doowopbob

2 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Amen 😀

I second that 😊

We have a $1425 OBC through our TA which is fully refundable.  On a recent Seabourn cruise we had over $1000 obc which was not refundable and caused us to buy a lot of stuff from the overpriced shops which we really didn't have much use for.  Refundable is the best.

3 hours ago, AlohaLivin said:

@doowopbob  I tried, google rejected it for the share. It must be an address that is associated with a Google account (was having to try via mobile but it rejected the attempt there)

Not sure what the problem would be.  My e-mail is not associated with an Google account.   I do have a Gmail account. Maybe you can try that.  It's doowopbob1947@gmail.com.  Thanks for trying.

Hi AlohaLivin 

    Would appreciate a copy of your map whenever you have time.  My email is  bobw@valornet.com

21 hours ago, offtoalaska said:

Your final documents will indicate the formal night(s); we typically get that package 3-4 weeks in advance.  Our experience has been that the first formal night is on the first sea day.  Not sure how many there will be on your itinerary; in January during our 14 day Caribbean cruise we had two; on a 12 day voyage I don't know.  BTW that's a nice itinerary.  Our favorite stop is Terre de Haut on Iles des Saintes ; rent an e-bike or electric cart from Green Car in advance; fun way to see the island.  The rentals need to be booked ahead of time; we missed out last trip as nothing was available.

Our final documents have nothing in them that indicate how many formal nights on our 20 day cruise.  Where did you see this info?

5 hours ago, Mark56 said:

Wouldn’t bother me either way. The captain and officers are there to give excellent service and their primary job is to run the ship safely. 

Exactly how we feel

34 minutes ago, Arizonasunshine said:

Not accurate, Azamara does change wines daily, but if you find one you really like all you have to do is ask your server, he or she will get it for you.

That was not our experience.  We had to go to the front desk and complain before we could get the wine we wanted if it wasn't the wine of the day.  Asking our server did nothing.  It was several years ago so maybe their policy has changed.

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Azamara  has liquor included  ..this is important to some  who may come from mass market lines where you pay for your  drinks

 

I recall someone sailed Oceania on the O class ship ..they did the drink package but were put off by having to sign  a chit

They tried Azamara  & loved it

Go Figure 🙄

 

Rating are just  opinions based on personal preferences of those  voting 

JMO

We always do the drink package and have never had to sign a chit.  You give them your card and they ring it up and give your card back.  Also on Azamara the liquor included is very basic. If you want anything better you pay for it. You couldn't even get the same wine two days in a row.

We were recently on Riviera.  We have been on a number of cruises with Dottie and her husband Tom.  We consider Dottie the best cruise director we have come across in quite a few cruises. She announces the activities for the day and than later for the evening.  We certainly don't see any problem with that.

Just got back from 2 week Caribbean cruise on Riviera and had no problem getting lounges on the spa deck either in the am or the afternoon. 

On 2/3/2019 at 8:39 AM, ICT lineman said:

We were on Riveria last Saturday January 26 which docked in the Port of Miami Terminal J at 6:00 AM. There were already 5 mega ships docked along the northside of the Port berths.

 

Disembarkation is from Deck 6 mid-ship and by 7:30 Martinis lounge was packed with passengers. We kept our 3 pieces of luggage with us [many others did also] and were off the ship at 8:10 AM, straight through the Passport check point, into a taxi at 8:20 AM and at MIA airport at 8:50 AM for a 10:55 flight.

 

Taxi fare from the Port to MIA is a flat $27 USD. If you let Oceania book your air, they will not book your flight before 12 noon.

We also were on this cruise.  We had a 12:20 flight.  We walked out of our stateroom at 8am, picked up our bags in the terminal, were picked up by uber within minutes, arrived at the airport, checked in, went through security and were at our gate at 9am. Unfortunately than we had to wait for several hours for our flight in what I consider one of the worst airports we've ever been in.

12 hours ago, LHT28 said:

do they have paper straws now?

Yes they do.  Just came back from cruise on Marina.  For the first part they had no straws at all, then you got the paper ones which to be honest I would rather have none.

Do they still have the built in DVD players in the PH on Riviera ?  Looks like they have removed them on the smaller ships.

Has anyone gone on the 5 day pre-cruise Alaska Denali Experience?  If so can you give me an idea of the cost and if it was worth it.  Also what size plane do they use to fly from Talkeetna to Anchorage.  I'll never get my wife on a small plane.

13 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Very true. It all depends on what you drink. For some what’s included will suffice. We’ll be upgrading to the Ultimate Package for $20 a day. 

I upgraded to the ultimate package and couldn't get a glass of port after dinner without paying full price for it.  Mind you we are not talking an expensive port. 

On 11/5/2018 at 3:51 AM, DavidTheWonderer said:

 

On Azamara drinks are available any time all included (not "free", you paid for it as part of your fare). The super top shelf brands are extra. 

Not just the "super top shelf" brands.  I had to upgrade to get Barcardi Gold Rum instead of the included Barcardi Silver.  They cost exactly the same at home.

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I'll try and see if Seabourn can make an adjustment to the bed or i'll bring the risers that I use at home.

Anyone know if there is anyway to raise the head of the bed. I suffer from Reflux and have my bed at home chocked up which helps with my problem. Anyone else have this problem and if you do how do you cope on a cruise?

Worthy of considering: O drinks are $10-25 depending @ The pour is on the skimpy side most wishing a regular drink order doubles...or more. a 18% tip is added to everything with booze in it $25 corkage per bottle.

 

If you have lots of sea days the amount you will probably spend is or will be far greater than you anticipate. It is very, very easy to be in a warm tropical region, at sea day and discover your spending well over 100-150 pp !!!

 

Many opt for the 2 for 1 at Happy hour 5-6 and 10-11 both of which can be real crowd events similar to after Christmas sales at walmart that some endure and love to fight for a space. You will save but pay a price for it.

 

On the other hand, if its a port intensive...port-port-port the package might not be as good a value as you not around the bars all day long

If you choose the basic wine and beer during meals, consider its only $20 more for everything all the time and a wise purchase... but only for certain and physical time restraints.

.

Its best not to pre-buy a package till the 2nd or even better 3rd day of the cruise so that you can calculate just what it is really costing you without a package.. ( the second day is the captains welcome and has free drinks for about 2 hours)

Then if your habits warrant, buy a package

 

Consider that with a package and unlimited drinks each day, after 10 days you may get to a point where your drinking less and less. Recognize your not 22 any more on spring break and there will be a point where liquor in unlimited quantity looses its appeal. On a 21 day cruise I have observed, and you might have too, that people eat and drink less and less each day. The company recognizes this too and booking you a 14 day or 21 or 28 day package is highly profitable.

 

The final option is bring your own and sip in the cabin.... or discover, like many that you can be very happy without drinking.

 

Hope this helps you make a decision

We usually sign up for the premium plan the second half of our cruise and bring our own on board for the first half unless we choose the beverage plan for O choice. Than we sign up for the premium plan the first day. We find we always get our moneys worth mainly because we can drink higher end liquor which we prefer, but are to cheap to spring for if we have to pay. Also we do not care for the happy hours because as mentioned previously they are very crowded and finding a seat is a real challenge.

I agree

I saw one of the servers in the Terrace grab the tongs from the cold meat tray just as a passenger was reaching for it :D

she was faster than the guy

 

He was just so impatient & could not wait for her to serve the person ahead of him

On the Regatta I saw an older gentleman reach in and grab some bacon with his bare hands when the server had looked away. Told my wife not to have any bacon that day.

Another vote for the Sapphire Reserve card. We had a trip to Vegas and a Seabourn cruise planned and had to cancel both due to an unexpected medical emergency. We were rein-versed for both in full. When I called our TA to cancel he asked which insurance we had. When I told him we had the Reserve card he said that was very good. A lot less hassle then most of the other insurance plans.

We were on the Regatta doing a Northeast cruise when we ran into Hurricane Sandy. The 36 hours from Halifax to Boston were really bad. You could hear the dishes crashing onto the floors. Everyone pretty much stayed in their cabins. We were in the most forward cabin on a high deck which was about the worst place to be. We didn't get sick but it was a close thing.

Our next cruise was also on the Regatta and when we crossed over from Bermuda to Norfolk we ran into a storm that was as bad as the Sandy cruise. Don't you know it, we had the same cabin. A chair in the room fell over and broke my Wife's big toe. Needless to say we will never book that cabin again !!!!! Highly recommend Bonine.

We have sailed on Oceania 7 times and Seabourn once. The Seabourn ships compare in size to Oceania's R class ships. The Penthouse cabins on Oceania are basically the same as the Veranda cabins on Seabourn. I found the food and the service to be equal on both lines. Definitely liked the included drinks on Seabourn. I agree that probably helps bring more people into the lounges at night. On Oceania we often were the only ones in the lounge after the show. We have another cruise booked on Seabourn. Depending on itinerary and cost we would gladly sail on either line.

So thanks to those that responded. We signed up for this cruise today and are looking forward to it very much. We will arrive in Buenos Aries a day early as there is apparently much to see. Any suggestions as to a good hotel?

 

 

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I started a Roll Call for this cruise. Check it out.

Have early arrival (6:15am) at EZE. Ship is overnight in Buenos Aires. Would like to be picked up at airport and taken on perhaps a 4 hour tour and than dropped off at the port. Anyone have any suggestions?