Simply more's impact on current bookings?

[DAF7065]

This is now way over the top for me.  I have 2 cruises booked, one for April 2024, other for May 2025.   The May Cruise I just booked before all this and glad I did.  

 

I say...take a deep breath...relax and if you can, wait a month.  

 

I will do one cruise a year...that is enough for me.   Hope they will be a "journey" of sorts, I am not interested a 7 day Caribbean dime a dozen cruise.   So I figure my 2026 cruise will be planned after the 2024 cruise which gives me plenty of time. 

 

For my current 2 cruises.   I will watch and read and wait till all or most of the confusion is cleared then see if any changes make sense.  

[osandomir]

Well, I believe that I just found an answer to my question - post #375. On the O website under port excursions for some cruisers later this year I was able to see three different price options: 

Tour price 

Simply more excursions package price (approximately 25% less than Tour price).

Unlimited tours price 

The prices are available for a limited selection of cruises right now. I understand that the website is still under development at this point but hopefully this part will stay when it all finalized. It’ll be a big advantage for those utilizing ship tours being able to combine Excursion credit with other OBC through different sources.

[Hanoj]

5 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Actually no.. my comparison was with yesterday prices, not the prices I paid a year ago. So I'm staying with my original booking too because the new prices are more than $1,000 CAD higher compared to what I paid.

 

But you are still missing my point. I understand that your new price is more and you are not switching. But some of us are trying to gather more information to understand what is the real increase per day, as this is the only thing that matters when people book cruises.

The question from the OP was impact of SM on “current bookings.” So isn’t the only relevant price what one would have to pay to move to SM? For this purpose it doesn’t matter when previously booked or under what incentives. It just means considering what I give up (if anything) and what I get by choosing SM and determining if it is worthwhile.

 

I doubt the relevance of yesterday’s price for booking any future cruise. Since it’s no longer available it has no bearing on future decisions. I will make future decisions based on the information available at such time. And I’m not going to kick myself for not booking a cruise under the old regime if I discover the price has increased significantly or if it has unwanted inclusions. My first O cruise is August ‘23. I considered booking a 2024 itinerary before today to get “cruise only” fare, but decided not to since I haven’t yet experienced Oceania.

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Hanoj

[ak1004]

15 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

The question from the OP was impact of SM on “current bookings.” So isn’t the only relevant price what one would have to pay to move to SM? For this purpose it doesn’t matter when previously booked or under what incentives. It just means considering what I give up (if anything) and what I get by choosing SM and determining if it is worthwhile.

 

I doubt the relevance of yesterday’s price for booking any future cruise. Since it’s no longer available it has no bearing on future decisions. I will make future decisions based on the information available at such time. And I’m not going to kick myself for not booking a cruise under the old regime if I discover the price has increased significantly or if it has unwanted inclusions. My first O cruise is August ‘23. I considered booking a 2024 itinerary before today to get “cruise only” fare, but decided not to since I haven’t yet experienced Oceania.

 

Well, the thing is that some people here predicted a “hefty price increase”. This just didn’t happen, but of course they are very silent now.

 

But I do agree that this is more an academic exercise now. The only thing that matters now is the current price and how it compares to the competition.

[Rainbow3fe]

10 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Well, the thing is that some people here predicted a “hefty price increase”. This just didn’t happen, but of course they are very silent now.

 

But I do agree that this is more an academic exercise now. The only thing that matters now is the current price and how it compares to the competition.

One of my future cruises had a $2000 pp increase . That's scary 😨 

[susiesan]

51 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Well, the thing is that some people here predicted a “hefty price increase”. This just didn’t happen, but of course they are very silent now.

 

But I do agree that this is more an academic exercise now. The only thing that matters now is the current price and how it compares to the competition.

Here's a hefty price increase for you, the cruise I will be on in 2  months

Sirena Sept 2, 2023 10 nights Barcelona to Lisbon.

B1 veranda. I paid cruise only $2746 per person. Today cruise only with SM $4449.per person. 

[ak1004]

5 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Here's a hefty price increase for you, the cruise I will be on in 2  months

Sirena Sept 2, 2023 10 nights Barcelona to Lisbon.

B1 veranda. I paid cruise only $2746 per person. Today cruise only with SM $4449.per person. 

 

When did you book? Was it a regular price or part of some promotion? What was the price yesterday before SM for cruise only?

[Coach Tom]

On 6/16/2023 at 12:20 PM, basor said:

So they do not offer cruise only either.....and their included beverage package is the same as Simply More included beverage package.  Trying to understand the options for a smaller cruise experience.  Any TA that is offering a rebate after sailing on Azanara offers the same for Oceania (at least in my experience).,,,so the difference is no shore excursions and paying for specialty restaurants

Folks, anyone called Azamara lately?? Their service went right to the bottom.Hold times of 1-2 hours, or hangups.After an hour on hold I got a message "please call back tomorrow when we will be in" !! Not kidding -- go look at the cruise critic forum for their world cruise, many, many complaints. I used to be an Azamara fan!

[Astro Flyer]

8 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

I believe that SimplyMore also includes a second WiFi account, which would have cost about $25 per day under the old OLife program, if that is of interest to you.

Thanks…found the price for the House Select package for our cruises before & after 10/1…$39.95/pp/day (tip included). Without reading this entire thread has anyone lost their existing complimentary SBC when booking SM? My guess is that would be lost when switching to SM.
 

That’s another consideration when deciding if SM is cost effective for me or not.

 

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, Coach Tom said:

Folks, anyone called Azamara lately?? Their service went right to the bottom.Hold times of 1-2 hours, or hangups.After an hour on hold I got a message "please call back tomorrow when we will be in" !! Not kidding -- go look at the cruise critic forum for their world cruise, many, many complaints. I used to be an Azamara fan!

 

Looks like we are running out of cruise lines..

[vlthom]

One thing that I’m unclear on with the new Simply More program is whether the additional wifi log-in per cabin is actually part of the SM program or just a policy change being enacted simultaneously.  In other words, if we’re booked under the old OLife program and don’t change to SM, will we get the extra log-in or still be limited to one per cabin?

[hamrag]

17 hours ago, Woofa said:

....$800 to be used across any set of excursions they like. (We will see in practice how this works.  I think this will be a tough one for O to get right as I believe many people, like us, are thinking I will do one great excursion per trip for the bulk of the credit.  Hopefully with some practice they will figure it out.)....

 

17 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

That is a great thought on using the excursion credit for those of us who do not do excursions - if Oceania stands firm on what this credit is only available to use, I can see this being the best option for non excursion types of travelers. That could in fact turn into a bonus because some of the very high end excursions (which we would not put that kind of money out for) can be fairly attractive. 

Unfortunately this is not how it works. Firstly, none of the credit can be used for the high end excursions! For the other general excursions you can utilise only 25% of the excursion cost from your cabin excursion pot!

 

This is clearly designed to force you to take an excursion in each port, utilising only a small amount from your available pot, and increase their excursions revenue and profit. Only time will tell what percentage of cruisers will fall for that particular line.

Edited July 2, 2023 by hamrag

[vlthom]

22 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

Unfortunately this is not how it works. Firstly, none of the credit can be used for the high end excursions! For the other general excursions you can utilise only 25% of the excursion cost from your cabin excursion pot!

 

This is clearly designed to force you to take an excursion in each port, utilising only a small amount from your available pot, and increase their excursions revenue and profit. Only time will tell what percentage of cruisers will fall for that particular line.

This differs from what is stated on the website where it states that the shore excursion credit can be applied to “any and all tours”.  

[hamrag]

3 minutes ago, vlthom said:

This differs from what is stated on the website where it states that the shore excursion credit can be applied to “any and all tours”.  

This is what I see for the port of Aqaba, and all other ports are similar:

 

Magnificent Petra (AQJ-001)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 9 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £340.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £255.00
• Unlimited
  £183.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

• Tour the spectacular Nabataean city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved out of red sandstone hills.
• Access Petra through a breathtaking narrow gorge with walls towering over 650 feet.
• Gaze in awe at the magnificent Treasury, whose ornate façade was fashioned from a mountain face.
• Thrill to the fabulous rock-hewn Roman amphitheater, where 8,000 Nabataeans were once entertained.
• Survey Petra’s Royal Tombs, including the beguiling three-story Palace Tomb.
• Savor a satisfying buffet lunch at a thoughtfully selected hotel.

 

More 

Magnificent Petra & Wadi Rum Adventure (AQJ-004)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 13 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £489.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £366.75
• Unlimited
  £314.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Half Day Van (AQJ-V04)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £873.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £873.00
• Unlimited
  £873.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Van (AQJ-V10)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,135.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,135.00
• Unlimited
  £1,135.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Half Day Car (AQJ-C04)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £663.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £663.00
• Unlimited
  £663.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Seaside Cooking Experience (AQB-007)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £270.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £202.50
• Unlimited
  £139.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Wadi Rum Off-Road Adventure (AQJ-003)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £174.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £130.50
• Unlimited
  N/A

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Panoramic Aqaba (AQJ-005)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 2 1/4 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £87.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £65.25
• Unlimited
  N/A

•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Oceania Exclusive - Magnificent Petra (AQJ-001OE)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 9 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £550.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £412.50
• Unlimited
  £401.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

• Tour the spectacular Nabataean city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved out of red sandstone hills.
• Access Petra through a breathtaking narrow gorge with walls towering over 650 feet.
• Gaze in awe at the magnificent Treasury, whose ornate façade was fashioned from a mountain face.
• Thrill to the fabulous rock-hewn Roman amphitheater, where 8,000 Nabataeans were once entertained.
• Survey Petra’s Royal Tombs, including the beguiling three-story Palace Tomb.
• Savor a satisfying buffet lunch at a thoughtfully selected hotel.
• Enjoy a higher level of personal attention and flexibility on this Oceania Exclusive small group tour.

 

More 

Oceania Exclusive - Magnificent Petra & Wadi Rum Adventure (AQJ-004OE)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 13 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £655.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £491.25
• Unlimited
  £489.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Van (AQJ-V08)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,048.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,048.00
• Unlimited
  £1,048.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Every Dog Has Its Day (AQJ-GG1)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 3 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £227.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £170.25
• Unlimited
  £96.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Car (AQJ-C08)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £786.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £786.00
• Unlimited
  £786.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Aqaba Beach Resort Getaway (AQJ-006)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £227.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £170.25
• Unlimited
  £96.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Aqaba & Lunch in Wadi Rum (AQB-008)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 1/2 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £279.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £209.25
• Unlimited
  £148.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Aqaba & Sunset Experince in Wadi Rum (AQB-009)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 1/2 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £340.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £255.00
• Unlimited
  £209.00

•  
•  
•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M10)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,397.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,397.00
• Unlimited
  £1,397.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M10A)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,659.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,659.00
• Unlimited
  £1,659.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M08A)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,484.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,484.00
• Unlimited
  £1,484.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Car (AQJ-C10)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £873.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £873.00
• Unlimited
  £873.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M08)

November 29, 2023

Port: Aqaba

Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours)

•  
• Tour Price
  £1,275.00
• Simply More Shore Excursion Package
  £1,275.00
• Unlimited
  £1,275.00

•  

Tour Description 

Cruises Visiting This Port

Edited July 2, 2023 by hamrag

[vlthom]

What you’re showing does seem to support your assertion, though it doesn’t match what they say in the description of the plan.  It also seems like “simply more” is still simply complicated.

[Rainbow3fe]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Unfortunately this is not how it works. Firstly, none of the credit can be used for the high end excursions! For the other general excursions you can utilise only 25% of the excursion cost from your cabin excursion pot!

 

This is clearly designed to force you to take an excursion in each port, utilising only a small amount from your available pot, and increase their excursions revenue and profit. Only time will tell what percentage of cruisers will fall for that particular line.

I disagree.  I read that these excursion credits can be used towards any excursions that Oceania offers. That should mean OS and OE are included. 

[hamrag]

34 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

....I read that these excursion credits can be used towards any excursions that Oceania offers. That should mean OS and OE are included. 

Evidence?

[grifdoglover]

My understanding is you can use the credits for any excursions you do pay for amounts that go over your credits.  They are not used as cash credit. Use it or lose it.  “Alcoholic” beverages does not include hard liquor.  Shockingly to me Simply More is beneficial on my next cruise as my husband will drink wine and beer and some excursions are priced similarly to private ones.  🤷🏻‍♀️

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Looks like we are running out of cruise lines..

What you said!  It is akin to one of my posts from a few weeks ago.  We do understand that "O" has many loyal fans who tend to be "one line" cruisers.  Many folks who are "one line" cruisers traditionally do not even look beyond their favorite line and often talk about making a big change to another line.  For some reason, these folks cannot deal with the idea of cruising many lines (we have been on 16 lines to date).  For the "one line" folks who liked the option of booking cruise-only with "O,"  they have indeed run out of cruise lines.  Finding a premium or luxury line that has truly cruise-only pricing no longer exists.  Even mass market lines have been moving to various inclusions (such as drink packages) although you can still find true cruise only pricing if you use a decent cruise agency.  

 

So, where do one-line "O" folks go to find what the previously loved about "O?"  At the moment, I think they are generally out of luck (and options).  And this sudden movement towards Azamara does not consider that they also have some inclusions and are actually a pretty small cruise line.  Although we look forward to our upcoming Vista cruise (booked under the previous O-life rules), we simply consider "O" one option out of many.  Our next 3 cruises are on Explora Journeys (Luxury), Princess (mass market) and O (premium).  Beyond that we will likely soon book another cruise with Seabourn (our current favorite line).  The variety of using many different lines always keeps our cruises "fresh" with completely different menus, entertainment, and atmosphere.  The new "all in" does not impress us since we seldom take any cruise line excursion (we are long time DIY folks).  And we see no reason to deal with "O" air since we prefer to fly Biz Class and "O" has that ridiculous custom air fee along with lousy Biz Class pricing.  

 

Hank

[ak1004]

5 hours ago, vlthom said:

What you’re showing does seem to support your assertion, though it doesn’t match what they say in the description of the plan.  It also seems like “simply more” is still simply complicated.

 

My understanding is that you can still take the Executive Collection, you just won't get the 25% discount.

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

What you said!  It is akin to one of my posts from a few weeks ago.  We do understand that "O" has many loyal fans who tend to be "one line" cruisers.  Many folks who are "one line" cruisers traditionally do not even look beyond their favorite line and often talk about making a big change to another line.  For some reason, these folks cannot deal with the idea of cruising many lines (we have been on 16 lines to date).  For the "one line" folks who liked the option of booking cruise-only with "O,"  they have indeed run out of cruise lines.  Finding a premium or luxury line that has truly cruise-only pricing no longer exists.  Even mass market lines have been moving to various inclusions (such as drink packages) although you can still find true cruise only pricing if you use a decent cruise agency.  

 

So, where do one-line "O" folks go to find what the previously loved about "O?"  At the moment, I think they are generally out of luck (and options).  And this sudden movement towards Azamara does not consider that they also have some inclusions and are actually a pretty small cruise line.  Although we look forward to our upcoming Vista cruise (booked under the previous O-life rules), we simply consider "O" one option out of many.  Our next 3 cruises are on Explora Journeys (Luxury), Princess (mass market) and O (premium).  Beyond that we will likely soon book another cruise with Seabourn (our current favorite line).  The variety of using many different lines always keeps our cruises "fresh" with completely different menus, entertainment, and atmosphere.  The new "all in" does not impress us since we seldom take any cruise line excursion (we are long time DIY folks).  And we see no reason to deal with "O" air since we prefer to fly Biz Class and "O" has that ridiculous custom air fee along with lousy Biz Class pricing.  

 

Hank

 

Very well said Hank.

 

My comment was a bit humoristic, but it referred to the fact that there is no perfect line. We sailed on 11 lines, and are booked on O, SB, SS and Uniworld in the next 2 years. Personally I believe that O still offers the best value for money, but we are looking for opportunities. Probably not going back to big ships at this point, but who knows.. Everything is case by case basis. We don't believe in loyalty when it comes to cruising. The perks are very small part of the overall fare even at higher levels.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, grifdoglover said:

My understanding is you can use the credits for any excursions you do pay for amounts that go over your credits.  They are not used as cash credit. Use it or lose it.  “Alcoholic” beverages does not include hard liquor.  Shockingly to me Simply More is beneficial on my next cruise as my husband will drink wine and beer and some excursions are priced similarly to private ones.  🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the problem with your analysis is doing a direct comparison to private vs cruise line excursions.  They are two completely different things.  A cruise line excursion is generally going to be a large group (the most common will be a bus-load of 50-60 per group). often with stops at touristy shops, restaurants, etc.  A private tour can be as few as 1 person, and can often be customized to the group's own specifications.  A great example is a recent private tour we took in Osaka, where we joined with 1 other couple, hired a private guide, and went off to do our pre-arranged itinerary.  The cost of that tour was actually less than any near-comparable cruise line excursion and we had complete control over our itinerary.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Very well said Hank.

 

My comment was a bit humoristic, but it referred to the fact that there is no perfect line. We sailed on 11 lines, and are booked on O, SB, SS and Uniworld in the next 2 years. Personally I believe that O still offers the best value for money, but we are looking for opportunities. Probably not going back to big ships at this point, but who knows.. Everything is case by case basis. We don't believe in loyalty when it comes to cruising. The perks are very small part of the overall fare even at higher levels.

We agree with your thinking about "value" as opposed to cost.  So what is the best value in cruising?  We think it varies from cruise to cruise.  For example, from our point of view MSC" Yacht Club is, by far, the best value for those wanting to take a 1-3 week Caribbean cruise.  For many other cruises we think that Seabourn offers the best "value"...especially when you can find a voyage priced at under $500 per person/day (keep in mind that SB is truly all-inclusive without any shore excursions).  

 

We can also find a lot of "value" in some Princess cruises, and an upcoming Explora Journeys cruise was a terrific value at under $500 per person day (assuming that this new luxury line lives up to most of the hype).  We will continue to give "O" consideration but have yet to cost out the "value" with the new pricing.  When we do "value" analysis we simply look at the price per person/day in terms of quality and inclusions.  This does give an advantage to CCL products because of their decent Biz Class air pricing (which can be done on-line via their proprietary search engine).  As an example, when we cruised Seabourn to Europe (last year) our cruise ended in Monte Carlo.  But we were able to use SB's Air to purchase one-way Biz Class from Prague (where we had earlier flown from Nice) to EWR for about $1000.  We recently flew to Tokyo from IAD on Biz Class (British Air to JAL) for $2100 (using HAL's online booking engine which is the same as Princess and SB).  None of these lines charge any kind of custom air fee and they easily allow folks to choose their own airports (which do not have to be the same as the embarkation/debarkation places).

 

Hank

 

Hank 

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Very well said Hank.

 

My comment was a bit humoristic, but it referred to the fact that there is no perfect line. We sailed on 11 lines, and are booked on O, SB, SS and Uniworld in the next 2 years. Personally I believe that O still offers the best value for money, but we are looking for opportunities. Probably not going back to big ships at this point, but who knows.. Everything is case by case basis. We don't believe in loyalty when it comes to cruising. The perks are very small part of the overall fare even at higher levels.

Great minds think alike ").  While we do prefer smaller ships. we have also enjoyed many cruises on larger vessels.  And than there are the "ship within a ship" concepts which arguably offer the best of both worlds (we have found this on some Caribbean cruises with MSC).  My vote, on O, is still out since we have yet to cruise on "O."  But we are jumping in with a 35 day Vista cruise and truly look forward to making O our 18th cruise line (Explora Journeys will be #17).  We can honestly say that every cruise line (and ship) has their pros/cons and the closest we found to perfection (for us) in terms of value is now gone (HAL's Prinsendam).  And the current HAL product is but a mere shadow of what they line used to be.

 

Hank

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, hamrag said:

Evidence?

T & C s

 

In the description  of the excursions

 

Choose from extensive options available in ports around the globe, including sommelier- and chef-led Food & Wine Trails Tours, popular Culinary Discovery Tours™, one-of-a-kind Go Local Tours, unique Beyond Blueprints Tours, sustainability-focused Go Green Tours, Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar, small group Oceania Exclusive Excursions, unique Oceania Select Excursions and Executive Collection options that are highly customizable experiences that provide the flexibility to design your itinerary ashore according to your interests.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/oceania-experience/post/oceania-cruises/introducing-simply-moretm-best-value-luxury-cruising

 

Time will tell how it all plays out