hawkesbaynz

We are very happy with the Concierge cabin. The extra wardrobe space and opportunity to have more speciality meals is a bonus in PH but we could book another holiday with the difference! Access to the concierge lounge for convenience of drinks is great for my wife who does not breakfast. I even managed to hop in the jacuzzi on the forward ‘retreat’ deck today. I enjoy Luminae & Blu on Celebrity but the food that O offers is so much better. Terry If you enjoy a premium included beverage package on Celebrity and you use it to the full, plan for the extra expense on O. We purchased several great bottles of wines from vineyards in Chile and are happy to pay the corkage. Enjoy a G&T in our cabin. Collecting airpoints (churning cards) is a hobby so I can fly business class. I would never pay for BC. Would fly premium economy or even let DW fly PE and I would go in the back! We have three Celebrity cruises and a Princess cruise booked in 23/24. Am seriously considering booking another O cruise onboard. Just love the food!

We are currently on the Marina too. Great so far! We flew direct from London to Santiago in Business class. Used airpoints. Flight was fine! Santiago and Valparaiso are great. We are in a concierge verandah. Plenty of space although the wardrobe is a bit cramped although we have overpacked (3 cases). Glad we booked a mid-ship balcony. Possibly the 7th floor maybe better too. Although I would say that the seas have not been rough you can feel it more at the bow and aft.

On Sirena in November there always seems to be classes when I was in the gym. Same few faces every session. Yoga, Pilates, spin, stretch etc.

Can you not take it to dinner, and not pay the corkage? Is it really that bad? I think we took the last one home and gave it to our neighbour who will drink anything.

Looking forward to it in next month. Thanks for the reminder about the binoculars. Already purchased the anti-emetics and seasickness medications. Hopefully ours will be calmer……… and get to the Falklands. Enjoy the remainder of the cruise.

Am off to Chile this week prior to Marina cruise. We have a couple of tours from Santiago which include vineyards😃. Also a foodie tour which am sure will include beverage purchase opportunities. Will be buying gin at Heathrow. My question is: Do I have to carry the purchased wine/liquor onto the ship or can it go in the suitcases (I have reinforced bubble wrap sleeves).

Fingers crossed for the Marina tendering for the Falklands next month. Can only be optimistic. I will start looking at weather a few days prior. Unfortunately even flying there cannot be guaranteed as some flights are diverted to Chile due to the harsh weather.

Great TP. Reminds me we must return to NZ to visit friends soon. Admittedly I do not wish to travel that far just to visit friends (DW does). Your cruise has given me a cunning plan for a trip back😀

Thanks @Buckeye94 for the Trip Report. We will be sailing a similar itinerary in a few weeks and this has give us some insight. We booked many tours with ToursbyLocals. See www.tourguideushuaia.net Not sure I could do a cruise without my wife. However I usually ski in France/Austria a couple of times a year by myself. Ski hard all day (off-piste) and read/iPad in the evenings.

I am keen to try the Virgin product. Some of Branson's Virgin branded products have been poor but the cruise line seems to have been well thought out. Particularly like adult-only, no MDRs, reasonably priced drinks (I do not need a paid for beverage package). Hopefully will expand their itineraries as a bit limited at the moment. Virgin have offered cruises in exchange for virgin points. Last summer I believe about 120,000 and are still offering short cruises ex-Miami for less points. We have about 180,000 and no desire to fly to the USA so hoping there is an offer this Summer so we can try it out. I will pay for a cruise otherwise but love a deal. Viking cruises? Starts with a V but a different animal to Virgin cruises. An older demographic and much more expensive. Will give it a try one day.

I have noticed that they have started calling the non-speciality dining ‘Complementary’ as if it is free and they are doing us a favour. A word that has always stuck in my throat like the complementary sweets provided on cheap airlines.

Am also a local. You can eat Italian and the usual Shopping Mall type stuff at home. Wetherspoons……. 🤭only if I am dining alone and have something to read😳. There is a great Indian Restaurant between the Holiday Inn and the Ferry Terminal. Kutis. Excellent Indian food that I have never come across in the USA. Have a beer in the Dancing Man across the road. The food is good too if you are not into the spice.

We are currently trying Oceania (cruises Nov 22 & Feb 23) and have been reading up on the Oceania Forum and other social media sites. There has been a fair amount of grumbling about the quality of the vaunted best cuisine at sea and service. We found the food great but service no better than Xs. Less personal. Very different entertainment (zzzz). The CC Forum has hardcore O groupies who will be on every thread whilst the other site has a wider group of respondents. Oceania's alleged new trick is to sail slowly to save fuel (claiming good for the environment). This has limited time ashore for trips. Oceania is well known for great itineraries but it is frustrating when you only get six hours in Port xxx when you need eight hours because the sites are two hours by road. The 'sailors' on the Virgin Voyages topics page seem a happy bunch. Just wish Virgin did longer more interesting cruises. I have three more X cruises (and am trying Princess too). Fingers crossed.

NCL are now offering 10% discount to US military/retired which is great news. Apparently need to verify details via ID Me. There has been a thread on the NCL Board. https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-launches-new-military-appreciation-program-in-advance-of-us-veterans-day However they are yet to offer discount to British Military, and no doubt other NATO countries. That I am aware. I have raised this with the Defense Discount Service which I use to gain 10% with Celebrity. Am keen to try NCL and the 10% will help. Anyone know any different?

I feel like I have been ‘ambushed’! Was not even aware there was raisin oatmeal cookies available. Been on several X cruises. I enjoy lobster but cannot understand the obsession on these boards. We have a light lunch so MDR choice fine. I wish X would spend a bit more on the electricity in the gym and turn the A/C up. It’s not a pleasant temperature for a work out. Agree with the concerning deterioration with sundries. Never occurred to me to order off MDR menu in Blu. Have done in Luminae only as it was offered. Why pay extra? Just book Verandah and pay for speciality dining. Living in Southampton the exorbitant increase in Apex pricing in comparison with Silhouette will certainly turn me to other lines. We are trying Oceania - food and itineraries great but relaxed evening vibe (I am being kind).

OMG are they serious! For that price I could fly from the UK to the Maldives for a Weeks AI and have a better personal sand bar in front of my beach bungalow😮! I will check my tours tomorrow😀

Oops wrong date. I often get ideas for excursions by reviewing other Roll Calls. There were slim picking for 2020, 21 & 22 though. The Nautica is doing a similar itinerary too. After the movement of the Sirena in the Caribbean in November I am glad we are on the bigger ship....and I am a small yacht sailor. We took the OBC for the cruise (I know now we could have had a price reduction but O can confuse a newbie). We will put it against the gratuities and corkage for the bottles of wine we will bring on board and buy at vineyards. I barely drink but DW enjoys a glass and a daily G&T. Fortunately virgin cocktails and soft drinks are free. Annoyingly alcohol free beer is not.

Terry, Take a look at our Marina 3 February 23 Roll Call for ideas for excursions. We are using ToursByLocals for some. Initially it was difficult to find anything. Must be averaging about $120 each for small group tours. The following cruise has many ideas too. O’s tours were ridiculous. Will decide after the cruise if O is for us. Definitively not the R ships.

I would say give it a go too. We usually sail X in Aqua but occasionally MDR or Sky Suite. Really enjoyed the Oceania Sirena last month although found the entertainment mediocre. Ship had been refurbished and very good. Food was great and we ate in the buffet for dinner a couple of times which we never do elsewhere as a great experience. Oceania offer better itineraries than X. We are on a three week South America with Antarctica & Falklands on the larger Marina and really excited. The O-Life is confusing. We had the beverage pack on the Sirena and the wine flowed during meals. The upgrade to AI is $20 a day. We have booked all our own tours as Os are expensive. We use air miles. We are trying Princess in June for the Med. Open for other lines too. Can not really afford Oceania for all our cruising needs.

Following too as we do a similar cruise in February on Oceania (adding Antarctica & Falklands). We usually sail X and are looking forward to our first M class next year (The Millenium). Who did you book the Iguaza Falls for the day with? All our tours are private with mainly Toursbylocals. The O tours were really expensive.

We are on the April 9th Millenium sailing too. Our third, or is it fourth attempt! Japan is open so must be a Celebrity thing. Just hope they make a decision and tell us in the next few months as I will need to book flights end April to catch the airmiles Business seats. Would be happy enough changing to April 2025 but certainly not a Caribbean alternative. Celebrity are offering Japan year round now. However does the climate suit this? Very hot in Summer and cyclones in Fall. Most cruise lines sail there in the Spring for a reason.

@ptcflyer you are living the dream! You will love the Maldives too. Have been there several times😀. Sometimes I wish I was a gambler but too many stories from my mother of her feckless gambling father who kept them in the poor house. Two of his sons did the same to their families. I went to Vegas and gambled $5. Am sure I could be tempted not to squander my pension but there is a family gene! 🤨 Am enjoying @Ken the cruiser NCL report Athen to Cape Town. Currently our longest cruise is 14 days but am looking forward to a South America & Antarctica cruise over three weeks with add-ons. Wondering if I will be bored on sea days. Not a crafter but enjoy reading and could manage a couple of hours daily in the gym & walking track. This is on Oceania which has great itineraries but less entertainment than O. Having a dog and limited funds do limit us though. Labrador has a great holiday when we are away as her dog walker stays and she gets to go on all the dog walks and adventure trips at weekends.

Unfortunately we cannot reprice the cruises in the UK. Always find it strange that US TAs keep an eye on the prices and reprice with X behalf of their clients. Always found UK TAs less than useless (another subject). However I found a Caribbean cruise I had booked on the Silhouette in March 2022 much cheaper on the US X site several months before. The new price on the UK site was a bit better too. I called X and they refused to reprice. However transferred the £300 deposit as FCC for another cruise and rebooked the cruise on the US X site (with the bigger deposit and the anxiety about currency markets).

When onboard purchase a future cruise certificate too. You will receive reduced deposit, OBCc and the ability to use it on a cruise that you wish. You can transfer bookings to a TA and recite e further OBC too.

That cruise on 7 days is comparable in price to a 12 night on Celebritys new Ascent in 2024 All included with 400 dollar OBC in Sunset Verandah I have booked. Gratuities included which will not be on Oceania. The Sirena is a small ship and benefits from being able to port where X ships cannot. The shows and music is very low key/boring. The pool is better (no loud music or competitions). Personally I would look at a larger O ship. I like O for itineraries but my wife not keen as the demographic is to old for her (she is 62).