BarbaraM

All visa costs are included.

Jamie, we did the 2016 ATW 180 on Oceania. The laundry service was wonderful. Wash and press, definitely a perk I wasn’t expecting to be so good. Luggage delivery was also a big plus. In 6 months I used the free medical twice, which included meds and X-rays.

I only took private tours, so no comment on Oceania tours.. they seemed expensive. They are doing a major overhaul of the cabins, so no idea what they will be like then. The beds are definitely the best! High quality linens too. We are taking the 2019 also, repeat club perks are nice too, and given at the start of the cruise.

Viking is the only fully inclusive that I know of on your list. Oceania doesn’t offer alcoholic beverages or shore excursions. AFAIK, azamara has no world cruise. Regent cruise line offers a world cruise that is inclusive, I think.

I had the same problem, and someone recommended on another thread to delete cookies-- I have a MacBook -- I just deleted the history and all of the links on Oceania started working.

We found the La Bourgeoisie upon boarding & booked it. Simply the best meal on the ship. We also booked "Connoisseurs", but too many pax cancelled so they cancelled the dinner. I think you'll find the La Bourgeoisie on board. Once on board make your way up to La Reserve & see the meals they are offering & book the dinner of your choice(unless you do it online)

Although La Bourgeoisie isn't listed on our upcoming cruise on Riviera, it was able to be booked when I called Oceania directly. -- they claim it's not updated on the website. I wouldn't wait until on board to check if it is offered-- It might be available, but not available to book online.

Does anybody of you World Cruisers insure your trip against insolvency/bankruptcy of the cruiseline? Can you recommend a cover insurance that would cover that risk?

Ivi

It was included as part of the general insurance I purchased for our world cruise. Compare the plans on insuremytrip.com

Re: Jeans,

I love the newer high rise pull on jeans -- eliminates muffin top, as well as tucking in other areas. Technically not true jeans, as most don't have a real zipper, many have a wide stretchy waistband. I have a couple pair of the brand Liverpool, but there are others. I prefer to have tops that cover my butt as I buy the skinny type. Wow,this type of jean is comfortable. They can be called, leggings, jeggings, etc. I have tried on a pair that fit more loosely than the skinny types too. If you aren't sure about it, try Zappos, or another online store that offers free returns. FWIW, i'm a 60+ year old, so these aren't just for kids.

I know it was done on Oceania -- one woman had her granddaughter for a segment, and her husband on a later segment. Another had her daughter for a segment. I never asked the logistics ,

Do you get the sense that solo travelers were welcomed on board Oceania? I realize that much of that is up to the individual and depends on how social and outgoing they are, but I am wondering if you have general perspective?

Just a couple things I noticed.

We happened to become good friends with several singles and couples, meeting them via the roll call prior to the cruise. I would suggest joining your roll call -- they often start up a year in advance of the cruise.

The entertainment staff hosted dinners for singles frequently. Those tables always seemed to be having fun, i'm sure the flowing wine helped!

Many singles joined the various activities -- whether it was trivia, ping pong, bridge, art classes or needlepoint-- a great way to meet others. There are quite a few couples who participate separately in those activities.

Eating in the MDR seems to be an easier way to meet others, as many like to share tables. The hostess will take your request for shared table, and sets it all up when you arrive at the dining room.

I would say that in general, the passengers are interested in meeting new people, and marital status doesn't matter.

Hiroshima -- near the Peace Memorial/Museum complex.

Don't forget to factor in inclusions in your comparisons. there will be a special package for those doing the full world cruises. Do they offer the visa service, luggage delivery, laundry, medical, gratuities, internet, free or fee specialty restaurants, shuttles in port cities, liquor, cost of non alcoholic drinks, etc., etc. Sometimes a cruise line that you thought may be out of your budget, ends up being very close. Check out dress code too -- open seating or fixed dining. Also, are there special events for world cruisers?

We based our first World Cruise on itinerary as well as port vs sea days. We didn't think about the ship that much, or the cruise line. What we ended up choosing was a very good fit for us.

I probably have spent more days being “homesick” for the ship since our ATW ended than I ever did missing my home while onboard!

For early risers, head to Horizon's-- you won't be alone at 5am. Sometimes the coffee machine would need a reset, and not be ready at that time, But staff is usually there by 6 to fix this and to set out juice and pastries. We would head there almost daily. It's a great place to read quietly, check your email (much faster this time of day) and watch the sunrise.

We also did the 180 with Wayne. The first month of the trip was very similar to another long cruise we had taken. By the end of the second month the trip became less of a typical cruise, as friendships with those taking the journey developed. We began to share life events: death, injuries, illnesses. We felt a connection to staff that we saw daily. There were over 100 of us taking the trip together, and the shared experience bonded us together. By the last couple months, the ship life became as much a part of experience as were the ports. We are not outgoing people, and on a typical 2 week cruise don't go out of our way to socialize. But we soon realized that the socialization was a very large part of the fun we had on the ATW. Others must have also felt that, as a large number of those cruisers have rebooked another 180 in 2019-- even though many of the ports on that cruise are repeats. Is every day perfect? no. Did we have a positive relationship with everyone? no. But, I would think that if you are a positive person who enjoys meeting people, the length of the cruise shouldn't scare you. If you tend to be critical, a long cruise that is likely to add up those less than perfect events, a long cruise may not be a good fit. You need to start with being honest with yourself -- I'm sure those I met on my trip who were in the "critical" group have a completely different account of how long the 180 days seemed to them.

Take both?? as long as you're in the "area" :D

We stayed in 6006 for an ATW. There is noise during rehearsal (around noon) for about an hour, as well as the shows. The show times are consistent-- no surprise or random noises other times at night. The noise level varied depending on the performers. I don't think any of the shows lasted past 10:30. If you were sensitive to noise, and wanted to be asleep before 10pm, it would not be a good spot on the ship. I do recall someone staying on the deck 7 C cabins also saying that they could hear the lounge noise, so this might be a little better, but not free from the sounds. Despite being early to bed people, the noise wasn't an issue for us.

Oceania had a deposit bin at the end of the cruise for those wishing to donate clothes and other items that went to the crew fund. Somewhere, in some port you could donate the clothing you don't want anymore, no need to pack it up to take home. We had excellent laundry service, but even so, there were items I didn't want to see again, not necessarily because they were damaged.

On Oceania, we put suitcases under the bed (not all of them) for storage of items not used. There are no drawers under the bed. I brought fabric under bed storage containers with me, but ended up not needing them. We had space under there to hold all of our purchases. In San Diego, we walked to a Fed Ex store, bought a couple of boxes, and returned after packing them to ship home. We were able to fit the boxes in a couple wheeled suitcases, to make it easier to return to the FED EX store. Fortunately, No customs to have to drag all of that through. The price was lower than what it would have been to pay the extra bag fee, and the boxes arrived at home shortly after we did. We did laugh however, when we figured out that all those treasures we bargained for were worth far less than the shipping fee! Some passengers went to a local Goodwill and bought old suitcases for their extras. We did bring a collapsible suitcase, but after 180 days, those little things you buy for the kids/grandkids do add up, and I am not a shopper! I do know of someone who shipped things home from Pago Pago. If you are on the 2018, hopefully you have a couple of west coast stops that you could find a way to mail those extras, just to avoid the hassle when arriving back in Miami.

An alternative, would be to pay Luggage Free for the extra bag delivery home, but I think you pay by the pound for that service.

It was amazing the last weeks of our ATW cruise to see everyone trying to decide what to do with all their "stuff"!! You are ahead of the game by thinking of this already!

Take some time to read through the the World Cruising board on Cruisecritic also. Many tips re: world cruising that apply despite what line you travel. Oceania does include things like laundry, visas, medical on board that other lines don't , however.

When do they have the lifeboat drill?

We just booked a cruise today, a true "cruise only". My TA seemed reluctant to book that fare, and gave me a sales pitch to do do O life.. For a 10 day cruise it didn't make sense for us. The O Life fare without air is $300 pp more. The only thing you get with the OLife is the free internet. The TA dropped his agency OBC by $50, when we made that choice. But, we saved $300 pp, and have the flexibility of not having nonrefundable OBC.

We also enjoy Oceania and Celebrity -- just returned from a week on Harmony with our 11 year old grandson and his mother. This was a July sailing, and the ship was packed. It was impossible for him to get in the pool on sea days. We checked out the little kids pool, and it was also packed. The lines for the water slide, zip line, and flow riders were very long, an hour for the zip line. The hours for the zip line and flow riders are very short. It was better on the port day when we stayed on the ship, but the hours were even shorter and they don't open all the slides. He managed to go down the zip line once (hated it), and missed the cut off for the flow rider. We paid extra for specialties a couple of nights, and they do offer a kids menu for $10 for under 12. The dress code is very casual now, so that was a positive for him. He enjoyed the shows, surprisingly. We took him to the kids program once, and he passed on it. most of the kids were at the low end of his age range. We took two shore excursions, and found them reasonably priced when compared to Oceania.

I found the ship to not have much soundproofing in cabins -- people seem to yell in the halls at all hours, kids run around and unaware of other people in their path. There is a charge of around $8 for room service, plus extra fee if you want a hot breakfast. The buffet is insane, peak times like breakfast on a port day there are no tables. This was in no way a relaxing vacation. I had a plan of taking all of my kids and their families on a ship like this, but that is not going to happen now. Yes, it had the wow factor, but it came at a price. I wondered if one of their older, smaller ships might have been a better choice for us. We chose this for the slides, etc, but ended up being a minimal activity for us. You might get lucky and it won't be as crowded as our sailing. Also we talked to a Pinnacle member, and she said that she prefers Allure and Oasis, the cabin size and soundproofing were issues for her. Sorry for the lengthy reply.

Kpun: The cost for a taxi vs paying for 2 for the ship's shuttle is close to the samel-- plus you avoid the hassle of bus loading and drop offs. I think we paid $35 for the taxi on that same cruise.

Horizon is our go-to spot for early morning coffee.

Calabaza, we've done it twice!! Highly recommend.