ruthnlarry

1 hour ago, Hokapontas said:

 

Us too! 

Though the O P has changed their room, we have loved seeing the land come up towards us, like being the pilot. Especially in the morning, sun rising. No seasickness for me, but the one time my husband was afflicted, I noted that those others complaining all had midships locations - maybe because they knew they might get sick. And they did, anyway. 

 

Have a merry trip. 

Sounds great!  We accepted an upsell, and picked cabin 6000.  Knew that there would be more motion, but we really wanted the view that others have posted.  Besides, I never get seasick, and neither does DW since she wears a patch.  Counting down the days til we board Sirena!! : )

1 hour ago, Gardendog said:

Thank you for that link. Very useful! Now I just have to figure out what the coastal states of Brazil are.

Here is a link to a CDC map showing where there is transmission of malaria: 

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/yellow-fever-malaria-information-by-country/brazil#5314

7 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I  would prepurchase the beverage package  before you board  unless you want to test whether the Rep was right or not

JMO

I would if I could.

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

Please be aware that the customer relations people you talk to on the phone can be misinformed on matters. You having a recording of their error may or may not affect what you pay.

 

We always utilize our TA when we have such questions, because their sources within Oceania is far more knowledgeable than those answering the 1-800 line.

 

Good Luck!

The "live chat" was a written communication with Oceania customer service through a link on their website.  The exact written transcript of our communication was emailed to me by Oceania.  This was not a verbal communication.

42 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I haven’t yet done that cruise. Here are two possible options:

 

If you have selected the standard beverage package as your OLife option , this is done beforehand, so the only transaction in Rio is the $20/ day upgrade .

1. You might indeed pay the VAT on the upgrade or $5/ day extra. In that case I’d only initially buy enough days to get me out of Brazil, then pay again for the remainder of the cruise. That’s legal and acceptable.

 

2. Oceania could eat the VAT! Charge you the $20 rate inclusive of VAT and pay the calculated taxes to Brazil. So the charges would be $16 for the package upgrade and $4 VAT = $20.

 

 

We did not select the standard beverage package as our OLife option.

Below is the transcript of part of our live chat:

We are booked on the April 18 Sirena cruise departing from Rio.  After reading comments on this thread, I was curious about whether the VAT would be added onto the listed price for the beverage package if purchased onboard while in Rio.  I was told that the listed price, $59.95/day for the prestige beverage package includes taxes.  There are no extra charges. 

I had a transcript of this live chat emailed to myself if I need to dispute any extra charge.

4 hours ago, bobolz said:

Thanks Laurence and all the other responses. 

 

So you can arrange your own tours in Cuba? I was reading about the visa/affidavit that had to be completed  a certain way  to allow you to go off on your own, but wasn’t sure if I understood it correctly. Good to know.

 

we booked the insignia cruise right after the one you recommended. It’s very similar  itinerary and includes the overnight stays in Cuba .  

 

LB_NJ not sure if you have more info on missed Cuban ports and how often they are missed and reasons why? 

 

Thanks again 

We were on a Sirena Cuba cruise in January, and had no problem with our independent excursions in all of the Cuban ports.  All we had to do was to complete the affidavit sent to us by Oceania affirming that we were only engaged in OFAC compliant activities.  https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Regional Content/Documents/Legal/81604468313/OFAC-Certification-Form.pdf

The whole process was easy, and we were never questioned.  Don't worry about taking independent excursions in Cuba. 

Will Oceania broadcast the College Football National Championship?  We board Sirena next week, and were interested.

31 minutes ago, RobC1116 said:

Thank for all the replies! I guess some of my confusion now about hiking boots vs. waterproof knee-high muck boots is that the latter are required in Antarctica because of the possibility of environmental contamination. You have to sanitize the muck boots before getting off and when returning to the ship from landings in Antarctica. What is the situation in the Arctic? If the waterproof boots are not required for landings, I might bring my own hiking boots and take a chance on borrowing the muck boots when necessary.

Why would one spend so much money on a Silversea expedition cruise, and then, take a chance of not being allowed to go ashore because one refused to rent or buy boots as specified in the precruise planning docs?  This makes no sense.

We are going on Silver Cloud in December, and have placed our order to rent boots.  We considered buying knee-high boots, but decided to rent because of the luggage weight restrictions on our Ushuaia flight.  We would not be very happy if our rented boots did not fit properly, and our size wasn't available because somebody had "borrowed" boots instead of renting them!

1 hour ago, ORV said:

If you're on the 20th cruise you are not paying for deviations. It starts being free at 15. But yes, you can fly in early and leave late, but you may have to pay extra, depending on the flights.

Thank you!

On the free 20th cruise with included air, can you fly in early, or fly back days later?  Maybe pay air deviation?

We normally book an oceanview cabin.  If an oceanview is not available on the cruise we desire, can we get a veranda and pay the difference?

Thanks!

I just checked, and can see my future booked cruises and O Club info. Can't see OBC from Oceania. Using Firefox on Mac.

I just tried. I am able to log on, but all of our information is missing. Our Oceania Club information and our 4 future Oceania cruises are not available.

Hi! We're looking forward to our Silver Cloud cruise to Antarctica in December.

Are pullover sweaters acceptable apparel for men in the various dining rooms for dinner? We have cruised on Oceania where they required that men's shirts have collars in the MDR and specialty restaurants during dinner. Thanks for your advice!

After Nov 1, 2019, shipboard credit for Silver tier has been reduced from $400 to $250.

We have just booked a 2020 cruise, and below are the new Silver amenities that our TA sent:

OCEANIA CLUB COMP INTERNET BENEFIT + 30% DISCOUNT 1, 2

OCEANIA CLUB COMPLIMENTARY GRATUITIES

OCEANIA CLUB SILVER LEVEL SHIPBOARD CREDIT PER SUITE $250.00

OCEANIA CLUB SILVER MEMBER CAP AND TOTE BAG

OCEANIA CLUB COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLE OF WINE

I'm on Marina right now in French Polynesia. The weather couldn't be better. Sunshine and warm (hot) weather. But I'm only 3 days in....if it changes I'll post again.

Thanks for the info! We board Marina after your cruise for a B2B.

In January 2016, we were on Marina from Valparaiso to Papeete, including Easter Island. Had fabulous weather for this great cruise. That's why we are returning next week.:D

That's right because I called and asked the office--they said when you start number 10 you get all benefits.

It appears that Oceania management can't agree on a definitive answer for this question. Our TA has asked Oceania's sales this same question a couple of times for us. She has been told several times that we will get prepaid gratuities after our 10th cruise, and not on our 10th cruise.:confused:

Earlier this year, I asked the Oceania Club Ambassador on Marina whether we would get prepaid gratuities on our 10th cruise, or after. I was told that we should get them on the 10th cruise. However, we should go to the OC Ambassador at the beginning of our 10th cruise, and get confirmation.

I have our on ship invoice for our 5th Oceania cruise. On the invoice, it clearly lists the $200 OBC we were given as a perk of our Bronze status on the 5th cruise. This is written proof that the perk is given on the cruise resulting in moving to the next level in the Oceania Club.

We were very happy with Smiths for Airports. Last July, they transported us from LHR to our Southampton hotel. Our driver was on time, safe on the highway, and courteous. The price was also great!

Hi! We currently have 8 cruise credits. Next March, we are booked on Marina for a 30 day cruise (one booking #) from Papeete to LA. We were originally booked on Sirena for a similar itinerary, but Sirena was reassigned, and we eventually settled for this B2B as a replacement.

Since this new 30 day cruise is worth 2 cruise credits, will we get prepaid gratuities for the entire 30 day cruise, and $400 OBC? From what I have been reading, the answer appears to be "yes".

Also, will we be able to book 2 reservations at each of the specialty restaurants when reservations open on line?

Thanks! :D

I just read your review. Thank you so much. Can you elaborate as to which tour companies you used. We have a hard rule to book only independent tours. If A country is hosting me, The least I can do is spend with the locals, not the shareholders of a cruise line. I support them enough already.

 

I wish we could sail from Papeete to LA, that sounds wonderful!! This is 70th bday cruise for my husband but we are both still working. I do question our intelligence for that decision on a regular basis. :)

 

I planned to get a room at the IC for one day upon arrival to see Papeete but also to rest. We are heading to the FS in Bora Bora and it is just too pricey to waste a day jet lagged! Is the island tour you mentioned all day or a half day. Maybe we can do that for part of the day.

 

Regarding pearls, I thought I would get educated in Papeete and Bora Bora but purchase in either Fakarava or Huahine. Did your tour go to the Pearl Farms at either place. I am in the anti counterfeiting business so I am the eternal skeptic when purchasing anything authentic. The pearl farms are attractive because of this. Authenticity is more important to me than perfection.

 

I am a bit concerned as I may have to use O Air. We are deviating on the front end so it will be air Tahiti as it is the only airline that flies that day. I guess we would return on the charter. Would you recommend booking ourselves to avoid it?

 

Thanks again!

In Bora Bora, we highly recommend the excursion with Patrick of Maohi Nui. http://www.maohinui.net/en/lagon-et-festin-polynesien

We took this tour last year with fellow cruisers on our RC, and had a fantastic experience! You can read our TripAdvisor review posted on Feb. 6, 2016. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...s.html#REVIEWS

In Fakarava, we highly recommend the excursion with Ato Lissant. http://www.fakarava-divelodge.com/ex...able-rose.html

In 2016, we took his tour with fellow cruisers on our RC, and had a great experience. You can read our TripAdvisor review posted on Feb. 6, 2016. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...chipelago.html

We loved our 2016 FP Marina cruise so much that we are returning next year when we are doing a B2B. Next year, we have booked tours with Ato and Patrick again. :D

Just disembarked Journey in Mumbai. Arneil who worked in the Sunset bar is the best! He makes a great G&T, and DW loved his Cosmos!![emoji14]

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Has anyone had experience with the inside Cat F and G rooms? Im looking at a pretty long cruise and there is sizable price difference. The cat G appears to be the same cabin but perhaps in less desirable areas. Anyone ever use this cat and if so what do you think?

Last July, Oceania offered us a great deal to downgrade to an inside cat G on our 20 night Nautica cruise. We took it, and enjoyed the cabin and all the extra money from Oceania. Would do it again in a heartbeat!!:)

is that private or with O ?

The private tour with Patrick of Maohi Nui in Bora Bora. http://www.maohinui.net/en/lagon-et-festin-polynesien

Has anyone any idea how much the Bora Bora snorkel tour with lunch ( suckling pig) is?

The price of the 3/4 day tour with Polynesian feast is $130.00 USD per person.

We've started a Roll Call for the Marina March 7, 2018 cruise, and are in the process of booking excursions for this cruise. :D