Nol2929

Just got off the Riviera 5 days ago and as mentioned above they perform at the Grand Bar and afternoon tea!

Currently on the Riviera and over the past 9 days have found the basic free package to be ok for what I need (email Whatsapp) but it is slow.  Not able to view any videos.  The upgrade packages should work for you and hopefully it all will improve by the time you arrive.

On the Riviera now and just saw people streaming a NFL game on their tablet...of course not the same as a big screen and must have the upgraded wifi package.

19 hours ago, Robjame said:

You can buy bottles from their Bon Voyage Collection. While most are very overpriced I have found the odd selection that was a really good buy, often because of the size of the bottle advertised. Did well on some single malts.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/documents/bonvoyagegifts/26643/Bon-Voyage-Gifts.pdf

 

Good point I have also noticed a couple single malt at a great price compared to our hone price.  Sailed from Lisbon on Riviera 3 days ago...our carry-on had a bottle of Port, 2 wine and 1 Scotch...no questions asked!

Our Oceania sailing on the 13th Oct does not have any testing or masks.  Un-vaccinated must still be tested prior to sailing as per the Oceania Sailsafe program. 

As many have already posted here, very few businesses or industries have survived the past two years unscathed.

Like many others have said, thank you for the posts/updates!!

Thank you, appreciate the info!

1 minute ago, ldtr said:

Actually the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (as well as J&J and AZ) were all designed for the original strain.  About 95% at preventing infection.  Down to about 85% against Delta.  About 40% in preventing infection with the current strains.  Still about 80-85% at preventing serious disease even with the current strains.  So while being vaccinated does not prevent any one individual from getting infected, it will reduce spread since it will protect about 40% of potential cases from infection.  Most important is that it will reduce number of serious cases by around 80%.

 

New vaccine for Omicron type strains expected this fall.

Yes thank you I mentioned Delta but you are correct the vaccine was designed for the original strain.  Also agree the vaccine has done a great job if not amazing job in reducing serious cases.  I know of several close friends who are very compromised and have easily survived covid which I believe is due to their vaccinations.  However with every new version of Omicron the protection is less and the spread increasing.   As mentioned there is a new Omicron vaccine in the works but they better hurry as the new versions of Omicron may make this vaccine obsolete before it hits our arms.

Question...In our Province over 83% of the population is fully vaccinated and it is the vaccinated that are now spreading the virus,  so do I need to be overly worried if someone is vaccinated or not??

We are triple vaccinated but from what Im now reading  is that my Pfizer vaccinations were designed for the Delta variation of Covid and have very little effect on Omicron prevention.  So again being vaccinated or not may have little to do with me getting Covid, however being vaccinated appears to greatly reduce the severity of the symptoms. 

Possibly CDC and the cruise lines are saying that this is now going to spread with or without vaccinations? 

Fortunately, at least in our area, the symptoms for the vast majority of Omicron cases is very mild cold like symptoms.

12 hours ago, DENIE said:

Absolutely!  We totally agree!  I did bring a sport coat which I wore about 3 nights out of 10.  For our next cruise on the new Vista (round-trip Miami to the Eastern Caribbean), I will only be bringing polos and nice button-down shirts and leave the coat at home! 😃

As a 1st time cruiser (October) on Oceania I love to read details like this, thanks again to all of you for the info.

On 7/4/2022 at 10:27 PM, mauibabes said:

Nol2929,

I checked out your itinerary, an excellent one.  You will love Riviera and you will love your first O cruise.  When we were in Lisbon, we made a trip about 45 minutes to Fatima.  A very moving experience that Sunday with about 10,000 people in the plaza during an outdoor mass. 
Dale has become an Oceania convert and we are sure you will too.  When we made our first cruise in 2006, little did we know the monster Oceania created because we have never looked back. Made it to 20+ last October. Oceania is our family, whether it is the staff in Miami, the crew on board or the guests, it is just an absolutely amazing experience. 
Dale will gladly share his experiences and we have chatted with him many times over the months before they sailed. Ask any questions, this CC Board will prepare you for October because we want you to join our family.

Ciao,

Mauibabes

 

 

 

Thank you, also looking at Fatima options....getting excited!!

On 6/30/2022 at 7:26 PM, DENIE said:

My wife, sister-in-law, and I just completed our first Oceania Cruise - 6/15 to 6/25 Opulent Mediterranean - aboard the Riviera.  We could not have been more satisfied! For us, this was a year and a half in the planning, and spending time on this Board getting terrific advice and answers to questions (thank you!).  

 

Most of our recent experience has been on Celebrity and decided to try Oceania based on the recommendation of friends. We immediately found so much to like about the smaller size and more intimate experience.  The inclusion of all specialty restaurants was most appreciated!  We also took advantage of the La Reserve wine dinner, and Moet and Chandon experience, and the spa services.  We also noticed that by a couple days in, many of the staff were addressing us by name.  We have never had such a warm and caring staff! 

 

After a couple days aboard, we decided we must book another cruise, so opted for a 2024 cruise aboard the upcoming Vista!  We cannot wait, and are so happy to join the Oceania family!  I think we found a new "home" (even though we have a "one off" cruise with a bunch of friends on HAL this December).

 

Dale

 

 

Thank you for the review!  This October will see us on our first Oceania cruise, departing from Lisbon and ending in Rome.  Thank you!

We generally get an email reply within 24 hours and an out of office message which states the date/time she will be returning to the office. 

Not sure if this is another covid trend  but our original TA has moved on to a different career and so we are starting over with a new agent.

Watching our cruise in October I see many categories on the Riviera sell out and open up several times.   Possibly with refundable deposits and shorter final payment deadlines more people held cabins on the "chance" they may go if Covid restrictions are canceled/reduced?  

On 6/4/2022 at 5:34 AM, Jeter02 said:

Was just told this morning and just read it from The Princess website as well that face masks are now going to be required on the ship for all North and southbound Alaskan cruises as the posotive count continues to rise.

 

Personally that doesn't bother me, as I rather be safe than sorry especially if I'm on for multiple cruises. 

Will be cancelling our cruises if masking is required.

9 hours ago, Rosroz said:

Forgive my ignorance but what is picklball

If interested check out some videos on Youtube, it has become one of the fastest growing sports around.  Started with mostly seniors playing and now down to all ages!

8 hours ago, CintiPam said:

I assumed so as well but paddle tennis still is being promoted on the same page that pickleball is.
 

Perhaps a “transforming court?” 😉 

I also believe it may be same court??  One previous post mentioned that Pickle/Paddle ball use a court that is the same width so all that would be needed is the addition of a shorter back line to transform into Pickle ball.

22 hours ago, Cape Hernlopen said:

Dear Fellow Pickleball Players:

 

The width of Paddle Ball and Pickleball courts are the same ,however, the Paddle Ball court is approx. 10 feet longer.  I played Pickleball on a  HA ship several years ago and (unfortunately) the metal side wall was approx. 1 foot from the sideline!  Possibly if enough people on CC write about Pickleball we will have lined courts on one of the future new ships.  I am a dedicated player both indoors and outside and court availability would point me in the direction of any new ships with courts.

Joel Barry

Thank you for the info, I was also wondering about the side wall/fencing.  As one of the fastest growing sports in the world, especially for my age group, lets hope the cruise lines start to recognize this with proper courts.  We have a group of 12 on the Riviera next October and 10 of this group are Pickleball players!

12 hours ago, mcgilldj said:

Does anyone know if the courts on the R ships can be used to play Pickleball?

I was also thinking about the Paddle Tennis courts on the O ships and if they can be used for and are a similar dimension to Pickleball?  It appears the paddles are different for Paddle Tennis, wondering if we should be packing some Pickleball equipment??

On 10/21/2021 at 2:43 PM, cptxcpl said:

Great input.  Is it preferable to the guides to be paid in local currency? I know they will always accept dollars but which would they prefer? Cruises hit a port a day and getting local currency can be difficult.

Just to add to this I'm wondering if it would vary from country to country, as some destinations the local currency may not be that stable and dollars would possibly be a huge bonus?

19 hours ago, espmass said:

I have not yet been on an Oceania ship and will be on the Riviera in February.  I see on the deck plan that the Terrace Cafe is on the same level as the pool.  While at the pool, is the Terrace Cafe a place we can go and sit to eat while in swim suits as long as we have covers on or do we need to change into clothing first?  Thank you.

Thank you for the question.... as another Oceania first timer this is the type of info I appreciate along with the detailed info from pinotlover and Flatbush Flyer on this and other posts,  thank you!

11 hours ago, Alan-a-Dale said:

I spend a lot of money for a cruise, so I can certainly afford to be generous with a tip.

 

And if I couldn't afford it, I'd cut back on some other personal expense befoe I cut back on tipping.

 

Sorry no to alan, but tipping is okay, and in the end, will brng you good karma.

Well said!

On 10/5/2021 at 1:45 PM, chumley said:

Thank you all for your replies! I really appreciate it.

Thank you for posting the question as we will be in 9102 on the Riviera and also concerned about the noise!  Appears from the answers we should be fine.

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Your post may easily confuse a lot of folks.

Who specifically is providing the gratuities? 
In general, unless it is a specific sale/special, O does not provide gratuities directly to passengers until you reach the O Club silver level. On the other hand, TA’s can provide gratuities coverage from one or more multiple sources: TA commissions, O incentive funds, TA consortium deals, etc. 

BTW: once you get to O Club Silver, still check to see if your TA has a source (other than from their commission which you’ll hope/ask to share) to cover them. If the TA does cover the gratuities, O will then give Silver and above O Club members $250/cabin SBC “in lieu.”

 ...appears only certain TA are able to offer the free gratuity? Don't mean to confuse I apologize if I did and thanks for the additional info. 

My point was that there are free gratuities being offered out there by some TA and only on specific cruises from what I could see.  On our specific cruise I found several who offered and some that did not. Correct it is not offered on the O website for our cruise.