On Board Booking Credit

[ICT lineman]

No sailing so the On-Board-Booking discount is not possible but in our case, I am reporting two instances regarding OBB credit.

 

( ... FYI, because of our Oceania Club status, we receive pre-paid gratuities and book directly with an Oceania agent ... )

 

In 2019, we on-board-booked a Fall 2020 cruise which was canceled by Oceania. When I called to booked a Fall 2021 cruise, I asked about receiving the previous on-board booking credit. The agent was able to immediately apply the prior on-board credit to the new booking.

 

I have now booked a 2022 Fall cruise and again asked the agent about receiving OBB. He said he would have to ask for Management approval. 

 

I pleased to report that it has been approved which saved us $2,000 for a 30+ day cruise in a PH1.

 

Bottom line, it is worth asking ...

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, ICT lineman said:

No sailing so the On-Board-Booking discount is not possible but in our case, I am reporting two instances regarding OBB credit.

 

( ... FYI, because of our Oceania Club status, we receive pre-paid gratuities and book directly with an Oceania agent ... )

 

In 2019, we on-board-booked a Fall 2020 cruise which was canceled by Oceania. When I called to booked a Fall 2021 cruise, I asked about receiving the previous on-board booking credit. The agent was able to immediately apply the prior on-board credit to the new booking.

 

I have now booked a 2022 Fall cruise and again asked the agent about receiving OBB. He said he would have to ask for Management approval. 

 

I pleased to report that it has been approved which saved us $2,000 for a 30+ day cruise in a PH1.

 

Bottom line, it is worth asking ...

 

 

If you're saying you've rebooked in 2022 an O cancelled 2021 replacement cruise for an original onboard booking for 2020, that's a regular O policy. 

However, If you're saying you got an onboard booking price for an additional cruise in 2022 (while still keeping the 2021 replacement book onboard cruise), that was a nice accommodation by Oceania.

Edited December 16, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer

[ICT lineman]

Yes, two cruises booked.

 

Fall 2021 cruise is using 125% Future Cruise credit and OBB benefit from canceled cruise.

 

Fall 2022 cruise is new. Booked directly by phone (not on-board) but asked for and received a OBB credit.

 

Don’t know if being a NCLH stockholder helped ... but greatly appreciated.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, ICT lineman said:

Yes, two cruises booked.

 

Fall 2021 cruise is using 125% Future Cruise credit and OBB benefit from canceled cruise.

 

Fall 2022 cruise is new. Booked directly by phone (not on-board) but asked for and received a OBB credit.

 

Don’t know if being a NCLH stockholder helped ... but greatly appreciated.

That was very nice of Oceania to also extend the OBB discount to a new (not transferred nor OBB) booking. As we all know, it never hurts to ask for exceptions. And Oceania Can be very accommodating for reasonable requests.

 

Recently, we transferred an OBB January 2021 cruise to January 2022 before final payment and before Oceania cancelled it. As regarded the regular OBB policy, there was no problem transferring the booking and, although the same cabin was now a higher price (even after the OBB discount was added), a better then-available O Club 10% discount replaced the OBB approx. 5% discount  (thanks to the OBB price match guarantee). All that it took was to ask if the cruise at hand was in the O Club currently discounted group of cruises. Bottom line lesson on this particular transfer was that the OBB price match guarantee worked AND it never hurts to ask for what Brooklyn-born folks call "the parking lot price."

 

BTW, you may ask why I didn't wait for O to cancel a NZ to OZ (that was destined to happen shortly thereafter)? Any perk like a 125% FCC would probably have been of limited value due to the fact that, everytime O cancels a new bunch of future cruises due to Covid restrictions, other future cruises see a surge in bookings that might sell out the cruise to which you want to transfer (e.g., just look at the current bookings on the most desirable 2021-22 itineraries).

 

In a second, later situation, O cancelled our recent November cruise and redeposited our "bonus" FCCs (beyond partial/full refunds) from two earlier O cancelled/modified 2020 cruises (with varying modified "book by/cruise by" dates) along with issuance of a requested 125% FCC for what cash we had in the current deal. Then, when the late 2022 itineraries were announced, we decided to book two adjacent "extended journeys" the dates of which were outside of the old FCCs new "cruise by" window. A call to Oceania with request for extension of the redeposited older "bonus" FCC dates to allow their use for one of the future cruises was honored (along with reapplication of an OBB discount) and the first newly booked 3 week+ cruise is only costing us $149 for an extended B3 balcony on Marina (actual bottom line "out of pocket" expense for the cabin - not per person). And, yes, we then used the newer 125% FCC (for the cash we had in the deal) for the second cruise. Still, that 25% "bonus" in the newest FCC helped that 3 week+ bottom line cost, which also had an "Extended Journey" discount price.

 

As I've often said here on CC, I'm glad that the first words learned/uttered by Brooklyn kids are "Never pay retail."

AND, fortunately, O is very willing to consider reasonable negotiations.

 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

That was very nice of Oceania to also extend the OBB discount to a new (not transferred nor OBB) booking. As we all know, it never hurts to ask for exceptions. And Oceania Can be very accommodating for reasonable requests.

 

Recently, we transferred an OBB January 2021 cruise to January 2022 before final payment and before Oceania cancelled it. As regarded the regular OBB policy, there was no problem transferring the booking and, although the same cabin was now a higher price (even after the OBB discount was added), a better then-available O Club 10% discount replaced the OBB approx. 5% discount  (thanks to the OBB price match guarantee). All that it took was to ask if the cruise at hand was in the O Club currently discounted group of cruises. Bottom line lesson on this particular transfer was that the OBB price match guarantee worked AND it never hurts to ask for what Brooklyn-born folks call "the parking lot price."

 

BTW, you may ask why I didn't wait for O to cancel a NZ to OZ (that was destined to happen shortly thereafter)? Any perk like a 125% FCC would probably have been of limited value due to the fact that, everytime O cancels a new bunch of future cruises due to Covid restrictions, other future cruises see a surge in bookings that might sell out the cruise to which you want to transfer (e.g., just look at the current bookings on the most desirable 2021-22 itineraries).

 

In a second, later situation, O cancelled our recent November cruise and redeposited our "bonus" FCCs (beyond partial/full refunds) from two earlier O cancelled/modified 2020 cruises (with varying modified "book by/cruise by" dates) along with issuance of a requested 125% FCC for what cash we had in the current deal. Then, when the late 2022 itineraries were announced, we decided to book two adjacent "extended journeys" the dates of which were outside of the old FCCs new "cruise by" window. A call to Oceania with request for extension of the redeposited older "bonus" FCC dates to allow their use for one of the future cruises was honored (along with reapplication of an OBB discount) and the first newly booked 3 week+ cruise is only costing us $149 for an extended B3 balcony on Marina (actual bottom line "out of pocket" expense for the cabin - not per person). And, yes, we then used the newer 125% FCC (for the cash we had in the deal) for the second cruise. Still, that 25% "bonus" in the newest FCC helped that 3 week+ bottom line cost, which also had an "Extended Journey" discount price.

 

As I've often said here on CC, I'm glad that the first words learned/uttered by Brooklyn kids are "Never pay retail."

AND, fortunately, O is very willing to consider reasonable negotiations.

 

I suppose that if your undecided and get sold on another cruise  while on board it can be a benefit.  However for many of us, we plan 12 or more months in advance so there are no "spur of the moment  " , decisions...  Hence there is no advantage  in that situation.       I  while I know I can transfer  the booking to my long term agent,  I would rather not get more people into the mix than he and I......  Not worth it to me  as he meets or beats anything O  would offer to ME...   

    

 

 Your stock holder benefits  do not come into play.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

I suppose that if your undecided and get sold on another cruise  while on board it can be a benefit.  However for many of us, we plan 12 or more months in advance so there are no "spur of the moment  " , decisions...  Hence there is no advantage  in that situation.       I  while I know I can transfer  the booking to my long term agent,  I would rather not get more people into the mix than he and I......  Not worth it to me  as he meets or beats anything O  would offer to ME...

I disagree. Except for your TA's turn in O's  rotating "quiet sales" (which will get you a somewhat similar price break as OBB), the OBB Package with immediate OBC, price match guarantee and a "no penalty" cruise change option has sizable value. And, of course, you can transfer it to your TA to sweeten the deal.

That said, your point about booking far in advance is only an issue if you want to grab a particular cruise and/or cabin on the day/week new itineraries are announced and you're not on an O ship at that time. But, even if you're not onboard when they roll the new schedule out, you can do a rebook with the OBB perks - once onboard if it's within a month of your initial booking and the O Ambassador gets you the exception.

In normal times, we're usually onboard for extended times in fall and spring and have often lucked out to have the new itineraries appear while we're onboard. In those cases, it would make zero sense not to book onboard and transfer that far future cruise and then transfer to your TA.

But, even we occasionally book when not onboard (as we just did with two newly announced 2022 itineraries). It all depends on timing.