lj77346

Dover sole is occasionally offered in the main dining room.

Last two: Marina - Dec. 4-18, 2022 and Riviera - Feb. 18 - Mar. 2, 2023 Next two: Regatta - May 4-18, 2023 and Regatta - July 3-14, 2023

As we had 9 weeks between Oceania cruises, we decided we needed a cruise in between so we took a cruises out of Galveston on the Ruby Princess. The cruise was supposed to go to Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. This cruise showed that Oceania isn't the only line that cancels ports as the captain decided that it would be unsafe to call at Roatan (high winds) and Costa Maya (high swells) so for awhile it seemed like we would have a 7 day cruise to nowhere. Incidentally, on the days when we missed ports, it was nice and sunny and the sailing seemed smooth, so you have to believe that the captain made his decision based on safety. On both occasions, the decision to skip the port was made (announced) at about the time we were supposed to arrive and you could see that we were near the port and the harbor pilot was onboard. We did make it to Cozumel and arrived the evening before we were scheduled to arrive and stayed there over night. As compensation for the missed ports, Princess refunded the port charges for Roatan and Costa Maya, about $17 per person per port and because of the missed ports we got a "goodwill" refundable onboard credit of $75 per person (I don't know if you got more if you were in a more expensive room). This was different than Oceania's policy of you missed a port, tough luck. So while passengers were disappointed about the missed ports, at least Princess made a gesture to compensate a bit because the cruise did not go as planned.

Yes, on your free cruise you get your "O" gratuities, credits, etc.

We booked guarantee cabins twice, both times B4 guarantees. For one of the cruises we didn't get the cabin assignment until the day before embarkation, but it was a great upgrade as we got a penthouse. The other time we got a cabin assigned about 3 weeks before embarkation and got a small upgrade from B4 to B3. You can book specialty dining and the timing for when you can make reservations is based on your guarantee category.

This topic is like a bad cold that just won't go away. From the number of comments you would think that dressing sloppy was an endemic problem on Oceania cruises. Does it occur occasionally - sure, but is it enough of an issue that some become obsessed with it - apparently so. I've been on 20+ Oceania cruises and never perceived people's choice of clothing as a significant issue. Maybe it's because I'm oblivious or not very observant, but I'd sure rather enjoy my cruise than worry about how others dress

If you sale from Seattle, you typically sail outside Vancouver Island on the way north and the inside passage on return.

On the Riviera now and in the specialty restaurants it appears that the maitre d’ will enforce dress standards to some extent. In Toscana tonight, a man tried to get into Toscana in shorts and the maitre d’ told him he needed to change to long pants. There was no argument and shortly after, the man returned dressed as requested and was admitted to the restaurant.

Currently on the Riviera (Feb. 20 sailing). Although there was an in person muster drill on the previous two cruises, there was not an in person drill today. We just went to the muster station when boarding the ship and didn’t have to go there when the captain was reading the instructions around 4:45.

We have a December 2023 Vista cruise and culinary classes are online now for that cruise.

As that no doubt is scientific research, can the cruise be viewed as a business expense? What A Market - thank you for all the info you are posting as we board the Riviera on February 20 so we are enjoying the preview.

If you look at the schedules Oceania has published through 2025, it looks like the Riviera will be sailing in Alaska in 2025 as the Regatta is in Asia through July 2025 and the last cruise listed for the Riviera ends in Vancouver on May 15, 2025. Based on those schedules, it looks like the Riviera will be Oceania's ship in Alaska in 2025.

Twice in 2022 we had cruises that ended in San Pedro. Both times we had flights leaving around noon and had no problem making the flights even with significant traffic on one occasion. Of course if the cruise is delayed getting into port it would affect the chances of making an early flight.

In December 2022 we were in 7135 on the Marina - the penthouse on the starboard aft corner of the ship. We didn't notice any engine noise, but there seemed to be a bit more vibration than in cabins closer to midship. The vibration was especially noticeable when docking - sort of a shake to wake start of the day. However, we would definitely take that location again if we could get it.

On one cruise I was having hard time giving away the Cyclo bottle of wine. Then, I decided if I made it a prize someone would want to "win" it. So, I told one of the passengers I was playing a game and if she had the correct answer, she would win a bottle of wine. I asked, what is the name of the ship we're on. Of course she answered correctly and won the bottle - she was happy because she said she normally doesn't win anything. I enjoyed it because it made someone smile.

In Spa1, the left column has couples massage prices and the right column has the new IMHO exorbitant prices for individual massages - 50 minute Swedish $199, 50 minute deep tissue $229, etc.

I was on the Marina in December 2022. Here is the spa price list from that cruise. I hope I attached the pdf files correctly. spa1.pdf spa2.pdf

We'll be on the Riviera in February. Could you post a picture of the revised Waves with the pizzeria? Also, in the evening when the pizzeria is open, do they serve only whole pizzas or by the slice as well? Thank you for taking the time to post so much useful information.

We cruised Alaska on the Regatta during the 4th of July week in both 2019 and 2022. From what we can remember, there were less than 20 children on each of those cruisers. Most of the children appeared to be in the 5 year old to teens age range. Although there was a "children's program" on each of the cruises, it seemed to consist of 2 people who had activities for children (looked like games and arts & crafts) in the card room once or twice a day - certainly not a comprehensive program like the mass market cruises have. Not surprisingly, the only children who seemed to participate in the activities were the younger children - it's not like they have video games or anything like that to entertain the children. From discussions with one or two families that had children on the cruise, it seems liked the families planned excursions in the ports that they felt the children would enjoy.

Same here - as long as "Captain Speaking" can get us safely from port to port, we're happy.

On an upcoming cruise on the Marina, we are in one of the 4 penthouse cabins at the aft of deck 7. As there are no other penthouses nearby, will butler service at that location be an afterthought or will it be similar to that provided when we had a penthouse on deck 11?

The Riviera goes from Japan to Vancouver in May 2025. Since the Regatta is on a grand voyage through August 2025, it looks like the Riviera will be cruising Alaska in the summer of 2025.

We started cruising in the early 1980's and remember that music from the 40's and 50's was being featured on the ships. We used to think - some of the people on this cruise are really old. Now it's the 2020's, we're in our 70's and when younger cruisers see us, they're probably thinking - that couple is really old. However, 40 years since we started cruising and we're still listening to music from the 1950's. It sure would be nice if the music choices at least moved to the 60's and 70's. It looks like the driving force behind developing new shows for Oceania is inertia.

There are two metal reusable water bottles in each room. You can use them to carry water with you on the ship or on shore excursions, etc. and they are yours to take home if you want to keep them.

It's pretty amusing that a topic that started out questioning whether any cabins are still saved for quarantine purposes on Oceania ships has morphed into angst about the significance of "waitlist." Specifically, the late year Marina cruises have been mentioned and my guess is that "waitlist" probably means that the cruises likely are fully booked. As many future cruise credits that were issued for Covid cancelled cruises need to be used by the end of 2022, it wouldn't be surprising if those credits are being used on the November and December cruises - that's what I and probably lots of others are doing. I'm sure that Oceania wants to get the FCC's off their books and start to get new revenue for cruises. As the Marina is used for Oceania's South America cruises, I would be surprised if any were cancelled as except for the limited cruises last winter there has been virtually no season in that area for years.