Redtravel

We are traveling with friends. Dining reservations for specialty restaurants opens soon. We gave our friends our booking # assuming that they can make reservations for all of us. Am I correct? Or do we also have to make reservations on our end? Also, I read that the menu for Chefs Table changes often during a cruise. I am sure that we would prefer some menus over others. Is there any way to see menus before we book for a specific night? Or do we just book and find out later what will be served?

I have been to Norway many times. It is beautiful. However, it’s expensive. I usually take lots of photos. Only things that I ever brought back were trolls and sweaters. In Finland, reindeer mittens were a great souvenir. just enjoy the beauty of Norway. I am looking forward to my upcoming time in Norway this year.

Alesund is beautiful. It’s easy to get a map and see it on your own. Be sure to visit the folk museum.

Laundry rooms are on the side with even numbered cabins.

Booking shore excursion procedure is crazy. Booking opened for my cabin category earlier today. Previous to today, some of the excursions were sold out. We stuck to mostly included excursions. As we started to select excursions and times, we watched some times gone. Fortunately, I read the postings. We reserved the excursions that we really wanted first. They sold out quickly. Had we booked excursions in the order of the ports, we never would’ve gotten our most desired choice. I prefer cruises that allow you to book excursions as soon as you book and pay for your cruise. Book early, pay early, book excursions early. Book late, pay late, book excursions that are leftover.

Vietnamese coffee is my favorite

just book an O cruise. You won’t be sorry. We are elite plus on Celebrity. After 20+ cruises, we needed a change. We decided to try other lines. Our favorites are Windstar, Viking, and O. We took 3 cruises in 2022. We had the best time on Marina in December. While onboard, we booked a future cruise for next winter on Vista. A few weeks ago, we got an O promo brochure that was very tempting. We booked another cruise on Marina that sails soon.

Speculation is like wishing. You can hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Other people’s experience may not be yours. We booked late and couldn’t find any airfare even close to O’s. While the flights wouldn’t be my choice, it gets us to the cruise. The connecting times are 2 hours between planes. We also booked a Viking cruise and opted for the air. While we only have one connection each way, the flight times are bad. Our flight going home leaves at 6 am. Viking often books exit planes early in morning.

Me too. It was annoying.

Good luck.

No, I am not going a day early. We looked for possible air before booking. With fewer flights and higher fares, we took what they gave us. If I had found flights with fewer connections and a decent price, I would have booked it. We hope that everything goes well. We also are going on a Viking trip later this summer. We had lots of time to possibility buy our own air. Again, we opted for Viking Air because of the huge savings.

I loved the cruises that had special complimentary events. They used to include events on every cruise. Sadly, that isn’t happening on every cruise. Only a few cruises have it. We miss those events.

On Breeze, the lemon verbena was only in public restrooms. In cabins, we got one bar of soap and the 3 bottles attached to shower wall as shown in previous post. The aroma was strange. it said L’Occitane on bottles. The bottles often fell off the wall. Miss the small bottles of Lemon Verbena.

We book a cruise that leaves soon. With fewer planes and higher fares, we decided to let O do the air. We have one change going.Coming home 2 changes. It wouldn’t be my choice. It gets us there and back. Just hope planes fly on time. Missing connections could present issues.

Keep checking. Once you embark, you may be able to rebook at your desired time. They don’t put all reservation time slots on web for booking. There are some people who don’t book online. On my last cruise on Marina, I was able to book 3 out of 4 reservations at a table for 2. When we arrived at the shared reservation, they asked if we wouldn’t mind a table for 2. It all worked out.

Love Jacques. Will miss it on Vista. While Ember menu is ok, it doesn’t sound special.

sorry. I was on Marina. It had late Barristas. Loved it.

The attitude of everyone working for a company is important. If somebody in customer service tells you something incorrect or doesn't do what they say they are going to do, I usually back off. While I really liked my 11 Windstar cruises, I haven't booked again. When it comes to cruising, there are lots of good choices.

Before pandemic, diet coke was always available. When we sailed in December, we were only able to get diet coke the first week. After that, we were told that it wasn't available. It was only available by request before you sailed. Crazy? For our upcoming cruise, we requested diet coke. Will it be there? Hope so. Not a fan of diet pepsi. If there is a type of soft drink that you enjoy, request it before your cruise.

Usually on ships I avoid the deck under the buffet or pool. On Oceania, there are no late night pool parties. For the most part, people are quiet at night. After the show, the ship is very quiet. If we skip the show, we like a coffee at Baristas. We like that Baristas stays open late.

Has anyone flown on Eurowings Discover, a subsidiary of Lufthansa? Up until now, we always booked our own air. Last week, we booked a cruise that sails in June. We checked available air. It was very costly. We decided to let Oceania book air. Not surprised that we got arrangements with connections on multiple airlines. The O air department is very creative. We are flying all over and back again. Connection times are loose. I was able to contact most airlines to attach frequent flyer numbers and get seat assignments. We are ok with connecting flights. Being retired, we have time. The one exception is Eurowings Discover. Calling them is like my chances of winning the lottery when I haven’t bought a ticket. Even when you get through, the reps are not helpful. Also called Lufthansa who redirected me to Eurowings Discover. Has anyone flown on this airline?

In past, we only needed a visa when we flew into Turkey. You could buy it ahead online or upon arrival. Bought visa at airport when we arrived. It was quick and easy. Call it an entry fee. When we stopped on a cruise in Turkish ports, no visa was needed. Best to check Turkey government website for up to date regulations.

Never got a call back. Sadly, Windstar has changed.

tell your TA that you need a sharps container. It will be in the cabin.

Barristas and the lounges are nice to get a coffee or a snack. Barristas has great coffee and food. Now that it stays open late, we seldom go to the concierge lounge. If your cabin is close to the lounge, drop in for a snack. However, we like aft cabins. It's quicker to go up to Barristas.