Amenity change on Nov 1, 2019

[Senior Citizen]

We belong to a number of loyalty programs for hotels, airlines and cruise lines. The terms of the programs are always getting tweaked but never have they included take-always from any benefits one has “earned” through loyal patronage.

 

We were one night away from getting free wifi on all future cruises with Regent but we didn’t take a cruise with them before the new rules went into place. So, at the next level where the wifi was THE benefit, we got nothing—but, Regent didn’t take-away any benefits we had “earned” to date. I can accept that but losing benefits is an entirely different matter.

 

20 or so years ago, Royal Caribbean found themselves in a predicament. Many people took their 3 and 4 day cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean repeatedly. Each cruise counted as one cruise credit. So their Diamond Lounges were becoming very crowded. RCI changed their loyalty program to count nights vs cruises. They didn’t downgrade anyone in the process but it made it harder for those 3 and 4 night cruisers to move up to the next club level.

 

I think Oceania should change their program to reflect nights cruised. It doesn’t seem equitable to count a 7 night cruise as one cruise credit and a 24 night cruise as one cruise credit. This is an area where they might consider program changes. But, then, I guess this is another hot topic.

[basor]

Looking forward to read it

 

At this point we care more about sea days, Great on board activities and bridge (for my wife). Food is not our driver at all

 

We are bored with food, restaurants and lack of interesting activities on oceania. We have been everywhere they sail except the amazon which we don’t want to do.

 

Right now we have 3 crystal cruises booked, one regent (to experience the explorer) a return trip on the pg and our third safari. I don’t see any room for o in our cruising future

 

We just got off seabourn (Antarctica). That is a very viable option for o cruisers. It was our second seabourn Cruise

 

 

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This is "off topic" but wanted to thank you for your wonderful "live from" the Seabourn Quest.

My husband and I had the pleasure of sailing with Captain Larsen in Antarctica in 2015 and it was one of our best cruises/trips. We follow along each year so we can relive that amazing experience. It was such a shock to read of his passing and the following days of post brought many tears to our eyes. Thank you again for taking the time to share with all of us that loved Captain Larsen how Seabourn handled the situation with such great empathy and compassion.

[RJB]

Seems to me that they are giving the finger to their most loyal customers. Shame on them. I think it will hurt them in the long run. No big reason to stay with them rather than try Viking which we have not done yet. Sure will give them a good look after our 2 booked cruises on O. Maybe look now and cancel O. :(:(:(

[bitob]

We've been following the Seabourn Antarctica posts, as that will be the next cruise we book. I noted that you seemed very pleased with your Quest cruise, yet I see in the post above you don't have another Seabourn cruise booked. Do you mind my asking why?

 

 

 

There are a few things about Seabourn I don’t like

Above all, no butlers at any level. We want a suite with a butler now

I dislike the design of the veranda cabins (no point upgrading since no butler )

Food is very rich but good. Sometimes we just want something simple. Not their forte.

 

I love the size of the odyssey class ships (450 passengers), Seabourn square and unlimited caviar.

Service is superb

 

For the right itinerary I would sail with them again. Just not first choice

 

 

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[sunnies]

I am disappointed in the reduction of benefits for loyal Oceania cruisers especially the spa treatments which I enjoy. The custom air fee waiver is useless as we cannot use free air as we live in Australia. We will be platinum on our next cruise in April and for the last eleven years we have not ventured on board any other ocean cruise line. Sorry Oceania but it is time for us to look elsewhere!

[orchestrapal]

I am disappointed in the reduction of benefits for loyal Oceania cruisers especially the spa treatments which I enjoy. The custom air fee waiver is useless as we cannot use free air as we live in Australia. We will be platinum on our next cruise in April and for the last eleven years we have not ventured on board any other ocean cruise line. Sorry Oceania but it is time for us to look elsewhere!

 

We did look elsewhere and love Crystal after 13 on Oceania. This latest “stuff” would just be the last straw.

The prices for the large suites are now very much in line with a Luxury line and just not worth it any more.

[ORV]

Seems to me that they are giving the finger to their most loyal customers. Shame on them. I think it will hurt them in the long run. No big reason to stay with them rather than try Viking which we have not done yet. Sure will give them a good look after our 2 booked cruises on O. Maybe look now and cancel O. :(:(:(

 

I would advise jumping to any confusions until we have actual "facts" of how they will deal with existing customers. Then if you're unhappy rant and rave and go on other lines.

 

The real question is will you have better benefits on those lines you start at square one with?

[Kate-AHF]

There are a few things about Seabourn I don’t like

Above all, no butlers at any level. We want a suite with a butler now

I dislike the design of the veranda cabins (no point upgrading since no butler )

Food is very rich but good. Sometimes we just want something simple. Not their forte.

 

I love the size of the odyssey class ships (450 passengers), Seabourn square and unlimited caviar.

Service is superb

 

For the right itinerary I would sail with them again. Just not first choice

 

 

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Your reply is much appreciated!

[Classiccruiser777]

If Oceania is looking at this blog I think that by not grandfathering current customers under the present loyalty program is a penny wise, pound foolish strategy. It isn’t an enormous deal to me but does leave a bit of a bad taste. Also, neither of us drink wine and we don’t need anymore tote bags or ball caps.

[bitob]

By moving to crystal we lose little. It is all inclusive so gratuities not an issue. We always use miles for air so deviation irrelevant. My ta gives us huge obc on crystal so plenty for spa and anything else. We never do olife excursions.

 

On our last o cruise we had a huge obc and 3000 was non refundable. Also unspendable imo

 

I am happily moving on and taking a few o cruise friends along

 

 

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[Ken the cruiser]

Seems to me that they are giving the finger to their most loyal customers. Shame on them. I think it will hurt them in the long run. No big reason to stay with them rather than try Viking which we have not done yet. Sure will give them a good look after our 2 booked cruises on O. Maybe look now and cancel O. :(:(:(

With regards to Viking, do they even have a loyalty program? I haven't been able to find one if they do. Edited March 8, 2018 by Ken the cruiser

[Paulchili]

From my source at Oceania:

 

“If you have already reached a certain level, you will stay at that level.”

 

If true, that is what I’ve been hoping to hear (along the lines of grandfathering second PPGs).

[Ken the cruiser]

By moving to crystal we lose little. It is all inclusive so gratuities not an issue. We always use miles for air so deviation irrelevant. My ta gives us huge obc on crystal so plenty for spa and anything else. We never do olife excursions.

 

On our last o cruise we had a huge obc and 3000 was non refundable. Also unspendable imo

 

I am happily moving on and taking a few o cruise friends along

 

 

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There is really no comparing Oceania to Crystal as Crystal is just better at everything - except for maybe one thing, itineraries. Since they only have 2 ships, the Symphony and the Serenity at this moment in time other than their river vessels, their itinerary offerings are just not as diverse as O's. But as far as enjoying yourself on the cruise, especially on sea days, you will definitely enjoy your time on a Crystal cruise should you decide to make the move. I personally can't wait to do our next cruise with them in Apr 2019. Talk about being spoiled on a cruise! They definitely know how to elate the customer!

[bitob]

There is really no comparing Oceania to Crystal as Crystal is just better at everything - except for maybe one thing, itineraries. Since they only have 2 ships, the Symphony and the Serenity at this moment in time other than their river vessels, their itinerary offerings are just not as diverse as O's. But as far as enjoying yourself on the cruise, especially on sea days, you will definitely enjoy your time on a Crystal cruise should you decide to make the move. I personally can't wait to do our next cruise with them in Apr 2019. Talk about being spoiled on a cruise! They definitely know how to elate the customer!

 

 

 

That’s what i am told. The ship can be the destination. We’ve been everywhere and now all 7 continents

 

 

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[Paulchili]

There is really no comparing Oceania to Crystal as Crystal is just better at everything - except for maybe one thing, itineraries. Since they only have 2 ships, the Symphony and the Serenity at this moment in time other than their river vessels, their itinerary offerings are just not as diverse as O's. But as far as enjoying yourself on the cruise, especially on sea days, you will definitely enjoy your time on a Crystal cruise should you decide to make the move. I personally can't wait to do our next cruise with them in Apr 2019. Talk about being spoiled on a cruise! They definitely know how to elate the customer!

 

Obviously, our impressions of the two cruise lines differ as our preferences seem to differ from yours. I agree with Crystal’s superior enrichment and entertainment programs but that is where their “better cruise experience” ends for us.

More to come with full review and comparison.

To each their own :)

Edited March 8, 2018 by Paulchili

[RJB]

There is really no comparing Oceania to Crystal as Crystal is just better at everything - except for maybe one thing, itineraries. Since they only have 2 ships, the Symphony and the Serenity at this moment in time other than their river vessels, their itinerary offerings are just not as diverse as O's. But as far as enjoying yourself on the cruise, especially on sea days, you will definitely enjoy your time on a Crystal cruise should you decide to make the move. I personally can't wait to do our next cruise with them in Apr 2019. Talk about being spoiled on a cruise! They definitely know how to elate the customer!

Biggest problem I have with Crystal (5 cruises with them) is the size of the regular cabins. Very small. To get a decent size you need to go to a penthouse and the price is very high. The O PH is much less and just as good. No perfect way to go. But if O gets rid of what we have had in the past I will try to find another cruise line that wants my business. Seems that O is giving us the finger as I said a while ago. Could be time to stand up and walk. :(:(

[Ken the cruiser]

Obviously, our impressions of the two cruise lines differs as our preferences seem to differ from yours. I agree with Crystal’s superior enrichment and entertainment programs but that is where their “better cruise experience” ends for us.

More to come with full review and comparison.

To each their own :)

I look forward to reading about your experience. This is true, though, it all depends on expectations and personal experiences. But having superior enrichment and entertainment programs goes a long way for us. We also liked pre-booking excursions and then paying for them with the OBC that had been posted to our account, which included the OBC posted by our TA, once we sailed.

 

But then again, you're paying for that higher quality of service. The Serenity also has a great promenade deck to do our daily walks on to burn all those calories we've taken in.

[travelberlin]

Maybe, maybe not :D. I am not.

I will post my report on Crystal in a couple of days - see what you think and of course, what will matter the most is YOUR own experience on Crystal.

I am also looking forward to your report. Will it be a comparison between Oceania and Crystal?

Ivi

[Paulchili]

I am also looking forward to your report. Will it be a comparison between Oceania and Crystal?

Ivi

 

Yes - both a report of my experiences and comparison with Oceania.

Of course, by its nature it will be a subjective report from MY personal point of view which may differ from other peoples’ experiences as we each have our own opinions.

[Classiccruiser777]

Yes - both a report of my experiences and comparison with Oceania.

Of course, by its nature it will be a subjective report from MY personal point of view which may differ from other peoples’ experiences as we each have our own opinions.

If within your comfort zone total costs of both included in your report would be appreciated.

[Paulchili]

If within your comfort zone total costs of both included in your report would be appreciated.

 

No problem.

[Ken the cruiser]

Biggest problem I have with Crystal (5 cruises with them) is the size of the regular cabins. Very small. To get a decent size you need to go to a penthouse and the price is very high. The O PH is much less and just as good. No perfect way to go. But if O gets rid of what we have had in the past I will try to find another cruise line that wants my business. Seems that O is giving us the finger as I said a while ago. Could be time to stand up and walk. :(:(

Never had an issue with the size of the veranda cabin we had on the Serenity, except for maybe the small couch. But it did have a big balcony. It will be interesting to see how the veranda cabin on the Sirena and Nautica will feel with their small bathrooms as they are about 50 sq ft smaller than the Serenity. On the other hand the veranda cabins on the Riviera are a little over 13 sq ft larger with a smaller balcony but much larger bathroom than on the Serenity.

 

It's not all bad though. It was nice of O last year to give the concierge and suite cabins up to 3 free bags of laundry on every leg of a cruise. My DW was quite thrilled with that new perk as she hates to do laundry on a cruise and the "per piece" prices aren't cheap.

 

But like I said earlier, O definitely offers a much more enticing set of diverse itineraries than Crystal plus an O "A" cabin is on average about $150/person/day cheaper than Crystal.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Ken the cruiser

[Go-Bucks!]

That explains why my Platinum OBC for the RTW shows $500

 

Anyone know if they are changing the way they are handling second PPG? In 2017, we made gold on the RTW. Since PPG was a RTW perk (same as in 2020), we received a nice chunk of extra OBC for the gold perk PPG we weren’t using. I’ll look at my booking docs to see if there is any special mention of a change in this respect as a result of the amenity changes, but if anyone has the answer, I’d be interested to hear from them.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but can someone clarify what this means about getting the included PPG perk plus PPG's in the loyalty perks.

 

When we go on the RTW 2019 cruise we'll be Gold so entitled to free gratuities but they're also a world cruise perk. Are we supposed to get OBC for the loyalty ones instead ?? If so, how much? Neither Oceania nor our TA has said anything about it. Or am I misunderstanding this?

[PaulMCO]

Never had an issue with the size of the veranda cabin we had on the Serenity, except for maybe the small couch. But it did have a big balcony. It will be interesting to see how the veranda cabin on the Sirena and Nautica will feel with their small bathrooms as they are about 50 sq ft smaller than the Serenity. On the other hand the veranda cabins on the Riviera are a little over 13 sq ft larger with a smaller balcony but much larger bathroom than on the Serenity.

 

It's not all bad though. It was nice of O last year to give the concierge and suite cabins up to 3 free bags of laundry on every leg of a cruise. My DW was quite thrilled with that new perk as she hates to do laundry on a cruise and the "per piece" prices aren't cheap.

 

But like I said earlier, O definitely offers a much more enticing set of diverse itineraries than Crystal plus an O "A" cabin is on average about $150/person/day cheaper than Crystal.

 

 

We are itinerary driven. And with more ships O had an advantage to offer a more diverse set of ports.

 

Price. Really does depend on the cruise. Our B2 on next Crystal was cheaper than an A2 on Sirena for our Amazon. We were booked on Sirena. Same itinerary. After our Regatta disaster switched and saved almost 15 percent with their Sale in Dec/Jan.

 

Similar if you add the cost of drink package for our Baltic/Norway cruise. Oceania prices are somewhat high for their popular regular ports. No knock — just supply and demand and nice to have a choice.

 

Still travel on O when the right itinerary. Just not a slave to them.

 

 

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[ORV]

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but can someone clarify what this means about getting the included PPG perk plus PPG's in the loyalty perks.

 

When we go on the RTW 2019 cruise we'll be Gold so entitled to free gratuities but they're also a world cruise perk. Are we supposed to get OBC for the loyalty ones instead ?? If so, how much? Neither Oceania nor our TA has said anything about it. Or am I misunderstanding this?

 

This is something your TA should explain to you. If they don't know about them you might look for a better TA, especially since you're doing a RTW.

 

Being an RTW cruise it would fall under a special set of rules and perks, so unless someone else that is in the same situation gives you an answer most or our other experiences might not apply.

 

Having said that for those of us that are silver or higher with the included grats will get additional OBC in lieu of grats when there is another grats included promo or there are TA supplied grats. Amount is usually $250 for those of us that turned silver after a certain date, I think Dec 31, 2013, but I may not have that right. For those before that date they get the full amount of grats for a cruise. It looks like an 8 day cruise or more and they will be ahead. On a 7 day they lose out.