Roccaforte

We were lucky last cruise.  Met a couple on our roll call.  Since we live in Naples close to I 75, they picked us up on their  way to Miami.  We parked at J and split the parking fee.  We paid for the gas fill-up on the way home.  Great couple - worked out well.  We also paired up on our own excursions.  Always good to check out your roll call.  Looks like no such luck on our upcoming cruise but we’re going to park at J anyway.  Too safe and convenient to go elsewhere.

Royal Caribbean has actually set sail for Alaska from Seattle.   They mention an e-muster drill.  Anyone know what this is?

I’m happy to read that cruise ships are sailing from American ports.  There was a great celebration by both passengers and crew while boarding took place.  Gives me hope that my future cruise will be a go!

The canapés served in PH cabins are great.   We tried a different one every night.  We liked to save the chocolate covered strawberries for a late night snack.  Be careful if you have early dining reservations.  After a couple of glasses of champagne and the canapés you might not have much of an appetite for your dinner😄.  Same applies to the cooking classes.  You eat what you prepare so make a later reservation on those days.

Wearing a mask on a cruise is a deal breaker for me.  DH and I are fully vaccinated and have been living our normal pre-Covid lives.  No going back for us.  We don’t sail until January but final payment is coming up in October.  Guess I’ll see what the rules are then.  Mask mandate on a ship means maybe we head to the Breakers instead.

After we check in our larger bag we take a small carry-on ( a size that fits under airline seats) on embarkation day and keep it with us.  Cruise documents, passports, prescription drugs, jewelry and electronics - anything you just can’t lose without ruining your trip.  If you board early enough to score a nice table at the Terrace that’s a great place to be.  If not head to Waves which is usually less crowded and has the best surf and turf sandwiches.  Everyone is toting around some sort of bag, so just relax, have an adult beverage and enjoy.  Once we’re on board we can finally really relax.

Thanks LHT28.  I’m trying to edit my profile😁

15 hours ago, LHT28 said:

If you are in North America

Providing your insurance  & the reason for cancelling is covered by them

eg: you got sick  from something  that did not exist when you bought the insurance

DH  had a gall bladder attack at the hotel prior to boarding the plane  ..it was covered

 

Always  read the fine print  & ask questions to make sure  what is a covered event

 

FWIW  it is good to put the Country you live in on your profile

different answers for different Countries

This thread is helpful.  DH and I are fully vaccinated and intend to pay in full on the due date for our upcoming January 2022 cruise.  If Oceania cancels our sailing I can expect a full refund.  Any cancellation made by me is my problem to work out with insurance, etc.  Am I understanding this correctly?

Our February 2022 Riviera cruise in a PH2 has gone up $100 per person.  Glad I booked last month.  Doesn’t seem like too much but still better for me😁.

When my Blue Book went astray because of a move,  Oceania wouldn’t replace the whole book without a $25 charge but they did send luggage tags.  They were not personalized like the originals but they were just fine.  Since we’re sailing in a guarantee this time and don’t know what our cabin number will be, we may not have tags until we arrive at the terminal.  I’m sure the porters can handle any luggage tag issues if for some reason you don’t get yours.  We always have our bags identified with our own tags as a precaution.

I know this has been covered before but Amex may have added insurance 1/2000.  I’m getting mixed messages when I call them but their literature seems to say that they do cover trip cancellation.  Has anyone used this?  We feel that we need insurance for our upcoming cruise.  I have a great TA so if all else fails I’ll get her recommendations but it sure would be good if that big Amex Platinum fee covers our cruise.

I like your thinking of “Why Not”.  My DH and I were contemplating booking an Oceania cruise in January.  Since we’re seniors we said “What are we waiting for”.  The cruise is booked and I can’t wait!

Yes. It was dinner.

On Riviera at the GDR we saw a gentleman turned away by the hostess because he was wearing shorts.  If someone wants to dress casually there’s always the Terrace Cafe or room service.  I like that there are standards to be upheld.  

Thanks for that info.  I’ll be sure to take care  of the room service stewards from now on.

Sounds like Woofa is doing great research.  Our favorite time of day is leaving ports while dining and sipping our adult beverage.  I’ll take a closer look at our upcoming voyage to do the same.  We’ve relied on the Terrace and grilled lobster tail when we couldn’t get a specialty reservation.  We had an excellent sail away while dining in Polo so I’ll try to do that again.  I hope Woofa keeps up the good work.

Last three cruises - Riviera and Insignia were from J

According to the WSJ, the cruise proceeded as normal.  The infected passengers are isolated but after further testing no one who came into contact with them has tested positive.  Restaurants, casino, theaters etc. were open and crowded.  Nothing is 100% but at least no one is seriously ill.

Hard to believe that two fully vaccinated passengers tested positive.  They are apparently not sick (symptom free).  I’m curious to hear any follow-up.  Could they have been exposed while in one of the ports?  We’re booked on Riviera in January and I’m not reluctant to go.   Maybe I’m just too desperate to resume sailing😁

The patches work great for seasickness but they make me a little fuzzy and affect my appetite.  Also, alcoholic beverages are not recommended while using them.   Not a good thing on an Oceania cruise.  I always take them with me but use them only when stormy seas are predicted.  Having been on both Riviera and Insignia there has never been a day rough enough to cause a problem.  Maybe just knowing that you have a solution will help.

I’m with Heather.  I won’t sail if I’m required to wear a mask in public areas.  I can’t imagine strolling through Horizons with a mask.  I’m fully vaccinated and if everyone else on the ship is also vaccinated I’ll feel safe enough.  By the time we’re allowed to sail in August I hope most of this mess is behind us, but meanwhile I’m getting on with my life without a mask.  

Great article in today’s WSJ by Kimberley Strassel on the CDC shutdown on cruising.  Governors in Florida and Alaska are trying to make a difference to get things going again.  The CDC  rules are onerous and vague and causing massive loss of jobs and revenue.  So many port workers and suppliers are devastated by this year long shut down.  I gather from this board that lots of fully vaccinated folks would like to get back to their favorite cruise ship.

Successful sailings have begun overseas.  Time for this to be considered.

Governor DeSantis met with Department of Transportation and cruise line officials at Port Canaveral yesterday.  He is threatening legal action against the CDC for their rigid policy on keeping cruise ships from sailing from US ports. Maybe this will help.  I can’t see too much danger in cruising if all passengers are required to show proof of vaccination.  So many people are going to Nassau to cruise Crystal this summer.  Time to give American port workers a break.

That new fee might be too much for us.  So far we have gotten benefits that make up for the cost.  Centurion Lounges, ship board credits, wine tasting, monthly Uber credits, $200 in any additional airline expenses such as baggage fees, meals and alcoholic beverages on board, concierge services for theater tickets, additional bottle of champagne  in our cabin.

We book our cruises through our favorite Oceania agent to get the best cabin for us and then transfer and pay through Amex Platinum.  They’re always very accommodating and nice to deal with.

Of course, last year most of the benefits were useless but we have started traveling again now that we’re fully vaccinated😁

When we did the Amex Platinum wine tasting on Riviera my husband and I attended together.  Not sure, but I think it  was the only wine tasting event on that cruise.  It was fun and very informative.  Our sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable.  We sampled about 6 wines - mostly reds.  They were served with various cheeses to compliment the wines.  We were each given a bottle of wine of our choice to take with us,  I’m not sure how this would work out for a non-wine drinker - if one person could attend two events.

This was free for us compliments of our Amex Platinum card.

Sailing up the Bosporus on the way to Istanbul watching the city come into view on a beautiful sunny day.  Relaxing in a lounge chair sipping champagne made it even better.

Also, leaving Lisbon and sailing through the straits of Gibraltar.  Any cruise sailing past the Statue of Liberty.  Too many moments to love.  Can’t wait to sail again.