Mary229

I wouldn’t pay final payment or get my hopes up.  I finally went ahead and booked the Baltics for next year realizing that Russia may go behind the iron curtain for a long time and there was no point in waiting.  

10 minutes ago, cccole said:

Thank you Mary229.  I did not know that there was still dressy and formal on some cruises.  I get it.  

We chose a cabin where we will be comfortable having dinner delivered if "dressy" is more than we bring.  How fun to wear your best evening outfit on the SA grand. I love the photos of our family on cruises where tuxes and elegant dresses were the norm.  But for the upcoming January cruise those items will not be packed.  It's going to be such a great experience.  Can't wait.  Cherie  

I am trying as hard as possible to go carryon only.  I think I can do it but DH likes his dinner jackets.  I yet have a few months to wrest those away from him. 😉

9 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I seem to remember about 3 increases since the shut down. Or am I dreaming it?

 

 I think it was around $10/pp prior for cabins below suites.

My first cruise, early 2022,  post pandemic was $15.50 for a verandah.  Unfortunately my last cruise pre pandemic was a promo with free gratuities. In 2016 it was $13.50 for an ocean view.  The other invoices were either free tips or unavailable at the moment 

1 minute ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I seem to remember about 3 increases since the shut down. Or am I dreaming it?

 

 I think it was around $10/pp prior for cabins below suites.

Easy enough, go to the app and check your invoice.  I will do so now 

47 minutes ago, cccole said:

Love, love, love silk long underwear!!!!  Great suggestion to use it as sleepwear also.  A question for those of you who have been on the cruise re "dressy".  Recently Btimmer posted a photo of "dressy" night on the current Grand Cruise and he was in a long sleeve, collared shirt.  I assume this is not unusual for SA and Antarctica but of course, there may be a huge range of "dressy" attire?  Also, 2 dressy nights per week?  That seems like a bit much but I'm sure no one will notice that I wear the same thing more than once.  Cherie   

On the grands they have dressy and they have formal.  Formal was reestablished last year and is a step up from dressy.  Lots of tuxes and gowns on my last SA grand , I was even in my best evening outfit 

1 minute ago, RD64 said:

But if HAL wants the best of the best, should they not be offering a hire base wage as an incentive?

They may be, we are not privy to that information.  Seeing it publicly announced that tips are going up may move a lot of crew’s  heads.  Sometimes public price increases are more about marketing than cost.  

From talking to crew the market is highly competitive right now and finding people who are trained and credentialed with Visas is hard.  Current employment markets swing in favor of the employee right now, just like UPS, UAW and so on it is the same for seamen.  If increased tips gives them a leg up on hiring the best of the best it is most likely worth paying for.  

5 hours ago, Electra 7 said:

What date are you going on cruise

I am sailing in 2024.  

48 minutes ago, 0bsessed said:

I am curious how many dressy days on the Santiago to Buenos Aires portion. Although it is 22 days, I don't imagine it will be the standard 2 dressy nights per 7 days as are on the shorter voyages or back to back combinations.

I sail almost exclusively long voyages and they do stick with the two nights per week but sometimes pair dressy night with a holiday or Orange night so that can take some of the stress out of dressing up. 

9 minutes ago, Prosecco220 said:

Didn’t read the Oceania contract? SUCKER!

 

Well, that’s us. For successful, educated world travelers, NOT understanding Oceania/NCLH’s legal obligations before committing $40,000 to this cruise vacation was stupid. 

 

In a nutshell, Oceania/Regent/Norwegian can change the embarkation from, say, Istanbul, to anywhere else in the world. The same with debarkation. They can, at will, change the ports of call, and/or choose NOT to stop anywhere, at all. In essence, they can change our Holy Land and Middle East cruise to floating around the Bahamas for 22 days on any ship of their choosing. (See section 4 of the Ticket Contract.)

 

Want to sue? Oh no, you’ve limited yourself to binding arbitration and mediation in Miami. Regardless, you automatically signed away ALL YOUR RIGHTS when you PAID for this cruise. And if you bought trip insurance, they consider this situation “Acts of War or Political Unrest” so your claim will be denied. (Yet Oceania will sail a ship full of rich westerners down the Red Sea, past rocket launching crazies, to position their boat for its next cruise to Asia.)

 

I’d like to blame our underpaid travel agent,  but she, in reality, works for the cruise companies and airlines who provide trips and spiffs to incentivize them. We were not warned that “Upon booking, (paying), you agree to be bound by all the terms and conditions…” That was a surprise, but we’re smart, successful people, right? SUCKER! Read the contract first. 

That was covered and all cruise lines have similar contracts.  The issue has been that promises were made then rescinded.   

40 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

@Mary229 I'll make a note to myself when I arrive home 12-17 to let you know what the dress situation is.  We are on Oosterdam from Ft. Lauderdale Nov 15 to Santiago, then down around the horn over to Falklands then up to Buenos Aires disembarking Dec 16.  

Thanks.  My intention is now a Texas suit for him (very similar to an Alaska suit) and shiny shirts with black slacks for me. 

January is generally when you will see fee increases including gratuities, drinks, internet and so on.  Watch carefully as it is announced with just a small window to prebuy at the old price. 

I only have a bronze but it is proudly displayed with my various Turkey trot medals awarded for crossing the finish line.  .

24 minutes ago, elease2 said:

They have now taken all refunds and FCCs off the table now.  Either you go on this war-zone trip with a deserted Greek itinerary with 9 consecutive sea days or lose your money.  End of story.

How about your flights, have you spoken with the airline?  

1 minute ago, elease2 said:

This would have been our first O cruise.  Because of the unique destinations, we were willing to pay top dollar.  After this fiasco, I can promise you, we will NEVER book another NCL affiliated cruise line ever again.  AND I will tell everyone I know to stay away from their shady business practices!  It would have been so easy for them to just keep our money and offer the FCCs.  They would have retained customer loyalty and impressed new customers with the O experience and level of customer service.

Yea, it was a very disappointing experience for us but yours is devastating.  I would be furious

Just as @9tee2Sea remarked we price it all out to determine what is our best option.  We are equally at home with fly and drive travel but have found cruising to be an exceptional value regardless of what level of luxury a traveler seeks 

5 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Will anyone admit to just throwing the ducks away? 

Never found one but if I did I would rehome them to Carnival or NCL via my travel agent. 

36 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I was simply re-stating an earlier comment I made when the shift to TV happened. Some people liked what I said. 

37 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I was simply re-stating an earlier comment I made when the shift to TV happened. Some people liked what I said. 

It was something I said in tandem with an appropriate popcorn statement and was challenged mightily about streaming.  I, like you, said something like popcorn is great but how about coffee pots and streaming.  That led a couple of engineering types to worry over that for a while.  

42 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Why are we arguing the requirements for streaming TV in the "microwave" thread? I personally think both subjects have been beaten to death and we are now flogging personal views. If some people can make it work on their phone or tablet good for them. 

I would still prefer that cruise lines prioritize their budget on live performances. 

Live performance budgets aren’t on topic either😉

For insurance concerns view the insurance forum on Cruise Critic.  You can buy annual policies, medical policies, evacuation policies and so on.  Steve is the expert over there , CC name iamtrustworthy.  Ask him for some ideas. 

You gentlemen are missing the fact that we already stream video content. The TV limitations control resolution and also can be controlled by app setting. The apps settings are controlled when the app is installed on the TV and that would be done by the ship not by the passengers.   This is managed worldwide by hotels already , HAL would not be reinventing the wheel. 
 

as to zoom vs video. https://www.reviews.org/internet-service/how-much-data-does-zoom-use/

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

I just don't see the point of it.  

When on a ship, the only place a duck should be, is on my plate, preferrably with some orange sauce, but crispy roast from Tamarind is an adequate substitute 😉

I don’t disagree!

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

poker chips are part of the circular economy.....you get them, then you give them back!

That is how the ducks are supposed to work. You find them, sign them then hide them again.  They aren’t supposed to be a take home souvenir 

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Are they biodegradable? or made from plastic?

Why create more unneccessary waste?

It is a game some people enjoy, I guess the same could be said about poker chips 😉

Yes I have had that often. If you scroll down you can see the itineraries but the image may never appear. They really need to fix their website