Shore Excursion/OBC advice for newbie

[MnDAL]

When I first booked my October cruise, I looked at applying the OBC option to Shore Excursions vs a Beverage Package. It appeared to be a no-brainer to use for excursions. After doing so, I have read a lot of negative comments here regarding the value, quality and management of O's shore excursions. I am now questioning my decision. I have these requests:

 

• I would like your opinions - pro and con - of buying ShoreEx from O. 
• Recommendations for companies that specialize in ShoreEx - comments pro/con.
• Will I have an issue cancelling the bookings I have made and reapplying the OBC option from there to the beverage package?

 

Any input is appreciated. TIA!

[grifdoglover]

This is a personal choice.  I like to book my own private excursions and don’t drink much so I take the OBC and use it for onboard expenses like the cooking classes or spa or even gratitudes.  You can drive yourself crazy with the O Life.  I like to go to Tripadvisor for port information, recommendations and excursions.  You could just buy a beverage package and keep your excursions.  My best advice is do what is comfortable for you!  Enjoy your trip!

[basor]

7 minutes ago, MnDAL said:

When I first booked my October cruise, I looked at applying the OBC option to Shore Excursions vs a Beverage Package. It appeared to be a no-brainer to use for excursions. After doing so, I have read a lot of negative comments here regarding the value, quality and management of O's shore excursions. I am now questioning my decision. I have these requests:

 

• I would like your opinions - pro and con - of buying ShoreEx from O. 
• Recommendations for companies that specialize in ShoreEx - comments pro/con.
• Will I have an issue cancelling the bookings I have made and reapplying the OBC option from there to the beverage package?

 

Any input is appreciated. TIA!

If you are going to DIY the shore excursions and do not drink or sparingly then your best option is to do cruise only......the cost of O Life versus cruise only is exactly the amount of OBC.  So you are just pre-prepaying to have the OBC and if you purchase via OLife it is non-refundable (use it or lose it).   If you would like to have some OBC already on your account, the best option is to purchase OBC as a gift to yourself and then, if you don't use it, it is refundable.  When we began cruising with O and did not have pre-paid gratuities and little OBC, we would figure out what our onboard spending would look like and then monthly purchase some OBC so when we boarded our cost were already covered.

[tigerfan75]

We always opt for O-Life without Air, and choose the Shore Excursions.  Yes, one will encounter a poor excursion every now and then, but on the whole, we have been VERY satisfied with O's excursions and Land Programs, and Pre and Post Tours.  And we also DIY in places (St. Petersburg comes to mind) when the local DIY tour is vastly superior to O's options.  Another consideration is that with the occasional port change due to weather, political issues, etc., the convenience of an O Tour steps to the front...  Whichever you choose, enjoy your future cruise!

[basor]

8 minutes ago, tigerfan75 said:

We always opt for O-Life without Air, and choose the Shore Excursions.  Yes, one will encounter a poor excursion every now and then, but on the whole, we have been VERY satisfied with O's excursions and Land Programs, and Pre and Post Tours.  And we also DIY in places (St. Petersburg comes to mind) when the local DIY tour is vastly superior to O's options.  Another consideration is that with the occasional port change due to weather, political issues, etc., the convenience of an O Tour steps to the front...  Whichever you choose, enjoy your future cruise!

Absolutely agree - the shore excursion OLife option is the best "bang for the buck" , second is the drink package, if you enjoy wine or beer with your meals.  As you indicated, many of the O shore excursions are well run and enjoyable.  Everyone's cruising style is different and so it is nice to have options to tailor the cruise to your style...

[Woofa]

Hi Tia,

 

As it sounds like Olife may be heading the way of the dinosaurs, I don't know how much longer this information is good for.  We also don't yet know if the new program will replace Olife immediately or if they will keep Olife as an option for those who have already booked it.

From all of my reading of these threads over time, many of the regulars with alot of experience in travel seem to do their own excursions and choose cruise only.  It seems clear that booking excursions through O, will be more expensive than a similar, if not the same excursion booked privately.  That difference however may be minimal depending on how many excursions you choose and if you can use the YWMW discount.  I think it reasonable to expect a cruise line to charge a fee above the excursion price but many will differ as to what difference is reasonable.

Your question however suggests you are not looking at choosing the excursion option from Olife but rather taking the OBC and using that to pay for O excursions.  I think most would agree this is usually not the best choice.  It is by choosing the Olife excursion option where you can get some benefit.  That benefit is that Olife usually will cost you say $300 per person but allow you to choose three excursions listed at up to $199 per.  So, it is possible you can get some value there.  Some might still argue that the same excursion can be had for less diy.

In regards to the quality of excursions and options.  Everything I have read is that O offers similar excursions to most lines and that it is important to read carefully what is listed to know what you will be getting.

It will also help to know where your cruise is going as we do not know how to help You with local companies at this point.  

It is also a great idea to get on your roll call if you have not already done so as October is right around the corner and I would guess people are already talking about and booking excursions.

[NewSalty]

18 minutes ago, tigerfan75 said:

We always opt for O-Life without Air, and choose the Shore Excursions.  Yes, one will encounter a poor excursion every now and then, but on the whole, we have been VERY satisfied with O's excursions and Land Programs, and Pre and Post Tours....

Our feelings exactly. One other benefit to consider is that the O-Life excursions count towards the total needed to qualify for the 25% discount on excursions.

[Flatbush Flyer]

42 minutes ago, grifdoglover said:

This is a personal choice.  I like to book my own private excursions and don’t drink much so I take the OBC and use it for onboard expenses like the cooking classes or spa or even gratitudes.  You can drive yourself crazy with the O Life.  I like to go to Tripadvisor for port information, recommendations and excursions.  You could just buy a beverage package and keep your excursions.  My best advice is do what is comfortable for you!  Enjoy your trip!

If you are sure you don’t want the booze or tours perks, there’s zero reason to take O Life.

Instead, do Cruise Only w/wo air.

 

Do the math: The difference in fare price is exactly the value of the SBC perk and that SBC Is non-refundable. It’s a “wash” but not in your favor due to being non-refundable.

[grifdoglover]

I always do cruise only as I like to do my own air too.

[MnDAL]

19 minutes ago, Woofa said:

 

Your question however suggests you are not looking at choosing the excursion option from Olife but rather taking the OBC and using that to pay for O excursions.  I think most would agree this is usually not the best choice.  It is by choosing the Olife excursion option where you can get some benefit.  That benefit is that Olife usually will cost you say $300 per person but allow you to choose three excursions listed at up to $199 per.  So, it is possible you can get some value there. 

 

I left you with the wrong impression....I had the ability to choose one Olife option when I booked (cruise only). That's why ShoreEx seemed a no-brainer (with a possible $597pp value - $199 x 3 - for $300). It is when I hear so many negative comments about O's shoreEx that I began to look at alternatives. Thus the question: if it was possible to opt out of ShoreEx and change to bev package at this point. 

 

[Woofa]

I know you can add in olife up to 30 days out.  Not sure about the changes.  Do you have a TA?  May want to ask them.  Also in regards to change to eliminate olife I think they are coming the end of this week.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Woofa

[Harters]

For our last cruise and our forthcoming one, we've selected excursions.  Drinks package is no use - I don't drink alcohol and my companion only sparingly. For most ports, we like to do our own thing, usually having a wander round the town. But sometimes, the actual port isnt that interesting, so the O excursions were a decent way of visiting last time. If that proves not to be the case this time around, if there's a future cruise, we'd probably go with the OBC (perhaps treating ourselves to a purchase in the boutiques that we wouldnt usually choose to afford).

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 hours ago, MnDAL said:

I left you with the wrong impression....I had the ability to choose one Olife option when I booked (cruise only). That's why ShoreEx seemed a no-brainer (with a possible $597pp value - $199 x 3 - for $300). It is when I hear so many negative comments about O's shoreEx that I began to look at alternatives. Thus the question: if it was possible to opt out of ShoreEx and change to bev package at this point. 

Just a tip from another Dallasite: A month after I originally booked, O came out with a one-month special that included the OBC, the excursion credit (each worth $600), as well as the beverage package, all at no additional cost, so I was able to change to that. The chances of that happening again soon may be slim, but you never know. I'm using my credits for excursions, hoping that the encouraging comments here are the ones that apply to my cruise!

[SellaVee]

3 hours ago, MnDAL said:

 

I left you with the wrong impression....I had the ability to choose one Olife option when I booked (cruise only). That's why ShoreEx seemed a no-brainer (with a possible $597pp value - $199 x 3 - for $300). It is when I hear so many negative comments about O's shoreEx that I began to look at alternatives. Thus the question: if it was possible to opt out of ShoreEx and change to bev package at this point. 

 

I chose Shorex for our upcoming cruise, then discovered that most of the excursions were fully booked.  Even though our cruise was paid in full (we booked fairly late on), I was able to get my TA to change to the drinks package which was the next best option.
 

[DurangoWino]

Based on a conversation with an O representative, she said I could change which package I had picked 100 times prior to the cruise.  Not sure if there is a time cutoff but changing packages did not seem to be an issue for her.  I am in the same situation as you with respect to which package I choose for our Miami to Miami trip on Dec 1st.  Not blown away by some of the excursion choices so far.

[jwindham]

My 2 cents................. I have had to cruise by myself the last 3 cruises as my friend I travel with was undergoing chemo. My deal with my husband was to do the ship excursions for safety. I will say with no hesitancy that the best excursion I ever had was an Oceania one in Ephesas and worst was a private one on Tahiti. I have enjoyed all of the O excursions as except for one they have been as described and as good or better than I expected. Julia

[LHT28]

17 hours ago, DurangoWino said:

Based on a conversation with an O representative, she said I could change which package I had picked 100 times prior to the cruise.  Not sure if there is a time cutoff but changing packages did not seem to be an issue for her.  I am in the same situation as you with respect to which package I choose for our Miami to Miami trip on Dec 1st.  Not blown away by some of the excursion choices so far.

I would  just opt out of O Life  

The Caribbean is easy to DIY in most ports

JMO

[Wynterwynd]

I think determining whether Oceania’s excursions or private excursions will work better for you will depend on the itinerary and how ‘in depth’ you want to go.  For Alaska and Scandinavia, we tend to use the Oceania excursions because most of what you want to see is right there near the port (or viewable from the ship).  For Baltic with St. Petersburg (several years ago), we did all private excursions and they were fabulous.  For Mediterranean, we did a mixture depending on whether the port and surroundings were areas we’d visited more in depth on previous trips.  

Pre-Covid, there were many more excursion choices—both private and offered by the cruise lines.  Hopefully, it will start to get back to that point again.

[MnDAL]

My booking is going to fall under the new Simply More pricing. That option to convert is going to put a new wrinkle in my decision. 

 

In the meantime, I am looking at the established shore excursion operators for alternatives.

 

Thanks for all the feedback!

[Rainbow3fe]

On 6/11/2023 at 11:57 AM, MnDAL said:

When I first booked my October cruise, I looked at applying the OBC option to Shore Excursions vs a Beverage Package. It appeared to be a no-brainer to use for excursions. After doing so, I have read a lot of negative comments here regarding the value, quality and management of O's shore excursions. I am now questioning my decision. I have these requests:

 

• I would like your opinions - pro and con - of buying ShoreEx from O. 
• Recommendations for companies that specialize in ShoreEx - comments pro/con.
• Will I have an issue cancelling the bookings I have made and reapplying the OBC option from there to the beverage package?

 

Any input is appreciated. TIA!

Hi,

     You won't have trouble canceling your excursions. You're going to have to call Oceania directly to do it. It's easy to switch from tom Shore Ex to OBC. If you used a TA, then tell her/him. 

    Wait a few weeks to make any decisions because things are changing. 

     We use Oceania excursions in certain places and book private tours in Europe and The Caribbean. 

   Good luck