PhD-iva

Please update me/us w some (good?) news on the toilet situation. Today I did my online check in for my 3 November cruise on mariner to lima!

It can still be a risk these days to DIY your airfare. Just understand that if someone decides to DIY their airfare, they are taking a risk. So it might make sense to think about the embarkation and disembarkation cities. In my example, in 21 days I will go on a Regent cruise from Los Angeles to Lima Peru. Regent bundles the airfare into the price, although I could have taken the air credit and DIY the flights. Latest word/gossip is that Cruises are skipping Peruvian ports due to overly restrictive Covid regulations. I think booking DIY flights these days to Japan is still taking a risk. So, on my cruise disembarking in Callao Peru, depending on how much notice they give pax, pax might be scrambling to try to figure out how to change return flights on the fly. I prefer not to take this risk. Perhaps I am paying extra for this luxury, and to me it is worth it. Everyone has a different risk profile and should take action to accommodate their own appetite for risk. JMO.

Haha! Maybe perhaps was it from a lower class line, X, Royal or (shudder!) Carnival? JK! Nobody flame me - I’m just joshing!

Travelers have different support needs. If you purchase your cruise directly from the cruise line, then they have to provide all of the post purchase support. That could be a lot or a little, depending on the passenger and possibly that itinerary. So it is not a zero cost to the cruise line when the passenger books directly from them; they have to staff experienced travel agents to answer the phone and to provide support to the passenger.

Have a great cruise!

Thx. I was thinking of someone else specifically (on a different forum), Who has specifically mentioned that they purchased their cruises from the unnamed big box store. I don’t expect as big rebates as others who post here, as I don’t cruise as much, and often in lower category staterooms.

I suspect that sometimes the TAs that give a 10% rebate are associated with the big box stores that sell discounted everything. One frequent cruiser I know on the Oceania board has posted that his rebate comes in the form of a gift card to the store of that big box store where they do a lot of shopping anyway. So, sometimes I think there are nuances to this process that is not always visible to the rest of us. I get a small 3% or 4% rebate from my TA. I also don’t cruise as frequently or in as high a stateroom category as some other frequent posters.

I love Oceania, but the brewed coffee in the main dining room is not very good. Not very good. But yes, your waiter will bring you a cappuccino upon request.

Duty free liquor is purchased at the airport in the duty-free shops. Anything you bring into the airport after having purchased it on board your cruise will not be duty free. Sorry……

You have 30 days to transfer your booking to a different TA or to yourself. After that, no joy. Maybe others will have some suggestions or experience on how to escalate your complaints up the management chain of the travel agency your agent works for. I’m sorry that you are not getting the service that you deserve (and have paid for!)

I have seen that percentage quoted in the past. I suspect many regulars to this forum are familiar with the commission structure. Probably half of that commission goes to the company, possibly more. My TA works very hard, and she rebates some of that commission back to me. Maybe you need a different TA?

Sounds very similar to what I do. I’ve never been stopped or hassled, but you never can be too careful when traveling internationally.

I swear by the patch! Goes behind the ear. I’m v prone to motion sickness and that does the trick for me.

Check to see if there is an excursion with a ending point at the airport. Your luggage goes with you when you board the bus for your excursion. You and your luggage are delivered to the airport at the end of the excursion. See if some thing like this might be offered

Yes, I think you’re right. I wish we could maintain a healthy cruise industry and keep high/effective standards to combat covid. Probably mutually exclusive………

Well, apparently cruise restrictions are being blamed for low occupancy levels across the industry.

Thanks, yes I meant Toscana.

Not to pile onto Tuscan, but on my November 2021 transatlantic cruise on Riviera, Tuscan was my least favorite specialty, and I adore Italian food!

Yes, planning & anticipation is half the fun!

Does O answer the phone on Sundays? If so, I’ll queue up behind you to ask my question as my TA is back to “radio silence.” (Grrrrrr)

You’ll learn quickly which names “have attitude” , never learned tolerance of others’ viewpoints, or are just plain rude. Who cares what they think/post anyway?

Wow. If its that bad (and I’m not doubting you at all), is this a frequent topic w other pax? What recourse do you have? Complain to GM, others? I’m asking seriously, not doubting you at all. Just so different….. How does it get this bad is perhaps what I’m struggling to understand.

Others will also post here, but just to give you a quick answer, Oceania’s US website will post fares with and without airfare. You will see one column is “cruise only fare”, and another is “OLife fare w airfare”. The latter includes coach airfare, importantly arriving the day of embarkation and returning home on the day the cruise ends. A best practice is to arrive in the departure city at least one day in advance of boarding the cruise. For this you will pay a deviation fee of 175 per person. This will buy you the ability to have a voice in which flights you are booked on and you can lock in your airfare much earlier. Others will post here with much more detailed information. This forum is great for having folks who are very helpful with good information. I just wanted to get back to you quickly .

Looking forward to your post. Especially interested in bed size…..

I’d say its more than an hour from the center of Rome to the Civitavecchia port. I wouldn’t take a taxi, but there are plenty of good car services.