Oceania Travel Agent vs our own travel agent

[Panama111]

We are first time on Oceania. We just booked on Riviera Sept 26 2023, Amsterdam to Venice 34 days in B3 7116.

Three  questions

should we transfer to a private travel agent?

Is it worth it to get air with Oceania?

what is this cabin like?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Panama111 said:

We are first time on Oceania. We just booked on Riviera Sept 26 2023, Amsterdam to Venice 34 days in B3 7116.

Three  questions

should we transfer to a private travel agent?

Is it worth it to get air with Oceania?

what is this cabin like?

Use the search feature here on CC and you’ll find a zillion threads for each of your questions. Note that you’ve got a 30 day transfer window.

[Robjame]

6 hours ago, Panama111 said:

Three  questions

should we transfer to a private travel agent?

Is it worth it to get air with Oceania?

what is this cabin like?

Phone an Oceania Cruise TA and ask. They can answer all your questions and add value to your trip. Our TA gives us limo service to the airport plus prepaid gratuities. IMO - YES

Decision on air does not have to be made at booking. You can drop it later - March 2023 - when final payment is due and you have researched air prices.

All B and A cabins are identical on Riviera. Only location and amenities differ. Balconies differ. 7116 has an extended balcony so personally I would hold on to it!

 

[LHT28]

10 hours ago, Panama111 said:

We are first time on Oceania. We just booked on Riviera Sept 26 2023, Amsterdam to Venice 34 days in B3 7116.

Three  questions

should we transfer to a private travel agent?

Is it worth it to get air with Oceania?

what is this cabin like?

7116  has the extended balcony  so you will have sun & shade

you will be overlooked from above if that does not bother you

 

Transfer to your agent   ..personal choice  I usually book through my agent 

 

Air  again personal choice

check what it would cost to do your own air 

if you want to fly in early (recommended ) you will pay a deviation fee  of $175 PP

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Robjame said:

Phone an Oceania Cruise TA and ask.

Let’s be clear. The “consultants” one calls at O are not registered Travel Agents (though in a previous job they may have performed that function). They are sales reps salaried by O. Some are excellent and others (usually not in Miami) may be less than stellar performers.
 

However, while some of the longest-serving O reps have some leeway in making accommodations like reasonable extensions of deadlines or modification of deposits, most problem solutions require their connecting with a supervisor. 
However, an actual Travel Agent working in a bona fide Travel Agency (“Seller of Travel” registered in California and Florida), has the ability to add to the best “deal” currently/directly available from O. This includes things like gratuities (which may be covered by pass-through incentive funds from O or the TA’s consortium or from the TA’s commission) and commission sharing. In addition, that independent Travel Agency (particularly those that are O Connoisseurs Club or Preferred Partners) has access to their Regional O sales rep et al. when a problem needs solving.

 

[Robjame]

12 hours ago, Panama111 said:

We just booked on Riviera Sept 26 2023, Amsterdam to Venice 34 days

You did not ask but if you are going to leave the air on for now, O offers Premium Economy @ $149 - ($199 CAD) which is a decent deal. The offer is removed by O after quota is filled so, you can add it now and decide at final payment whether you want it or not. No financial obligation at this time.

[Harters]

I think the question of the benefit of using a TA will depend on where in the world you are. Certainly, here in the UK, there is no benefit of using one and, over recent years,  one national chain of TA's and countless independents have gone out of business (including the one in my village, which happened to be a cruise specialist). I am aware, from previous threads as well as this one that in America TA's may share some of their commission with the customer by way of a discount or offer a "perk" of some sort. That's never been the case in the UK.

 

Except for "last minute" bookings, the best deal available is almost invariably booking with the cruise line (booking direct is also usually the best bet for land based holidays or, even, simply booking a hotel here). I really don't understand why more TAs have not gone bust.

[PhD-iva]

Over the years most of my cruise reservations have gone smoothly, but my honeymoon cruise reservation on HAL really went south. Serious, serious issues and our TA used the leverage of her organization to escalate high up the HAL ladder, which never would have happened if we had booked directly. We saved thousands, literally, as they had missed one digit when posting the cruise price. Our TA got us a 40% discount off list.
One of the couples we ate dinner with during the 10-day cruise booked directly and had to pay the revised list price. Boy, were they angry! 
So, when/if things go south, a good TA can come to your rescue.

[tgg]

10 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

 We saved thousands, literally, as they had missed one digit when posting the cruise price. Our TA got us a 40% discount off list.
One of the couples we ate dinner with during the 10-day cruise booked directly and had to pay the revised list price. Boy, were they angry! 
So, when/if things go south, a good TA can come to your rescue.

 

If you added an extra zero to your payment, would you expect the cruise line to return your overpayment?  I'm guessing a resounding YES.

 

I find your benefitting from a typo on their part less than honorable. Although a good TA can come to your rescue, in this case things didn't go south for you and you didn't need to be rescued. 

 

(Does anyone pay list??????)😉

[PhD-iva]

1 minute ago, tgg said:

 

If you added an extra zero to your payment, would you expect the cruise line to return your overpayment?  I'm guessing a resounding YES.

 

I find your benefitting from a typo on their part less than honorable. Although a good TA can come to your rescue, in this case things didn't go south for you and you didn't need to be rescued. 

 

(Does anyone pay list??????)😉

Well, there is a long backstory, which wasn’t really the point of this thread or my post. My TA saw the low price, assumed it was an error and sent a fax (back in those days) asking the cruise line to confirm the price, which they did twice in writing. Then as it was our honeymoon, we booked in good faith, having been assured twice in writing by HAL that that was the price we would pay.
So they were a little bit more at fault in this case, which is why they negotiated a lower final price for us. But that only happened because we had the TA’s organization to advocate for us.

[Panama111]

Thanks for the advice about the travel agent. I will look into this and ensure to keep cabin 7116.