shepherd really

Not a single port cancellation, Montevideo was charming. We strolled around town. A few shops were open, but it was Sunday, so most were closed. The locals started appearing by 3:00. We had a beer at a local restaurant and enjoyed the ambiance. Lots of dogs around, so it was heaven for us dog lovers (I miss mine). Punte del Este is tomorrow. The weather has been perfect. This has been an excellent cruise.

OK, I received my refundable credit this morning after having to do the "I want to speak to your supervisor" routine. First answer, not until the day of disembarkation Second answer, not until the day before disembarkation Third answer, we can send you a check in month. Finally, the manager "explained" that they did not want to cash out because "I might have additional onboard expenses". I explained that they had my credit card on file for just such a circumstance and that I wanted the cash now. She finally admitted that was doeable, and did it. It seems Oceania wants to hold onto cash as long as possible and wishes to discourage customers in order to achieve that goal. A month of additional interest that they accrue goes to their bottom line, I prefer to have my cash in my pocket, not Oceania's. Did this ruin my cruise experience or make me never want to cruise with them again? Not at all. They resisted, I persisted and the issue is now resolved in my favor. The End.

Currently on Marina, it's not perfect but I would have to dig deep to complain, and I'm a pretty picky person. If you go in with an attitude that your cruise will be a terrible experience, it will be.

Patrick retired but he turned it over to a fellow named Shawn. It’s in good hands

Agreed, that is exactly what I intend to do tomorrow.

A large portion of the credits were not from my credit card so I prefer not to leave it to the whim of Oceania or chance after getting conflicting answers from the front desk. I'll report back tomorrow on how it went.

Thanks everyone. One of my travel companions was told they could do it today for a 5% charge or tomorrow for no charge. I can wait until tomorrow. It a pretty big amount. it would be nice if there was some consistency but I’ll deal with it.

What is the earliest timeframe prior to disembarkation that you can receive a refund of refundable credit? Two days ago one clerk at reception told me it was within three days of the end of the cruise, today a different clerk told me it was the day of disembarkation. So which is it? I'd like to hear from people with firsthand experience before I go back to elevate this issue. I really don't want to wait until disembarkation to get this resolved.

You were wrong, had an attitude and refuse to admit your error and move on. Really. No need to reply, I won't see it.

Puerto Madryn Chile yesterday. There is a shuttle into town, just in case anyone wants the correct answer to that question 😁. I took the Punto Tumbo Penguin tour. It was a long drive in a comfortable coach, 2 1/2 hours each way. 90 minutes walking on the trail with penguins and guanacos and a boxed lunch. The Oceania price was $299 pp. Compared to the $200 Falklands penguin tour I booked, we saw fewer penguins at Punto Tumbo, had a more comfortable drive in a bus but with a few people hacking up their lungs in both directions as opposed to a private car with four people in the Falklands and just a generally inferior tour for 33% more money. Had we missed the Falklands I would probably have been more positive about it, but we didn't, so it wasn't. The weather was beautiful, but the port was less so. It was a bit run down. I plan to start packing my cold weather clothes today (our last sea day). Next up is Montevideo, then Punta Del Este and ending in Buenos Aires on the 5th. Note about Baristas. Paulo, the barista, is a great asset to Oceania. A very pleasant man with a good sense of humor who remembered what I ordered after the second day on board and was easy to take before I was caffeinated in the morning.

You were still wrong, you should really man up to that. That appears not to be fixable.

For one thing, it says you were wrong. For another it says I asked it at 9:00pm when I didn’t feel like leaving my cabin. thirdly, if I didn’t mention it, you were wrong.

I ate in Jacques last night. The menu is tired, and I have better French restaurants at home. If and when it is gone from Marina, I won't miss it at all. Without boring anyone with the number of days I have sailed on Marina, the stateroom categories, the prices I've paid and other trivialities ad nauseum, I will say that I have never used the tub, but if my wife wants to line dry her undies, it's a good place for that.

Yes, I meant Argentina. Thanks for the incorrect answer, since I just saw a van with a sign that said "Free Shuttle" pull up to the ship. What's the saying? "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". Sometimes google is not your friend.

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle in Puerto Madryn, Chile? @ORV?

Yes, after the gravel ends and the peat bogs begin it’s quite a roller coaster.

Something was nagging at me when I read this I and finally figured out what it was. There is no cabin 9155 on Marina. How do I know? Because I just walked down the hallway and looked. Now tell us again how awful this cabin that does not exist was.

The tendering was not bad at all. Breezy as you would expect in the Falklands, but the water was just a very light chop.

The Falklands was a penguin paradise. I took a private tour to Volunteer Point. You got up close to them. They were not bother by humans and numerous rangers kept people from making them wary.

They are maintaining the ship beautifully. The crew are constantly and diligently keep the ship in good order

I was addressing this: "The ship itself was not in a good shape. Rust and broken things on deck. Lamplights in GDR didn't work properly." Because facts are stubborn things. I can actually see the conditions in the public areas. These areas look just fine. So no, I'm not going to believe someone I don't know making a claim I can actually observe in real time that is false. That would be ridiculous. It also brings into question the other claims made.

I think that is correct.

I took the culinary immersion tour yesterday. It was very interesting. I didn't know there was an escalator on the ship.

Thank you. I'm afraid I don't have the answer to your question.

I'm on Marina right now, going from 90 degree heat, down to 31 degrees cold and back up to 90 degrees in a few days, all in temperature controlled comfort. I also have good vision and can see what the ship looks like, so these observations and claims all come down to, for me; Who am I going to believe, them or my lying eyes?