sunlover12

20 hours ago, susiesan said:

 

Speaking of cancelled cruises, I am going to have to wait 60 days for Oceania to return my $1500 deposit, money they have had since Nov. 2019. That is not right. I couldn't roll it over to the Sirena cruise as I used a different TA.

This could be a case where booking directly with Oceania is an advantage over booking with a TA.  Our cancelled March 2021 cruise was rebooked to the same cruise for March 2022 and the $1500 deposit was rolled over to the new cruise on the same day.  I had booked it directly with O. 

This cruise will also be our 5th so we're looking forward to a few perks that bronze offers. Sorry to hear you're having troubles and I hope you get it resolved soon. 

Comparing the GDR with Terrace buffet, you'll find more variety in Terrace.  The menu in GDR is constant but in Terrace you'll find something new every day. There may be a section of the buffet that coincides with what port/country you were in that day.  One of my favorites in Terrace is the profiterole station which was only there only one or two nights on my last cruise.

Everyone has different tastes in food but my favorite speciality is Red Ginger.  The tuna tataki and miso glazed sea bass were wonderful. 

 I've never been disappointed with any of my meals on Oceania. 

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

FWIW: While Star Alliance partners can earn us United FF points, remember that those miles do not count toward United’s “million miler” status (Premier Gold perks for you and partner for  life). Those miles can only be counted on United numbered/ticketed flights on United hardware.

When you’re at 900k+ points and Covid has brought your accumulation of qualifying UA points to a screeching halt, it’s tough not to pay the often extra cost on UA code-shareable flights (e.g., UA flight # on UA hardware is higher price than code share Lufthansa flight # on UA hardware).

 

We're well aware of that.  DH is at ~976k points.  We do have a couple of domestic trips planned which will get him oh, so close, to the lifetime million miler level.  We were flying non-stop MSN to LAX a couple times a year and have noticed that 2021's fares are the same, maybe slightly lower, than before Covid.

Thanks for your response. 

On 4/1/2021 at 7:55 PM, Paulchili said:

If you get a chance try some of the Asian airlines (Japan, ANA, Qatar, Etihad, Emirates, Thai and especially Singapore) and see how United compares to them.

Being better than AA or even DL is a low bar.

ANA is a partner airline of United and we have flown with them. They were excellent. We earned United miles with that flight.

We always fly United for domestic travel.  Years ago, AA was our preferred airline but we switched. Never flown Delta.

My point is to choose a preferred airline, stick with them, and accumulate miles and status. We now have enough miles on United to fly First Class free to Tahiti next year.

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Where United shines is its technological superiority in reservations including phone, web, app, email. And they treat their FFs well. 
We had to alter many air plans in 2020 and UA was just plain superior.

I second that.  We fly United exclusively. We've had to cancel two trips in the last year and they refunded our money within 3 days. Looking forward to United SFO-PPT next year on a 787. 

A penthouse suite is not large enough to serve 4 people.  It's just large enough for 2.  My last cruise on O was in a PH on Marina and we had our butler serve breakfast to us a couple of mornings.  It would have been unrealistic for a table of 4.  

10 hours ago, ToxM said:

It’s worth noting that Mother’s Day is celebrated on different dates in different parts of the world. 

I understand that but on this particular cruise, the vast majority of passengers were American.  We were  sailing off the coast of Southern California at the time.  It was mentioned here that Sunday brunches, if in the rare instance that they happen, are on longer cruises. This was a 16-day cruise.  Not particularly long, but not short either. I love Oceania but it was a disappointment that they did nothing to celebrate Mother's Day. 

20 hours ago, pinotlover said:

The fabulous, outrageous, Sunday brunches are typically only served on sea days. Extremely special, on the rare occasions when they have them.

 

I agree that you shouldn't count on any sort of Sunday brunch. It would be extremely rare.  I was once on an O cruise on Mother's Day and it was a sea day.  Silly me, I thought they might do something for the mothers onboard.  Haha, no.  The only thing they did was the cruise director made an announcement over the PA wishing mothers onboard a happy mother's day.  A group of us ladies gathered in Horizons that afternoon and toasted ourselves. We made our own celebration. 

I received my vaccinations at the largest drugstore/pharmacy chain in the nation.  They didn't give me a card that says CDC on it. I did have to show ID.  It's all handwritten, no stamps. It's on a regular sheet of paper that you would put in your copier. This would be soooo easy to forge. I have to believe there is going to be some kind of digital passport.  My sheet of copy paper is basically meaningless and I am sure it would not be accepted by any country.

41 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

How do they get your email & phone number you must have given them the information?

 

 I was wondering the same thing.  I have looked at O's website numerous times when planning a cruise and I have never received any phone calls or emails afterwards. 

2 hours ago, emd138 said:

Yes, it was on Oceania last March.  We had not experienced that before, so maybe they were really slow sales as LHT28 said, but it was really annoying.  Hopefully it was a one off thing and not the way they will be trending.

On our Panama Canal cruise several years ago we were having a drink at the pool bar on a sea day.  They came to our table to push the Margarita tasting later that afternoon.  I think their intention was just to inform us of it if we didn't already know about it.  I don't think this is a one off thing. It's more the norm, IMO.

52 minutes ago, Psoque said:

Based on my previous experience with  cruises at different price points, I'm assuming that most shore excursions of any substance (other than something silly like "we take you to the beach!") would cost more than $100 per person, but what are the typical prices on Oceania, specifically?  Is there any way to look this up somehow.  I am assuming that the excursion prices for 2022 are not set yet, though.

 

Also, what are the typical costs of a drink package if it is purchased separately?  We don't really consume alcohol that much, but we are just curious.

It depends on the cruise and the ports as to when shore excursion prices will be listed. For my South Pacific cruise in March 2022 the prices are listed for some ports but not all.  Purchasing O Life and choosing shore excursions can be a very good value.

Choosing the House Select drink package can also be a good value at $30/day with O Life.  I drink wine exclusively so having 3 glasses total at lunch and dinner is a very good value for me.  Otherwise, the package is $39.95/day.  I really just enjoy wine with a meal so the Happy Hour 2 for 1 is not something that interests me. Every person is different so look at all options and decide what's best for you.

1 hour ago, Croooser said:

Beverage packages are not part of O life. They are in addition to O Life:

 

Beverage Packages

• Prestige Select. Enjoy unlimited premium spirits, Champagne, wine and beer wherever and whenever you wish from $59.95 per guest, per day.
• House Select+ Enjoy unlimited Champagne, wine and beer with lunch and dinner from $39.95 per guest, per day.

HTH

 

 

The House Select beverage package is one of the choices for O Life.  On the 10-day cruise that I am booked on, the O Life price is $300/person.  At $30/day, it can be a better value than purchasing the beverage package separately but it depends on the individual.  As has been mentioned, both people in the cabin have to choose the same O Life option.

10 minutes ago, hmorrow said:

 

Have you ever seen it on sale, online, ahead of time?

I haven't. 

The ship's excursions get a lot of criticism here so I'd like to say something in support of them.  I've been to St. Petersburg twice and went on a couple of them. They're not as awful as some think. None of them have ever been on a double decker bus as some here have mentioned.

The Hermitage is going to be crowded whether you go on a ship's excursions or private. There is no way to avoid it except if you're there on a Monday when I believe it's closed to the public and only open for private tours.  My group was there when they opened in the morning and we waited in line for no more than 10 minutes.  At the Faberge Museum we waited in line less than 5 minutes. It was easy. My group at the Faberge was less than 20 people.  All of the guides were excellent.  

Every person has their preferred way of doing tours and this is just my personal experience. One more thing worth noting is passport control.  In 2019 they changed the process. Ship's excursions are allowed through first and private tours are allowed through after that. So if you're on a private tour, there is no need to rush to disembark. 

21 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

If that's all you have, the vaccine is looking really good.  I'm due for my second Shingrix shot and I hope I don't have as bad a reaction as to the first one [the only time I've had more than a sore arm from a vaccine] – and I had read that the Covid vaccine's side effects are similar to Shingrix.

I got my second Shingrix shot a few days ago and it was easy, other than a slight sore arm. I was a little worried because I did have the side effects of fever and all-day headache from my first shot in October. My doctor recommended it even though I had gotten the original shingles vaccine.  Shingrix is much more effective.  I'm looking forward to getting the Covid vaccine.  Whatever side effects that might come, it's better than the alternative.

On a bit of a positive note, I saw a NCL television commercial today.  First time I have seen a commercial from any cruise line in 9 months. 

13 hours ago, CintiPam said:

Dan, I heartily disagree with your association of Oceania cruisers with the German term “fressen.” Perhaps you are confused with a different cruise line.
 

Although I never board before 3 pm when starting a European cruise, always preferring to enjoy the delights of my embarkation city as long as I can, I often board earlier in Miami, and never have witnessed such behavior.

 

In my experience, many simply board early to commence changing gears into vacation mode, relax, enjoy the excellent service, explore the ship, etc.

I agree with you, CintiPam. I've never witnessed this on Oceania. I've seen the feeding frenzy on one of the mass market cruise lines (Royal Caribbean) but never on O. 

On our last O cruise we were in a PH and we boarded sometime between 11-12.  As I recall, our bags arrived to the cabin before we did. We like to do the unpacking so that we can then relax and enjoy the ship. We ate lunch in the Terrace and it was orderly and relaxing. 

I believe that if you purchase the drinks package, the service charge is included in the price. If you purchase drinks separately without the package, you're paying the price listed plus a service charge.  In that case, it might not be hard to get to $40 or $60. 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. 

I agree that no cruise line is going to allow anyone onboard who has not been vaccinated. I would be shocked if they did.  Doesn't matter if the country of embarkation is EU or non-EU, North America, wherever. The vaccinations are shown to have high efficacy rates so everyone who wants to travel is going to have to be vaccinated.  Reports are that the vaccinations will be available to the general public in mid-2021 so I wouldn't count on any cruise happening before then.  I've already changed my next cruise from March 2021 to March 2022.  The same might be true if you want to board an airplane.

JMO.

37 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

  Prices too seem 10% or more higher for similar cruise in 2021 and  for 20% less days ....

I just rebooked a 2021 cruise to 2022.  Same itinerary and same number of days for 7% lower price. 

1 hour ago, GeorgesGal said:

Yes, I'm positive.  Yesterday I chose my three shorex with $000.00 cost (I have the e-mail copy from O), and today I received the new invoice with the $300 OBC noted.  When you figure it out, it's still receiving only half of what two people could have received, but it's still better than getting $300 abc OR three shorex.  I guess half a loaf is better than a quarter of a loaf, No?

Donna

If there are 2 people in the cabin, they would get a total of 6 shore excursions with O Life.  Or they could get a $600 OBC. So as a solo you're getting the same amount of benefit as 2 people in the cabin.  It sounds fair though because as a solo, you're paying a premium. That's how it's worked in the past for us.  It's good to know that they're allowing you to choose a combination of shorex and OBC. 

Enjoy the cruise and the ship's shore excursions. You mentioned that you've only done one.  We have been on quite a number of them and found the vast majority to be very well done.  I can only think of one I've been on that I regretted.  

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Pursuant to the contract with the Port Authority, she’ll be there at least until the end of April. Anyone with a scheduled cruise on her before then needs to accept the facts.

I'm one of those people and I know that there is almost no chance that the South Pacific itinerary in March will be happening.   I won't be making my final payment in January.  If all these cruises are going to be canceled they should stop taking bookings on them!

We are booked on Regatta in March 2021 for a 10-day cruise, Papeete-Papeete.  Until I hear officially that it is cancelled, I will keep hoping.  The South Pacific has been on our bucket list for a long time.  None of us know of anything certain at this time. 

20 hours ago, pinotlover said:

R ships are becoming increasingly hard sells in the market. Yes, they have their followers, but those numbers are dwindling. Oceania was already moving towards a new “A” Class, and would be retiring out the Rs or the next 5-8 years. The refurbishments were just to keep them presentable that long! Any merging of Azamara and Oceania would be stupid. A ocean line of primarily old small ships with bathrooms no one wants!

For me, it's more about the itinerary than the ship. We have a French Polynesia cruise booked but the only O ship that sails there is the Regatta.  We've been to the Baltic, the Mediterranean, and South America and now we would like to see places that we haven't been.  If that happens only on the R ships, so be it.  Besides, I'd love to see the refurbished Regatta.