Visitors4

I will be sailing with Oceania for first time this Fall 2024. Here's what I did for booking my ship excursions - Called customer service to obtain copy of the detailed descriptions of the ship excursions for my sailing, which includes prices. I had a copy emailed to me. Booked excursions via phone with customer service. Being new to the process, I wanted to make sure my ship credits and 25% discount were applied correctly to excursions. For our booking, the 25% discount required booking 5 or more excursions per person; the discount is described in the above mentioned ship excursions description document. Reviewed the excursions description document and decided which ports I needed a ship excursion vs. self or local tour guide. In the end, booked 5 excursions - had the 25% discount applied, applied all my ship credits, and paid the remaining balance. Customer service was very helpful. There are different types and levels of excursions - general tour, smaller group size, focus/ theme of tour, etc. - all with different prices. Read the tour descriptions carefully to see if fit for you. Enjoy!

I was on the 2/25/24 Meraviglia sailing in YC and spent a wonderful day at Ocean Cay. The loungers and umbrellas at the YC beach were plentiful and comfortable. Practically one umbrella per lounger given their size and the way they were positioned. Beach towels provided, so I didn't have to bring from the ship. The YC cabanas didn't look luxurious and I thought were on the small side. Large sand beach in front of loungers for families to enjoy. On the beach side, the cabanas we saw are located behind the loungers. Throughout the stay, staff walked the beach to check if guests needed anything. Everything was super convenient. We had lunch at the YC beach restaurant which is located right next to the beach area. It was very nice with a large deck and some tables inside for dining, and with full table and bar service. The day I was there, the YC beach loungers were barely full in use and it was a great weather day. Perhaps guests stayed on the ship or at the other OC beaches? It made for a gloriously serene and quiet beach day! Bimini Beach (which two staff said it was the one they like) was less than a 5 minutes stroll directly across from YC beach. Good snorkeling spot. When we were on the beach in the morning, there were no lifeguards yet, but well worth spending some time. There were lounge chairs but no umbrellas when I was there in the morning. I only went to check out the snorkeling and then returned to YC beach. The lagoon beach was very calm (bit too calm for me), busy and popular with families. This area too is a short stroll from YC beach. So, I used YC beach as my base, and strolled to the other nearby beaches. If you wear water shoes in the YC beach ocean, you should be ok, and the water was warm and appealing. From what I observed and in my opinion, the YC beach cabanas didn't seem to worth it but if one has a need/preference, then go for it! I too have enjoyed cruise island cabanas in the past, and had considered it for my MSC YC experience. FYI - the last shuttle from YC beach back to ship is 4:00 PM - gives time to check out the rest of the island and beaches if ship has late departure. Our sailing had 2 lighthouse light shows - 8:15 PM and 9:00 PM (pre-daylight savings time)! Enjoy!

We were on the 2/25/24 sailing of this ship in YC. To your questions 4 and 5. Show reservations, including the Carousel shows, are made on board; unfortunately, the MSC app is not well designed compared to other major cruise lines and can't make reservations in advance. We saw the Carousel Rock of Circus show, and frankly, we preferred the regular theater production shows. The show was good, but didn't see purpose of charging a fee for it. The cocktails included in the Carousel show were undrinkable for our taste - very watered down. Older children may like the Carousel shows. To your question 7 - I recall linking credit card when check-in opened on the app. If you do, also recommend checking on board that the credit card has in fact been linked, and always get printout of your account statement the evening before disembarkation. Enjoy!

Thank you for this very good, informative cruise report! Your itinerary is one that we had booked in the past but had to cancel for variety of reasons including the pandemic. We hadn't consider booking it again as we weren't sure from reading vs. reality how accessible the countries were to travelers. Now, we're definitely putting it back on our radar for future cruise! Happy new year and more wonderful and exciting travels to all!

We sailed the Summit in May 2023, and Luminae was delicious from day 1! We just sailed the Infinity and food improved for the better over 12 nights, and the Luminae staff was very attentive to our dining experience. Agree that the veal canneloni on the Luminae menu is an odd execution and very heavy for a starter. Try the orecchiette pasta and the veal chop entrees! The Blue Wave is a new fave martini for us!

Sharing an experience I had this past year at a shop on the Celebrity Summit. While browsing, my eyes were surprised when I saw a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I have owned for several years (more than 5 years) and had bought at an "outlet" sale. It was selling for full price and there was a stock of them in the shop. Caution when shopping expensive designer goods on ships, and if possible, do a bit of research before splurging!

Vikal is one of the best staff in Luminae on the Reflection! Attentive service!

I ditto that the oversized comfy lounger on the balcony is amazingly relaxing! We had a Celebrity Suite on Reflection for a Mediterranean cruise and it is one of our favorite Celebrity ships. Am interested in your visit to Malta as it will be one of the ports on our December Celebrity cruise. Enjoy!

Hi, our ship arrived in Santorini at 8:00 AM. The ship excursion to Oia included the tender to Santorini's new port, Athinios, and then the bus to Oia. Can't remember when our excursion left the ship; we arrived in Oia close to 10:00 AM. We left Fira about 7:30 PM before sunset was complete. There was no cable car line and we saw rest of sunset from the cable car.The tender also had no line, waited a bit for tender to fill up and we were back on the ship by 8:30 PM. We left before sunset was done because our thought was that after sunset, there may be more people waiting for the cable cars. For us, Oia was much more beautiful and scenic than Fira and definitely worth the visit. Oia was very crowded in the morning to early afternoon hours since that's when ships arrive. If your ship is one of the few staying until late night, then a late afternoon visit to Oia may be doable. Have a great time!

Hi Kiwigal117 - the return tenders are only at the old port - at the bottom of the cable car in Fira. So you will need to be dropped off in Fira to pick-up the cable car down to where the tenders are.

Haha! I must have been thinking about returning to Tobacco Bay in 2024! We visited last month, May 2023. Thanks for flagging the typo!

We’ve been all over the island of Bermuda on our prior trips. On our latest visit in May 2024, we decided to return to St. George’s as we found it to be calmer, quieter and nicer charm than areas like Hamilton and Royal Navy Dockyard. Our ship docked at the Dockyard and a Norwegian ship was also in port. We took the first ferry from Dockyard to St. George’s (9:45 am; $18 round-trip for 2 persons). This ferry doesn’t run daily so check the online ferry schedule for availability. Fares are purchased at the building facing the ferry dock. It was an easy, scenic 45 minute ride to St. George’s. Once off the ferry in St. George’s, we walked to our destination - Tobacco Bay Beach (TB). It’s about a mile walk with parts slightly uphill. There are taxis by the ferry dock that go to TB. With two ships in port, TB was almost full with guests by the time we arrived around 11 am. We got the last two loungers with attached shades. There are reasons to get to TB in morning, and getting loungers with shades is one reason. The other reason to get to TB in morning? For the clearest water for swimming and snorkeling! TB is shallow for the most part. From the water’s surface, one can see various types of fish! Later in afternoon, guests start to depart and loungers open up, BUT the water at TB and like most waters in the afternoon, clarity gets cloudy from the sand kicking up by people being in the water. So if you are planning to snorkel and seek sea life, go in the morning. Otherwise at any time, TB is wonderful for swimming. A live band was playing and they were absolutely wonderful! The best rum swizzle we had in Bermuda! After an amazing day at TB, we walked back to center of St. George’s to check out shops, and enjoyed another rum swizzle at Wahoo’s Bistro - the nicest staff and comfortable bar vibe. Check out Tobacco Bay! We found it so much more enjoyable than the busier beaches like Horseshoe Bay, even without the pink sands!

Hi Katherine, we didn't check out the offerings of the food vendors. The Kimpton hotel which is right next to the beach has restaurants.

Charla, our dining experience at Raw on 5 on the Beyond was below expectations. The seafood on the small tower was very, very small in size, overcooked and lacked flavor and sweetness. The sushi was bland. Maybe it was an off night for the quality of the seafood used in the dishes. Like you, Raw on 5 likely won't be a must do in our future cruises. I provided this feedback in our post-cruise survey. Eden was delicious!

Hi, we were on the Beyond's 2/12-2/19 sailing (cabin 10108), and Simi was our Retreat Host. She is attentive, responsive, works hard, and ever present to make sure her guests are doing well. Btw, in AquaClass, you can request certain exercise equipment in your cabin in addition to the yoga mats (e.g, weights, stretch bands, etc.). Don't forget about the 3 fitness classes per guest that are no-charge for AquaClass. The Power Yoga class was very good. Also recommend Le Grand Bistro for lunch. It was the best meal from beginning to end for us. Enjoy!

Charla, we were on the Beyond a week ago, and our room service was the same as yours (without the specialty items). We were in an Aquaclass Sky Suite. Hope your research shows otherwise!

The West Bay Public Beach we enjoyed is at the northern end of of the strip (near the Kimpton hotel). The bus driver knew where we wanted go when we mentioned the beach name. I think it may be popular now due to the state of beaches at the southern end of the strip.

Hoping to have day of sea and sun in Grand Cayman, and reading about hurricanes’ impact on 7 Mile Beach and erosion, we decided to head to West Bay Public Beach. This beach is further north from the port and appear to have been spared much of the erosion that the southern part of 7 Mile Beach has suffered. We took the public bus (USD$2.50 pp and very short easy walk from the port) and in less than half hour we were at West Bay Public Beach. It has food, drinks, restrooms and lounge chairs and umbrellas for rental. We paid USD$20 for two loungers and one umbrella. We settled in a spot around the middle of the beach which is convenient to amenities. We arrived around 11:00 AM on a Friday and the beach was still empty. Within an hour or so, more and more cruisers arrived. The water was absolutely amazing and warm! The beach and sand was beautiful. We visited in mid-February 2023. If you prefer to stay closer to the port and go to the beaches toward the southern end of 7 Mile Beach, suggest checking the beach conditions.

The tour with Sicily with Sebastian was 90 Euros per person (pricing as of our 12/2021 booking). You can do an inquiry on its website to ask about current pricing.

Hi Talisker2023, I visited Santorini September 2022 and saw the sunset "golden hour" from Fira. In September, golden hour started around 7:00 PM. My ship was in port the same hours as yours will be. Verify this for your sailing - guests typically have to be back on the ship half hour before departure - which would mean 9:30 PM for yours. Find out how long the ride is from Oia to Fira. The tender ride itself takes at least 15 minutes. What is unpredictable is the wait time at the cable car in Fira town and at the tender line in Fira Old Port. The previous point from cruiser "mapleleaves" re: how many ships are still in port in the evening with your ship - that will impact those wait times. These times and factors would likely make it risky to view a sunset from Oia. Also consider that after sunset, it will be dark and the main street in Oia is not very wide and it may be crowded. The best part of a sunset is golden hour before sunset. Fira town has many bars/restaurants that offer prime views of sunsets. You may want to read my post about my experience in Santorini and sunset viewing experience - has some suggestions that may help you.

We’ve visited Mykonos twice and recently in September 2022. Both times, we simply roamed the the town, exploring the shops and restaurants, and watching and listening to the sea waves hit the island’s shores. A shore excursion or local tour is really not necessary to visit Mykonos unless you plan to visit sites outside of the immediate town area. Originally, our ship was to tender guests ashore, but the morning we arrived, the ship was assigned to dock at the new port. Getting to town was stress-free - hop on a free shuttle bus at the port and then a short walk from the bus drop-off to town, or take a very short ferry ride (for a nominal fee) to the town’s old port which is in the center of town. Our ship was in port 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Suggestions for Mykonos Town - Church of Panagia Paraportiani - one of the most photographed churches in Mykonos. It’s a unique structure, and we actually came upon it when we were lost in the alleys. If you wear blue, it will photograph very nicely against the white exterior walls of the church. There may be a line of people waiting to take photos, and watching them may give you ideas for posing! Little Venice - dine/drink at any of the bars and restaurants along the water and enjoy the views and sea air. Some take advance reservations. Windmills - in my opinion, it’s better to view the windmills from a distance (like from Little Venice) rather than close-up. During the day it can be hectic - there are many people and also there is a parking area next to it which I think detracts from the experience. Pink Pelican - as you walk around Mykonos particularly along the shore, you may catch a glimpse of one of Mykonos’ pink pelicans. We saw one on our first visit by the old port, and confirmed on our recent visit that the pelicans are still roaming around. On our next visit to Mykonos, we will head to the beaches that the island is famous for and are on the south coast of Mykonos. If you are looking for a beach closer to town, there is a very small, narrow stretch of “beach” as you walk into Mykonos town, and it is open to the public. I personally didn’t find it appealing because of the many people walking by on the street next to beach. There is also a larger beach near the new port and in opposite direction from Mykonos town. Closing Thoughts - Mykonos town can be easily enjoyed on your own. It’s not a large town and very manageable to explore. It is more of a beachy, gather with friends, relax vibe and atmosphere than Santorini, and frankly, the two are very different. One big difference, Mykonos town is relatively flat and not many steps!

Hi "fishiecrackers" - we started at the Church of Panagia which is where our shore excursion guide led our group to. It was a good spot to start as it was the beginning point of the main street thru town - Nikolaou Nomikou Street. That street leads you to the Castle of Oia and the steps to Ammoudi Bay. Note - outside of restaurants, spots to sit and rest are not many. There are two spots that have some sort of "seating". The Castle of Oia's ledges along the along its wall. Walk down the short tunnel-like alley facing Atlantis Books, and if available, there are a couple small benches and the alley is covered; was a nice cool spot to rest briefly and people watch! We had stops planned, but having experienced Oia, suggest just taking in all the amazing, scenic views at all angles. From that, we saw all the famous photographed spots. Whatever you may come upon that interests, stop and check out. Explore the side alleys. Do recommend the Windmills area - off the main street and with views of the Castle and Ammoudi Bay.

Hi "g8way2go" - we were in a typical large coach bus and don't recall anything noticeable causing motion sickness in the ride for us. We sat around the middle of bus near the back door. Part of the ride in the beginning is going uphill, and there are some switchbacks, but after that it's a normal road to Oia.

Fishcrackers , 've had to make decisions like that in other port destinations too. When the port is far distance from the area we want to visit, the deciding factor often for us is how long we are in port. If you're really set on Taormina and have enough hours in port, perhaps look into a private local tour round-trip. My experience with local tour companies is that they will advise if they can accommodate a tour within a guest's port schedule (and often, they are more conservative in time to get you back to the ship on time).