O Life Air Travel Question

[Psoque]

10 hours ago, edgee said:

I was not clear. My point...not well stated..was that one could avoid the $350 per couple deviation fee, get transfers and still achieve the goal of flying in a day ahead of the cruise by purchasing the overpriced cruise line arranged hotel...it could sometimes make financial sense or at least be a breakeven compared to paying a deviation fee and buying your own transfers.

I guess the pricing of everything could vary from cruise to cruise and also where you are coming from.  However, I rarely buy airfare from the cruise lines (since they are usually consolidator fares with a lot of restrictions) unless the air add-on is substantially cheaper that getting the flights on your own.  I am not sure if you are obligated to book a pre-cruise hotel with Oceania also when you buy airfare (with the flight arriving a day or more before embarkation), but if that’s the case, we need to do a very careful analysis (if you wish to do so) before paying Oceania for everything.

 

I have routinely done this analysis, and I have not seen any serious savings on airfare, unless the required flights can only be bought as on-way fares (especially in the past).  Also, it’s really the pre/post cruise hotel pricing that blows up the equation in favor of booking everything on our own.

 

Furthermore, we are perfectly comfortable taking public transportation in many of the cities we visit, and that also completely changes the equation, since private transfers are typically overpriced.

 

But my point is that it is rather silly to think that one is getting some value commensurate with the additional $$$ you pay the cruise line for their pre or post cruise hotel reservations.

[pinotlover]

Oceania provides certain services as convenience to its passengers. Those services typically come with highly inflated prices. There are passengers that need those services. 
 

Oceania has many very elderly customers that are both physically and mentally frail. They need that person, or their helper, holding the O sign to get their luggage off the conveyor belt, almost hold their hand as they lead them to the van/bus, and get them to their hotel, then the ship. Most of them would never book a cruise if they had to manage those tasks themselves.

 

Same as with Oceania’s grossly overpriced shore tours. Those same passengers don’t typically get off the ship unless Mother Oceania takes their hand and leads them somewhere. A couple years back we boarded in Copenhagen and I helped a very elderly lady walk two blocks to see the Little Mermaid. She was thrilled. Mother Oceania didn’t have any shorex for continuing passengers that day,  therefore they weren’t getting off the ship until I volunteered to take her. My wife stayed with the husband.

 

Fortunately, many of us are still capable of arranging our own air, pre bookings our own hotels, and arranging our own tours. There is another subset of Oceania customers where those tasks now exceeds their capacities. We had dinner one night with a couple that clearly said their adult children take them to the airport, get them checked in, and delivered to Security. If they can make it to their plane and final airport, everything else is handled for them. Those Oceania provided conveniences keep them cruising, not financial considerations.

[Psoque]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Oceania provides certain services as convenience to its passengers. Those services typically come with highly inflated prices. There are passengers that need those services. 
 

Oceania has many very elderly customers that are both physically and mentally frail. They need that person, or their helper, holding the O sign to get their luggage off the conveyor belt, almost hold their hand as they lead them to the van/bus, and get them to their hotel, then the ship. Most of them would never book a cruise if they had to manage those tasks themselves.

 

Same as with Oceania’s grossly overpriced shore tours. Those same passengers don’t typically get off the ship unless Mother Oceania takes their hand and leads them somewhere. A couple years back we boarded in Copenhagen and I helped a very elderly lady walk two blocks to see the Little Mermaid. She was thrilled. Mother Oceania didn’t have any shorex for continuing passengers that day,  therefore they weren’t getting off the ship until I volunteered to take her. My wife stayed with the husband.

 

Fortunately, many of us are still capable of arranging our own air, pre bookings our own hotels, and arranging our own tours. There is another subset of Oceania customers where those tasks now exceeds their capacities. We had dinner one night with a couple that clearly said their adult children take them to the airport, get them checked in, and delivered to Security. If they can make it to their plane and final airport, everything else is handled for them. Those Oceania provided conveniences keep them cruising, not financial considerations.

I agree with what you say here.  However, I still don’t find the prices palatable, especially in light of what you elaborate here.  I find this practice somewhat opportunistic and predatory. I am definitely not singling Oceania out on this though, since all other cruise lines do the same.

[ncarb]

On 9/19/2022 at 12:29 PM, marine2531 said:

Hi All,  I have a couple of questions on O Life air travel. My wife & I are booked on a cruise in the spring from Barcellona to Rome. On the front end, We will come in to Spain 2 days early & stay at the O Life hotel & then transfer to the Riviera. On the back end (when the cruise is done in Rome) we want to leave the ship & go to Hotel that we have visted before. Stay their 3 days & use the O Life air back to Miami. I know we will have to cover the transfers from the ship to the hotel & the hotel to the airport.

1-Can we not choose the O Life hotel in Rome & still get the air flights we had picked to leave Rome. 

2 Do we have to leave in 2 days, or can we stay 3-4 days & still have the O Life booked return flights.

 

Thanks for your help

 

[ncarb]

My experience is that O charges you $199 pp for each change in flights.

[pinotlover]

1 minute ago, ncarb said:

My experience is that O charges you $199 pp for each change in flights.

Depends upon your definition of change. 
 

If one originally deviates on both the inbound and outbound flights, that is charged one deviation fee. If however, one originally deviates on the inbound side and then later decides to likewise deviate on the departure flights, that two charges.

[LHT28]

10 minutes ago, ncarb said:

My experience is that O charges you $199 pp for each change in flights.

Maybe  an upcharge  from a non gateway city??

More info would help us understand what you are talking about

Deviation fee is $175 PP

[NYAS]

This discussion is timely and helpful for me. In planning for our  Marina cruise next May I inquired about a deviation to arrive three days early in Lisbon and to stay four days over in Amsterdam. I knew about the $175 pp deviation fee but was surprised to see they also added $250 pp for the flights I had requested, for a total upcharge of $850. We live in New York City, presumably a gateway city, so routings should not be a factor. We certainly expect nonstop flights for JFK-LIS and AMS-JFK, but perhaps they are planning for layovers and the $250 pp charge is for the nonstop flights I requested. We will, of course, be booking our own flights.

[Psoque]

24 minutes ago, NYAS said:

This discussion is timely and helpful for me. In planning for our  Marina cruise next May I inquired about a deviation to arrive three days early in Lisbon and to stay four days over in Amsterdam. I knew about the $175 pp deviation fee but was surprised to see they also added $250 pp for the flights I had requested, for a total upcharge of $850. We live in New York City, presumably a gateway city, so routings should not be a factor. We certainly expect nonstop flights for JFK-LIS and AMS-JFK, but perhaps they are planning for layovers and the $250 pp charge is for the nonstop flights I requested. We will, of course, be booking our own flights.

I think you should be able to find a plenty of acceptable flights on your own especially because you will be flying out of one of the airports in the NYC metro area.  Just out of curiosity (since I never had an occasion to ask Oceania myself) does Oceania require you to buy hotels through them if you book the flights that arrive in Lisbon earlier than the embarkation day?

[LHT28]

41 minutes ago, NYAS said:

This discussion is timely and helpful for me. In planning for our  Marina cruise next May I inquired about a deviation to arrive three days early in Lisbon and to stay four days over in Amsterdam. I knew about the $175 pp deviation fee but was surprised to see they also added $250 pp for the flights I had requested, for a total upcharge of $850. We live in New York City, presumably a gateway city, so routings should not be a factor. We certainly expect nonstop flights for JFK-LIS and AMS-JFK, but perhaps they are planning for layovers and the $250 pp charge is for the nonstop flights I requested. We will, of course, be booking our own flights.

What airline did you request ?

Maybe one they do not have contracts with

 We always ask for non stops

[LHT28]

16 minutes ago, Psoque said:

 does Oceania require you to buy hotels through them if you book the flights that arrive in Lisbon earlier than the embarkation day?

No  they do not

If you are paying the deviation fee that is all

You can book the hotel package if you choose & the deviation fee is included  for obvious reasons 😉

 

[Psoque]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

No  they do not

If you are paying the deviation fee that is all

You can book the hotel package if you choose & the deviation fee is included  for obvious reasons 😉

 

That's good to know, I guess.  I asked this question because there was a post somewhere by someone who thought somehow air deviation fee combined with (an outrageously inflated) cost of the hotel booked through the curise lines makes it somehow justified.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, Psoque said:

That's good to know, I guess.  I asked this question because there was a post somewhere by someone who thought somehow air deviation fee combined with (an outrageously inflated) cost of the hotel booked through the curise lines makes it somehow justified.

You  can book O air  & fly in early/stay longer  & pay the deviation fee  then book your own transfer & hotel

You can book the O hotel package which included transfers (airport to hotel hotel to ship)  

sometimes it works out  OK if you are looking for  a 5* hotel

personal choice

[Psoque]

Cruise lines charge more than the going rate of any hotels, even five-star hotels. I have routinely arranged for our own pre-cruise stays at the exact same hotel as the ones cruise lines are using, and routinely paid 2-3 x less (even including our own "private transfer" in a cab instead of a bus chartered by the cruise line) than what the cruise lines were charging for the package.  In my opinion, pre-cruise package is only for those who are unwilling/unable to make their own pre-cruise arrangements, or for those whose money is no object to them.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Psoque

[NYAS]

To clarify in my case, we have already booked our hotels in both Lisbon and Amsterdam, and hotels were never part of any communication with Oceania. Perhaps LHT28 is correct if O does not have contracts with Delta, this may have produced the $250 pp charge in addition to the $175 pp deviation charge.

[LHT28]

39 minutes ago, NYAS said:

To clarify in my case, we have already booked our hotels in both Lisbon and Amsterdam, and hotels were never part of any communication with Oceania. Perhaps LHT28 is correct if O does not have contracts with Delta, this may have produced the $250 pp charge in addition to the $175 pp deviation charge.

pretty sure O has contracts with Delta

Did you upgrade to PE??

If not I would be asking what the charge is for

JMO

[NYAS]

33 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

pretty sure O has contracts with Delta

Did you upgrade to PE??

If not I would be asking what the charge is for

JMO

Did not ask for PE. Have asked for explanation, awaiting response from O. Unresponsive communications with O Air another reason not to depend on them.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, NYAS said:

Did not ask for PE. Have asked for explanation, awaiting response from O. Unresponsive communications with O Air another reason not to depend on them.

On your O invoice  does it have anything next to the charge ?

 

They usually list all the charges/discounts etc  PP on the invoice

[NYAS]

Nothing listed on cruise booking invoice. The charges were shown on the custom air proposal, which we are not accepting.

[Robjame]

3 hours ago, NYAS said:

Nothing listed on cruise booking invoice. The charges were shown on the custom air proposal, which we are not accepting.

No TA?

could it be that flights are more expensive? There is a provision in O Air that you pay any up charge for more expensive flights.

[LHT28]

9 hours ago, NYAS said:

Nothing listed on cruise booking invoice. The charges were shown on the custom air proposal, which we are not accepting.

ahh  OK

 You can probably do better booking with the airline

 I like to use ITA site to see what airlines do the routing I want  then I book direct  or ask my TA to see if O can get it

 

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search

[pinotlover]

A couple of points:

 

1. For simplicity only, think of bulk rate discounted tickets like FF seats. Airlines only put so many, on any given flight in the basket. Once the basket is empty, you  go to a different pricing structure. The number of open seats on a plane means little with pricing. Remember, Oceania/NCL is not the only organization vying for the cheap seats.

 

2.  Airlines run different fares out of different cities. Detroit-Amsterdam is often less expensive than AtL-AMS on Delta.

 

[NYAS]

Thanks to all who responded to my comments. I will post when I hear back from O about what accounts for the $250 pp upcharge.

 

BTW, LHT28, I see from your signature block that you’ve sailed on Epirotiki, as have we—back in 1985, Greek isles and Turkey, as part of a longer trip through Greece.

[LHT28]

13 minutes ago, NYAS said:

BTW, LHT28, I see from your signature block that you’ve sailed on Epirotiki, as have we—back in 1985, Greek isles and Turkey, as part of a longer trip through Greece.

We had a package deal  cruise & stay   so a week on Rhodes plus the cruise  

a good trip

 

Check Delta  air  website  you can probably get  flights  for approx  $1300  depending on date  & seats

[PaulMCO]

10 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

A couple of points:

 

1. For simplicity only, think of bulk rate discounted tickets like FF seats. Airlines only put so many, on any given flight in the basket. Once the basket is empty, you  go to a different pricing structure. The number of open seats on a plane means little with pricing. Remember, Oceania/NCL is not the only organization vying for the cheap seats.

 

2.  Airlines run different fares out of different cities. Detroit-Amsterdam is often less expensive than AtL-AMS on Delta.

 

Agree 100%.  What you can expect is that many of these bulk fares were negotiated at very low prices before the resumption of travel.  Air Fares have skyrocketed and many who now ask to deviate might have a huge surprise at a very high add on.