Travel Agent Invoice versus Oceania Invoice

[roberts2005]

In reading through one of the other threads there was mention of Oceania Invoice versus Travel Agent invoice.   I ask, because an upcoming cruise has pre-paid gratuities from my travel agent.  Is there any way to confirm this pre-cruise on Oceania’s website?  Once had a problem with this situation after boarding and don’t want it to happen again.

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

In reading through one of the other threads there was mention of Oceania Invoice versus Travel Agent invoice.   I ask, because an upcoming cruise has pre-paid gratuities from my travel agent.  Is there any way to confirm this pre-cruise on Oceania’s website?  Once had a problem with this situation after boarding and don’t want it to happen again.

 

 

If the TA is using OCAPP $ (pass through incentive funds from Oceania) to pay your gratuities, it’ll be on the O invoice. If it’s a true “gift” from the TA, it depends. If the TA actually purchases the gratuities or anything else from O, it may appear as a purchased “gift” on the O invoice.
However, with some of the personal TA provided gratuities and other TA perks (e.g., $ coming out of their pocket), your only “proof” may be the TA’s invoice or email promising it. When you enter your cabin on embarkation day, there will be cards citing such “gifts.” If they’re not there, give a copy of the TA correspondence to the Guest Services folks and they’ll handle it (good to have your own copy too).

 

 

 

 

[roberts2005]

I have my travel agent invoice, is the Oceania invoice on the website?  If so where?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, roberts2005 said:

I have my travel agent invoice, is the Oceania invoice on the website?  If so where?

Oops! Sounds like you picked one of those TAs  who doesn’t provide the O invoice. IMO, that’s a deal breaker. Mistake on that TA invoice regarding what O is providing? How will you know w/o the O original and updated invoices?

 

The O Invoice and a handful of other O docs are generated when you make a booking direct with O (onboard or on the phone). You’re provided copies and, if any of them change (corrections, additions, etc., you are always sent updated copies. If you then transfer to a TA, O can no longer send you updated invoices. they must come through your TA.

 So, if you book direct with a TA, O will generate that essential O invoice et al docs but they are sent to the TA who SHOULD be sending them on to you.

 

Of course, the TA’s invoice will memorialize your deal (including extra TA perks). Some smaller TAs will just use the O invoice, which is fine as long as they memorialize (in writing) your perks deal with them.

 

[roberts2005]

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oops! Sounds like you picked one of those TAs  who doesn’t provide the O invoice. IMO, that’s a deal breaker. Mistake on that TA invoice regarding what O is providing? How will you know w/o the O original and updated invoices?

 

The O Invoice and a handful of other O docs are generated when you make a booking direct with O (onboard or on the phone). You’re provided copies and, if any of them change (corrections, additions, etc., you are always sent updated copies. If you then transfer to a TA, O can no longer send you updated invoices. they must come through your TA.

 So, if you book direct with a TA, O will generate that essential O invoice et al docs but they are sent to the TA who SHOULD be sending them on to you.

 

Of course, the TA’s invoice will memorialize your deal (including extra TA perks). Some smaller TAs will just use the O invoice, which is fine as long as they memorialize (in writing) your perks deal with them.

 

Thank you for explaining.  The lack of the O invoice has never been an issue.  Just saw your post about it on another thread and was curious.  Our TA does give good rebates, so in that regard we are happy

[ORV]

3 hours ago, roberts2005 said:

Thank you for explaining.  The lack of the O invoice has never been an issue.  Just saw your post about it on another thread and was curious.  Our TA does give good rebates, so in that regard we are happy

How are you sure the invoice you received is the TA's and not Oceania's? 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

How are you sure the invoice you received is the TA's and not Oceania's? 

The “letterhead” on the invoices (and the fine print) make very clear distinctions.

[ORV]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The “letterhead” on the invoices (and the fine print) make very clear distinctions.

Yes, but, my invoice is the Oceania one, but has the Travel Agency and name of the agent at the top left. Perhaps the OP is assuming that is their agencies invoice. 

 

PS, I know how to tell the difference, I was asking the OP. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just now, ORV said:

Yes, but, my invoice is the Oceania one, but has the Travel Agency and name of the agent at the top left. Perhaps the OP is assuming that is their agencies invoice. 

 

PS, I know how to tell the difference, I was asking the OP. 

I know that you know. I was trying to let the other guy know how to tell the difference. 
 

Another good reason to book onboard? They print the O invoices on that funky longer Euro paper that sticks out in the ream of docs you have for your next cruise!

[roberts2005]

I rechecked my invoice.  It is a TA invoice.  On this particular cruise I let the TA book after I confirmed the extra amenities,

 

 For future reference I guess I am better off booking with O and transferring as I will than  have something to compare.  After this cruise, gratuities will not be an issue as it is our 9th O cruise.

[LHT28]

Some agencies use the O invoice & just transfer it to their letterhead  so no way to tell for sure 😉

 

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

I rechecked my invoice.  It is a TA invoice.  On this particular cruise I let the TA book after I confirmed the extra amenities,

 

 For future reference I guess I am better off booking with O and transferring as I will than  have something to compare.  After this cruise, gratuities will not be an issue as it is our 9th O cruise.

Some TA's will give you PPG  (via Oceania) you do not need to wait for the O Club Benefits to kick in

shop around

[ORV]

7 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

I rechecked my invoice.  It is a TA invoice.  On this particular cruise I let the TA book after I confirmed the extra amenities,

 

 For future reference I guess I am better off booking with O and transferring as I will than  have something to compare.  After this cruise, gratuities will not be an issue as it is our 9th O cruise.

Actually grats will still be important, as has been pointed out many times, once you are Silver and your TA or consortium is providing grats as part of the deal, you get the OBC in lieu of gratuities, usually $250. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Some TA's will give you PPG  (via Oceania) you do not need to wait for the O Club Benefits to kick in

shop around

Agreed - you’d see it as OCAPP on the O invoice with the name of the agency or its consortium - either/both of which have OCAPP pass through incentive $ from O.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

Actually grats will still be important, as has been pointed out many times, once you are Silver and your TA or consortium is providing grats as part of the deal, you get the OBC in lieu of gratuities, usually $250. 

Correct.

And, while we’re at it: If you book onboard now, you can assign the bonus booking SBC (e.g., $100 per segment booked per cabin) to a future cruise rather than just your current cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

I rechecked my invoice.  It is a TA invoice.  On this particular cruise I let the TA book after I confirmed the extra amenities,

 

 For future reference I guess I am better off booking with O and transferring as I will than  have something to compare.  After this cruise, gratuities will not be an issue as it is our 9th O cruise.

Not necessarily. IMO, what is important is that the TA provide you with any updated O docs sent to him/her - particularly updated O passenger invoices (with the single exception being the “other” O invoice that lists the TA commission info).

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

Another good reason to book onboard? They print the O invoices on that funky longer Euro paper that sticks out in the ream of docs you have for your next cruise!

Hmmm! So you’re suggesting to wait to book aboard? After multiple cruise cancellations, my next O cruise isn’t until October. Therefore it was foolish of me to book those late 2023 and 2024 cruises when they were released instead of waiting until October. The cruises that are now nearly sold out now! 
 

Most of us believe getting the cruise and cabins there on is more important than the extra $100 OBC and an ensured O invoice. We all have our priorities. We’d rather be on the ship! 🤪 

 

Waiting to book until onboard is not practical for the vast majority of cruisers that care about itinerary. Only when the ship is the destination does it normally work out.

[mauibabes]

Pinot,

When you are aboard in October, you can drop in to the Club Ambassador and ask if there is anything she can do for you on those 23/24 bookings.  While there may not be anything, it is worth asking the question. 
Ciao,

Mauibabes 

[LHT28]

for the 2nd or subsequent cruises  it can be a good deal but as Pinot said  you may not get the cabin or cruise you want

 

We booked the cruise we wanted  then once onboard checked to see if there was a better deal

YMMV

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Hmmm! So you’re suggesting to wait to book aboard? After multiple cruise cancellations, my next O cruise isn’t until October. Therefore it was foolish of me to book those late 2023 and 2024 cruises when they were released instead of waiting until October. The cruises that are now nearly sold out now! 
 

Most of us believe getting the cruise and cabins there on is more important than the extra $100 OBC and an ensured O invoice. We all have our priorities. We’d rather be on the ship! 🤪 

 

Waiting to book until onboard is not practical for the vast majority of cruisers that care about itinerary. Only when the ship is the destination does it normally work out.

Stating the obvious?

 

As I have often posted, “book onboard” works best in the spring and autumn when new itineraries are most often introduced.

Not by design but, I have been lucky enough to be onboard on day 1 of several new itinerary rollouts and it’s nice to have the O Ambassador grabbing that great cabin they may have been able to identify early on.

Alternatively/similarly (as I just did with an extended journey portion of one of the new Grand Voyages in 2024), a trusted O phone rep grabbed one of my favorite extended B3 cabins the minute bookings opened on May 4.  And because it was within the 30 days prior to our upcoming ARN-LIS-NYC cruise, he was able to do a “book onboard” which (as info primarily for those readers who are new to Oceania) comes with an approx 5% discount (a “chunk of change” on a 5 week itinerary), $200+\- SBC on the future cruise of your choice, a cruise transfer option w/o penalty and a “price drop match” up to embarkation day (based on your cabin category availability). Note however that an actual “book onboard” will be auto- assigned to your current cruise’s TA unless you indicate that you want it self-assigned (for any one of a variety of reasons). Of course, you then have 30 days to transfer to a TA.

 

BTW. Following up on the O Rep comments here from several days ago:

I checked with my trusted sources at O and confirmed that:  Whether or not you transfer (to a TA) a cruise originally booked with an O Phone Rep, the Reps are not paid a commission. BUT they are “rewarded” for the volume of bookings they create (transferred to a TA or not). They also receive no commission for separate sales of options like excursions. BUT, those transactions are associated with the “recognition” of bookings they created.

And, of course, your TA gets the commission for your booked cruise whether they did the booking or it was transferred to them.

So, if folks truly “love” their TA and have a particular future cruise in mind, they can spare that TA some effort by doing the initial booking with O where there can be absolute clarity about what your O Club/O Life situation will/should be (in writing in that first invoice) and then approve the transfer. All the TA then needs to do is notify O that they accept the transfer. 

A final note: Covid’s creation of a ton of FCCs (early on) found many folks looking at limited replacement cruise options and that, in turn, spawned a lot of requests for exceptions/extensions to “book/cruise by” deadlines. Though perhaps an unusual example: We wanted a “cruise by” extension when we found the right replacement cruise. Our TA got an initial “No.” So, I called the trusted O Phone Rep (who could do the new booking before I transferred it to the TA) and was immediately told: “wait a few minutes.”

Within five of those minutes, he came back and said “OK.” Of course, this was unusual circumstances. But, it speaks to the value of having trusted connections (even basic ones) at a preferred cruise line.
 

 

[Hawaiidan]

12 hours ago, roberts2005 said:

Thank you for explaining.  The lack of the O invoice has never been an issue.  Just saw your post about it on another thread and was curious.  Our TA does give good rebates, so in that regard we are happy

To me the reality is my bottom line...what I pay and what I get.     It , to me is not  that important  to who gave what  from whom.    I pretty much get ,a total of about 10% benefits  in a combo of OBC and rebate.  Happy  too with that....   

[MarkWiltonM]

I have Oceania cruises booked with two TAs at different agencies. They both provide only an email that serves as an invoice. There is not a PDF document attached from them or from Oceania. All the information is within the body of the email. The format of their emails is identical, so it's not agency specific. It also isn't cruise-line specific as I've gotten the same type of email for different lines. Since they are at different agencies, I assume this is some kind of template for agents using a particular software designed for the TA industry. Does anyone know?

[MarkWiltonM]

1 minute ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I have Oceania cruises booked with two TAs at different agencies. They both provide only an email that serves as an invoice. There is not a PDF document attached from them or from Oceania. All the information is within the body of the email. The format of their emails is identical, so it's not agency specific. It also isn't cruise-line specific as I've gotten the same type of email for different lines. Since they are at different agencies, I assume this is some kind of template for agents using a particular software designed for the TA industry. Does anyone know?

 

I am able to answer my own question. I saw "Wincruise Systems" at the bottom of one of these booking confirmation emails. I Googled it and it is software for travel agents: https://wincruise.systems/ 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I have Oceania cruises booked with two TAs at different agencies. They both provide only an email that serves as an invoice. There is not a PDF document attached from them or from Oceania. All the information is within the body of the email. The format of their emails is identical, so it's not agency specific. It also isn't cruise-line specific as I've gotten the same type of email for different lines. Since they are at different agencies, I assume this is some kind of template for agents using a particular software designed for the TA industry. Does anyone know?

Not a clue. But, my first guess is that the two TA companies belong to the same consortium, which may provide all sorts of templates to its members.

 

FWIW: In the early years of our TA search, we encountered four “short list” that used a separate invoice though only one of them did not forward to us the O invoice(s). A fifth TA uses only the O invoice and her perks are confirmed with an email. Each of the four TAs had differently formatted TA invoices and none belonged to the same consortium. 

 

In recent years, we have come to rely on two of those TA companies (one of which is used primarily for the longer and/or multi-segment cruises). The smaller agency still uses only the O invoice while the larger agency adds their own invoice to the O one. Since, I already know the boiler plate of the TA invoice, my interest in it is only to have added perks confirmed and see the final payment due/paid confirmed.
 

I’m curious. Do those TAs you use at least pass on to you the shore excursions PDF that O sends with their invoices (original or updated) when you book? I ask because, if you want to consider/purchase any of them, the PDF is far less unwieldy than is the O website tour shopping (day by day).

Most importantly, do their invoices (particularly updated ones) provide all the O info regarding required visas, notations on port changes, and your promised O amenities (both O Club and O Life (in addition to the TAs [and/or their consortium’s) own perks? 

[MarkWiltonM]

23 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I’m curious. Do those TAs you use at least pass on to you the shore excursions PDF that O sends with their invoices (original or updated) when you book? I ask because, if you want to consider/purchase any of them, the PDF is far less unwieldy than is the O website tour shopping (day by day).

Most importantly, do their invoices (particularly updated ones) provide all the O info regarding required visas, notations on port changes, and your promised O amenities (both O Club and O Life (in addition to the TAs [and/or their consortium’s) own perks? 

 

My TAs do not pass on the shore excursions PDF. One of my agencies sells excursions so I'm sure they would prefer I buy theirs through them. I never have, but I'm not opposed to doing so. We just don't buy a lot of excursions anymore. We either stay on the ship or do our own thing. I also only buy "cruise only" fares from Oceania so we don't have to decide on O Life perks from them. 

 

My TAs' invoices do include a lot of info on visas, etc. (a couple of pages worth), and the invoice specifies the perks that they are providing. In my case these are travel insurance and gratuities. The TA only provides gratuities on select Oceania cruises, so I suppose these are passed through from Oceania and not costing the TA anything.

 

As I mentioned in a follow-up to my original post, I looked at the email invoice and the template is from a TA software provider called Win Cruise.