su-arizona

- On the R-class ships (like Insignia) a hanging cosmetic bag is a must - there isn't much counter or storage space in the bath. But there is a hook on the door to hang a cosmetic case, and you can see everything easily if you buy one with plastic or mesh pockets.

- An extension cord with multiple outlets is another must...not enough plugs in the cabin for all your electronic stuff.

- The best lunch on the ship (IMHO of course) is in Waves if the weather isn't too cold. Also a nice place for breakfast and rarely crowded.

- Already said a couple of times, but best tip of all...Book reservations for all specialty restaurants online on the first date you are allowed to do so. I put a reminder in my calendar for the date I can book restaurants. Do not wait till you are onboard.

- Pack plastic rain ponchos. I put at least one in every suitcase we own. They are cheap, small and handy to carry in iffy weather. I've also used them to cover my suitcase on occasion. It's no fun storing a wet suitcase.

- Have fun!!!!

Just returned from a river cruise on a newer AMA Waterways ship, and they have really optimized the use of space. Though the cabin overall was smaller, the bath - and the shower in particular - were much more comfortable than on R ships, with glass shower doors. I have vowed never again to sail an R ship in our usual Concierge veranda. I will only book if I can afford a PH because of the bath limitations.

On AMA, the TV is a big Mac screen, with a small keyboard and mouse. Used for regular video stuff, but also allows online access. Really a great feature - Oceania should take note.

Last time on Sirena, I requested a vertical file box - which I remembered from previous cruises. I was told that they were only available for PH and suites. What a dumb restriction! All cabins should have a vertical file box to allow for storage/organization of the mass of paper produced during a cruise. I think I recall there was space on the side of the desk where a vertical file might be mounted, which would be even better than the desktop version.

And finally - NO TUSCAN STEAK. It combined the worst of Polo and Toscana. Just choose one and go with it. I did like the addition of Red Ginger on Sirena, even though I don't much like Red Ginger on Riviera/Marina.

I think Oceania Roll Call participation has fallen since O began packaging the OLife options. I noticed this on my last 2 cruises. I started a Roll Call for a Riviera cruise I'm booked on in October 2018 and there's been very little participation - even though the entire ship has been Wait Listed since December. Perhaps there's a large affinity group (as Mura mentioned) but still disappointing.

Additionally, the changes to CC have made it more difficult to find Roll Calls. In general, the CC changes appear to be more to promote cruise sales while making it more difficult to find reviews or forums of any type - including Roll Calls. Not really surprising since the site was acquired by Trip Advisor. And the recent changes to the user interface create multiple paths to the Roll Calls which offer a different presentation to the user.

Yes, people do send dishes back. The worst dinner ever on any Oceania ship was when we shared a table in Toscana. Turned out to be a table for 8 - 4 couples. There was a Russian couple at the table who ordered every course, and one or the other of that couple sent back a dish for 3 of the courses AND ordered a replacement for the one sent back. To add spice to the evening, they complained incessantly and loudly about the food. Intercession from the maitre d' only resulted in more complaints.

The servers were graceful as always. The other 3 couples (including us) became less graceful as the evening grew longer and longer...and longer. Actually, one of the couples had a bit too much wine and just got up and left. Obviously more clever than we were.

We have chosen to share tables only once since that evening....

So to answer your question - some people send courses back AND complain!

Itineraries are always my primary choice. But there aren't many navigable rivers in Europe, so most river cruise lines offer nearly identical itineraries.

I'll be cruising on AMA in a couple weeks. I chose it based on excellent reviews here, but also - and more importantly for me - I compared the square footage of similar cabins on Viking and AMA. Suggest you do the same.

Two friends of mine shared the smallest cabin on a Viking cruise, and were very unhappy in the cramped quarters. I think the smallest french-balcony only cabin on Viking longships is ~135 sf. I can't imagine spending a week or two in a room that size....

In the video, it appears that Crystal offers cigars to passengers onboard. I assume this means that they also allow cigar smoking onboard. On such a small ship, cigar smoke wouldn't be very pleasant. On ocean ships, there are frequent complaints about cigarette smoke even though it's restricted to small confined areas. Can't imagine how unpleasant cigar smoke would be on a river cruise.

I was a very healthy 67 with no pre-existing conditions until I wasn't. Never got sick. As my handyman used to say "everything works fine until it breaks".:eek:

We bought trip insurance (and never had to use it before, thankfully) because we travel internationally a couple times a year. Medicare won't cover us outside US, and as many others have said medical evacuation is very expensive. Between the two costs, I wouldn't want to try to cover it out of pocket. The cost of insurance for the trip comes 'free' with the medical coverage.

Now I am a fairly healthy 68 with a healthy respect for the cost of becoming suddenly ill. Gratefully, I have never been quite as smugly self-assured as others in this thread. In earlier years, a family member was in an auto accident in France and I was the one with a passport. Those of you immune to such problems clearly have no need for trip insurance. For the rest of you, insuremytrip offers an easy way to compare and buy trip insurance. And Nationwide delivered when I needed it. Just sayin'...

I used Allianz purchased through my TA for many years. From posts in CC I began using insuremytrip and square mouth - Allianz can be quite expensive compared to other options. insuremytrip allows you to do side-by-side comparisons of coverages and costs of multiple plans. I began using Nationwide a couple cruises ago, and last summer I had to cancel an expensive cruise two weeks before departure due to a medical problem.

To make a long story short, I received payment for the full amount of my claim without any questions or problems within 3 weeks of claim submission. Both insuremytrip and Nationwide were kind and helpful when contacted over the phone too.

The Allianz policy I used required purchase of the insurance within 14 days of deposit to obtain pre-existing condition coverage. Nationwide can be purchased later with pre-existing coverage.

With this experience, I know I will always purchase trip insurance, and I know who I will buy it from. I also posted a review on insuremytrip and a couple other places here on CC.

For an upcoming cruise I wanted to book air deviation and shore excursions as early as possible. Custom air is bookable (with some effort from my TA) 270 days before departure. Shore excursions are bookable online 240 days prior to departure. When trying to view shore excursions earlier, they showed online as 'unavailable or sold out'. Magically at 240 days they all showed up as available.

In reading previous comments it might not be clear that if you want to choose the OBC Olife option, you will have to pay out of pocket for any shore excursions you book in advance. The OBC can only be used on-board to book shore excursions which are still available when you board - and popular excursions can be filled far in advance of departure.

We are booked in a Concierge Veranda, so it's possible that those in suites may be able to book earlier...

Glad someone finally mentioned the Clorox wipes for the trays and controls. I also wipe the armrests and headrest and air vent, and bring hand sanitizer. I got pneumonia after a flight back from Tahiti, and have cleaned my seat on every flight since then. A big bottle of water (or two) is also a must, and keep the plastic bag from the shop to line the seat pocket.

Noise cancelling headphones (vastly different from what the airlines give you) are a must if you travel often. I always pack socks, flip-flops and a clean shirt in my carryon. Some facial wipes, moisturizer, eye drops and chapstick will also help you stay comfortable on long flights. These stay permanently in a TSA baggie in my carryon.

Mura, you might enjoy Red Ginger on Sirena. We didn't like Red Ginger on Riviera or Marina, but loved it on Sirena. And the Miso Sea Bass was as terrific as so many others have said. I also adore the tea there - think it's white peach. I swiped extra tea bags (triangles actually) to take home with me.

We also enjoy almost anything freshly grilled from the Terrace Cafe grill station.

And you can make your specialty restaurant reservations earlier....

Geez, if the fine folks who "rescued" the Elgin marbles returned them to their home, we wouldn't be having this debate...The Acropolis Museum is stunning and has plenty of space....

We've found the specialty restaurants vary from ship to ship...Which is not really surprising I suppose. Although the dishes on the menu may be the same, the chef on each ship would be different.

We have enjoyed all the specialties - though like Mura we didn't care for Red Ginger at all on Riviera and Marina. But on Sirena, Red Ginger was our absolute favorite. I think it's due in part to the ambience - on Rivera and Marina, Red Ginger is windowless and very dark...on Sirena, there are windows and it's brighter and beautifully decorated. And I finally tried the sea bass, which is a super dish.

We eat often in the Terrace, in part because we enjoy dining outdoors. We dine in the GDR very infrequently. While the food is usually good, the service can be very slow.

Since there are so many experienced Oceania cruisers here, I have a dining-related question:

We enjoy sharing a table to meet new people. However, we have a number of times been joined by diners who want to have every course and/or send dishes back and just generally make the meal a really long experience - particularly at tables for 6 or 8. How do you deal with this? I have tried speaking privately with the maitre d' prior to the reservation time to ask that we share a table for 4 only, which helps...but not always.

Any tips or advice?:confused:

I want to give a big shoutout to insuremytrip.com and the Nationwide Cruise Choice policy I bought through them. Had to cancel a cruise last summer two weeks before departure due to a medical problem.

Nationwide paid 100% of my claim (which was the full cost of an expensive cruise w/business air for 2) within 2 weeks of my claim, no questions asked.

After buying lots of trip insurance and (fortunately) never using it, I was simply stunned.

Nationwide is also a super choice because you don't have to purchase within "NNN" days of deposit to get pre-existing condition coverage. It is full trip insurance, but includes medical and evacuation coverage.

Thanks for the quick (and varied!) responses. Hearing from so many familiar and experienced posters made me smile! Sounds like I should take Caroldoll's advice - book the "On Your Own" tour and take a cab back to the tender port (wherever it may be...)

At least we'll get an early tender that way! :D

We have a stop in Taormina in October, which is listed as an "Anchor" port. Where will the tenders leave us? Are taxis to Taormina readily available there, and what's the travel time?

The Oceania "Taormina on your Own" excursion seems pretty expensive (as usual...) and offers a fairly short time in town. We'd much prefer to take a cab if readily available and comparably (or lower) priced.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Olympic Traveller (see their website) has a 25 euro unguided trip to Olympia. I found it easy to explore and navigate without a guide, and as others have said the museum is also worthwhile. It is described at a 30-45 minute drive from Katakolon. We just grabbed a cab at Katakolon last trip; we toured ourselves and called the cab when we were ready to return. So it was a short, pleasant trip. And one of my very favorites places in Greece....

Ancient Olympia is such a special place - it would be such a mistake to miss it. Wooded and lovely to wander around. It is so easy to imagine what life was like, and entering through the stadium arch and running (or watching others run) across the stadium field is a memorable experience.

If you choose to just wander and sit in a shady spot you will still have an enjoyable day. All IMHO of course!

My TA just finished arranging our O air deviation at 270 days out. I'm definitely no expert, and sadly me or my TA can no longer speak directly to the Air Deviation department (it used to be difficult but possible). We used to do our own air, but with O-Life discounts and $149 premium upgrade, the $ advantage to using O air is too great.

Our premium upgrade is $149 each way for each person. The upgrade applies only to the transoceanic flights, not necessarily flights within Europe. In my case, I always research exactly what flights I want and have my TA negotiate with O to get those flights. It often costs a bit more to get those flights (on the ones we just booked, it was $100 pp extra) but it's worth it to me, and less expensive than booking premium economy separately. I saw what Oceania would have booked for me, and while the flights were okay, they involved 2 stops and about 2 hours more travel time than the one stop flights I chose. In this case, I asked my TA to get seats reserved for the transatlantic flights at the time we agreed to the air deviation, and she did so. In the past I have been able to obtain and change seat assignments on the airline website, but that might depend on the specific airline.

The air credit amount has changed for cruises in the past, and I expect that is still the case. I haven't been able to find any specific info on air on the Oceania web site, and I doubt it exists. I think perhaps the current custom air department serves all the NCL cruises lines, based on some email exchanges. Your air contacts occur through your TA or the Oceania rep who sold you the cruise if you booked it yourself.

I have seen other posts on this forum that say you can get O to issue tickets early, l but it hasn't worked for me. I've also seen other posts discussing using points/miles, but I've never tried it with Oceania flights.

All this is my own experience; I'm sure there are others who may have different information. Good luck with all your questions - if you get answers be sure to share them here!

We usually choose port-intensive cruises, and usually buy a bottle of good local wine to enjoy on our balcony. The wine we purchase ashore is generally better than that offered on the ship, and the ability to bring alcohol aboard Oceania ships is important to us. We love buying interesting Albarino in Spain, or Douro in Portugal and it adds to the experience of the countries we visit. We have also paid the corkage fee for our own bottle in the restaurants - and our local good wines plus corkage fee are often the same price as a less interesting wine purchased aboard.

So you might want to add that into your calculation...

I have been looking at the CroisiEurope barge itineraries, and they do look interesting. But I kind of had my heart set on a barge trip on the Canal du Midi. Does anyone have any experience with barges there?

Wow! I thought the shower was "big enough" but I definitely wouldn't want to share it with my husband. And both of us are smaller folks...But after the baths on the O-class ships, we have definitely become spoiled. It's mostly about expectations I think...had an old professor who said that "expectations are inelastic downward"...;)

What an ugly turn this thread has taken! This discussion was once about buffet service - right? Or has senility overtaken me?:confused:

Instead I'm reading nasty diatribes about aging passengers. I cruised on the R3 for my 50th birthday, and now have had the privilege of cruising a number of times on Oceania and WindStar, as I have [gasp!] aged. Imagine that; I've gotten older and I still enjoy cruising. And we've met many lovely people - of varying age and mobility - on our cruises.

It sounds like pinotlover oughtta have a couple more glasses and chill. I can't close this thread, but it sure seems to me that it ought to be allowed to die and be buried far beneath new threads...

While I've never had a long wait, I have seen a lot of miserable, angry people waiting to board Riviera on a very hot day in Lisbon. They had arrived before their scheduled boarding time. To avoid the problem, don't show up before the scheduled boarding time shown in your cruise documents. Since you seem to be staying in a Barcelona hotel, leave your bags with the desk and enjoy a stroll through the Boqueria or tour the old cathedral!

We've stayed at several nice hotels in Barcelona, but alway enjoyed our time most when staying near the old Cathedral in Barri Gotic. Someone suggested Hotel Colon; the Hotel Barcelona Cathedral is also very nice. It's less 'famous' so might be a bit more available. There's lots of activity, dining etc in this area, and you are a short walk to Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya - but out of the noise and crowds.