Queen of DaNile

This is what it looks like if you land on Elephant Island. Few do.

We're doing the Amazon on Nautica in November and were able to get the excursions we wanted. (Maybe because it is a smaller trip and we booked excursions as soon as we were able.) My understanding is that at present, Manaus is a tender port because of issues with the dock so keep that in mind when scheduling your tours. I would not count on Oceania adding excursions so you're better off arranging any private tours in advance You could contact https://www.dobrazilright.com for other suggestions. Good luck and hope you can work things out to enjoy your bucket list trip.

Thanks for sharing this. There is currently a great "deal" on a July cruise that ends with an overnight in Istanbul. Now you have me thinking this may not be such a great deal if Oceana has concerns about Türkiye. As with most cruise lines, transparency is not their long suit.

We finally have it in writing as to the current situation on Riviera "It is with sincere apologies we must notify you that due to technical issue there has been changes in the itinerary".

I heard third hand yesterday that there IS a problem with one of the ship's engines. If it is true, it should be communicated to the guests to stop speculation.

My understanding is that the port times have been altered because of a engine issue.That could be why we're moving so slowly!! If that is the case, the changes have been made by corporate and they should give the captain permission to inform the guests rather than have us believe the changes were made for some other reason. Only one of my tours was canceled when we first got on board but they have since found another operation that can work with the shortened port times.

We are onboard as well and took note of all the changes that results in a total of 14 hours less in port - the difference between the times provided on the final docs just few weeks ago and today's Currents. The havoc this has caused for ship and private excursions is not a great way to start a cruise.

I compared pricing for a West African itinerary on several lines, from premium to luxury. Seabourn Sojourn, 14 years old with only 450 passengers turned out to be less expensive per day, than the 24 year old Nautica with 684 passenger for virtually the same itinerary. Sojourn's basic veranda cabin has appx. 295' of indoor space vs 165' on Nautica. On a long cruise, space does matter to me. Throw in a walk-in closet, stocked bar, included premium spirits and comparable food (IMHO) and there was no question of which line to go with. The level of service and many included amenites made Seabourn an easy choice. I mentioned on the end of cruise survey when we left Vista that Oceania's pricing has edged up to where looking a true luxury lines makes a lot of sense. It pays to comparison shop, especially for the exotic itineraries.

Thank you for this information. We are communicating via WhatsApp and he is quoting about $82 USD($12. of it is the port fee). for pick up at the port to go to an airport hotel.

Smoking Policy from Vista last fall,

We ordered whatever we wanted (within reason) at the cocktail parties on Vista last fall.

The Final Cruise Vacation Summary that you receive via email just before the start of your cruise contains so much information that why wouldn't you print out at least that one page and bring it with you? Embarkation port information, Amenities, Prepurchased Tours, Itinerary AND Specialy Restaurant Reservations. Call me old fashioned but I like to have hard copies of everything pertaining to our trip and travel with all docs in a soft cover notebook.

We are on Riviera due to arrive HCMC on February 7. This was the corporate response to my question: The port we intend to use is : SPCT Hiep Phuoc Port, however this is subject to change at port authority discretion.

I think you can't get to the last step to print your boarding pass if you don't.

We're on the leg after you and got ours last week. Just get them at the pier. Enjoy your voyage!

We were in #7092 for Vista's first TA and the creaking was so bad I wrote it up on the mid-cruise comment card. We had someone from engineering come up and assure us it was from the ship being new. He said it was so loud throughout the ship that he could hear it in the hallways.

Many times there are upsell offers right before a cruise or upon embarkation, usually at an attractive discount. Nothing new or unfair. You just have to act quickly or know when to ask.

We too enjoyed it and think folks need to get over their grief about no Jacques on the new ships. We actually ate there 3x because prejudice about trying it made it very available. Baked potato soup, Burrata & lemon confit, and grilled beef tenderloin with chimichurri were delightful. Service was exceptional because they knew the pressure was on and they were working very hard to please.

The reusable take-away cups and lids on Seabourn were very nice. So nice that many were "going home" in guests' luggage and they were thinking about doing away with them and going back to paper. Hopefully they'll still be in use on our next Seabourn voyages.

Thank you for taking the time to share your first time impressions of Oceania. While they do describe their ships as "luxurious", Oceania is not a true luxury line, IMHO, We have found the service in the Grand Dining Room to be so inconsistent over the 18 years we're been sailing on O, that there have been some cruises where we never tried dining there at all. Too bad your experience with Terrace was so chaotic and that you didn't try Red Ginger, which is usually the most consistent in terms of quality and service. Itinerary, with a small(ish) ship, is the most important thing for us and with the way Oceania is now pricing its cruises, it is easier to find a true luxury voyage for just about the same amount of money. Sorry it was a bit of a disapointment for you and hope you pointed out the deficiencies on your final cruise survey.

There IS a mid-cruise survey.

I called Oceania. This is their emailed response: "The port we intend to use is : SPCT Hiep Phuoc Port, however this is subject to change at port authority discretion."

Google it. There are lots of articles on it involving everything from personal yachts to merchant vessels.

+1 Apparently many on here are unaware of the incident in 2008 when shots were fired at Nautica by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. She outran them without incident. Cruise lines have had security measures in place for many years for passing through these waters.

Don't think so. You needed to do while still on board. Send a letter to the corporate office.