Jayne E

No. Cruise is 2 years out. Not in Administrative penalty window. 

I agree that any trip is what you make of it…..however this itinerary is beyond bad and more expensive as it’s the Vista. If alternative is to stay on ship, we’ll opt for a different ship/itinerary or remain in sunny Florida in December. 

Very disappointed as we booked this with two other couples and all agreed it was a wonderful cruise. 

Only thing being offered is $250 ship credit….at most they might move it to another cruise. 
For those who continue with this new itinerary, IMO the rate should have been reduced, not just 2 pro-rated days adjusted.  Western Carib usually less than Eastern…..and fir good reason. 

We will be cancelling this replacement cruise.  Can understand adjusting to 12 day cruise but not wiping out entire itinerary and replacing with very inferior ports and boring private island stops. One time in Honduras, Belize, Jamaica and Costa Maya was one time too many.  Possibility O will be offering the more appealing itinerary over Xmas/New Year at much higher rates?  For many years the first Caribbean cruise from Miami following the crossing has been an Eastern Caribbean on Riviera. 

7 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

I’m still on the ship.  i have to say that things are improving.  I made some comments about the food and service and they were taken to heart.  

I, as well as DH contracted COVID and I have to say that we could not have received better care.  Medical staff visited us every day to take vitals, Doctor either visited or talked to us on the phone to answer any concerns or questions we may have had, Food was served at a good temperature on time, housekeeping complied with all our needs and General Manager spoke with us on the phone every day.

I could not have asked for better care.

Since we have been released from isolation we have had good service in the restaurants.

They are trying very hard.

Terri

Hi Terri….sorry to hear your trip was interrupted by Covid but happy you and Jim are better! Enjoy the remainder of your cruise! 
Jayne B

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

How many connection do you have to LAX? How many places for things to go pear shaped these days ?

 

I would fly in the night before  but my stress level is higher these days 😉

 

 

Direct flight from Miami arriving 8:45 AM in LA. 

If cancelled or delayed, there are two more flights both arriving LA about 11:45 AM.

Good back up protection. 

I’m in a similar situation, however haven’t booked air yet. Flying direct to LAX and looking at flights that arrive 10-AM or 11 AM on day of cruise. Cruise departs 6 PM. 

We always arrive day or more prior but would prefer not to this time.

I did check Hilton Hotel in San Pedro as suggested (thank you) and available if needed.

So what are your thoughts on my scheduling?

Appreciate your feedback!!

18 minutes ago, basor said:

I believe that the actual embarkation/disembarkation port for Venice is very fluid and unknown, so O uses Venice as the name of the port but it could be Trieste, the commercial port, or another port created outside of Venice.   VISTA sailings in 2023 are 1 year and 1/2 away.   Your port being changed to Malta was indeed a HUGE change and was the only cruise with that drastic of a port change.

Yes, it was a HUGE change….coupled with Croatia ports cancelled, resulted in over 200 cabins open for 7 day and only slightly fewer for 10 day. As there are no sea days during 17 days, we’re ok with staying on board at several of the “new” ports or go to local beaches.  Might even be pleasantly surprised. 

Any info why Vista (2023) shows embarkation/disembarkation in Venice, as they continue to cancel Venice on all cruises shortly prior to cruise date?
Our Riviera cruise 8/28 switched Venice to Malta….not Trieste, removed all Croatia ports and replaced with unheard of ports in Greece and Italy.  Numerous cancellations for both 7 & 10 day segments. 

17 minutes ago, CruisingIGo said:

Good luck with that....I emailed my Shareholder Benefit Request Form on January 8, 2022 and received the auto-reply same day.  I have not gotten anything since then and my cruise is in a couple of weeks.

Call them.  I always call and am told the Shareholder Benefit is showing on my booking and will be in cabin, but not showing in on-line credits.  Tell agent you'd like benefit added so as to have correct amount should you want to make any bookings pre-cruise.  They do it immediately.

7 hours ago, basor said:

Can you please link to the website where it says that......we have received Shareholders benefit with other promotions several times- latest was just last NOV on Marina.

We had $450 on board discount for 2/7/22 and also received $100 shareholder credit. Is this something new? 

Agree O would embark Venice if they could. However, they’ve been eliminating Venice for months.  Had these upcoming cruises been changed sooner, possibly a closer port to Venice would have been available.  At least the 6 port changes were made prior to FP allowing passengers time to look into the revised itinerary. 

9 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

I am on August 18 Riveria.........already paid in full.       Bottom line, if you give up hope now, what have you got left?     Hope for the future is all you and I have left.. ...  Despair is a  lethal companion..

The only  realization , going forward is that you will not see any Baltic or Balkan Sea cruises in many , many, many years..   

 The rest of Europe is  your apple... a golden one too........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I do have hope and agree that despair is a sad (not lethal) companion. However, I also have a  $17,000 cruise with $14,000 payment due.  How about O Showing me some hope, and making my FP 90 days out rather than 150?  If Europe remains the golden Apple as you claim, and doesn’t become a rotten apple, this cruise could probably be rebooked closer to sail date. Under present world conditions, now may not be a good time to risk such a large sum of money on the unknown. Hopefully there may be some clarity in 4 weeks 🤞

Would be helpful if O shortened the Final Payment window on upcoming summer European/Med cruises. Payment on Aug. 28 Riviera due in 4 weeks…..already cancelled May 2022 due to FP 5 months in advance. 

3 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

Many times whoever answers the phone does not know the latest. My understanding is this is NCLH wide. It came from a high source.

Thanks for advice, but I'm very aware of that....however I gave it a try that "maybe" the no mask only on cruises departing 3/1 and after might change to "all ships as of 3/1" as Regent and NCL have done.

This latest Sail Safe from O remains the same:

Are face coverings required? FACE MASK REQUIREMENTS The health and safety of our guests and crew is always our number one priority and at the advice of the medical experts on our SailSafe Global Health and Wellness Council, for all sailings departing prior to March 1, 2022, all guests will be required to wear face masks in all public areas of the ship, unless eating or drinking while seated. They are also required outdoors when physical distancing of at least six (6) feet cannot be maintained.

Please note: this guidance is subject to change as the global health map evolves. For sailings commencing on or after March 1, 2022, face coverings are highly recommended but not required for guests on board, subject to local oversight of authorities in the jurisdiction(s) in which the ships are sailing, which may result in face coverings being required for guests.

On 2/10/2022 at 1:31 PM, Aloha 1 said:

Here's the post from the Regent forum clarifying:

 

Good morning  - the change in mask policy is effecitve on 3/1 for all ships, regardless of when the cruise begins. The policy was clarified yesterday: 

 

 

This is true of Regent. Oceania still states masks not required on cruises departing from 3/1/22. I called about a cruise departing 2/26 and inquired if mask only required for 2 days….mask required entire cruise. Makes no sense these passengers will be masked an additional 8 days after new protocol. 

 

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Correct- that place sucked. But (then again), for the most part, the Dominican Republic is a “poster child” for third world. What a contrast to the last minute addition of Tortola. An overnight in the BVIs would’ve been my preference.

Dominican Republic was included in Caribbean itineraries and St. Martin removed starting with 2020 season.  Having been to DR, I emailed several O departments with disappointment in an “upper end” line porting in DR at a dock owned by Carnival. 
Of course, no response. 

13 hours ago, rbtan said:

 

 Puerto Plata: We did the "All inclusive beach Extravaganza" their words, not ours! After a good bone crushing 45 min(NOT the 35 as advertised)terribly bumpy bus ride, we reached the beach. Overall it appeared nice, but there was a lot of seaweed & upon snorkeling, Keith noted some broken bottles in the water. Nice way to ruin a vacation. We informed to tour director & felt she would make sure this would be cleaned up. The lunch was pretty awful overall.

 Antigua:Blue Shore Resort". It was a 6 hour excursion that was quite costly. Only ourselves & one other couple did this excursion. the driver delivered us to the wrong resort! We then got taken to the right resort. Only problem here, was the resort staff had no idea we were coming. Talk about miscommunication. After about an hour we finally got settled into a fantastic resort. Three beaches/4 pools(which were great)All the drinks & a great lunch were included. Only issue was the promised 6 hours really came out to 3.5 hrs.

 

 

Puerto Plata has recently been added to O Caribbean cruises, replacing St. Martin on regularly scheduled itineraries. As O describes itself as an upscale line, Puerto Plata should not be a stop at all. 

Blue Waters Resort in Antigua can be booked directly with hotel. $170 pp all inclusive or $85 beach plus cost of taxi and you can stay as long as you like. Oceania is $369 pp. 

We’ve often been at beach areas where O had an excursion group. They are always forced to leave way too early. Maybe a 2 hour stay. 
 
Thanks for review! Glad you enjoyed your cruise. 

15 minutes ago, Nymich said:

All you do is complain when YOU chose to go to Miami..  You are always welcome to not come Back.  Here is to hoping your departure flight is On Time!

So funny, but true 🙂 

NYmich.....glad you had a good cruise.  Your posts were honest, unbiased, informative, very witty and never insulting or abrasive to others with differing opinions. This is reflected in all those who have commended you for being there for many us the last few weeks.  We chose to cancel 2/7 cruise.....masking and possibility of more sea days was our deciding factor, besides having had a perfect O cruise last month. Hope to meet up with you on a future cruise.  Be well and safe drive home!!

55 minutes ago, tgg said:

Women wear hats in restaurants, men remove them. Women wear hats in church, men remove them. The priest wears a hat (of sorts), the male parishioner isn't supposed to.  I wonder what God thinks about hats. 🤔

Gender bias 🤔

On 12/13/2021 at 10:15 AM, mexicobob said:

Does Oceania ever have someone playing the guitar in the evening in one of the lounges? Either solo or small group. Not talking about a rock n roll band but an alternative to a string quartet. 

We’ve been saying same thing. The house string quartet and lounge piano player every night on every Riviera and Marina cruise is way too repetitious.  O has made changes to the menus in an endeavor to have some fresh choices…..time for the same regarding  music.

In 2014 O had a magician/mentalist engaging passengers in the bars and lounge areas before and after show……he was terrific and everyone thought it was fun and a lively addition. He appeared two evenings.  We hoped this would be permanent but never saw him again ☹️

2 hours ago, tgg said:

 

 

Although it may never happen, the answer to this question might help you decide whether to share a table with another couple at dinner.

Although it may never happen….it may happen. That’s why O SailSafe specifically states the protocol regarding a “close contact”. 
Friends cruised Riviera in October and sharing a table was not permitted except if it was with people you were traveling with and this information had to be provided to O. Apparently Oceania at that time believed there was a risk sharing a table with fellow passengers. 
Agree with LHT28 that all at a table would be considered a contact and subject to quarantine.

11 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

Covered. See above.

16 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

We will also cover the same costs, that are not covered by the guests’ travel insurance or should a claim be denied, for identified close contacts if they are required to quarantine on board or are removed or denied re-boarding due to being in close contact to a guest who tests positive.

Should you have dinner with  another couple and one or both of them thereafter tests positive, would that require you to be considered “a close contact” and forced to quarantine?

Not sure if anyone has an answer but it’s something to think about. 

2 minutes ago, basor said:

It was unclear that the passengers did not contract the virus prior to boarding.  It can take several days for the virus to test positive after contracting so the passengers could have brought it onboard.  Also, the crew have been quarantined on the boat and the passengers are the ones coming and going so, it would appear, that the passengers are spreading the virus to the crew not the other way around.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. Most certainly could have been passengers to crew. 
Either way, future passengers should be able to cancel and avoid this, should they wish. 

2 hours ago, thilton said:

Thanks for starting this post. I am not on this cruise, but my mother in law and friend are. Her friend tested positive on Monday and they are both quarantined for the remainder of the cruise.  She has not tested positive yet, but she needs to quarantine with her room mate. My Mother in law suspected it was from the casino, as they heard many of the casino staff were positive. Just a speculation though.  I'm so sad for them. I'm going to try to send something via the cruise line to their room. 

So sorry for their situation and wishing both well. Isn’t this a good enough reason for O to permit cancellations? O staff are obviously infected and have spread the virus to passengers. It’s no ones fault but future passengers shouldn’t be subjected to this if they wish to cancel.