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@Daniel A You just opened up a can of worms but I will share what I know. First, I love the Vibe Beach Club and now you can book it online until it is sold out. The Vibe for me is much better than the Haven Sundeck unless the Haven Sundeck has hot tubs. Not all of them do. It has been my experience, not saying it will happen this time, that the Haven desk has a few Vibe Beach Passes stashed away. Here is what I would do, I would send my wife to the area where they book the specialty restaurant which also has a desk for the Vibe Beach Club. You are on first so get in the first group. I would go directly to the Haven Desk. He or she that is successful first wins. You just increased your odds. Many say the Vibe and the Premium Plus Beverage Package are a waste. I always do them both as long as my budget will stand it. Just me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Good Morning Everyone: I have 125 days to my embarkment. I am very excited. Every morning I wake up, get a cup of coffee, a really good one, and open my computer. The first place I look is CruiseCritic.com. Where 1.5 year in advance does not make me excited about a cruise, 125 days does. The morning coffee in a few short months will be delivered with fresh pastries in the morning so when we get up, we smell coffee. Seems like a realistic morning thought these days. On to gratuities. Prior to going to a country outside of the United States, I study the culture. All aspects because I feel like I am a guest in a new and exciting land. I did this habit in my extensive travel all my life for business. I learn a few key words, I have places to go and things to eat. I know things like don't order Cappuccino after 11 am in Italy, but you can order Expresso anything. Tipping and gratuities is always a part of the due diligences. Yet, on a cruise ship and in a visiting country are two different things. Cruising has some personal history and unwritten rules. Some of them I have no idea where they came from. Other make complete sense. In my mind, which many say is simply not right (Usually my family), the Covid cruise pause changed a lot. Many cruise team members were out of work in countries where work and income is difficult in the best of times. This sets up my comment on gratuities. Many of us on this board are so blessed in every way. We might look for a bargain, promotions, Sales or debate when the price strategy of a cruise brand goes up. However, many of us are still blessed. I break all the rules on cruising and have for quite a long time. I tip my Butler with a butler letter the moment I meet them. I learned this when working in Europe especially Germany. My Germany client insisting on getting my invoice three weeks before I arrived. At breakfast on day one, he would hand me my check for payment in Full. He said, it will make me give the extra mile knowing he trusted me enough to pay me upfront. My experience only, not anyone else and I loved this client. My tip for my butler is usually $150-$200 for a 10-day cruise. It is given in the envelope of the Butler Letter. I never really ask for anything really special in the letter. Just a brief history of my wife and me, food allergies and maybe coffee in the morning and salty snacks. I have been both complemented and criticized on my approach here on CruiseCritic.com. The butlers seem to not be offended though. Funny thing about that. I have found that a great butler can make our trip. I thank Erin, our butler on Crystal Cruise for setting the bar. I hope every one has a great morning, a great cup of coffee and have a positive day. Focus on the good stuff and let the bad stuff roll off your shoulders like water off a duck. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am honored you are making this request. Unfortunately, I have done a Live and it took away from the enjoyment of the cruise. Instead, what I do is a daily journal. Sometimes I post it that day other times I post it after. This is a Bucket List Cruise that just got better with a Vista Suite. I promise from a new client to Oceania, my overview of my experience will be balanced, fair and entertaining. The one thing you can be guaranteed with me is I have a great time when other find everything wrong with the cruise. I just LOVE to cruise especially on a brand known for halfway decent food. Thank you again for your faith in me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

We are on the Riviera on November 9-19, 2023. Just a few weeks after you. I am also 66. Please report back on your time. My go to used to be the NCL Haven. I am trying Oceania for a much more reserved, relaxing, small ship, and slightly enhanced experience. I did do Crystal Cruise a year or two ago just as Covid broke enough for the cruise industry to come back. I saw the difference in Food, Personalized service and smaller ship atmosphere. That ship held about 900 and only had 200. Needed more people for my taste. The Riviera for my date is sold out except for one Owners Suite. 1200 new friends. I also hope that both your cruise and mind create long-term happy memories. Cruise well and leave some Vodka for my cruise.

I have done the Caribbean so many times, I don't need it anymore. I have done over the years most all of the excursions more than once. Europe, it much more about the attractions and the sites. You have 9 hours there and if you don't have your facts right, you can mess up your day. In the Caribbean, I love the cruise companies private islands. I usually spend some money on a private cabana by the beach or pool. Most of the other ports, I get off the ship, hit some shops and get back on the ship. Been there and done that. I am all about the cruise and less about the sites in the Caribbean. Definitely do zip lining, it is fun. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

One more hint for you that I use when going to Europe. I find out how to get from the port to City Central. Easy find on YouTube. The methods are taxi, Bus or Train. Most of which you can pre-book online and look at reviews. I then use "My Google Maps" feature to list and show all the places. I want to coordinate them so getting from one place to another is fast, close and easy. Google Maps is your friend. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@iramack Did you notice that the #41 comment was one of the shortest I have ever done. I did not go into that but now YOU do the "Enquiring Minds Need To Know" technique. OK, here goes. I educated call centers for years as my profession. Mistakes happen all the time in call centers. Usually because the person is NEW. The person giving me an upgrade amount to my agent made a mistake. In a call center, when a mistake is made, the customers usually go ballistic. That does not change a thing. However, the customer that shows compassion, kindness and understanding is treated like a KING. The opposite of what most folks think or do. That was my strategy for everything in life. Some times it works and some times it does not. It is always appreciated. You asked if they gave me what they originally said, the answer is, "NO". Not even close. They did provide me with an amount (Higher) that with all the promotions I had gotten, would have put me about the same as Penthouse with no promotions on a per day cost. I considered that a huge win. The key is it was fair for all parties and all parties are satisfied. I had the ending amount paid, equal to the budget I set before ever booking. We choose Oceania for lots of reasons one of which was the very strict budget our friends had. So, I figured. I am not getting any younger, I budget it anyway, and always wanted to be in a suite like that. Remember, my first choice was Regent. The would have been well over double the cost yet to me not double the value. My guest could not even consider Regent. My position only. I am sure the loyal RSSC guest feel strongly that their choice is the best for them. I hope that gives you what you were looking for. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PurpleBunny84 Welcome to CruiseCritic.com. I know exactly how you feel. As you have noticed, when I reply I am very wordy but detailed. I will approach your question as I would do it myself. Ports You Will Dock At: Go online to the cruise brand, go to the specific cruise you are on. Go to the itinerary and look really close. Usually it says the name of the port. If not, go to google, put in the port and your cruise brand to find out the port. When you know the port, you know place you want your excursion to be. Makes it easier. Tender or NO Tender: When you are on the cruise brand website, see if it says there will be a tender from the ship to the port or the ship will dock at the port. If a tender add a least an hour to get off the ship. Example: Will be at X city at 09:00 AM. Consider that you will not be at the port until at least 11:00 AM or later. You need that to see make your arranged time for excursion. Value of Cruise Companies Excursions: The do all the arrangement, take a huge cut and the ship waits for that cruise brand excision to come back before leaving. I have done my own and used the cruise like. I will be in Europe for a 10 day cruise in November 2023. I will use the cruise line for NO excursions. The prices are crazy. Finding Excursions: You can look on CruiseCritic.com on the bottom section of the "Boards" page. I go to the most popular travel sites like Expedia and look up the information. The key is LOTs of positive reviews or if they were negative, you can deal with it. I am surprised Google is not helping you more. The other way it to do a search from YouTube which is one of my favorite places to get this type of information. Cruise NEVER go perfect. You are on a floating hotel, weather, water and huge crowds. Things happen like ports being cancelled. Make sure if you book outside the cruise brand, you can cancel if the port is cancelled. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Had a Guarantee PH3. I leveraged the Four Category upgrade and the Extraordinary Sale. Listen to the advice here on this stream. Had my travel agent call for an guest paid upgrade. Long, long story short, with a comedy of errors, I paid for an upgrade to a Vista Suite. I will not disclose the amount however I am thrilled. Thank everyone for their advice and help. My suite will be party central for my guest (In a Penthouse) and myself. Again, thank you to all the advice given.

The "Upgrade Fairy" is Alive and Well: As with all of my posts, I am trying to give my experience of a level of success on topics new cruise guest have. This one is popular to all cruise guests. I purposely have not posted this on the cruise brands because the long-time loyal brand folks, tell me all the time, it won't happen. Yet, below I will show you how it happened to me, on more than one occasion and the actions I took. The subject, gaining upgraded staterooms hence the "Upgrade Fairy": My most recent situation and I will be very specific. Timing of Cruise: Want an upgrade, choose a cruise date that is the first or second week our of prime sailing dates. I am on a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise in the first week November 2023. This opens up a ship not to be completely filled. That opens up a higher chance of success for an upgrade. Watch for Upgrade Promotions: Want to take a cruise, choose brand, timing and budget. Go on that brands social media site and read the posts often. All of a sudden, the post comes up about a promotion/sale. Social media will get you the alert before you will hear it from any other source. My situation was the upgrade promotion was a four category upgrade. I went from the least expensive Concierge Stateroom to the least expensive Penthouse with butler at the same fare. Do you consider that an upgrade? I do. Tell Your Story and Ask for a Professional Courtesy: Can you write is good letter? Can you tell a good story in writing? Write a well thought out letter with lots of complements about the experience you have had on the brand to this point. Here is the most important point, don't lie. Either you have had excellent service or you did not. Mean it or don't say it. Brands love to hear the successes of their team members. The Team member also love receiving that input and it helps their careers. At the end of the letter, give a good reason for the brand to consider offering you a upgrade. Never demand, never threaten, never be insincere or rude. It could be a story about the guest traveling with you and the hardship they have gone through to get to this cruise. Just be truthful. Send this letter via certified mail to the top four executives at the brand and wait for the phone call back. The Promising Phone Call: That call stimulated by this letter comes about two weeks later. When it does be shocked which you should be. No one ever believes this will happen. Also, be prepared with questions or requests like early reservations to special restaurants. I recently received that phone call, asked for a few minor things in my suite and early reservations to the specialty restaurants. Normally, this confirmed reservations happen 90 days in advance. Mine were done 150 days in advance. I shared this on the brands social media board which I will NEVER EVER do again. I was attached and called a liar. I posted the screen shot from my online account supporting my claim and still got claims of being a liar. At the end of the call with the rep, ask if at all possible to be considered for an upgrade. Finally, ask for a email from them to confirm your other requests. Emails Provide Direct Communication With Executives: Once the rep send you an email, look at their direct email address. JHarris@(Brand).com. First initial followed by last name at the brand. Now find out the CEO, President, V.P. and other executives names. You now can send an email directly to them. Don't send an email unless you want it to count. To many gets you blocked. Be smart and strategic. Look for Future Promotions: The term is Double Dip. Using two promotions at the same time. I already had the four-category upgrade. I had a fully refundable security deposit paid. Social Media announced a special promotion. I called my Travel Agent, she checked and I got a reduction of $1800 per cabin and keep the original 4-Catigory Upgrade. My guest were thrilled. My fare not was over $1,000 less per person than the same itinerary, on a mainstream cruise brand in their special VIP section. Ask for a Paid Upgrade: Have your travel agent call the cruise brand as the cruise gets closer and ask for a guest paid upgrade opportunity. I have stayed in the best and worst stateroom on a ship. I was already in a Penthouse with a butler. I wanted the next category up. My full fare at the time was $2,750.00 per person which is a bargain. The next category was $9,000.00 per person. I asked for guest paid upgrade and was given one for $2,000.00 per person. Now I am in a $18,000 suite for $4,700.00 per person. That is about what the Penthouse would have been if there was not two promotions on this cruise. This might not be worth it to you, it was to me at my age. Remember to each their own. You can imagine what might happen if I shared this with the folks on the Social Media blog. All hell would have broken loose. Bid An Upgrade: I have done this many times especially with NCL. What every stateroom you are in, close to the cruise they give you a bidding opportunity. Travel Agents say, they are a waste of time. I say, do your research and be strategic. How much was the upgraded stateroom you wanted selling for now. What is the current inventory for that desired stateroom. The more open, the less you bid. You want the NCL Haven, it is all about inventory availability. Choose your bid, know it could or could not happen and be happy with your result. Never offer the same amount as you could have purchased it for retail. In that case just contact your agent and upgrade for a cost. The key here is gaining an upgrade at a true value. I hope you like my approach and stories. I assure you, I am transparent all the time. Have a question, feel free to ask on this stream. Remember, I share this because you deserve to have some information even if it is your first cruise. Just be happy with the results you achieve. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh Excellent choice of a ship to try the Retreat. The Beyond was designed with the Retreat area in mind. Other Celebrity ships like the Equinox Retreat is retrofit. If I am not mistaken and I hope it is not, you might cruise with Captain Kate. That is a true Joy. She is awesome. In addition, the Lumina which is the Suite only restaurants is one of my favorites. Unlike the Haven Restaurant, the menu changes nightly with some standards every night. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You are right, this topic has been talked about almost as much as children taking over the Haven Courtyard. It has been hashed out over and over again. Everyone has an opinion and we tend to argue on who is right and who is wrong. I am usually very positive and refer back to my emphasis which is "Realistic Expectations". I also attempt to be completely transparent. The Small Venues are marketed as, "First Come/First Served". There is NO guarantee that a guest, Haven or otherwise will gain special pre-show entrance to the small venues. This is why I always address this issue so folks in the Haven are not disappointed when this does not happen. This for some folks seems to happen all the time. For me, never once. On to my main point. This courtesy not amenity is usually all to do with the Haven desk Staff. In that shows the inconsistency. If this was openly offered to me as a Haven Guest, I would jump on it. On the other hand, unless offered, I would never ask. Just me but I had to comment. Most everyone knows me here and this stream has been a true sense of joy for me over these many years. I will be the first to acknowledge one of the reasons my next cruise is not on NCL or the Haven is because I, on some level, don't like the feedback given to Haven Guest (by non-Haven Guests) on any/all special amenities or courtesy they receive. I have justified that the enormous premium paid justifies all provided. It still makes me just a bit uncomfortable. My next cruise will be on Oceania. Many reasons I did not take NCL and or the Haven for this upcoming trip in the Mediterranean. One of those reason was I wanted to feel the difference when every single guest, once they leave their stateroom, is treated exactly the same. Other reasons were smaller ship that can get into small ports, elevated dining and many more. The joy of cruising is based on the experience we all want, we have many choices That does not make Haven or no Haven bad or good. It is simply part of the good business decision we all have to make for ourselves. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@NikkiPoooo27 All of what you just outlined is completely accurate. On the Haven Concierge situation. The strategy is to be in the first group of Haven Guest to get on the ship. Have your adjustments in writing so when you get to the Haven Concierge, they can check the off one at a time. Sometimes, pre-cruise, many things can be pre-reserved (Not Everything) and put in your portfolio. On a completely filled Bliss, Encore, Joy or any other of the larger NCL Ships. I could not agree with you more. A thought on this is to choose much less busy times. The week after or before Holidays. When kids are in school, after the Prime Season. I was on the Joy, it was not filled up. I was thrilled. Then another NCL ship had an accident, the sailing was cancelled the same week, NCL gave the Guests the ability to be on my cruise. I went from 50% filled to completely filled in the matter of a week. Just the way it goes. I was on a Crystal Cruises Voyage where the ship held 900 guests, their was 210 on board. It was not great. I would have thought it to me awesome but it needed some life. I was on the NCL Joy in the Haven when the ship was 50% full. One of the greatest cruises of my life. I went back on the Joy a few months later 100% filled not in the Haven. The only thing that saved this cruise for me with a week in the Vibe Beach Club. Timing is everything now that people are cruising again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@graphicguy 100%. You are right on this point. My point in commenting is after all these years responding to this op-ed stream, controlling expectations has been the key. One of the main examples is the escort to the small venues. Some folks get it others don't. Unless we are clear, it might or might not happen, a Haven guest ask and they do not receive. Disappointment happens which can escalate. To clarify my point because I am always to wordy. I was on the Joy for my third voyage and this time my first Solo Cruise and not in the Haven. I had a Club Balcony Suite and to make it Haven Lite, I had booked the entire week in the Vibe Beach Club. I must say, I love the Vibe as long as the weather is warm and good. I made friends quick with everyone of the crew members in the Vibe. Obviously I am an Extrovert. One day at lunch, the Vibe Manager asked me if I wanted a "Haven Cheese Burger" for lunch. "I Do Love a Tasty (Haven) Burger". (Shameless movie reference). I was one of only two people in the Vibe at the time. I was thrilled and enjoyed every single bite. I did not post that happening until now. The Manager was just being nice to me. So back to your very accurate point. Lots of these kind gestures in the have have a huge amount to do with the Haven Concierge. Just not going to happen all the time unless in writing as a Haven Amenity. My way to mange expectation. If it happens, fabulous. If not, no issue. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@omahabob You are killing me. LOL. Here is the deal. This is JUST ME. I tip everybody and do it discretely with a verbal thank you. I also try to make everybody laugh and enjoy the process. The tips are just as important as making someone love to be of service to you. Either one works, both together give you the highest chance of potential success. Success is that during my cruise, I and my family are treated like a "Rock Star". I want to walk into the Haven Bar and have the bar tender and all the Haven locals yell, "Hi Gary" like they did for Norm on Cheers. That takes lots of work but worth the outcome. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@graphicguy The escort to Syd Norman's and or the Cavern Club is not a Guarantee Haven Benefit. On the many Haven Cruises I have been on, for what every reason, this early access to those small venues has never been offer or available to myself and my guest. I think like many things with NCL it is based on who is in charge of the Haven Desk. I totally wish it was a Guaranteed Haven benefit. I have had to do Standing Room Only for the Beatles Shows more times than I can remember. To have had a seat would have been a luxury. I am not contradicting your statement in anyway. I am just saying, if any of us are so lucky to have the benefit, some other need to understand it is a hit or miss situation to have "Realistic Expectations". Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

No Reservations Needed however on a very few occasions, you have to wait for a table to open up. Very rare. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you to everyone that posted here and gave me such GREAT information. It has been very helpful. This will be one of my last posts for a while. Before someone takes shot at me for announcing this like it is some kind of loss to folk, it is not. You have completely satisfied my inquiries and it has been truly appreciated. I will still be active but much less opinionated on a cruise brand I have never take before. I am no one important other than a guy that loves cruising constantly attempting to elevate his experiences. All of you have been quite gracious to me as a NEW guest to Oceania. On this post I want to explain something that I hope every both understands and appreciates. Years ago, I had a Stroke at age 60. Until than I traveled internationally for 40 years as a professional speaker. I rarely took time off to enjoy the finer parts of life. I feel much better now on all levels after a few years of retirement. I wanted to enjoy life after my stroke and music was a foundation of my entire life. I was trained to be a professional musician but went to college for business instead. My 60th birthday was deemed the "summer of music". I wanted to go to the four-day music festival on the beach called "Hangout Music Festival". Because I was 60, I did not want to be in the sun for four days straight with the 20 year olds. They had a High-End entry called "Super VIP". Catered food, unlimited bar, raised covered and fanned area to listen/watch the bands with chairs, hot tubs and couches. There were much, much more. The problem was this was very expensive as you might imagine, and I could find NO WHERE the real detailed information on "Super VIP" was located. The reason, it did not exist at the time. I took a risk, and paid the price. I then wrote a very detailed op-ed that covered ALL the "Secrets of the Super VIP" entrance to the Hangout music festival. Folks loved it and it became somewhat viral. That positive feedback gave me an opportunity to do the same thing for the Four Day Bonnaroo Music Festival as a "Platinum Guest". I have now gone to both music festivals for four years in a row reporting back on new and exciting things every time. It seems that in the Cruising Hobby we all seem to have, the same lack of information on how the true details work similar to those Music Festivals. So, a few years ago, I did the same approach to the "NCL Haven Experience" here on CruiseCritic.com Do as much research as you can, bite the bullet and pay the price. Write about it in a way so other can leverage as much of the value as possible from the premium investment. Again, this topic went somewhat viral as it can on this CruiseCritic.com platform. I found a hobby. Through out this quest, it was always based on the foundation of, having "Realistic Expectations" so you are less disappointed when you have the reality of your vacation. In addition with cruising to make my vacation as "All-Inclusive" I could with the options that were most important to me. This and other post that I have on specifically the Oceania Blog on CruiseCritic.com social media site has the same end-game. Enjoy the first experience the best you can and write about it after. I also did it a few years ago on Crystal Cruises before it went under. By doing the research upfront with ALL of your experience and help, it makes my family and friends vacations that much better. The added benefit is I journal everything to help other after me to have some of the answers that are asked over and over again on this and other sites. I am not paid by any brand, I not a so called influencers, every aspect of this experience comes from my personal funds. I am just a hobbies that would like to have some experience prior to leaving this earth that will create memories of pleasure for those I am with, myself and future guest looking for this information to make a decision to proceed. So, all of you gave me such great information to make my upcoming trip better. I will pay it forward real-time during my cruise and after my cruise so other have the benefit of what I learned and what I will eventually experience. My time until the cruise will be focused on a book I am writing not on the subject of cruising. yet every day as normal, I will check this blog for hints/ideas from those that have experienced them. What a valuable resource CruiseCritic.com has been for other and myself. Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@1985rz1 Thank you. I have booked four (4) specialty restaurant meals with our friends already. I tried to add them in to another one and the system, as noted, would not allow it. So, first four Done and confirmed. I just added the four (4) additional specialty restaurant days and times for my wife and myself. When I get on board, I will ask our butler to add our friends on the second set of four (4) dates. My logic tells me, he/she may be able to initially do the first night. He/she will have to wait for the other days in the morning to add them in based on all that has been shared with me to the other dates. Thank you for your help. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@LHT28 I might have missed the loophole. My friends are in a Penthouse (PH). Please allow me to ask my question a bit differently for clarification. A Vista Suite has two (2) guaranteed reservations at each of the four (4) Specialty Restaurants for a total of 8. A Penthouse has one, for a total of 4. I have booked my friends with my wife and I already for four (4). With recently upgrading our suite to a Vista, can I include them in my reservation for the next 4 reservations? Is that the loophole being referred too? The alternative is book the reservations 5 through 8 for my wife and I. When onboard, ask our butler to ask permission for our friends to join us making our table for 4. None of this is critical, my past cruise experiences have taught me, get your specialty restaurant reservations as early as you can. This gives guests the best possibility at restaurants, days and times desired. I have zero experience on Oceania. I hope all that makes sense. Again, just happy to be cruising. None of this is critical other than having a good strategy. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. PS: Because I have so enjoyed the help you have provided to myself and everyone. Also knowing Food is relative to the individual. Could you tell me your favorite of the four specialty restaurants.

@Hambagahle Wow, incredible information. I can't thank you enough. Very Sorry about the situation on Regent. Unacceptable. Thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Twiga Thank you for taking the time to respond. On the Walk to the Terrace Cafe, I will make it in 60 seconds or less. My wife and I have been dieting now for several months for our upcoming trip, LOL. Could you look at the questions I posted on Entry #9 above and kindly provide some feedback. This lovely suite is a comedy of errors in happening. I will not share with my wife until we are on board. We are cruising with friends in a Penthouse. We will use the Vista Suite as Party Central. Thanks again for responding. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Hambagahle Thank you very much. To say I am excited would be an understatement. Please allow me to ask you some questions. I respect your time so no urgency. Some of my question are just me being a detail guy. Your time and answers will be valued. Internet: I booked this suite prior to "Simply More" going into effect. Is it my understanding the Vista Suite has two device log-in's ?(Normal not streaming Internet) Front Facing Veranda: Front of the ship verandas with wind during sailing. I was in the Owners Suite on the NCL Joy. It was also windy during sailing. That was ok because the weather was so warm at the time. This is different, the weather is Europe/Greece/Italy in early November. As you said, this is a port intensive 10 day cruise, it will be in port most of the time. I appreciate you sharing this with me and it reminded me of my experiences. Thank you. Specialty Restaurants: I just notices, we have "TWO" guaranteed specialty restaurants reservations for each specialty restaurant. Prior to upgrade, in a penthouse, I only had one per. We are traveling with friends who are in a Penthouse. Do you know if I can make a reservation outside of the normal five and include them? Also, and I know what I am asking is relative to tastes. Which is your favorite of the four Specialty Restaurants? On-Board Restaurant Reservations: Logic and past cruises taught me to gain my specialty restaurant reservation as soon as I could book them On-Line. Knowing Oceania allows waitlist for the day you would like to gain another reservation. Since we have an extra four Guarantee Reservations, does that give priority for booking while I am on-board? Or should I book them pre-cruise even is I can have our guest joint us? Early Boarding at 11:00 AM: This is another one of those questions like the specialty restaurants. You may or may not know. Just asking and will call Oceania if you are not sure. The Penthouse with our friends board at 12:00 PM, the Vista boards at 11:00 AM. If I share we are cruising together will them let them join us for the earlier boarding? From you your perspective, is there anything else that makes a Vista suite different from let us say a Penthouse? So you know, I have made a hobby of gaining this type of information prior to boarding. This kind of information is not easy to find. Once I cruise, I will capture all of it and share with CruiseCritic.com and put in my detailed review. Any assistance will be truly appreciated. Thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I personally understand this debate on comparing different brands. Allow me to give an analogy. When someone compares to very similar trucks. One is a Ford and the other is a Chevrolet. The Manufacturer studies each others pricing strategy. They purposefully make it close to impossible to compare. This is done on purpose so a complete comparison will never be an Apple to Apple comparison. It is a marketing strategy and it has worked for decades. When I started my research on which cruise brand I wanted to sail for my Mediterranean cruise, I attempted to do a excel to clearly show the differences. Boy was that a task. The biggest issue I had was how do you compare Regent Seven Seas to lets say Oceania. Regent is as close to all inclusive as you can get. Oceania allowed choices at the time allowing a lower price point. I had to do things like Add/Delete Business Class Airfare; Add costs to Oceania for excursions every day since Regent Excursions were part of there price. Number of internet devices, drink packages, and the list was exhausting. I did it though and learned a lot. My quote of, "it is all in the fine print was never so accurate". I choose Oceania at the end of the day because I did not need or want some of the "All-Inclusive" items provided by Regent. WHY, I just would not use them. That last sentence seems to be the core of the debate. Why pay for things you don't want or need? Example, if I don't drink (I drink and enjoy drinking, just saying.) why do I have to pay for a drink program. It seems, to be confirmed tomorrow for all, that Oceania made a business decision to take a more "All Inclusive LITE" approach which I am sure had to to with a very expensive consultant who did a very detailed presentation. I say LITE because it is still things like Beer and Wine with upgrade for spirits. Coach airfare with upgrade for higher. One guaranteed Specialty restaurant per specialty restaurant. This keeps Oceania less than some and more expensive than other brands for a similar cruise. Notice I did not talk about things like Dining because it is impossible to compare because we all have different likes/dislikes. My results of my Regent/Oceania comparison was interesting. Regent was still higher however when all was added in, Oceania was close. "You get what you pay for ONLY if what you paid for was what you wanted." We all have a choice regardless of what we liked in the past. I LOVED the NCL Haven. Yet, I am on Oceania. My choice, my money, my research. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

No, No; I saw it also. That was a GOOD catch. My stateroom is 12001. It was not on the Riviera, it was on the Marina. I have to assume, they are more similar than not. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.