Sthrngary

@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.

Although I believe you make some valid points, the issue is "Realistic Expectations". These kinds of questions about what a butler will do and won't do are usually from folks that never had a butler before. One of the biggest topics on this and other Haven Threads is about butlers. I try to response to the questions based on my personal experience knowing I too was new to butler service some many years ago. If truth be told, the issue with Butlers and NCL is the number of suites they take care of and the other responsibilities over and above a normal butlers duties. Some are GREAT, some are average and others are well not so great. The solution is to always be kind and understanding. Butlers will go out of their way to make you happy is you connect with them on some level. That being said, my issue with all butler related threads is when folks make public the special stuff that are not policy that butlers have done for them in the past. Then the news guest with a butler for the first time gets disappointed when it is not done for them. I really feel the question posed was much more a clarification than asking a butler to do something out of the ordinary. I want to relate back to my Butler Letter which has evolved over many cruise with butlers. At first, I just did not want to be embarrassed by asking for something that was out of line. The more I cruised, the more I learned was acceptable and not acceptable. I found out that all your butler really needs is GREAT Communication. They might say no and sometimes they might do something very special. When one goes on other brands especially Premium-Plus, Luxury and Ultra-Luxury; all bets are off. These butlers will do anything you ask and really want you to ask. The difference is night and day. Those butlers look for hints of what a guest wants and likes. They also have a lot more time because they have a lot less suites. We all have to remember, NCL is a main stream cruise brand. Even the Haven is no the upper level of personalized service. Realistic Expectations. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PaulMCO I always love your posts. I have to agree that doing a comparison needs to be done to decide on every cruise. It becomes easier because the Amenities are the same based on stateroom. Also that you basically use the spreadsheet you make as a template for the next cruise adventure. I am sure you would agree, once you have done this kind of due diligence once or twice, you kind of know the three brands that will be the top choice. Either way, I find the entire process enjoyable where some really do not. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Mugennosora I never ask my butler to bring me alcohol at all on NCL. It is there policy to charge for the drinks regardless of the play you have. I always had the Premium Plus Beverage Package. Now some folks have had success with no charge. Don't count on it but ask your butler on day one. Coffee in the room is done per your instructions. Starbucks is the normal Haven Coffee and is no charge. Always ask your butler to provide room service only from the Haven Restaurant as long as it is open. Coffee from the Starbucks ship store is not something your butler can do. The key is on NCL, you need your suite card to get any drink or coffee from Starbucks. The butler does not have your key. Again, you will get mixed answers on the question you asked. Sometime just asking in a nice way when you are on the ship solves all issues. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin I am happy to help. Please remember some of the prices/fares have changed. I want you to know WHY I originally did this sheet and be completely transparent. I wanted to cruise on Regent Seven Seas Cruises because I originally thought it was totally and completely all inclusive. Study told me it was close but not 100%. When I say that the fares for RSSC were close to buying a New SUV, I extended my search out to other brands and stateroom categories. I love the "Ship-With-In-A-Ship" concept that MSC, NCL and Celebrity so I included NCL and Celebrity. I than included the suite below the VIP area for comparison. I then added Added Oceania. Once Oceania had the four category upgrade in Sept of 2022, my decision was made. I like bigger suites and I am not ashamed to say having a butler can make my cruise. I booked two penthouse suites (PH3) and stopped working on the spread sheet. Let me add, there is a tab at the bottom of the spread sheet that has some good information as well. If you have any question, simply reach out to me using @sthrngary and I will respond. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Regent_Excel_01252023.xlsx

@davencl My first attempt at cruising on Oceania was 2020 with our best friends. Covid-19 forced a cancelation as happened to so many others. When planning that original cruise, I begged my friends to absolutely come at least the one day before the cruise embarkment. They had never cruised before and told me, "if we book our air with Oceania Air, they will hold the ship for us if the flights they gave us are late." Their real issue was the Pre-Hotel Expense if they came in a day early, because they are stretching their budget. I knew better and it was even worse since the flights were to Europe. Nothing I could say or do would change their minds. Then the cruise got cancelled. Fast forward. We rebooked for November 2023. This time I booked everything for both couples. This included the Oceania Pre-Cruise Hotel in Athens on purpose and did not ask permission. This meant Oceania would be obligated to fly them in the day before if they choose to use Oceania Air. I know this rule allowing a day or two early has recently changed but at the time, that was NOT the case. We ended up booking our flights direct with the airline. We also cancelled the pre-cruise hotel and booked it directly with the actual hotel for a huge savings. All it takes is one cruise to feel the anxiety and stress of Airline Issues. I and many others have felt this feeling and I want to avoid it for the rest of my life. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@psac Oh no, say it is not so. I am so sorry, really. OK, then have the Chocolate Cake in Cagney's. A close second. You actually educated me on the Calcium Oxalate Stones. Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@grobma Great comments. Thank you. FYI, everything I write is just my opinion. Does not make it right. You were to kind in the way you approached my past comments. I am currently on another cruise brand board. Let’s say, they are very vocal on many of my comments. Again, everyone has an opinion. Lol Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@fasterflier All very true. Pros/Cons to doing it either way. My point in all this is, know what works best for you. Do your due diligence. Every one has different needs and approach. Evaluate and decide. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

There is "Right" and there is "What the Rules MAY Say". We are not talking about a massage on a Carnival Cruise Here (Used Brand To Make A Point, not be disrespectful). Let's say the Author had done this before with NO issue which is what was indicated. When he found out, it could not be used, he wanted his wife to have the massage. I would have done the same thing. When the supervisor came out and heard his issue, they should have simply cancelled the second massage. That is what classy organizations do. By not doing so, it showed a lack of care and understanding for a client on a Premium-Plus/Luxury Brand. When folks complain, the first thing I do is see how long they have been on CruiseCritic.com. Then I look at the post they have done. This author has been a member of CruiseCritic.com since 2016. They have very few post which simply means, they read the post and rarely want to engage. Except when they are treated poorly. To the Author, you did not deserve to be treated that way. Good customer service is a lost art. I hope it did not effect the rest of your cruise however it would have mine. Again, the spa should have simply cancelled with no 50%. That was wrong. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.