naughtypumpkin

Not at all, the kids we did see were well behaved and well supervised by parents 

It appears that there are a significant number of families travelling with very young children on our cruise due to depart from Liverpool this Sunday - source Instagram group. We are first time cruisers and assumed that this wouldn't be the case on a Fred Olsen cruise ( our fault we should have booked adults only) I contacted Fred Olsen and was dismayed to find that there are no restrictions at all on pool times, restaurants etc for babies and small children. Has anyone had any problems with this before? We were so looking forward to a quiet and relaxing cruise 

We are first time cruisers and not sure what we should be doing on our first day and night onboard. Some advice states have lunch as soon as you board others say to unpack first.also no information re a “captain party” so assuming there isn’t one.We have 3 days at sea before our first port , cruising with Fred Olsen thank you 

Thank you 🙂

We are first time cruisers and totally stumped as to what clothes to take on the Fred Olsen cruise leaving Liverpool on 22nd October calling at Lisbon, Malaga, Cadiz, La Corunna and Gibraltar. I would imagine its going to be cold for the first few days on the ship and then maybe a little warmer when we are in the ports? do we need jumpers on ship or is it warm enough for t shirts? At this rate I will be taking all my wardrobe " just in case" - help please from anyone who has done this route before - many thanks

Thank you to everyone for your very helpful comments 

Thank you so much that’s really helpful 

Hello,

my husband and i are due to take our first cruise ever and are very excited but also a little apprehensive. We are departing from Liverpool and wondered if we should park in the Crowne plaza carpark right next door ( we aren't staying there) or use the shuttle service carpark, or even a taxi pick up as we only live 30 mins away. thank you

15 hours ago, mauibabes said:

Naughty,

Congrats on your booking of that November 2023 itinerary on Riviera.  We and several friends booked it in October when we were on Riviera’s return to sailing cruises 1-4.  We have been in an O Suite next to the Artists Loft on a previous cruise and we had no problem with the motion of the ocean. Weather and Mother Nature will dictate what the seas are like.
Robin, aka PHDiva was with us on Riviera’s Oct/Nov cruises and it was fabulous. The suggestion for the Scopolamine Patches is a great one, definitely get some.  We brought some along and only used one and it was a precautionary measure because the Captain said we were going to have some rough weather that night. It was just a nice rock to sleep with 16-18’ waves and some strong winds. The ship is very stable so don’t think yourself into worrying about succumbing to sea  sickness.  
 

You picked an amazing itinerary, one that came HIGHLY recommended by our Oceania Club Ambassadors and the first time Riviera has made that trip.  You also picked an outstanding Suite.  The Oceania Suites are 1,000 sq. ft. and are  beautiful and amazing rooms, especially if you are getting together with friends. We had 14 friends with us on that trip to the Holy Land so lots of happy hours were spent in our suite. 
Definitely get on the Roll Call as was suggested, you will get lots of valuable help. This itinerary ends in Dubai but we have an ongoing bet with friends and some staff about where Riviera’s next cruise is going. The 2023/24 itineraries will be out in April and I am betting on south to Capetown SA so that could make for a really exceptional combination and Grand Voyage. 
If you want any info about Oceania or just need to chat about cruising, feel free to send an email off line.  gerryesker@gmail.com

Ciao,  Mauibabes 

 

Gosh, that it so helpful, thank you so much. It all seems such a long way away right now , definitely something to look forward to 😊

15 hours ago, makai 7 said:

We cruised on Riviera in one of the Oceania Suites in 2019 (pre Covid).  We really loved the spaces and comfort, and dining in our cabin from all the restaurants.

if you have any cabin or amenity questions I would be happy to answer them if I can!

Thank you so much that is very kind of you 😊

17 hours ago, nursinadream said:

Hi Naughtypumpkin from Yorkshire!  You've never been cruising and your first booking is Istanbul to Dubai?  Wow, you jumped right in, didn't you?  Looks like a fabulous itinerary.  I am new to Oceania and have 2 cruises booked for 2022.  I have learned a lot from the posts on this forum.  Enjoy your reading.

Deb in Naples, FL

Once in a lifetime trip I think 😊I hope you have a lovely time too

38 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

NaughtyPumpkin, welcome to Oceania and to CruiseCritic! You’ll love cruising and O will be like your “other” home.
If you’re new to cruising, you’ll want to invest some time here on CC reading previous posts. There is wealth of information already shared with you by previous posters here. You can use the search function, which sometimes can be v helpful, and will always demonstrate that you’ve made the effort before re-asking that question that has already been answered multiple times. (but don’t be afraid to ask anyway!). For example, I recall a thread discussing/comparing the pros and cons of Oceania suites versus Vista suites. That should be a good one for you. Try searching….

Another good source of information for your questions regarding excursions will be the ports forum here on cruisecritic. On that section, the discussion is about the ports and excursions, recommendations for tour guides, previous experiences, tips and “do’s and don’ts”.

So many questions! I’m trying to remember what it was like to be a newbie, so many years ago!

Ciao for now!

fabulous! thank you for all your help

2 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

Roll call for your cruise - 

thank you very much!

12 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Join the Roll Call for this cruise as I'm sure several of us will be planning private tours for this cruise. Keep in mind that the drives to Giza and Luxor are long and not particularly interesting but worth it. See you on board.

Gosh! so you are going too? that's brilliant - have you done this route before? 😀 thank you

May I pick the brains and tap into the extensive experience of all you lovely people on here regarding our suite location and your experience booking excursions via Oceana and direct with onshore suppliers. We have never been on a cruise before so I am a little worried about sea sickness too - sorry to bombard you with queries, so excited! we are booked on the Istanbul to Dubai cruise in nov 2023 and i would love to see the pyramids when we stop off at Cairo/luxur - any tips for first time cruisers would be greatly appreciated - thank you