latitude 22

9 hours ago, osandomir said:

Mallorca is very nice. You will enjoy it. We were on the ship tour showing us around the island. Also, I bought the best that I ever had leather sandals there.

Appreciate hearing your experience In Mallorca!  

We started researching a plan for the day late last night, since we leave for pre cruise travel this Sat. 

Shoes and Purses are my favorite souvenirs to pick up!

I get so much use out of them and they are usually associated with a great

travel story! 

I have a couple of pairs of fabulous espadrilles from one of the oldest Alpagarteria shops in Madrid 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187514-d4495315-Reviews-Casa_Hernanz_Alpargateria-Madrid.html

and it was so special to have the famous Melissino in Athens  measure and then create sandals by hand specifically for my foot shape (and at that time it was only 30 euros per pair) 

https://melissinos-art.com

So, I will be keeping my eyes open for leather sandals! 🩴 🛍️ 🌎❤️

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That's somewhat surprising to hear. Every time I go to Italy in the fall (which is every year barring Covid), I find everyone wearing dark colors, three layers of sweaters and scarves, leather boots, etc, even when the temperatures are at 75 F. I don't know how they bear it.

 

Same here! I also follow a couple of Americans living in Paris longterm  on Instagram and they made the same comments about that.   They were very surprised that the season overrules the temperature! 

Which was another reason why I was wavering on packing white pants even though so much goes with them! 

We had made the decision 2 days ago to cancel our Morocco shorex, we just were having bad vibes about it,  

They did add Mallorca and we haven’t been there, so we’re happy about that! 

15 minutes ago, WayneLaR said:

Hi Latitude, I'm on the same cruise and I will not be the least bit offended.  In fact, if I see white pants I'm going to come up and introduce myself and say how smashing you look this evening!

awww! Thank you! 

25 minutes ago, Harters said:

You crazy Americans with your cultural dress rules. 

LOL!  Cultural dress rules aren’t just American thing.

5 minutes ago, n2chocola8 said:

I love white pants too but not while I'm traveling. They just get dirty way too fast.

These would be strictly onboard the cruise. We have 7 sea days, 

Hi Everyone…..

I’ve used too much of my brain power pondering this, so I’ve come to the boards

to crowd source your opinions.  

We are traveling for exactly  30 days.  

Pre Cruise:  Spain and Andorra on our own land travel for 10 days. 

Our Cruise:  Marina Trans Atlantic Nov 13 - Dec 3.q

I need to be able to put a lot of outfits together for the 30 days, we are Air France Business Cass

so i do have a generous baggage allowance, but i don’t necessarily want to schlep that much around. 

So, what are your thoughts on WHITE pants for the cruise portion of our trip? 

I know A LOT of people follow the

not after Labor Day rule or dress for the season and not temperature, 

But i was born and raised in California by the Beach and we wear white year round

So, I don’t know how mortifying this fashion choice would be in the dining room or specialty restaurant 

in the month of November. 

I’ve always believed in respecting the dress code

I’m just confused if the white pants rule is an actually “thing”.

Thoughts? 

We are on your sailing. 

We have been monitoring the ongoing very large protests

I just read the travel advisories for Canada and USA. 

Last night extensive bombing in Gaza took place

Morocco is currently the chair of the Arab League which puts

them in a delicate position. towards westerners,

more than they have ever experienced before.

We are unable to play grey man……at all. 

Because of the above we have sadly decided to 

cancel our shore excursion and remain on the ship!   

We are also onboard the Island Princess RIGHT NOW!!!!

and the service in the dining room and buffet has been consistently subpar!

We are not high maintenance travelers, but even the basic aren’t  being met.

No butter, water glasses not being refilled even 1x, not checking back 1x after meal delivered

and there were errors. 

dessert menu given but didn’t return.

after 25 min we just left and others in the same station left sooner than us. 

Buffet…i have an invisible disability, getting a straw is a massive annoyance to the crew

honestly i love turtles, the oceans and environment. i didn’t  think i needed to produce my handicap placard to get a straw.

App for drink ordering…my experience is a bit different because of my medicine/sleep schedule

im up at 4am. Every morning at 4:30am I have ordered a iced blended mocha off the app 

and within 10 min. it is delivered,,..

It’s pretty awesome!

 today my hubby added in a slice of chocolate cake because it’s a day for celebrating. …

So at 4:45am we were on our balcony listening to the waves

sharing a slice of chocolate cake and drinking mochas. 

THAT made all lousy service in the buffet and dining room kinda disappear from my mind! 

LOL

just for reference …I have 350+ days on Princess

22 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I believe you are thinking of Portofino, not Positano (which the OP enquired about).  Agree it is lovely, though.

LOL!   You are soooo right! 

Oh my gosh what a airhead moment!

Nice to see your screen name!   

You were so helpful years ago on CruiseCritic and Trip Advisor when we were planning

our 2 trips by land and sea to Istanbul and the rest of Turkey for a total of 3 weeks. 

Your assistance really made such a difference, we will always be so appreciative!

(former screenname was isailthe7seas) 

2 hours ago, sunlover12 said:

My take on all of this is that Oceania will not hesitate to sell that accessible cabin if that is the only one available in that cabin category. The cruise industry is a business and that’s just how it is. If a non-handicap person doesn’t want to be in that cabin, book another category. 

We once rented an apartment for a one year lease in the downtown area of a large US city where the housing market was tight. The only apartment they had available was an accessible one. We would have preferred not to be in that one but we took it and the apartment complex did not hesitate to rent it to us. 

oh that is so sad that it was out of inventory for a whole year, but honestly I’m not surprised with that. 

It is a daily challenge to receiving just the basics ….

parking at a grocery store to get food to eat can be impossible, people leave carts in the cross hatch so i can’t open the door, the delivery trucks block the curb ramps in front of businesses.

i can be waiting for an elevator and people will cut me off or run in front of me to get in instead of 1st come 1st serve and i end up have to wait and we know how long elevators can take. 

Accesing medicines such Hydroxchloroquine to keep my disease under control so i can get out of bed was hoarded by almost every medical establishment and healthy person because they thought it would cure covid. Lupus and RA patients who are the only people it helps were left to suffer debilitating affects for almost a year before there wasn’t enough consistent stock while able bodied people just threw it away when they realized it wouldn’t work for them

That’s just a few of the basics, I’ve got a list that’s pages long.

Then there is Travel which we are discussing here

this is considered not a basic life need, but an extra and is soooo hard to advocate for because many 

companies would prefer you don’t travel with them for obvious reasons they just won’t say it, but they will make it difficult, 

I don’t believe in entitlement I just want a more equal playing field so a business

can make a profit but at the sametime they make every effort with checks and balances that 

accessible cabins go to the people that need them. 

12 hours ago, Woofa said:

I have been very hesitant to post in this thread but finally...

I hope that this post will not ignite anyone and that they would first read prior posts of mine and realize I try to have common sense and feelings for others.

 

First let me say that I feel horrible that you had such an experience latitude 22.  Everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect regardless of whether they have a disability.

 

Second let me say that after 125 posts I can tell you I honestly don't know the Oceania policy regarding special cabins for those with a disability requiring a wheelchair or other similar.

This is certainly Oceania's fault as they are not very good at communicating with all of us.

What I seem to believe is that Oceania does provide cabins, at least on some levels which afford greater access for those in need.

I also believe, at least in the OP's case that the particular cabin they reserved (through no knowledge of their own) was the last unreserved cabin in that class.

 

Here is where I don't follow the logic of some of these posts.

Certainly if you are uncomfortable staying in a Handicap Accessible cabin you can cancel. Almost certainly as well this will not ensure the cabin goes to someone with a handicap but rather to the first person on the waiting list.

Here is my main question.

Why does anyone feel that Oceania, or any other business should not sell a cabin, when it is the last one available in its class, and someone is ready to rent it?

They have held the cabin as long as is reasonable.

If a non handicap person has to make a reservation within one hour to get a cabin in a particular class on a particular cruise which is highly in demand then why should not a handicap person be required to do the same?  

Does everyone feel that by virtue of having a handicap you should be able to reserve this room weeks later if no other handicap person decides to reserve it first?  Even while numerous non handicap people join the waitlist?  And if no one needing the cabin applies should they hold it until final payment?  Even leave it empty if no interest at sailing?

 

I have to tell you that over my life of knowing people with a wide variety of handicaps, both friends and family, I don't believe that is the treatment they want or expect.

What I believe I have learned they want is to even the playing field as much as possible so that they can have similar experiences to those without handicaps.

 

Of course I believe that if someone requiring a special cabin called to reserve a room when there were multiple open rooms they should be assigned to that cabin.  I would go even further and say that if a person became handicapped after making the reservation I would like to see the cruise line check and if such a cabin was reserved by someone without a verified need then they should ask if the person would switch cabins. (This deal could be sweetened by some OBC or other perk.)

I don't believe that they could or should force someone to give up that cabin if they booked it in such a way as I described above.

However I also believe that while a small percentage of people out there might try and get a handicap cabin because it is roomier, I honestly believe that percentage is small.

 

It has not been my intention to prolong this thread or get people angry against me for what I consider to be a reasonable take on this situation.  I hope most of you will find it so and that until we get more specific information from Oceania (maybe never,) we can each decide for ourselves if we want that cabin but not ridicule or ostracize those that disagree with us.

 

 

I will respond again later.

I think you have some very valid statements based on the perceptions of able bodied person.  

LHT28.  gave a great summary, so please take a look at that 

California based Cruiser here. 

Home port SFO I’ve done northbound and southbound a zillion times and cell phone service always hit the ship towers, 

many times it appeared to hit land but HAHAHA the cell phone bill said otherwise! 

You will tender just outside the harbor. It’s a beautiful ride in.

If you hike up to Brown Castello you can get some beautiful photos of the ship and town

We actually have one of the photos we took that day enlarged in our home library/study

It’s a steep hike, have lots of water and pace yourself, but gorgeous views! 

We were on the Regatta in 2018 and they did, I had them on the Buffet during a Seafood Themed Buffet, 

If you are visiting Icy Strait Point on your itinerary there are 2 casual Crab Restaurants there.

You can find the info online, but honestly you can’t miss them! 

On 4/24/2023 at 9:29 PM, Kay S said:

You could bring your friends aboard to say goodbye and then there were those lovely streamers everyone threw at the sailaway.

Actually that was accurate! Sadly it was done away with on all cruise lines in the 90’s

4 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

Hmm, if that is absolute not true how come did I experienced it about 15 years ago?  Did it occur to me on a different planet? Also why do people write everything so forceful and in a harsh way these days?

Have you read my past posts on this thread?  

Oceania has not supported me as a disabled person whatsoever in obtaining an accesible cabin

when an able bodied person booked it, 

Oceania has actually told inhabitant of an accessible cabin who tried to trade with me while onboard, that they as an able bodied person shoukd just keep and enjoy it because it was bigger than what I had. 

And i said earlier I’m leaving on a cruise in a couple of days. I came down with a massive and severe Rheumatoid Arthritis flare so my doctor has me on high dose prednisone. 

So, i’m not my normal gracious smile sweetly and suck it up self, 

while I experience ableism. 

Roid rage is real and I have no sensor.  

23 hours ago, kirtihk said:

I don't know why he booked handicap cabin without your request (unless only that cabin was available at a time of booking), and what he meant by "don't worry".

Because Oceania Cruises is an ableist company. 

They do not care about being accessible.  They care about filling the cabins. 

On 5/5/2023 at 8:38 AM, kirtihk said:

If someone booked the same cruise and needs handicap cabin, and it's not available, the cruise line would automatically (without contacting) assign to a person (who currently has that cabin and didn't request it to be handicap) a different cabin of the same category (even if a newly assigned cabin is located in an undesirable position of the ship) or higher (similar to guaranteed cabin category) - it's in fine print.  That's what my travel agent warned me on a few occasions within last 24 years.  So, there is no "need" to feel guilty.

Absolutely, totally incorrect. 

This is not true AT ALL 

4 hours ago, jonthomas said:

I did not book a GTY, asked for specific cabin in cat b5.

O rep came back with a diff cabin. He said the big agencies got the other cabins, he got the last one. Only sometime later I saw it was HC and connecting.

He also just clarified that no way could my TA waitlist a cabin in the same cat. The only waitlist is for the higher b4 cat.

I have now said too many times that it is time to move on. Will only respond if someone else writes.

Ok

 John this is what I think you should do 

Keep this cabin for now. The minute you  cancel Oceania is going to release it and chances are an able bodied person who might not be a sympathetic and kind as you will get it. 

Keep on top of your roll call over the next 2 years if anyone needs it. 

Prior to final payment post on your roll call and on this main board 

Also call Oceania dept that does special requests for accessibility. 

If I wanted this sailing I would be doing/checking all 3 of those things as a disabled person

I would be all over it when full payment was approaching because so many cabins drop off. 

I think you holding it will actually keep it more protected for a disabled person. 

Since your itinerary is a TA these usually appeal to a more experienced cruiser

and chances are they will belong to CruiseCritic or they will be sailing with someone who is on Here. 

When and if Oceania puts checks and balances in place it’s a different story, 

but I think you are the perfect person to hold and guard this cabin more than Oceania itself. 

Just my 2cents as the only confirmed disabled person on this thread that has lived through this scenario over and over! 

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

OK done with this

for those that feel it is acceptable to take a H/C cabin  let's just hope you never need one

Exactly!

5 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Perhaps we are already doing it, by highlighting the issue.

 

Making others aware that these cabins are in fact needed. Do not take them if you don't.

 

But the bigger issue is to change Os policy of assigning HC without making sure the passenger needs it.

Princess is pretty good about it they let you know that you can be asked for documentation and denied boarding.  It scares enough people to do the right thing. Also, they have a pop up with online bookings where you have to specifically check for accessible cabins. 

Unfortunately, Princess has gone downhill so much in the last 15 years

that we would rather sail on Oceania Cruise unless it is a specific itinerary issue.  For example next week we are doing the Panama Canal on the Island Princess through the original locks. I’ve done it 2x before, my husband hasn’t, so this is a bucket list itinerary for him ….so Princess got this booking. 

The most perfect accessible room and experience I have ever had was the Hotel Chancellor in Hobart, Tasmania. I felt so loved, they wanted to make the stay as perfect and exclusive for all guests. 

If you find yourself in Tasmania book them!!!! 

5 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Let me know what I can do to make sure when I give up this cabin that someone else who does not need, grabs it.

I would go to your roll call and ask if anyone needed the cabin and wasn’t able to book it. 

Maybe i missed it but what itinerary is… 

26 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

I will do all I can to make sure we do not occupy a handicap cabin. We booked this when the itin first came up, now prices are higher for other categories. 

Everyone should boycott a HC cabin if they don't need it. Unfortunately we were assigned this cabin without realizing it's a HC .

Anyone think I should write to someone with the power to make change happen. Give me the info.

This will be our 15th O cruise.

Thank you for being such an ally and being willing to advocate, 

So many people think it’s not their concern in life right now, 

but the fact is anyone at any age can become disabled 

from an freak accident to a sudden onset health diagnosis like me. 

I came home from 18 days on the Marina in 2013 cruising around the South Pacific. We were upgrade to a PH2

It was the most magical, relaxing, breathtaking, romantic experience. 

3 days after we got back I was in the hospital with every board certified specialist looking at me going WTH? 

As I started to improve a Doctor asked me what I wanted for my future. 

I said please don’t take away travel. 

Thank you so much for being such a wonderful human being. 

Maybe because you are able bodied you don’t realize how rude it is to use the work deficient

We already know how society treats us as less than, as deficient, 

We feel it, we don’t need to read it too. 

Cruise lines and hotels let us know..

We don’t deserve to use a retreat or sun deck. we don’t deserve to have a table to sit at 

in bar/restaurant area because they are all trendy cocktail tables.  we don’t deserve an upgrade 

because because they are so few cabins/rooms.  we have to settle for the lousy location for accessible room in a hotel because for some reason architects considere those rooms as an after thought and an obligation under the ADA.

We don’t get to use our hotel status 

on the hotel concierge level because there are no accessible rooms. 

Using the word deficient to describe something a disabled person desperately needs and has to settle on having compared to all the options an able bodied person  received. 

is just driving home the point that society has that disabled people are deficient 

in some way. 

It might not be your intent, but it does. 

and in case your didn’t see this in another post of mine…..

I usually find gracious ways to communicate on this topic that is so frustrating,

and just constantly re enforced over and over especially when trying to travel 

but I’m leaving on a cruise next week and last week I developed a massive RA flare.

the intense pain feels like every joint in my body is breaking, 
So my doctors have pumped me up with high levels of prednisone 

and one of the side effects is  no sensor. 

So, I’m going to respond with the reality of how your words come across to 

a disabled person instead of smiling sweetly and saying to myself let it go 

they probably dont mean for it to be rude. blah blah blah

Do better…. don’t use the word deficient.

You seem  like the kinda person who would want to do that. 

especially since you posted the picture.  

Thank you!