floridatravelersforlife

I paid a deposit for an Oceania cruise for next year with my Visa.  If Norwegian goes under,  would the deposit amount be refundable by Visa?

To us, the epitome of Celebrity food was the Normandie restaurant on the Millenium? with Michel Roux recipes  prepared tableside by Waiters in Tails.  The Dover Sole and Beef Wellington were memorable along with the flaming desserts.     

Just saw on CNBC that the Cruise industry is proposing anyone over 70, boarding a cruise ship, will need a doctor's note.  No specifics or timeline, but that would crimp Cruise lines like O. To me this is just CYA, passing liability to the pax and their doctor.  But then some effected Princess cruisers are already suing the cruiseline, so we can thank them for this disaster of a solution.  Gotta make some hard decisions in the next few months.

14 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Lines of credit are one thing (I have them too) - the ability to pay for them is another.

It isn't "free money" won in a lottery 😀 - if you use it you have to be able to pay it back.

And with lines of credit, come bank mandated financial ratios which, if violated, cause creditor default, so let's see the financial results of the first three quarters of this year before we panic.

My crystal ball shows consolidation of the lines.  With the massive debt and capital spending on new ships,  NCL is weak, but they have strong brands.  Oceania  could be absorbed by RCL  into the Azamara brands.  Same R ships, upscale, and acquiring the food service supply system at which O excels would be a benefit to RCL.  O could sell the ship in construction.  Cash flow is king.

On board, I see the virtual elimination of self service, disappearance of the libraries, and Hepa filters in the air system.

Just my humble opinion, but I am betting by buying stock when the time is right.  Cruising is still one of the bargains in travel and boomer like me love pampering. 

31 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

LOL, just as long as it is a 'formal' kilt!!!

 

bon voyage

And make sure you wear underwear.  We don't need a Class One bio emergency on board.  ☺️

The RCCL boards are reporting every embarking pax, crew and others will be screened for fever before boarding all RCCL brands.     I hope Norwegian/Oceania follows suit.  This is a positive in many ways.  Maybe it will reduce flu, noro and other maladies, as well on the cruises.  Those paper self certifications are a joke.   We have witnessed many an embarking pax, with hacking, sweating, and sniffles, just signing the form.   

On 3/1/2020 at 4:33 PM, Aloha 1 said:

Every year we hear of numerous cases of norovirus disrupting cruises yet the cruise lines carry on with minimal disruption. Every year the flu kills tens of thousands of Americans and much more elsewhere. It is endemic worldwide. Yet the cruise lines carry on. We have had 2 pandemics in the last 63 years. The Asian flu in the late 50's and the Hong Kong flu in 1968. Both were severe worldwide pandemics that killed millions.  Today we have Covid-19 which by all accounts is: 1) less serious than the flu, 2) has a lower mortality rate than the flu, and 3) is highly contagious like the flu. I would submit that we suffer from too many Hollywood movies about the end of the world due to a virus which is helping cause this fear among the populous.

Oceania ( AKA Norwegian) will do whatever needs to be done to fill the upcoming voyages. If that means discounts, fantastic. If it means increased O Life Choices, great. I'm booked on Riviera in September for the Eastern Med out of Rome. Not cancelling.

All true, but do you want to get stuck on a ship like the situation in Yokahama?  You may not get sick, but you could be greatly inconvenienced, if some other people bring it onboard and you are anchored a mile offshore at you debarkation Port. 

Back on topic, after 9/11, the cruise companies cut prices.  The subsequent Caribbean season was replete with deals.  We booked a veranda cabin on the Century for 199pp.   This was during the time that the cruise companies were building their 2000-3000 pax ships and the R class program was underway. In the early 2000's the loyalty programs began.  I  believe the Cruise companies will cut prices incurring losses and share prices will dive until the customer return.  Cruising is still a bargain.

47 minutes ago, clo said:

Is there a link you can post?

I don't think I can reference the video media, but search U TOOB

Had a chance to look at media  video reviews of the Scarlet Lady.  I have absolutely no interest in taking a cruise with them. It seems Virgin's airline management has taken an Airline approach to cruise travel.  Small everything, minimal space, basic comfort,  expensive.

The veranda cabin has no drawers or space for longer voyages,  just shelves.  Can't store stuff for longer cruises. No clearance for luggage under the bed.  The bed is basically a futon that converts to a bed at night.  The bathroom is tiny.  The veranda furniture consists of two chairs and a hammock.

I would rename the ship the MS IKIA.   The furniture in all public spaces is the spindly leggy pieces with little support or comfort.  I'll be happy to let the 18-50 year olds have the ship.  

As of this moment the new cruises offered are underwhelming to me.  On our Nautica cruise a few weeks ago the Future Cruise Rep was hussling returning to the Black Sea and Petra.  Don't see the Black Sea and Aquaba/Petra stop was tied to Dubai as a port.  Neither are attractive.  If something doesnt pop, we'll book a land based tour of Israel (Dead Sea), Petra and the Taj Mahal and be done with that part of the world.

34 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Received new itineraries in today’s mail!

 

Open for booking on 2/26.

How did you receive?  By email or postal?

Looking for mine

11 hours ago, StanandJim said:

+1, and please keep in mind that on this class of ship, the T-Pool is not really a pool at all.

Think glorified hot tub, filled with salt water.

Certain of the Spa treatments are executed there.

I love the T-Pool and use it every chance I can.   To the point the chair people find me annoying when I use it on windy and wavy days when it splashes.    My aching joints benefit from the mineralized ocean water.  Luckily the chair people can't cover the pool with towels.  Ha hA

We won't stop cruising but we will be more cautious.  No Southeast Asia cruises in the late winter.  And no cruises thru the Straits of Hormuz, ever.  

Back on topic, we were on the 13-25 Jan Sirena cruise.   No negatives.  We don't do the pool so chair issues are moot to us.  Food was the same quality as our Insignia cruise two years ago.    Sailing weather was unusual for January, and  I posted a thread on that. 

The fact we were 6 hours late into Miami and a lot of people missed their flights, has to be taken into consideration when reading some of the harsh criticisms.   I feel for those people, but it is hard to be objective when you are mad as hell.

Thanks for the replies. I was suspicious about delays outbound and also inbound.   Weather caused chaos on our cruise, we missed Aruba, arrived at Grenada WITH 2 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT LEFT, and we arrived back at Miami Terminal J with first pax off the ship at 11:30 AM.  Messed up Embarkation.  The seas glassed over the last 10 hours of the cruise. Still a nice cruise, it was Oceania after all.

We were on the Sirena the last two weeks on a Southern Caribbean cruise to ABC Islands, Grenada, Dominica, St Barts, etc.

We had medium to heavy seas and severe head winds which caused us to miss Aruba, and return to Miami 5 hrs late.

Any one else personally experience turbulent weather the last two weeks? 

Having sailed the Caribbean over the last 25 years, we never experienced this type of weather in January.

Just comparing notes.

1 hour ago, Justalone said:

 

I am new to cruising.   Are you concerned about laundry service loosing or damage to your delicates?   Do they starch and press?  Press seersucker?  

What is the typical turn around time?

We had about 15 years of good experience and then a bad spot happened on the Infinity several years ago.  They shrunk old T shirts and actually shredded some clothes. Had a Tommy Bahama shirt they ruined.   Only gave future ship board credit which was useless since we needed clothes on the cruise.  Why they don't offer clothes from the ship stores is beyond me.

Also it depends on the tour itself.  If your ship is the only ship in port  or no other non ship guests, no problem, they will wait.  If it is a Viator type tour with other non ship guests on the tour, then the democratic process prevails.  When the guests on the bus protest waiting beyond  a reasonable period,  bye bye.  Saw it happena few times in 20 years of cruising.

On 12/1/2019 at 2:40 PM, DrHemlock said:

Three important words in pinotlover's post above: "or attempting to."  

 

We were on the same August cruise.  Weather forced cancellation of the two planned Greenland stops because we couldn't safely sail around the southern tip of the island in order to reach those western shore ports.  A tiny town on the east coast was substituted, but it had little to offer other than a nice view and an energetic walkabout.

 

I've subsequently read about other ships not being able to make scheduled stops in Iceland, either, usually due to wind and rough seas -- and this in the summer!

 

The point, as often stated on this board, is that the best-laid itineraries can oft go awry in that part of the world, no matter the season.  It's important, therefore, not to have one's enjoyment (and sense of value received for money paid) be totally dependent upon specific port calls; it will only lead to disappointment.

 

We've now missed at least one port on each of our last four Oceania cruises.  It's a bummer, for sure, but...well...there's always the Horizons Lounge for drowning our sorrows.

We have missed out landing in the Falklands and Easter Island which were major disappointments considering the cost and distance covered to get there by ship.  Now news from Greenland.  I'm starting to think any Islands, North of Latitude 45N and South of Latitude 45S without docking inside breakwaters are out of bounds for us.

I'm afraid the OP maybe a one shot wonder with 5 posts.  Like a lot of the media conversations with assassinations and accusatory talk is easy with no consequence.  Unless the OP opens up, it's vapor.

I have met many LBGT couples on our Oceania cruises who are treated the same as everyone else. In fact we have had mutual excursion trips with same that were some of the best trips ever.

On 11/27/2019 at 8:16 AM, ClubSandwich said:

 

That is because alcohol-based hand sanitizers do virtually nothing to kill norovirus. They are placed throughout the ship and recommended officially as a "secondary" measure. They also have a staff member spray the hands of passengers with a 99% ethyl alcohol solution before entering the Grand Dining Room and Terrace. I believe these actions do more harm than good.

 

Why reinforce the message about the hand sanitizers when they are not effective? It makes certain people think, "I used the sanitizer, so I'm good to eat, touch my face, shake hands, you name it."

 

What passengers should be thinking is, "I must wash my hands *in my stateroom* before every meal, and then make my way to a dining area without touching literally anything (including me), touching my food only with utensils (no eating with your hands, sorry), otherwise I will be stuck in my stateroom with it 'coming out both ends' for 48 hours."

 

Some measures that will improve your odds of avoiding infection:

 

- Use your elbows to open doors, press elevator buttons, etc.

- Stay completely out of the public bathrooms, always use your stateroom bath.

- Move chairs with your foot, or ask a crew member to help you.

- Carry tissues in your pocket if you must touch something with your hand before touching your face or your food (you have an unlimited supply in your stateroom right below the sink!).

- If you touch *anything* in a public area, do not touch your face or your food until you return to your stateroom to wash your hands with soap and water.

 

Very troubling to hear of new cases.

 

At this point, I think Marina needs to be taken for a refurnish / overhaul before another passenger voyage. Besides Code Red, there's enough reason for this just based on the condition of the ship. The carpet was awful in our stateroom(s). The crown molding was falling apart. There were rusted ceiling panels flapping in the wind on our balcony. There were also gashes all over the corridor paneling / wainscotting throughout the ship. A lot of the furniture and seat cushions were at the end of their life, or needed to be re-upholstered. Etc, etc.

 

Not doing this given both the condition of the ship and the Code Red problem strikes me as symptomatic of a financial problem bad enough that the company is willing to sacrifice its reputation and business from future passengers.

I would add two more precautions we have used for years and never had an infection.  After handling any menu or table item at the sit down table, wash or sanitize your hands before touching tableware or bread.  Also if there are condiment servers, ketchup bottles, etc either use a kleenex to pick them up and dispense or if it is impractical, then use and wash/sanitize your hands again.   Treat everything as though it has black sticky ink on it.  Extreme but it works.

If one suspects that the dog is not a service dog ie barks, craves attention, etc. , I would challenge the owners irregardless of the consequences.  If they are bluffing they will concede and be found out. No harm, no foul.   Unless the owners are punished or face consequences, there will be no hesitation by these unscrupulous creatines. .  

23 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Looking at the Century they are a lot larger than the R Class ships  almost 3 times the number of PAX

 

She is now Marella Explorer 2

I was thinking of the experience  and feeling  of the shipboard life,rather than the stark numbers.  Some ships IMHO feel less crowded than others.  And the pax are more congenial and friendly.  We found that to be the case on the Century then and some R Class Oceania ships now