Newbie Oceania Questions and feedback request

[Host Jazzbeau]

One reason for taking the OBC option, even though it is a 'wash,' is if your TA is giving you a rebate.  The OLife fare becomes the basis of the rebate percentage so you get part of the 'wash' back.  And sometimes it's mandatory to get the deal. 

 

I am in this situation:  my TA did a webinar with Oceania and at the end Oceania offered us 5% off.  It turned out that that was only available for OLife fares.  But the discount is $324 pp and the OLife fare adds $400 pp – so even if I don't choose the shore excursion option [which I probably will], the OBC 'wash' is still pretty valuable.

[ORV]

3 hours ago, Homerody said:

Point taken.  (Rhetorical question - perhaps - which do you loathe more HP, Windows 10 or Dial-up?)  😁 

I'll take the dial up over the HP with Windows 10. 

3 hours ago, clo said:

I did a little mental exercise with myself about 30 years ago. I tried to remember what ANYONE I worked with had worn the day before. Couldn't do it. It makes packing a whole lot easier. And honestly the one load of laundry we sent out didn't come back looking all that 'fresh.'

Apparently I'm much more observant than you. 

11 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

One reason for taking the OBC option, even though it is a 'wash,' is if your TA is giving you a rebate.  The OLife fare becomes the basis of the rebate percentage so you get part of the 'wash' back.  And sometimes it's mandatory to get the deal. 

 

I am in this situation:  my TA did a webinar with Oceania and at the end Oceania offered us 5% off.  It turned out that that was only available for OLife fares.  But the discount is $324 pp and the OLife fare adds $400 pp – so even if I don't choose the shore excursion option [which I probably will], the OBC 'wash' is still pretty valuable.

I haven't seen this pointed out before, you make a good point. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

One reason for taking the OBC option, even though it is a 'wash,' is if your TA is giving you a rebate.  The OLife fare becomes the basis of the rebate percentage so you get part of the 'wash' back.  And sometimes it's mandatory to get the deal. 

 

I am in this situation:  my TA did a webinar with Oceania and at the end Oceania offered us 5% off.  It turned out that that was only available for OLife fares.  But the discount is $324 pp and the OLife fare adds $400 pp – so even if I don't choose the shore excursion option [which I probably will], the OBC 'wash' is still pretty valuable.

You may want to double check the hidden math (if your TA will share their version of the Oceania invoice). Besides port taxes, there are other non-commissionable costs in the fare (which might include the partial/full value of the O Life OBC, “complimentary” O gratuities for certain O Club levels, etc).

 

That said, I am still of the opinion that the O Life excursions option remains the best value at up to double the offered SBC ($200 vs $100) while counting against the minimum tour purchases to qualify for YWYW 25% discount.

[Host Jazzbeau]

18 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You may want to double check the hidden math (if your TA will share their version of the Oceania invoice). Besides port taxes, there are other non-commissionable costs in the fare (which might include the partial/full value of the O Life OBC, “complimentary” O gratuities for certain O Club levels, etc).

 

That said, I am still of the opinion that the O Life excursions option remains the best value at up to double the offered SBC ($200 vs $100) while counting against the minimum tour purchases to qualify for YWYW 25% discount.

 

I did the math before accepting the deal.  It cost me exactly $76 pp to add OLife to my booking.  So even if I take the OBC option, I come out way ahead.

 

As to the Shore Excursions option:  I have gone over the Oceania offerings and found four interesting-sounding shore excursions that total $612 pp.  That would increase my savings dramatically – but I would have to take Oceania excursions with large groups rather than small-group roll call excursions.  Normally the roll call excursions also have the benefit of a big cost saving – but even if the prices are the same, small groups are always better than large groups.  Nor am I going to take a shore excursion that doesn't appeal just because it has a rack rate of $199 to maximize my 'saving.'  That, to me, is the fallacy of saying the shore excursion option is always best.  YMMV

 

[Of course, if ship shore excursions are mandatory because of Covid, everything changes and OLife begins to look even better.]

[pinotlover]

27 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You may want to double check the hidden math (if your TA will share their version of the Oceania invoice). Besides port taxes, there are other non-commissionable costs in the fare (which might include the partial/full value of the O Life OBC, “complimentary” O gratuities for certain O Club levels, etc).

 

That said, I am still of the opinion that the O Life excursions option remains the best value at up to double the offered SBC ($200 vs $100) while counting against the minimum tour purchases to qualify for YWYW 25% discount.

You value it because of your affection for Oceania shore tours. Some don’t share that affection.

 

Likewise, on my next two booked cruises, Oceania only one each tour, applicable to the OLife package at $199. Most are 3-4 hour tours at considerably less. The pretension that 3-4 $199 tours are available on each tour is absurd.

 

There is no “ best” option.Every cruise presents a new set of options. Choose what’s best for you. Oceania shore tours rarely work best for us.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

I did the math before accepting the deal.  It cost me exactly $76 pp to add OLife to my booking.  So even if I take the OBC option, I come out way ahead.

 

As to the Shore Excursions option:  I have gone over the Oceania offerings and found four interesting-sounding shore excursions that total $612 pp.  That would increase my savings dramatically – but I would have to take Oceania excursions with large groups rather than small-group roll call excursions.  Normally the roll call excursions also have the benefit of a big cost saving – but even if the prices are the same, small groups are always better than large groups.  Nor am I going to take a shore excursion that doesn't appeal just because it has a rack rate of $199 to maximize my 'saving.'  That, to me, is the fallacy of saying the shore excursion option is always best.  YMMV

 

[Of course, if ship shore excursions are mandatory because of Covid, everything changes and OLife begins to look even better.]

Yes-I understand how the O Life dependent discounts work. My point is more about the general rule that a higher fare doesn’t always mean a higher commission.

And FWIW, except for tours referred to as “panaramic,” it may be a larger bus. But, there are plenty of other O group tours using <16 seat busses with a multiple tour guides.

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

But, there are plenty of other O group tours using <16 seat busses with a multiple tour guides.

Does one know that in advance?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

You value it because of your affection for Oceania shore tours. Some don’t share that affection.

 

Likewise, on my next two booked cruises, Oceania only one each tour, applicable to the OLife package at $199. Most are 3-4 hour tours at considerably less. The pretension that 3-4 $199 tours are available on each tour is absurd.

 

There is no “ best” option.Every cruise presents a new set of options. Choose what’s best for you. Oceania shore tours rarely work best for us.

Not really affection-. Since we do longer cruises, I’ll use O Life for that allotment of tours that lend themselves to that situation. We then mix in our own private tour (just us or arranged here on CC) as needed and maybe even go back and add enough of O’s OE tours to get the 25% break.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

Not really affection-. Since we do longer cruises, I’ll use O Life for that allotment of tours that lend themselves to that situation. We then mix in our own private tour (just us or arranged here on CC) as needed and maybe even go back and add enough of O’s OE tours to get the 25% break. BTW, that minimum purchase number is listed in the tours PDF you can get from O  6 months pre-cruise and/or in the “cart” for web purchases associated with your cruise.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Personal experience:  I took a Viking Ocean cruise that seemed like good value because it included one 'free' shore excursion in every port.  Reality:  we didn't take a single 'free' tour.  Value proposition changed dramatically.  [I research each port and compile my own 'A list' of sites.  It's almost impossible that any ship's tour will include them all.  Privately arranged tours usually can.  "Priceless"]

[Homerody]

The ongoing discussion is very interesting and informative.  

 

But the talk of O invoices, commissions, rebates really sounds like a car deal.

 

Point to take away - Follow the math and see where that takes me.  Include my cost/benefit analysis and value propositions, and assumption/guess about only allowing cruise line excursions in the next year and the...Voila - success in booking my O cruise.

[madera1]

We have our first Oceania cruises booked, a TA in 2022 and Tahiti the following year so I am learning so much from this topic. We have primarily sailed with Holland America the last 10 years. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

36 minutes ago, madera1 said:

We have our first Oceania cruises booked, a TA in 2022 and Tahiti the following year so I am learning so much from this topic. We have primarily sailed with Holland America the last 10 years. 

Wow! Are you in for a world of positive difference - starting with the food and service. Happy cruising.