msn123

Usually the excursions shown for a port remain similar year to year.  You can book them when they are officially listed about a year out.  My advice would be to book them as soon as they become available.  With the Simply More program, many do reach their maximum number of participants. You can always keep checking and switch things up if something more interesting to you gets scheduled.  Reaching out to customer service is the best way to book excursions. Sometimes on line doesn't figure the prices correctly.

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/   We transferred from Heathrow to Southampton and planned a stop at Stonehenge (got our own tickets there) along the way.  Our driver also did a quick stop for us to see Salisbury Cathedral. Most accommodating.

They do transfers from the port to Heathrow, too.

The Aquamar Terrace is pretty small and there are chair hogs there, too.  The champagne can be brought to a dining venue, but if wine and beer are now included is that of additional value?  We have done concierge level on longer cruises with more sea days.  On shorter cruises that are port intensive we don't see much added value.

Sadly, pretty useless.

Last Friday I got an automatic email saying the request had been received and it showed up as a credit on my invoice about and hour later.  Maybe the elves were working overtime!  (I know some credits  cannot be combined with some of their sale pricing but have never been denied the shareholder credit.)

Not a problem to do, but you would be wise to arrange transportation in advance and take your own bags off the ship.

We usually go up to the pool deck or above so we don't miss any of it!

You know, it really is not that difficult to log off one device if you want to use a second one and only have one account.  At least for us this is not a big deal.

It will be much less expensive to do a bit of research and set up a private excursion doing what you want to do.  Unless you have tons of shipboard credits you are basically paying big bucks for a middleman (Oceania) to set it up for you.

We have booked a private transfer from Heathrow to a hotel in Southampton with a 2 hour stop at Stonehenge on the way. Have to buy our own tickets to Stonehenge, but they were very explicit as to how to do it.

internationalfriends.co.uk

We plan to explore a bit in Southampton the next day before we board the ship.

i have my boarding documents without having to struggle to upload the picture.  On the form there was an option to take the picture later.  They always retake it when you check in anyway.  Made it a whole lot simpler.

If you take the excursion option, you can book excursions up to $199.....which can be a decent deal even though most excursions are overpriced. 

Deb,

Hope we get to cruise together again!  Glad to see you are back traveling.  And we should compare new knees at some point!!! Margie

35 minutes ago, honmani2 said:

Oceania booked my flight from Hamburg.  The embarkation time says 8 am and the flight is at 9:45 am.  Why would Oceania book a flight that close to the embarkation time?

If you are on the Marina the ship overnights in Hamburg.  Not an issue with an early flight in that instance.  Our flight leaves at 10 AM.  If we had a morning port arrival I would have booked an afternoon flight.

Plenty to see in and around Reykjavik. Stay an extra day if that could work for you.

The Marriott Biscayne Bay was easy and convenient when we did it in December.  (And there was a Publix within walking distance if you want  to pick up some wine to have in your cabin.) It was a quick Uber to the port, too.

You would probably do better finding a private tour operator who can customize a tour for your group.  I would bet it would be less expensive to go that route.  Spend some time online and compare.

We use AMEX to receive the credit, too. In our years of cruising, once or twice we have been told that on some special fare offers the AMEX credit is not able to be combined.  My agent figured out what was the best way to book it and we took whatever it was.  If you read the Oceania fine print you can see that they make (and can change) the rules. 

We always ask for an invoice after final payment to make sure it shows.....and that is after we deal with the shareholder credit, too!

You will pay for the full cruise, but if agreeable to Oceania you should be able to disembark.

Hire a private driver to pick you up with your luggage and arrange a couple of hours touring the island with a drop off at the airport.

On 12/12/2022 at 7:29 PM, Jancruz said:

Usually Leslie Jon opens the ships but he told me he wasnt going to be on Vista ..

I will check and see if they have decided whos opening....

Jancruz1

Paul Baya is opening Vista.

Sign up sheets will be in the card room. Then put together your own game from those who sign up.  there may also be unhosted times suggested in Currents.

mumcat,

Email me at margnewman"at" aol "dot" com.  We have a late afternoon flight from Barbados next month.  I did not want to wait to see what Oceania might offer and found a company that will do a 3 hour tour with an airport drop off.

Usually starts at 8. Unless there are delays getting the luggage off.

3 minutes ago, Sun Queen II said:

Good day fellow cruisers, DH and I are about to board Sirena on Nov. 18, and have a few questions for those who have done this before:

1. I read you can bring 6 bottles of wine on board, how is this done?  Do you pack it in your carry on? does it go in your checked baggage, or another bag, and do you have to carry it with you until your room is ready?

You actually can bring as many bottles as you want. If we do 6, we have a box with a handle, and you need to keep it with you until you get in your room. I would do that or a carry on.  Would be afraid any rough handling in the suitcase might be a problem...especially if it is red wine!

2. we are in a PH2 room, with a boarding time of 11:30, how long does it normally take to get your room after boarding?

PH level are usually available around 1. They announce when categories are ready. Your luggage may not be there at that time, but it will show up.

3. what options are there for dining at lunch on the first day after boarding, is the Grand Dining room open, or is it just the Terrace Cafe and Waves Grill?

GDR is not open.  Terrace and Waves are.

4. what do you normally do on your first day onboard? Is there a special dinner in Grand Dining room or is specialty restaurants a good idea for first day?

We usually sit by the pool, make spa reservations, unpack and enjoy a cocktail. If you want, try for an extra reservation in one of the specialties.

5. finally, how high are the beds in the room (will suitcases fit under bed?)

Suitcases fit under the bed.  If yours don't for some reason, ask your room steward(ess) to store them.  Beds are pretty standard height...and very comfortable!!!!

 

Have a wonderful cruise. We get on the day you get off. 

 

 

Thanks so much in advance for anyone who can provide answers/suggestions 😁

J

We are finding that fewer people are on roll calls looking for people to do  private excursions with.  If you take the excursions as your O Life amenity and add extra excursions, prices become much more competitive than they used to be.