bob brown

There’s no need for that…Oceania’s grilled hot dogs are just fine, as they are…😉

On the Vista Dec 18 - 30? Betsy and I are on that one…hope you join us! Betsy says, hi!

Hi Jan! Betsy says, hi!, too.🙂🙂

Favorite memory on Oceania? Easily this…July 9, 2019 Betsy and me on our wedding day aboard the Insignia…

We also had one for Don on our 2019 ATW cruise…

Well, it happened! As promised in a previous post, @zz19 delivered a package of Costco Chocolate Chunk cookies to me after he joined our ATW cruise in Tokyo (thanks again, Steve!). Yesterday, during our brunch in the Grand Dining Room, I had the opportunity to give some to our Executive Chef, Farid, and he liked them. He said he would share with our pastry chef. For dessert last night, I requested chocolate chip cookies, and the ones served were the best I have ever had on Oceania. If they were just a little moister, they would have been the equals of the Costco ones. On our cruise, the quality has been up and down, but I am hoping against hope that they will continue to be better. If they remain as good as last night’s, I will be very pleased.😋

I doubt that…Regent’s staterooms are at a higher level across the board than Oceania’s, from what I’ve read. And I agree with@Flatbush Flyer…why would NCLH want to exit a “niche” in the broad cruise market spectrum?

Our shorex price lists have a column for “supplemental” charge to be added to those already having O Life credit, for any tour priced over $199. The supplemental fee is not the full price for the more expensive tour, but it is more than the difference between $199. and the full price. For example, if a tour charge is $209., the supplemental fee may be $69., not just $10. I never could understand Oceania’s logic for that, and am glad that will disappear with Simply More.

Could be more complicated, based on past charges…under 0 Life, if an excursion price exceeded your $199. per excursion allowance, you had to pay much more than the difference between that and the price, in order to “upgrade” to the higher priced excursion. Under the new plan, that is no longer the case under Simply More, your excursion credit is applied to whatever the price is.

Our Oceania Club Ambassador, Cella, gave us aboard the Insignia on Monday, our future cruise presentation, and details (except fares, other than they would be rising), on the new Simply More program. For those booked prior to July 1st, for cruises starting October 1st, we would have the option to change from current program, either cruise only or O Life, to the new program Simply More, at the price in effect when the change is made. Or we could keep what we have. Further, if we currently have O Life booked, we could change it to cruise only, but would have to do that quickly, before July 1st…

Unless things have changed, I believe most of the passengers and crew on their voyages are German-speaking…I suppose they make bi-lingual or tri-lingual announcements on these voyages…

Thanks, I am aware of the other’s. None of them offer exactly what AQV currently does, nor at their fares.

Our Oceania Club Ambassador, Cella, did our Future Cruise presentation yesterday, and went over the new program, highlighting the differences. She confirmed that the included shipboard credit could only be applied for shorex, but could be applied to any excursion offered, regardless of price. They cannot be applied for pre or post cruise hotel stays, nor any enroute “overland” tours…

Yes. I zoomed in so you can see it better…

After flying in a trio of “techies” from Miami to work aboard the Insignia while were in Japan on various mechanical issues, including working on the frequently malfunctioning coffee machine in Horizons that I pictured in a previous post, they gave up on it and installed this new one…

My hope is that some other cruise line, either a start up with “deep pockets”, and experienced staff either purchase and refurb these two ships, or better yet, build new ones, and continue these itineraries; or an existing, well established one expand into this market and do likewise…

After reading this, I think you helped make up my mind about what I would do with my booked (canceled) 2024 Voyager cruise. At first I considered trying to switch to the last cruise this year if available, and delay my Mississippi River cruise until next year, if that option would work; but now I don’t think I would want to be on that last voyage, considering not so much the mechanical condition, but more on the morale of the crew. I will probably seek a full refund, and look for another cruise line, most likely Viking…

They do include a Bahaman port..

Don’t those ships reposition to do cruises along the southeast US coast each winter, or Bahamas/ Caribbean? The riverboats really don’t have much options…they don’t do the upper Mississippi or Ohio, only the lower Mississippi.

I looked at Pearl, but didn’t care for their itinerary…besides starting in Chicago, I really want to cruise the Seaway from Toronto to Montreal. I have already cruised the St. Lawrence from Montreal into the Atlantic…

Agreed…

Unlike the river cruises, which are all US registered boats, the Great Lakes ships are foreign registered, and they comply with PVSA rules, starting voyages in either US or Canada, and ending in the other country. That’s why they can employ foreign crew.

September 28 - October 10, Ocean Voyager, Chicago to Montreal…

I would have thought that AQV, being part of the larger Hornblower group, would have deep enough pockets to invest more in this market…🤷‍♂️

I was going to ask…the news can’t be very good for crew morale. Hope they don’t sail with “one foot already off the ship” attitude….🙁