GeezerCouple

There are many discussions about this on this subsection of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/ I'll try to find one of my posts, with detail about how we handle this for *all* international travel, much of which is to countries with stronger "issues". There is a wide variety of opinions about how careful one should be. Our feeling is that when crossing international borders, "better safe than sorry", and a bit of prep for one trip is what we then keep handy for other trips, so it's rather easy. (I don't know if you can search to find some of the other discussions; the CC search function isn't always particularly user friendly...) GC

Oh dear. Is white chocolate *really* chocolate!? 😕 Shouldn't it have a slightly different name? Or, I suppose I should refer to myself as "addicted to cocoa", not "addicted to chocolate"? GC

I always thought that Oceania's previous policy of "cold breakfast for steerage" was... beneath a line of this caliber. That restriction just didn't fit, in my mind, so I'm very glad to see it disappear. (And note: this did not affect us personally, so it wasn't sour grapes.) GC

What are you looking for in this trip? For us, a trip to Bermuda would definitely include *warm* water, and that's not going to happen at that time of year. On the other hand, the Bahamas would very likely have warm water (been there, done that, at that time of year, albeit quite some time ago). But not everyone heads to Bermuda simply for the warm ocean water. It depends upon what you want. And some people care more about "being on a cruise" than the actual destination. GC

It's better than that! 😉 We always tell our Butler that any "Privacy" sign is *not* for them, but for everyone else. That is, they should knock, pause, and then just come in. IF we do want privacy, the door will be bolted, and of course, we wouldn't do that when we are expecting something. So the breakfast table is quietly rolled in, and sometimes we are already awake. But other times, that aroma of coffee and bacon does wake us, perhaps along with a few very gentle clinks of the china. THAT is the way to wake up! If we say "good morning" or anything at all, we'll always get a very cheerful reply, but the Butler has never said anything to us in the morning unless one of us spoke first, or they see us sitting up, etc. And likewise, dinners are just wheeled in as well. 🙂 (If we are changing or such, that door will, of course, be bolted.) Yes, we are very spoiled when we cruise (when there are Butlers; some cruises we've taken don't even have room service, but we enjoy them all!). GC

It doesn't matter how "loud" or whatever a person or group is, what the venue is, or whatever else is happening there... To have someone make a threat to "take my face off" is so far beyond any possible understanding of appropriate behavior...!?? 😡 GC

We've make all requests through our Butler. And one thing we stress during our first meeting is that we are almost always flexible on timing, so if we happen to request something for a busy time, just let us know, and we'll be happy to change the time... and on the off chance we can't, we'll say so (thus... "really, do ask!"). We tend to use our Butlers quite a bit, with almost all breakfasts served, so we wake to the pleasant aroma of coffee and bacon (or have that not too long after we awake). We love a couple of the Specialty restaurants, with some real favorites. So if we can't get extra reservations, we might ask to have some favorite dinners served in our suite. On all ships (and in all hotels), we request menus from each restaurant and a copy of all wine lists. It's nicer to browse through them, rather than scroll on a screen. And yes, we do tip generously. The Butlers make a huge difference in our enjoyment. I also have some mobility problems, so we tend to spend more time in our suite than we otherwise would. GC

We have had excellent experiences starting with plain Google, with something like, "private tour of the Vatican" or such. Then we look at what shows up. Some are clearly not for us... they are explicitly large groups (of strangers, put together by the vendor). We want something for just us (or in some cases, a few others, arranged by us). Then we email a few likely possibilities, and if they don't have email contact, that's a disqualifier for us anyway. We want a way to contact them! We'll ask if they could arrange a tour that includes, say, art history, or whatever (and also anything we do *not* want to spend time on, etc.). And then we end with a question something like, "given what we've mentioned, is there anything else you think we'd enjoy including?' The responses (or lack thereof!) tell us a *LOT*. We've found some terrific guides, usually directly with the guide him/herself. Our guide for the Vatican and a prior day in more general "Rome", had done a Ph.D. thesis mostly using the Vatican library, so he was familiar with a lot of background there (and some back routes and corridors!). We also use CC, as suggested. We found a terrific small excursion company in the Caribbean, because something about a CC report piqued our interest. We wrote asking about some specifics, and they put together an amazing day for us. We then used them again on a return visit. It's the ability to communicate directly, and make *your* interests known, etc., that can make all the difference. GC

On some *other* decks, there are cabins between the Vista Suites, so I read your post as you wrote it. We absolutely love forward-facing... to see where we are going (yes, even if what is seen sometimes is just more water 😉 ). GC

We don't use annual travel insurance policies (too many restrictions, low limits). We get a policy for each trip, and those can be purchased at the time the first payment is made, regardless of date of trip. Indeed, starting the coverage by insuring the deposit offers the best choice of types of coverages in most cases. Then one can up the coverage each time additional payments are made. Usually one has 10-20 days for that window for all coverage options (state dependent); one must be fit to travel on the day the insurance is started. GC

What I am seeing on the Deck 12 plans of Oceania's Riviera is that there are no cabins between the two forward Vista Suites. (There seems to be nothing accessible for passengers there, just white space indicating crew/etc., areas.) https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2022-03/O-CLASS-RIVIERA-deck-plan-level-12.pdf The four cabins you a listing by number seem to be split 2 on each side, with each pair being between a Vista Suite and an Oceania Suite. Those cabins are not forward facing. Where did you see plans showing the 4 cabins between the Vista Suites? GC

Perhaps a letter, on letterhead/etc., from his physician stating that he is disabled? Note that overseas, the Americans with Disabilities Act/etc., is not binding. With that, it was not necessary to state the specific disability. However, for overseas, it might be helpful to be at least somewhat specific, such as "cannot stand for more than 5 minutes [which can feel like 5 hours for someone who has trouble standing!], or cannot walk more than 3 yards, or must use a wheelchair or scooter/etc... and perhaps give something about the diagnosis. Under regular [other!] circumstances, I'd ask the trip organizer what type of detail is useful, but it doesn't sound like they are being particularly helpful. Note: Is this likely to mean that his needs won't be properly taken into account? Is there someone else at the tour company that you could ask? Please make sure that *they* are aware of the specific needs (e.g., wheelchair) and that the trip will be suitable. Otherwise, there might be a hotel where there is no lift or such. GC

That 3-year cruise we were all commenting on recently? It might be cancelled... or changed to a different ship. It sounds to me that a "cancellation" is more likely, but that's just from one news report. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/three-year-cruise-crisis/index.html Sounds like a bit of a mess, unfortunately. GC

Oh, do I empathize! I tore a rotator cuff a few weeks before a cruise. Our insurance would have refunded everything, but... I wanted to go and "recover at sea", where all the cooking, cleaning, etc., would be taken care of anyway. It was a bad tear, and at times *very* painful. And it was my dominant arm. (Is your wife's broken wrist on her dominant hand? That does make a bit of a difference.) Anyway, DH had to help me dress and cut food for me, etc. The wait staff were also very helpful with this once they realized there was a problem and recognized me. (Nice!) I didn't have a cast on, so there was major signal to others, alas. However, I was always keeping my arm at an odd angle, right next to my body. (I had tried a sling, but it was more trouble than it was worth.) And the hair salon got to know me pretty well, too. I also took some major pain killers with me, and yes, I had copies of all scripts and a letter from the physician - with copies on our laptops and in the cloud. NOTE: We checked and these were not prohibited in any country we were going to. The only mistake we made was that although we cancelled/changed a lot of excursions, we kept the one with a chartered motorboat to take us to a sheltered cove we like. I could NOT get back into the boat! 😱 It took DH and another person to literally shove me up and into the boat after I'd splashed around in relatively shallow warm water. (Yes, *embarrassing* 😳 ) We were both very glad we went, although it wasn't quite the vacation we were hoping for. Good luck! I hope you both have a great time. And yes, I think they do make some waterproofing, but I don't know about soaking underwater for an extended time, vs. for a quick shower. Ask your orthopedics group. Yours won't be the first time it's been asked. 😉 GC

Yup, looks like we should check if we see something like this when we are likely to be traveling! Thanks. GC

Thanks. I figured that wouldn't be possible. However, I would have hated to find out much later that perhaps we *could* have done that. Thanks. GC

When they have this type of sale, can one choose one's cabin/suite, or is it like hoping for an upgrade, one gets whatever might be available without knowing what the specific cabin will be? And is there ever a way to use a sale like this to get from, say, a concierge cabin to a PH suite? Or is there no jumping between categories like that? Thanks! GC

If you do not want to be "put on... United", the make your own reservations. Then you can arrange the airline, the flights, the times, the seats, etc., as you prefer them. And you can make any changes, should you want/need to do so, directly with the airline yourself. GC

But it *should* be required reading, and sooner rather than later. Reading those details when one wants to file a claim is not the best time to find out that the requirements for a claim are not met for your particular needs, something wasn't covered, or something should have been handled differently, etc. Many of the complaints about travel insurance involve claims for events/issues that were never covered or that violated some term(s) of the policy in the first place. The rest of it, "filling out the paperwork", isn't difficult; just include *all* receipts. One may need a form to be completed by a treating physician. Best to know that while one is still there, or get the forms. (I simply sent in a copy of the hospital records once, and other times just asked the treating physician for a handwritten letter at the time of care overseas. Those were sufficient. There was no push-back to get the "proper form" completed by a foreign physician or such, but that could vary, obviously.) Worst case in that situation, usually, would be that the insurer would request additional information; in that case, just send it along (before considering it a "denial"). And not knowing to save receipts, etc... not good to find that out "later", after receipts haven't been saved. GC

To repeat, it really isn't particularly helpful to mention what your insurance covers if you don't name the insurer or policy. There are countless insurers and policies. Just listing some of the included aspects of any given trip helps... how? And were you trying to explain about naming "any amount" of coverage? Thank you. GC

I'd be *very* careful relying upon the above comment. Which insurer is this? Where are you located? And importantly, exactly what does the policy cover? We are in the USA. To get the type of coverage we want/need, we cannot simply select "any amount" of coverage, for starters. Or at least, we haven't found such a policy.... Is the "plan fare" coverage only for the cost of the plane costs? Could you provide the name of the insurer and the specific policy type? Naming travel insurers is *NOT* at all prohibited here on CC. (It's only "travel agents".) Thank you! GC

That's encouraging. Have you carefully read the policy terms and conditions that refer to pre-existing conditions, and any waivers of exclusions based upon that? Policies can differ on that. Some have a look-back period and others require that one start the insurance at least 10-20 days of the *first* trip payment (even if a refundable deposit). The timing differs because it is state-dependent (states regulate insurance companies). So the travel insurance may cover it, but perhaps you will be able to travel, which would be the best of all! Good luck with everything! GC

Did you start the insurance before you knew about the need for surgery at that time? That is, would a cancellation for medical reasons be covered? If so, then wait to see how you are after surgery, and what your surgeon says as the cruise date approaches. I've traveled (not only on cruises) after surgery. Once was when there was a family emergency across the country, and I was told I could go IF I promised that I would not even lift my own purse. It was difficult, but I went, and I was *very* careful. I had to travel alone, which made it extra difficult, but I had arranged wheelchair service and other help. I went on a cruise with a badly torn rotator cuff. In that case, our insurance would have fully covered a cancellation, but we figured... better to relax on the ship than at home, where meals aren't cooked and served, housecleaning isn't done twice daily, etc. DH had to help me dress, etc. I couldn't cut food, so he helped there, too, as did the wait-staff after a short time. He went on some excursions; I stayed back, except for one port day when we had chartered a small motor boat, and they took us to a gentle beach and then back. (Even that motion was painful, but again, I was glad we did that.) We were very glad we went. So see how you feel and make sure you follow the surgeon's directions. Hope it all goes smoothly! GC

As you say, those issues are *subjective*, so why are you looking for an objective issue? OP is reporting *their* experiences/perceptions. Why challenge OP about why they didn't partake? I could easily report when others mention that the escargots are wonderful. But I happen to hate them, so ... why should *I* need to try them, if all I'm doing is reporting what I've heard, to share that information? Likewise, why would OP need to explain why they didn't participate in something(s)? "If not, why not?" ??? And things like not getting ice despite requesting it for each day, several times... not okay. The description of the food brought by room service doesn't sound appealing, and certainly a disappointment, especially given Oceania's "food" reputation. I'm a bit perplexed by the response to OP. GC