Csardas

Hi.

Looking forward to our first cruise with Oceania and wondered about tables in the MDR.

We are very sociable at all other times but always have a table for just us 2 for meals. Do Oceania allocate a table or an area for dinner or is it just pot luck when you turn up?

Not capable of supporting a tie!

I drink tap water at home but while cruising we buy big bottles of still and fizzy water just before going back on board and have never had any issues with keeping them in the fridge. I drink a reasonable amount of water every day and would bankrupt myself with the cost of Cunard's bottles!

NO!! Polo shirts are just jumped-up T-shirts. When Cunard states "shirts" it means a proper shirt with a real collar, capable of maintaining a tie if desired.

I'm worried now! We've booked Riviera in the Med in July. We like to eat around 8:30 and enjoy a leisurely dinner. Is everyone going to be in their beds by the time we come out of dinner?!?!

Does the Prestige package include cocktails? Have looked on the website but couldn't see a definitive answer.

Thank you QueenofdaNile! No, it is not clear at all. If one of my students submitted that I'd ask them to remediate.

Hi.

Just booked our first Oceania cruise and I'm a bit confused about the above. I understood that the speciality restaurants are complimentary, yet the above, and the website mentions that the reservation must be paid in full at time of booking?!?

Hi all,

Thanks for the input.

TA is ABTA, but we will pay by credit card for more protection.

Cruise date is the 5th of July and the TA wants the balance on the 9th of March. Oceania's booking confirmation states balance to be paid on 6th of April. The TA is cheaper -by £29 each!-with no additional "perks" to booking direct.

Very envious of the service and extras offered by US TAs but I tried a few and they wouldn't take a booking from the UK.

Oh well!

UK Booking.

TA wants balance a whole month in advance of Oceania. Has anyone transferred to a direct booking? Have only booked the cruise itself with TA and done all the rest, flights/transfers ourselves.

Slightly off topic too, but do they serve Lobster Thermidor anywhere on the ship?

Totally agree Janecambridge. On the QV I've been in a Balcony and an Inside and once out of the cabin there was no difference in the experience. Further, my parents were in the Queen's Grill on the old QE2 and QV but have migrated "down" to the Brittania restaurant. They got fed up with the Grills a la carte menu and the Table d' Hote doesn't offer as many choices as Britannia. Also, they prefer the atmosphere in B and said the Grills restaurant was quite dull and very quiet.

Each to their own and I know some wouldn't countenance life on Cunard outside the Grills but it apparently isn't necessary!

Well we booked the Oceania cruise this morning. Looking forward to it immensely!

The cruise offer we have includes the basic beer and wine beverage. If on board, can we wait and see how additional drinks costs are going or can you only upgrade to the Prestige package for the whole duration?

No pockets in a shroud...

Meant to reply to my use of Csardas - afraid I've no Hungarian blood at all, but Monte's Csardas is one of my favourite pieces of music. The most memorable performance was sitting outside Florian's in St Mark's Square in the evening. Bliss.

Hi Jane,

Thank you very much for your comprehensive and very useful post. Especially interesting were your comments on Cunard Britannia/Grills food as I thought my parents were the only people who thought that! 2015 they were on QV in the Queens Grill and weren't impressed with the food and ambience of the dining room and this June they tried Britannia and thought the food better. Plus they enjoyed the atmosphere as they thought the Grills "dead". They made the mistake of having pre-dinner drinks in the Grills lounge and said it was very dull too, despite the Grills being fully booked. They've booked QV again for 2017, again in a Balcony/Britannia.

This was exactly the post I was hoping to read. We're also 50s, not bothered about the shows etc and as we're on QE for New Year I can live without the formal nights.

Paul is right but it seems that our opinions/likes are similar enough to give me confidence.

The cruise we're looking at is offering OBC or a restaurant beer/wine package. Given that, is a TA likely to be able to offer more?

Again, thank you for your time!

Thinking about a Princess cruise for the first time and considering all the options. We would normally have a bottle of wine with dinner, a cocktail pre-dinner and assorted coffees and soft drinks throughout the day so I think the package sounds worth it for us. Is there a reasonable choice of wine by the glass, within the $10 price?

We're in Scotland so don't think I've ever seen a TA offering included tips! Read up about the dress code so we wouldn't take the Formal stuff. It's very difficult to compare intangibles like atmosphere, sociability etc. Forgot to mention that we never go to the theatre entertainments-not important to us.

Thanks all. I've added to the Cunard price what we spent this July, costed the upgraded drinks package for Oceania and added tips to both. I like Formal nights so happy to take evening dresses, dinner suit etc.

I know we could have a balcony on other lines but I've read and read and they just don't appeal.

Because the two lines seem very different experiences I was wondering if anyone had been on both.

Hi Hattie,

We've added tips to both. Excursions we do ourselves. Oceania are offering a free wine/beer for meals offer. We added to the Cunard price what we spent this July and to compare properly, added the "top up" package for Oceania so adding all the costs up, there's nothing between them on price.

Our options are: QV in July in an Inside for 14 nights (been on the ship 3 times now) or Oceania's Riviera in July for 11 nights, again in an Inside.

Both itineraries are attractive. Would be grateful for any comments from anyone who's been on both as I'm nervous of committing our limited means on an unknown!

Our options are: Riviera, 11 nights in July in an F inside cabin or Cunard Queen Victoria (been on it before), again an Inside but for 14 nights. Both itineraries attractive.

Slightly nervous about committing our limited means on an unknown! Is there anyone who has experience of both ships to help me compare/contrast?

Thanks in advance.

And the Baltic countries??

Looking for info here from past cruisers. Living in Scotland, I'm unsure about taking a chance with the weather-usually do the Med. What's the weather been like for past cruisers?