulchili]

Nope, you clarified it. No plans to do anything about the air until after we return from the WC, so that will work out perfectly. Thanks.

 

You are welcome.

We look forward to meeting you on the Insignia on one of the WC segments in 2017.

[Hawaiidan]

Yes, if you have completed the RTW by the time you take the other cruise then you will get Gold perks on it. I do believe you'll get the Gold perks on the RTW also.

 

If I could offer any advice it would be to get a good travel agent that specializes in Oceania cruises and not deal directly with the company. I'm pretty sure on a cruise like the RTW you are leaving a pile of money on the table.

 

If you book direct with O, you will be paying not hundreds of dollars more but thousands....upon thousands of dollars more.... somewhere in excess of $5000 to $8000 pp !!! at a min more than using a good agent.

 

That's a chunk of change ; Agents will always be able to get the cruise cheaper than you, offer more on board benefits and all sorts of extras that you would never ever even be offered by Oceania .

 

Shop around and get the best deal.... your talking about a $80,000-100,000 trip.... good agents will work hard for your business for that sort of cruise......real hard..... be smart iits real money dont throw it away......

[LHT28]

Just my 2 cents

I think once you step foot on the ship for the RTW cruise all credits kick in

 

I would clarify this with your TA just to be sure

[2552phxcrzr]

If you book direct with O, you will be paying not hundreds of dollars more but thousands....upon thousands of dollars more.... somewhere in excess of $5000 to $8000 pp !!! at a min more than using a good agent.

 

That's a chunk of change ; Agents will always be able to get the cruise cheaper than you, offer more on board benefits and all sorts of extras that you would never ever even be offered by Oceania .

 

Shop around and get the best deal.... your talking about a $80,000-100,000 trip.... good agents will work hard for your business for that sort of cruise......real hard..... be smart iits real money dont throw it away......

 

I am smart ... and I am not throwing money away. I have a very good travel agent as I noted above, and I booked the RTW with her ... just as I am booking the 2018 cruise with her as well. I never book direct with a cruiseline ... regardless of which cruiseline it might be. I was simply trying to understand a bit more about the Oceania Club and how the perks work, which is why I called Oceania today, and then turned to those who have cruised with O more than me, to make sure I understood the O agent correctly.

[2552phxcrzr]

Just my 2 cents

I think once you step foot on the ship for the RTW cruise all credits kick in

 

I would clarify this with your TA just to be sure

 

Yes, that's my understanding as well.

[Paulchili]

If you book direct with O, you will be paying not hundreds of dollars more but thousands....upon thousands of dollars more.... somewhere in excess of $5000 to $8000 pp !!! at a min more than using a good agent.

 

That's a chunk of change ; Agents will always be able to get the cruise cheaper than you, offer more on board benefits and all sorts of extras that you would never ever even be offered by Oceania .

 

Shop around and get the best deal.... your talking about a $80,000-100,000 trip.... good agents will work hard for your business for that sort of cruise......real hard..... be smart iits real money dont throw it away......

 

(underlining mine)

Dan,

You DO know that TAs can no longer offer any discount on the cruise fare itself - the fare quoted by a TA is exactly the same as on the O website.

What a TA can do is offer OBC, PPG and other "compensation/benefits"

Edited April 10, 2016 by Paulchili

[Flatbush Flyer]

(underlining mine)

Dan,

You DO know that TAs can no longer offer any discount on the cruise fare itself - the fare quoted by a TA is exactly the same as on the O website.

What a TA can do is offer OBC, PPG and other "compensation/benefits"

 

 

It's my understanding (and experience) that there are Oceania approved price discounts during specified periods of time with particular TA partners (not all at the same time). Usually worth at least 5% less without negatively impacting O life choices or TA's regularly added perks.

[Paulchili]

It's my understanding (and experience) that there are Oceania approved price discounts during specified periods of time with particular TA partners (not all at the same time). Usually worth at least 5% less without negatively impacting O life choices or TA's regularly added perks.

 

Is that for bookings close to sailing (w/i 3 months or so or after final payment) or when bookings first open?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Is that for bookings close to sailing (w/i 3 months or so or after final payment) or when bookings first open?

 

 

Some of the "closer to sailing" ones, which appear on "show price" flyers (apparently designed by O with the partner TA agency name and/or logo also displayed in the header) have prices that can be up to 15% lower during an approx (and varying) one month period. During those sales, many other of the cruises not on the flyers (including newer ones long before final payment is due) will get at least a 5% drop during the sale period. Apparently, these brief sales are moved around among primarily some of the larger consortiums of agencies. O also does occasional similar sales with 5% discount for first time O cruisers.

 

Note that the above are not necessarily associated with O's own advertised price drops in their e-mails or on their website.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[CB BOARDER]

Some of the "closer to sailing" ones, which appear on "show price" flyers (apparently designed by O with the partner TA agency name and/or logo also displayed in the header) have prices that can be up to 15% lower during an approx (and varying) one month period. During those sales, many other of the cruises not on the flyers (including newer ones long before final payment is due) will get at least a 5% drop during the sale period. Apparently, these brief sales are moved around among primarily some of the larger consortiums of agencies. O also does occasional similar sales with 5% discount for first time O cruisers.

 

Note that the above are not necessarily associated with O's own advertised price drops in their e-mails or on their website.

 

Our TA called us about a month ago with almost a 40% discount on a Med cruise this summer. The pricing included airfare, Olife and TA perks. Of course you have to add in the air deviation which brings the discount in around 30%.

 

We looked into booking our own airfare however those multi-city fares to Europe can be expensive. Especially when you talking 90 days and under.

 

On side note, Our cruise still seems to have plenty of cabins unsold. All but 4 cabin categories show availability.

[Hawaiidan]

Our TA called us about a month ago with almost a 40% discount on a Med cruise this summer. The pricing included airfare, Olife and TA perks. Of course you have to add in the air deviation which brings the discount in around 30%.

 

We looked into booking our own airfare however those multi-city fares to Europe can be expensive. Especially when you talking 90 days and under.

 

On side note, Our cruise still seems to have plenty of cabins unsold. All but 4 cabin categories show availability.

 

 

With that discount of 40% would you not consider taking air credits and avoid the deviation in total? And assuming you have ample mileage get a free ticket? ..... You might discover that by pricing each lef as a one way that you would save a lot over doing a multi city....clark howard just did a program on this... You might want to check To me is makes no sense to pay for a deviation and do your own air.....

[Hawaiidan]

(underlining mine)

Dan,

You DO know that TAs can no longer offer any discount on the cruise fare itself - the fare quoted by a TA is exactly the same as on the O website.

What a TA can do is offer OBC, PPG and other "compensation/benefits"

 

It all semantics but boils down to paying a cheaper price in the long run I started once with a $7800 fare and by the time the agent was done it was about $4300....... with a lot of OBC and other considerations.

[CB BOARDER]

With that discount of 40% would you not consider taking air credits and avoid the deviation in total? And assuming you have ample mileage get a free ticket? ..... You might discover that by pricing each lef as a one way that you would save a lot over doing a multi city....clark howard just did a program on this... You might want to check To me is makes no sense to pay for a deviation and do your own air.....

 

I totally agree and since we live in Atlanta we're very familiar with Clark Howard. We always try to book our own airfare however in this case, the RT multicity airfare was almost twice as much as the credit ($1K). We did our due diligence but the return leg was just to costly. We even looked into flying out of another city but in the end it just wasn't cost effective. Additionally, all my miles are skymiles and we were able to book RT Delta code share flights. Those 10K miles go a long way to reaching the next award level. Obviously, if I would have used my skymiles, I wouldn't receive the 10K MQM's.