deck chair

Hi! FYI, the smaller R class ships have abbreviated promenades on deck five. Check out the deck plans. This is one of my favorite spaces because there is peace and quiet except for the beautiful sounds of the sea. It's a great place to sit or nap in the shade under a lifeboat. It's a marvelous place to sit and read, chat with your fellow passengers (And even crew) and simply watch the sea and scenery go by. Unfortunately, the larger O ships such as Vista, Marina and Riviera have no such spaces which is the main reason I will not sail on them. Good luck! Deck Chair.

Hello: It really is amazing how quickly the OP goes off topic. This is the question for Cunard Line especially if they want to enhance revenue: Do you maintain the boring almost lifeless and not particularly popular Verandah restaurant as is OR transform the space to a lively SUPPER CLUB such as existed on the original Queen Mary and no doubt Queen Elizabeth and currently exists on Silversea and RCL's Icon of the Seas or leave it as it is? For your information, the supper clubs on Silversea and Icon of the Seas are apparently very popular. This has nothing to do with climbing walls or zip lines. Be well. Deck Chair

Hello one and all! I have done two cruises with Oceania as a solo traveler. 20 days on the Sirena Winter 2023 and just returned from 40 days on the Insignia. (LA to Sydney.) I have booked another 77 days for this coming January 2025 on the Insignia from Miami to Singapore. That should tell you something. I found the food to be very good to excellent. Sure, there were some misses, but they were rare. I am not very picky and don't look for problems. The staff on the ships were fantastic. I made sure to sit in the same section in the GDR for dinner and breakfast so generally had the same waiters which goes a long way towards having a superior dining experience. I loved the cruise director Dottie who worked hard and was very good with the passengers. The tendering operations went well. I pretty much did my own excursions often with fellow passengers. I don't like being herded around on a crowded bus with guides who talk too much. Best to do your own thing where you are independent and stop where you want when you want. No waiting around for missing passengers who those who don't get back to the bus at the appointed time. And too, doing your own thing is a certainly cheaper than the ship sponsored tours. I have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time. Yes, I understand the consequences if you don't! What I didn't like: The very annoying intrusive 2-3 announcements about what was going on for the day. NOTE TO OCEANIA: Passengers can read CURRENTS!!! They are not blind! You will never hear such announcements on Cunard ships except for the captain's noon report. What I didn't like part two: Oceania caters apparently to mostly very early diners. All the parties were scheduled for about 5:30 . I normally had dinner about 8 so had zero interest in attending such early pre-dinner cocktail affairs. Couldn't Oceania also schedule another set of parties for many of us who have later dinners? I am not holding my breath. What I didn't like part three: Again, because Oceania caters to a mostly retired population who prefer to eat early there was NO live piano music in Martinis between 7-10. The lounge was a dead zone. No wonder! No draw. Sure, the string quartet played in the hall space but that is hardly a cocktail lounge setting and really didn't draw that many people. Why I won't sail on the larger ships: I am quite aware of the advantages of sailing on the larger ships. One of my favorite places to sit on a ship is the promenade deck such as exists on Cunard ships. I love to sit on a comfy deck chair under a lifeboat in the shade, watch the sea go by, read and char with fellow passengers who wander by. It is so peaceful. Quiet. The sunsets are to die for and so is the passing scenery. Such a space is found on deck 5 on the R class ships. Such spaces do not exist on the larger ships. I wish all a happy day. Deck Chair.

Great pictures. Thank you for the post. It's a shame there will be no real promenade deck such as exists on the other Cunard ships. Deck Chair.

Hi I will be taking my third Oceania cruise this January on Insignia. One of the calls is Tristan De Cuna, a very sparsely populated isolated island in the middle of the South Atlantic. Obviously, weather dependent, I have seen nothing about our day long visit in shore excursions and so am wondering how we will be getting ashore to explore since there does not appear to be any formal landing area that could accommodate the tenders. The island only has a population of about 300 people living in a small village. Your thoughts please. Thank you and be well. Deck Chair.

Hi one and all! I have sailed on QM2 over 40 times since 2006. I have never found the Verandah Restaurant (Formerly Todd English) especially interesting. IMHO is a boring lifeless place even if the food is very good. It could be so much more, like the original Verandah Grill on the Queen Mary. I have been watching YouTube videos of the EMPIRE SUPPER CLUB on the new Icon of the Seas and the SILVER NOTE on Silversea cruise line ships. Both are specialty dining rooms offering subtle live music and a beautiful vibe: HIGH DEMAND GO TO PLACES because they are full of life, good food and drink. So, I ask myself, why can't Cunard Line do this on the Queen Mary 2? Why can't Verandah also be a high demand go to place full of life instead of the boring place it is now. By the way, it's been my experience that the Verandah is rarely fully booked. No wonder! It has the personality of an ash tray. Cunard, you can do better! Deck Chair.

You will want to double check the deck plans to make sure it is NOT a connecting cabin. Deck Chair.

The lack of a proper promenade deck is a significant flaw on this ship with 3000 passengers. On beautiful balmy sea days where will these people go for fresh sea air and not feel considerably squeezed in. (If they can ever find a deck chair that is.) It is the reason I will not sail on this ship. Of course, I may be proven wrong, but I seriously doubt it. Whoever was responsible should be held accountable. (But they won't be.) The picture below is of the Queen Mary 2 glorious promenade deck.

Do you know your cabin number at this point? Deck Chair.

Great question!! I was very concerned about noise with that cabin. It tuned out it was wonderful. No noise and very convenient. On rare occasions there would be some minor noise when the port side on deck four was used for the gangway and that was only when they were setting up. Normally, the gangway was located on deck 3 so far away. Do not be concerned. I would take that cabin in a heartbeat.

The bus took us to KINGS STREET WHARF. Deck Chair.

I have sailed on both Sirena for 20 days January 2022 and most recently for 40 days on Insignia from LA to Sydney. I was in an Oceanview on deck 4. (4056). Yes, the shower is very small. I am 6'2 weigh 200 lbs and made do. It helps there is a glass door. I have heard some passengers use the gym showers as an alternative but to me that's a hassle. The cabin itself is adequate. Was travelling solo. Not sure if it would work for a couple. Tons of storage though. With the single supplement so high paying for a PH for more space and larger shower doesn't make sense to me. I like the R class ships because of the quiet 5 deck promenade deck lined with deck chairs. Perfect place to read and watch the ocean go by as you sit in the shade under lifeboats. I will never sail on the newer ships because most unfortunately, they do not have that feature. I am hoping to sail in January 2025 on the INSIGNIA from Miami to Singapore no doubt in an OV. Thats says it all. Hope this helps. Deck Chair.

Hello! I was just on the INSIGNIA arriving in Sydney February 22. while it was disappointing, we didn't dock in Circular Quay Oceania did provide a shuttle to the CBD from the White Bay Cruise Terminal. Have fun. Deck Chair.

Hello! I have been a Diamond member for years and do not recall a lunch benefit as such except for the verandah lunch you can use during the voyage or in one of the pop up specialty dinner restaurants on deck 7. This email communication from Cunard is not clear. Deck Chair

It is most unfortunate that there will be NO true promenade deck on QA as exists on the other ships. It will be mostly very narrow, and most views blocked by lifeboats. Cunard must be hoping that no one notices. What a shame and it is the reason I will never book her. FYI, I just came off the Christmas cruise on QM2 and when the weather was nice the promenade deck was hugely popular, and it was often hard to find a deck chair. Deck Chair

Hello! One thing to do is not rely on the Cunard Website. You or your TA needs to call up Cunard and ask directly. Good luck. Deck Chair

Hi. Because of the single supplement in this case, I am paying about $21,000 for an Oceanview on deck 4. This is for a 40 day cruise from LA to Sydney. Deck Chair.

Hello! Thank you for all your interesting responses. I am reading many opinions, speculations and guesses but few hard facts regarding this change of itinerary. Strange how it was announced after final payment. If it had been before final payment I would have cancelled and booked the Queen Mary 2 to get me to Australia. What would be truly helpful, and illuminating is for Oceania to explain exactly why these changes were made instead of just blaming BERTHING CONFLICTS. The fact that Oceania has failed to do to leads me to suspect they are just out to save money, the consumer be damned. As I indicated in my OP, I have been sailing on ships such as the QE2 and Sagafjord for many decades and except for a very few weather-related causes have never experienced any changes in itineraries until Oceania. As I said, most especially because of their growing reputation for unreliable itineraries I will think twice before I book another Oceania cruise. Thanks again for all your comments and thoughts. Be well. Deck Chair.

Hello: I typically sail with Cunard line but decided to try Oceania and the Sirena this past January on a 20 day cruise from Miami. I had a fabulous time, fabulous enough that I booked a 40 day cruise on the Insignia from LA to Sydney on the Insignia, a segment of the ATW. I was very recently informed that there have been changes to the itinerary: 1. Kailua-Kona has been added with port times 8-6. 2. Hilo is now 7-4 from7-5. 3. Nawiliwili has been added with port times 11-5:30. (Why even bother?) 4. Maui has been eliminated. (No surprise.) 5. Honolulu has been changed to 7-5 from 8-10. (Shorted by FIVE hours!) 6. Nuku Hiva has been eliminated. I am most disappointed the call to Honolulu has been drastically shortened. All these changes were blamed by Oceania on "BERTHING CONFLICTS!) Count me as skeptical given Oceania's growing reputation for changing port calls and times. Is Oceania telling us that port spaces were not fixed well before the routes were published and then sold to the unsuspecting public? O t could it be that Oceania is doing this to save money and screw the public? If that is true, it tells me that Oceania is incompetent and cannot be trusted. It also causes me to worry that our several port call sin New Zealand and French Polynesia will be altered as well for some reason. It's too late to cancel because final payment was months ago. I have been sailing on ships since I was six years old, a passage from New York to Beirut. I have been on countless hips on countless voyages over my many decades on our beautiful planet. I quite understand can change routing and owe passengers nothing. In this immediate case, for these changes is very suspicious. Not weather related or due to political unrest. Guess how many times itineraries have been changed on my many ocean sailings on such ships as the LURLINE, FRANCE, LEONARD DA VINCI, OCEANIC, ROTTERDAM And others. Four to five changes all weather related. What is with Oceania? Unless I am missing something I don't get the sense other cruise lines have these same issues. This episode has left a bad taste in my mouth, and I will think twice before booking them again notwithstanding all their many qualities. I could go on, but I think readers will get the point. Be well. Deck Chair.

Not good news that Dottie is going to be CD from LA to Sydney. She LOVES making announcements. She is an excellent CD otherwise. Hope Oceania ends this low rent practice before I sail in January.

I was on the Sirena this past January for 20 days. It was my first Oceania cruise. Out cruise director was Dottie who made many annoying, incessant and mostly unnecessary announcements. It was especially bothersome when I was trying to enjoy a quiet breakfast in the GDR. It was a shame because otherwise she is an excellent CD. I just hope I don't have to endure this while I am on the Insignia for 40 days on the trans-pacific to Australia. I typically sail on Cunard Line where there are no announcements unless necessary. Announcements are limited to the captain's noon report. Deck Chair.

Thank you for your review. QV u sed to be my favorite after QM2 but after the refit when the Chart Room was removed to make way for the BC restaurant it is no longer. The new Chart Room is crowded without much comfortable seating. And no live music as there used to be in the old. In addition, with the added cabins the regular dining room became more crowded. I don't get the enthusiasm for the new QA. The ship won't even have a real promenade deck such as exists on the other Cunard ships. Good luck to all. Deck Chair.

Hi! That is so awesome of you to share your thoughts about your Insignia cruise. I will be on her for 40 days on a LA to Sydney passage in January. I t typically sail on Cunard Line. Announcements unless absolutely necessary are limited to the captain's noon report on Cunard ships. Thank GOD! I am wondering if the Insignia CD made incessant, intrusive and annoying announcements about events that are already in the program as if the passengers are blind or haven't learned to read yet. If that is the case, it will mirror what I experienced on the Sirena for 20 days this past Winter. I could never get a clear answer if this was corporate policy or left up to the CD. Any thoughts? Thanks again for your review. Be well. Deck Chair.

Hi! I have used CCL shares for OBCs for years. Plan on doing so for my next two voyages in 2023-24.. This seems very strange, and I wonder if you have received wrong information from whoever handled this. Please don' t drop this. Find out! Good luck.

Hi! I assume you are in America. No need to purchase trip insurance until after final payment. Trip insurance through your travel agency or cruise line is not often the best with respect to coverage and cost. Always compare policies. Best site for that is INSUREMYTRIP. It will ask you a few quest ions such as your age, destination and duration of trip. Based on your answers it will then offer you a variety of policies from different companies. Carefully look at each one and decide on the best one that meets your needs. You have plenty of time to look. Good luck. Deck Chair.