DENIE

Moving forward, I think we will too!

Oh, yeah, that would be a problem! We were on the June 15 Rome-Barcelona sailing on the Riviera, with I understand about 800 passengers. This should be about 64% capacity. While great to have the service and attention, it has to really be hurting the bottom line.

We've always done DIY flights, as I have heard some of these stories even before Covid. Prefer to have some control over that. That said, we did DIY flights for our June Riviera sailing Rome to Barcelona, arriving in Rome 2 days before the cruise (2 nights hotel). It doesn't help when airlines shorten the connections after you have booked (British Airways chopped 30 minutes layover time off our Phoenix-London segment). Not to mention every one of those flights the week before departed late (I was monitoring). Our flight was late, and then there was a plane sitting at our gate, so we held on the tarmac. We needed every minute to get from terminal 3 to terminal 5 due to shortages in security, etc. No bathroom stops, no food/beverage stops, and fast-paced walk. Thank goodness our return from Barcelona-London-Phoenix was OK. However, in these times, it figures that Business Class passengers on our London-Phoenix segment got into a scuffle during the boarding process (ON THE PLANE!), so we ended up spending 4 hours on the tarmac due to sorting the mess out (another story). At least we were on the homebound leg of our trip. BOTTOM LINE: Flying is still an adventure, the airports are crowded, and just about anything can happen! DIY or book through Oceania, it could still be an adventure! 😛

...and thank you for all of your excellent advice! 😃 Dale

We just returned from a cruise on another line where 3 or 4 large glass containers of water (sparkling if you wanted it) were automatically refilled every time the cabin steward came by. You could also take those containers all over the ship and refill yourselves if you wanted (no charge). I know it isn't the case with a lot of lines, but it seems that water should not factor into an additional cost.

This is exactly what we did on our Riviera cruise - just as you advised some time ago! 😃 We happened to walk in after embarkation to check out Red Ginger, and someone saw us and came over to chat. The actually encouraged us to book a reservation because they said the first night in the GDR is usually a bit chaotic. Got our cruise off to an amazing start!!

You are welcome! It is not out there yet, but hopefully soon. Seems they are a bit tardy! Our prior 3 cruises were on Celebrity, which is still a fine line. But Oceania, in our opinion, is just that much better on a number of counts, especially the food and fewer crowds!

We just disembarked in Barcelona last weekend. Lots of taxis, including mini-vans. Our taxi driver that took us from the hotel to the airport told us how many taxis there were in Barcelona - I can't remember the number, but it blew my mind. They are all painted the same black and yellow paint scheme.

Sure! I will watch for it. It isn't there as of tonight.

You are welcome. I did a full-review in the "Reviews" forum. It sometimes takes several days for it to appear, but you might want to check there. Let me know if you have any other questions - happy to help!

Wow. This is all just so crazy. We are feeling fortunate from our 6/15-6/25 Rome to Barcelona cruise. We flew British Airways Phoenix-London-Rome, and then Barcelona-London-Phoenix. I had been monitoring the Phoenix and London flights for a week prior, since it is the same plane - it lands, reloads, and then flies back. It was almost NEVER on time. We left Phoenix 1 hour late, but made the time up in the air, for the most part. For our transfer flight to Rome, we needed every minute of the layover to go from Heathrow T3 to T5 to make the connection (to be honest, British Airways changed our flight time several months ago which shortened that connection by 30 minutes). The security lines were just maddening. On the return flight from Barcelona on a Sunday morning early, we walked into the terminal and found snaking lines everywhere, including British Airways. Though arriving at 5 a.m., we needed every minute again as we walked to the gate just as they called our boarding group. Fortunately, we had about a 6 hour layover to get from T5 back to T3 at Heathrow. We witnessed security select a young family ahead of us with (I'm guessing) 3- and 4-year-old boys for higher level screening, and making the boys go through the full body scanner and hold their arms over their heads. They were screaming as they didn't understand the instructions and were scared. I have to ask if this was really necessary, and perhaps the cause of some of the ugly delays??

Hi! We didn't spend a lot of time in the boutiques, so I don't think we encountered this staff. We also loved the Terrace Grill more than we thought we would. There was a wonderful French Market Dinner that they had for 2 nights near the end of the cruise that was just terrific! We love Oceania! 😃

That is way too much money! We just got back from the Mediterranean, and a regular pharmacy next to our hotel in Rome charged 15 Euro and had the results in 20 minutes. No Covid test should cost $120 - I'm a health care fraud investigator, and that is not an acceptable charge. At this point, the proctored exams that some cruise lines are contracting with seem the best way to go.

I must add that we really loved getting the pins and luggage tags. We immediately placed the luggage tags on our suitcases, and plan to leave them there! 😃

Agree with Hlitner. We've done both. In 2019 we needed the Hilton due to early morning flights. However, our recently completed cruise a couple weeks ago we had additional built-in time in Rome, so stayed in central Rome. For those early flights, the Hilton was great. We also did not mind the walk under the covered walkway. The restaurant was delicious, and the service we received was very good. This recent trip, we spent 2 nights at the Hotel Manfredi near the Spanish steps, and it was fantastic, oozing with charm. Apparently there is a hotel with the same name close to the Colosseum. Ours, by the Spanish steps, was a true boutique hotel on a very small street, and lots of restaurants all around. That is the charm we were looking for!

We just returned from a Mediterranean cruise that began in Rome in June 2022. We came upon RomeInLimo in 2019 on a previous cruise and were so happy with our tour that day. While planning this trip we decided right away to return to Jany and RomeInLimo. Our tour of Rome and the Vatican was just as amazing as it was the first time. Our driver, Stefan was so professional, courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable! We were in a beautiful black Mercedes touring sedan, SO comfortable!! We saw everything we wanted to see and more! When making arrangements, Jany arranged for the same Vatican guide we had in 2019, Massimo! He was so knowledgeable and witty - absolutely had a great time on that tour. About halfway through he said he did remember us from those years before. This is just a great operation, and we will certainly use them again. I really appreciate the prompt responses by Jany to my email questions. We will certainly use them again, and would love to see what they have available in other cities in Italy. 5-star all the way! 🙂

Yes! Everything else that was "cooked to order" was done exactly right! It was wonderful!

Hahaha! Ok, so my sister-in-law ordered rare prime rib in Jacques that came out very well done. The Maitre'd worked with us and brought something else. Otherwise, seriously, nothing to complain about that was worth noting! We absolutely had a fabulous cruise. Of course, our motto is that "any day on a cruise ship is better than just about anything else". So blessed to have this fabulous cruise! 😄

My wife, sister-in-law, and I just completed our first Oceania Cruise - 6/15 to 6/25 Opulent Mediterranean - aboard the Riviera. We could not have been more satisfied! For us, this was a year and a half in the planning, and spending time on this Board getting terrific advice and answers to questions (thank you!). Most of our recent experience has been on Celebrity and decided to try Oceania based on the recommendation of friends. We immediately found so much to like about the smaller size and more intimate experience. The inclusion of all specialty restaurants was most appreciated! We also took advantage of the La Reserve wine dinner, and Moet and Chandon experience, and the spa services. We also noticed that by a couple days in, many of the staff were addressing us by name. We have never had such a warm and caring staff! After a couple days aboard, we decided we must book another cruise, so opted for a 2024 cruise aboard the upcoming Vista! We cannot wait, and are so happy to join the Oceania family! I think we found a new "home" (even though we have a "one off" cruise with a bunch of friends on HAL this December). Dale

Just got off our first Oceania cruise on the Riviera - Rome to Barcelona. It was more sedate than other cruises we have been on (mostly Celebrity), however we loved it. We sometimes went to the show, and then hung out in Martini's and listened to LG on the piano. We also followed the string quartet around at times. We don't need a lot of high energy to keep us entertained. I agree that these more port intensive itineraries led themselves to getting a good nights sleep! We must have enjoyed it as we booked another cruise while ono board - on the Vista.