Sthrngary

@smellywax Here are my rules for the Vibe Beach Club. If you are not in the Haven, the Vibe is Excellent. If you want me to comment more just ask. Won't ever do a room outside the Haven without the Vibe. The next rule I have about the vibe is, better on bigger ships. The Joy actually has in my humble opinion the best vibe because it is on both sides of the ship. Again, I call this Haven Lite. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ak1004 Thank you for the kind words. I like the CruiseCritic.com Oceania topic board. For the most part, it seems like most who comment are being respectful and do their research. The 18 months that I have on here, after booking my first Oceania Cruise has been education which is all I can ask. My favorite part was it seems, most posters thought the same way as I did. Always have "Realistic Expectations" and never think that your day dreams of what a cruise would be like, is the actual experience you will have. The why this reason that makes so much sense to me is I messed up very badly by taking another brand and believed the hype. Fool me once, shame on me. Yet when we make a decision, knowing the fact and then complain it seems like we are just wanting to find something wrong. I accept that on Social Media however it disappoints me that it is happening so frequently on this board as of late. Kind of confusing but again, social media. Thanks again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Capitan Obvious Thank you so much for the clarification. I really appreciate it and how you presented it. I am a veteran cruiser also. I love cruising as most people do on CruiseCritic.com. I am about to go on a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise with our best friends. I booked it over 18 months ago. My friend have not cruised a lot. The first and I do mean first order of business was not only to make sure they had a passport, to make sure the passport was good for well over six months after we all return from the cruise. I was wrong not to read every single reply and all the information the author provided after the original post. That was lazy of me. I know better. All that said, this one issue is so very important the author needs to accept a certain level of accountability here. That is my only point. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

To the Author, I am sure you are frustrated. Especially with little to no time to gain a passport. I have read many of the replies. I agree with some and kind of confused with others. What confuses me the most is your status on NCL. How can someone who obviously has had so many cruise, not have a passport. The questions of birth certificates vs. passports has been posted so many times. The Benefits of a Passport has been outline, yet with you almost being a Diamond with NCL, you never had one. Your issue is NCL did not give you the rules to the game early enough. They gave you the option to just use your birth certificate. I get that issue and would be upset also well. However, you have to take a certain level of accountability with as much cruising experience as you have had to gain a passport. Just does not make sense you have not. On to a solution. Since sending a federal express letter to NCL would do you know good since you are two days away from the cruise, all you can do is keep calling until you get the right person. It seems all you want is a FCC. NCL will not give you a refund at this late stage. They will do to you what they do to everyone and refer you to their cruise contract. Remember, you can get more with honey. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@pinotlover Don't hold back, just say what you mean. All kidding aside. My comments below do not reflect your post but is made me think. In the sometimes confusing world of cruise brand selection, your ability to find a brand that is PERFECT for you is simply an unrealistic expectations. Some are better values then others, some have a few things that you want that others don't and yes some have items included (never free) in the fare that are of no value to you. What confuses me is why this simple fact has to have a negative spin on it. Anyone that has booked more then three (3) cruises knows what is included and not included in a cruise that they book for the future. Example, I REALLY wanted to go on Regent Seven Seas Cruise for my upcoming 10 day Mediterranean Cruise. Like most things I did my due diligence. Based on what was provided, reviews that I read, people that I talked to and yes to a previous poster the Excel Spreadsheet comparison I did, the value for the price invested was simply not worth it at this time. Glad I did the research. My point, why take/book a brand or complain about a brand if you booked it. Why make fun of someone who looks at the things you think are not a value, where they think based on their previous experience is a value to them. The only answer is "It is social media, where it is a place to vent." That answer is just fine with me. I originally wrote this topic to explain why I left the brand I was so loyal too, a brand that I am know to be a cheer leader for, a brand that brought me back to cruising; I still love that brand. It had been good to me. My tastes and needs have changed and what I wanted in the future was simply a different cruising experience. So, I left it to try Oceania Cruises because for what ever personal reasons Oceania seemed to be and provide what I wanted now in my future cruising experience. Just me, not everyone. Time will tell since my cruise is in 25 days. Simple Motto: "My money, my choice, my decision and my mistake if I made the wrong choice." If you know the rules, complaining is your right however it was your decision to make. That is unless the brand really messed up. You know, missed a port due to weather; has tasteless cookies, charges for wine/beer for lunch and dinner and you don't drink, service a meal that was not Michelin 5-star qualify, changed a menu item, had a bad speaker, provided soda's in staterooms and you don't drink soda's, and the list goes on. Rant over, onto real life. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa Absolutely, look forward to meeting you and yours. Thank you for what you did for our country. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruzin64647 My Pleasure. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@FetaCheese That was a good idea on the Translator. I will keep posting and hope to do some live posts on the ship. Thank you for asking. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Yes, this is one of those things you can't control. I knew that one or more of our ports would be missed. This board establishes that as an expectation. I have managed my guest expectations on that. The moment this conflict happened, I figured Turkey would be that port. This is an adventure so anything is better then going to St. Thomas for the 30th time. Thank you for taking the time to reach out. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Girr Hello, I am this Author of this Crazy Long Stream. I wanted to comment. The reason why I post almost exclusively on CruiseCritic.com is because most members allow for different opinions. Especially on concepts like "A Ship-With-A-Ship" VIP sections like the NCL Haven and Celebrity Retreat. This includes type of Suite or Stateroom. When I have posted on another Social Media Site, I am trolled and ridiculed for my choices. Here on CruiseCritic.com, folks might not agree however they are always very kind with the responses. The Owners Suite or larger upper end suites on cruise ships are very special. As I indicated a few posts back, I stayed with my family of four in the NCL Joy H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite. It was for all involved the best cruise of our lives. Part of it was we all simply got along which is unique in my family. I too love the larger suites. My wife especially likes a larger suites although she gets on my case when they are fancy. I also have to kind of hide the cost so she does not get mad at me. We both have come up from humble beginnings and that is a hard experience to forget. There nothing wrong with Inside Staterooms or upper end larger suites. All of our goals should simply be to have the best enhanced experience we can. Life is too short. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My cruise is less then 30 days away. I created my Journey Document which is over 50 pages. From this my wife and I hosted a dinner with our best friends who are joining us for this cruise. Because the attention span of my wife and friends is like a NAT, I also created a 30 minute YouTube video. Let's say we all had a few drinks prior to putting on the video. Some of us had one to many. Somehow a Old Movie was put on the TV pre-YouTube Cruise Video. It was Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. Paused that Oscar Winning movie to put on the Cruise Video. I hope all of you reading this learn from my experience. It took one hour to get through 10 minutes then I gave up and just sent them the link. I was so frustrated, all I wanted was some confirmations. I got a few as you will see below. When I get frustrated, I start doing tequila shots. I was very happy about 15 minutes later. All I wanted was a few understandings. They were: Confirm timeframes for Air Transportation. A week later after this dinner, I was ask when we were leaving and coming back. LOL. I asked our friends if they wanted to upgrade their long haul flights. This was the 50th time I asked the same question. I got the same answer yet again, "NO". My wife and I used all our Delta Skymiles for Delta One Business Class, and I did not want to feel guilty. I will get over it. We only have less then a day at most ports, you can only do one or two attractions at most. Once chosen, we can book admission online to eliminate lines. The answers I got was, "You Choose". How to handle Jetlag. I traveled every year to Europe and created an approach to get on the time zone quickly. All I wanted to do was share it and gain agreement. Hard to do with my three guest talking all ever each other so I just gave up. Dinner Pre-Cruise in Athens, Greece has been booked for months. It is on the Highest Mountain overlooking Athens. All of a sudden, my wife is worried about steps when you take the cable car to the top. This was the only 100% agreement we got in this meeting. We all agree, "Just Do It." Finally, I am happy to report that everyone got their covid boosters, updated their passports, provided the cruise line and airline with necessary information, has travel insurance and has paid in full which is Oceania Cruise Favorite part. For all my fellow planners. Don't stop thinking through your trips. Just know, very few folks even the ones you love and joining you will take anything seriously until the day before. Except buying new clothes of course. I knew all this, from past cruises so none of it was a shock. I guest the reason why I do it is to feel a little bit more in control especially when so far away from home. If I miss something that is within my control, I want to make the decision. Simple concept. This will be my last post on this topic. My next post will be a "Semi-Live" blog while on our cruise. I will start that blog on November 7, 2023 with the flights, hotels and actual cruise. Thank everyone for reading this topic and I hope you will watch for the blog when published. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruzin64647 Here is a reason which was mine. Remember, to each their own. I was booked in a Haven Two Bedroom Family Villa for my 42 Wedding Anniversary. I was taking my two adult children. To spare everyone a long post, I was cancelled four times due to covid. We started on the Pearl, rebooked the Encore three times and ended up on the Joy. When I took my "THEN" % off, Bonus FCC, and the fact that the Haven H2 Deluxe Owners Suite on the Joy was way less money then the two bedroom on the Encore, I booked it. My family and I enjoyed that experience however at the end, my conclusion was clear. As nice as the Suite was, and it was nice, unless I got it the way I did or did a "NCL Bid" upgrade at a reasonable price, I would never do it again. It was one hell of an experience though. My adult children are now completely spoiled. Side note, My next cruise is a 10-day Mediterranean Cruise on NCL Sister brand, Oceania. We leave in less then 30 days. We booked the trip over a year ago, was able to gain two really great promotional sales, and ended up with what is called a "Vista" Suite. It is about the same size as the H2 Owners Suite on the Encore, Joy, and Bliss. Again, leveraging all the incentives, catching some great sales and staying on top of details we booked this cruise at even less by a far margin then current H2 Owners Suites. My point is, sometime you can catch a deal on some of these huge suite. For me it is sport, I can afford a little more but not full retail. Everyone needs to do what is right for them knowing what they enjoy on a cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have an idea for you, which I am sure you might have thought about. I recently did my first Solo cruise. Before I do anything, I study the options, rules and how it all works. I choose a ship with NCL that did not have Solo cabins in the hope they would drop the need for me to pay twice. With a few tries, I found a club balcony suite, where the rate was $800.00 for a seven day cruise on the NCL Joy with NCL's Free at Sea. Best of both worlds. It took some investigation, it does not happen all the time. I had a great time. Just a thought. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Zach1213 Here is when folks learn the lesson on flying in the night before and staying in a Hotel. They almost or actually miss the cruise. Only takes once. This ALMOST happened to me decades ago. I was lucky. All this said, I have heard some of the most creative excuses for not coming in the day before. Then, when they miss the ship, it is everyone else fault. On the balcony stateroom, to each his own. I have had a balcony for decades now. I also have done the VIP suites on NCL/Haven, Celebrity/Retreat, MSC/Yacht Club and Oceania in a Vista Suite. I go on less cruises so I treat myself to what I consider a nicer experience. This is my choice, as is the choice to do an inside cabin. As long as I am not criticized for my choice, I say we all do what works for us. Thank you so much for posting. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have found this thread to be highly informative and Helpful. Here is my situation as of this morning. My cruise is 29 days away. This means that the penalty for all booked on the ship is now 100%. Our group of two staterooms has one PH3 Guarantee not assigned. The ship shows all stateroom except "one" completely waitlisted. The one that is open is a "Oceania Suite". The ship is the Riviera on a 10 day Mediterranean cruise leaving November 9, 2023. It is clear from the posts on this thread, that the Guarantee will clear about one week prior to the departure up to the actual departure day of the 9th. This cruise had a Four Category Upgrade and the Extraordinary Sales Event that could be used as the same time providing a value to all that booked (Double Dip). The cruise really was not part of the "SimplyMore" program. Therefore true Cruise Only staterooms were available. Using other Oceania cruises, with Guarantee's as a benchmark, the odds are that a PH3 will become available and that is what my guest joining will be assigned. The likely hood of a PH2 or PH1 is possible but unlikely. There are many opinions written on each PH category all of which make sense. The possibility of an Oceania, Vista or Owners Suite upgrade is close to a zero possibility unless one asks Oceania for a "Paid Guest" upgrade offer and even then it would be close to impossible and improbable. As I have learned, with a filled ship, someone always cancels in the last 30 days. A number of reason with the outcome of a cancellation. Oceania and other brands are experts in selling every single stateroom and have many methods shared in this thread on how they do it. My thoughts at this point not knowing the actual stateroom is, I am glad we did the Guarantee because it was based on the "Four Category" upgrade. All that was left at the time at the lowest rate was in a PH3 Guarantee. If actual staterooms were available, since the guarantee does not provide a discount, I would in the future choose a actual cabin vs. the Guarantee. Just less to think about. My reasons when assigned might change my mind but the waiting to the last minute is just not me. This has been a learning process which I have enjoyed. Everyone's actual results and opinions have made so much sense. I will do one final post when the stateroom clears just to tie a ribbon on the topic for me. Thank you everyone for helping a new Oceania Guest learn from your experiences. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You speak my language!! Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@bluestar1 First the answer to your question. Yes, heavy cream. My wife and I had every intention to be on Keto, while in our Haven Suite. It was no issue at all. Second, well, I lasted until desert, the first night in the Haven Restaurant. It was the chocolates Cake that got me. My wife made it two days. The good news is we both went back on Keto, lost even more weight and about to go on our first Mediterranean Cruise in November 2023. We worked hard to be at our fighting weight so bread, potato's and rice are in my future. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am the OP and you got me exactly correct, thank you. I am new to Oceania however not new to cruising nor NCL as a company. I wrote for years extensively on the NCL Blog focused on the "Secrets of the NCL Haven VIP Luxury Experience". It was a "Ship-Within-A-Ship" and I loved it then and now. Best of both worlds but not the best for ALL cruise vacations. The Haven and Celebrity Retreat blogs/threads or anything else folk want to call them always talk about how friends not in these VIP areas, really cannot dine with their guest joining them unless the guest is also in the area. As a Frequent Haven Guest, the negative comments by the other guest about the Haven Area, Restaurant, Bars, private sundecks and pools were both rude and sometimes hateful. The premium for these VIP area was three to four times the fare the other passengers were paying but that seem not to matter. That was the "Classes" I was talking about and I was looking to be on a brand where it was not that way. My OP-ED focused on the benefit to me, my guest and family that once you left your stateroom on Oceania, everyone was treated the same. I like that concept and it was one of the reason's I choose Oceania. One of many. Now onto some other comments I read not by you but by others. The more you pay for your stateroom on Oceania, the more amenities you receive. That is absolutely true. Those amenities are "Mostly" while in your stateroom. I say "Mostly" because if I did not, my response would be picked apart instead of understanding my point which was a complement to Oceania. A few exceptions like early boarding or your stateroom being ready first. Also for Oceania, Vista and Owners Suites, you can have on a ten day cruise like I am soon to be on, two nights per specialty restaurant for a total of 8 out of 10 nights while on the Riviera. For Penthouse and above you can order Suite service from those same specialty restaurants. Does that establish a "Class" system, only in your suite "Mostly". My point was in making this a topic was, "Here are some reason's I choose to move from NCL Haven to Oceania Cruises. Here are the differences that I see, read about and saw on video's". Moving from your favorite brand is not always easy. It takes a leap of faith sometimes. Now do I expect some of area's I disliked on other brands on Oceania, yes. My understanding is even on Oceania Cruises, "Chair Hogs" are alive and well. Even on Oceania, every meal is not the "Finest Cuisine at Sea". Even on Oceania, crew team members have a bad day from time to time. Even on Oceania ports are missed for reasons that no once can justify or determine. When we choose a brand change, it does not mean the world will be a better place. It means we are stepping out for a different and hopefully enhanced cruising experience. It is my opinion, that is why there are so many new folks booked and cruising on Oceania recently. Just my guess. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Daniel A I am still thinking it through. Of course it would be a FL departure because most of the folks on this threat can make it there easily. I will look at the cruises after I came back from my Med Cruise next month. Sorry about your flights. I booked using all of my saved Delta Skymiles for Business Class, and booked my friends in coach on the same flights with Domestics First Class. Flying to Europe is no fun at all. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Flatbush Flyer You are correct on both. The point of the comment was it is included. Where with my experience in the past on Mainstream Cruise lines, it was extra. The comment was made based on my personal approach, not everyone. I rate Luxury based on better luxury then I have had before. If I had a butler and they were average to below average. Then I have a butler that is more attentive. That to me is an enhancement and luxury. However only based on my personal experiences. Everyone is different. I agree with your basic statement however, with all the reviews I have read, video's i have watched and folks that are more credible then others providing that information; I temper it all as relative to the person. Years ago I would day dream about a cruise or new brand. Dreams are perfect Cruises are not. Now I temper everything I see and here to manage expectations. Expect less and hopefully you receive more. Same, I looked at all the brands before I made the decision. The cost per day got even better when a few sales happened during the process. Thanks for such a thoughtful and clear response. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@justhappy My pleasure. I have seen some GREAT bargains and will consider it in the future. My older sister has never cruised and I will take her next. She has a budget so I will pay the difference. Everyone deserves to take a nice cruise once in a lifetime. Funny, the prices for the new ships in Europe are really good. I looked at them a year ago and it was way to high. So I booked the sister company Oceania for that port intensive trip. My next quest, which I will work on beginning of next year is a Haven Trip, at the right price, with NCL coming to the table. How knows, maybe they will give the us a kind of thank you here on CruiseCritic.com let us all enjoy one cruise together. I am not holding my breath though. Funny, I don't think I am pass on the Vibe. I have enjoyed that area so much more then the Haven Sundecks. I think it is the two hot tubs and a bar right there. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@justhappy LOL, I will give you credit for that name from this point forward. I agree, raising prices and lowering amenities is not the way for great brands to go. That is why we the consumer have choices. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Gracie115 The shift in cruising which I have unofficially observed is folks being unhappy with their past brands. You just said it and I feel somewhat the same way. As you read this Oceania Blog, you will read past Oceania client wanting to move on. When the industry closed down, needed loans to open back up, had to find ways to improve profits to pay those new loans, we all knew things would change. With luxury clients, when you find your brand, for the most part you stay loyal. Then you see changes that made it your brand that now are gone or less so. Depending on what it is, you consider moving to another brand. Your move will be an adventure. It might be GREAT and you might miss where you were previously. This kind of movement creates people like you and I. We have no framework of the Oceania Brand other then what we read, learn and uncover. We compare it to what we used to consider was our standard. My standard was the NCL Haven, the Celebrity Retreat and or the MSC Yacht Club. Who knows, we might go on our respective cruises in November and December and realize our previous brand was still better. We might book another Oceania Cruise or consider another brand other then those. All that really matters is we have an enhanced experience and enjoy our vacation. Sometimes it is simply time to try something new. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Your needs, your wants, your money. Let us know where you land.

@justhappy Thanks for your comment. Things they are a changing. I have done Club Balcony Suites with the Vibe. I call that Haven Lite. I usually added in the "Free at Sea PLUS". I enjoyed it very much. However, it did not compare to the Haven Experience for me. If was good, it was a value, it was different. The point of my post was I can clearly see why some were disappointed with their butler experience. I hope NCL will hear our thoughts. I also look for a opportunity to stay in the Haven. Those opportunities although rare, do exist. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.