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My wife and I are available. LOL Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@SATaxman It is my first trip on Oceania as well. This sale for me came out of the blue and I learned about the sale and how to access it here on this blog on CruiseCritic.com. Seems to be unusual. For me, I booked using a promotion in September 2022. The four category upgrade promotion. I had no idea we could also use this sale. I simply called my TA and it was done. The key for anytime you are cruising on a new brand is the CruiseCritic.com blog for that brand. Ask any questions here as I have been. It all becomes clear after a while. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@TimCruise23 You have been heard. Thank you. This is a thread on the secrets of the Haven. Thank you for participating. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DCGuy64 I know how you feel and have gotten frustrated in the past. The nature of Social Media is often about helpful education on topics the poster feels they have a wealth of knowledge about. Sometimes a line in a post catches a response and a small interaction happens. As frustrating as it might seem, it always comes back to the topic the Author wrote about. I too hope this topic comes back because it is important to me. It is also important to all the first time "O" guests. The more feed back on "First Impressions on Oceania", the more we newbies and adjust and control our realistic expectations. I do hope we get lost more feed back on First Impressions. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@TimCruise23 Welcome to CruiseCritic.com. I see you just joined about one hour ago. You must have had a less than positive time on the Gem from your posting. Many of the issues you bring on, on your first and only post, could have been in some ways less of an issue if you would have reviewed some aspects of this thread. Which ships have the best Haven, best times to go, how to communicate with your butler. I am not saying your cruise would have be all you hoped, it was obviously disappointing. I am saying, it might have been a much better experience. Hope your next cruises on which ever cruise line you choose meets and exceeds your expectation. There are brands, itineraries, price points and ship to excite everyone. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DCGuy64 Again, I understand what you are saying. This is why, spending some time on a specific brands blog allows all of us to establish realistic expectations. For me, I read about the food on "O" in blogs. I note what I hear that I like and what to avoid. I know I must have a piece of Pizza, crazy named ice cream and great coffee every morning. I learned careful what temp you order your steak at the Polo. The king cut of prime rib is like Flintstone's cut. A good call, have the sea bass in the fusion restaurant. So many other hints i have on a separate document. It has been a gas to learn from everyone. Allows you to know things that you would never had known without reading others comments. My only problem is my cruise is in November 2023. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Sailing12Away This is a great idea. Please tell me how the beef ribs were if you tasted them. I am a fan of those from a restaurant in my past called Darrell's. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I never claim to be an expert on "O". However I am very familiar with NCL, and the NCL Haven. I can fully understand the Author's point of view. If what you are used too is a NCL ship and cruise, you kind of look for the the same thing. Very few people really drill down deeply at what makes one brand different from another. If you are new to "O" and want to learn the difference, you come to this blog. No one is shy, everyone has different likes and dislikes. The author was transparent. Some likes and some dislikes. They compared it to the brand they knew best, NCL. A very normal thing to do. They noticed things they had not seen before and were disappointed. It happens. Cruise by nature are always a little bit different even sometimes on the same ship, heck, even on back-to-back cruises on the same ship. When I reads a review, I log in my head what the person says. You read enough reviews, you get a general consensus. Different opinions allow for much more realistic expectations. If the review was everything was perfect, or nothing was right; they are not really internalized. It is the other 80% where you learn the real deal. So thank you to the author. You encouraged me to do write a very transparent review when it is my turn. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Psoque The long waits are a real thing. That said, sometimes the selection of a Travel Agent is as important as the brand, ship and stateroom. If your situation happened to me, it would sell me on the fact that when booking Oceania in the future, I will do it direct. In the past it was about being cancelled because of covid. Now it is about gaining a better deal on selected sales. It is really about having options and being able to communicate to change what we want. I do hope it all works out for you. All TA are not made the same. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@bookbabe as I have said so many time, you and @CDR Benson are going to have a fantastic time. Allow me to give a reason. For a moment, thing about the NCL Haven. Now make the entire ship the NCL Haven. The food and service are truly an enhancement. Still, if I were both of you, I would read the Regent Blog for hints. Still strategy like the Haven. I am jealous of the memory you both will have. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Yes, call “O”. Not ever cruise has this sale. Mine did. Large savings.

@Bakingnana I am no expert however here is what I would do. As long as your final payment has not come due. If that happened, it is more complicated. I would call the Oceania directly. I would gain a full price for the category/stateroom just the way your agent did for you. If the fare is less, you have two choices: Cancel the trip with your agent for a full and complete refund. OR, tell your agent what you found and have them cancel the trip and rebook you at the new fare. As long as you booked with a normal agent that used fully refundable deposit, both should be under consideration. Sometimes it is something simple in these situation which is my hope for you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you to everyone on this board and the author of this thread. I reached out to my TA early this week and asked to have my reservation looked at as it relates to the Extraordinary Savings Sale. I expected nothing because I booked my cruise with a four category upgrade sale on September 1. 2022. Here is what happened. We have a PH3 Guarantee, we got a $900.00 per person reduction. To receive this deduction, we had to lose a American Express Perk of $150.00 OBC. Our net was $750.00 per person or $1,500.00 per couple. That is a LOT of money. I also booked our Pre-Cruise Hotel directly with the same hotel that Oceania was offering and saved $400.00 per couple. I am thrilled with the progress and look forward to this cruise. I would have never even considered having my TA call "O" until I read this thread. Thank you to all. Now let's make sure they sell some cabins and don't cancel this trip. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@rizello I understand however as I am also newbie to Oceania, happy to help you on the research I have done to choose my cruise. What you have to do is separate different brands. What I am about to say is only my opinion. The more we discuss issue on CruiseCritic.com, the more folks challenge opinions which is just fine. It helps us all understand better. Oceania was attempting to find a place for their small brand. It wanted to offer luxury features for folks that did not want to pay the same as a new SUV. To do so, they made things much less "All Inclusive". They created an unofficial category called Premium-Plus. To me, this means a cut above Mainstream Cruise Brands/experiences; smaller ships that can go into more ports; more refined ports of call; better food/dining experience. Yet not include gratuities, give a choice of perks, don't pay for all excursions and transfers (unless you take O Air and O pre/post-cruise hotel). The drink package is beer/wine at lunch and dinner unless you pay a bit more for the Prestige Package. Another words, lots of "Pay for" options if you want or need them for your experience. By pulling out some items, it lowers the over all costs, making the fair somewhat more reasonable. This is Premium-Plus for Oceania and Viking that includes a lot of what Oceania does not is a Luxury category. Try looking at it like that. The good news is if you do the math, Oceania is still a value. I hope that makes sense. Remember, that was my take, someone that has not take Oceania yet but will in November 2023. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Jcon3228 Boy is your question one that gets debated over and over again. Yet I do have a perspective on it. I am going on a 10-day Mediterranean Cruise on one of NCL sister brands, Oceania. My cruise leaves from Athens, Greece on November 9, 2023. It returns from Barcelona, Spain on November 19, 2023. Like with NCL, you can save on your fare if you book your airfare directly. My benefit was $1,000 per passenger. The key issue is "Control". NCL or in my case Oceania controlled the air reservation. Cruise lines have negotiated blocks of airline seats. In my research which unfortunately is not easy information to come up with, I found for me at least, booking through the airlines direct was much better. Here is the catch, you have to book as early as you can to catch the good fares. The longer you wait until the cruise, the more expensive the airline tickets get. Most airlines allow you to book 330 days in advance which is what I did. I also booked "Fully Refundable" fares which cost me a little more than the air allowance my cruise was giving me. I could have gotten a airfare several hundred dollars less if I wanted a non-cancelable fare. This worked great for me because I could choose my seat, it included one 50lbs checked bag which sometimes is not included when using the cruise line and I got to keep my airline points. However none of this works if you are to close to the departure date of your cruise. As a general rule, we always and I do mean always book our flights at least one day prior to the cruise line leaving. Some cruise brands are not offering this with a Pre-Cruise Hotel through them or as a complementary benefit. Some do not. It all comes back to control of your day, times, brands and seating choices. Funny story, two years ago my friends and I were booked for this cruise. I booked my air the day before the cruise as is my norm. He REFUSED to do it because he told me the Cruise Ship would wait for him if his flight was late. This is not the case as a norm. Have cruise ships waited for large groups of passengers to get to the port, on rare occasions. If the cruise brand in this case NCL books your air, they will get you to the next port. That means your "Once in a lifetime cruise" has a day or two less. This trip, the same friend has no choice, we are both going in a day early getting to Athens, Greece at 08:30 AM. This gives us the full day in Athens. Now this topic will be debated, it always is. All I did was give you my perspective. Take everything that every says with a grain of salt. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Well all of this is clear as mud to someone just now considering Oceania Cruises for the first time. If is a first time for me as well however I studied O a few years ago, booked it and it got cancelled due to Covid. I am back booked for November 2023. When I tell everyone on this blog that O is kind of confusing to new folks like myself, I am really not kidding. Yet it would be of great value to new bookings and new O guests to read and learn as much as possible on the different plans. I am by no means an expert on O. I do like to know what I am buying and if their is a way to make the entire situation less of an investment without taking away value. OLife: This was my first lesson. Choose one of three perks. Were every other cruise brand I have used provided a full adult drink package, O was beer/wine at lunch/dinner. Some of the blogs on this were pro/con like everything else on a cruise. The debate of which perk was the best value were all fun to read. My decision was $600.00 of onboard credit which I used pre-cruise to purchase the full Adult Drink package called the Prestige Drink Package which was $600 per guest, spirits, wine and beer when ever a bar/restaurant was open. It also gave discounts on some of the unique dinning opportunities. I paid another $600 for the second guest. Was this a deal or a value, not really. About a wash. OLife Ultimate: I was literally upset when I say this on my cruise, until I went back to the fare I got originally and realized my initial fare was fair less. In doing a math competition, it seems adding the other two perks, raised the fare about what you would expect. All that went through my mind was, the Marketing Department strikes again. O Air: Oh boy was this one debated on this and other social media site. There are advocates to both. There are some contributors on this blog for O that are literal experts. I am not. I am just old and set in my ways. I thought I knew lots about airfare until I met the experts. What I did know was to do my best to book my flights directly with the air brand, fully refundable if possible, as early as possible to get the best itinerary and price. If the fare went down, cancel and rebook since it was fully refundable. Kind of like with fully refundable cares fare deposits. For me, not everyone, my strategy worked very well. By booking directly with the Air Brand, my Cruise Fare was $1,000.00 less per guest which was very close to what I paid. Cruise Only: Oh boy was this confusing at first. In my past, cruise only simply meant no air. With Oceania it meant no OLife and no Air. I figured it out simply by doing the math. One perk was worth about $600. The air credit was $1000. Take those off and my fare was that much less. Many say this is the way to go for them. That is cool. However just knowing how it seems to work is enough for most of us newbies to make a decent business decision. Extraordinary Saving Sale: I again did the math however it seems that the PH3 I choose really was not an Extraordinary Saving for my situation. The lower categories seems to be a very good deal for some. O marketing needed to sell more cabins and did so by making the lower categories very attractive. Since everyone when they leave their stateroom are treated the same on an O voyage, if I was booking again, I would definitely consider this. Four Category Upgrades: The labor day sale was a four category upgrade. That is when I booked. Since then all kinds of marketing and promotion has happened including price increases. When I do the math, I look at my category of PH3 and see where we would be for each promotion. Your situation may differ. Now this is my experience currently. As I stated, it was a bit confusing at first. I kept asking the previous O guest questions to get to this point. I hope my experience thought this learning curve helps some. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I authored this threat with only the most positive intentions. I am not expert on the internal workings of Airfare. All I was really really happy about was having a strategy that I could move some of my flights around to better connections, times and less time in airports if the airlines change my itinerary in a semi-significate way. When it happened and the result I was looking for was achieved, I shared it. I have come to find out much more than I ever have known about why things happen on airfare. 45 years I have been flying, booking my own flights and learning along the way. Nothing could have prepared me for all the detail present by posters on this stream. Education just does not happen in school. It can happen in our lives if we are all open minded to it. Thank you to all folks that added to the quality of this subject. Now that I have my airfare as good as it can be for my upcoming Oceania Cruise. Now it is time to drill down deep on the Pre/Post hotel stays. I dare say my research seems to be a bit easier here however who know how much we will all learn by the time it is down. Cruise well and enjoy ever moment.

@Mugennosora I totally enjoyed my daily Starbucks coffee early morning in the NCL Joy Observation Lounge. We traveling in the Haven, I was giddy getting our French Press made with Starbucks Beans. In my business, I traveled to Europe quite often. I LOVE the coffee in Europe. As a matter of fact, I will be take a 10-Meditaranian Cruise in November 2023 the highlight of our trip will be all the coffee will will be able to enjoy including Turkish Coffee done in sand. A first for me. I think the hate for Starbucks is less about the company, beans or quality of the coffee. More about it has yet another extra cost if Not in the Haven or for guest that don't have the Premium PLUS Beverage Package. Side note, We have a Miele High End Automatic Coffee/Espresso maker at home. My daily coffee is a strong setting cup with a shot of Espresso. I thought you might appreciate that. Thanks for the post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@honmani2 Hello, I am the author of this thread. You just made the point that I was trying to make on my original post. I just did not start with your brilliant opening and wished I did. Yet, I learned so much about how airfare price and what could make a difference. I had no idea so many people were that deeply knowledgeable about air travel. When push comes to shove, as you outline, I was thrilled that I could make some changes without charge that make my vacation air travel better. Thank you for sharing. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh Now we are talking and you taught me something. Since the Haven Restaurants don't take reservations, you may or may not get in at your desired time. The other thing most folks don't take into considerations is when eating in the Haven Restaurant, it takes a while. Just the way they are structured. Your idea of having that dinner at a specific time with your butler in you suite is Brilliant. I hope others read your post, well done. Order ahead with giving your butler that heads up you referred too in your earlier request. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@latebloomer56 Not all ships have Starbucks. The bigger ones do like Encore and Joy. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@FlyerTalker You are one interesting and educated traveler. I can't thank you enough for your incite. Flying and flight are truly you area of expertise and we can all learn a lot from you. Thank you for taking the time to educate us all. It matters. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh Thank you for the kind words. It is always nice to let your cruise team know what your plans are so they can better schedule their respective work. Now I am going to say something that some might feel is unpopular. The Butlers on NCL do a nice job, yet never an truly GREAT job. Some will disagree with me and give many reasons. That was the unpopular statement I was referring. The more you explain your wants, needs and motives to your butler the better job they can do. That said, I have never gotten the idea they knew much about the ports, excursions or what to do to make you time there better. Where on other brands the butlers did know those things. Those other brands were Premium-Plus, Luxury and Ultra-Luxury brands. There is NO comparison on an NCL Butler to lets say a Regent Seven Seas Cruise Butler. This is not to say your Haven Butler will not do everything they can to accommodate any and all requests. So back to the core of your question. What you suggested is a good idea. Please tell us how it worked out. Thanks for asking. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You just made a really important point. I hesitate to even mention it because there are some who are really experts on flights. They are sure to correct my thoughts which is always welcomed. The point you made was a Multi-Flight (Arriving at one airport/country and leaving from another) cost more money or points than round trip to the same country/airport. I did mock bookings and that became clear. I also realized I could do one ways and it would work out also. However since I was going into Athens and out of Barcelona; it was better to book at the same time. I even looked what it would take if I did round trip to Barcelona and took another flight from Barcelona to Athens. All the research was fun and really helped me do the right things. Thank you so much for your comments. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Installment #4: Ground Transportation Overview: The easiest way to have ground transportation is to let the cruise brand take care of it. With the decision to make my own air and pre/post hotel reservations, this takes the cruise brand out of the equation. You can still purchase these transfers however I have never been a fan of cruise brands approach. I have also read many reviews of the transfers and I just feel with a little research, I can do much better. Methods of Transfers and Ground Transportation: Let’s look at the four (4) types of methods that are available. We need Airport to Hotel, Hotel to Port, Port to Hotel and Hotel to Airport. With a little research it becomes clear that Europe has much better mass transit than we have in the United States. Our choice for all four (4) of our needs is from least expensive to most expensive are as follows: 1) Bus 2) Trains/Metro’s 3) Taxi 4) Private Cars Airport to Hotel Transfers: Bus and Trains/Metros: This will take a walk from the airport baggage to one or the other terminal. When going on a 10-day cruise, this walk with luggage can be an issue. My group will love how inexpensive these options are. The good news is the bus is right outside the baggage claim. Get your ticket at the bus building and it should cost 6 euros each. The train is across the street and up an escalator followed by a walkway. A longer walk and remember your luggage is with you. The cost is 9 euros each. The trip is about 90 minutes. If I was alone, I would take the bus. Not to save the money just for the experience. We also need to understand that the bus will let you off at the terminal in town, not your hotel. If you need to go to the port, it will let you off but it might take some walking to get to your ship. I think my guests will veto these options however I wanted to have all options available. Taxi: This is usually a flat price to City Center of 40 Euros per car averaging at 20 Euros each. We would need two taxis for four people. There is also the possibility of a language issue which needs to be considered. If we choose the Taxi, I will have an index card with our hotel and address printed out in Greek. Private Car of Van: The Hotel in Athens can help arrange a car or van service. Because we are a party of 4, a van would be our best approach. This is the highest cost option however it will also be the most convenient option with the shortest time to our destination. 190 Euros, which is 48 Euros per person. Because our guests are on a budget, seem like this might be a bit too high for them. Conclusion: I think from an expense and logic standpoint, we will book two taxis. I still enjoyed the research and knowing the facts prior to getting off the flight. When I traveled Europe on business, I always took the Taxi’s from the Airport to the Hotels. I never had an issue and never felt I was being taken advantage of with the service. In closing, YouTube is your friend when traveling. Most of the information I get is from that social media source. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.