lj77346

The CD does the afternoon trivia and someone on the production cast does the evening (usually 8:30) "brainteasers" trivia in Horizons on nights when there is no production cast show.

Due to Hurricane Kay approaching Ensenada, the itinerary for the Sept. 9 Regatta cruise has changed quite a bit.
 

Rather than heading for Ensenada on Friday evening the ship is spending the night at the pier in San Pedro until 6 p.m. Saturday when it heads to San Francisco. The stops at San Francisco and Eureka are unchanged. However, after leaving Eureka, the stop in Santa Barbara will be skipped as the ship will sail to Ensenada where it will make a “technical stop” from 5 to 7 p.m. to meet its foreign port requirement.

I’m happy to be on the ship, but essentially this is now an 8 day cruise with 2 ports.

If you look at Marina's scheduled itineraries through 2023, it looks like it is scheduled for refurbishment sometime in mid/late Oct. to Nov 12, 2023.  Apparently Oceania management decided that the best scheduling was to use the Marina for the 2022/23 South America season and complete it's 2023 season in Europe before refurbishing prior to its Nov. 2023 trans-Atlantic cruise.  Scheduling drydocks is done well in advance of the event, so once a decision on timing is made, it can't easily be changed especially with ongoing supply chain issues.

Keep in mind that the Regatta's production cast consists of 4 singers and 2 dancers and in general the small dance floor serves as the stage, so the production shows while enjoyable are not like the shows on the large cruise ships.

While I am surprised by the decision to allow non-vaccinated passengers to sail on Oceania, I am more concerned that when I fly to the cruise there's a chance that I might be sitting next to an non-vaccinated, unmasked passenger for 3 hours or more.  On a ship I can stay away from other passengers if I want, on a plane, that's not an option.

I don't know if masking makes much of a difference or not, but here are my observations from 4 Oceania cruises between Dec. 2021 and June 2022.  The first two cruises had testing at the pier and the last two just had the 2 day pre-cruise test requirement.  On none of the cruises were masks mandatory.  Apparently most passengers were not too concerned with the transmission of Covid as I would estimate that only about 10% of passengers voluntarily wore masks. To me, wearing a mask has become a part of life so on a ship I'll wear one in elevators, in shops, or in any other situations where crowding is an issue, plus I find that I look better in a mask than without.

So, if mask wearing can sort of be viewed as a rough indicator of how concerned people are about catching Covid, my non-scientific observation is that most Oceania passengers are willing to roll the dice and take their chances.  Now that the rules have changed everyone needs to decide what is right for them - there is no one size fits all solution that will make everyone happy.

We've been on four cruises (Riviera Dec. 2021, Marina Feb. 2022, Regatta May 2022 and June 2022) since sailing resumed and basically it was the Oceania cruise experience we were expecting.  As others mentioned, there was some supply chain issues like no Guinness or Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey on one of the Regatta cruises, but nothing major - I even saved some calories by not drinking beer so I could use those calories for ice cream.

As always the service was great and we were never in danger of going hungry.  The Riviera and Marina cruises had pretty light passenger loads and both Regatta cruises, if memory serves me correctly, were sailing at 80%+ capacity.  We are on the two California coastal cruises on the Regatta this Sept. and based on what I am seeing relative to vacant rooms appear to be close to fully booked.  The enjoyment we get from cruising again outweighs any minor issues that may arise.

I've been on 5 Oceania cruises since cruising resumed and am more than happy to meet their protocols.  I'm vaxed, boostered, and am in the minority of passengers who wear masks on a ship.  I have no problem with being required to take Covid tests (when I'm working I get tested twice a week). 

However, in the FAQ's for the health and safety section, the following is on the website -

T E S T I N G PR I O R TO T R AV E L A N D E M B A R K AT I O N
NOTE: For voyages embarking from August 1, 2022, mandatory embarkation testing requirements will no longer be in place, unless specifically required by a destination, such as CANADA or GREECE. All voyages departing from Canada and Greece along with any voyages calling in Bermuda will still be subject to mandatory testing prior to embarkation.

All I ask is that Oceania be consistent in what they post on its website.  If there was consistency, this endless discussion on protocols would be unnecessary.  As has been mentioned in numerous threads, if a topic tries someone's patience, don't read it. 

Oceania continues to have conflicting protocols on its website.  If you look in the "Additional Pre-Embarkation Health Screening" section it states that for cruises departing from U.S. ports after Aug. 1 and until further notice notice a pre-cruise Covid test is required.  However, if you look in the SailSAFE FAQ's, it states that after Aug. 1 pre-cruise testing is only required for cruises that have a destination that requires a Covid test like Canada, Bermuda, and Greece.

Apparently no one at Oceania proofreads what appears on its website for consistency.  Although I enjoy cruising on Oceania, it's ability to communicate clearly leaves a lot to be desired.

I have a horse in this race as I am booked on the Sept. 9 Regatta cruise which is Oceania's first cruise from a U.S. port after Aug. 1 that will not be visiting Canada.  So, I wish Oceania would get its act together and let us know which is the real/correct protocol.

We were also on the June 27- July 8 Regatta cruise - extremely smooth sailing and great weather - a very enjoyable cruise.

We had an extraordinary whale watching excursion in Icy Point Strait thanks to a show-off humpback whale that breached 20+ times and put on quite a show (of course YMMV as a performance like that is unusual).  The nice thing about whale watching at this location is that you walk off the Regatta and the whale watching boat is at the pier about 100 feet away - no travel time to get to it.

The pier that the Regatta uses for Ketchikan is in a remote location about 8 miles and a shuttle bus ride from the downtown area - not very convenient.  We liked it better when the ship docked in town and you could just get off and walk around.  In Skagway the ship docked, but because of damage to the pier you had to use a tender to get to town as you couldn't walk on the pier.

It looks like a lot of the crew are coming to the ends of their contracts - when we were embarking in Seattle a busload of new crew members were coming aboard and the same appeared to be true when we were disembarking.  The production cast will be leaving in mid-August and a new cast and CD will be coming aboard then.

When we cruised on Oceania to Dubai (pre-Covid), the shuttle did go to Dubai Mall.

We were on the Regatta and embarked in San Pedro on May 13, 2022 - a Friday.  We were able to get off the ship by around 8:15 and took a cab to LAX.  The drive to the airport took about 75 minutes because we were delayed by an accident on the freeway.  However, we were at the airport a little after 9:30 and with TSA-precheck we were through security within minutes and had no problems making an 11:30 flight.  As long as the ship is not delayed getting into San Pedro, a 12:25 flight is reasonable.

thepla - We did the test at Walgreens at 2 days and had the results within 2 hours.

We’ve used the Walgreen’s NAAT test twice for cruises on Oceania in May 2022 and currently on the June 27, 2022 Regatta sailing and the results were accepted.

Mid-cruise survey is still the sheet of paper that you return to the box near the guest services desk.

Both Alesund and Hammerfest are on the west coast of Norway, so the sea day will be in the ocean and not in a fjord.

Our May 3, 2022 Regatta cruise left on a Tuesday, so based on the chart that was previously in the FAQ's, we tested on Sunday at about 10 a.m.  When we checked in on Tuesday, sometime after 11 a.m., the only thing that was looked at was the day of the test, not the time.

As "Flatbush Flyer" mentioned, given that people are traveling to the ship from a variety of time zones,  apparently Oceania meant within 2 days as "48 hours" is too exact a measurement, unless you were planning on determining a unique time for each passenger.  IMO Oceania does a pretty poor job of communicating - seems like they strive to make the simple into something incomprehensible.

On the Regatta May 3, 2022 cruise there was dancing in Horizons during cocktail hour in the evening before dinner (I think it was from 5:15 to 6:00) with music provided by members of the Oceania band.  Usually there were a few couples dancing.

I was on the May 3 Regatta cruise and the dress code for Polo seemed to be other than men wearing long pants for dinner, there were no rules.  (Toscana was not open during the cruise.)  Very casual attire was prevalent throughout the cruise and no one seemed to mind.  I would not be stressed about the fashion police being concerned about what your 6 year old son wears.  Enjoy your cruise.

46 minutes ago, jimmcs16 said:

I think I would be able to obtain a letter from my doctor stating I am fit to travel after recovery from COVID. But I am stranded in Spain still testing positive after having symptoms but am asymptomatic now. I do not think any person at the airport will acknowledge this letter and just send me away. I am not alone. Lots of people I am sure got off the Oceania ship in Barcelona that should have tested positive, or did so soon  after departure. I am tired of testing everyday see those two lines . Not knowing how long it will take to turn to one line is hard to deal with .

If you have not contacted the U.S. consulate in Barcelona, you should give them a call to see if they can provide some assistance.  Their contact information is:

U.S. Consulate

Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23
08034 Barcelona, España
Phone: (+34) 93 280 22 27
Fax (+34) 93 280 61 75

Also, contact your airline to see if they accept a doctor's note as described in the CDC guidelines and if so, what procedures you need to follow to get through the airport. 

Sorry to hear of your problem and hope you can return home soon.

I booked a number of cruises this year in the 30 day window prior to an upcoming cruise to get the onboard booking benefits, but I booked directly with Oceania and everything was credited correctly (lower deposit, onboard booking discount, and onboard credit).  If you worked with a travel agency, make sure your agent let Oceania know that they were making an "onboard" booking -  don't assume that just because a booking is within 30 days of an upcoming cruise Oceania will automatically treat it correctly. Did you get the lower deposit and onboard booking discounts?

At Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, if you are connecting from a flight within the EU to a flight to the USA, after disembarking the EU flight you have to go through security and passport control to get to your flight to the USA.  Most likely the EU flight and flight to the USA will be in different terminals.  If memory serves me correctly, there is a fast track lane you can use if you have a tight connection, if your flight is listed on the monitor.  However, a 55 minute connection time even if everything goes smoothly would not make for a stress free connection.

15 hours ago, dancingcgal said:

Thanks. We’ll both really enjoy “Elton John” ! What about the band? Will they be playing nightly? Will be awfully  disappointed if no band on 3/5  cruise.☹️ And hope the production performers too will perform! 

The group that plays at the pool during the day and at Horizons at night is leaving when this cruise ends in Miami. I’m not sure of the status of the band for the March 5 cruise. It looks like the new production performers were getting their orientation tour of the ship today as we could see them following the cruise director around as he was explaining what their duties will be.

We are also on this cruise. Needless to say, service is great as there are only about 360 passengers and a crew of over 700. We spoke with a member of the cruise director’s staff who mentioned that there are no Covid cases on the Marina. Incidentally, the cruise director is Peter Roberts.

There are no production shows this cruise (and if I heard correctly, next cruise either) because a new production cast just came on and they are in a mandatory quarantine that I believe ends today. There are a few performers from the previous cast who have been running the various activities during the day and will be involved in the “handover” to the new production cast that apparently will be rehearsing during the next cruise.

We attended the shows in the Marina Lounge each night and they have been very good. There are 4 “headliners” performing - a comedian (Darrell Joyce), a guitarist (Greg Rodman), a vocal group (4 Other Guys, who did a 4 Seasons tribute in their first show), and a pianist/vocalist (Martin Kaye and his second show was an Elton John tribute which was fabulous - high energy with great piano and vocals).

From what we heard, the next cruise will have about 400 passengers and the trans-Atlantic will just about be sailing at full capacity. 
 

On this cruise, specialty restaurant reservations were easy to get as at lunch someone would be going around asking if you wanted a reservation for that evening.  This is our third cruise since September and had by far the lowest passenger numbers, so it was an unusual but fun experience. As someone mentioned previously, masks are no longer mandatory, but still encouraged. It appears that many passengers (us included) are still wearing masks in the Terrace Cafe and Waves while ordering food and in the restaurants until orders are taken as well as in elevators and indoor activities with many participants and while heading to the lounge for shows.

Currently on the Feb. 23 Marina cruise in an extended balcony on deck 7. However, it appears that anything on deck 7 forward of the aft elevators is not available as both the odd and even corridors are blocked at that point and signs indicate that only authorized personnel can enter that area. However, if you are in a cabin aft of that area it appears that many extended balcony cabins are occupied.

I don't know if Oceania offers a shuttle to FLL.  However, I usually fly home from FLL after the Oceania cruise ends in Miami and I use Uber to get to FLL.  It's not very expensive and I've had no problem getting a ride.  Depending on traffic, my experience has been that the ride from the pier in Miami to FLL can take from less than 45 minutes to a bit more than 75 minutes.