su-arizona

On 6/8/2023 at 5:50 PM, basor said:

The benefits of booking onboard are a discount on the booked cruise, OBC that can be used on the current cruise or the new cruise, best price guarantee and you can change the booking one time to any new cruise and the benefits follow.   We always buy trip insurance to cover our deposit at the time of booking for the pre-existing conditions waiver and then increase the coverage when we make final payment.   You can book any time onboard but the longer you wait the longer the line at the Cruise consultant desk......try to go at least several days before end of cruise to avoid the long wait!

Wow!  What a great idea! We booked our Aug 2024 cruise onboard in May2022, and I wasn't about to pay for insurance then to get pre-existing coverage.  So the idea of buying only enough for deposit and increasing later is brilliant.  Does it work with all insurers on online trip insurance sites?  We like Nationwide that used to provide pre-existing before final payment, but now they're like all the rest.  

I've sailed on most of the Oceania ships, and it you look back far enough, you'll see lots of good reviews.  Haven't sailed on Oceania since 2022 because we took a horrible Viking cruise (widespread norovirus) land disappointing Windstar cruise in 2023. 

You probably see complaints about the food "not being as good" - Oceania cruisers have very high expectations of the food, which is generally far superior to most lines.  You'll see complaints about the service - Oceania cruisers have very high expectations of the service too. My biggest complaints are usually about the distance from port to city shown in the itinerary...but I think most all cruise ships now dock farther out from the itinerary cities,

We currently have 2 cruises booked on Oceania in 2024...think that speaks for our opinion.

2 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

I was gonna say, I wanna do the waterspouts platform!!! 
 

Foxys is def a great spot especially at night, it’s the happening place to be on island! It’s a bit more of a walk now from the tender because they drop off over at the ferry dock in Dog Hole instead of the central customs dock in Great Harbour. Still manageable. 
 

 

@MarLieb not sure what your hours are in port but if you’re there during the evening hours, su-Arizona makes a good suggestion in Foxys as a night time spot for dinner. Great lobster! 
 

 

Our Dec 2022 cruise is scheduled to depart Great Harbour at 11:59pm...sadly one minute before my birthday!  

Another vote for Welcome Pickups in Athens/Piraeus.  Our flights usually leave Athens at the crack of dawn, so I book a room at the Sofitel at the airport.  Last trip, we liked our Welcome Pickups driver so much that 4 of us booked him for a full day trip from the Sofitel to the Temple of Poseidon - might have been the best day of our trip.  If you get tired of the Acropolis crowds, the Temple of Poseidon is spectacular, and he waited for us while we had lunch at his favorite restaurant on the beach before returning us to the Sofitel.  We all thought it was great finale to a wonderful cruise.

OOPS!  Think I was autocorrected - not "waterspouts" but "watersports" platform.  Entirely different things!😱

Think Little Bay is Montserrat, which is our absolute favorite Caribbean port.  We booked a private tour with Sun's Tours and it was the best tour ever. You really cannot tour Monserrat on your own, and the tour is really amazing.  As I recall, there were 4 of us from the WS ship on Sun's tour - and I think we met the WS excursion (led by Sun's father, if memory serves).  I think I posted a review on TA - don't miss this tour!

We haven't been to the Soggy Dollar, but had a wonderful time at Foxy's (pre-hurricane) on Jost Van Dyke just walking from the where the tender dropped us.  Often the waterspouts platform will be available on that port too.

St Bart's isn't our favorite island...at least in all past years they were not welcoming to non-A-list folks.  If the waterspouts platform is available, we probably won't even leave the ship.  If not, Shell Beach is pretty and walkable.  Most exciting thing to do there is to watch planes land from the road overlooking the airport IMHO.

Just finished booking air to SJU for our December 2022 WS cruise.  What a nightmare!  Flight choices are few, and fares are outrageous.  I deliberately chose a RT San Juan cruise because pre-pandemic it was easy and inexpensive to get non-stops (relative to other Caribbean ports).  Not these days.

I started trying to book air months ago, but it was so bad (and expensive) I though perhaps things would improve after Labor Day.  Wrong.  But at least the airline websites work and people answer their phones now.

Thanks to Patty for posting the recent menus.  We have sailed with both Windstar and Oceania several times, but have only sailed Oceania post-pandemic.  Our last WS cruise was in 2017.  I know WS has been working to expand their food offerings and from the menus, it appears they have done so.  We are looking forward to our cabin on the "expanded" Star Pride, and the new/improved dining options.

That being said, it is tough to beat Oceania at food, but WS food has always been very good.

Jack,

Really hope you have great weather, because I just booked the same cruise on the same date.  We were in Venice on May -11 last year, and the weather was hot then and throughout our ocean cruise. So we're hoping for some nice cool weather in April!  Hopefully the Rhine and Moselle will be full and lovely then.

Look forward to meeting you aboard! 

Susan

Thanks so much for your posts.  It helps those of us who can cancel decide what is best, when the cruise line gives no information.

Those of us who booked while Viking offered the "Risk Free Guarantee" may chose to skip the Rhine cruise while water levels are low, and Covid transmission rates are high.

All frequently cruisers have experienced changes of some sort, but long bus rides with a highly contagious Covid variant may not be the best time to "go with the flow" (or lack of flow!) if we have the option of changing the cruise.

So all the good information being shared here helps in making a choice of cruising now, or waiting for better conditions.  It's really helpful hearing about the changes from folks currently on Viking Rhine cruises between Amsterdam and Basel.  Thanks for all your posts!  😀🚌🛳️

One of the reasons we enjoy cruising is that we enjoy traveling to different places without having to pack and unpack our bags. We've taken one river cruise in Europe with AMA which we really enjoyed, but there were no water level concerns or ship swaps.  The only buses involved were those taking us to tours we'd chosen that were not on the river, so this is all new to us.

How is your luggage handled in these situations?  Am I correct in assuming that, like a disembarkation, you need to pack your bags and leave them at your door for pickup at night?  Do carry on bags go with you on the bus transfer or tour?

We are booked on Viking Rhine AMS-Basel at the end of August, so it seems likely we may have to deal with this.  Thanks in advance for your advice/experience and these really informative postings!

Now that I've completed the cruise from Trieste (formerly Venice) to Rome, I thought I'd take a moment to let everyone know what the trip was like.  We spent 3 very nice days in Venice as we'd originally planned.  My clever TA found a flight arriving at Marco Polo airport from the US early in the day we were to depart from Trieste, told O that we were arriving on that flight, and advised us to be in the arrival area at the time of that flight's arrival.  Because we stayed in Venice for three days pre-cruise, we had to take another Covid test to board the Marina.  FYI we used proctored Binax Now tests and they worked flawlessly from Venice.

We took a taxi back to the airport, and found the Oceania rep after some searching. Our bags, and those of a number of other passengers, were loaded on a large bus.  We weren't given any tickets for the bags, and it was all a bit chaotic, but not too bad. 

The bus trip from Venice to Trieste was about 1.5 hours and fairly boring.

The arrival in Trieste was another story.  We were dropped at a terminal and had to climb several flights of stairs to a truly awful checkin.  While we looked at "SailSafe" banners, we waited in a long unmasked un-socially distanced line to have our PRE-CRUISE COVID tests checked.  THEN we waited in another line for a security check.  THEN we climbed down a couple flights of stairs to wait in yet another line for yet another bus to take us to the ship.  Our bags (even carry-ons) we apparently/hopefully loaded from bus to bus, but we had no receipts for them.

Finally got to the ship and our cabin, and had our usual lunch in Waves.  Back to the cabin, but no bags had arrived (in our penthouse, which is supposed to provide early bag delivery).  About an hour later (about 3 hours after we arrived in Trieste) my husband's bags arrived.  He unpacked as I waited for my bags.  As the ship prepared to depart, my bags had still not arrived, so I began to search for them.  Finally found them as the ship began to leave dock and took them to my cabin.   The butler was horrified but unhelpful as I brought by own bags to my cabin.

The entire embarkation experience was the worst we've experienced in 7 Oceania cruises.  It was so nasty that I cancelled my next cruise (on Vista) which was scheduled to depart from Trieste.  To add insult to injury. I had received notice that the Vista cruise would depart from Trieste (instead of Venice) about a week before we departed for the Marina cruise.

It was the worst embarkation we've ever experienced, and simply put, I will NEVER embark from Trieste again.  Expect that things will get a little better over time, but Trieste is simply not ready to be a major cruise port.

Back in the stone ages, we cruised on a Renaissance ship (R3) from Papeete.  For a bit of history, when Renaissance went out of business those ships became the first Oceania R-class ships, including the Regatta.

During that cruise, I and a number of other passengers became ill with a virus, probably norovirus though I had never heard that word at the time.  I was too sick to leave our cabin, but no one was quarantined in those days.  Many passengers were ill on the cruise, and my husband became ill on the flight home.  As we all know, back in pre-pandemic days outbreaks of noro became more frequent, and passengers were quarantined.  But pre-pandemic, that was accepted as a risk of cruising, hand sanitizers started appearing everywhere, and the Oceania buffet was no longer self-service (Yay!).

As we all continue to debate the need for masks and the risks for cruising (and just generally going back to living) it reminds me that viruses have always been with us. I worry as much as anyone about the risks of Covid on our cruise next month.  But we chose to continue cruising after Tahiti, and we've chosen to accept the risk and continue to cruise now.  And I bet there will still be cruises where norovirus outbreaks occur.

But we got our second booster last week and ordered a bunch of KN85 masks from Amazon🙃

Our Sirena cruise was docked in the city of Bordeaux for a bit longer than we expected.  The pilot required for docking in the Garonne hit a large buoy and we had to wait for a new propeller. The town is very walkable and we dined at a couple lovely restaurants...but certainly not that costly.  This was a few years ago (wasn't everything?) so don't remember the specifics.

Don't remember how long the tender ride was, but I do have photos of the Riviera from the fort above St Tropez, and it is not far from the port.  The town is not large, and easy to navigate on your own.  Lots of shops and restaurants.  We had a nice day wandering from the port to the fort, stopping for a wonderful lunch of moules along the way.  Didn't feel we missed anything by touring on our own...

Nice to hear all the positive reviews.  I've booked our first ever O post-cruise extension in Rome next month.  We've been to Rome many times, had some tours, but mostly toured independently.  But I've always wanted to see Tivoli.  We don't like driving (or parking) in Italy.  A private tour is very expensive for two, and in these early post-Covid days I didn't feel confident we could find enough other cruisers on CC to  join a tour.  So we booked the Oceania extension to Villa d'Este.

We don't often book ship shore excursions either...but in these post-Covid days I've booked more ship tours since it seems there have been many changes to private tour companies.  These aren't the "good old days" yet, and we've being a bit more conservative in this new and rapidly-changing environment.

We've stayed at the Athens Gate several times, and really enjoy the views from the rooftop restaurant/bar. Also had fabulous views of the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum from our room.  Prices are reasonable and the location is perfect...just a short walk on the pedestrian walkway to the Museum and side entrance to the Acropolis.  Also very convenient to the Plaka - you can walk to most everything.    We've also stayed at Grand Bretagna and Hotel Ava.  Grand Bretagne is "grander" but location is not as convenient...a protest or demonstration can ruin your stay.  Ava is great location, but lacking views.  For post-cruise stays, our flights always leave very early so we stay at the Sofitel at the airport.  More sleep, less stress for the flight home.

We are booked on a May criuse where our departure port was changed from Venice to Trieste.  We had already booked independent air and a three night stay in Venice.  We've been told that Oceania will provide transportation from the airport to Trieste on departure day.

Were I in your position, I would be furious that Oceania would require an OS tour to see Venice.  I'm sure Trieste is interesting, but I would not miss Venice, even though we have been there many times.  It is one of the most special of all the great cities in the world.  

After the port change, I had researched all the alternatives for Venice to Trieste.  Although trains are frequent, Italian trains are not the most reliable; and it's not very easy to get from the train station to Venice tourism sites.  Don't think you want to try an independent trip to Venice by train...  

I'm already very annoyed that Oceania will require us to take a Covid test in Venice before embarking when a test is no longer required to enter Italy.  But your situation is so much more annoying.  Oceania should offer a free tour to Venice for the inconvenience!

We'v sailed both ships.  Riviera is our favorite ship, and a Concierge veranda offers plenty of space for us - especially the wonderful bath with a shower and tub shower. The baths on R-class ships, including Nautica, are cramped - and for a 10 or greater day cruise, I would only sail Nautica in a Penthouse.  Though I haven't sailed in the 'upgraded' baths on Nautica, the space is likely the same, although the shower now has a glass door rather than the cheesy awful shower curtain of days past.

So the cost (for me) isn't comparable.  Then I add the wonderful spa terrace on Riviera, and the additional specialty restaurants - no contest.  And I'm one of the cruisers who has a sentimental attachment to the R-class ships, having sailed on Renaissance before the birth of Oceania.

Paul & Don Horner made CC the place to be for Oceania cruisers.  Their knowledge and helpful posts kept us here looking for the info they so gladly dispensed. We miss them and the joy they shared with so many of us over the years.

Most noise I ever noticed were in cabins across from "blank" spaces in the deck plan.  Crew coming and going from those areas were more disruptive than the elevators.  The stairs are usually very quiet.

We began cruising in our 40/50's and enjoyed it so much we're still cruising in our 70's.  Have met many lovely people from all sorts of demographics, and enjoyed them all.  The only cruises we regret are those we weren't able to take (mostly during the past couple pandemic years).

I cruise to visit places without driving and lugging suitcases, and not having to search for a good restaurant.  Meeting compatible people is a great plus!

Just made my Marina restaurant reservations today,   You can make one in each specialty restaurant pre-cruise, but additional on board if available.  We have favorites in the restaurants, but also look forward to casual meals with a great selection in the Terrace Cafe.  The Grand Dining Room is lovely too, but we usually dress up a bit for the specialties and GDR, and look forward to all the selections and outdoor dining in the Terrace after a long day of touring.  You will enjoy excellent food dining anywhere on Oceania!

A vote for Rome Cabs.  We've used them for many years and trips, and they have been totally reliable to and from Rome/Civitavecchia.  Also used them for excellent private tours. A wonderful memory - our driver was taking us from Rome to the port on a Sunday.  Our elderly aunt asked if he would drive us past the Vatican.  Our driver took us past the Vatican, and we saw the guards getting ready to enter as well as the Pope.  She was thrilled (and so were we).  No extra charge; just nice folks.

We'll also be in Rome in May - have a great trip!