DanOnboard

They must not like the new way Vista treats its waste.

On 8/18/2023 at 2:17 PM, DrHemlock said:

And if the cruise you're canceling was booked while aboard an earlier cruise so the total deposit for two pax came to only $500, how will O extract the extra $500?  Attempt to charge it to the c/c you used many moons ago to pay the original deposit?  Send a couple of bruisers to ring your doorbell?  Inquiring minds....  

On 8/18/2023 at 4:20 PM, Jancruz said:

Interesting question let me check on Monday..

By the way here in Ventura county (LA) we are expecting our first Hurricane ever on Sunday..since we are on the beach moving to our daughters further inland..

Jancruz1

You are liable per O ticket contract.  Just looked in the cruise documents we just received for Sep cruise it says:

"If the cancellation charge is more than Your advance payment, You agree to be liable to Us for the difference."

I doubt that O will change those words. 
 

6 hours ago, hankandteri said:

This is Part 2 of a three-part series reflecting on our May 22 cruise from Barcelona to London aboard Riviera.   .......

 

 

Things can go wrong when you travel, and no cruise is ever perfect. Hey, stuff can happen and plans can go sideways in ways that are outside a cruise line’s ability to control. And cruise lines are staffed by human beings who can make poor decisions, as Oceania's humans did on this voyage in truly spectacular fashion. How a company reacts to problems, especially those of its own creation, says everything about what that company values and how it feels about its clientele.

 

The management of Oceania and the senior staff of the Riviera demonstrated on this cruise that they don’t have the best interests of their guests at heart and don't even like them very much.

 

In the dozen or so cruises we’ve taken on a wide variety of lines, we had never missed a port. On this cruise we missed three. That’s quite an accomplishment on a 10-day cruise that already had one sea day built into the itinerary.

 

Two of those three ports (marquee stops in Lisbon and Porto) got skipped because someone made the ill-informed decision to sail past two wide open ports when the weather was ideal and the ship had no mechanical issues. Then we were lied to about that poor decision, which was the unforgivable sin in all of this.

 

The trouble began at the captain’s reception on the only scheduled sea day (there would be others). The captain gave the usual welcoming speech, introduced his senior officers and hustled out of the room. While Horizons was still packed with passengers enjoying their free cocktails and hors d’oeurvres, the captain came on the ship’s PA informing us that there was a port strike in Portugal and we would have to cancel two stops—Lisbon and Porto. Instead, we’d have an unscheduled overnight in Cadiz and then a second sea day. So sorry, he told us; our hands are tied, there’s nothing we can do.

 

We were all disappointed, of course, but, if there’s a port strike, then we’d just have to make the best of it.

 

The only problem was there was no port strike and within a few hours most of the passengers aboard (anyone with enough curiosity to do a one-minute Google search) knew it. We also knew that other ships were sailing in and out of Lisbon and Porto, blithely ignoring the danger they faced.

 

It’s important to understand how Western Europeans handle transportation strikes, which are pretty commonplace—in fact there was a train strike in the UK when we got there on this trip. Europeans schedule their strikes way in advance for particular days and don’t generally deviate from the preannounced strike schedule. Strikes are inconvenient, which is the point of them, but it's all very civilized as any European or experienced traveler to Europe can tell you.

 

There were strikes scheduled in Portugal both before and after our scheduled visit, but not in the window when we were supposed to be there. Those specific dates were the first thing that showed up in my “Portugal dock strike” Google search. You can Google it now. Go ahead and you'll see.

...

 

First, I understand your frustration and have experienced O's "communications ability."

Question: Have you sent a formal letter to O HQ asking for an explanation, perhaps include a cc to O's president? That's where the explanation needs to come from and probably the only place authorized to speak.

I do appreciate your review and input on your cruise. Hopefully, your post helps.

7 hours ago, cruisingxpert said:

Interesting comment.  Every staff member I talked to mentioned that Ember was geared to Americans who like to eat fast.  I told them that they might want to explain it differently.  I mentioned it to some American passengers and they were offended -that they were being told that they didn't appreciate fine dining and long dinners

So, Ember is a fast-serve restaurant for Americans because we just bite-and-swallow then leave, and yet they expect us Yanks to take even more time to get there and overexert ourselves walking to the forward elevator and back, both ways?   Outrageous!     😄 

😄    😋

38 minutes ago, hmorrow said:

Does anyone know if the forward concierge cabins on deck 9 will keep the tubs?🤞

We got the following from O on the Riviera refurb because we have a booked cruise in 2024 on Riviera. Can't guarantee Marina will be the same, but they are alike. 😉

Recently, Oceania Cruises unveiled its plans to re-inspire Riviera by dramatically upgrading all of her guest accommodations and public spaces. All guest accommodations will be completely transformed and outfitted with all new furniture and furnishings, wall coverings, upholstery, lighting, technology, additional storage space, and new bathrooms.

Based on feedback from guests, one of the major upgrades to the accommodations is that bathrooms in all category C Oceanview Staterooms, all category B1, B2, and B3 Veranda Staterooms, all category A1, A2, and A3 Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms, and all category PH1 and PH2 Penthouse Suites will now feature an oversized, walk-in shower. The dramatically more spacious and functional walk-in shower was made possible by removing the under-utilized separate bathtub and small shower stall.

These changes will take effect with the sailing beginning on December 7, 2022.

The current bathtub and shower combination bathroom configuration will remain in place in category B4 Veranda Staterooms, category A4 Concierge Veranda Staterooms, and select category PH3 Penthouse Suites. Details on those specific accommodations are detailed below.

The Oceania, Vista, and Owner’s Suites will all retain their current shower and bathtub, albeit in spectacularly re-inspired bathrooms.

Penthouse Suites and Staterooms with the bathtub and shower:

PH3: 9138, 9145, 10002, 10003, 10004, 10005, 10008, 10009, 10010, 10011

A4: 9002, 9003, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007, 9008, 9009, 9010, 9011, 9012, 9019, 9126, 9128, 9130, 9132, 9133, 9134, 9135, 9136, 9137, 9139, 9141, 9143

B4: 7010, 7011, 7012, 7014, 7015, 7016, 7017, 7018, 7019, 7020, 7021, 7022, 7023, 7024, 7025, 7026, 7027, 7028, 7029, 7031, 7102, 7104, 7105, 7106, 7107, 7109

Check the Deck Plans on the O website to see where these are.

We were in 7000 on Nautica back in 2017 doing London to Iceland & Greenland and back. The main thing is you get to watch the crew work on the forward deck and, in tender ports, "hear" the lowering and raising of the anchor. Not an issue for early risers, I suppose. Also, when at sea, you get a lot of wind against the balcony windows so it's usually not usable.

We had a couple storms and rode the waves when the ship was going over them. It's not like being rocked in a cradle on the side staterooms. I thought it was fun. In normal seas, it's no different than anywhere else on board.

Last May on our cruise on Riviera, it was used for all ports. No more fumbling with World Cards. Have to take off sunglasses and sometimes a hat. Not sure if it was any quicker while your face gets positioned properly.

We have a May cruise from Italy coming up, so we've been carefully following entry and in country COVID requirements.

FWIW, O implies in its email that the mask mandate is from "EU Healthy Gateways." If you check the latest (April) EUHG document, it specifically states:

"For cruise ships sailing with at least 95% of the crew members and at least 95% of the passengers on board vaccinated or recovered, the requirement for wearing masks in outdoor spaces on board the ship is not applicable for both crew members and passengers, provided that there is no crowding." (section 9.6.)

Not sure what "EU regulations" that O says the outdoor mask mandate came from unless O is no longer requiring everyone to be vaccinated.

Also from the US Embassy in Italy:

"As of February 11, the use of face masks outdoors will not be required, except in congested areas or when it is not possible to keep appropriate social distancing."

Italy plans to eliminate more restrictions May 1, if things don't get worse again.  Other countries may vary, so check the US Embassy for each country (travel.state.gov).
 

Just got email from O that our May 7 cruise from "Venice" on Riviera will embark in Ravenna.  From other posts, it looks like O will not be docking near Venice and is using multiple ports for different cruises.  Hopefully, O has finished scheduling and everyone will know about their cruise soon.

I believe that it is happening for all Marina cruises to South America.  We got notice of our Dec 1 Miami to Lima on July 1, three days before FP.  I take this to mean that O won't know whether it will be going to South America until September/October due to the COVID situation in those countries and doesn't want to have to do lots of refunds.

5 hours ago, pinotlover said:

3. The system is absolutely strict on division of dining options. The calendar was broken down into two (2) ten day segments. The system would not allow me to make more than three reservations in either segment. I had wanted a 2/4 split, but was blocked by the system, only 3/3 allowed.
 

It is obvious these adjustments were made to space people out and to accommodate physical distancing.

 

Our 20 day cruise last winter required us to space out reservations and only do some in the second half of cruise. I don't think that's new. As I recall, there's something about the extra added dining reservations must be in the second half of cruise. Check the cruise's dining tab's reservation description when logged into your O account .

8 hours ago, msears101 said:

Care to share why you think #3 is more likely?  What other factors did you consider?

My reasoning for number 3 is:

• Other cruise lines are cancelling and O already did Insignia.
• O typically Wait Lists cruises before cancelling
• FDR implied in an interview that things would probably not start until next year and may take six months for every ship to be back (CC article)
• CDC bureaucracy is known for taking months to issue something like lifting the No Sail (really no docking) in US ports
• COVID-19 continues with no guaranteed solution near term and science saying next year earliest

As Flatbush said, it could also be stashing FCC's to get use deadline extended or another 25% added. I wonder how many times you can do that?

And there's this post and the article in it.

I'm sure everyone's noticed earlier this week that all Oceania cruises for Nov & Dec 2020 were wait listed (except an occaisional category here and there).

So the options are:

1. There was a rush last weekend to get a cruise this year
2. New COVID capacity limits that Oceania will use were already met
3. Those cruises will not be happening

The odds seem to be in favor of number three.  The ships have been sent to their layup ports.  January restart at earliest.

In the August 6 CC article "Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Has No Plans to Sell Its Ships" There's a couple more quotes of note on this. (https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5516/)

"Asked about the status of the NCLH fleet, Del Rio noted that the majority of the corporation's vessels will be entering cold layup, also known as "minimum manning", within the next 30 to 45 days. A total of seven vessels, which were not named, will be kept in warm-layup status due to port regulations."

"Asked about the resumption of cruise, Del Rio stated that while the final two months of 2020 could see a limited return to operations, NCLH does not expect the majority of its fleet to re-enter service until the second quarter of 2021. The restart of the entire fleet would take approximately six months once the green-light is given."

Sure sounds like the odds are against most cruises before next April.