Decebal

 

We were assigned bungalow #54...

 

Yep, simply horrible... I didn't know if I could take this!

 

 

Direct access into the ocean, plenty of fish immediately right there with corals only 15-20 feet away with still a ton of room to simply float around and lose yourself in bliss!

 

 

Wonderful review. Don't laugh, but I am always fascinated by how these bungalows are built over the water. How exactly did they build the plumbing? Where and how does everything go?

Looking forward to the rest of the review.

Ops, just thought of something. Can I end up with an obstructed view in the B categories? Balconies are important for us, I can't tell from the layout if any balconies have view issues.

Here's some information about luggage tags that may reduce the amount of sweating you'll be doing as you approach your sail away date:

 

I've never booked a guarantee so I don't know how complete the pre-printed information will be on the luggage tags you'll be sent, but I know the four pieces of information on all official luggage tags: passenger name, cabin number, date of cruise, and name of ship. Since you already know three of those four pieces of information, you can fill in 3/4 of your Oceania-provided tag even if it arrives empty or, if you have to make your own tag.

 

If you come to the pier without a cabin assignment, you'll hook up with the chief porter who will have the current passenger list. At that time you or he can simply fill in the missing cabin number. If you bring a marker, the number will be as bold and easy to read as the pre-printed tags. (I've only seen the porters use pen, which is why I've added this detail.)

 

Your anxiety isn't unique, but I can't recall anyone in your position sharing a horror story after his/her cruise. Everything seems to work just fine, even on a last-minute basis.

 

I've attached a picture of an official Oceania luggage tag.

Much appreciated. I am sure it will be ok, sometimes one can go a little cuckoo trying to book the perfect cabin. The cruise Gods will be in charge.;p

It could be assigned anytime right up until you arrive at the check in counter

Yay, that will be some surprise then.:o Thanks. Not sweating the details yet, plenty of time.:cool:

I am booked on the December 2nd cruise on the Riviera as a guarantee in the B level. Not recalling which one at the moment, it seems to be a "selling fast" cruise, with lots of wait listed categories and the one cruise left out of the Memorial Day sale. I do not really expect an upgrade, plans are still up in the air, but decided to grab the guarantee until we make the final decision. For now fingers crossed on the location. How soon before sailing when you know the actual cabin location?

You may find this video interesting. It's about airlines, not cruises, but the principle probably extends to many industries.

 

The Economics of Airline Class, Wendover Productions

 

In short, on multi-cabin aircraft, the higher-cost cabins make the airline more money, with business class generating the most revenue per sqft (or sqm). I expect that the various cruise lines' business analysts (bean counters) know precisely what they need to offer to maximize their profits.

 

Let's look at one Owner's Suite on a 10-day Miami-Miami on Riviera compared to one cat G inside stateroom. The cruise-only fares are, respectively, $12,849 and $2,149. Oceania seems to charge a 100% single supplement most of the time, so that's $25,698 total for the Owner's Suite compared to $4,298 for the inside stateroom. I can't calculate cost and depreciation on the rooms themselves, and I don't know the additional cost for the various amenities. The largest green-dollar cost, I suspect, is the butler. (Compare that to something like the free wifi, which is a lost revenue opportunity rather than an actual cost.)

 

The point is, even adding in construction costs, wear and tear on furniture, etc., cost of things like the cashmere lap blankets and the name-brand toiletries (which I suspect are deeply discounted from the manufacturer as product placement), it doesn't cost Oceania $21,400 more to transport, house, feed, and entertain the two passengers in the suite. My guess would be about $2-3k more.

 

So if Oceania - or whoever - can toss together a laundry list of perks to make someone pony up an additional $18k in profit, why wouldn't they?

Don't get me wrong, I totally believe in capitalism 101 where the buyer sets the price. A business survives only if the buyer is willing to pay the price for the product, and obviously there is a luxury market out there. However, the trend seems to be towards super luxe vacations and slimmed down bare bone ones, the middle class vacations are slowly being eliminated.

You are quite right in your analysis, but another way of looking at it is that a regular cabin on Oceania costs [say] twice as much as a regular cabin on Celebrity -- so why would you not expect to notice a major difference in quality? OTOH, my experience in a suite on Celebrity was that food and service were equivalent to Oceania. Beyond those two items, there were of course tradeoffs: the larger number of passengers on Celebrity balanced by the greater number of entertainment options. So for similar cost, I rate them similar value. Thus Celebrity offers two options, while Princess only offers the lower one [no special restaurant for suites] and Oceania only offers the higher one. Isn't choice good?

Choice is always good.:cool:

I don't think you will find that on many ships these days. Even Oceania sets aside space for the Concierge Lounge and the Executive Lounge. And Celebrity's reserved spaces are hardly "half the facilities." But if you want truly egalitarian you must sail on an ultra-luxury ship where everybody has paid to be 'first.'

I understand about the Concierge Lounge, what I meant is that on a mass market line like Celebrity there is now such a divide between the regular cabins and the ultra perk ones, that some people feel like they are on a different cruise. The reviewer of the Oceania cruise has not experienced the regular cruise on Celebrity and the sharp elbows at that buffet, and I think that is why people go "huh?". Just like we have not experienced the luxe side of Celebrity. Although, when I did look at the high end prices on Celebrity, my honest thought was, why do Celebrity for that kind of money when there is Crystal and Seaborn.

But I feel Celebrity is trying to have it both ways, and the more the mass market cruise lines try to cater to people who are willing to pay top dollar, the more they short change the rest of their customers, because I truly noticed the difference between the two cruises in quality and service. And a lot of businesses are doing that, concentrating on the people with money while the riff raff have to settle for the leftovers.

Just my two cents.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

The responses were fascinating especially when Celebrity is mentioned on the Oceania thread. I also cruised Celebrity twice with vastly different results.

The first cruise was to Alaska on a smaller ship and cruising for the first time. We loved the entire experience and the stunning beauty of Alaska.

When we were ready for a second cruise to the Caribbean, we chose Celebrity again. This time is was on the Equinox, aboard with 2,500 new friends. A vastly different experience. First and foremost, I felt the cruise was understaffed, the main dining room was so bad we had dinner there only 3 times on a 10 day cruise and took refuge at the buffet for dinner. The waiters in the main dining room were actually running to be able to serve all their tables.

As for the buffet for breakfast and lunch? Total bedlam. Crowded and I played waitress on the cruise for my parents, it was way too crowded for them to navigate. Unfortunately, dad is Mr. Buffet so was stuck there for breakfast and lunch. Dinner was the only quiet time.

Another point I would like to make is that the initial price on Celebrity looks affordable for the regular cabins, but they charge you for everything else. Mom wanted to do afternoon tea. $40 for that experience. Specialty restaurants, extra. None of us drink, but paid $300 ( I think) for bottled water. And honestly, the cabins looked downright shabby. But you get what you paid for.

Lastly, I think the segregation between the high end cabins and regular cabins and the perks that come with them creates this vast difference in opinion. While I have no problem with paying as much as you want for a fancy cabin, I have a problem when half the facilities are set aside for the high end customers, with restaurants, bars and special areas set aside for only certain customers. If I am on a ship, aside from the cabin, I expect access to all areas of the ship.

Anyway, long story short, the Caribbean vacation was not cheap for a so-so experience. I also absolutely, definitely concluded that the big ship experience was not for me, even if I could upgrade to more expensive cabins. Thus, Oceania is our next destination.

Again thank you for the review and happy sailing on the cruises that make truly happy. After all, that is what truly matters.

I plan to be on the Riviera in December (fingers crossed plans don't change) for my birthday. Was wondering what to wear, until I realized there are no formal nights. So a nice dress, but nothing sparkling?

The last time we went on a cruise with formal nights, we packed so many clothes between my mom and me, I think the baggage handlers at the airport put a curse on us to not set foot on another ship for the rest of our lives. Thus the crossed fingers.

Loved the program, especially the historical perspective of other disasters. 800 souls lost when one liner tipped over because there were too many life boats on the top deck following the Titanic disaster. Also fascinating that they have catalogue every item on the ship down to the plates to keep track of the weight on board. What about the weight of the passengers? I wonder if they leave room for that?

The only improvement with the program I would have suggested was to have an actual tour of the ship, because there were plenty of shots of the ship in what I would call "the buff" or not ready for prime time. It would have been nice to see the finished product in all it's glory. Still hats off to the builders, that is some amazing engineering and logistics.

I've surfed on the coach twice in two Celebrity cruises. It's really not that bad, and of course it all depends how comfortable one is with one's family.

The first cruise, it was our first to Alaska, so no clue what we were doing, but the three of us in one cabin was not an issue at all. In fact our other traveling companions comprised of my sister-in-law, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend who took the couch, and they survived intact.

The second cruise was two years ago in the Caribbean, and again it was not a problem and in fact due to my parents' age, I had to be in the cabin with them.

Again, it's all about personal comfort.

Posting a photo on Cruise Critic pretty much requires an IT degree.

A far easier way is once you upload your photos to Photobucket or Shutterfly, just open the photo, right click on the photo, chose COPY and then click PASTE in your post.

That easy. Here is our welcome to St. Kitts. Copy and Paste version.

I've recently returned from a 10 day cruise on the Equinox. We have cruised with Celebrity before on the Summit a couple of years ago. Equinox is a much bigger ship, and I have to say as much as I loved the Alaska cruise, this cruise to the Carribean left me with a big MEH!!!

The food was plain horrible. We went to the main dining room only 3 times before we gave up all together on it. The staff is stretched thin, they were running around the entire 2 hours it took to serve dinner. I felt so bad for them.

So Oceania is next on the list, I'd rather pay a few more dollars than come back with another MEH!!! Hopefully, that won't happen. Will choose Regatta (I am madly in love with the April 8th cruise (Miami, Bermuda, Charleston, Cape Canaveral, Williamsburg), maybe sailing with 2,500 friends is not for me, although the passengers we cruised with were quite lovely.

Deck - 7, Equinox

Cabin # - 7131

Class – 2 B (I think)

Starboard or Port Side - (facing the bow, we were on the left side, sorry can’t get these terms straight)

Bed near –balcony.

Quiet Cabin– Quiet, however since it’s so upfront when the ship arrives in port you get a wake-up call.

Balcony View - Great!! No obstructions at all.

Balcony Size? - Good size, surprised how big it was. Sometimes I would take the desk chair out on the balcony and the three of us would fit and admire the view.

Was wind a problem? - Not during the day, only blew at night when racing to the next port.

Any specific problems with this cabin? – Good size, enough storage for three people. The bed skirt needed a good wash. The only problem was the bathroom sink. When I washed my face, half the water ended up on my slippers. The faucet is halfway into the sink, there is really no room to wash your face.

Any other comments? – I was the third passenger in the cabin and used the sofa. It didn’t kill me, but if you like your bed soft, you will not like it. It’s long enough and deep enough, but on the hard side (even with the extra cushion they add). Also, the bed stayed made up the whole time, it was never a sofa during the day, but a made up bed the entire trip. My parents liked the bed, but the pillows were on the thin side.

If this were an important discovery or very rare, I assure you the first thing the miner would do is head to Tiffany or Cartier etc., ala when Tanzanite was first discovered and not selling the stuff on cruise ships.

As everyone else has noted, emeralds are part of the beryl family which come in many colors. Aquamarine and Morganites are beryl. (Beautiful stones but affordable) Some people are selling Morganites as pink emeralds. There is no such thing. The golden emerald is the yellow Heliodor. Just making it sound more important and expensive by adding the emerald to the name. But it's just another stone that is beryl. Emeralds are the true stars of the beryl family.

However, if you love the stone and the piece of jewelry, enjoy it.

Same here, we had some showers. It never rained hard enough to cancel anything. Weather is weather, it will do what it wants, especially in Alaska. Believe it or not, in Juneau we had 90 degree weather. My favorite part was the incredible clean air I got to breath in Alaska. It was worth the sprinkles. Enjoy your trip.

Picking berries in the summertime.

Wow, your last set of pics are amazing, and so nice to finally put a face to the incredible "reporter".

Is the food salty, for someone on a low sodium diet, would they feel the difference?

Me too!!!! I was lucky enough to get access to the Hollywood sign, which is normally closed to the general public. It was awesome. Now if I can add them in the proper order.

The photos and your daily diary are awesome. :D Especially life on board.

This is now my new desktop photo.

Thank you for taking the time from your awesome vacation to let us "virtual vacation" with you. Your reports and photos are amazing. Windsor Castle made my day. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Noticed a little girl is on your trip as well, wonder how she likes the lap of luxury?

That's funny. I've seen that "for sale" sign every-time we've sailed into Nassau.. since 1991. It's getting be be the first thing I look for when traveling there. Kind of makes me wonder what is wrong with that house.

 

Thanks for posting it.:D

Fred

Shocking it has not sold yet!! Why anyone can see that it is a charming fixer upper with incredible bones waiting for a person with the right vision. ... and waiting..... and waiting..... :D