AMHuntFerry

I concur with the no loud music comments. I would prefer no piped-in music (i.e., only live music) since any one who wants music has probably heard of this new invention called ear buds with a cell phone (even us cell phone haters have them). Now to the sale: It is UP TO 4 cats, so inside (F, G) bumps up to OV, OV (C, D) bumps up to veranda, veranda (B) bumps up to concierge veranda (A), and if you're lucky there is sometimes a bump from concierge veranda to the lowest PH (PH3 or 4 depending on ship). If a better sale comes along later (and you don't have the buy onboard price guaranty), you can often get the better price if it is before final payment IF there is availability in your category. You/your TA may have to cancel and rebook if O won't give you the new price, and if this happens you need to account for any applicable penalties (at least $150 per person, then more as embarkation gets closer).

My first "tester" (translate as cheap) cruise was out of Miami right after the pandemic-restart. Most of the people were from the US east coast, so I attributed it to an east coast aversion to "hot"...maybe not deserved. I have enjoyed almost everything (now that I've learned not to get the lamb "curry"...more like lamb with gravy, and the like). On my first cruise I was a bit disappointed (being spoiled with some high quality, farm-to-table chefs locally) until I realized my local restaurants aren't serving hundreds/thousands in a couple of hours. I think a better comparison is a large, upscale wedding or a swanky fundraiser where you get a choice of more than beef, chicken, fish, or vegetarian.

There is a lot of food that I loved/enjoyed and I'll post when it pops into my mind later. At home I rarely eat desserts (maybe banana bread at a coffee ship which I call "cake for breakfast"), but on O I am a dessert glutton...sticking to "fancy" stuff and skipping the cookies or other things that I make/buy better at home. I will make a general recommendation of non-dessert food though. If you like hot-spicy Indian, Mexican, Sichuan/SE Asian, etc., do not eat it on O as you will most likely be disappointed (the exception was a soup in the GDR (I think it was Tom Yum?) that actually may have had a chili waved near it in the kitchen...not as spicy as I like, but the hottest I've experienced on O. That said, it you avoid hot-spicy cuisines because teary eyes are not your thing, you might like these dishes on O.

I've never had a drink package (last cruise was September before SM kicked in and parties/happy hour are more than enough for us), but based on how O typically works I would bet that gratuities are added to the discounted bottles of wine (added before or after discount? @mauibabes?).

I agree with ORV. When I have received "free gratuities" from my TA's consortium, they have shown up as a credit that offsets the cabin-based gratuities. Drinks still had gratuities (note that I've never had a package in the past).

It's 15% according to the flyer from Feb. 2024 on the Preisman blog: https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_24_menus.htm Edit: And to satisfy my frugal ancestors, if it's the Talisker or Highland Park (sometimes the Oban), they (or similar) are usually on the menu of the 2-for-1 happy hour.

@mauibabes has

Some day they'll short change an attorney who needs some entertainment...that will be fun to watch. If I didn't have plans for the current OBC I might raise a ruckus about the non-refundable descriptor. Granted, "price guarantee until embarkation" is ill defined as to what the guarantee is, but hmmph!

And then there are those who avoid being in public on Mother's Day for a variety of reasons.

Have your TA push back. I was in the same position and received full OBC (although I disagree with that satisfying a price guarantee).

You are getting your free cruise and the other person will get theirs when they reach 20. Seems good to me, but "tastes vary".

Yes, check with your TA. Since you're within the penalty phase, options may be limited or not worth it.

Yep, those are some of the uncommon PH's that are part of upgrade sales (those 2 cruises are part of the sale BTW). Congrats on a great deal!

You can also tell them that you are cancelling, then making a new booking. The math (cancellation penalty vs. savings) will vary depending on when you booked ($0 or $150 before/after the new $150 cancellation fee) and how far before embarkation you cancellation ($0 or >=$500).

Are you choosing the button to the far right in the screenshot below? If so, then it's a glitch. You can call O directly if you want to (this is one of the cases where they will talk to you directly). They'll fix it...good luck!

Are you booking tables with another couple? If so, they appear to have reached their maximum. If not, try again (in case it's a temporary glitch), then call O when they open at 9 am ET to get it resolved.

If you have a bulletin board, they can be used as tacks.

But then you get photo-bombed by...a bag

Yes...last I looked it was $25/per day

Hey, but there's an access hole for your headphone wires! 😉

It may be a little earlier than final payment. The only thing I have to go by is the wording on a FCC, "Once applied to a voyage, guests may utilize their one-time change-of-sailing prior to the cancellation penalty period of the voyage selected." Assuming that the new $150 cancellation penalty does not count as a "penalty period", that for a shorter cruise in a non-suite is now 180 days (or 30 days before final payment) unless booked under previous rules

This post may be of interest to you: Rumor has it that foam is coming to the rescue this summer.

It depends on the ship/cabin. Most of the 3rd person beds are sofas (someone who has slept on one will need to chime in as to comfort). However, there are some inside cabins (only on R-ships) with pull down (from ceiling) beds.

On the ship you will have access to text/phone/data using WiFi calling (as thebsinmiss said) with no add-ons to your plan. Off the ship, T-Mobile Essentials has international texting included (I'm sure all of your countries are covered, but always good to double check on their site). You can also just pay $5 per day for the International Pass if you will only use it a few times when off ship. $50 seems reasonable though, just to avoid the hassle, if you'll be using phone/data on most days off ship.

If you want marketing, check out the "dressy" jeans with what looks like a coat of shellac or the ones with sequins. They remind me of a costume we might have worn in a dance recital.