AMHuntFerry

You are correct, except in my insurance it is called "Trip Delay Reimbursement"; the "trip interruption" is for situations like an illness or family death that requires you to leave midway through a trip (say, day 10 of 15). There is usually a minimum delay before the coverage kicks in...I've seen 6 hours to 12 hours. Mine also has a maximum dollar amount per day per person.

OK, I'm going to need another hint. My troll spotting is pretty good, but my influencer spotting needs practice. Are we being swayed to like O or to dislike O?

We're just trying to scare away everyone so we can talk about the excellent deals we got during a fire sale 😉

It varies. I've seen variations from $100 to $500 on different cruises.

It seems like you might have a beef with O. The website is still showing $800.

There has been a post of someone who booked a cooking class online and was able to use their SM credits (I'm not energetic enough at the moment to battle CC's search engine). Go to your online account to book cooking classes. They will not be with shorex, but are under one of the other tabs (of course I'm blanking on the name of the tab at the moment). Cooking classes show up online at unpredictable times....sometimes a year out, sometimes of few months out, so keep checking (annoying, but ??). You can also call O to book (if available yet).

Just curious....which cruise?

Oops...more in a second

Use a full service TA instead of booking directly or using a booking-agent type TA; they will handle these types of issues (and many others that may arise). Booking cruises is the only travel product where I find a TA's services useful since I am experienced with booking airfare, hotels, cars, etc. and typically don't get any added value from my TA with respect to price/amenities on non-cruise products.

Oh gosh, oh no...someone lost their sunglasses! I better turn them in to lost and found. (that sarcasm font would be really handy right now 😉 )

I wasn't so insane as to propose a decrease, but I think a stable fare is a definite possibility as I keep track of these things enough to do a pretty thorough (or thorough enough for my purposes/interests) of the actual (vs. perceived) effect of the introduction of SM. I'll do the same with this change. Being analytical rather than emotional tends to be fiscally beneficial.

They are sent to North American passengers automatically. Other locations need to either get them at the pier or make their own.

I have had some luck finding reviews on mainstream cruiseline websites and TripAdvisor (sibling of CC). I start with NCL and then go to other lines that are dense in that region (e.g., Princess in Alaska). The tours often have the exact same title and description. I also google the tour title and can sometimes identify the tour operator; this is great since I can see a current description of the tour and any recent closures/etc. that affect tours. It can be time-intensive which sort of defeats the simplicity/convenience of just booking an O tour compared to private tours. I'm not a group tour sort of person anyway, but with SM I'll end up doing things like kayaking and whale watching in Alaska (finding those reviews and tour operators was a piece of cake).

Let's look at this from a different angle. Let's say I'm a consumer looking at booking a cruise but I'm not ready to commit before January 1st which is the next schedule base-fare option to increase (and also coincides with the "end" of the Holiday Sale and the possible SM shorex-OBC lower amounts). I like specific examples, so I'll do that... Let's say I'm a new-to-O cruiser looking at one of O's less expensive cruises, a 7-day ~$2000 per person cruise that is not part of the sale, and assume it is at my maximum spending budget (or comfort. For those who prefer more expensive cruises, just substitute your respective $-amounts). Currently that cruise comes with $300 per person SM shorex-OBC; in 2024 it goes down to $200. If O has chosen to lower the SM shorex-OBC instead of raising the price by $100 per person (putting it out of my budget/comfort), then that is a positive to me since I'm not thrilled with the SM program anyway. We will never know if this is the case (what if it goes up $100...we won't know if the alternative was to go up $200 and keep SM credit the same). Anywhoo...it's just a thought. For those of us that don't particularly like SM, if this change keeps prices down then it's a good change. In the long run it just changes one cell in my spreadsheet, and as has been mentioned, the total price (including the rest of the onboard and non-O spending) is what most people care about.

You can pay for ironing or use the steam irons in the laundry room. Concierge and suites also get some (2 or 3 or more?) free ironing.

Sorry but this is on your TA who should know the combinability rules for promos. Here is an example of the combinability rules for a "TA provided" OBC from my TA (actually from O via my TA): Combinability: These amenities are combinable with OLife Advantage and Onboard Bookings. These amenities are not combinable with American Express Platinum and Centurion Cruise Privileges. These amenities are not combinable with Past Guest promotions, travel agency groups, reduced fares, or National Accounts Promotions. The confusion lies in the "TA provided" wording. If O provides OBC/PPG perks to TAs who pass them on, then these are not truly TA provided other than they are only available via a TA (and not directly booking with O). Some TAs do provide OBC/PPG perks from their own coffers, but the combinability rules would be determined by the TA, not O. I always ask my TA for the combinability rules before I even do a hold so I can run the numbers.

Here are the descriptions from a recent shorex pdf: Oceania Select Excursions - While all of the shore excursions offer extraordinary experiences, some are so outstanding and so aweinspiring that they merit special recognition. These tours are designated as Oceania Select excursions and offer unique, one-of-a-kind experiences to the passionate explorer wishing to delve even deeper into a region’s culture and history. Oceania Exclusive Excursions - For those travelers who prefer an added measure of privacy, intimacy and flexibility, we also offer our Oceania Exclusive excursions. With a minimum participation of 10 guests, and never more than 16, these excursions benefit from a higher level of personal attention and detail only possible in small groups.

Usually they are sent to you a few weeks before your trip (North America only now) along with other info. Check with your TA since it is sometimes sent to them; if not the TA can contact O. If you don't have a TA, contact O and ask for the tracking number of the package. If you don't get them, you can get blank ones from the porters at the pier...enter your last name, room number, sailing date, and ship. 🎅🤶🎄🌠

I am sorry to say that O is deficient when it comes to wheelchair friendly shorex. I took a look at your itinerary and it does not have any of the Accessible tours, plus when I spot checked the less active tours, they tended to have a not-wheelchair-accesible (bus or stairs or ...)...ugh! Depending on how active you are, something like kayaking may work if you can transfer to the dock then into a kayak, but I'd get it approved via O and the tour company in advance since they usually have participants sign waivers (maybe snorkeling too). The only other things I saw to spend SimplyMore shorex OBC on were cabanas at Grand Cayman but that's not really a tour. You may find others interested in non-O tours at your roll call if you haven't been there yet: There might be some info at the link below but it will take a bit of sifting/searching: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/ Sorry the choices aren't better, but I hope you enjoy the cruise!

Yes, here they are: https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

When I have these questions I usually go to the US Embassy for that country. Here is the UAE's link: https://www.uae-embassy.org/permitted-prescriptionsdrugs-while-entering-uae If you have additional questions, contacting the embassy is a good idea. Take any correspondence with you as back up if you have difficulties.

Here are the FAQ answers for your question (although the first one is pre-Covid which I take with a grain of salt): https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005308654-When-will-I-know-my-air-schedule- https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005308554-When-can-I-elect-to-remove-air-with-no-penalty-

You can see some sample schedules in the pdfs in these links:

@bobmacliberty You might find the menus useful on the Preisman blog: https://www.thepreismans.com/vista23_menus.htm The wines can change depending on availability, and other items may not be available if stock runs out, but this gives you an idea of the types of things that are typically available. The Main Bar Menu is completely available with the full package, the wines and beers by the glass are the SM drinks included with lunch/dinner. The regular dining venues (GDR, Terrace, Waves) have essentially the same by-the-glass selections (or smaller selection). At specialty restaurants, ask if a wine/beer is part of the SM package even if something is offered by-the-glass. We don't usually drink at meals, but enjoy the pre-dinner happy hour almost daily, the exception being the Captains party and the O-Club party nights when there are free drinks before dinner. The late night happy hour is usually after the show (~10:30 but can vary).

A force sensor might be harder to "bypass" than a light sensor, but your idea is good. I've noticed some airports have red/green bathroom stall indicators that are linked to an overall stall availability system; if the bathroom near you is super busy, the system directs you to the closest bathroom that is less busy. These things are getting cheaper so your solution is something that should be kept in mind when ships are built or updated.