Extended vs Back to Back Cruise

[Rob the Cruiser]

Best of luck. Please let us know what happens. 

[Kate-AHF]

We booked an extended voyage for Oct/Nov 2018, and then 8 weeks out, we added another segment on top of that.  Two booking numbers.

 

Hope you are successful azdrydock.  We are on Marina this Dec. from Rio to Santiago (but we booked it as one voyage just last week.)

[Redtravel]

Worked for us. Last year we booked a 14 night cruise. We didn’t know that it was really 2 one week cruises. After the first week, we got a package in our cabin welcoming us to the next level of the loyalty plan.  Years ago, when I was on Celebrity, their loyalty program counted one cruise equals one credit.  It didn’t matter how long the cruise was or what type of cabin you booked.  As time has passed, they moved to a plan that counts the number of days and booked category cabin. It is a fairer way to count.   Loyalty benefits vary from line to line. Some lines offer many nice perks. Some just offer money back or OBC.  It is something for nothing.  Just say thank you and enjoy cruising.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Yesterday afternoon an Oceania representative who I have done business with several times told me that a person can book a back-to-back whether it's a Grand Voyage or not. This response is from a direct Oceania representative, not a third party or TA. 

 

Bottom line, he said the TA is wrong. You can book any combination that you want. There is no reason to cancel, thus loosing your perks, and re-book. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Rob the Cruiser

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

Yesterday afternoon an Oceania representative who I have done business with several times told me that a person can book a back-to-back whether it's a Grand Voyage or not. This response is from a direct Oceania representative, not a third party or TA. 

 

Bottom line, he said the TA is wrong. You can book any combination that you want. There is no reason to cancel, thus loosing your perks, and re-book. 

Sorry but your "Oceania Rep" is absolutely wrong.

 

The next time you are on an Oceania ship, check with the onboard O Club Ambassador to verify that one cannot book an advertised "extended voyage" (also referred to as "grand voyage" on the O website - an artifact name from O's days past which referred to more than 2 adjacent segments and had a few additional perks) as a multi-segment "combination cruise" (which has somewhat different benefits that may or may not constitute a "better deal").

 

A TA could certainly try to initially book the "extended journey's" segments separately. However, O's booking software would block the assignment of a single "combination cruise" booking number, which would then add the automatic 5% discount.

 

Bottom line is that, right now (not a year or two ago), if you want multiple segments in your initial booking, your choices are advertised "extended journey" (usually with discounted O Life w/air pricing) or "combination cruise" where no "extended journey" is advertised and you book all segments at the same time (which issues a single booking number and an approx. 5% discount per segment plus the added benefit of two vs one RT air credit if you choose O Life without air).

 

If it was possible to do a "combination cruise" booking for an advertised "extended voyage" (which it is not), the vast majority of O passengers looking to "save a buck" would take the combo option (for all the obvious reasons like the air credit), particularly since, as of last week, combo cruises can now be registered on the O website. It would also be a bad decision by Oceania to basically compete with itself (in other words, why then have "extended journeys"?).

 

As regards adding adjacent segment(s) to existing bookings: If your decision would result in creating the equivalent of an advertised "extended voyage," you could cancel and rebook the "extended voyage" (if the current price/perks are favorable). Otherwise, you could add a second cruise with a separate booking number (provided there would be no PVSA issues with that new expanded itinerary). But, whether you could receive the discounted price/perks benefits of a "combination cruise" for either or both segments in the new arrangement would probably need to be a negotiation between your TA and O's regional sales rep (yet another reason to use an Oceania Connoisseurs Club member TA).

 

As for Oceania customer service reps, even those who have been on the phones for years, they are often misinformed regarding current policies, which can change with little notice (e.g., just a week or so ago, the useful life of "future cruise certificates" purchased onboard was reduced) . My experience is that the most accurate policy info comes from the long-serving onboard O Club Ambassadors (e.g., Jennifer or Cela) who are in direct contact with home office senior management.

 

[Paulchili]

I will have an interesting situation coming up. I am booked on the last advertised segment of Marina for Nov 2020 MC to Barcelona. I am sure the next segment will be a TA from Barcelona and we will book it. Will we be able to book it as a B2B or not if it will be eventually advertised as an extended voyage.

Time will tell when bookings open next month.

[azdrydock]

Booked the extension!

 

The extension ended up being booked as a separate cruise; separate booking number, payment dates etc.

Since the same promos I had on the original segment are still in effect they were applied to the new booking.

Both segments are  "letter cruises" thus no discounts are available. No price difference if booked as separate, BtoB or Grand Cruise. If I booked air, the only difference would have been the difference in fares from endpoints.

 

The reason Oceania recommended separate bookings was since my category was wait listed and original cabin was available on the new segment it would not be guaranteed if booked as a Grand Cruise.

 

Both cruises appear in in My Bookings 

 

No, I don't know what is meant by "letter cruises"

 

From past experience, discounts for bookings done on board are very different then normal bookings

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions 

 

 

[LHT28]

Glad it  worked out for you

[Rob the Cruiser]

Excellent news. 

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, azdrydock said:

The extension ended up being booked as a separate cruise; separate booking number, payment dates etc.

That’s good. This way if the price of one or the other segment goes down, you can take advantage of that; if it were one extended voyage then you couldn’t do that.