Do wait lists really clear? Riviera 3/18/2022 TA MIA to LIS.

[powlan]

Any idea when a wait list will clear for the Miami/ Lis TA Riviera on March 18,2022. Any cabin would be acceptable.

[KS&JW]

Have you talked to your TA to see your position on the waitlist?

Edited September 26, 2021 by KS&JW

[Jancruz]

Do you have a deposit down..it will clear faster with a deposit..

Jancruz1

[shepherd really]

Suites tend to open up right before final payment is due and when penalties start kicking in.  Besides your place on the wait list your travel agent can tell you when both those dates are.

[madera1]

We had been on a waiting list but got the cabin we wanted last week for our March Marina TA. I actually phoned our travel agent as a I knew the penalty phase had just begun so there must have been cancellations.

[ExArkie]

A few days ago, after having our Japan-transpacific March/April 2022 itinerary vanish due to COVID-related cancellations, my wife spotted this March 18 Riviera transatlantic and was really interested (we love transoceanic cruises and the price for our preferred PH category was very nice). I called our travel agent to find out about the "wait list" designation that Oceania's Web site showed for all categories.

 

She called Oceania and was told that all categories were waitlisted and that there was a fairly extensive list in some categories. She then advised us that we could (a) have her put our name on the waitlist without putting down a deposit of any kind, or (b) call Oceania ourselves to get on the priority waitlist by putting down a deposit, with the idea that if the wait list does not clear it would be simpler to get the refunded deposit from a direct booking than through the travel agent. If the wait list does clear, we could transfer to booking to her for the addition benefits her agency offers.

 

We decided that the best bet was a priority wait list, so I called Oceania directly. After going through the process of getting the information recorded - we specified the PH categories as our desired accommodation - the Oceania agent said, "Let me just check to see if I can get you a Guarantee cabin." It took several minutes, but she came back and told me that she could confirm me into a PH3 on deck 10, with a choice of one on the starboard side or one on the port side. I put in a call to our travel agent this morning to get the booking transferred.

 

Wait lists do appear to clear, since we cleared this one before we were ever put on it. As of late yesterday afternoon (Eastern Time), there was at least one more PH suite available to be booked.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by ExArkie
corrected typo

[PhD-iva]

2 hours ago, ExArkie said:

A few days ago, after having our Japan-transpacific March/April 2022 itinerary vanish due to COVID-related cancellations, my wife spotted this March 18 Riviera transatlantic and was really interested (we love transoceanic cruises and the price for our preferred PH category was very nice). I called our travel agent to find out about the "wait list" designation that Oceania's Web site showed for all categories.

 

She called Oceania and was told that all categories were waitlisted and that there was a fairly extensive list in some categories. She then advised us that we could (a) have her put our name on the waitlist without putting down a deposit of any kind, or (b) call Oceania ourselves to get on the priority waitlist by putting down a deposit, with the idea that if the wait list does not clear it would be simpler to get the refunded deposit from a direct booking than through the travel agent. If the wait list does clear, we could transfer to booking to her for the addition benefits her agency offers.

 

We decided that the best bet was a priority wait list, so I called Oceania directly. After going through the process of getting the information recorded - we specified the PH categories as our desired accommodation - the Oceania agent said, "Let me just check to see if I can get you a Guarantee cabin." It took several minutes, but she came back and told me that she could confirm me into a PH3 on deck 10, with a choice of one on the starboard side or one on the port side. I put in a call to our travel agent this morning to get the booking transferred.

 

Wait lists do appear to clear, since we cleared this one before we were ever put on it. As of late yesterday afternoon (Eastern Time), there was at least one more PH suite available to be booked.

 

 

Wow! Good to know!

[ExArkie]

Short follow-up: Talking to our TA this afternoon, she attributed our booking an actual cabin at the time we called to “impossible timing.” Evidently, between the time she called and I did (about 45 minutes), there were more than one cancellation in booked PHs. We were lucky enough to hit it at exactly the right time to benefit, which indubitably bypassed numerous people already on the wait list (perhaps I shouldn’t mention that?). So, if you were waitlisted and fail to clear, I apologize. You should take that up with Oceania.

 

By the way, talking about a travel agent for a transatlantic, it gets confusing to use the abbreviation “TA.”

[mauibabes]

I would have expected your Travel Agent to have made that call to get you on the Waitlist rather than you have to make the call.   That is what the TA should be doing to earn their commission.IMHO 🤪🥂

Mauibabes

[Jancruz]

2 hours ago, mauibabes said:

I would have expected your Travel Agent to have made that call to get you on the Waitlist rather than you have to make the call.   That is what the TA should be doing to earn their commission.IMHO 🤪🥂

Mauibabes

Plus 1

Jancruz1

[cruiseaholic78]

Here is my experience with a waitlist, we had registered with a deposit for Singapore-Dubai 2023. Monday morning (early) I saw a that a cabin was available so at 09:00 I called her to get this booked. 

 

I did ask how it was possible that we had bumped the queue so to speak and it seems that the registration of the wait list is not actually coupled to the booking system (we were no 6 on the list) Being in Europe  I was able to beat people in US due to the time difference, at least that was their explanation.

 My conclusion is always continue to check for availability like me you may get lucky, if this is against all protocols please disregard this message.

Happy planning.

Rosalyn

[ExArkie]

11 hours ago, mauibabes said:

I would have expected your Travel Agent to have made that call to get you on the Waitlist rather than you have to make the call.   That is what the TA should be doing to earn their commission.IMHO 🤪🥂

Mauibabes

She did offer to call Oceania and arrange to get us on the priority wait list. We discussed the disadvantages in her doing so, primarily that the deposit would be made to the travel agency, which complicates the refund process should the waitlist not clear. Having struggled through the refund process with a different agency (still haven’t received about $3000 a year after the original travel date), I would prefer dealing directly with the travel provider if there is a high probability of having to pursue a refund. The way I did this was my choice, not a limitation on what she was willing to do.

 

I probably should add that the only time I even consider using a travel agent is when there are substantial financial benefits to for doing so. In this case, it is several hundred dollars of additional OBC and an airfare deal that vastly outperforms both the Oceania arrangements and what I can book myself with airline miles. Otherwise, I’m always a do-it-yourself traveler.

 

 

[ExArkie]

6 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

Here is my experience with a waitlist, we had registered with a deposit for Singapore-Dubai 2023. Monday morning (early) I saw a that a cabin was available so at 09:00 I called her to get this booked. 

 

I did ask how it was possible that we had bumped the queue so to speak and it seems that the registration of the wait list is not actually coupled to the booking system (we were no 6 on the list) Being in Europe  I was able to beat people in US due to the time difference, at least that was their explanation.

 My conclusion is always continue to check for availability like me you may get lucky, if this is against all protocols please disregard this message.

Happy planning.

Rosalyn

Agree completely,  being somewhat obsessive in that department myself. It is probably worth noting that I did check the Oceania Web site immediately after we booked. It still showed as completely wait listed, which implies there is probably a time lag between a cabin becoming available and it showing up as such on the Web site.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

She did offer to call Oceania and arrange to get us on the priority wait list. We discussed the disadvantages in her doing so, primarily that the deposit would be made to the travel agency, which complicates the refund process should the waitlist not clear. self traveler.

 

 

Your deposit should go directly to Oceania  unless you are in the UK or another Country where they do things differently

 If payments are going to an travel agency then  that is  a red flag for me  to RUN

YMMV

 

 

[ExArkie]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Your deposit should go directly to Oceania  unless you are in the UK or another Country where they do things differently

 If payments are going to an travel agency then  that is  a red flag for me  to RUN

YMMV

 

 

Obviously, the deposit goes to Oceania. Payment is made through the travel agency. Refunds go from the cruise line back through the travel agency to me. Simpler to do it myself.

 

Please feel free to continue this discussion without me. I merely wanted to point out my experience with a wait listed cruise. I did not ask for nor desire advice on how to handle my bookings.

 

[basor]

35 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

Obviously, the deposit goes to Oceania. Payment is made through the travel agency. Refunds go from the cruise line back through the travel agency to me. Simpler to do it myself.

 

Please feel free to continue this discussion without me. I merely wanted to point out my experience with a wait listed cruise. I did not ask for nor desire advice on how to handle my bookings.

 

Your experience is different than mine with canceled Oceania cruises booked through a travel agency....our travel agent gave Oceania our credit card for payment, payment showed on credit card "Oceania Cruises " and when our cruise was canceled the credit went back on our credit card from Oceania.  Our travel agency never was involved in the refund of money. If the payment is via check then, obviously,  the travel agency would need to send the money to Oceania and be involved in the cash payment return.  It appears that different travel agencies handle payment differently.  A good thing to know and check on for future cruises.

[LHT28]

9 minutes ago, basor said:

Your experience is different than mine with canceled Oceania cruises booked through a travel agency....our travel agent gave Oceania our credit card for payment, payment showed on credit card "Oceania Cruises " and when our cruise was canceled the credit went back on our credit card from Oceania. 

Mine was the same

 

[LHT28]

57 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

Please feel free to continue this discussion without me. I merely wanted to point out my experience with a wait listed cruise. I did not ask for nor desire advice on how to handle my bookings.

 

no need to be rude 🤔

 

Enjoy your cruise

[zoncom]

EXARKIE; Speaking from experience Oceania is one of the smaller lines where one has an advantage booking directly. You will get your wait list booked directly prior to outside agency bookings.

[ORV]

I would put my two cents in here but I see it would be wasted.

 

On the original subject, it looks like the bottom line is that the waitlist is more or less a joke. 

[mauibabes]

Thanks all but not my bottom line. We have never had a Waitlist not work out for our benefit but then we have never tried to pull off the impossible. With small ships it is true Waitlists can be difficult but we always book when itineraries are released and not last minute. I guess timing is everything. 
Ciao,

Gerry

[Jancruz]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:50 AM, ExArkie said:

Obviously, the deposit goes to Oceania. Payment is made through the travel agency. Refunds go from the cruise line back through the travel agency to me. Simpler to do it myself.

 

Please feel free to continue this discussion without me. I merely wanted to point out my experience with a wait listed cruise. I did not ask for nor desire advice on how to handle my bookings.

 

Not true..pay by credit card and refund goes directly to your card..pay cash and you need a brain..transplant

Jancruz1