AMHuntFerry

Go to the cruise on O's website: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/alaska-cruises/seattle-to-seattle-REG230808/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2023-8%26ship%3DREG%26sort%3Dfeatured%3Adesc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10 Click on any of the links in the "Availability" column. Choose 1 or 2 people depending on who you are shopping for; if you choose "2" the solo cabins will show as unavailable even if they are available for 1 person. Check Yes or No for air. Click "Next step" in bottom right; a pop up will appear...click "Continue as Guest" at the bottom of the pop up. The next page shows each cabin category and it's availability. Your cruise is very full, however near/at final payment, people cancel and rooms open up...that's when you can grab a better cabin, so keep an eye on availability from now until final payment. Click on a cabin category that has "Available". The next page shows you available cabin numbers. However it only shows a maximum of 7. So, keep clicking "View All" and it will show a bunch of random cabin numbers each time (very annoying). Some cabins have multiple decks too.

Guaranteed means that you are guaranteed to get that category (A2?) or higher (A1, PHx, etc.), but it will be assigned (so location may be bad for some people whose needs vary...like seasick if forward). 6000 is at the very front of the ship. People either love these cabins or hate them. Love...the view. Hate...a lot of movement (=seasick for some, also probably bad if mobility issues) and high winds while ship is moving (sometimes the veranda furniture is strapped down. 7084 is near the elevator/stairs - good for your dad with mobility issues. Also as close to center of ship as an A2 gets which is also good for minimal movement. As far as getting rooms near each other, have you looked at adjoining cabin availability? If a veranda is not a "must", I'd also look at the solo-cabins on deck 6 for your daughter and possibly father, then get a deck 6 cabin for yourself/spouse. The bathrooms in anything A1 and below are tiny, so the main differences are bedroom size (no couch and smaller in solos; As and Bs are identical) and yes/no veranda. If the spa deck is desired, you can get a day pass (I think it was about $25 per day, but prices have increased on other things so....?)

O wifi stinks compared to land-based wifi. Sometimes it is good-ish (Zoom calls work, pix upload/download etc.) and other times it's slower than molasses (checking text email is like dial-up was) and other times it doesn't work at all. It exists, but don't depend on it. You can always access land-based wifi in ports just like you would on a land-based trip. Tethering - I believe people do it (but the downside is if the connection is slow, it will be even slower with a tether).

Hi Stephanie, I'll take a stab at a couple of your questions... Early boarding was pretty much eliminated during post-cruising start-up (and all of the testing, vaccination, health questionnaire processes). Hopefully this perk will return soon, but we're not there yet. Only benefit to being early is if you want to eat lunch on board at Terrace/Waves. There will be a latest time you can check in, but 2:30 to 3 sounds reasonable.

These same people would complain if traveling in bad weather caused them to be ill...can't satisfy some people. While I know talking to management about a consistent issue is the right thing to do, I can find it difficult. I'm more likely to go get myself a drink and watch the reaction of idle staff, especially if it's the first time service is poor (or if the staff is obviously not at fault (e.g., too many pax all at once)).

The closest I come to touching someone else's food is when I use tongs to grab way too many of those tasty little cakes at Baristas ☕

If you are in the US/Canada (other countries vary), you can purchase the cruise-only fare, then purchase a bev pkg later.

On a recent youtube video tour I saw both long (the standard) and short robes in one of the higher suites. By the way, there are also slippers. If the size isn't right, just ask your cabin steward.

O asks that passengers do not go to their cabin until the announcement is made that their cabin-category is ready. While some passengers do this and claim the staff doesn't care, they do. Suites will be available earlier than the other cabins. Lunch is served at the Terrace Cafe and at Waves. They are both quite nice and the mood is festive. If you are in an owner's suite you may have lunch served in your room. Have a fun cruise!

I think we are in agreement. Shepherd really was surprised that Vista would be stuck in the Caribbean, and I was suggesting that those itineraries are something the younger generations would be better able to do and that Vista has some new features that seem to be geared toward attracting them. I also had noticed that Riviera appears to be headed for the Alaska season after I saw that Regatta would be elsewhere in the summer of 2025. (and I also would love if SF was that home port!)

I had similar thoughts, but then as details about Vista emerged I started to wonder. The alterations such as Ember instead of Jacques and a focus on cocktails (Bloody Mary bars, mixologist classes, etc.) indicates that Vista is trying to appeal to GenX and below (~<60). While some in this age group are FI/retired or have large swaths of vacation time, I would guess that most can only manage the 7-10 day cruises. I could be completely off base. Now if I could just convince O to carry a decent cider...

There is a deadline that should be in the documents you received from your TA, or ask your TA. If no TA, call your O-rep and ask them what the deadline is. The short answer is, yes, you can opt out/in, but there is a deadline.

Your itinerary will state whether your route is the inside passage or outside passage.

Here's a link to the T&Cs with the details: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/promotion-terms/ As a rule of thumb (but not always true), most things with a "N/A" in the Unlimited column are O-Life shorex.

Yes. I like the shows with singing/dancing, but I went to check out a solo singer (specialty, not one of the entertainment team) and stood in the back. After a couple of numbers I decided it was not for me. If you sit in the back (or in the hallway out of sight), I doubt the performer will notice.

For those interested, the OLife Ultimate sale is showing on the O-website now. I didn't get an email or paper catalog from them about it, but I can't remember if I've received either/both in the past.

There is a free shuttle into town that drops off at one of the cruise ship berths (2?). I think it is about 20 minutes one way. Be sure to know when the last shuttle leaves as it's something like 1.5 hours before departure.

Good to know. The lesson is "don't believe anything in writing and just ask (then ask again 😉 )."

There are promos that cannot be combined with the book on board discounts ($$ off cruise price and OBC). I think the 20th Anniversary sale is one example (at least that's what the terms said, but in practice? Who knows). It never hurts to ask though.

You can see exactly who is scheduled at each dock at https://claalaska.com/ The 2023 and 2024 schedules for each location are posted. You'll probably need the berth code and ship code docs at the top of the schedule page to make sense of the schedules. Oceania does not get fantastic spots unless they are somewhere small like Wrangell. Have fun!

I think I can reference the Cruise Critic site, so here goes. https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/cruiseitineraries.cfm?cl=75&shipID=287&startDate=2023-09 Go to the Sept 13, 2023 cruise and look for the cheapest one (1899). This includes O-Life. They disappear and reappear daily.

Shockingly Google was no help at all. I'm sorry I can't help more. 😞

🤣🤪🙃Just for fun I checked again. Now the original cruise I saw is showing a dirt cheap price again. The D cabin (my probable choice) is 43% off O's cruise-only current price (or 48% off if O-Life is included in the sale price), so I was remembering ~40% correctly. Another fun fact...OLife Ultimate was co-listed with these flaky sales, but I'm guessing its one or the other (not both), but who knows.

I hope this is not breaking the rules since I am posting no identifying info. Here is what I am seeing on a site that is available to anyone (in the US and maybe Canada): The trick is that the OLife Ultimate is not advertised anywhere higher than when you go to choose your cabin. Only then does the option show (other options are things like 20th anniv. sale with OLife Choice or single supplment). As you can see, you have to call to get it, while all of the other choices can be booked directly online. My guess is that it may be consortium based, but I don't have a clue. I don't think it would hurt to have you TA call O and see if the deal can be arranged for you.

To be clear, this was not a sale that the average consumer would find appealing. It's more akin to a flash sale. It requires a degree of flexibility and spontaneity, and the desire to be a cruiser (i.e., not necessarily itinerary driven, although I liked the itineraries that were on sale this time). My normal travel methods do not require advance planning (making plane or other reservations 3 months ahead is considered planning-ahead for me). Now that I know these unadvertised offers are available via my TA (no special O-affiliation) and have asked my TA to keep me informed, I have another avenue to potentially get me some nice bang for my buck.