Question to experienced O cruisers

[Guernseycruiser]

We were looking at an O cruise this year, however have booked with another line. I am very interested in booking with O for a different experience. We have taken 37 cruises so far, the last few years all have been with Celebrity, some in a suite.

 

I was monitoring the cabin availability on one particular O cruise which leaves towards the end of November 2016. On 19th October 2016, 17 cabins disappeared in one day, and the on 22nd October 2016 89 cabins disappeared, when the average had been around 2 or 3 per day. There were 170 cabins still available on 21st October 2016. I have not seen much movement in price or perks, hence where are these new passengers suddenly appearing from? I understand that guests on both the cruise prior and after were offered deals to extend their current bookings.

 

Is this usual for O? If this happens again on the cruise we are looking at in 2017, is it best to contact O direct as perhaps they do not advertise price drops, or should I look for a TA who specialises in selling O cruises?

[LHT28]

Is this usual for O? If this happens again on the cruise we are looking at in 2017, is it best to contact O direct as perhaps they do not advertise price drops, or should I look for a TA who specialises in selling O cruises?

I would look for a TA that books a lot of O cruises

sometimes here the TA's will mail out special prices for some sailings

If the UK site has a link to sign up for special offers you might try that also

[Paulchili]

Definitely a high volume Oceania TA.

They offer best prices & perks and get special offers that are not offered to people booking directly with Oceania.

[StanandJim]

A) Oceania is still a small enough entity that passengers could conceivably "play" the pricing system IF the Revenue Department permitted full occupancy disclosure; therefore, they don't.

B) The Travel Agent to passenger relationship outside of North America is completely different from the rest of the World.

 

C) Oceania pricing, fares and perquisite offerings are geographically determined, and are dependent upon where the passenger resides and holds a passport.

 

C2) A small, determined group continually search for a way around the geographic restrictions, but those Agents which buck the system are risking their credentials to sell Oceania product, so if any malfeasance is discovered, the passenger will undoubtedly be left "on their own". :eek:

The gain is simply not worth the risk

 

For these reasons as well as many others, what is considered "standard practice" to obtain a great deal on the Mass Market lines would be so difficult as to be almost impossible on Oceania.

 

[Solas36]

A) Oceania is still a small enough entity that passengers could conceivably "play" the pricing system IF the Revenue Department permitted full occupancy disclosure; therefore, they don't.

[/be]

B) The Travel Agent to passenger relationship outside of North America is completely different from the rest of the World.

 

C) Oceania pricing, fares and perquisite offerings are geographically determined, and are dependent upon where the passenger resides and holds a passport.

 

C2) A small, determined group continually search for a way around the geographic restrictions, but those Agents which buck the system are risking their credentials to sell Oceania product, so if any malfeasance is discovered, the passenger will undoubtedly be left "on their own". :eek:

The gain is simply not worth the risk

 

For these reasons as well as many others, what is considered "standard practice" to obtain a great deal on the Mass Market lines would be so difficult as to be almost impossible on Oceania.

 

 

 

Just wondering if you can clarify B) please. As UK resident it seems much of what folk post here re booking/prices is not relevant to me.

 

What do you mean by "outside of North America" and "rest of world"?

Thanks.

[wally_bushy]

We were looking at an O cruise this year, however have booked with another line. I am very interested in booking with O for a different experience. We have taken 37 cruises so far, the last few years all have been with Celebrity, some in a suite.

 

I was monitoring the cabin availability on one particular O cruise which leaves towards the end of November 2016. On 19th October 2016, 17 cabins disappeared in one day, and the on 22nd October 2016 89 cabins disappeared, when the average had been around 2 or 3 per day. There were 170 cabins still available on 21st October 2016. I have not seen much movement in price or perks, hence where are these new passengers suddenly appearing from? I understand that guests on both the cruise prior and after were offered deals to extend their current bookings.

 

Is this usual for O? If this happens again on the cruise we are looking at in 2017, is it best to contact O direct as perhaps they do not advertise price drops, or should I look for a TA who specialises in selling O cruises?

 

Just curious. How do you know how many were booked each day?

[british betty]

As UK resident it seems much of what folk post here re booking/prices is not relevant to me.

 

Yes I think I've realised this too with Oceania :(

[StanandJim]

Yes I think I've realised this too with Oceania :(

Look at it this way, Oceania IS different from what you knew before, but if you were completely satisfied over there, you would not be looking over here. :)

 

All of us tend to feel more comfortable with what we've known, but we must not try to replicate them slavishly. Some changes bring very good things indeed.

 

Give Oceania a chance, everything isn't perfect on the back-office front, but the onboard product speaks for itself.

 

Food and service such as we have not seen since the 1970's.

[british betty]

Look at it this way, Oceania IS different from what you knew before, but if you were completely satisfied over there, you would not be looking over here. :)

 

All of us tend to feel more comfortable with what we've known, but we must not try to replicate them slavishly. Some changes bring very good things indeed.

 

Give Oceania a chance, everything isn't perfect on the back-office front, but the onboard product speaks for itself.

 

Food and service such as we have not seen since the 1970's.

 

Please don't think I'm complaining about Oceania in that way. We only have one cruise with Oceania under our belts and we were more than happy so have another one booked and hopefully will be able to book more in the future.

 

I just prefer to research my holiday myself as what may be important to me/us, others do not find important. By researching I found out about the extended balconies on Riviera and that, to me , was a huge bonus. I'm sure most travel agents wouldn't have known about them as when mentioning the extended balconies on Celebrity ships they've always sounded like they thought I was talking nonsense.

 

My issue is that I can't see what's available. In the scheme of things, as in world issues, it's not a huge problem, but I give them a thumbs down for not sharing :o

[chrismch]

I'd like to know where the poster got the new numbers for passengers daily. The only thing I know how to check is cabin category availability.

 

As to the large swings in passengers it could be group bookings from a specific TA or it could be transfers from other bookings to fill that ship.

[StanandJim]

I'd like to know where the poster got the new numbers for passengers daily. The only thing I know how to check is cabin category availability.

 

As to the large swings in passengers it could be group bookings from a specific TA or it could be transfers from other bookings to fill that ship.

 

LOL, they got the numbers daily because they COUNTED them. Individually, each day for months on end in order to compile a dossier.

 

-and don't believe all of the Posts which you read here about "simple curiosity".

 

Nobody goes to that kind of effort without a precise plan about how to use the information garnered.

[Guernseycruiser]

LOL, they got the numbers daily because they COUNTED them. Individually, each day for months on end in order to compile a dossier.

 

-and don't believe all of the Posts which you read here about "simple curiosity".

 

Nobody goes to that kind of effort without a precise plan about how to use the information garnered.

Yes I did get the numbers from reviewing each category for a period of time. There is a US TA website (I am not allowed to quote the name) that when you click on the category it shows the cabins available and also totals the number so you do not have to COUNT them yourself. Yes it is simple honest curiosity, no hidden agenda. Most times (but not all) when I am seriously considering booking a cruise (or have booked the cruise), I monitor both the cabin availability on that cruise from just before final payment for a period of time, usually to see whether there may be a chance of a price drop on higher categories or reasonable paid upgrade. If I had chosen between two difference cruises, I may also monitor cabin availability on the cruise I did not book, just for my curiosity (which is why I was monitoring the O ship as well). It is not much effort, a few minutes per day once the spreadsheet is set up (I would certainly not call this a dossier).

 

My original post was just an honest question to seasoned O cruisers about why 50% of cabin availability would disappear in one day, and whether it is best to book with O direct or find a recommended TA, as I have not seen this with other cruiselines I have booked with in the past. Please do not flame me for taking an interest in booking with a different cruiseline and asking fellow cruisecritc members for their input on O which I am not familiar with.

[LHT28]

it is quite possible the online TA site is not linked directly to O reservations system so the TA site might not be an accurate accounting of the available cabins daily

 

just a thought

[pinotlover]

In the past, Oceania sold a lot of "guarantees" for cabin class. Since these were unreserved cabins, the cabins would show up for sell, even though that class may, in fact, be sold out via guarantees. The websites can not account for those guarantees, since actual cabins are not reserved. The cabins only become unavailable when O choses to assign actual cabins to the guarantees. Short answer, you can't trust your website for accuracy.

 

Long term, Oceania is supposingly reducing/eliminating the numbers of guarantees they sell for many of the cruises. I'm sure they'll take one's money for a Carribean cruise anyway they can get it, but as that practice is overall reduced, those website "might" become a bit more accurate.

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

How do you find travel agents that specialize in certain cruise lines?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Paulchili]

How do you find travel agents that specialize in certain cruise lines?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

By asking several of your fellow cruisers on your next O cruise and coming up with a consensus :)

As you probably know, we are not allowed to recommend or discuss TAs on CC.

[Flatbush Flyer]

How do you find travel agents that specialize in certain cruise lines?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

For Oceania, ask prospective TAs if they are members of Oceania's Connoisseurs' Club., which includes their top selling TAs. That's a good start.

[LHT28]

How do you find travel agents that specialize in certain cruise lines?

 

 

You could ask the cruise line to give you a list of their top agents in your area

 

If looking for an Oceania TA google "Oceania Cruises’ Connoisseur Club”