Jayne E

Just because we’re in the 70’s doesn’t mean that we don’t like a lot of music that our children and grandchildren listen to. We’re not trapped in a time warp. 

Peggy Lee is even before my time….how about some hip hop mixed in?

20 minutes ago, alaskaca said:

With that being said, along with the shortening of port times and other negative issues that are constantly being discussed on CC, I believe the cruise lines are in trouble, with huge debt as well as new ships being built, they are doing everything they can to survive.

The OLife Ultimate is a less expensive O sale option as compared to the 2-3 category upgrades previously offered by O. Getting a PH3 for cost of A1 far better than 3 OLife amenities.

Agree cruise lines are still suffering the shutdown, however, they need to give passengers what they booked. We need to make an informed decision when we travel. 

15 minutes ago, cruiseforward9 said:

The email said "To accommodate operational needs, please note the call to Gdansk, Poland, has been replaced with Ronne, Denmark."

Ok.  However, how about transparency. Why haven’t I ever heard “accommodate operational needs” in the last 16 years cruising only O?  Why so many cancelled ports across all O ships last several months. It’s not an occasional change.

4 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Jayne;

 

If you’re on the April 1st Tokyo-Tokyo sailing, I’ll probably start posting private tours soon. No need to suffer through Oceania’s shorex, especially at their prices.

 

If Oceania continues the significant port cuts, we’re bailing out. Already canceling the OZ circumnavigation, and will bail from Japan also if the cuts mount. We’ll see what they do on our Vista cruise in June.

Yes, we’re on same Tokyo cruise.  Definitely interested in private excursions

We have 21 days on Riviera in May and Vista in November.  We’ll also bail Tokyo if cuts continue.  Last month on Riviera, Puerta Plata was cancelled due to “anticipated” windy weather. The wind never materialized, however staff told us that the 3 prior cruises also missed that port. 

1 hour ago, NYAS said:

Ironically, our first O cruise was the Baltics on Marina in 2013, chosen because, unlike other ships’ itineraries, it had two overnights in St. Petersburg, allowing us to go to Moscow on the middle day in port. It was a great cruise and a lively CC roll call, where I arranged small group tours for several ports, including the Moscow visit. We took no O excursions.  
 

Now, our upcoming Lisbon-Amsterdam cruise on Marina has had most port stays shortened, and from recent posts on this board I am wondering if we will even make all ports (one is a tender). Because of the uncertainties for ports, we’ve booked O excursions. The concern about port stays, as well as reported shortcomings related to food quality and supplies, certainly have me adjusting expectations.

I arranged groups of 6-8 several times. In Viet Nam the guide stayed with us 5 days and we left the ship and I booked hotel for overnight in Hanoi. I arranged a guide for Cairo and we left ship in Alexandria and overnighted in Cairo hotel. Also private guide for 3 days in St. Petersburg as you did.
We just booked O to Tokyo next year and this is the first time we took OLife. We think O’s tours are short and underwhelming but these port changes leave us no alternative. 

Does anyone remember when every Oceania mailing and internet advertisements stated “OCEANIA HAS EARLY PORT ARRIVALS AND LATE DEPARTURES”

I have old itinerary cover pages. 7 AM - 7 PM was the norm in most ports. Ship was docked when you woke up and you were dining when it departed. 
Is it possible that all these sudden changes are making more people book ship excursions?  
Recently I haven’t seen much Roll Call activity. Used to be when someone posted a tour, if you didn’t move quickly, it was booked. Now it’s difficult to get a group together. JMO

12 minutes ago, Buckwheel said:

Reduced port hours announced in “Sail & Sustainability” program:

Nagasaki and Shinzo, both arriving to port one hour later. 

 

Unannounced early departures so far;

Kyoto - 1 hour 

Hiroshima - 90 minutes

 

We still have 4 ports to go.

Thanks for update. Seems like quite a lot of reduced time so far. Hope you’re getting to see what you had planned and times haven’t been too problematic. 

I’m going to see what happens with remainder of O’s Japan ports this year.

10 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

As merely a hypothetical, how long do posters believe Oceania will be able to legally sell cruises with stated port times and schedules and then be allowed to alter port times at will after full payment and cancellation penalty?

Is anyone aware of name and address of an authority that governs cruise lines?

Might be time to make complaints???

5 hours ago, Buckwheel said:

I am currently on Nautica. Prior to our cruise we received a “Sail & Sustain” email reducing time at two of our nine ports. Since we’ve been on the cruise three additional port times have been reduced with only one announcement made ahead of time.

 

And by ahead of time, I literally mean the morning we were supposed to dock at an earlier time, they announced we would be arriving an hour later due to the port contacting them and advising them the port was too congested. It’s plausible this port reduction was unavoidable. 

 

We found out about one of the reduced port stays from an independent tour operator who contacted us to rearrange our tour schedule after seeing that Nautica was leaving an hour earlier than planned. 

 

We found out about the second reduced port stay by reading our port schedule in Currents. 

 

As I mentioned earlier, we are still on this cruise and so far, 5 of our 9 ports have had reductions of time spent in port. 

 

This is our first Oceania cruise and most likely our last. 

So sorry, about reduced port times and failure to timely advise passengers.

Seems like O is on a mission to do this on all their cruises.

Could you advise your reduced hours?  We're booked on Riviera 12 day Japan next year. Not looking good. The hours needed to fly there and back may be more than the hours in port. 🙂

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

I'm curious what would be your alternative?

If you read the number of posts stating that they won't be cruising O unless changes are made, they will find alternatives.  We have our 20th free cruise shortly and if we see these problems continuing to arise on all the O ships, it will be our last. We don't care for sea days, but extra sea days seem to be what O is adding to many cruises  (numerous excuses). Can just as well pay far less for a crossing if you're going to spend a lot of time at sea.  That  includes arriving later and leaving earlier.....that's more "sea time".

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I think the new Pizza oven is only on Riviera at the moment   maybe Vista  when it sails

Someone will correct me if wrong

 

Correct. However, it is only open in the evening. I had surely thought it would be open during lunch. Seemed more fitting for pizza at lunch. With all the wonderful gourmet food items for dinner, can’t imagine having pizza. 

O’s Customer Service doesn’t respond. 
Sorry Sophie, but communication on these boards at least let’s you know “it’s not you” and these situations have become pervasive. 
My TA let her person at O know that many of her clients are very upset about recent changes, cancellations and port time changes. She had over 16 cancellations for the June 2024 17 day Riviera that had Croatia ports and Venice changed to a sea day, Izmir & Istanbul. She received no explanation.  TA’s doing a lot of booking & cancelling for which they receive nothing for their time. 

22 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Thank you Jayne, you grasp what many of the Cheerleaders can’t. We would have been disappointed in missing the Falklands in any case, the the true discontent comes from the Great Lie! The ship had cancelled Port Stanley several days in advance of our scheduled arrival. We Passengers were getting emails and texts from our tour operators telling us our tours were cancelled because the ship wasn’t coming. People would go to DS with the information and DS would look them in the eye and LIE saying we were still going to the Falklands. Even after it became apparent to all due to distance and cruising speed we weren’t going, no one on Oceania’s staff would admit to it. Finally, a day out, the Captain made the announcement. Why didn’t he/they make the announcement when the port was notified?

 

Same with Chacabucco above. OK, the decision was made to cancel the port at around 02:00, make the announcement instead of having everyone trudge and sit in the Lounge! 
 

Why is communicating so hard for Oceania. Missing the ports isn’t nearly as bad as being constantly lied to about the facts. Not grasped by the Cheerleaders.

Can the cheerleaders explain away spending time making numerous visits and waiting on line at DS? Attempting to connect to internet for information not being provided by O? Two hours sitting in Lounge at 7 AM for no reason? 

We have cruised only O since 2007….I am a cheerleader too!  However, the various situations arising lately are not “isolated” and are extremely disappointing. 
I’m not a complainer…..just want a cruise that’s a semblance of what I booked. 

25 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

I'd love to see the communication between Miami and the Captain.  I bet that would illuminate the situation.  

Arising at 6 AM for excursions that O knew were not to be makes no sense.

There’s a sudden change….people should be notified asap. Worried about waking up a few people early for an announcement??? Most O cruisers are up very, very earlier….those who make it to 8 AM are the minority.  I do, but would have no issue with being awakened for fellow passengers being advised of the cancelled port. 
What about calling cabins directly? Placing cancellation notices under cabin door?

Decision making not good.

24 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Still have the Vista booked in June and paid for. 13 port days on a 14 day cruise. One sea day. How they perform on that cruise will determine if we keep our cruise next April. Several lines go to Japan.

We’re also on next year April cruise to Japan. We’re on Riviera for 21 days with 2 sea days in May. How it goes will determine if we go forward with O to Japan.

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Always the issue. Those that cruise for the ship versus those cruising for the ports. Looks like the cruisers are winning out. After our recent Marina experience and having spoken with several on the recently completed OZ circumnavigation quite a few of us are cancelling our Dec 23-Jan24 35 day OZ cruise. We’ll make both Oceania and the cruisers, not concerned about missing ports,  happy by freeing up space for them. Not willing to spend $35K each, including BZ class air, to float around missing ports or watching the hull be cleaned for the following cruise. They’ll just be more delightful sea days for the cruisers, Oceania’s customers of choice.

 

When spending $35K you don’t want to wind up with as many sea days as a  crossing cruise.  Our first 17 O cruises, cancelled ports,  shortened port stops and completely changed itineraries were never something to be concerned about and didn’t occur except for an isolated obvious extreme weather condition. Our last 3 cruises and one future have been quite different.  Croatia ports cancelled on 2 cruises and Venice switched to Istanbul (expected Trieste) and 14 day southern Carib cancelled and replaced with 12 day. western Carib cruise. We cancelled 3. Never any explanation for these changes. 
We never use O air or excursions but with all the changes, one may now have to. 

2 hours ago, babysteps said:

Hey @Jayne E could you share the embarkation date of the Aug 2023 Riviera where they changed ports on you? We're looking at a Marina Oct 2023 with some of the same ports, trying to see when/if they update the online itineraries. Will help us decide whether to book or not, and after looking online I wasn't sure which exact cruise they did this to you on, thanks!!

So sorry......typo....it was our August 2022 on Riviera that had the changes with Croatia ports cancelled.  Now our June 2024 had all Croatia ports cancelled.

8 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Accidently we will be on this sailing.. but the funny thing is that the very next sailing shows the actual Bordeaux, not Le Verdon.

So are the “tides” changing in one week? Probably not.  Yes, Le Verdon was not misleading….just underwhelming, especially compared to Bordeaux Port. 
Can we all agree that recently there have been numerous itinerary, port and time changes?

Weve been cruising only Oceania since 2007….have encountered an isolated situation occasionally but nothing like our recent and upcoming cruises.  Not limited to a particular region…..changes are across all. 

47 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Looks pretty clear to me. The same way as Paris (Honfleur), London (Portsmouth) and many other ports.
 

Sorry, your comparison doesn’t work in this case as Bordeaux has a beautiful port located in the heart of the city. Paris, London, Rome, Florence do not….reason for long drives to visit.  The Oceania 2 day stop in Bordeaux is wonderful. Le Verdon is not.

Way too many shortened port times, cancelled ports and an entire itinerary cancelled!

14 day cruise on Riviera, December 2024, Southern/Eastern Carib cancelled and replaced with 12 days Western Carib. $250 SBC offered for “inconvenience”.  We cancelled!

August 2023 Riviera, all Croatia ports cancelled and replaced with 2 stops in Igoumenitsa and 2 other unknown Greek ports….notified after final payment.
Last week notified that Venice (expected Trieste) and Croatia ports cancelled. Replaced with a sea day, Izmir & Istanbul. $250 SBC offered for “inconvenience”. We cancelled!

This May is our free 20th cruise. We will then monitor these boards regarding cancelled ports, shortened times, etc. with regard to continue cruising with Oceania.  A shame, as food and service is still excellent. However, management is messing up the product. 

PS: Don’t advertise Le Verdon as Bordeaux. The Bordeaux port is in the heart of Bordeaux and was a wonderful overnight.  Le Verdon is an isolated port with not much to see at all. Two hours each way to Bordeaux. 

9 hours ago, mauibabes said:

For those of us who use Oceania Air, I think it is an outstanding policy change. 
Mauibabes

Agree….also good for O. On our August 2022 cruise out of Rome, 42 people with O air didn’t make the ship and when they caught up with ship at next port, many had no luggage. Big expense for O.  They’re quite aware of cancelled flights and strikes and now probably would prefer passengers arrange flights 1-3 days early. 

11 minutes ago, rbtan said:

Wow! You're the epitome of a chair hog & pretty much admit it.

You like to toss about your “chair hog” description. Get a good book and stop watching how long everyone’s lunch and/or bathroom and/or swim time takes.

I completely agree 2 hours away too long and yes, one couple holding 4 loungers unacceptable. However, your harsh label of me for wanting a lunch and bathroom break is mean spirited. 

5 hours ago, shepherd really said:

As soon as you get up, it is no longer your lounge.   Enjoy your lunch, then find an unoccupied lounge.

And you can keep telling yourself that…..

2 hours ago, cjwags said:

I was able to see the list of cruises available from my TA today.  Our 2024 Riviera cruise is listed.  Now comes the question if Oceania will honor the sale on an already booked cruise.  Any experience with this out there?  I realize that I would loose any previous promotions, but all three O Life perks would be a much better deal for us.  

 

And yes, we do take ship excursions (in combination with independent ones), we do buy the drinks package, and we would love extra SBC to offset gratuities, bottles of premium wine at dinner, etc.So this sale seems like a good deal to us!

Should have no problem. Yes, prior promotions eliminated. 

I received the current promotion of $600 OBC on an already booked cruise, but my TA’s grats of $250 OBC from O was removed. Still an extra $350 OBC

Getting up for lunch should not be a lounge loss.  Same as getting up for the bathroom!! And shouldn’t have to make lunch “quick”.  Some have lunch in MDR and can easily take an hour.  As long as you’re at the pool for the day, should be your lounge.  
It’s those who go off for an excursion and return hours later that are unfair to fellow passengers, not someone who needs to “get up” for a good reason.