Sthrngary

Thank you for your kind words and all the thought you put into your post. I hope you recover quickly. Enjoying life is our reward. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Flatbush Flyer Well I did not know about the illy coffee but what I did have in November was pretty darn good. On the Dom, I could not agree more about the price. That said, something has happened to my and my mindset in the last two years. I don't mean to get personal with this comment but I think others will understand. They might not agree but they will understand. I was a Professional Educator, Speaker and developed curriculum for fortune 100 and 500 companies. I owned my own company since I was 30. At age 60 I had an acute stroke that was a wake up call. I retired. My biggest fear as is most folks men or woman at this stage of our lives is if our retirement/savings will last us the rest of our lives. After 6 months of fear I realized, everything would be just fine. Then an occasional health issue here and there which all got handled efficiently. I went from being super cheap, saving every cent I could for a rainy day to saying, "It is time for me to be a little reckless, and splurge on some things. Life is to short." So the cruise staterooms got nicer, we went to Destin, FL for Vacation more, and a few more nights out to dinner started to happen. None of which I would have or did consider earlier in my life. So things like the Dom event is definitely not frugal and in many was a waste. However it is an experience I have thought about so why not. Sorry for the book, but one of those mornings with my coffee. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@AMHuntFerry You are right. I did not know the ship and my group was upset I could not find a BAR quick enough. The Baristas covers my coffee and their adult beverages. Great call. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@alcpa1 Are you from my area of Alabama? Is so, it is a date. Love to. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Thank you for taking the time to share. We are on the Vista. The idea of having the Key Lime Pie escaped me on my last trip. I am all in on that. The Privee was an after thought on my first Oceania Cruise and I regret not doing it. I will do my best not to miss that this upcoming voyage. Thank you again for a kind thoughtful post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Yesimapirate Oct 13, 2025? Deal

@DENIE That will be awesome.

@Snaefell3 Have your butler bring you a nice coffee and pastry every morning from Barista. Love that.

With so much craziness in our world, I am trying and I do mean trying, to distract myself with happy thoughts. Dreaming about upcoming cruises has always been my happy place. That is why I am writing this topic. I also believe if you focus on the good in life, knowing life is not always great, it keeps a smile on your face. My problem is I book cruises to far in advance. I booked my 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the Riviera 18 months ahead of time. My booked my next cruise which is another 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the Vista 24 months ahead. Some thing we did I definitely want to do again. They include: Pre-Dinner Drinks at Martinis Using the Outside Spa in the Front of the ship Spending quiet time on the headed stone lounge chairs Eating at Red Ginger Finding the best bakery in each port Having my morning coffee at the illy Barista As a frequent member of this board shares quite often, I love finding really nice wines at each port then it would be enjoyed in our stateroom that night. Next cruise I know I want to go to the Dom Champagne special meal which will be my big splurge. I might have to do that one solo. My wife and guest think it is silly and way to expensive. To each their own. Please share your favorite thing you absolutely want to do on your next cruise. Lets enjoy the day dream together. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@urlaub Just write Oceania a letter. Mail it to the top executives in Florida. Make them sign for it. Explain your situation. Explain your cruise history. Social Media is a place to vent not fix the issue. Travel agents are not as committed to your resolution as you are. Keep sending the letters weekly until they call you or answer you. At this stage, Oceania or any brand has made you so disappointed, you may never go back. So, now it is the principle of the thing. Don't give up. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Vallesan You obviously are taking about my mother prior to her passing away. I think we all know someone like that. Your post struck me in a positive way. Booking a cruise for a bargain price as your main motivation in my thoughts is not sport. Booking the cruise that you really want and fall into a nice sale if you are looking for it and it happens is sport. That is what I got out of your post. Thank you for taking the time to say it the way you did. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It is clear, fares are based on a lot of factors. Does SimplyMore effect prices, yes of course. But that is just the way it is until it is not. Does popularity of a specific cruise or agenda effect prices, logic tells us again yes. Does time of the year when traveling make a difference, yes again. There are so many things that can both effect fares and create/stimulate a sale for any brand. In my opinion and that is all it is, my opinion. What we were fortunate to gain in the past, does not make it so or even relevant for the future. How ever someone choices a cruise, itinerary, timing and the list goes on, is unique to the individual. The goal then is to keep their eyes and ears open to sales as they crop up on the cruise they have either chosen or would now consider. The past does not necessarily equal the future. Things have changed. A short story. I went on the NCL Joy with my family just after covid ended. We all had a GREAT time. I was looking at cruise rates a few months later and say I could cruise the Joy again, as a Solo, for $800.00 for seven days in a suite. I had never done solo before so I did it. Worst cruise experience I had in a while. Price was right though. Not saying if the price was higher or lower it would have made a difference experience. Just saying, fare price alone does not make the cruise. So many other factors. That was a tough lesson for me but also a valuable one. Brand, Ship, Accommodations, Itinerary, issue with all those things that we research and of course investment will all have some part in our over all satisfaction. Everyone is different all that maters is we want to simply enjoy ourselves. Life is way to short to waste time at my age. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mamaclark All you are trying to do is make a good business decision. You never have to apologize for that. Reviews are tough to evaluate. Was the person a loyal guest of the brand prior to Covid. Was the person new to the brand like I was. Does this person have a bone to pick with this brand. Does the review come across as the brand can do no wrong. At the price of the fare, it is a very difficult decision. I was new to Oceania. I was on a ship that was recently refurbished, the Riviera. I am used to the VIP sections of the Main Stream Cruise Brands like NCL, Celebrity and MSC. My personal evaluation is was my trip better then my past experiences. So was my experience improved. My evaluation was my experience was improved. The question is how. Food: It was not the Finest Food on the sea. Just before Crystal went out of business, they had that honor. Was it better then let's say, the NCL Haven. Yes and no. I really liked the Haven Restaurant which would be the Grand Dining Room on the Riviera. For me, the Grand Dining Room was GREAT for Breakfast, not good at all at lunch, Average to below Average at dinner. All other Specialty Restaurants were GREAT except for my experience in Polo Grill. The food was good but below warm, the service was awful. I attribute this to a staffing issue that night at Polo and would never hesitate to try again. The buffet was all about your selection and the instruction you have the grill cook for Steak or Lobster. So, Finest Food on the Sea, not so much. Yet a better over all then my past experiences so a Positive Mark. Realistic Expectations is the key here. Suites/Staterooms: Loved them and no complaints that would matter. I could go into great detail here about my Deck Furniture in Vista Suite being tied down every night, but I understood the situation. Personalized Service: For me, it was excellent however I work at it. My strategy is to get to know the key people in the crew and make friends upfront. I did that. I always attempt to use the notion of Look for things that people are doing right, and complement them on it. It makes when an issue happen, if it happens much easier to resolve. On my cruise, we had no issues and made great associations with the crew and leadership on the ship. Conclusion: Oceania to me is a middle ground. Better experience especially in Europe than NCL Haven, MSC Yacht Club or Celebrity Retreat. Not as good of an experience from the New Regent Seven Seas Ship, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, Seabourn, Silver Seas and the list of Ultra Luxury Brands go on. Yet when you compare Oceania to most (I did say most so I know you can catch a deal on some of these brands) of the Ultra Luxury Brand. I have an really hard time justifying the cost difference for the level of improvement gain by Ultra Luxury. I shared this with you to give you yet another perspective form a long time vacation cruiser. Many will agree, many will disagree and some will just give you their perspective. Take everyone with a grain of salt as you should also take me. This is social media and CruiseCritic.com should be a safe environment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa It does not make a difference how you got there (to the eventual desired result). Whether you were thinking B2B first or it simply became a really great option. The point and purpose of this discussion to me seems to be, look at all the angles, stay a bit flexible, look at perks/amenities given and do the math. When you shared how your journey took you the the Riviera Cruise we met on transitioned, it should have been a case study of what to look for and keeping your eyes and mind open. Now you and I look at certain aspects of cruising differently. We both like some different things. In this topic, be both agree. Look at all the possibilities and be just a little bit flexible. Who knows what might come from that. Either way we get to cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I find the last few comments very interesting and appreciate the contributors. I have never done a B2B cruise. That is not to say one or more are in my future. It seems, if I do consider a B2B, I should look at booking them separately and together. Part of my evaluation will be amenities and cruise loyalty points. That is good information. I normally would not have commented on this topic. However, something some what similar just happened to me. Not on a Cruise, instead on Airfare. I am going to take my Adult Daughter to Europe. Delta Airlines upgraded my status to Life Time Diamond. This gave me four elusive Global Upgrades. They were going to expire so I book Business Class on Delta One round trip to Paris, France. Out of the blue, my daughter said, I want to see the Tulips in Amsterdam. So I went back to see what it would cost to fly into Amsterdam and out of Paris. By doing so, I got a discount on my tickets of close to $600.00 each. Tie this recent experience with what I learned here. When not if, I do a B2B Cruise, I will look at all possible options, amenities, prices to find the best approach for me. The key to my airfare and I am sure a cruise booking is a certain level of flexibility. Thank you to the author of this topic and everyone that contributed. Very helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DebandBrian Have a grand trip and my pleasure. I will be flying into Amsterdam for 8 days in April with my adult daughter. We will fly out of Paris. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Europeantraveler1 It is a PDF and should work. I know no secrets to downloading on an iPad. So sorry. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mwf7501 My pleasure. Below is something else you might like to have. Oceania_Cruises_FAQ.pdf Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I know, it is a flaw in my personality. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@stevesol6718 Issue resolution is an art form. Anyone that has ever cruised has had an issue here and there. Some major, some minor. It happens on all kinds of travel. I just had one happen to me for a High Speed Train company in Italy. It is upsetting and frustrating. I have made the comment I am about to make you you several times. Yet, I am no expert but for my own personal situations, each and everyone what handled to my satisfaction. The one thing that was clear from the onset was my travel agent who is a VERY successful agent with a GREAT reputation simply could not do what I can do. Why, I won't ever give up, my agent has lots of other things to do beside me. Here is an approach to consider to gain a resolution after the fact. Nothing we can do about what happened on the ship at this late date. First, emails, text and telephone calls don't get the results needed from my perspective. An extremely well written, professionally worded letter that is sent certified mail is the best approach I have found. The secret to the letter is never threaten, or make claims like "I will never cruise your brand again". All is lost with that approach from the onset. Instead, explain fairly the circumstances, how it made you feel and what you feel would be a fair resolution. Demand nothing. If you have ever read the Cruise Contract, the cruise line owes you nothing legally. Morally is another story. Admit that you know that they don't have to do anything for you. Follow this up with you would appreciate a professional courtesy. Send the letter certified to the top four executives at the brand in Florida. If you don't gain a response in a week, do it again. I have only had to send a letter like this twice. There is something magical to a well written letter that uses logic and does not threaten the vendor. No one and I mean no one can fight for your rights better then you can. Now I have shared this approach before. Some folks love it, some think I am out of line and condescending in the way I explain it. When I am feeling wronged, I don't care what other think. My approach has worked for me very well over 30 plus cruises, lots of brands and 44 years. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@stevesol6718 Chill, this is a safe environment which does not mean folks can't disagree or have a different opinion. There is NO guest that would not be upset with their stateroom environment being not right in anyway. Myself included. This and other cruise brand blogs get a lot of upset guest venting. Just the way blogs go. This brand blog as with other cruise brands have the over the top loyalists and the folks that think the brand is awful. Again, welcome to social media. The ship is a floating hotel with no great access to all parts needed when something breaks down. This should have been an easy fix by engineering but it obviously was not. At the time, no staterooms were available. As time went out and guest came on and off the ship, one seemed to become available towards the end of the journey. To little, to late. To coin a phase, "That ship has sailed." I think when this happens, the guest should receive some level of compensation. It should have been offered without the guest asking but that is not the way our world works. Stay on Oceania with Certified Mail to the Executives until they response and accommodate you in some way. It is the principle of the thing. All that said, this is social media. People have differing opinions. Don't take it personally. Just take everyone's comments with a grain of salt. I hope Oceania Compensates in some way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@EJL2023 Like with any disagreement, there is two sides to every story. Each side thinks they are telling the truth. The actual truth, if ever surfaces is somewhere in the middle. When we as humans want to gain support for our views, we sometimes selectively leave out some information. Not always on purpose but still it was not available initially. Those evaluating the situation can only do so with the information provided. When folks have an issue with any brand, they are more likely to speak up then when someone is happy with a brand. Just the way things work out. The line, I have cruise this brand this many times means nothing to me. The brand owes you nothing more then someone who cruised that same brand once. There is right and wrong. Other then a few amenities for loyalty, everyone should be treated the same. If my AC did not work on a long cruise, I would be very upset. If I asked for another stateroom and it was only given at the end of a long cruise, I would be upset. If the reason that this stateroom was made available is because up to that point, the staterooms were sold out, that is just the way it is. Long cruises are often smaller cruises added together. This situation with its details changing over may posts is not a good look for sure. However, still a negative situation seemed to have happened. This couple had a dream cruise that was effected by mechanical issues that should have been resolved quickly. My solution if I could control it would have been to have a company representative from the corporate office contact the guests, look for a resolution that exceeded the guest expectation, and done it early. That type of guest resolution approach seems to have been lost over the last few decades. Problems for brands can be instantly turned it to a great and positive story if the brand handles it correctly. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Treasure Hunter Crystal WAS a fine product and it seems they have come back with a fine product after they were purchases. Here is the relevance of the Crystal Brand and how it relates to the NCL Haven. The Haven was created to provide ALL the benefits of a huge mega ship and an exclusive VIP area. They did coin the phrase, Ship-Within-A-Ship. So we can do a giant water slide followed by a relaxing lunch by a private pool in a private area. The best of both worlds, truly. Yet there is a completely different experience when you do a brand like Crystal, Regents, Oceania, Ritz Carlton and other luxury/ultra luxury brands. With brands like Crystal, the entire ship becomes the Haven. I call it Haven on Steroids. Once you leave your Stateroom, everyone is treated basically the same. The Personalized service is consistent across the ship not just in a specific area. Although there is a guest class system, it is very minor which on the NCL ships, it is major. The nickel and dime is reduced but not eliminated which is a pleasant surprise. Yet the Chair Hogs are alive and well. The Luxury and Ultra Luxury Brands have much smaller ships and a higher crew to guest ratio. The Butlers are better trained and the focus more on the guest needs. The food is usually better across the board. For this, you pay a premium. A Luxury/Ultra luxury ship seems to be better suited for a port intensive cruise especially if the port need smaller ships. They also seem to attract an older demographic. If I go to Mexico or the Caribbean, my personal preference is the NCL Haven, Celebrity Retreat or MSC Yacht Club. If I go to Europe of Asia, it is a Crystal, Regent or Oceania type Cruise level. The cost between NCL Haven and Luxury/Ultra Luxury brands are closer then one knows until the do some real research. My point is both work, both scratch an itch for different vacation needs. This and other threads have focused on some of the cut backs like lobster tails being limited in the Haven Restaurant. This is what happens when guest enjoy what they receive and the brand cannot improve on the theme. Folks love the Amenities until they are reduced or eliminated with no substitute. That is when Social Media has a topic which now seems to be Lobsters tails. Third world problems but fun to write about. Hope that makes sense. All cruise opinions work for the specific type of vacations we want to achieve. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vinotinto No I don't but they will most likely say to give them a heads up at breakfast. Just let them know day one your intentions. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vinotinto and @benel204 24 hours in advance, tell the staff in the Haven Restaurant what you want from the Main dining room. When you get the Haven Pre-Cruise information packet about 30 days prior to cruise, call or email the Haven shore Concierge and ask for a special accommodation for the first night if you are not going to a specialty restaurant. The key is a kind heads up. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.