Jump to content

Would you make final payment?


jonthomas
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have a good TA, but this is still on me. And yes, this rule of Oceanias has been in place for a long time. 

 

Ok so why are people not cancelling, but waiting till Aug to cancel a Dec Cruise. Do they really believe anything will be sailing by then and would people even want to be on a ship with what has gone on. Of course this is another topic. 

 

What do they hope to get by waiting? What can they hope to get from a suffering industry that is more than the deposit?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Ok so why are people not cancelling, but waiting till Aug to cancel a Dec Cruise. Do they really believe anything will be sailing by then and would people even want to be on a ship with what has gone on. Of course this is another topic. 

 

 

Maybe  they are hoping things will get better by then

it gives people hope in the doom & gloom we are experiencing

 

for me  if I had a booking  I would cancel & if things are good by  the fall rebook  then

JMO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

Ok so why are people not cancelling, but waiting till Aug to cancel a Dec Cruise. Do they really believe anything will be sailing by then and would people even want to be on a ship with what has gone on. Of course this is another topic. 

 

What do they hope to get by waiting? What can they hope to get from a suffering industry that is more than the deposit?

 

Over on the NCL boards people are asking questions about December cruises that they are booking now with the FCC they are receiving for their canceled spring cruise.  Not everyone believes what you believe.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Booking with FCCs is different than booking with "real" money. 

 

Cant imagine anyone is doing final payments or booking with "real" money now.

 

My point is, get your "real" money out now and don't use it again until it is realistic to do so.

 

Obviously not everyone believes what I believe and the cruise lines are relying on that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

O was demanding our final payment yesterday... five months out if you don't mind for a B2B...

felt we had no choice but to cancel.

Yes, our 18-day O cruise in February meant we were paying 5 months in advance also. 

So if yesterday was your final payment, that must mean you took the hit with the CAD350pp Admin Fee, & if you don't choose to cruise with Oceania in their specified time frame, you are out that amount.

I realize this has nothing to do with COVID-19, but has come to light right now & I'm not a fan!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

What do they hope to get by waiting? What can they hope to get from a suffering industry that is more than the deposit?

To save the $500 admin fee for cancelling before O cancels on us. And to maybe get an incentive to book another cruise with a bonus 25% FCC like many other cruise lines are offering. Right now, O is selling 2021 cruises at even more money than this year for the same itinerary on the same ship in the same cabin with no prepaid gratuities, no OBC or anything.  I would have to pay $300 pp more next year for the exact same cruise I would have taken in June, a 10 day Baltic on Marina. I know O is not known for making deals but maybe it is time for them to take another look at their business model.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, googler55 said:

Yes, our 18-day O cruise in February meant we were paying 5 months in advance also. 

So if yesterday was your final payment, that must mean you took the hit with the CAD350pp Admin Fee, & if you don't choose to cruise with Oceania in their specified time frame, you are out that amount.

I realize this has nothing to do with COVID-19, but has come to light right now & I'm not a fan!

 

Correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, KS&JW said:

 

Over on the NCL boards people are asking questions about December cruises that they are booking now with the FCC they are receiving for their canceled spring cruise.  Not everyone believes what you believe.  

 

I'm in that boat.  Have an Oceania cruise booked using 25% FCC from a cancelled cruise.  My final payment is the port Taxes which O did not cover.  Payment date is in May which I will likely take a chance since it is only $1100.

But my Regent WC segments due in July/August likely will be another matter.  If COVID still thrive that one will likely be a cancelled cruise. with refund.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

I'm in that boat.  Have an Oceania cruise booked using 25% FCC from a cancelled cruise.  My final payment is the port Taxes which O did not cover.  Payment date is in May which I will likely take a chance since it is only $1100.

But my Regent WC segments due in July/August likely will be another matter.  If COVID still thrive that one will likely be a cancelled cruise. with refund.

 

NCLH down to 8-1/4 from 55 two months ago.

Do you like your odds of getting a refund?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those who have gotten them are lucky. Going forward, who knows. Those still throwing their "real" money away, that one puzzles me. Of course if you have FCCs, just book away. No harm, unless you are using real money. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

To save the $500 admin fee for cancelling before O cancels on us. And to maybe get an incentive to book another cruise with a bonus 25% FCC like many other cruise lines are offering. Right now, O is selling 2021 cruises at even more money than this year for the same itinerary on the same ship in the same cabin with no prepaid gratuities, no OBC or anything.  I would have to pay $300 pp more next year for the exact same cruise I would have taken in June, a 10 day Baltic on Marina. I know O is not known for making deals but maybe it is time for them to take another look at their business model.

 

I agree. I was shocked to see the price of the same cruise in 2021. We were booked on a October 2020 cruise on Sirena.  The same itinerary, same number of days, same cabin category, for May 2021 on the Riviera is $1300/pp more.  I realize that the "O" ships command a higher price but, really, that much more during these times?  Wow....Oceania should rethink that.  They can't expect to be booking many cabins at that price. 

 

We did not want to make a final payment in July so we moved our booking to the May cruise. We used a FCC that we had purchased onboard.  The deposit was only $350/pp and we should be price protected. It seems like a risk worth taking.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

To save the $500 admin fee for cancelling before O cancels on us. And to maybe get an incentive to book another cruise with a bonus 25% FCC like many other cruise lines are offering. Right now, O is selling 2021 cruises at even more money than this year for the same itinerary on the same ship in the same cabin with no prepaid gratuities, no OBC or anything.  I would have to pay $300 pp more next year for the exact same cruise I would have taken in June, a 10 day Baltic on Marina. I know O is not known for making deals but maybe it is time for them to take another look at their business model.

Future cruises being more expensive is not anything new to Oceania or any cruise line…….. Viking river cruises - if I wanted to rebook late April cruise canceled by Viking to same cruise, same cabin October.....with 125% FCC, must pay over $500.00 more per person on top of 125% FCC.  I have rarely seen a cruise itinerary on any cruise line selling for less than it sold for the year before....called inflation.   I am sure when the dust settles and cruise lines have a better idea when/if they will start sailing again, then they will decide how to price their upcoming cruises.  Hopefully we will be able to rebook the same itinerary/same cabin without any additional $$$ when the 125% FCC is applied.  We always receive our extra perks (pre paid gratuities, OBC, etc.) from our TA not from Oceania.

JMHO....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Those who have gotten them are lucky. Going forward, who knows. Those still throwing their "real" money away, that one puzzles me. Of course if you have FCCs, just book away. No harm, unless you are using real money. 

 

Not sure why you don't think of FCC as 'real' money.  I had an April cruise canceled.  I paid out real money for the cruise.  I can get a refund (admittedly it will take time to get the credit back on my card) or a FCC.  If I take the FCC that is my 'real' money converted into a future cruise.  It was not gifted to me by the cruise line.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that way, because I feel it is just a matter of time, before some cruise lines go under. When that happens, FCCs would be worthless. The other aspect is your own personal future. None of us know what our health, wealth or job situation might be in the future. An FCC is a deposit on the unknown. Your real money in the bank is the only sure thing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

If I take the FCC that is my 'real' money converted into a future cruise.  It was not gifted to me by the cruise line.  

You are technically correct but what if Oceania does not survive in its current state or worse, not at all - that FCC could become useless. I certainly hope that is not the case, but.....A bIrd in hand....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, sunlover12 said:

 

 

We did not want to make a final payment in July so we moved our booking to the May cruise. We used a FCC that we had purchased onboard.  The deposit was only $350/pp and we should be price protected. It seems like a risk worth taking.  

Ho did you get the deposit to be only$350 pp instead of $750pp?  My TA told me that if I cancel now I can move the $1500 deposit over to a 2021 cruise with the $500 admin fee as a FCC. I would have to give Oceania another $500 towards the deposit, meaning they now have $2000 of my money. I was also told if the second cruise gets cancelled or changed to another date I would completely lose the $500 admin fee as it can only be used one time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

You are technically correct but what if Oceania does not survive in its current state or worse, not at all - that FCC could become useless. I certainly hope that is not the case, but.....A bIrd in hand....

I agree and am asking for a refund for this cruise.  All the more reason for my point that FCC is 'real' money. If you are using that FCC for a cruise in December say, you are spending real money. 

Edited by KS&JW
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The concept of the FCC not being real money depends on how it was earned. 

 

We got 100% back on a refund (both cruise, land tours, excursions) and a 25% bonus via FCC.  On a 40 day cruise that 25% is significant but since we did get a refund that 25% is a gift from O for the pain they/COVID inflected.  We got all but $100 of our air fare back (thanks United and Virgin Atlantic), hotels cancelled (thanks Marriott), private tours (thanks MIscha/Tours by Locals) and lastly our insurance (Travelex) was moved to a new booking and the difference was refunded.

 

So we are more than whole. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Ho did you get the deposit to be only$350 pp instead of $750pp?  

One of the advantages of purchasing a FCC onboard is that the deposit is only $350pp instead of the standard $750.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify the term FCC,  I believe some people are referring to Future Cruise Credit.  This is different from Future Cruise Certificate, which I purchased onboard my last cruise with "real money".   

I don't know how Future Cruise Credit works because as of now I haven't requested it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, sunlover12 said:

Just to clarify the term FCC,  I believe some people are referring to Future Cruise Credit.  This is different from Future Cruise Certificate, which I purchased onboard my last cruise with "real money".   

I don't know how Future Cruise Credit works because as of now I haven't requested it.

to me  the Future cruise credit that is offered now in lieu of your cruise  is Real money  you already paid to Oceania

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...