Free pre-cruise hotel stay

[osandomir]

Oceania will be offering free pre-cruise hotel stays on select cruises. Book starting April 1st.

 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oceania-cruises-offers-free-pre-cruise-hotel-stay-on-a-range-of-sailings-in-2024-and-2025-302098868.html

[PhD-iva]

Sister cruiseline Regent offers this as well for Concierge-level suites and above. The Regent forum has had several passionate threads about R notifying pax well after FP date that there’s no block of hotel rooms available and here’s a meaningless token amount of compensation that many consider isn’t enuf to pay for a centrally located, nice hotel plus transfers. Not to mention that a Concierge suite is much more expensive than the next level down although it is no larger in size ( IDK if location is preferable).

 

[babysteps]

Got the O brochure touting free pre-cruise hotel in yesterday's mail - but it does not have prices. Of course Regent brochures also don't have prices these days... 

 

I guess this could mean that O has decided that little/no change in price combined with a hotel room and one extra shuttle is better for profit margins and/or branding than reducing prices would be? 

[MEFIowa]

Looks like this is the Apr-May 2024 "sale":

 

"This valuable offer is available on 33 destination-immersive sailings... The offer is available for reservations made between April 1, 2024, and May 31, 2024"

 

Not much of a sale. Certainly not when compared to the Extraordinary Savings Sale that was going on last year during this time.

[redraider1966]

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Sister cruiseline Regent offers this as well for Concierge-level suites and above. The Regent forum has had several passionate threads about R notifying pax well after FP date that there’s no block of hotel rooms available and here’s a meaningless token amount of compensation that many consider isn’t enuf to pay for a centrally located, nice hotel plus transfers. Not to mention that a Concierge suite is much more expensive than the next level down although it is no larger in size ( IDK if location is preferable).

 

Not only does Regent pull a fast one on the hotel offer, but also on their business class air.  We're trying out Regent at the end of May '24 for what may well be our final Med swing -- long plane flights having become more challenging.  The tantalizing promise of business class air plus an included pre-cruise night's hotel stay and an Italian-French intensive itinerary is what sold us.  Regent's BC itinerary, when finally offered well after FP, had us making two flight connections in Europe and arriving in the embarkation port (Valletta) at 9 PM the night before embarkation! This, plus reports of at least two prior cruises this year on the ship in question, Voyager, experiencing noro outbreaks and extended Code Red periods, means we will declare that we after this cruise that we will have been on Regent twice -- our first and last time.

[PhD-iva]

2 hours ago, redraider1966 said:

Not only does Regent pull a fast one on the hotel offer, but also on their business class air.  We're trying out Regent at the end of May '24 for what may well be our final Med swing -- long plane flights having become more challenging.  The tantalizing promise of business class air plus an included pre-cruise night's hotel stay and an Italian-French intensive itinerary is what sold us.  Regent's BC itinerary, when finally offered well after FP, had us making two flight connections in Europe and arriving in the embarkation port (Valletta) at 9 PM the night before embarkation! This, plus reports of at least two prior cruises this year on the ship in question, Voyager, experiencing noro outbreaks and extended Code Red periods, means we will declare that we after this cruise that we will have been on Regent twice -- our first and last time.

It’s always a best practice to pay the deviation fee and come to an agreement on your business class itinerary as soon as the window opens. This way you will know what your flight itinerary is, and you can discuss modifications with Regent and whether your preferred business class itinerary would include an additional fee. Passengers who wait until the cruise line is ready to book you can only take seats that are left over. 
I was on Voyager in February, and I was very pleased with the service, the food, almost everything. I had no issues with the condition of the ship. Yes, we were under code red for quite a while. It distracted little from my enjoyment.

I hope you have a terrific cruise!

[ORV]

I might be looking in the wrong place, but I can't seem to find the list of Select cruises that this applies to. 

[jazznruby]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I might be looking in the wrong place, but I can't seem to find the list of Select cruises that this applies to. 

+1...?

[AMHuntFerry]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I might be looking in the wrong place, but I can't seem to find the list of Select cruises that this applies to. 

I tried my usual tricks but they don't appear to be available on O's site (or my TA's) yet.

[davencl]

The press release notes it doesn't start until April 1. None of the sample cruises listed in the press release reflects this deal.  It would be good to note price today and then price on April 1 to see if this really is "free".

 

Edited March 27 by davencl

[redraider1966]

4 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

It’s always a best practice to pay the deviation fee and come to an agreement on your business class itinerary as soon as the window opens. This way you will know what your flight itinerary is, and you can discuss modifications with Regent and whether your preferred business class itinerary would include an additional fee. Passengers who wait until the cruise line is ready to book you can only take seats that are left over. 
I was on Voyager in February, and I was very pleased with the service, the food, almost everything. I had no issues with the condition of the ship. Yes, we were under code red for quite a while. It distracted little from my enjoyment.

I hope you have a terrific cruise!

Point taken re air arrangements, although we did start inquiring as soon as final payment was made.  You did fail to mention that, unlike Oceania, Regent charges you $75 to even initiate "negotiations" over possible deviation itineraries, which we regarded as hardly the mark of a "luxury" cruise line.  As I've been following closely the voyages of Voyager since the beginning of 2024, I also noted some of your postings on the Rio to BA and those of other pax on that cruise and the crossing from Cape Town that gave us real pause (noro, poor service, bad internet, etc.), but FP had come and gone . . . .  

[PhD-iva]

Oceania has the same (or similar) deviation policy as Regent. Pay to talk….

Someone will chime in if I’m mistaken……

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005308274-How-do-you-handle-custom-air-requests

Edited March 27 by PhD-iva
Add link

[babysteps]

From the printed brochure, following cruises offer the "free" (read, no additional cost) 1 night pre-cruise hotel stay. There may be more, this is just what was in this particular brochure - the direct mail code was c4 03/21/24

 

2025 01 12 Riviera 15 days Singappore to Hong Kong

2025 01 27 Riviera 18 days Hong Kong to Tokyo

2025 02 14 Riviera 24 day sTokyo to Singapore

2025 03 10 Riviera 11 days Singapore to Hong Kong

2025 03 21 Riviera 11 days Hong Kong to Tokyo

2023 03 23 Insignia 22 days Singapore to Taipei

2025 04 09 Regatta 15 days Singapore to Tapei

2025 04 13 Riviera 12 days Tokyo to Tokyo

2024 11 14 Regatta Singapore to Aukland

2024 12 08 Regatta 14 days Aukland to Sydney

2025 01 25 Regatta 16 days Sydney to Sydney

2025 02 10 Regatta 14 days Sydney to Aukland

2025 02 24 Rregatta 14 days Aukland to Sydney

2025 03 10 Regatta 20 days Sydney to Singapore

2025 03 26 Nautica 22 days Aukland to Singapore

2025 05 04 Insignia 24 days Perth to Aukland

2025 01 14 Marina 12 days Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro

2025 01 26 Marian 21 days Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires

2025 02 16 Marina 18 days Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile

2025 03 06 Marina 18 days Santiago de Chile to Buenos Aires

2025 03 24 Marina 12 days Buienos Aires to Rio de Janeiro

there were also 7 itineraries without the free one-night hotel offer

[jazznruby]

2 hours ago, redraider1966 said:

unlike Oceania, Regent charges you $75 to even initiate "negotiations" over possible deviation itineraries

 

49 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Oceania has the same (or similar) deviation policy as Regent. Pay to talk…

The $199/pp non-refundable deviation fee is only paid if/when an itinerary is agreed upon and accepted. No fee to 'initiate negotiations'.

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, PhD-iva said:

Oceania has the same (or similar) deviation policy as Regent. Pay to talk….

Someone will chime in if I’m mistaken……

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005308274-How-do-you-handle-custom-air-requests

I think the applicable sentence is:

 

"The $199 USD / $299 CAD service fee is non-refundable once the custom air is accepted."

 

I haven't used it, but in previous threads folks posted that if you don't accept, you don't pay. What's not clear to me is you have to pay, then, if you decline, you get your money back, or whether you only pay once it's accepted.  My fuzzy recollections that you only pay once you have accepted.

 

Edit---In my delay to post,  I see @jazznruby posted the info ahead of me 🙄

Edited March 28 by 1985rz1

[PhD-iva]

Thx for the clarifications!