mary_228

I am sailing later this month on an expedition cruise and would like to use my OBC to pay for my kayak excursions. If I pay ahead of time using my CC, what is Seabourn's policy regarding crediting the original form of payment and rebooking with OBC? So much is included on this luxury sailing that I really have no use for it except to pay for this, the one and only excursion offered (in my price range).

On 11/20/2023 at 11:57 AM, AMHuntFerry said:

Reread your original question...the only thing unique to the BFsale is the discount; all other items are status quo.

Are you saying that the shore ex credit and drinks package are included on every fare?

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.

I, too, am traveling with our son, who is in his mid-20's. Wondering what sort of clothing he might need other than the expedition-style gear. Are you asking your sons to dress up a bit? What have you seen onboard with regard to attire, old and young!

On 11/8/2023 at 7:11 PM, dgannett said:

I do admit though to booking a cruise with my TA just this morning; Viking Saturn in May of 2025. Maybe that summarizes our first Seabourn experience..

 

I, too, will take my first Seabourn cruise, on Pursuit in December. I have high expectations because of the price point, which you mentioned. I had similarly high expectations for Viking Mars which we took in Europe last fall. Unfortunately, they were not met and we will not sail Viking again. Hopefully you will have the experience you desire.

 

3 hours ago, markandjie said:

We were on the second of two charter flights from what I understand, one departing at 7a and ours at 8a. We were assigned bus 8, the last one, which left the hotel at 6:30a. 

Do you recall what time the breakfast opened? Our flight is not until 9:20am, but just in case they give us a super early bus.... And did you depart EZE or AEP?

My cruise is in May. One of the reviewers from Nov 2022 stated that all were open at that time. I am hoping some recent POA cruisesrs may see my post and weigh in.

I am a first time NCL cruiser and will most likely dine in the complimentary venues onboard. With only 7 dinners, I wish to enjoy them to the fullest! My TA has given us dinner for two in a specialty restaurant as well. In the past on Princess we usually chose the steakhouse, as the meat there is much better than the main dining rooms. But POA has so many more choices! What did you love? Which to avoid?

5 minutes ago, casofilia said:

@mary_228

 

It means that you are able to have 2 meals at the Specialty Restaurants of your choice with the only time that you may have any extra charge is with the "Upcharge" mains.   Other than that it will be free.

Thank you. I now notice the particular items that have a supplement to the dining package listed. So one may order a five course meal and pay nothing extra?

I noticed that on the East Meets West menu (not a specialty restaurant), sushi is extra but most things are not. Can I dine there eating only the free items? I love most of the starters and soups.

This is so different from Princess. The whole ship is paperless, so there is no way to leave any "additional" tip, unless one carries cash around. In fact, you never even have to show your card, as you carry a small medallion that the bartender "sees" who you are when you approach the counter. We were so surprised when she greeted us by name in the first hour we were on board! You can order a drink using the app and the waiter will find you wherever you happen to be sitting!

I do not have the freestyle package on my upcoming POA sailing. Will I get a bit of paper to sign each time I purchase a drink? I read that the gratuity is already going to be added to my total. So will there be an extra line to add more if I choose (unlikely)?

My confirmation shows "[2] Specialty Dining Package w/Service Charge", and an associciated cost that was charged to me of $17.80 per person.

When I reviewed the specialty restaurants on my sailing on POA, some have cover charges and others a la carte. I need help understanding the "value" of the package in each of these options. Using the service charge, calculated at 20%, it would appear that $89 is the value. If I am corrrect, I can order up to $89 in an a la carte restaurant? The cover charge restaurants price of $59 would of course be a lower service charge, but I have been billed already. Does my pre-payment of the service charge mean that I will not get a 20% charge added which is mentioned on the menu, unless I go over those amounts?

On 12/7/2022 at 11:16 AM, NikiPinkston said:

The Liberty main dining room was closed and Skyline MDR was open for dinner only. In addition to East Meets West, Moderno, and La Cucina were also closed.

I am confused about La Cucina as the daily showed hours for this restaurant every day.

On 2/27/2023 at 7:35 PM, CaribbeanBound said:

Really good point about the rain.  Agree it is not worth going to Waimea Canyon if raining or deeply cloud covered, as you won't be able to see anything.  When clear, it is GORGEOUS!

Is there a good weather app that will advise of the very specific weather conditions? I plan to rent a car so I will have optimal flexibility.

On 3/9/2023 at 5:21 PM, lovecruzin said:

https://hoponhopoffhilobus.com
 

Just outside the gate of the port in Hilo. Have never done this, but planning on it in May.

Hi there! Any chance you are on the May 20th sailing?

Looking for something fun while lazing on a beach in Costa Maya. Can anyone recommend a place with these?

We used Native Choice while on a Royal Caribbean ship sailing from Galveston. We were unaware that the local time was different than ship time and missed our tour. The company was kind enough to find us seats (5!) on the tour that included the meal option mentioned above. Unfortunately, my husband became violently ill and will never get off the ship in Costa Maya again.

Pleae advise about tipping for hotel maids and bell services.

On 8/5/2022 at 4:45 PM, Fieldofdreams said:

Thank you, when you said "Filling your cart for the entire itinerary's excursions could cause you to miss out as others book the ones you want" did that mean that if we booked a paid excursion in each port ahead of the cruise we might limit ourselves by only getting some of the excursions and not others? Thank you for any clarification.

I don't know if you still have a question, but I will attempt to clarify. On my roll call, others reported that they filled their carts with all the excursions they wanted and by the time they attempted to pay, some of the activites became sold out. They were unable to pay for the remaining activites and had to begin the process again! After more time had passed, they ran the risk of losing out on other excursions as well. 

As others have mentioned, you can continue to change your excursions all the way up to a day or two before that port of call, so keep checking for any that you missed out on and snap them up.

Thaks all. We will submit using the expedited service at the county offices here. Fingers crossed!

Just noticed husband's passport expires about 4 months after embarkation. According to a Viking terms, 6 months is required. Problem is that we only have 7 weeks before sailing. Theoretically, that is enough time for an expedited passport renewal to be completed. However, this is risky of course!

NONE of the countries we are visiing require anything more than 3 months validity. My TA called Viking and was told that boarding should not be an issue. Viking would only deny this booking if we booked airfare with Viking. 

Just wonderd if anyone here had an issue like this, and how it was handled. TIA

45 minutes ago, Let Me Travel! said:

I definitely have the problem…we are traveling with another couple, and we were unable to make a dinner reservation (earlier than 9PM)…we were able to make spa reservations…maybe I should call or chat?

I was unable to even click on the "Learn More" link since it said reservations were unavailable. It sounds like on your sailing the restaurant is fully booked? Did you try alternative days? We have 15 nights so there is plenty of time to get into the specialty dining. Our sailig companions have a higher cabin category, so I noticed that the confirmation referred to us being invited by them to dine at a specific time/date. So I really have no idea how this works (or doesn't).

For anyone with a similar problem, I was able to have the Viking rep address the issue thru the chat function.

 Problem solved, for me at least!

36 minutes ago, Let Me Travel! said:

Yep…you are in with the rest of us! We do have a general consensus that we are likely to be able to make reservations once we get on the ship…but no one seems to be able to make reservations while online…unless of course you really want to make reservations for 9PM

Is your conclusion that the spots are already taken, or that there is a snafu in the website? I am easily able to book a spa apointment, for example.

Does anyone have advice for me? I have tried to reload and refresh the screen. Frustrating!

The Onboard Experience tab states that "Dining Reservations are not available at this time."

On 7/24/2022 at 11:33 PM, Fieldofdreams said:

Were you able to get into all specialty dining restaurants and excursions you wanted. Reading other posts seems that Viking get booked in both of these areas with higher category cabins. Thanks

I haven't booked my specialty dining yet, but I was able to get all the excursions I wanted (excluding the Sagrada Familia which was already sold out). I spent several hours researching the ports of call and getting additional information from Viking as needed in the days prior so that when the window opened, I knew exactly what I wanted. I recommend you purchase each excursion in your cart as soon as you choose it (and prioritize the most desired trip!). Filling your cart for the entire itinerary's excursions could cause you to miss out as others book the ones you want. This happened to others on our Roll Call.