Redtravel

It varies from cruise to cruise. I make my reservations and hope for the best. I used to love Polo. Most recent cruise on Marina, Polo was not as good as we had previously. In fact, we cancelled our 2nd reservation in Polo. Instead we ate at Red Ginger. It has been consistently great. Toscana never disappoints. Jacques is always excellent.

I understand. For many years, we sailed on mass market lines. We are elite plus on Celebrity with almost 30 cruises. While Celebrity does a nice cruise, we got bored. Looking at the same menus, hearing the same lectures and jokes, and the constant cutbacks drove us to find a different experience. Azamara was a bit better than X, but not that different. We moved on to try Windstar, Viking, and Oceania. We still book a Celebrity cruise once in awhile if we are sailing with a group. As a couple, Oceania is our favorite. We appreciate loyalty perks. However, we are more driven by itinerary. Since the restart of cruising, we have sailed on 3 cruises...Celebrity, Windstar, and an Oceania. They were all different...and good. We have 3 more future bookings...a Viking and 2 Oceania. Looking forward to a cruise on Vista.

On many ships, I avoid cabins under the pool deck. Big mass market ships often have big deck parties. On Oceania R ships that isn’t an issue. We have booked deck 8 and never heard noise. I avoid aft cabins due to vibration.

Blue book was nice, but not necessary. I travel on other lines that don’t send out any advance package. Just show up at the dock, get checked off the list, luggage tags are then put on your bags, show your passports, get your key, and embark. Accept that expenses have increased and expect fewer frills.

Oceania entertainment certainly needs some fresh material. That Peggy Lee show should be eliminated.

It works on all airlines. It’s great when you book using miles. Direct flights cost more miles. Once there is a flight change, you can ask for the direct flight.

Concierge lounge is a comfy place to sit, drink coffee, and watch big screen tv. The concierge may be helpful getting info. On most recent cruise, we had an aft deck 10 cabin. It was not near the lounge. Went once. We found the Barista coffee bar has better coffee, snacks, and better seating inside or outside on deck. With new longer hours, the coffee bar is excellent. It’s open to 10 pm. the spa pool deck is not a great attraction. Went once. It was empty. Wind and no shade. Enjoyed my own veranda or a nice shaded chaise on pool deck. Pool deck has bar service. For me, the concierge lounge and entry to spa pool deck is not attractive.

We had fcc from the Sirena March 2020 last cruise before shutting down. After several attempts to use it, we took a cruise on Marina in 2022. We had been on Marina several times before the pandemic. There were some shortages and changes compared to before the pandemic. Nothing that was terribly wrong. We never shared a table and had plenty of space in most venues. We skipped most evening shows. That gave us lots of access to dining reservations. The buffet was served by crew wearing gloves. You didn’t handle serving utensils. Oceania did a great cruise. We booked a future cruise on Vista.

Most recent Celebrity cruise had all kinds of people. Sadly, many looked like they rolled out of bed and onto the ship. Pajamas in the MDR for breakfast. Torn jeans, gym shorts, hats, flip flops, muscle shirts, etc. were often seen at dinner in MDR. Before pandemic , you never saw this. Celebrity accepts everyone, but disregards their own dress codes. It’s more of a come as you are. Why not? Guests pay. The more guests, the more profit. Celebrity is not what it was before the pandemic. Accept or move on.

Have booked air with Viking several times because the price is right. It’s always less than I can get. It is usually decent arrangement. Never had more than one connection. On some routes there isn’t a great arrangement. Haven’t experienced many problems with Viking Air seat selection. The reservation number either matches the airline or call the airline and get the number. Got the booking reservation more than 6 months before our upcoming cruise. 4 planes, seat selection on 3 of the flights. I was ok with seats on 2 of the flights. I changed seats on the 3rd flight. The flight with no seat assignments is a very short ride. For a short ride, it isn’t a big deal. Relax. If you get a terrible arrangement, call your TA and ask for assistance. She even got us free seat assignments on a BA flight.

The train in Flam is amazing. We got off the ship early and bought tickets. The train ticket booth is very close to the dock. This is a very easy do it yourself ride. We rode up in an uncrowned car. The later trains were packed with ship excursions.

$100 markup is pure greed. I would expect a small markup for the convenience of picking up at the dock. Unless you have excess OBC, I wouldn’t book that tour. There are many independent tour guides. I have done many shore excursions before the pandemic. Windstar does a very good excursion.

Vasa is a must see. It’s also cheaper if you do it yourself. Old town is an easy walk which can be done anytime.

We are big fans of Windstar. We especially like the Star ships. When they announced the stretching and adding more cabins, we wondered if adding guests would work. We enjoyed sailing on the Breeze last fall after the stretch. However, with only 130 guests, there was lots of space. They didn’t enlarge Yacht club, Compass Rose, or the Lounge. Aamphora and the Veranda were enlarged. Star Grill was never open for dinner. Cuadro 44 was very small. We ate there once and decided not to do it again. If you sailed recently on a Star ship that was full, was there enough space in all public venues?

Viking asks for full payment. However, my TA often asks for extensions. I pay with a credit card which includes cancellation insurance. 120 days is maximum that I will pay in full. You can wait to book. There are often last minute deals. We have booked them. However, if you want a specific itinerary, waiting may not work. We were booked on Viking cruise in 2020 which got canceled. Got refund. Still wanted to do that cruise. Waitied to book it in 2022. It sold out…every sailing. This year we waited until 6 months out, saw a great promo, and booked the cruise.

Did 3 cruises in 2022. Celebrity, Windstar, and Oceania. 2 future bookings…not Celebrity. in 2020, we got stuck at sea on Oceania. Not our first Oceania cruise. It was our worst cruise ever. I might have walked away from Oceania and cruising after that awful experience. However Oceania gave us substantial fcc. Used it for a 2022 cruise. It was excellent. Even booked a future cruise onboard. Oceania is what Celebrity used to be before it was sold to RCL. You may pay more for a bigger cabin or a preferred location. Aside from that everyone enjoys all the dining venues. No suite dining room, no reserved seats anywhere, no priority tenders, etc.

Elite plus with about 1200 points. For many years, I chose Celebrity. As time past, things changed. What was once an open ship for all became segregated by class. As suite , aqua, and concierge classes got special privileges and parts of the ship were closed to ordinary cruisers, the ship had less to offer. I used to love it when dining room was open for all meals regardless of whether ships were in a port or at sea. Now, lunch in MDR is only served at sea. I am not happy with the crowded buffets. Adding more cabins meant parts of the ship were cut off from cruisers. No library? That space is now cabins. Each time that I sailed on X, there were more changes. Most were cutbacks. I often asked myself is this MODERN luxury? The main reason that I wouldn’t put Celebrity high on my list is the boredom. Been looking at the same menus for many years. Cruise directors repeat the same old jokes. It is time for a NEW Celebrity. Freshen up the menus, add new activities, open the MDR for lunch, improve the food, etc.

We were on Marina recently. Fish and poultry dishes were good. Beef was often very tough. Polo steak was so tough that I sent it back. Replacement was somewhat better. It was a real letdown. On previous cruises we loved Polo. We canceled our next booking in Polo. We met other people who did the same.

Taxis between airport and Paris city locations are a fixed rate. Drivers will try to use the meter unless you say that you want fixed rate.

If you have SSBP, does it include liquors in your cabin fridge?

I have been in cabins on decks 4,5 and 6. All are good. Saw the deck 3 cabins on my recent Breeze cruise.They are all completely new spaces created from the former Aamphora dining room. They are midship and low. Great location!

Windstar ships are small. If the motion of the ocean bothers you, you may not enjoy WS. More than once we have bounced in high seas.

We loved HS ice cream. Best ice cream that we ever got on a cruise. We tried every flavor offered on our 14 night trip. Some good, some great (Vietnamese coffee), and a few that we didn’t like. Hope that HS I’ve cream is available on my next I cruise.

Last minute deals do exist. If you wait, you may get one. You may also be out of luck. If you are flexible with dates, you might get a deal. On popular routes, cabins can sell out. If you are set on taking a specific cruise, look for a special code. Get on email list.

It depends on the flying distance. For shorter distances, booking your own air may be less expensive. We got our reservations yesterday for a cruise next summer. I was able to access the reservations online using the My Viking Journey. My seats were ok for 3 out of 4 flights. I changed the seats on the 4th flight online. It was easy. I always check making my own air arrangements before signing on with Viking Air. So far, Viking wins even if I want to extend my stay. Extend my stay either before or after by paying the deviation fee. Often like to arrive early if the cruise departs from an interesting place. There have often been some trips that we extended after the cruise. We still got Viking Air. We booked our own hotel.