sunlover12

To add to what basor said, the number of reservations is the same whether it's a 10-day or 16-day cruise.  Only if it's 18 days or more would you get additional reservations. I believe Vista has 4 specialty restaurants, so you will get 4 reservations.  When you get onboard, go to the reservations desk to ask there are additional reservations available.  

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Since we don't need a test to fly into any enter European country, why are Oceania and NCL still requiring tests to board the ships? Can't they see that this precruise useless testing requirements having many many people, like Hawaiidan cancel their 2022 European cruises? With so many people who may have tested negative on boarding day coming up positive on their cruise it is a waste of money. Precruise testing is not keeping covid off of cruise ships. Time to stop the nonsense NCLH.

I agree and I wish Oceania would revise or remove this statement on their website:

"Additionally, we strongly recommend that all guests consult with local government websites to determine the country-specific information for your port of embarkation as many countries require a negative COVID-19 PCR test that is not older than 48 or 72 hours prior to arrival in-country."

It is no longer true that many countries require a negative Covid test. I just returned from a river cruise in Europe, went through 5 countries and none of them required it.  The cruise line required everyone to be fully vaccinated but did not require a pre-embarkation test.  As far as I know, the cruise was Covid-free.  No issues.

In non-pandemic times, there is a Captain’s Reception one evening where you have the opportunity to meet the Captain and Senior officers in the welcome line as you enter the lounge. I was on Regatta in March and this happened. We had a nice conversation with the General Manager as we left.  He was friendly and approachable. 
I am guessing your cruise had the reception cancelled because of Covid. 
 

Thanks for your detailed review. 

Thank you for the detailed review.  It was interesting to me to hear about the problems you had with the cabin.  I was on Regatta's first cruise post-Covid in early March.  We were on the port side, Deck 8. The second night of the cruise, going into a good portion of the next morning, the toilets were not working. Push the button and nothing happened. I believe this affected most of the cabins down the line. They were working frantically to get it repaired but that's a long time to go with no functioning toilets. It was something with the electrical system to the plumbing. There was no explanation or apology. I put it in my mid-cruise survey. I assumed that because it was the first cruise in 2 years there were still some kinks that needed to be straightened out. 

We talked to another passenger who had trouble with her safe.  Sounds to me like they should go through all the cabins and test the safes.  Some of them should be replaced. 

Sorry to hear that the production crew didn't perform.  They were very good and we enjoyed their shows. 

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Oceania's excellent cuisine.  I hope you reconsider and give them another chance although I understand if you choose to cruise elsewhere.  Thanks for your review. 

11 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Not seen the quartet Roaming around ...is this  a new thing?

 

Usually at Tea time then in the Grand bar in the evenings

They were performing in Martinis one evening when I was on the Regatta. 

1 minute ago, Vertygo said:

I believe the reference is to the LA to LA cruise following the superspreader Papeete/LA cruise. I saw a couple posts about some crew but no passengers out. Of course, the latest LA cruise has Toscana closed-wonder if passengers will start quarantining in a few days.

+1

I've been following along on this and it sounds like the issue with Covid was on Papeete-LA.  The California Coastal that just completed sounds like it wasn't an issue with passengers other than Toscana being closed. That cruise has disembarked and the Regatta started a new cruise from LA yesterday.  It's encouraging to see that conditions seem to be improving. 

1 hour ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Thank you!  One question...  You mentioned to keep checking.  If we are waitlisted by Oceania wouldn't we automatically get one of the PH3 cabins if / when they became available?  It's my first experience with Oceania so I have no idea how they do things.

My TA asked us for a list of the top 3 cabin categories we were interested in when we were put on the waitlist. I think if you're a little flexible on that you have a better chance.  We were waitlisted on a Sirena cruise for later this year and a couple of weeks ago we did get a confirmed booking in our first choice of cabin category, thanks to our wonderful TA.  

Good luck and enjoy your first Oceania cruise.

The ships are not full these days so it hasn't been crowded in Terrace and Waves.  We ate lunch in Terrace at 1:00pm on embarkation day. We had already taken our carry-on bags to our cabin.  When we walked into Terrace, I was expecting it to be crowded but it wasn't.  No long lines or masses of people at any of the stations and there were plenty of tables available.  In the old days, it could be a challenge finding a table in Terrace and Waves at certain times but we did not encounter that at all on the 10 days we were on. 

A general word of warning on the YWC shore excursion package.  We purchased it and one of the excursions was canceled 2 days before the scheduled date. The shore excursion desk initially told us we wouldn't be getting a refund because it was part of this package.  That doesn't make a whole lot of sense because you're purchasing each excursion separately at a 25% discount. Even with this canceled cruise, we still had the minimum of 4 that's required for the package. We questioned their stance on no-refund so they did end up giving it to us in the end.

I agree that the purchase of shore excursions on O can sometimes be a little confusing.  

19 hours ago, BellaOnline said:

Just to contrast a bit, here is the caprese salad I had on day 1 at the Toscana specialty restaurant. I eat a LOT of caprese salads and make them for myself at home quite often. So I've had a variety of styles. I found the tomatoes on this to be bland and pale. There wasn't much basil. Also, the tower construction meant it was a pain to have to 'disassemble' to eat it. There wasn't enough added 'prettiness' in the tower to make up for the hassle trying to dismantle it to eat it. And as much as I can often adore 'smears' of decorative liquid on the plate, in this case it just wasn't appealing. It could easily seem like I'm being picky. In my defense, the Oceania Riviera wasn't touted as a floating chain restaurant. It was touted as the best restaurant anywhere on the high seas. And I saw this and thought, huh...

I agree.  I had the caprese salad in Toscana on the Regatta in March. It had no flavor and the tower presentation was very strange.  It definitely was not up to O's high standard of food excellence.  On my 10-day cruise, it was the only food I ate that I would not want again. 

Thank you for your posts. 

11 hours ago, drkitkat123 said:

Why test at all for minor symptoms? I think what I am trying to say, i think there may be two polar opposite options (can't see much in between):

1 going all out with masks, daily testing, isolation

2. minimal testing, minimal isolation, managing as a cold

 

As a fully vaccinated person, I would probably take the latter

+1

I honestly don't see the benefit of putting people in quarantine on the ship because they tested positive. For the majority of the population, those people who have contracted Covid-19 will have mild to no symptoms if they are healthy and fully vaccinated and boosted. One needs to only look at current hospitilization and death rates.  For those with immune compromised systems and carry a higher risk, they should think twice about boarding the ship. 

We are choosing to cruise.  I'm more worried about being put in Covid jail than contracting Covid but it's a risk we're willing to take. Covid-19 will always be with us. It's not going to go away and we're not getting any younger.  If too many people choose not to cruise, the cruise lines will eventually go out of business and none of us want to see that. 

1 hour ago, OTOW guy said:

do they have Mt. Gay Rum or other  rums than Capt. Morgan?

Yes.  They have a very good selection of Bacardi rums.   DH likes Bacardi Oakheart which very few bars carry.  He was pleasantly surprised to find it on O.  I'm not sure of the others but they definitely have much more than Captain Morgan. 

I'm not sure if the OP is confused because shore excursions are priced separately but all-inclusive is not appealing to me. I only want to pay for what I'm actually doing. With that said, the fixed price of YWYW is a good value if you want to do a number of O's shore excursions. If you only want to do one or two, then pay for each excursion individually. 

Following up on the discussion about the drinks package, for me the O Life basic package is perfect because I limit my alcohol consumption to wine at meals. On my recent Regatta cruise, Martinis was offering complimentary martinis for one hour on one day.  I think it was 5:30-6:30.  I was surprised about that so took advantage and had one. I didn't go to Happy Hour at all but I did have one glass of wine at the Captain's reception.

The point is, you can customize your Oceania cruise to what is the best value for you and you're not paying for what you're not using.

On 3/8/2022 at 10:31 AM, Hawaiidan said:

Bottom line,  don't try to save the world or social engineer by judging  by your standards back home.     Americans are worlds famous for over tipping.   To many cultures  that is an insult... not appreciated.  Use your judgment and what suits you knowing all the facts and needs..     

This reminded me of something that happened on our last cruise. We hired a car and driver to take us to the ferry terminal in Moorea from our hotel. It was about a 30-minute drive. She was pleasant, friendly and very proud of her home country.  When we got to the ferry terminal I handed her a $5 USD bill for her great service. She replied with a nervous laugh and said "Oh, you're going to tip me?"  She clearly did not expect it and it turned out to be an awkward moment. 

I learned from that to always be aware of the culture.  Highly agree that Americans are world famous for overtipping.

The next cruise will earn us enough points for Diamond level.  Does anyone know if we will get the benefits when we board or will it be after the cruise?

Thanks in advance.

If you’re at sea, it will be open. If it’s a port day, it will most likely be closed.  Ice cream is available at Waves every day until 4:00. 

58 minutes ago, JeffElizabeth said:

Our ship was half empty so we waited to book until on board and we weren't denied any excursions.  

The cruise I was on last month was 75% full and some excursions were sold out. We made the mistake of waiting until 6 weeks before the cruise to book excursions and saw that a couple of them that we had our eye on were already sold out.  On embarkation day, I went to the shore excursion desk to inquire of availability.  Still sold out. If there is a shore excursion that is of interest to you, I'd book it when it becomes available.  I surely wouldn't wait until I'm on board.

YMMV

1 hour ago, jondfk said:

Last night dinner in Toscana, our first specialty.  A few notes.

 

The food, as everywhere on the ship was very good or better.  Service however was just okay, frankly the GDR was more responsive, not bad service mind you, but certainly not exceptional.

 

Olive oil trolley, I’ve seen it in videos, but last night just a single choice, poured without description.  It was fine, and to be honest I probably wouldn’t know what to choose anyway, but when something expected doesn’t appear…. 

 

 

The olive oil trolley on the Regatta is hit or miss.  I was on Regatta in March and went to Toscana twice. We never saw the trolley the first time.  The waiter just came around with a single bottle each of oil and vinegar. On the second visit, they did come around with it.  I think they were short of staff on our first visit.   It doesn't matter to me anyway as I'm not that interested in so many selections of oil and vinegar.

With the House Select beverage package, beer and wine by the glass is served in the restaurants during lunch and dinner. With the Prestige package that is an additional $20/day, it includes drinks at the bars during non-mealtimes although I think certain top shelf liquors are excluded. Maybe someone can elaborate on that. 
Here is the wine list from the cruise that I was on last month. 

We got a call from our TA this week that we cleared the waitlist that we've been on for a year and now have a confirmed booking for a cruise in October.  In our first choice cabin category. Surprised and happy that it happened this soon because I didn't think we had a chance until July when FP is due. It was our first experience being on a waitlist and I can say that, yes, waitlists do clear.  

Thank you for your comments. I was on the March 7-17 Papeete-Papeete cruise.  

We were also grateful for the United nonstop from SFO.  It took us many years to earn enough FF miles to book Polaris business class.  Well worth it.  It saved us $10,000+.

We also stayed at the Intercontinental. We were impressed how prepared they are for whenever an international flight arrives. Plenty of staff available.  

You mentioned avoiding the PH because of possible noise. We were in a PH, not directly below the pool deck but below the covered sitting area adjacent to the pool.  It was quiet. I wouldn't hesitate to book any PH on an R ship.  I spent a lot of time on the pool deck and never saw anyone moving chairs. 

Enjoy your cruise. Please keep posting when you have the time.

9 hours ago, ORV said:

I have a related story to that. Leaving on a flight and I notice my seat will not stay in the upright locked position. I mention this to the attendant thinking she will just move me to another seat(which she did) but they had to delay the flight while waiting on a maintenance man to come check it out. He messed around with it a few minutes then said, yep, needs repaired. They put tape on it and then we finally shoved off. This was only on a short puddle jump to DFW which is about a 55 minute flight. Had I know it would delay things I'd just have kept my mouth shut. Now I know.  Fortunately we had plenty of time for our connection, so it wasn't a catastrophe. 

I was on a flight where the flight attendant’s jump seat by the exit door wasn’t working. They had to move a man from first class (Seat 1C) to economy. He wasn’t happy about it so the captain came out and talked to him. The rule is that the flight attendant always has to have a visual of the exit door, which Seat 1C provides. 
It delayed the flight by 30-40 minutes.  That said, there are many reasons why a flight can be delayed. We always try to factor that in. To the OP, I would try to find an earlier flight. 

I don’t want to sound harsh but I don’t think Oceania is making this a priority right now.  The Oceania Club Ambassador of the cruise I was just on said in her presentation that the hardest part of her job these days is getting people booked on cruises because so many of them are sold out. 
 

We’ve been on the wait list for a year for a cruise later this year. We’re looking at another one for next year that is already sold out. There might be some good opportunities for solo travelers but don’t be too picky about which cruise you want to be on. 
Just My Observation. 

On 3/24/2022 at 7:33 PM, Emily Kate said:

My husband and I are due to embark on our first cruise with Oceania soon.  We are experienced cruisers, having sailed previously with many other cruise lines, and we felt confident in booking a Transatlantic crossing with Oceania.  To date I can tell you it has been the most miserable, soul destroying experience.  We have needed to contact Oceania on several occasions and to say their customer service/care has been shabby is being way too kind to them.  We have experienced rude, ill-informed staff members, an example being their refusal to accept that they were giving out incorrect information regarding Covid testing requirements for our upcoming trip.  This resulted in significant expense on our part in being forced to purchase incorrect and unnecessary testing services which, of course, resulted in no refund possible.   Every single request we’ve made in an endeavour to resolve various issues with our booking has been firmly denied  (the computer says ‘no’ springs to mind) and their apparent unwillingness to even consider a customer’s point of view has been an eye-opener.   At this point, quite frankly, our dealings with the company thus far have certainly taken the shine off the forthcoming cruise.  I do want this not to be the case but we are struggling to accept that this is the way that Oceania sees fit to conduct business.  Maybe the fact that the business hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday only is indicative of the mindset of the Company in relation to ‘customer service’.  It seems to me that these hours are not set with the convenience of the customer in mind.  I will be very interested to learn if others have had a similar experience with Oceania or if we are just unlucky?  Meanwhile, our cruise fast approaches and rather than preparing with eager anticipation, I find myself worrying that this culture of ‘no can do’ we are experiencing will be replicated on board ship.  I certainly hope not!

I am sorry that you experienced this.  My own experience when calling Oceania is not this. On my March 2022 cruise, I booked directly with O and did not use a travel agent. I have used one in the past and will again in the future. There are benefits of using a travel agent as many others here have said. 

I did call Oceania probably 3 times regarding this cruise.  I get that because you're calling the general phone number you can be talking to whoever answers.  My own experience was never with a rude or ill-informed staff member.  Quite the opposite, in fact. 

I think part of the issue here is the ever-changing Covid requirements of so many countries.  It's like a full-time job trying to keep up with it all.  I did my own research on the entry requirements of the country that I was traveling to. I did not rely on Oceania or anyone else to tell me (although they did send several emails prior to the cruise about it).  This particular country changed from requiring a PCR test to an antigen test, which is cheaper and easier to get.  The country's tourism website was very specific on the requirements and I checked it regularly.  It comes down to personal responsibility, IMO. 

I'm curious about the problems you had making dining reservations online and the "absymal website". My experience has been the opposite. Never had a problem using the website. The website was discussed in another thread a few weeks ago. It could be the web browser that you are using. 

Also to clarify Oceania's customer service hours.  As listed on the Oceania website, their hours are M-F 9-7 ET and 9-5:30 ET on Saturday. 

I hope you decide to give O a try and go on your planned cruise.  I'm not an O "cheerleader". I'm just here to tell of my own experience.

JMO

10 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

What is ITC ?    

Intercontinental Hotel.  RJB was referring to it in the previous post.