Redtravel

We had the same thing happen. We booked a 2 week Med cruise. We were unaware that it was a b2b. It was designated as a grand cruise. We had to pay double deposits. We were told that longer cruises had bigger deposits. It wasn’t until I tried to get restaurant reservations that I realized something was strange. I could only get dinner reservations for the first week. When we were onboard, I asked for dinner reservations during the second week. We were told that we had to wait until the first week cruise was done. On the change over day, the concierge got us 4 more dinner reservations. We only got one cruise credit. I would prefer a loyalty program that counted nights, not the number of cruises.

Checkin times are a joke. Go anytime. I prefer going late. After 3 pm, there are no lines.

News today said that Celebrity will sell VIP passes that include priority embarkation, reserved seating in the show lounge, priority tenders, no room service fees, and faster WiFi. Cost is outrageously high. Over $30 pp per day. Just another way to make money. What’s next?

sm

Got itinerary change this week. Stop in Turkey was changed. Since we had booked a shore excursion in Turkey which was canceled, we dropped below the minimum required tours for the 25% discount. Online, we couldn’t add another tour and keep the discount. Called Oceania. Rep helped us book a replacement excursion. New total cost was less than previous total. We were issued a credit for the difference.

We like to sail in January. Vista is not doing Caribbean in January. The Vista late Feb into March is a good itinerary. It’s not the best dates for us. We will likely find a different vacation.

We usually take a winter Caribbean cruise. Since we have visited most of the islands, we don’t care which islands are on the itinerary. Some days, we stay on the ship and just relax. We prefer Marina or Riviera. We choose not to sail on the R ships. We will be on Vista in January 2024. Looking ahead for possible winter 2025, I don’t see any Caribbean only sailings on Marina, Riviera, or Vista. I am not interested in Central or South America. Once through the Panama Canal was enough. In addition, I noticed cruise fares are much higher to pay for the mandatory beverages and excursions. I expect price increases due to the economy. However, the Vista cruise that we booked before SM is almost double with SM. I am hoping that Oceania will reinstate a cruise only fare. If not, we will be rethinking our 2025 vacation.

Be patient. We have upgraded on the ship. Ask. If the ship isn’t full, you may be pleasantly surprised. We paid for the upgrade using OBC. Cost was very reasonable. If the ship is full, be happy in your booked cabin. Often people cancel at the last moment. We were all packed in July, ready to fly the next day, and had to cancel due to a medical emergency . Instead of cruising, spent time in the hospital. Our cabin was empty. Perhaps somebody got our cabin.

My spouse uses a rollator. Drive makes a sturdy model that can fold from side to side. That makes going through narrow places easy.

Concierge cabins are the same size as standard verandas. Look at the difference in cost. Decide if it’s worth it. The concierge lounge isn’t a big deal. I call room service and get whatever I want. The included 3 bags of laundry is nice. However, laundry comes back 2-3 days later. Use the laundry rooms. Free and you get clean clothes quickly. You get earlier dinner reservations in concierge. In standard, I have always been flexible. Met some nice people sharing a table. We often travel with friends that we made by sharing a table in 2013. I only book concierge cabins if standard verandas aren’t available. I prefer aft or forward deck 7 with extended verandas. Those B3 cabins are my choice. I prefer aft cabins. Most of your dining choices are aft.

Yes. Just ask. Also will provide electrical extension cord if needed.

We love the Star ships. Our concern is capacity. We sailed several times before the pandemic. With capacity of 212, it was good. We sailed on Breeze Sept. 2022. It was after the stretch. Ship was empty. 135 passengers. We never felt crowded. It was nice. After stretch, some of our favorite spaces were not renovated. Yacht club, Lounge and Compass Rose did not change much. The casino was eliminated. That added a few more seats. Adding 100 more guests has us concerned. Are Star ships crowded? If you have sailed on Star ships with full capacity 312, was it crowded?

We are elite +. Our first cruise after covid lockdown was in June 2022 on Summit. When we booked about 3 weeks before the cruise, we were told that the ship had limited capacity because of covid safety. We made to think that there would be reduced capacity. Ship was packed. While there were signs everywhere telling people to distance, very few people did. The worst was the packing in elevators. There were times when I got off an elevator when people were too close. Dining room was crowded. Table for 2 was a few inches away from the next table. It was too close for comfort in any situation. We wore masks. We were in the minority. I was very uncomfortable. Spouse got covid. That was 2022. If you sail now, don't count on reduced capacity. If a ship is not full, enjoy.

All are good. White is my favorite. My spouse likes blue. On our most recent Marina cruise in June, we were in concierge class. On past cruises in concierge, we got a menu of available scents. We usually asked for blue. However, we found a mixed bag of green and white. Some bottles had a green top, but the scent was definitely white. It was strange. Asked for blue. We never got it. Wondering what we will get on our next cruise on Vista. Bvlgari products work well. Would hate to see them replaced.

Given the variations in the cabin layouts, guests have a choice. That should keep everyone happy.

O wants to make money. Simply more achieves this if bookings don’t go down. If bookings stay up, the SM is a winner. However, if bookings decline, they may reconsider how SM works. It should take about 1-2 years to fully see the affects. The risk in changing to a new concept is losing passengers. Once they stop booking O, they seldom come back. That happened to us on Celebrity. We were elite plus. We disliked All In. We stopped booking Celebrity. We didn’t know that Celebrity now offers cruise only again. Found that by reading postings on this forum. We have moved on and it’s unlikely that we would sail on Celebrity again. Oceania may find that passengers love or hate SM. I wish that there was a choice of SM or cruise only.

We prefer older cabins with bed near bathroom. Those cabins have been renovated. Bathrooms in all cabins were updated. Most removed the tubs and added double sinks. There are a few cabins that kept the tub. Some cabins have only one sink. All cabins got new bedding and carpeting. Older cabins kept the gorgeous darker wooden features. However, the vanity and drawers weren’t upgraded. They look worn. Newer cabins have light colored features with bed near the window. Public spaces have been reimagined. Most notable is the expanded indoor space in the veranda. Also, Aamphora was rebuilt with more space keeping it close to the kitchen. Aamphora was taken apart and moved toward the aft. In the original Aamphora space, there are port hole cabins, a new elevator, and landing area for tenders.

Before pandemic, when past passengers checked in at the cruise, they could ask to be waitlisted for upgrades. Same size cabins were free and often the upgrades happened. The routine was checkin early, ask to be put on the waitlist, don’t unpack, and wait. After everyone checked in, cabin reassignments happened. We usually booked a suitable cabin and didn’t ask to be upgraded. Past passengers could also be placed on a waitlist for upgrades to a big suite. If you were lucky and got it, you paid $300. There were also some random free upgrades that were given out before you sailed. We got some. Same type cabin on a higher deck. It was a nice gesture. It cost them nothing and made you feel rewarded for loyalty. On Star ships, before stretch, we booked a cabin with walk-in shower. Since there were very few of those cabins, we usually booked way in advance. Now, with most tubs removed, there are more cabins that are accessible for my spouse. When WS resumed sailing after lockdown, those upgrades didn’t happen. Not surprising because WS got a new President. The new paradigm is upsell. My paradigm is to book a cabin suitable for you. If you get an upgrade, be happy.

I never asked for an upgrade. However, there were a few times that I got a complimentary upgrade. All cabins are basically the same, it really didn’t matter. That was before the pandemic. It was also before my spouse had mobility issues. After pandemic, on Star breeze I asked for a cabin change. I wasn’t looking for an upgrade. The concern was a mobility issue. Instead I got a high pressure sales pitch trying to get me to pay extra for a “new” cabin with bed near the window. Just wanted bed facing the opposite direction. Ship had only 135 passengers. There were lots of empty cabins.

I was shocked when I saw the flights that Viking selected for flights from Bergen to Philly. Leave Bergen at 6:15 am.to Fra. 4 hour layover. Flight fro. Fra to Phl. It was the only way we could get home with one change and arrive home the same day. In reality, Viking picked the best route available. We know people who cancelled cruise because of that 6:15 am flight. If Viking discontinues air, it may save them from those disgruntled guests who don’t like the air arrangements.

We gave up Celebrity when they went to All In. There were too many loud, obnoxious drunks. I didn’t realize that they did away with All In. Would I reconsider Celebrity? Not after seeing how a ship of drinkers act. When Azamara made changes, everyone already booked got those changes. When we first sailed on Azamara, it didn’t include WiFi, liquor, excursions, or tips. Specialty restaurants were $5pp. As time went by there were added things like including tips and wine. Prices went up. The increase was minimal. Even though we seldom drink, the price increase was ok. When the change was including all beverages, prices went way up. It made us reconsider options. Oceania Olife was a good fit for us. We could sail cruise only when we wanted. If we were going to a new port, Olife choice of excursions was perfect. Now we aren’t sure if Oceania will continue to be a good fit for us. We have 2 future bookings. One is a Caribbean cruise booked before SM. It is cruise only. Since we have toured many of the islands, we have no desire to take any excursions. The other is a Med cruise. Since there were places that we wanted excursions, SM was a good option. Thinking ahead, while we like O, we may only book Oceania on cruises that visit places where we want excursions. For Caribbean cruises, we question if it’s worth sailing on O.

There was a lot of confusion when we went to Vietnam on Celebrity. Celebrity didn’t explain how to get the visa. It actually was easy. We bought the visa onboard. It cost very little. Maybe $6? That was in 2018. Vietnam was amazing.

Elite level 300 points is the best in value. Elite plus 750 points doesn’t add much value. An extra bag of laundry and coffee. Not enough to get me excited.

It’s October. That’s when Simply More is supposed to start. Curious how it is working. What kind of drinks are included at lunch and dinner? Do all cabins get 2 WiFi connections? Since some people booked Olife before July, is there any distinction between people on Olife and those on Simply More?

It’s October. That’s when Simply More is supposed to start. Curious how it is working. What kind of drinks are included at lunch and dinner? Since some people booked Olife before July, is there any distinction between people on Olife and those on Simply More?