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17 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Your previous post said you sent it to NCL   so just curious

enjoy

I originally sent to NCL in June per a posting on here back then.  They never responded to tell me I needed to send it elsewhere so it wasn't until I saw the post this week that I quickly sent it again to Oceania (one day before the deadline, whew).

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Are you sailing on NCL or Oceania?

 If Oceania  you need to send it to them as per the instructions 

see post #39 for the link

I'm sailing on Oceania and sent it off this morning.  

On 6/29/2022 at 12:24 PM, Stockjock said:

When you complete this form and the appropriate proof of shareholder ownership, send the form to:

shareholderbenefit@oceaniacruises.com

I had initially sent it to NCL, which was incorrect.  It's not like RCCL, where they use one contact for all of their brands in terms of shareholder benefits.

Thanks for that information.  I had sent my form to NCL; hopefully my form will arrive in time as I sail on 21 July.

Protocols are constantly changing in each country.  What may be the rule today, may very well be changed again tomorrow.  You just have to keep checking each country's website and Oceania's website.  And the cruiseline may decide to have their own restrictions.  I just got off a Hurtigruten cruise where masks were required indoors even though Norway had lifted their mask mandate.

I'll be sailing on the Marina next month in the Baltic and I had a few questions for folks who have been on her recently.

What times are the Terrace and Waves restaurants open?  What time is Afternoon Tea served and is that at an indoor area?

How early does the pool open in the morning?

Thanks for any information.

14 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Coffee & sodas are included in the fare  but you could always use it for an extra excursion one not covered by O Life

But it does exclude pre-booked tours so I would have to wait til I was on board and hope there was room left.

12 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

This link is handy:

https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/nclhltd/files/documents/Shareholder+Benefit+FAQs.pdf

 

 #7 "...Certificate value credited to onboard
account at the time of sailing and may not be used toward onboard service charges or
pre-purchased activities. ..."

 

For more, scroll to the bottom of https://www.nclhltd.com/investors and choose a link under "Shareholder Benefit"

Thanks for that link.  Not good news for me as I don't know what I will use it for as my only spending would be the gratuities and pre-booked excursions as I don't drink alcohol, coffee or soda.

Can the Shareholders OBC be used for gratuities?

I've cruised in UK region in summer and where I hit the really bad crowd problems were the international arrivals areas in airports.  Once spent over 2 hours in passport line at Heathrow and almost missed my connecting flight.  But in general things will be busier in those months which I why i prefer May and September. If your journey involves any trains, they will also be busy so it pays to book first class where available.

However, with fewer choices in rebooking all my cancelled 2020, the 2021 cruises, I've also ended up with a July/August cruise this year.

Plenty of places to get your Covid test in Barcelona: https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/covid/covid-test-in-barcelona.html

15 hours ago, Scorer9 said:

We are currently on a cruise of the Scottish Western Isles, starting and finishing in Greenock. "White" face masks are mandatory at all ties in public indoor areas, apart from when eating or drinking. Everyone is complying without complaint.

Sounds great.  Thanks for the latest info.  

On 4/23/2022 at 4:02 PM, whiteowl uk said:

You are missing the point. 

 

Oceania does not require masks outside Europe but is quoting a non existent rule for Europe. We need some consistency here.

The consistancy is "wear a mask" when on board indoors.  

And we are hoping the mask requirement stays in place for all indoor areas except when eating or drinking.  It's about showing concern for other people.  Vaccines only protect a person from getting seriously ill with Covid; they do not prevent you from carrying the virus and giving it to others.

18 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Have you check the itinerary on O website to see if has changed  since March?

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/baltic-cruises/copenhagen-to-stockholm-MNA220721/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2022-7|2022-8%26marketing_region%3Dbalticandscandinavia%26ship%3DMNA%26sort%3Dfeatured%3Adesc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

Yes, I've been keeping my eye on that.

Any changes to 2022 summer Baltic cruises, other than the changes announced back in March?  I'm booked on 21 July Marina.

7 hours ago, Go2See said:

Hi

Any info about the British Isles cruises would be welcome.  I really want to see Iona and some of the other outer islands.

Also wonder about the walks or excursions- looks like they are all complimentary as they were on the Svalbard expedition (except Kayaking).

How difficult is it to get to Dover from London airports?

The airfare is absurd - so want to make sure it will be an amazing experience ( like gentle walks, sea breezes, water, calm environment)  not so excited about the super huge cruise lines any more.

Please any info is more than I have.

Thank YOU !!!!

Dover is a bit tougher to get to from the London Airports than Southampton which has direct National Express bus service from Heathrow.  You will need to go into central London via bus or the tube and then transfer to another National Express bus at Victoria Coach Station or train at various possible train stations including Victoria.  From Gatwick you can take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria train station and then transfer there to another train to Dover.

16 hours ago, LHT28 said:

There is a small list of select cruise with reduced SS

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/single-supplement/

 just depends if they suit your  needs/wants

We always see  quite a few solo cruisers on O 

Darn, the cruise I just booked a few weeks ago is now listed for a reduced single supplement.

17 hours ago, TFree said:

This won't be much help, because it was not Covid related, but we were on Marina in October.  One evening, my wife didn't feel well, and ended up being sick to her stomach.  Overnight and in the morning, I was sick to my stomach 3 times.  We called the onboard medical department, and the ship doctor called back almost immediately, and several people came to our cabin in semi-hazmat suits and tested us for Covid.  A short time later, they called to say that we did not have Covid, but that we were confined to the cabin (our own cabin) for 24 hours, and the doctor prescribed something for me.  We could order food and drinks, but we could not leave the cabin.  After 24 hours we were fine, and were released from the quarantine.  There was no charge for any of the medical costs.

 

Incidentally, we are quite certain that we got food poisoning from hot dogs served at the poolside grill, because during the rest of the cruise we heard reports of 1 or 2 others who ate hot dogs there and got sick.  As one of our kids said, "you go on a fancy cruise and you eat hot dogs?"  But it seemed like a good idea for a snack at the time.  

 

We eventually got a call from the head chef, who was being a bit careful about exactly what he said, but basically apologized for what had happened.

 

Tom & Judy

That's a bummer to hear as I often will treat myself to a hotdog on a cruise, whereas I don't normally eat them at home.

I will be following this thread as I'm cruising with O this summer.  My question centers around shore tours.  If someone on your tour bus should test positive in the days following a tour, will everyone who was on the same bus be quarantined?  That would be a big deciding factor in whether I booked any shore tours at all on my upcoming cruise.

My only frustrating customer service issue with Oceania has been with the Oceania Club department.  For over two years I have tried to get them to correct the website that shows I have no prior cruises with them, which is not true.  It took my TA a while to get them to find my club number when she recently booked a solo cruise for me and now I am trying to get my husband's club number as we just booked a joint cruise and the TA could not get them to look it up.  All I get are automated responses saying "Thank you for contacting us for more information. Please note that all correspondence is answered in the order in which it is received and every effort will be made to respond to you within a timely manner."

On 3/4/2022 at 2:37 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Choose the excursions option for your O Life perk. If the O Life SBC option is $600 per cabin the tours option will instead be 6 tours per cabin (ergo basic value at $100 each). However, the allowable tours to pick from can retail for up to $199 each (and no OE or OS designation on the tour number). Thus, if you select the most expensive allowable tours that interest you, the value of the $600 perk can be almost doubled to just under $1200!

At the same time, on the first page of the shore excursions PDF (accompanies your O invoice email) and in your account on the O web (in the ship for tours section) it will tell you how many minimum tours per person you must order (including your O Life ones) to qualify for the YWYW 25% discount on any paid ones in the group. 
We pretty much always do this and then add some private tours from certain providers in certain locations.

Do not take the O Life SBC. The extra cost of O Life fare with SBC and without air is exactly the same as the O “cruise only” fare plus the value of the SBC. (It’s a “wash.” You are paying for the SBC upfront). Only the tours or booze O Life options have any real extra value.

 

I could go on but, I (and others) have posted extensive notes here on the CC O forum regarding O Life strategies, air fare, booze, Platinum Cruise etc. Use the search feature here and you’ll find every answer a newbie needs. 

Can I ask what "YWYW" stands for?  I've been reading through this thread and finding the information fascinating.  I recently booked an Oceania cruise without OLife and then was shocked to see how much the tours were listed for.  I'm thinking of going with OLife (without air) for my next booking and want to get it "right" this time.

Thanks for the information.

Some of the  B1 cabins on Deck 6 of Sirena are located over Dining Room.  Has anyone who has stayed in one of these cabins eve had a problem with noise from below in the evenings?

I am looking at a possible cruise on the Dawn this summer but had a couple of questions.  Do the Balcony cabins have a refrigerator or just an ice bucket?  Is there a kettle or coffee machine for heating hot water?  What about in the Club Balcony Suites?  Do the Club Balcony Suites qualify for free room service (I know the Balcony cabins do not)?  Thanks.

Just talked to P&O about the July and August Baltic cruises.  They now are saying they don't know exactly when they will finalize the itinerary changes-it's very frustrating as I really want to book the best option for this summer. Other cruise lines have all announced their revised itineraries, but the are larger American ships and I'd really sail on either the adult only Arcadia or Azura.  If I wait will I lose out on other options?