Marina Cabin Upgrade Questions

[2CDNcruisers]

10 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@DebandBrian

Congratulations and that is one heck of a 🎂 present.  You made a great decision and we will all be interested in your Post on this Board when you return from your cruise.  We want to hear the rest of the story. 😇👍

We have done the Great Britain cruise on an R ship and sailed in and out of Southampton on O Class ships and you are definitely in for a treat. So glad your TA came thru for you.

Now you can start planning for your Specialty dinner nights. Definitely read @Sthrngary treatise on maxing your Oceania experience, Gary did an amazing job. Lots of other references to absorb to prepare you for what is to come. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

Thank you!  We sail from Amsterdam to Oslo with fab ports of call. Can’t wait!  We have @Sthrngary ‘s guide printed to pore over as we prep for our trip. I especially liked the suggestion to create a document ahead of time for your butler. Thanks again for cheering me on! 

Edited March 1 by DebandBrian

[Sthrngary]

1 minute ago, DebandBrian said:

Thank you!  We sail from Amsterdam to Oslo with fab ports of call. Can’t wait!  We have @Sthrngary ‘s guide printed to pore over as we prep for our trip. I especially liked the suggestion to create a document ahead of time for your butler. Thanks again for cheering me on! 

@DebandBrian Have a grand trip and my pleasure.  I will be flying into Amsterdam for 8 days in April with my adult daughter.  We will fly out of Paris.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[2CDNcruisers]

On 2/28/2024 at 11:08 AM, DebandBrian said:

We are booked on Marina in Concierge Veranda A2 and the fare is paid in full as we are less than 150 days out.  At the time of booking, PH3 was $3000CAD/pp more than A2 so I balked.  PH3 pricing has been lowered and is now $1400CAD/pp more so I'm considering it.  The PH suites will be renovated by then and on a 12 day cruise, I think we will enjoy the extra space.  I have some questions: 

 

  -  Can I upgrade the existing booking?  We are in the 50% cancellation penalty window, so obviously we don't want to do that.  

  -  Should I wait until after the New Year's promotion ends to see what March brings in terms of offers?  Could the price still go lower?

  -  Is there a chance Oceania customer service will offer me a better upgrade fare than what's posted on the website?

  -  Any other upgrade tips/tricks/cautionary tales appreciated 🙂 

  

  This will be our first cruise ever and we are VERY excited.  It's a milestone year for us (birthdays and anniversary) and we just know this is going to be an amazing trip! 

 

 

12 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@DebandBrian

Congratulations and that is one heck of a 🎂 present.  You made a great decision and we will all be interested in your Post on this Board when you return from your cruise.  We want to hear the rest of the story. 😇👍

We have done the Great Britain cruise on an R ship and sailed in and out of Southampton on O Class ships and you are definitely in for a treat. So glad your TA came thru for you.

Now you can start planning for your Specialty dinner nights. Definitely read @Sthrngary treatise on maxing your Oceania experience, Gary did an amazing job. Lots of other references to absorb to prepare you for what is to come. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

Wow, did we get lucky!! I just checked the pricing now that the new year promotion is over and the PH3 has jumped WAY back up.  Even the A2 that we originally booked is now more expensive than the PH3 fare I got yesterday.  Whew!!!  

[Vineyard View]

58 minutes ago, DebandBrian said:

 

Wow, did we get lucky!! I just checked the pricing now that the new year promotion is over and the PH3 has jumped WAY back up.  Even the A2 that we originally booked is now more expensive than the PH3 fare I got yesterday.  Whew!!!  

Wow. That is pretty incredible. You really lucked out. Have a great trip!
Not such great news for those looking to book in the future. I just checked at two itineraries we are looking at for May 2025 in the Mediterranean and  British Isles. We are trying to decide between Seabourn and Oceania. So I just took a quick Look to compare. 
 

Oceania ~ 11 day London to London on Vista (I know, new ship pricing)

including gratuities and upgraded drink package, B4 cabin

not including excursion credit  of $600

$1,200/day for two 

 

Seabourn - 14 day Jewels of the British Isles on Sojourn

includes all but excursions, V1 cabin

$1,153/day for two

 

Oceania - Barcelona to Rome on Marina

including gratuities and drink package

not including $600 excursion credit

$926/day for two

 

Seabourn - Barcelona to Rome on Ovation

including all but excursions

$1,071/day for two 

 

These are not identical itineraries, but they are in the same regions.
So - Some people like excursion credit, some not. Some people like larger ships, some do not. Some like unlimited caviar, some do not. Some like the layout of an entry verandah suite with walk in closet, some are very happy with Oceania Verandah cabins (no negative connotation). Some like this or that, others do not. My point was that with the price increase, Oceania and Seabourn are much closer in cost per day.
Viking started doing this price jumping post Covid. They include an excursion in every port. Those of us who don't do ship excursions are not enticed by that.  They are now more expensive than Seabourn and Oceania by a significant amount. Those who do excursions might find a price value in Viking. 
I found this exercise helpful for me. Maybe it will be for others. What it says to me will be different than to others. Itineraries certainly drive our choices, so I think we will continue to look at both. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2CDNcruisers]

26 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Wow. That is pretty incredible. You really lucked out. Have a great trip!
Not such great news for those looking to book in the future. I just checked at two itineraries we are looking at for May 2025 in the Mediterranean and  British Isles. We are trying to decide between Seabourn and Oceania. So I just took a quick Look to compare. 
 

Oceania ~ 11 day London to London on Vista (I know, new ship pricing)

including gratuities and upgraded drink package, B4 cabin

not including excursion credit  of $600

$1,200/day for two 

 

Seabourn - 14 day Jewels of the British Isles on Sojourn

includes all but excursions, V1 cabin

$1,153/day for two

 

Oceania - Barcelona to Rome on Marina

including gratuities and drink package

not including $600 excursion credit

$926/day for two

 

Seabourn - Barcelona to Rome on Ovation

including all but excursions

$1,071/day for two 

 

These are not identical itineraries, but they are in the same regions.
So - Some people like excursion credit, some not. Some people like larger ships, some do not. Some like unlimited caviar, some do not. Some like the layout of an entry verandah suite with walk in closet, some are very happy with Oceania Verandah cabins (no negative connotation). Some like this or that, others do not. My point was that with the price increase, Oceania and Seabourn are much closer in cost per day.
Viking started doing this price jumping post Covid. They include an excursion in every port. Those of us who don't do ship excursions are not enticed by that.  They are now more expensive than Seabourn and Oceania by a significant amount. Those who do excursions might find a price value in Viking. 
I found this exercise helpful for me. Maybe it will be for others. What it says to me will be different than to others. Itineraries certainly drive our choices, so I think we will continue to look at both. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s a good exercise to compare fares. Even with our “deal” we are paying just over $1000 per night for two, albeit in a PH suite. This is our first cruise to celebrate some major milestones so we decided to go for it!  
 

If we get the cruising bug, we will definitely focus a bit more on cost.  I like the way you compared daily rates. Thanks! 

[Vineyard View]

14 minutes ago, DebandBrian said:

That’s a good exercise to compare fares. Even with our “deal” we are paying just over $1000 per night for two, albeit in a PH suite. This is our first cruise to celebrate some major milestones so we decided to go for it!  
 

If we get the cruising bug, we will definitely focus a bit more on cost.  I like the way you compared daily rates. Thanks! 

I think it’s important, at least for me. Itinerary is right up there and is the swing us for sure. 
That is an awesome deal that you have!  Enjoy every moment, and congratulations on your major milestones! 

[mauibabes]

@DebandBrian

You go girl! 😇👍 Glad you took that leap and made your own decisions. I find all the “ comparison shopping”a challenging process because there are no apples to compare to apples with cruise lines, maybe apples to oranges.  What is included, what is not in the calculation.  Cruise fare but what about flights, insurance, excursions, Specialty dining, and the list of inclusions can go on. I guess I take a more simplistic route, I love sale prices but once we select a specific cruise, select the room we are satisfied with and if the number fits, we book.  When we have booked any future trips on board Oceania, they come with a Best Price Guarantee so we pay attention and enjoy our trip planning. So Deb, I am sure you will LOVE your first cruise Sooo, when you are aboard, sit down with the Club Ambassador and book a future cruise that provides discounts and Amenities and the Best Price Guarantee. You get to swap it one time for a different cruise without the $150 pp Fee so don’t be concerned if you change your mind or something comes up. 
 

Again, Congratulations on your Upgrade and your Amazing adventures. We did your similar cruise, Awesome. 
Mauibabes

[ak1004]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Wow. That is pretty incredible. You really lucked out. Have a great trip!
Not such great news for those looking to book in the future. I just checked at two itineraries we are looking at for May 2025 in the Mediterranean and  British Isles. We are trying to decide between Seabourn and Oceania. So I just took a quick Look to compare. 
 

Oceania ~ 11 day London to London on Vista (I know, new ship pricing)

including gratuities and upgraded drink package, B4 cabin

not including excursion credit  of $600

$1,200/day for two 

 

Seabourn - 14 day Jewels of the British Isles on Sojourn

includes all but excursions, V1 cabin

$1,153/day for two

 

Oceania - Barcelona to Rome on Marina

including gratuities and drink package

not including $600 excursion credit

$926/day for two

 

Seabourn - Barcelona to Rome on Ovation

including all but excursions

$1,071/day for two 

 

These are not identical itineraries, but they are in the same regions.
So - Some people like excursion credit, some not. Some people like larger ships, some do not. Some like unlimited caviar, some do not. Some like the layout of an entry verandah suite with walk in closet, some are very happy with Oceania Verandah cabins (no negative connotation). Some like this or that, others do not. My point was that with the price increase, Oceania and Seabourn are much closer in cost per day.
Viking started doing this price jumping post Covid. They include an excursion in every port. Those of us who don't do ship excursions are not enticed by that.  They are now more expensive than Seabourn and Oceania by a significant amount. Those who do excursions might find a price value in Viking. 
I found this exercise helpful for me. Maybe it will be for others. What it says to me will be different than to others. Itineraries certainly drive our choices, so I think we will continue to look at both. 

 

 

$600 USD per day per person sounds really expensive, even for Vista.

 

Accidently, we are booked on the 12 days sailing on the Vista London to London on June 3, right after the one you mentioned, and the price per day is around $440 per day for B4. (we actually booked B5, French Veranda, just when they came out and had 5% discount, at $360 USD per person). So the high price might be related to this specific itinerary and not the ship. Our itinerary is Spain/France while yours is British Isles. Not sure why British Isles is so much more expensive.

 

So while in general the gap between O and SB is smaller now, there is still around 15-20% price difference. I found out that typical price on O for OV is around $350-400 while on SB around $450-500.

 

So is it worth to pay 20% for larger cabin, unlimited caviar and maybe slightly better service? For me the answer is yes if the itinerary is significantly better. Otherwise, not so sure.

 

This is of course based on what I read about SB, we are doing our first in September, so will see.

[Vineyard View]

I am finding that British Isles itineraries are generally higher than some regions. That is why I also compared a Mediterranean cruise. I did not see a 20% difference in entry balcony cabins between the two. I did not compare OV as I am not looking to book one. The one I looked at was 8.6% higher on SB. It was just an example.  I am sure there are variances out there of ranges in differences, but these are the only two out of those we are looking at on the two lines that were most comparable to one another. I will look forward to hearing your impression of SB. 
 

I did this exercise based on OP remarks on the large price increase on her booked cruise. It made me curious how that was penciling out on the ones we looked at for 2025. 
 

I do know one thing. If I was offered an upgrade by Oceania as OP was, I would jump on it!  I am glad it worked out so well for them, and I hope they have a fabulous time. 

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

I am finding that British Isles itineraries are generally higher than some regions. That is why I also compared a Mediterranean cruise. I did not see a 20% difference in entry balcony cabins between the two. I did not compare OV as I am not looking to book one. The one I looked at was 8.6% higher on SB. It was just an example.  I am sure there are variances out there of ranges in differences, but these are the only two out of those we are looking at on the two lines that were most comparable to one another. I will look forward to hearing your impression of SB. 
 

I did this exercise based on OP remarks on the large price increase on her booked cruise. It made me curious how that was penciling out on the ones we looked at for 2025. 
 

I do know one thing. If I was offered an upgrade by Oceania as OP was, I would jump on it!  I am glad it worked out so well for them, and I hope they have a fabulous time. 

 

One of the reasons that our comparisons are a bit different is that we book OV, or FV or Vista, and SB new ships don't even have OV. I realize that this makes the price comparison a bit not fair, but we don't need veranda (especially on port intensive European sailings), then on Encore and Ovation the gap can easily be 20%, and we would be paying for something that we hardly use. But for people who book veranda, SB prices are even more appealing and the gap can be indeed less than 10%.

 

We did sail on SS twice, I expect SB to be comparable. We would probably book any of those three, given the right itinerary and price.

[Vineyard View]

Quest and Sojourn have OV with 450 passengers. Yes, older ships but we were impressed last year with the condition. If newer, larger (650 pax) is important then yes, only Verandah on those ships. Either way, you are correct, it is a difference if you are only sailing in OV and are looking at specific ships. 
It is really nice to have so many choices with just these two cruise lines. They provide something for such a wide range of travelers who do not want to sail on large ships. 

[ak1004]

11 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Quest and Sojourn have OV with 450 passengers. Yes, older ships but we were impressed last year with the condition. If newer, larger (650 pax) is important then yes, only Verandah on those ships. Either way, you are correct, it is a difference if you are only sailing in OV and are looking at specific ships. 
It is really nice to have so many choices with just these two cruise lines. They provide something for such a wide range of travelers who do not want to sail on large ships. 

Agree. Add SS to the mix, although now it’s more difficult to find reasonably priced sailings, and Windstar is also on our radar at some point.

 

And despite all the complains, we still find all of them fantastic. You can always find faults if you look hard enough, but we are trying to focus on the positives.

[2CDNcruisers]

6 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@DebandBrian

You go girl! 😇👍 Glad you took that leap and made your own decisions. I find all the “ comparison shopping”a challenging process because there are no apples to compare to apples with cruise lines, maybe apples to oranges.  What is included, what is not in the calculation.  Cruise fare but what about flights, insurance, excursions, Specialty dining, and the list of inclusions can go on. I guess I take a more simplistic route, I love sale prices but once we select a specific cruise, select the room we are satisfied with and if the number fits, we book.  When we have booked any future trips on board Oceania, they come with a Best Price Guarantee so we pay attention and enjoy our trip planning. So Deb, I am sure you will LOVE your first cruise Sooo, when you are aboard, sit down with the Club Ambassador and book a future cruise that provides discounts and Amenities and the Best Price Guarantee. You get to swap it one time for a different cruise without the $150 pp Fee so don’t be concerned if you change your mind or something comes up. 
 

Again, Congratulations on your Upgrade and your Amazing adventures. We did your similar cruise, Awesome. 
Mauibabes

@mauibabes thanks!! Now to plan our port activities 🙂 

[Vallesan]

4 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

We did sail on SS twice, I expect SB to be comparable. We would probably book any of those three, given the right itinerary and price.

 
Yes Silversea and Seabourn are comparable on one hand but on the other they are ‘different’.

 

Silversea tends to attract more cruisers who are looking to ‘dress-up’ whilst Seabourn has relaxed its dress code. For me the one thing that is outstanding on Seabourn is the service. I think it’s second to none. Yes there are butlers in every suite on Silversea but the ‘individual’ service on Seabourn is amazing. The word ‘no’ doesn’t seem to exist on Seabourn, unless of course they don’t have the item you request on board.

 

This is an example from 2018. We were sailing from Singapore to Dubai. We asked for Albarino at lunch and they had none. At the next port of call they took on some Albarinho on board and it was offered to us every lunch time after that! Above and beyond maybe?

 

Last autumn we were on the Encore and I asked for Greek yogurt straight from the fridge for breakfast and every morning it was offered to me without asking and that was in the buffet restaurant. We  were only in an average  veranda  suite so no special treatment. The service, as I say is second to none in my opinion.

 

As you say, we too would book any of the three lines which are all good, but are also different from each other.