tigerfan75

3 minutes ago, edgee said:

Well, the "replacement" for Jacque on Vista, known as Ember, is pretty much a disaster not so much as that is a bad place to dine, but as a sought after specialty restaurant it is not. Folks who compare it to a slightly upscale Appleby's are not too far off IMHO. We found that when we called the reservation line looking for extra specialty dining slots, Ember was always offered with great flexibility.. So, if they are to do away with Jacque they need to come up with an alternative that is a helluva lot nicer than Ember.

I appreciated that others apparently somehow found Ember lacking.  Several I spoke with had heard the characterization of "Applebys, and did not even try it.  I enjoyed it very much, and took advantage of dining there as much as possible.  Obviously, an example of YMMV....

9 hours ago, RetiredLifer said:

We have been dealing with piracy drills for years.  Nothing new.

+1.  Was on a Cunard queen more than a decade ago, and we did piracy drill off the horn of Africa (Somali)....

Also consider sailing multiple back-to-back segments of a world cruise.  We can't spend the money, or stay away for 6 months, but a 55-day LA to Bali part of the upcoming Oceania ATW is a very interesting itinerary for us.  Good cruising whatever your choice...

16 minutes ago, mary_228 said:

Please help me understand what is marketing hype and what represents true value.

"Enjoy small ship luxury for less with savings of up to $5,400 per stateroom plus simply MORE with 2 for 1 Cruise Fares, Free Roundtrip Airfare with Free Airport Transfers*; Free Shore Excursions; Free Champagne, Wine and More; Free Gourmet Specialty Dining; and Free Unlimited WiFi."

I am considering booking my own air to allow for piggy backing this trip onto a land based journey elsewhere in Europe, and I understand air deviation would not allow such a long gap in travel. Perhaps an air credit would be offered eveninn a "free air" situation such as this? Or is free (included) air always part of the pricing with Oceania.

IME, the cost savings of any O sale can range from nil to significant.  Only homework will provide the "value" answer.  As for the other issue, Simply More is sold "with air" or "no air with a credit".  The credit depends upon the sailing.  An online mock booking will tell you the amount of the air credit for your selected cruise.  Good Luck.

My experience has been different than just a straight $250 SBC.  I have a flyer from a September sailing that says "SBC on your current or future voyage is $100 to $500 per booking, certain restrictions apply."  Perhaps a call to O for your particular stateroom category, length of cruise, etc. will clarify the exact number for you.  Good Luck.

14 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

As noted above, unless you upgrade, the SM package includes only wine and beer at lunch and dinner and only in the dining venues. 

And a "champagne"...?

1 hour ago, JanDom said:

Hello to all cruisers who had changed cruises on Riviera.

We are booked for the Riviera starting 19th of December.

All our excursions are cancelled- we booked with simply more and we now can only book a few excursions in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas and only one day.

The hop on hop off bus is still sold out.

Each guest have 400$ for excursions but we can’t really book one 🙁

can we use this money for other things on the ship - like going to the spa, buy a Hugo or a beer at the pool ? Or is it gone 🤷‍♀️

 

thanks and even if it is not what we booked we are looking forward be on a O ship again.

greets Janine 

With Simply More, the Excursion $$ are for Excursions only.  If you booked with OLife, inquire with your TA if an option change to OBC is possible at this late date.  However unlikely it may be, as a last resort, have your TA request some sort of exception, given the changes in the cruise.  Call O directly to see if excursions are available in their system, but not yet posted online.  If you are unsuccessful on all fronts, check the Destinations Services Desk immediately upon boarding for the latest Excursion additions.  Good Luck.

IME it can take weeks before the excursions show online.  Sometimes a new Shore Excursion pdf will have them listed earlier.  Following advice from fellow posters, I never book my excursions online, but rather call O to book.  They allow this even if a TA is used.  The online booking of excursions can be “glitchy”, and never seems to display the discounts appropriately.  Stay patient and occasionally check for availability…

I’ve always had a VERY good experience with TMobile Magenta Plan internationally.  The “welcome” text as one enters each new country raises the visit’s anticipation.  Enjoy your cruise…

8 hours ago, Psoque said:

I called Oceania to do exactly what you are trying to do.  I’m not sure if this is a typical experience, but for me, I called Oceania guest services and was able to cancel one excursion and book something else for that same day, and the change was made correctly.

Yes, this is the only way to do it…call O.

4 hours ago, basor said:

Hi Barbara!    We just got off Vista and did the same with the onboard O ambassador.....looked at a Nautica Fall of 2025 cruise that could be booked as one 23 day cruise with 1 booking number, the GV discount and 2 deposits.  We ended up booking it as 2 separate bookings with 2 booking numbers thus receiving 2 cruise credits, B2B discount, 2 sets of loyalty perks, 2 AMEX OBC, 2 NCHL stock OBC, etc......we are money ahead as the double OBC perks with B2B discount is more $$$ that the GV discount..

My experience has always been that if the desired itinerary is also being sold as a multi-segment Grand Voyage, then one had no option to book the segments separately.

7 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Am on Vista 2/28. 10 day Caribbean. Don't want to miss rack of lamb, prime rib and Lobster. Is the first night a good night?

You might consider the strategy used by many on CC.  Make your reservations on-line for other days.  Then when boarding, head directly to the Dining Reservations Desk to make an extra reservation for the evening of boarding, which I assume is "the first night" in your question.  Often, guests are tired, unpacking, etc., and choose not to dine in a Specialty that first night, so there is generally some availability if you can get to the Desk early.  Good Luck.

10 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Lyn - I am sorry to impose on your thread, but hope you do not mind and allow me to ask one more question.😊   Anyone can answer.

 

If DH and I make a booking without taking the O'Life, Simple Life or whatever the latest special option is, and just book a 'no thrills' stateroom, are the 4 specialty restaurants still included with our fare?  We have booked the last two Oceania cruises with O'Life, but for various reasons, do not think that the add-on's are worth the extra fare.  

Bookings for all rooms include specialty dining.

10 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

So, the Edition in Barcelona is not the place to stay? Please confirm. and Thank you. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Try the Marriott Cotton House.  A smaller boutique hotel that we very much enjoyed.  Outside courtyard dining, close proximity to HOHO busses.

YMMV…

2 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

I don't know if this was the CD's fault or just Oceania policy. He would announce all of the days activities that were listed in Currents, so there was no need for him to repeat those. At the end of every announcement he would spend about 30 seconds advising people to stay in their staterooms if they felt sick and to call 00, and then a reminder to always use the hand sanitizer while walking around the ship. It got quite tedious.  I would say there were at least 3-4 announcements a day, but then we were ashore in each port, so there might have been more.

I remember Mr. Clelford as CD only because IMO he is the worst CD I've encountered on O.  His style is much different than other CDs, so I am led to believe it is not corporate policy...

3 hours ago, ciasoonatsea said:

Can you book only a portion of a World Cruise if it is not a designated segment?

My experiences with ATW segments is that a booking segment-by-segment is required.  A defined disembarkation port has the necessary Customs and Immigration support.  However, I have inquired about “getting off the ship early”, and was told that it may be possible if arrangements shoreside could be arranged, but that I still must purchase the entire segment.  Perhaps speak to your cruise line about the possibility.  Good luck with your efforts.

7 minutes ago, aaaaa said:

"She gets hers in May and I think returns to sailing May 18."

 

This information doesn't seem correct, as Regatta is fully engaged in sailings during May (2024).  The next break in the sailing schedule for Regatta is March 30, 2025, to April 9, 2025.

I believe Mauibabes was referring to the Marina with his statement...

6 hours ago, akronmaid said:

About the refillable water stations. Is ice available?

No, just water.

2 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

The single ply toilet paper on this ship is about the worst I have ever encountered.  I’ll bring my own next time. 

But the single ply will not clog the system…

4 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

That's a "should I choose pistachio or chocolate ice cream?" question.  😉

 

The only non-usual thing I would mention is that the non-suite (category A to G) cabins on R-class ships (including Riviera) all have the same unexpectedly small bathrooms.  The showers, in particular, are a running topic of "they're very bad" vs "they're small but quite usable".

The Riviera is not R Class.  The bathrooms in A are nice..IMO. 😁

10 minutes ago, calicakes said:

We're experiencing very rough seas.  They've closed all the outside decks.  They removed the cushions from the balcony furniture.   Both Julie and I are feeling sick to our stomach.  We're wearing the sea sickness patch, I wonder how much worse it would be if we didn't have those on.   The captain says the weather will be this way for the remainder of the cruise.  Uggggg. 

That is truly unfortunate.  I get seasick, too.  Everyone has their own way to handle it, but I approach it two ways.  Firstly, I get a front chair in Horizons, and focus on the distant horizon while trying to engage in conversation.  Secondly, I find that the bed and movie channel are my friends...Good Luck.

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

I have tried to book an excursion on our Dec 11 Vista cruise.  I put the desired one in my cart and then when I go to the cart it states "Cart is Empty"  I have tried this repeatedly the last few days.  Does anyone know why this would happen?

I have found the online excursions booking engine wonky.  I now will only book O excursions by calling O directly.  My TA does not mind, and equally, it is one of the few things that O will allow a customer to do direct with them when you employ a TA.

12 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

 

Thanks.

If doing a B2B2B I assume after completing the 1st online check in that the following two are redundant and can be ignored ?

Yes, one can ignore the following boarding pass emails.

When boarding for your first segment, be sure to go to the Purser (Reception Desk) and have your keycard changed to reflect the full length of your cruise, if it is not already printed on it.

6 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

In order to complete online check in it mentions taking a photo on your device.

Is the photo essential in order to be issued an online boarding pass ?

Is an online boarding pass essential prior to arriving at the terminal for check in ?

Boarding port is Civitavecchia.

No, the photo is not essential to get the pass.  As I recall, one has an option to skip the photo when retrieving the online boarding pass.

Yes, it is advisable to have your boarding pass with you…just in case.

Two items to share about our recent 30-day Vista cruise:

a.  At the Captain’s Party, a fellow came in to the Horizons wearing shorts, a tee shirt, and a ball cap….went and stood at the bar.

b.  After staying awhile at the Captain’s Party, we went to the GDR for dinner.  The guy in the couple ahead of us was wearing a tight fitting body tee shirt, jeans, and flip flops.  The Maitre D came over to the couple to welcome them, and very chalantly leaned over to the man and whispered something in his ear.  The man waved his hands somewhat over his clothing, the Maitre D nodded, and then the guy nodded.  He was allowed to dine, but I supposed it was a “caution” …