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On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 10:25 PM, BeachLover said:

Does Celebrity  allow you to bring on bottled water? I know that some cruise lines allow it but I wasn’t sure about Celebrity.

Yes, you can. What we do is buy them on shore for much less than on the ship. Not on the pier, as they'll stick it to you as well. Or if you're feeling strong, pick up a 40 pack at Sam's Club for less than $5. "Here, honey.....I'll let you carry this a while, now." Duck for low flying irons!

22 hours ago, refugeeathome said:

First time on Celebrity Eclipse, do they sell cigarettes in the Duty Free shop?

22 hours ago, refugeeathome said:

First time on Celebrity Eclipse, do they sell cigarettes in the Duty Free shop?

Smoking killed both my parents long before their time. 'Nuff said!

3 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

I had friends who said a camera went missing.  They swore it was in the safe.  Everybody looked in the safe, nobody saw it.  Then a couple of days later tshe reached in and there was a small piece of cloth on the base of the safe, the camera had gotten shoved under it.  At least twelve people said they looked in the safe and nobody saw it, but there it was.  Stuff disappears, even in plain sight!

Totally true. VERY FEW staff would be willing to risk immediate termination over theft. Here's one for thought..When cabins are being cleaned, it's very easy to "drop" in quick, especially if the attendant is in the bathroom cleaning. I'll bet that's where most theft occurs. Leave your valuables in the SAFE!!

59 minutes ago, citronella said:

As neither cigarette smoke or perfume contain allergens you can’t be allergic to them. 

 

Are you serious or missing a brain? Allergens do NOT have to be peanuts/pet dander/pollen etc. An allergen is anything that causes discomfort to the person exposed.

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 7:32 PM, Mammafontz said:

We just got off the Celebrity Summit.  Gorgeous ship and very happy with the cruise but we had neighbors on the ship that were smoking on their balcony and it filled my room with smoke.  Then we smelled smoke in the hallway.  They make MANY announcements that smoking is not allowed.  Why do people refuse to listen?  Sorry but it was my only complaint about the cruise.  I’m really allergic to smoke.

I would have reported it immediately to guest services(or security)The offenders could get put ashore at the next stop.(I would hope)

1 minute ago, Jaxweb said:

I'm thinking about arriving at the Seattle port late to avoid ultra-long lines, but hotel checkout time is 12PM.  I can take my time getting to the port by taking public transit instead of a taxi, but I would still probably still arrive before 1PM even by bus.

If I took a cab, I'd be there before 12:30.

 

I could leave the hotel early and get to the terminal at 11:00 AM so I'll be closer to the front of the line, but then I would still end up waiting around for the line to start moving.

 

What's the best use of time between hotel checkout and boarding to minimize time standing in lines?

though the lines try to set an arrival time, we still get there early, so we're near the front of the line. the last few years we've been excusive to Oceania(tired of the Celebrity cutbacks)Takes us 30 min. or frequently less to get on board. 1250 pax v/s 3000+ on the Eclipse.

3 minutes ago, clo said:

Your were certainly right about the socks! EWWW! I have leather "mandals", which I'll wear ashore, but that's about it. & they look better than those. I've got some for in the water, which has saved me from a few Sea Urchin scrapes.

3 hours ago, clo said:

I know this is his 'uniform' but I hope Zuckerberg wouldn't dress like this in the GDR.

Yup, a true slob, except when testifying to Congress some time ago. A few years ago singer Ed Sheeran was on the QM2(we ALL know how he dresses!)he was a featured guest. He got kicked out of the dining room for not adhering to the dress code. I was glad to see it happened. Good to see someone with bucks not get the special treatment.

3 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

So,  you?  Which side of Oceania Dress Code Policy do you stand?

Simply what country club casual means. As in that article you linked earlier. It gave a pretty decent meaning. More casual in the day, more dressy(read the article, pax)at night. I can't comment on the Regatta & other ships, but as a whole, pax always dressed nicely(not over the top)on Riviera.

21 hours ago, clo said:

Ugh.  I have relatively ugly feet and am aware of that and dress accordingly 🙂

Yeah, me, too.

21 hours ago, clo said:

"Mandals" are almost as bad as Crocs!  And, she-god forbid, that anyone would wear socks with mandals.  I actually snapped a pic of a guy in Seattle with that 'look' and sent to the daughter.  She choked laughing.

OK post a pic of Mandals. I think I need a good laugh.

22 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

OK  at breakfast or lunch in the MDR and The Terrace?   At least that is what works for me.  Is leather crocs/clogs not appropriate footwear at those times and venues?  🤔

https://oureverydaylife.com/how-to-dress-country-club-casual-men-12108332.html

 During the day, fine. proper foot wear should be worn at night. What we wear on the Riviera: For nights in the GDR(again, NOT German Democratic Republic)we'll wear nice shirts (Ralph Lauren type short sleeve(or long) perhaps a "nice" tropic style shirt, nice slacks, NEVER jeans, thank you! Khaki or similar & frequently boat shoes (Timberland for me) Once in a while a sport coat, though we reserve those mostly for the specialty rest.

5 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

How about Crocs?

Oh c'mon!! King. You know as well as anyone that Crocs are not proper shoes for anything but the pool area.

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:25 PM, ropomo said:

We will be on Regatta in a few months (2nd cruise after refurbishment) for our first O cruise.  A couple of questions on R-class post refurbishment:

•  With the new TV systems, are GDR and/or Terrace menus available to review on the TV?
•  If not, are printed menus available in staterooms for Concierge class since those cabins can order room service from GDR during meal service?
•  If no to both above, where can menus be viewed in advance?

 

General questions:

•  Concierge class may board at noon, does this mean stateroom will be ready then, or just that you can board and enjoy ship facilities (if the later, approximately what time are cabins available)?
•  Are standard bed pillows feather/down based or foam/synthetic (wife and I have allergy to feather pillows).  If feather, am I correct in assuming that they can be changed out?
•  Is distilled water available on board if needed for medical reasons (need to know if I need to bring my own, a gallon will be sufficient for my entire cruise)?
•  Is the corkage fee option available only for wine, or can I take my favorite bottle of bourbon to the lounge of my choice and pay the corkage fee for it as well (assuming they would store the bottle there for me)?

 

Thanks for any insight.

They will supply distilled water for Cpap machines.

On ‎7‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 2:04 PM, hopkima said:

Just returned from 8-day Ireland cruise aboard the Nautica.  Definitely avoid this ship.  The crew is terrible and the entertainment consists of theme park flunkies. If you don't purchase the extremely overpriced shore excursions through Oceania, you are treated as a second-class passenger...regardless of your room status. 

Looks like you just joined CC. We've done 2 cruises on "O". Both on the Riviera. Kind of Goldilocks(just right size)for us. Before we did 3 Celebrity cruises on Eclipse. While we liked the ship, the quality seemed to slip each cruise. We then gave O a try & loved it. We have another set for late Jan. 2020. You really need to give comparisons of other lines you've done. If you don't, you'll fall into the "slash & run category". This is where pax bash a line without really giving a realistic reason & then dash off to do the same on another blog. Seen it many times. I'd say if you're not happy, then please choose another line. I think if you read a number of different subjects on O, you'll find you're among the most negative by far that I've seen. Perhaps a good long look into the mirror is in order.

9 hours ago, clo said:

Oh yum.  My fave also.  I love good, cold water lobster but Dover sole is something else entirely.  I hope we'll have it on the Marina in December in S. America.

It will be available. In Jacques/Polo/Toscana, it's available. We recommend the whole Seabass in puff pastry in Jacques. Excellent! 

8 hours ago, Mura said:

Dover Sole reminds me of a meal we had in Dover many years ago.  The restaurant had been taken over and was about to close, but they served Dover Sole.

 

We were a group of 8 about to board Insignia.  One of our party ordered the Dover Sole.  We have since been told that it wasn't really "Dover Sole" because what came out was an enormous fish.  The diner's wife hadn't felt well so stayed home ... which meant that he couldn't possibly finish it all.  It was 25 pounds and we were all trying to figure out if that was the cost or the weight of the fish ...  (He did take the remaining fish back to the  hotel room for his wife.)

 

This was in June 2006 ...

 

Mura

Dover Sole can be that big. It's more rare now.

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 10:46 PM, Kingofcool1947 said:

Do you tip extra?  

Who?

When ?

How?   Cash, or cash in a envelope?

How much?

Thanks.

King

An old post..but sure, why not?

1) Yes, we do.

2) The cabin attendants. Perhaps a server we might have for a number of dinners in the GDR. We've started being seated in specific areas of the GDR to have the same staff.

3) Always at the end of the cruise. Not a fan of this "bribe ahead of time" I've heard of lately.

4) Cash in an envelope.

5) We base on the "Berlitz Guide to cruise ships & cruising" which can be found in any good bookstore in the travel section.

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:41 PM, pinotlover said:

If I want to stand in a buffet line at dinner, I’ll go to Furr’s Cafeteria! Will probably get get far better drink service there also. 

 

We enjoy the GDR and don’t believe the quality of the cuisine of the Terrace demands the excitement given by Dan. Each to his own. Those lobster tails, in the Terrace, are still $4 warm water lobster tails at Whole Foods and you still have to fight with the staff to not overcook! I prefer the GDR and ordering what I want from a sit down menu, ordering the wine that I want that best compliments the dish, and feeling confident the wine order will be taken and delivered. 

 

We all have different priorities and am glad  Dan and others utilize the Terrace to meet theirs, while we eat with lesser crowds in the GDR. Enjoy the options!

Sorry, but most of the time, we saw cold water lobster tails & being from New England we KNOW the difference! This was on Riviera. I doubt it changes much across the line. Perhaps there are some warm water Lobster tails, but we didn't see them. Then again, we didn't go to Terrace every night, either. Usually we either eat in the GDR or a specialty. On one night we did eat in both GDR & the terrace. They had Dover sole & it's my fav.

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 8:11 AM, rollie said:

We have cruised over 20 times on Celebrity, the last few times in a suite.  We really loved to suite perks and would continue cruising Celebrity but their suite prices have gone through the roof.  We are thinking about trying out Oceania.  The cruise we're looking at is the 7 day out of San Juan on the Sirena.  We're looking at an inside cabin to keep the price down.  We really enjoyed the suite life, but the cabin itself is not that important.  What we really enjoyed was the food in their suite only restaurant, and the services provided.  With all that being said, I think we may like to try out Oceania.  What are your thoughts?

 

Rollie

Basically we book an inside on the Riviera for a 14 day trip. It goes for about $3800PP. Usually about a month before we get an upgrade offer. It's not free, but costs about $600PP which ends us in a B-1 accommodation. Still a decent deal instead of booking the B-1 at full price. For us the food on O is more akin to dining in the Queens grill on Cunard(without the formal attire) We jumped ship from Celebrity after 2017 due to the big decline in food quality aboard the Eclipse. We have not done Luminae on Celebrity, but for the price we pay, we get far better food than aboard the Riviera. All the restaurants are part of the deal, except La Reserve, which pairs Wine with your tasting adventure.

   We foodies & in the food/hospitality industry, so food quality can be paramount to us. We also like the fact that there are few announcements/no intrusive photographers & no constant bid for revenue enhancement I/E no crappy art shows, & good quality merchandise offered in the "side walk sales". The afternoon Tea service is outstanding, but NOT easy to resist the fabulous offerings! If there is a down side, it's the rather lack luster entertainment. One reason is that these are generally quite small ships, that & the fact that the big budget is to the food. The entertainment staff is usually young & "green" at the start of the cruise, but they get better as the trip goes. If you like to be "coddled" this is a cruise line to try out. A 7 day trip will give you a good feel. Then you may decide if it's for you.

8 hours ago, Nymich said:

must be Lawrence Welk.

Yup.

3 minutes ago, Nymich said:

 

4 minutes ago, Nymich said:

 

No, not Ed Sullivan. Look at the initials LW. Time frame was correct though.

6 hours ago, Nymich said:

Based on your past experiences I am very curious to hear how you would rank the Specialty Restaurants 1 thru 4 and why?   Looking forward to reading these!

Always subject to debate! We're in the food industry & purchase several million $ of food product a year for our catering co. So I like to feel a bit more an expert than the average diner. So as L.W. would say: "On with tha showum" (10 points to who gets that!)

1) La Reserve. Love the food & the wine along with the camaraderie of the guests. Recommend the Le Bourgeoisie dinner course above the rest.

2) Jacques. The French Cuisine  is just outstanding as is the ambience of the rest. Really recommend the Sea Bass in Puff Pastry.

3) Red Ginger. My spouse is Chinese & we love the various Asian dishes offered Recommend the Miso Sea Bass.

4) Toscana. Pretty much anything here is a hit. I like the Dover Sole here a bit more than in Jacques.

5) Polo Grill. Obviously the best steak on board(though Toscana is fine, too) The Lobster here is excellent as well.

1 hour ago, Orator said:

My comment was made in the context of the OP's question. They know the rules! "Lie" is a very strong word and totally inappropriate in the context of this thread. 

Still, the way you phrased it, gives the opinion that one can dress anyway they like as long as they feel comfortable. You purposely give a false impression on how pax can dress & as far as I'm concerned it's a lie. Call it strong call it what you wish, but you purposely give wrong information to those who might not know any better. I do agree that I feel this was a "staged" question by the poster, but you certainly don't help the matter.

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 8:07 PM, ano said:

So we finally got to take an Oceania cruise. 14 days in the Caribbean in April. (Yes I'm a bit slow with the review.)

 

So background, the wife and I have been going on cruises over 20 years now, maybe 25 total or more.  We started on Royal Caribbean and at the time it was fabulous. Then we did some Carnival cruises, and they were pretty good too, but Royal was better (and more expensive.)  Then maybe 10 years ago we noticed something changing.  The nickle-and-diming.  Extra cost restaurants, Carnival was even charging for steak in the main dining room. The photographers EVERYWHERE. And the "free" food got worse.

 

So people told use to try Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity.  They are "different."  Long story short, maybe they used to be, but they weren't anymore. We tried them all. Even worse, in the last 5 years we saw the trend to pack MORE and MORE people on bigger ships, but at the same time, "rope-off" more areas/restaurants/pools reserved for "special people" that had suits and bigger rooms. If you weren't "special" this meant bigger crowds and even less public space.

 

So by this time, we have had it with "big" cruise lines.  Our last hope was something like Oceania. So we took a 14-day cruise with 10 port stops including some Caribbean islands we have never been to. We took the eight "free" excursions which cost about $800 extra.

 

So how was it?  We had a great time, much better than I expected. My wife was also apprehensive because she imagined it would be very "formal" with other cruisers being VERY OLD.  We didn't find this to be the case at all. There were only two children aboard, and one of them was the captain's daughter.  

 

The ship was the Regatta which is old, but really, what does that really matter for the most part. The room was comfortable, and I would say pretty typical cruise room size, but the bathroom was VERY small. Otherwise, I would say pretty typical. Normal size balcony.

 

What stood out was the service and food. Everyone was very helpful, and most of the staff got to learn our names. The main dinning room was pretty typical and we only had to wait maybe 20 for dinner a few times. Sometimes not at all. The dinning room food was very good, but the food in many cases didn't change that much from day-to-day. Some soups and appetizers were the same every day, and by the 14th day, we were a bit bored. 

 

The buffet area was small, but they did have a good variety of food in a small space, but at times it did get crowded. You could also order from the cafe, various hamburgers and such, they would give you a number and deliver it to your table. This was all free, including the "surf-and-turf" with lobster at the cafe.  In the buffet they had lobster maybe 25% of the time. The one disappointment was not very many sandwich choices. Maybe one or two for lunch and dinner, and that's it. Usually there were two pizza choices per day.

 

There were two "specialty" restaurants on the Regatta, Toscanna and Polo Grill. We ate at each twice, which is based on your room type.  Both were very good, but not that different from each other in terms of choices. The food was very good, but only a few notches above the dinning room food which is also pretty good. Some of the food was the same as in the dinning room but with a few extras. Like the lobster bisque was similar, but actually had lobsters in it. These restaurants were included, but how many times you were guaranteed to visit  was determined by your room type.

 

The entertainment onboard was OK. There was a comedian and magician and both were good. A few musical numbers were OK. All the singers/dancers were in their very early 20's and were new to the ship. One day there was a cooking demonstration. They had "enrichment" talks ever day given by a woman named "Sandy Cares."  There were no "shopping" port talks, and the talks Sandy gave weren't really about the ports, as much as they were about history 200 years ago. I found them boring, as did my wife, and she normally likes these things.  They could improve this a great bit.

 

As for low-point, I'd have to say its the shopping. Not much choice at all, very little Oceania stuff. Mainly expensive watches and very expensive dresses and suits.  It seems like they were just there to use any on-board credit you might have, and nothing else. I can't imagine they sold much, and nobody ever in them that I saw. Really a waste of space.

 

There was a casino but it never seemed that busy. No photographer or photos sales aboard. Overall, not much to spend money on, which is good. None alcoholic drinks and coffees were free and our room steward stocked our fridge with our favorite drinks. We used room service once, it was free and had a good choice of items. The gym was adequate and never very busy.  I wold say many fellow cruisers were up there in age, but there were younger people too and everyone was friendly. The ship never felt super crowded. We could find a seat at the buffet almost always first time. 

 

So finally, the excursions. So again, this cruise stopped at 10 ports, and we had eight "free" excursions we paid $800 for, or basically four excursions for two people. As most of you know, Oceania (and others) send tons of mailings about all the exotic places they go. But of course, unless you book an excursion or rent a taxis, pretty much all you will see is walking distance of the port.  This is not Oceania's fault, of course, but the reality of cruising.

 

You basically pay $100 per "free" excursion, and for that price you can pick excursions that cost up to $199.  So in theory, buying the excursion package can get you excursions at 50% off assuming you can find $199 excursions. But here is the thing, Oceania excursions cost double what they should cost, so in the end, there is no bargain.  We picked a $159 excursion which basically was a bus that drove around the island for a total of 3 hours. None of the excursions were even worth the $100 each we paid for them. Yes, certainly we cab book our own excursions without Oceania, but that is a pain, and can be risky is some situations. So I do think excursions are a ripe-off and disappointing. A small ship means less of them to choose from.

 

So to summarize, we were pleasantly surprised with Oceania. Overall, service and food were good, and isn't that the most parts of a cruise. Not a super amount of amenities like water parks, but I'll go to a water park if I want a water park.  As cruises go, Oceania was one of the best ones we have gone on in a long time.

 

But we also came to the realization of the limit of cruises. Unless you are going to spend a very large amount of money on excursions in addition to the cruise fare, then you are really not going to see much of the locations you are visiting. We looked at a Oceania cruise to Europe, and after adding the cost for the excursions we would need to REALLY see Rome and Venice and Florence and Paris and London, it would over double the cruise price. And would we REALLY see these places like we should? 

 

So we decided to pause from cruising a bit, and take land tours instead. Last year we were to take a Princess cruise to Japan, and I'm SO happy we cancelled it for a land cruise.  We had the best time ever during that land tour that wouldn't have happened with excursions. Yes, there is hotel to hotel, but you really see so much more and "live" in the country. 

 

Maybe someday a cruise ship will offer something similar.  Your cruise is broken down into smaller groups, each having a trip leader. When your sailing he/she gives you info on what you will see at each location.  At each port you leave the ship with your group, board a bus, then spend the entire day touring. And your lunch at a local restaurant is always included, maybe dinner too for later departures. The bus arrives back to the ship just before departure and has dinner together if they didn't in-town.  THIS would be a vacation I would be interested in and it would be a real tour, but sadly it doesn't currently exist. Yes, I know Viking Ocean is slightly like this, but not really.

 

So there you have it. Maybe Frank Del Rio will read this and offer it as an option.  Otherwise, for the foreseeable future, its land tours for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Likely, you should have tried Riviera/Marina, which have much better rest. choices. Entertainment is pretty boring, as the food budget far eclipses the entertainment budget. Being in the food business, this IS the reason we choose Oceania. Not having the annoying photographers is enough reason for choosing this line. Perhaps taking a break from cruising to do a land "cruise" would not be a bad idea. The Train trips into the Canadian Rockies are quite spectacular.