Cruise is now all "wait listed"

[Bellanina]

8 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I didn’t know one had to sign up for this.

I know! Doesn’t state this on the website either. We will definitely check with our TA this week- was told that they’d have to request that for us since they booked for us.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Bellanina

[susiesan]

I looked at my June 26 sailing today, my booking is still active but all the cabins still show waitlisted. My final payment date is April 12 and I will wait until just before then to see if O cancels so I don't have to pay the admin fee. In the meantime I had my TA check pricing on the same cruise scheduled for Aug. 29, 2021. I don't know if it is my TA or Oceania but it appears someone is adding extra perks and benefits. The cost of the cat F inside is $200 more, than my current cat G guarantee and I currently have $400 OBC. If I book next years' cruise I get prepaid gratuities, $525 OBC, and a bottle of wine. If this year is canceled I will move my $1500 deposit over to this new cruise.

[Kate-AHF]

11 hours ago, Bellanina said:

..... Was pointed out that we were not signed on for Traveler's Assurance Program which allows cancellations up until 48 hours prior. I was not aware we had to specifically request or sign on for this program- I assumed it was automatic? 

 

Ummm.... Bellania, I think the Oceania rep you spoke to was suffering from lack of sleep, and got confused or hallucinated.  No where on the web does it say this TAP has to be signed up for to be received, and in the email sent to Oceania customers by Bob Binder on 10 March, nowhere does he make reference to having to sign up.  He simply states: "For further information and the latest updates, please visit https://www.oceaniacruises.com/assurance"

 

As I understand the reps are working from home, communication must have suffered in this instance.

 

 

[ffnole]

Always take the refund instead of a future cruise credit. A refund should be provided within 90 days. A future credit has far greater duration risk if you wait to use it a year or two from now. The duration risk is in event of an NCL bankruptcy filing, you become an unsecured creditor of the cruise line. In that case the odds of ever seeing you money (I.e. use of credit) is unlikely. Shorten that risk by taking the cash refund sooner,  cash is king in this environment. You can always rebook later once the crisis clears. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by ffnole

[susiesan]

Monday, March 23 @3:25pm. All June cruises still showing waitlisted. 3 days now. C'mon O, if you are cancelling then just do it. Don't keep us in limbo. We need to cancel and get back our airfares or miles redeposited and cancel hotels.

[Kate-AHF]

26 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Monday, March 23 @3:25pm. All June cruises still showing waitlisted. 3 days now. C'mon O, if you are cancelling then just do it. Don't keep us in limbo. We need to cancel and get back our airfares or miles redeposited and cancel hotels.

 

Get your airfares and miles deposits for what?  Do you plan on traveling in June? 

 

These are extraordinary times. They will cancel when they can.  I have a cruise paid-for on 13 May and while I was antsy about it for a while, I've had time to consider just what the ramifications are for the people that work for O, and what cancelling cruises fleetwide entails, hence, I'm not demanding immediate action.  Honestly - if the backlog of 29k refunds is true, how do you expect them to cope with an additional 20 - 30k more?

[LHT28]

some people think they are more entitled than others 🙄

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

I have a cruise paid-for on 13 May and while I was antsy about it for a while, I've had time to consider just what the ramifications are for the people that work for O, and what cancelling cruises fleetwide entails, hence, I'm not demanding immediate action.  Honestly - if the backlog of 29k refunds is true, how do you expect them to cope with an additional 20 - 30k more?

As you know Kate, we are on the same cruise with you and have planned all sorts of thing for 3 days in Barcelona, including buying some entrance tickets. After the cruise we have 5 days in Paris and a week in Normandy - again with detailed and elaborate plans all scheduled and some things paid for.

All this is in addition to what we planned for the cruise itself.

I too am waiting to hear from Oceania so that I can start the long and tedious process of cancellations and refunds (where possible) of our booked tours and reservations.

That said, I understand that this will not happen for a while and we just have to try to be patient and wait.

The staff at Oceania are overwhelmed and are dealing with people affected before our cruise - our turn will come.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Paulchili

[Mura]

Excellent advice, Paul.  Easy for me to say, of course, since we aren't involved ... I'd be feeling the pain if we were!

 

In the meantime we are hunkered down in our apartment and never going outside ... fortunately we have generous neighbors who will shop for us when necessary.  One of them even refused reimbursement today!

 

[susiesan]

4 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

 

Get your airfares and miles deposits for what?  Do you plan on traveling in June? 

 

These are extraordinary times. They will cancel when they can.  I have a cruise paid-for on 13 May and while I was antsy about it for a while, I've had time to consider just what the ramifications are for the people that work for O, and what cancelling cruises fleetwide entails, hence, I'm not demanding immediate action.  Honestly - if the backlog of 29k refunds is true, how do you expect them to cope with an additional 20 - 30k more?

Kate, I am within one week of final payment due. I would like O to officially cancel before that payment is made and then when the cruise is cancelled by them have to deal with a refund of $6000 instead of a refund of $1500. I can wait to have the lower amount returned but not the full amount. In fact, I am ready to re book this same cruise for Aug. 29, 2021 but my TA says I cannot transfer the deposit to this new cruise. I have to send a whole new deposit. At which point O would have $9000 of my money. 

I don't want to cancel my air tickets until the cruise is canceled on the remote chance O does resume sailing in May like they are currently planning. If Oceania knows they won't resume operations in June then they should just tell us now. Saying they will cancel when they can is not good customer service. Has your May 13 cruise been cancelled yet? Maybe it is a go. Like Paul, I want to start the process of cancelling all the plans that go along with a cruise and move on for this year to my next planned vacation in September.

[LHT28]

With cases rising daily in many Countries   I do not really see cruise lines or air travel to many of these  Countries happening in May or June 

I would be happy to  be wrong  but  I am a realist

YMMV