Converting the OLife option to Unlimited Excursions

[Ken the cruiser]

Anyone have any luck converting the value of the OLife Excursions option to credit towards an Unlimited Excusions package?

 

For example we're booked on a 32 day cruise with 21 port calls. Our OLife excursion package includes 7 excursions per person. But since we like to book all of our excursions before the cruise and usually one at every port, it sure would be nice if they offered that option even though it's not written anywhere in their documentation that we can find.

 

We've asked our TA to check this option out, but thought we'd ask you fine folks as well.

[LHT28]

You could always pay the Unlimited package rate & take the OBC perk for your O Life choice

It will all come out in the wash

[Ken the cruiser]

You could always pay the Unlimited package rate & take the OBC perk for your O Life choice

It will all come out in the wash

Unfortunately that option won't work for us as we already have accrued free gratuities and at least $800 OBC. So getting another $700 OBC wouldn't do us any good as we don't drink and have no plans to go to the spa.

[LHT28]

Just a thought

[Ken the cruiser]

Just a thought

No problem. Maybe one day O will allow us to use their OBC to purchase excursion packages before the cruise like RCL, Princess and Crystal allow you to do. Then that option would work.

[bob brown]

Unfortunately that option won't work for us as we already have accrued free gratuities and at least $800 OBC. So getting another $700 OBC wouldn't do us any good as we don't drink and have no plans to go to the spa.

You could always buy a nice watch.....:)

[Ken the cruiser]

You could always buy a nice watch.....:)

Good idea, but unfortunately we already did that. We call it the noro watch. We bought it on our March 2016 cruise when we had a few excursions cancelled because of the infection that consume the ship for pretty much the entire cruise.

[sitraveler]

I bought one of those solar globes, always lusted for one,

[bob brown]

I bought a Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave, with my leftover OBC on my recent Crystal cruise ...it automatically sets itself from the atomic clock in the nearest GPS satellite... :)

[Ken the cruiser]

I bought a Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave, with my leftover OBC on my recent Crystal cruise ...it automatically sets itself from the atomic clock in the nearest GPS satellite... :)

That sounds pretty cool. I’m guessing it cost a little more that the $150 we paid for the regular Citizen eco-drive watch my DW got.

[ORV]

So have you got an answer from your TA yet?

[Flatbush Flyer]

So have you got an answer from your TA yet?

 

 

 

Yes, I'd be interested in hearing too.

 

 

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[JimandStan]

Yes, I'd be interested in hearing too.

 

 

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While he is at it, I'd love to know how he intends to buy 21 shore excursions for each of two people for less than the $1500 which is being discussed.

[Ken the cruiser]

So our TA just responded and the answer is no. The best we can figure out is that we can prebook the excursions using the Your World Collection option and get 25% off if we book the minimum and pay for them with a CC. Then once onboard “rebook” the non-waitlisted ones with OBC.

 

Jim and Stan, obviously it’s going to cost a lot more than $1,400 to book 20 excursions for the both of us, especially since we can’t use the OBC towards the unlimited package BEFORE we embark. But it would be nice to have that option.

 

However, since this particular cruise is not until next July, there is always hope O might change their current policy. :)

[LHT28]

Just curious how much is the UPC for the GV pp?

 

What would be the difference in cruise prices if you opted out of O Life?

That may be an option also

[JimandStan]

Jim and Stan, obviously it’s going to cost a lot more than $1,400 to book 20 excursions for the both of us, especially since we can’t use the OBC towards the unlimited package BEFORE we embark. But it would be nice to have that option.

I completely understand why you DESIRE to use the credit to buy excursions before you embark-

But it is also true that most businesses won't allow promotional dollars to be used to reserve services for which others may be willing to pay real dollars in advance.

That's business, that's life.

What is it that Gandhi said about need and greed?

Edited November 7, 2017 by JimandStan

[Ken the cruiser]

I completely understand why you DESIRE to use the credit to buy excursions before you embark-

But it is also true that most businesses won't allow promotional dollars to be used to reserve services for which others may be willing to pay real dollars in advance.

That's business, that's life.

What is it that Gandhi said about need and greed?

Nice try. However, since Crystal, Princess, Disney and all 3 of RCI cruise lines to name a few allow you to use OBC to pay for your pre-cruise booked excursions, I would hope one day Oceania will come around to allowing that option as well. After all when it comes right down to it YOU are the one paying for that OBC the cruise line gives you.

[Flatbush Flyer]

With the understanding that the "value" of O Life excursions (those lower priced ones from which choices can be made) are $100 per person per excursion (based on what O credits back to your account if they cancel one, no matter what it's listed price was), I can see one logical (pro passenger) version of what was being proposed earlier:

Take the O Life excursions option; request that the $100 value of each allotted excursion instead be allowed to offset the UPC fee; pay the balance of the UPC fee up front and select as many of the excursions as you want (also paying any UPC surcharge for the more expensive ones).

Thoughts anyone?

 

 

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[Ken the cruiser]

With the understanding that the "value" of O Life excursions (those lower priced ones from which choices can be made) are $100 per person per excursion (based on what O credits back to your account if they cancel one, no matter what it's listed price was), I can see one logical (pro passenger) version of what was being proposed earlier:

Take the O Life excursions option; request that the $100 value of each allotted excursion instead be allowed to offset the UPC fee; pay the balance of the UPC fee up front and select as many of the excursions as you want (also paying any UPC surcharge for the more expensive ones).

Thoughts anyone?

 

 

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That’s exactly what we were asking our TA to check on. Unfortunately O told our TA that was not an option. Hopefully one day they will change their mind.

[njhorseman]

Nice try. However, since Crystal, Princess, Disney and all 3 of RCI cruise lines to name a few allow you to use OBC to pay for your pre-cruise booked excursions, I would hope one day Oceania will come around to allowing that option as well.

 

It's far more .likely that any cruise lines still allowing you to do that will no longer in the future. It used to be that most, if not all cruise lines allowed you to reserve their excursions with no advance payment, instead charging them to your on board account. Over the last several years most cruise lines have moved to requiring prepayment, making it impossible to reserve prior to the cruise and then pay for all or part of the excursions using your OBC.

[Ken the cruiser]

It's far more .likely that any cruise lines still allowing you to do that will no longer in the future. It used to be that most, if not all cruise lines allowed you to reserve their excursions with no advance payment, instead charging them to your on board account. Over the last several years most cruise lines have moved to requiring prepayment, making it impossible to reserve prior to the cruise and then pay for all or part of the excursions using your OBC.

That might explain why RC, Celebrity and Azamara, which just started allowing this option, will only allow you to prebook excursions with the OBC they issue and Crystal requires that on some of their excursions if you cancel within 30 days of the sail date, you will be billed for that excursion anyway. I guess time will tell.

[njhorseman]

That might explain why RC, Celebrity and Azamara, which just started allowing this option, will only allow you to prebook excursions with the OBC they issue and Crystal requires that on some of their excursions if you cancel within 30 days of the sail date, you will be billed for that excursion anyway. I guess time will tell.

 

Just started this option? Not being billed for pre booked excursions until on board for was the way it was done in the past. We've been cruising for more than 30 years and it's only relatively recently that many cruise lines started requiring up front payment.

 

Also, passengers being given substantial amounts of promotional on board credit is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Edited November 8, 2017 by njhorseman

[ChucktownSteve]

Azamara is working on allowing OBC to be used for pre cruise excursion bookings. While they figure out the the web site protocol, they've been allowing people to book with a credit card then cancel once on board and use the OBC.

 

The caveat is if you do that, you then pay the current excursion price if it has increased. You also cannot cancel and re-book within 48 hours of the tour to do that.

[Ken the cruiser]

Azamara is working on allowing OBC to be used for pre cruise excursion bookings. While they figure out the the web site protocol, they've been allowing people to book with a credit card then cancel once on board and use the OBC.

 

The caveat is if you do that, you then pay the current excursion price if it has increased. You also cannot cancel and re-book within 48 hours of the tour to do that.

I stand corrected. I would have thought once RCI announced this new option to prebook excursions with their issued OBC, like we are able to do with the future Celebrity cruises we have booked, it would apply to Azamara as well. In fact I thought I had heard that. However, just because their website hasn’t been updated yet, is it possible to prebook Azamara excursions using their issued OBC if you contact their excursion desk directly?

 

BTW I just wanted to add Oceania to my list of cruise lines allowing you to prebook excursions with their issued OBC, so to speak. Part of the OLife option allows you to do just that. We are just trying to stretch their relatively new rules and get that OBC allotment to be applied to the Unlimited Excursion option. But hey, they’re trying to keep up with the other cruise lines which are providing the option to prebook excursions with their issued OBC.

[Ken the cruiser]

Just started this option? Not being billed for pre booked excursions until on board for was the way it was done in the past. We've been cruising for more than 30 years and it's only relatively recently that many cruise lines started requiring up front payment.

 

Also, passengers being given substantial amounts of promotional on board credit is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Relatively is the operative word here. We’ve been regularly cruising for just the past 5 years and this is a welcome change for us.