kreastman

Still unaddressed is the question of whether PH cabins will also get the new perks.

I surely hope the Caesar salad isn't a deal breaker

Definitely not! O's Caesar isn't that bad, just not as good as a true table side version might be.

Probably right. In many restaurants where table side Caesar is offered, some "specialist" other than the waiter will handle the preparation for any table that orders it, so the dressing is always consistent. Often they will ask you how much garlic you want in it, or offer other custom touches. And yes, the anchovies are usually part of the dressing, not served on top. Wish it could be that way on O.

It is still advertised as being made table side in Polo (https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/polo-grill/), "with gusto", whatever that means. It also says "prepared according to tradition". That implies making the dressing from scratch, but unfortunately that doesn't happen.

I did find a bit of a decline on my recent (Aug 7) Alaska cruise on Regatta. We still had a great time, but I didn't think the food quality and presentation was as consistent as on earlier ones. And there were nights in the MDR where nothing looked appetizing (I don't ever remember thinking that on any cruise!).

For instance: no Caesar salads concocted tableside from scratch, even in specialty restaurants -- dressing already in a pot, likely the same one as at the buffet.

I don't think O has ever made their Caesar dressing from scratch tableside. We were on Regatta more than a decade ago and were disappointed to find the pre-made dressing then. I can understand using pre-made in Terrace, but I wish they'd make it from scratch at least in the specialties.

Why are we discussing Delta and Premium Economy? Delta doesn't offer P.E.!!!! Comfort Plus is not P.E.!!! It's Economy seats in the Economy section that has more legroom than standard Economy seating.

 

When people make certain statements about Premium Economy, they are making those statements based on that class of service similar to discussing Business or First Class. They don't apply to Economy class seats with extra leg room!

 

Americans that have only experienced US flag carriers have a very difficult issue with grasping the difference when discussing Premium Economy and other classes of service.

That's why I was careful to mention Comfort Plus on Delta, not Premium Economy. Comfort Plus gives you extra legroom, complimentary alcoholic beverages and priority boarding.

We are using O air, and our TA was able to get us ticketed almost immediately after final payment. Then I was able to log into Delta and change our seats. I could have upgraded to Comfort Plus at that time, but it was quite expensive. We may still do it.

No, they don't.

We board Nautica tomorrow, our first on that ship, but certainly not our first on Oceania. Will report back later as to how it was. Our last trip was on Marina in Jan, great as always.

Our son and daughter-in-law will also be on Nautica tomorrow (celebrating their 25th anniversary). It's their first O cruise. We're hoping they like it as much as we do.

Does anyone think the perk should be available to PH and higher as well as Concierge? Right now, it's not.

If you have the package and a butler and are dining in your cabin, do you just call him each time you want another glass of wine?

We will be ending our cruise with an overnight in Rio next January. We are not spending any additional days there. We need to be off the ship by 9 AM, but most flights to the U.S. don't depart until that evening. Has anyone used a service that picked you up at the ship (with your luggage), gave you a tour of Rio highlights and then dropped you at the airport?

Our cruise is in mid-December.

So no delays in California (we live in S. Cal.), as mentioned by the earlier poster above?

Anyone have a good source to recommend for obtaining Brazil tourist visas (other than the Embassy in L.A.)? There seem to be a lot of online companies that offer the service. O wants $399, which is very high.

Just to clarify, I meant the Albergo del Senato, not the hotel OP mentioned.

We stayed there for several days pre-cruise in 2007. Great location, literally steps from the Pantheon. Nice rooftop bar. They recommended excellent restaurants nearby and made reservations for us.

Trip Advisor is currently showing a rate for the Antiche Figure of $257 per night (through hotels.com).

Agree with everyone who recommended the Antiche Figure. We had a great couple of nights there. Wonderful staff; good restaurant recommendations in walking distance. Handy vaporetto stop close by. Fun to sit outside with a glass of wine in the late afternoon and watch all the people go by.

My "simple" visit to the ship's doctor a couple of years ago on Marina turned into a $4,000+ medical bill which included a day-long hospital visit (ordered by the ship's doctor) for some tests while we were in port. Fortunately, trip insurance covered everything, and we received a full reimbursement within a couple of weeks of returning home. Even a non-evacuation scenario can be expensive.

We've always purchased insurance. Didn't use it on our first two cruises, but on our third, I had a situation that required quite a bit of care in the ship's medical facility and almost day-long testing at the hospital in Quebec City while Marina was docked there. Total medical bills came to about $4,500. Insurance quickly reimbursed me for all of it.

Last year, due to another medical situation, we had to cancel a Mediterranean cruise just days before departure, and once again, insurance reimbursed us for the total cost of the cruise plus a non-refundable hotel stay we had booked in Athens. We will never cruise without insurance.

Curious about anyone's experiences on one of O's Amazon cruises. A friend cruised the Amazon on HAL and said it was one of his favorites (and he's been on nearly all of HAL's itineraries). If you've been there on O, how did you like it? Would you recommend it to others? Pros and cons? Thanks for your advice.

On our last O cruise, we used the deviation on both ends and still received the $99 upgrades.

Are you sure Sirena's Egypt ports were cancelled? My TA is not aware of any cancellations. We were scheduled to be on that cruise, but had to cancel due to a medical situation. I'm sure we would have been very disappointed if Egypt was cut from the itinerary.

We will be in Cairo on Sirena on June 17, and are looking at two ship's tours. Both have similar all-day itineraries. Classical Cairo visits the Antiquities Museum in the morning, stops for a buffet lunch, then continues to the Pyramids and Sphinx in the afternoon. Cairo & Cruising on the Nile River tour visits the Pyramids in the morning, followed by a lunch cruise on the Nile and the Museum in the afternoon. Both tours are listed as 13-1/2 hours; the Nile option costs $20 pp. extra. Any advice on which tour to take?

Of course, we have our fingers crossed that no international crisis intervenes and Sirena has to skip Cairo (and Alexandria).