Go-Bucks!

On 7/21/2019 at 7:11 PM, riffatsea said:

I would never do banking on any public network!

If you were on a 6 month long cruise like I've been then you would. All my bills are on auto pay, but I've had to make some online purchases, pay a doctor and transfer some money. So far all is well.

4 hours ago, Mura said:

For me, that's not pertinent.  I prefer tubs because of my bad knees.  There are times when I need a good soak in a tub.  When I tore my meniscus a day before boarding we were fortunate to be in an OS on Regatta ... so I was able to soak and use the jets to help my kneed.  Even with a torn meniscus I was able to get in and out of the tub without much difficult.

We're all different...my meniscus' in both knees shredded 8 yrs ago (after decades of long distance running and high impact aerobics) and I've just learned to live with the pain and instability. Hot water doesn't help. But walking into a shower is much easier for me than stepping up into a high sided tub. Either way, the new PH showers on Insignia are very nice.

(I just wrap one of my knees with an Ace bandage and still do 3-5 miles of fast walking every other day plus 30" of weight training...like the Energizer bunny!).  🏃‍♀️  🏋️‍♀️  🐰

10 hours ago, meandbc said:

Ok, decided to go for it and upgraded to a PH.  I have cancer and you only go around once.  I love the R class ships.  I can manage the shower lip just fine.  I'm going to surprise my hubby once we get to the port.  

Be sure to ask the stewardess for a shower chair.  I think you'll be happy with the PH cabin...I loved it!

My favorite perk was being able to order food from the restaurants (Grand Dining Room,  Polo and Toscana) to eat in the cabin and anything we wanted for breakfast in the cabin...we used this perk frequently. The butler was very helpful too.

28 minutes ago, Maya_C said:

To get to the meeting point for it, I would need to take the ferry from Harvest Caye to Placencia. The ferry exists. 

I never saw a ferry...at our dock there were just a couple spaces for large ships and a long walkway from the dock to the pool/beach area. Maybe this ferry is somewhere else on the island? There were a couple ship excursions that took people out to snorkel...I'll check and see if I still have the info sheet that tells where they go and how long to get there.

8 minutes ago, Ravbo said:

 

Just wondering how you acquired the additional cash?

ATM?  Cash advance from cruiseline? 

Our ship has an ATM, which I mostly used, and I also got some from ATM's on land.  Of course, I used a debit card for cash withdrawals...a credit card has high fees to do that.

My friend tried to get cash from banks on land but none would give her any because she didn't have an account with them.

5 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I just have to follow up on this one.  Go-Bucks will know what I'm talking about, since she's just home from the 2019 Oceania ATW cruise.

 

Betsy, the wife mentioned above, whose husband sadly died on an Oceania cruise, and both of whom I met:  Betsy met and married a fellow WCer this year, just a couple of weeks back.  They were married aboard ship.  How's that for a great story?

Yep, Betsy's late husband Don Horner died of a heart attack on Insignia during the 2016 world cruise. 3 years later she took another one and met and married Bob Brown! It was a beautiful onboard wedding and a true love story that was attended by the ATW passengers! I think it will be a once-in-a-lifetime situation. 

BTW, I'm not home yet...I took the next 2 cruises after the world cruise and am waitlisted for the 3rd! My kids and travel agent don't think I'm ever going home!  (I will, eventually!!).  🤩

7 minutes ago, Ravbo said:

We are currently doing research and planning for a World Cruise in 2022 or more with a duration exceeding 100+ days.
Understand that on board charges, cruise line excursions and other cruise line expenses are handled via onboard board account and a credit card.

We are wondering how to handle cash needs for the cruise.

This would include casino, shore expenses, shore spending money, and other requirements for cash.
Not really excited about carrying around a lot of actual CASH.  For a 120+ cruise, anticipating Cash needs to exceed $10,000.00.

In olden times we used travelers checks.  However travelers checks do not exist any more (Do I sound OLD?).

How does everyone else handle cash needs?

THanks

Bob

 

My world cruise was for 6 months. I initially took $2,000 cash but used my credit card whenever possible...and most places all over the world took my credit card. I did run out of cash and needed roughly about another $1,000. I used the cash for extra crew tips, places that didn't take CC's and to exchange for foreign currency. Luckily my bank reimburses me for any ATM fees.

5 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Many people approach this issue with an eye to the bells and whistles available on the R ships, themselves.

This is short sighted in my view,  as sailing  in the company of 600 versus a few thousand is a radically different experience and the option for doing so is are rapidly disappearing from the marketplace, particularly at Oceania's price point.

In short the most, the newest and the shiniest are perpetually available somewhere-

Sailing on a quality small to mid sized cruise ship is not going to be an option for most of us, after the R ships are gone.  Sail thoughtfully.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we're docked next to Freedom of the Seas (one of Royal's behemoths) with a hoard of 4,600 people! No thank you!!  I really appreciate our little Insignia ship even more.  🤩

4 hours ago, Mura said:

I'm one who is unhappy with the removal of tubs

You might not be if you saw them! They're huge (can fit 2-3 people in them)...and we had a shower stool in ours which made shaving legs so easy. And if the ship was rocking, it was nice to be able to sit down. 

46 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

Have you been to Belize , Belize City, before?  

Be careful what you wish for.  The city and mainland are some of the most dangerous areas in the Caribbean to go wandering around own your own.  I would not recommend it.   Why?  High unemployment rate.   You might get robbed, mugged, or even killed. If a woman, even worse.   Verbal abuse, and you may even get raped.  It is that bad.   Belize /Belize City is almost as dangerous as the Dominican Republic for PAXs/tourists.  👎

I would just hang out at Harvest Caye, or take a ship sponsored shore excursion.  That is what I do.   JMO.

Good luck what ever you decide.  Stay safe.

THIS IS TOTALLY ACCURATE!

Belize City, which is a couple hours away from Harvest Caye anyway, is a dangerous city for the locals let alone tourists.

My daughter had a friend who was a missionary in Belize City and before we docked there (on another cruiseline), we contacted him and he picked us up at the terminal so we could spend the day with him. The mission house was next door to a drug house (they stayed in good relations with them) where they often had drive by shootings. He took us with him as he ran errands all day...there were security guards with rifles at EVERY store, the bank and the airport.  He said that unless you're with a local, it's not safe to be anywhere outside the terminal. 

So, I would certainly not recommend the OP go to Belize City....nothing there to see anyway...basically slums.  Harvest Caye, on the other hand, has a lovely beach and huge pool with palapas, umbrellas and loungers. It was a great day there!

5 hours ago, Roccaforte said:

We were at Harvest Caye in March on the Riviera.  There was no free buffet.  We ate an early lunch on the ship and then went ashore.  We paid for all of our drinks by credit card or cash.

We had a very pleasant day there.  

Us too...there was a place to eat at the pool, but the ship was a 5 min walk away so we ate in Terrace and went back to the beach/pool afterwards. 

On 7/14/2019 at 7:23 AM, Joanne G. said:

I am a fan of Rick Steves and would certainly buy his Paris guidebook.   I think I can see myself doing this, though I haven't ruled out a tour group, either.  Maybe both - a week with a tour group, and then add a few days on 

I would encourage you to check out Rick Steves' tours! I went on the Paris, northern France and eastern France tour as a solo and it was fabulous! I went to Paris 5 days early in order to see more...was a great plan.  There were 6 solos on our tour so we had lots of fun together. 

The only thing I wish I had done differently is to pay a little more and get my own room. I roomed with a heavy snorer and eventually got a new roommate because I wasn't getting any sleep. 

On 7/22/2019 at 1:01 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

And "bucket list", an awful term in my opinion, means things you want to do before you die (i.e., kick the bucket).

Well, that is what it means to me...things I want to do before I leave this world. Luckily I've gotten to check off quite a few in 2019, including one just a few days ago...I stood on Maho Beach on the island of St. Maarten while 5 huge jumbo jets landed right over top of me!!  Then one took off while I was in a minivan right behind it and the force of the engines nearly toppled the van over!  SO FUN!!  🤩

Got fantastic videos of them.  😊

8 minutes ago, bob brown said:

I have never seen any instance of crew showing any preferential treatment of any passenger's over any other.

I totally agree...that review did not reflect anything that I saw or heard in 6 months onboard. I'm sure the author felt that it is accurate for themselves, but a couple times they wrote "all ATW passengers" which is inaccurate because it wasn't what I did or said...never a good idea to use the words "all", "always" or "never."

9 minutes ago, bob brown said:

I got on the wailist about a year before departure, even I asked why they didn't hold cancelled cabins, for those in order on the waitlist, and they admitted that there 'system' was not programmed that way.....they apparently only go to the waitlist if cabins remain  unsold, so not knowing that, I missed my chance to grab it when I saw it.

I aked to speak to a manager, and voiced my displeasure with their whole operation

I also had a very negative experience with the so-called "waitlist!"

I was on the waitlist for 9 months for a PH cabin but had a veranda already booked. Several others posted on CC that they just booked a PH suite but O told my TA that we were still #1 on the list!  Urrrgh!  Eventually a nice couple wanted to trade rooms with me so that's how I got one.  But that waitlist is a joke!!!

57 minutes ago, HilsTas said:

Thanks for your review Bob - and congratulations on your new life!

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

I am sorry that you experienced that...it's disgusting behavior for adults. I will say, though, that I met many "segmenters" during the entire cruise and enjoyed them all. One couple is back onboard now and we've been having a great time again.

What many of the segmenters might not know is that the cliques mentioned in that review also excluded many "worldies" also!  I did not enjoy many of the social aspects of the world cruise but loved the adventure of seeing the world! And most of the private events were small groups of people (some were a group of previous world cruisers, some were solos), not all the worldies.  I read that review and much of it was grossly exaggerated...I was personally at the "needlepoint fiasco", and while it actually happened,  it wasn't at all like it was described.  And the offenders were the new women who had just embarked and didn't know the system of how the kits were distributed...those who had done this many times knew how it went and weren't the trouble makers. There was no violence either, unless you count the lady who tore the sign up sheet and pen out of my hand!

Taking a world cruise is VERY different than taking a 1, 2 or 4 week vacation!!  It's like moving to a new town! You have a new home, a new street (deck), new neighbors, new restaurants, theater, doctor, church, Bible study, etc. Obviously people made new friends and often these groups of friends stuck together tightly and excluded others...but many of the excluded ones were other worldies!!  I experienced it myself and it hurt me very deeply so I know that this attitude wasn't only directed towards the segmenters. 

Hope your future travels will be wonderful!

6 hours ago, bob brown said:

Just came on here to let anyone interested know that CC has posted my review....I would hope to see some more from my cruise mates....

I'll try to if I ever get home...I have stayed for the 2 cruises after the world cruise and am waitlisted for the third!  😂

31 minutes ago, Waynetor said:

Yes, for various reasons we did change from the 2020 w/c to the 2021 .  To start 2020 we are going to do a 58 night full voyage around South America including Easter Island (not on O).  Lisa (GO-Bucks) will also be on that voyage.

Can't wait to meet you in January! Will be fun to discuss our Oceania world cruise experiences. I'll probably be taking my free O cruise in 2021.

12 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Yes.  Buffet included.  Bring cash for your booze.  And if you buy souvenirs.

Enjoy.

What buffet???  I never saw one....just the swim up bar.

1 minute ago, clo said:

Oh, I don't feel that way.  We live in Reno and there are the la-dee-da ones and the ones that are small but not seedy.  We go to both.

I was referring to some seedy ones I've been to. The question was if anyone had been to a NOT nice one that's NOT on a ship...I have.

9 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Very true.

I am not sure what they mean by “Monte Carlo style”. THE Casino in MC suggests that one wear a jacket after 8 PM has a photo ID  as well as a Euro 10 entry fee - neither one these is required on Oceania to play. 😁

 

Recently my friends and I were not allowed to play in the Grande Casino in Monte Carlo (during the day) because we had sandals on! Had to have closed toe shoes...probably saved me some money in the long run!  😉   But the place was gorgeous and at least we got to see it.

10 hours ago, clo said:

But have you ever been to a not quite top notch casino not on a cruise ship?

YES!...unfortunately. 

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

That tells me  they were not experiences with Oceania

I have seen the drawn butter brought to the table

to tell you Iceberg lettuce  was printed wrong on the menu ??? 😲

Either they were new  or just lazy

Normally they say sorry & go get what you ordered

JMO

 

Yes things are changing on Oceania  as well  not like the old days

 

There was a fair amount of crew turnover on 7/11 after the world cruise. I've definitely noticed that the "newbies" seem quite inexperienced...but they'll learn, just as we all did at new jobs.

Embarkation day was nuts because they had a Coast Guard inspection before rooms could be cleaned and the staff were falling all over each other (literally!) to get them ready. Ray Carr announced that Penthouses were ready and they really weren't! I was up on deck 8 to get some leftover stuff from my former cabin and virtually all the stewards were trying desperately to finish. 

I had a similar experience with the drawn butter and iceberg salad that same night,  but it wasn't a big issue for me. Since the waiter didn't bring the butter,  I just asked for it and it came quickly. After I ordered the salad, my waiter said that they didn't have any iceberg lettuce so it would be mixed greens...that was fine with me and I actually liked it better. That salad is on the menu frequently and I like it (has goat cheese, anchovies and anchovy-miso dressing). 

OP...sorry you had a bad first experience on O. Not everyone likes the same things so it's good that there are many cruiselines to choose from. I've sailed on X and had a nice time overall, but was disappointed in a number of things. Out of the 4 cruiselines I've sailed on, X ranks #3...good but will only go again for an outstanding itinerary. Hope you enjoy your future travels!

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

a PH will have a bit more room   but check if the scooter will fit  through the doorway on either cabin

plus there is a step up to the washroom ..not sure if it would be a problem for you 

 I know the H/C are only insides on deck 4  but might be worth pursuing one of those

The PH has much more open space than a veranda cabin and a wider door. All non-accessible bathrooms have a step up to them. The much larger shower in the PH cabin is wonderful and a shower chair fits in easily. 

But only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it to you...it definitely was to my friend and I who had one for the 2019 world cruise. 

4 hours ago, Bxianesq said:

Our cabin steward (Steel) 

 

We really enjoyed meeting some of our fellow passengers on Oceania

 

The Canyon Ranch spa experience was a disappointment-staff members there were not very friendly and massages were just OK.  Since we had a Concierge level cabin, we had access to the spa terrace-but there were few lounge chairs out there so we dunked in the spa pool and left after about 45 minutes. 

 

Key West had not really come alive yet.  

 

Itinerary-Belize-this was the NCL private island, so not really Belize per se.  Decided to make it a beach day-loungers were comfortable and views were very pretty.  

 

Itinerary-Costa Maya-the captain came on the PA system as we were about 500 feet from the dock and announced a port cancellation due to "high swells."  I personally think that missing the port had more to do with a Celebrity ship that appeared to be hogging the dock as we approached..........The trip in overnight was a little rocky, but the seas appeared smooth as we approached the dock.  

 

Flies made an unfortunate appearance at the Terrace Cafe-it seemed to get worse as the cruise went along.  

 

Redone itinerary for the 7/18 sailing had a stronger port selection overall-will be interested to see reviews of that cruise.  

I was also on that cruise and will share a few comments...glad you had a good time as I did too!

My previous asst. steward (I was in a different cabin for the world cruise) spoke VERY highly of Steel who's a friend of his. Glad to hear that you got great service.  I think the crew on this ship is fantastic!!

The people on the 7/11 cruise were some of the friendliest I've ever met! The week went by so quickly because I had such a great time with the other passengers. 

The hot tub in the spa area (it's a hot tub, not a pool) is quite lame...barely warm and the bubblers rarely work...no wonder you thought it was a pool! I rarely used that area on the world cruise because it wasn't very appealing to me...my balcony was nicer.

But I don't agree with you about the spa...I had many massages and facials and they were excellent! The staff is super friendly and knew everyone's names. I felt truly pampered there.

Key West, and most port towns, don't "come alive" until about 10am so there's usually no reason to get out earlier if shopping or restaurants are where you want to go. We left the ship at 10:15am and most shops were just opening. 

Harvest Caye is the NCL private island so naturally you wouldn't be on the Belizean mainland...which is good because their mainland isn't too safe. I  visited Belize City once to see friends and they warned us of the high crime...boy, were they right! Armed security guards at every store and the house next door to my friends was a drug house that got shot at frequently.   I thought Harvest Caye was the best private island I've been to.

I was also disappointed about Costa Maya but I never second guess the Captain or play armchair-quarterback...I trust his judgment and believe he makes decisions that put safety first.  

I never saw any flies in Terrace, but since the Waves and back deck doors open frequently, I don't know how you could keep them out. 

I'm on the 7/18 cruise currently and so far so good! We had 2 beautiful sea days and a nice day today in St. Maarten. I got something checked off the bucket list too...stood on Maho Beach while 5 huge airliners landed over top of me and one took off! So fun!