Snaefell3

Thanks! After scurrying to check our next cruise, I even found a "CD = Culinary Discovery" badge listed for excursions, but none for that cruise.

Ack! Minors but not all their legal guardians? That's worse than "rocket science"! It takes lawyers. ::shudder:: But that's dot gov, not the cruise line.

Don't forget to hot the pot!

Indeed, and eminently reasonable, but I bet there are surprised folks. As for the "rocket science" remark? Never saw a cruise line before with anywhere near the same number of moving parts to their bookings: 2-for-1-but-not-really; Air/NoAir; OLife/NoOLife, which OLife flavour, Ultimate OLife; regular, UPC, and YWC excursions; "combinability" restrictions; .... 😵

Forgot about that part. If you use the OBC on the current cruise, they deduct that amount from and return of deposit if you cancel. Yeah, booking Oceania cruises is harder than rocket science.

Having booked aboard on our first Oceania cruise last month, here is my limited experience... > Are the savings of doing so significant? Do they give you extra perks, OBC, that sort of thing? We received OBC. I understand the amount varies by the length of the cruise you book. You are also entitled to rebook, once, to another ship/voyage instead later (and before final payment?) as if you had booked aboard. Once debarked you can transfer the booking to your favourite travel agent within 30 days and pick up any OCCAPP perks they can add (in our case it was freebie gratuities). > What if there’s a sale in the future (cabin upgrades or something else) There was mention of a "price match guarantee". Dunno how that would work with, for example, the recent "4 category upgrade" sale. > do you buy trip insurance immediately? You can buy Oceania insurance up to final payment. We don't, and each 3rd party insurance of course have its own rules. Dunno how pre-existing condition figure in (our normal health insurance covers worldwide). > Can you make the booking any time while onboard or do you have to do it the last day or so? There is a full-time salesman, err, "Oceania Club Ambassador" aboard, check the daily Currents for his hours. I did hear ours mutter something darkly about "last sea day" -- I'd avoid such. 😉

A thought, presented for one and all to stomp on. The Brits (eco-folk, excepted) tend to be oh, so civilized and scheduled about their strikes and protests. The French will strike, cancel, and/or re-strike on what seems a moment's whim. Which are the Portuguese more like? I don't speak of 20/20 hindsight -- it's more like .30'30

"Tour" = "shore excursion", not "culinary class"?

I'm an Oceania newbie, but got a crash course in Oceania's arcane "combinability" restrictions on the spiffy deal we got for our first booking. The deal was ...very spiffy and "was not combinable with" OCCAPP (travel-agent given, but actually paid for by Oceania) perks and a bunch of other stuff. It apparently could have but did not bar shareholder SBC. On the other hand, I saw nothing that mentioned FCC. I suspect the answer to your "combinability" lies in the deal you got for your original booking.

I suspect you're right. The "go shopping" bit is from a comment in the Vista "Full Ship Tour" on YouTube by [redacted travel agent].

Incorrect. You must be the `beneficial owner`, but need not be the `registered [with NCLH] owner`. If street names were not acceptable, NCLH wouldn't need proof from your brokerage -- NCLH would already know.

Got one booked on Vista next Mar now. YMMV No offers of any with a shopping trip on that voyage, though.

Newbie to Oceania here, but... Carnival will often tell you to file again later if you submit more than some mysterious number of months before your cruise. ...or they may just ignore you. Does NCL/Oceania do the same?

For the Regatta last May, I received the "we've received it" email, and no further ones on it. On the other hand, I normally check my bookings on Oceania's website about weekly, and lo and behold, there was the SBC the next time I checked about a week later. YMMV

Just hope here that a no-air, no-excursion, no-drinks option remains.

To unpack that... scan them (best as PDFs) and add the files to your email as attachments.

We're pretty much stuck with such. No sooner do they figure out how to afford more bandwidth, we use it. No? Oceania's upcharge for streaming turns out to be a good thing. 8^o

Different kettle of fish: video uses a bunch more bandwidth and processing than audio, even duplex audio. In addition, Zoom calls pass through extra router paths, one for each participant. Yeah, buffering and lag can happen, but such is much more likely from your ship not having enough bandwidth on it's satellite link to service all the traffic at the moment of your call.

Good point. I was thinking '22 when ships were still getting bumped.

Since it's cheaper to refurbish a ship in COVID-layup than in revenue service, I misdoubt the "intentional". Everybody was pushing for yard time.

>I was curious how the seas were, ie were they rough during this time of year? Sailors speak of "seas and swells". "Seas" are waves from nearby winds, "Swells" are waves from distant winds, and in the case of the Pacific Ocean can travel easily from winter-storms-in-July down by Australia, etc. >Also is the port in LA always San Pedro? The terminal in Long Beach is owned by Carnival. There are 4 city-owned berths in San Pedro (in order: Berths 93, 92, 46, and 55), so it would be weird to see a NCL-owned ship in Long Beach. >Is that very far from LAX ? That distance is best measured in traffic, not miles. Figure 30-45 minutes, "plus or minus a day or two". 🙄

Speed-of-light lag up to a GEO-orbit satellite and back down is about a ¼ second or a sixteenth note. It's there but I wouldn't expect it to bite except in a conversation between two auctioneers. 😉

WiFi calling uses the internet to connect to your cellphone provider rather than cell towers and cell trunks. Three caveats: 1) Be *very* sure `airplane mode` doesn't get toggled off, because you can't tell if you are making or receiving a call via WiFi calling or expensive cell tower without looking at the idiot icons. 2) WiFi calling face-plants if there isn't audio-level bandwidth available from the ship at the time you want to make or get a call. 3) Folks who don't realize you're cruising will call thinking you are in your home timezone.

Would that burn my "1 no-charge re-book" on my booking at sea?