Nashna

We were blown away by our experience in the Yacht Club on Divina in January 2020. We have raved about it since then and have been looking for an opportunity to sail in YC. We are booked on a New England, Canada, October Mera cruise sailing in the YC. Now, friends are considering going with us because of the itinerary and they are intrigued by what we have told them regarding the YC experience. Recent YC passengers...how is it now? Is it as good as it was? Any changes?

I just found an answer to my question on Oceania's description of Vista's Aquamar Restaurant. They will have French non-alcoholic wine and spirits onboard. To reflect the wellness-inspired dishes, the beverage menu will feature a selection of premium, award-winning non-alcoholic wines, Pierre Zero from France as well as a refreshing collection of mocktails crafted with Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits. https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/vista/culinary-experiences#:~:text=To reflect the,IMAGE SLIDESHOW

Thank you. I'll check them out.

I have been doing research for this port. A walking tour appeals to me for this port. However, there will be two ships in port on October 10th creating potentially 9,186 visitors. With the number of visitors that day, I'm concerned that wandering around town and dining at an interesting place will be a bit difficult considering the size of Charlottetown.

Our ship will be arriving in Charlottetown at 7:00am and will depart at 6:00pm in October. The ship's tours don't look very interesting. Does anyone have suggestions on what we might do for the day?

Prior to Covid, we were on a cruise with a large international clientele. It was shocking to see so many people rudely chatting and laughing when the instructions were in a different language. On another cruise, we stood for 30 minutes next to a couple whose baby wailed during the entire presentation. Although, he did calm down for the sounding of the horn.

Please keep in mind that this was in June, 2019. Most likely, prices and car types have changed.

The Twizy we rented just has room for one person in the front and one in the back. My husband drove and I navigated, and our friends went behind us. Since the car just goes 50 miles, we charged it up in St. Georges while we toured the town. We all agreed it was so much fun. We stopped at beaches and picturesque spots along the way and totally enjoyed the day. I understand they now are rented at the pier. We had to take the ferry to Hamilton from the dockyards to pick it up. If I recall the car can't go over 35 miles an hour which was the speed limit. It was $100.00 plus insurance for the day.

We rented the mini-electric cars and had a ball driving around Bermuda. We got to go to a local festival, Swizzles, and St. Georges in a day. It was so much fun. We felt perfectly safe in it. I would not rent a scooter, but the little car did the trick for us. BTW...we were three couples in our 70's! Only issue was climbing in and out of the back. We did do a lovely sunset sail as part of the ship's excursion. It was another highlight of the trip.

It is super easy to get a taxi at the pier. Plus, they drop you off close to the ship on the return. The Pen Restaurant/Avila staff were very good at getting back to us. One of my fellow cruisers mistakenly booked through Viator and paid more and had a few issues having her reservation confirmed. Make sure you book directly with Avila. It's actually a very neat, historical resort.

On all three voyages we have sailed since Covid, we have watched the video as directed, upon arrival in our stateroom, we viewed the muster station diagram on the door and then proceeded to the muster station as we have done pre-covid. There was always a staff member at the muster station to check us in and every time they offered to show us how to put on the life vest. On all three sailings, the captain announced the procedures throughout the ship and sounded the alarm to alert us to the signal. Passengers who had not followed protocol and did not visit their muster station or did not watch the video were compelled to do so prior to sailing. Sadly, the same people who won't follow directions will not be compelled to do so by attending an in-person muster drill.

I would not cancel a cruise due to OP complaints on Cruisecritic as we all have different expectations of service, food and entertainment. Our recent cruises on the Apex and Edge were enjoyable. The entertainment, our room steward, ship's condition and ambiance were excellent. The MDR service was good it was the food selection and quality that was lacking. In the OC, we found that we needed to secure a table before we got our food to have a place to sit. We also found on the Edge that the table drink service was so slow that we would stop at the entrance bar to get our drinks to have them with our meal. In the Edge MDR, we were encouraged to share a table if we wished to sit near the window or be placed at one of those banquet tables, inches away from the next couple. I can understand this policy when the MDR is crowded at dinner. It is unacceptable when few tables are taken during the breakfast service. As enjoyable as many aspects of our Celebrity cruises were, the negatives were there. On the very next day after we returned home, we booked another cruise...our first on Oceania.

Native Rhode Islander here...Have you been to Castle Hill for lunch? The drive alone is spectacular. You could Uber or taxi from the pier. Newport, RI Hotels | Relais & Châteaux | Castle Hill Inn

We had that tour booked with Paul for 10/23. Then, he cancelled it when four others wanted to go to Peggy's Cove instead. We had heard that Peggy's Cove wasn't worth it, so opted to cancel the new tour. We are just going to go on our own.

I would have been happy with quality. Sadly, Celebrity no longer offers filet mignon or prime rib in the MDR. Their fish choices were of the lower priced variety such as tilapia. Every nightly option included at least one pasta dish which consisted of very little protein.

I enjoy regular alcoholic wine. The new crop of non-alcoholic wines is very good. If one can't have alcohol, the new varieties are an excellent substitute. They have come a long way in a few years.

So sorry to hear that they are going back to the old ways. We have been on three sailing since cruising resumed and thought that the video and signing in at the muster station was sufficient.

You might want to try it sometime. It is definitely not grape juice. Non-alcoholic wine is a wine from which the alcohol has been removed. It undergoes the same production process as regular wine, with one additional step to extract the alcohol. Winelovers and retailers also refer to non-alcoholic wine as alcohol-free or dealcoholized wine. In this article, we will discuss how alcoholic wine is made, how it tastes, and what its advantages over regular wine are. Is Non-Alcoholic Wine the Same as Grape Juice? Non-alcoholic wine and grape juice are not the same beverages. Grape juice is simply the extract of grapes that are crushed and pressed. But non-alcoholic wine undergoes a complex production process that is very similar to regular winemaking. It includes fermentation and, in many cases, barrel-aging. Finally, the alcohol is extracted.

That's good to know. I like the idea of the envelope rather than just the cash.

We had sailed in the Yacht Club on Divina in January 2020. I do know the service was excellent and we rewarded our waiter, Maitre de, the Concierge, butler and his assistant over the standard amount.

No, it did not. There were lots of shuttles all dropping off at the same spot in a large parking lot on Public Beach. It appears as though the main purpose of these shuttles is to get cruise passengers to the main beach. I did not see any resorts close to the Public Beach. It did look like The Westin was about a five minute drive from where we were dropped off. If we were to go again, I would try to hire a taxi to go to a quieter area. There is quite a bit of new construction on Cayman Island. I'm afraid the construction is going to wipe out beach availability for future cruisers. It is a small world. We live in the Regency at DV.

I did not use the restrooms. They are located right there at the entrance to the beach, there were also showers available outside.

We were on the Edge and visited Grand Cayman last week. We left the ship around 10:00am. When you get off the ship, you will see folks with signs stating shuttle to the beach. The shuttles all go to Public Beach. We had to wait for the shuttle to fill up...every seat including the fold down middle seats were taken. The driver collected $7.00 cash from each person. It was about a 15 minute ride. Upon arrival, our shuttle was met by an individual who was selling chairs and umbrellas curbside. The cost was $30.00 for two chairs and one umbrella. We gave him the money along with several other passengers and followed him to his beach spot. There were five or six rows of umbrellas and chairs. The umbrellas were so low that you had to bend down to sit in the chair. The front row was taken, so all we saw from our chairs was a little bit of water in between the umbrellas. The next chairs were immediately next to us. The row in front and in back was just wide enough to walk by. We quickly discovered that purchasing the chairs without viewing was a big mistake as the spot next to us was spacious, had front row seating available and the umbrellas were higher so you could see under them. The other spaces were controlled by another vendor so we were stuck. The price was the same. Be sure to check out the seating before you pay. The beach was very crowded, noisy and hectic. There were four ships in port that day. There was food to purchase from individuals cooking right at the entrance to the beach area. The water was clear and entering was simple. There was a little bit of rocks for a few feet after you got in, but the rocks were not excessively rough. There were lots of jet skis, banana boats and floats. We stayed about two hours and returned to the place where we had been dropped off right at the entrance to the beach. There were lots of shuttles. Again, we waited for about 10 minutes until our shuttle filled up. Friends who had arrived around 9:15am said it was delightful until around 11:00am when the crowds arrived. I had read reports suggesting the best spot to go to the Public Beach was closest to the Westin. This was not an option for the beach shuttles originating at the pier. We did not see any taxis in the pier area so the shuttle was the only option.

We ordered coffee every morning on our recent Apex & Edge sailings. The RS waiter introduced himself on the first day and said he would be bringing us our order each day. We have never had an assigned RS waiter. He was delightful. One of our shipmates wasn't aware of the charge and was shocked when she called to order a coke and was told of the $9.95 charge, plus tip. She had an injured foot and was attempting to avoid a walk to the nearest bar. She opted to be thirsty. Another OP mentioned that X would probably revaluate in six months and go back to the old way. If you look at my signature, you will see my latest cruise booking. It was going to be on Beyond next January. The food selection and quality, combined with the nickel and diming forced me to decide on another option. If you take a look at the Oceania Board, you will see many are jumping ship.

Thank you all for the information. We will be first timers on Oceania and I have lots of questions.