questions regarding "priority waitlist" policy

[Liv4cruzin]

I have good friends who so loved their first Oceania cruise experience this summer that they came home & booked another in the Caribbean in mid Dec. They preferred a balcony cabin. But w/ none available, they booked a lesser category. They made full payment; & asked to be put on the waitlist. Earlier this month they checked w/ Oceania to see where they stood on the waitlist. The agent told them she "couldn't tell them" because they weren't on the "priority waitlist" (which they have come to find out requires an additional $1,000 "deposit" required for each category up you wish to go). They were not told before that there was more than one type of waitlist. When they told me about this, I was quite puzzled by this concept. I can certainly understand if one were only under deposit & wanted on the priority list, that the extra $1k/cat would solidify a commitment. But how much more commited can you get than being paid in full? If they shell out an additional $4,000 (up 4 categories) & don't clear the waitlist, does it seem fair that they would lose the "use" of this money & what (all be it little) interest that it could have earned? And I suppose they must wait until after the cruise to get the money refunded. Have any of you ever gone this route? Does this extra "fee" REALLY give you an edge or is it just to confirm "intent"? And do you consider this policy normal and/or fair for a fully paid Pax? I guess I'm taking this pretty seriously because I came home singing Oceania's praises; & urged them to give Oceania a try. :o

[Leonid]

I find your comment interesting in that my wife & I had booked a PH2 for a 02/2007 sailing on the Regatta in the Caribbean, and asked our TA to wait list us for an OS. Could not have been more than several weeks later when we got an e-mail telling us that we had gotten the OS that we requested. There was never any mention of additional funds required nor did I pay any. I would suggest that you ask your TA what's going on.

We have also asked to be waitlisted for an OS for a 05/2007 Regatta sailing (Rome to Stockholm). Again, no additional funds were requested.

This does not pass the "smell test". Something is not right. Contact me at lsnv2@lsbcglobal.net if you would like to get more info on my situation.

I am not a TA - just a retired Aerospace Engineer who hates to see people taken advantage of (I hate ending sentences with a participle).

[LHT28]

We were w/l for a specific cabin but it was before final payment and all that was required was the deposit.

After final payment maybe they have to pay for the new catagory as if paying an upgrade.

But I don't understand why if they are paid up for their cabin they would not just ask for the difference when they clear the W/L .

 

Are you their agent ? Can you not ask for a supervisor and get an answer?

 

I know O's office need some work on communication of whats what.

[Liv4cruzin]

I have been retired from the cruise travel business for 15 years now. So, no I am not involved in their booking; just a good friend passing along cruise advice. Don't know if this was understood or not. But it was by call directly to Oceania that they learned of this additional fee. Since this scenario is different from what Leonid & LHT experienced, the key factor here may be that they are paid in full. I will encourage him to question this information more closely. Thanks for your input.

[Liv4cruzin]

My friend called O. again; & got the same story. He asked to speak to the Director of Guest Relations & is awaiting a return call. He also called his travel agent (which is out of state w/ a LARGE national company); & she received the same "this is our policy" story from O. The agent will continue to pursue this through a different "channel". She agreed that it couldn't hurt for him to write a letter to FDR. The plot thickens!

[lisaandrich]

There is a priority waitlist. We paid our $1000 and got to be #1 on the priority waitlist. We got our upgrade within 1 week. That really was priority!

[Liv4cruzin]

There is a priority waitlist. We paid our $1000 and got to be #1 on the priority waitlist. We got our upgrade within 1 week. That really was priority!

 

Had you already made full pmt. on your original cabin category prior to requesting the upgrade? It's that part of the "policy" that my friend is questioning.