TKS

Did you request the information be given to you in writing? That way you have a bargaining chip, indicating your attempt to ensure your needs were met and the company's response.

We also did a TA in early November, and it was lovely once we were out of the Med.

 

However, Barcelona was 50 degrees F for the highs the two days we were there, and with the humidity it was very cold (we live in the Rocky Mts., so, believe me, we do know what cold is). I wish I had taken a pair of gloves and something heavier to layer under my rain jacket. The weather didn't stop us, but those days were not as pleasant as the other times we've been in Barcelona that time of year. Since then I take a pair of gloves and a moderate sweater to fit under the rain jacket when visiting Barcelona that time of year. Haven't needed them since, but gloves and a light sweater don't weigh much, and they're insurance I now believe.

 

Oh, and be sure to take an umbrella and/or a rain jacket, since that time of year can have rain in the Med.

DH enjoys good, but "plain" coffee. - he doesn't like "fancy" coffee. I don't drink "plain" coffee but do sometimes enjoy cappuccino in the morning and/or after dinner onboard ship. Can we use the specialty punches for my cappuccino, or do we need to buy two packages?

Wake early to see sunrise over the ocean. Enjoy a lazy afternoon nap so you can stay up late and star/moon gaze. Don't miss sunset at sea. Enjoy making new friends.

 

A cruise is different than a land only vacation. It is less hectic because you don't have to drive, find parking, find your new hotel every night, etc. But if you want activity, there are always things to do, and people to do it with.

 

Enjoy!!! And being pampered on O is a good way to do that. Take the few minutes each morning to read Currents, the daily newsletter, to see the upcoming events, but don't get so tied to them you forget to relax. That's the secret of cruising to me, learning to let go, letting someone else do the heavy lifting along the way, and totally relaxing during your time aboard. O's crew is great at making it easy.

 

Welcome to cruising!

Don't know Mr. Lustig, but Leslie is a warm, friendly, "hands-on" CD. He is always visible around the ship and makes a real effort to make people feel welcome onboard. He is also the "original" O CD, having been with the company since the beginning. Nice, nice man.

 

I agree, interaction with the CD doesn't have a great deal to do with my enjoyment of the cruise, but he/she manages the entire entertainment staff on board, so sets the tone for that portion of the trip. To say they are unimportant is not correct, because there is a great deal more to their job than just shaking hands and introducing the nightly entertainment. They are really part of the crew management.

The free things you speak of are not really free.

Fares are high on Oceania.

The specialty restaurants on Oceania fill up fast. Extra reservations are available depending on what cabin cat you book. The higher the cat the more reservations, so unless you book an owners suite the chances of going more then once are not great.

 

The Terrace Buffet is outstanding, along with Red Ginger and Toscana.

 

Colo Cruiser, We've sailed several times on Oceania and always were able to get additional reservations if we wanted, no matter what category we sailed. Yes, above PH get 2 reservations each on Riviera/Marina, but that is only a few people, and there are many additional bookings available. Yes, you have to get up and to the reservations desk at 8 AM and be flexible if you want those reservations, but they are available. On some cruises, when there was a line in the MDR we've even been asked if we would consider one of the specialty restaurants because there is immediate availability. Just a quick walk up, or down a couple floors and dinner is served.

 

We love O, but it is getting relatively expensive for our cruising budget. Celebrity is our second choice. Haven't sailed Princess yet, but will in January. Looking forward to experiencing Princess's "flavor" of cruising.

Dan, the numbers are just that - numbers. The awards are based on the most votes, and the big lines have lots more capacity, hence lots more people sailing. Many of those folks have no knowledge of the upscale lines, but are happy with their cruises, so they vote accordingly.

Glad you're home, Don. You and Betsy take care of each other, so you can be cruising again soon. Best to you both.

Don, I second Jan - anything you post is welcome.

 

Hope the hospital didn't remove your wonderful disposition and fun personality. Our best to you and Betsy.

 

Tarmo & Kay

We housed in 8006 the last time we sailed. I was initially concerned regarding elevator/stairway noise, connecting room and noise from above. We heard nothing, except one night when the neighbors were having a somewhat loud conversation, but would have likely heard that under any circumstances. That cabin had the additional advantage of just a quick walk up the stairs to the spa hot tub (DH went nearly every night to enjoy the stars), which is accessible to PH cruisers. I would happily book it again.

You and your lovely DW are some of the special folks we've met on tours and at that special dinner. You, ralleydave, and others like you are the reasons I'll continue private touring. What a wonderful time we've had together because of those tours/events. My cruise experiences would be less rich without you. Thanks, Mark!

Sorry if this thread has caused you to shun all private tours. I will happily continue signing up for and organizing private tours.

In the long run, although I think it is shabby to knowingly jack up prices to make money from fellow passengers (Dave, this DOES NOT include your situation), one must still look at the outcome. Did you enjoy the tour? Was it reasonably priced (lower than similar tour by the cruise line)? Was it well organized/run? Would you recommend it to others? If the answer to most/all these questions is "yes" then you've hit a home run and found a good deal, no matter what the situation with the organizer.

There are always going to be people who "game" the system for a profit. We all just need to be aware it happens and guard ourselves against being scammed. We don't need to throw out the entire system of organizing private tours through CC because of a few bad apples.

The folks I've toured with privately have all been stellar people. I know how much time it takes to research and organize a tour, often at risk of it costing money out of your own pocket for no-shows, welchers, etc. Thanks to all I've toured with for your effort and generosity!!!

I too have set up tours and never taken any comps or added fees from others. It never even occurred to me, since the savings a small group enjoys is so great compared to the ship's tours, I can't imagine anyone thinking they should get even more. Besides the smaller tours are so much more intimate and fun than the cattle car tours offered by most ships, and that is my "perk", hopefully shared by all on the tour too.

 

I have had one tour operator ask if I'd like to become his "American contact for his tours." Needless to say, I said no thanks. Maybe that's what that woman has done and is trying to pay for her cruise habit that way? Who knows.

 

Anyway, I agree. It is very distasteful to treat your fellow passengers in such a shabby way.

Why do so many people just assume children will be bored/act badly/etc. aboard O cruises?

 

There have been a few young people on every cruise we've taken with O, aged from about three to mid-teens, and without exception they have acted politely and caused no problems. I can't say that for 100% of the adults on board. The comments some adults made (within earshot of children and their parents), just seeing the children, were unkind and unpleasant. So if the experience was not good, it wasn't the children's fault, rather it was the intolerant adults.

Sorry your travel to the cruise was so difficult, but I hope you enjoy your time aboard O's ships. It's worth the struggles!

O has one show per night. Usually at 9:30.

Marina/Riviera are ~1,250 passengers, not the 4,000-passenger mega-ships of some lines. The design is pretty straight forward, with elevators fore and aft, and a general description of what is on each level is visible in the elevator when you reach that floor. No "dead ends" like on some of the huge ships.

 

A stroll around the decks on embarkation day should give you the general flow, and it gets increasingly easier from there.

 

Enjoy!

On our last cruise there were two children, both girls about 11 who looked remarkably alike but were not related. One was 11 going on 35 and the other 11 going on 7. But both were fine aboard. The mentally less developed girl got lots of attention from the crew as they tried to make her cruise enjoyable too, and the mentally more developed girl, who was in the cabin next to ours, spent many hours with her grandmother. I saw them holding hands sometimes, and witnessed her excusing herself from the dinner table a few times, kissing her grandmother and wishing all at the table good night - super girl! - and in talking to her she'd been traveling this way for several years and already had an impressive collection of passport stamps. Neither girl seemed to be bored, neither was a problem for anyone.

 

We've had a few children on every O cruise we've taken and none have been a problem for anyone else, although one young man of about 15 did seem to be really bored. So to me the issue is not that they are children, but how they and their parents/grandparents handle the lack of children's activities and sometimes hostile attitude toward children aboard O. Like the adults, some are a joy, others - well, not so much.

We were on a 24-day cruise with Willie Ames late last year when he was very visible the first half cruise, but hardly anywhere except on tv the second half. The reason? He was ill. He never said anything about it, but it became obvious from his voice later in the cruise he was fighting a wicked cold. The last day he apologized to everyone, from the tv, for not being out more because he had been so ill.

So I try not to be critical until I know the circumstances.

Mura is absolutely right. Barcelona is a rich, wonderful place to visit, and their hop-on/hop-off is one of the best we've experienced. When we were there last November the cost was about $30 US per day per person, and there are two companies following nearly the same route.

 

I recommend getting a really good tour book for Barcelona to determine what your interests are (architecture, art, history, food, etc.), then repost more specific questions in order to elicit answers specific to your needs.

 

Have a wonderful time! Barcelona is one of our favorite cities in Europe.

I worried about exactly the same thing on our last 24-day Nautica cruise when we were in a PH with a door to the adjoining room, and it turned out one of the two children aboard was staying in that room. We only heard any noise from that room one night for a few minutes, and it was minor (sounded like a somewhat loud family discussion).

Looks like he was having a pretty good time. Also, it looks like he's doing more than researching CC'ers opinions, rather he's experiencing some typical cruise experiences for himself.

First, and only, time I allowed myself to be convinced to have shellac nails was for a 3-week cruise. When I had to have it taken off onboard (no new coat applied) it cost $85!!! And that was several years ago.

 

Why not do your own for your cruise. You have ample free time, and it costs a LOT less.

Love my Ipad, Iphone and my DSL camera, but the camera takes by FAR the best photos, is easy to carry and is not so attractive to steal for the reasons stated earlier by several people.

 

A small, easy to use dongle sold by Apple for ~$30 allows you to remove the card from your camera and download your photos directly to your Ipad. It puts the photos directly into your Camera Roll so you can then categorize them as you choose. We used it extensively on our last 24 day cruise and it helped immensely with getting things in order and making sure we had tagged the photos correctly. There are knock-offs available too, but I don't know how well they work. We've been very satisfied with out Apple photo dongle.

Well, if the information garnered in Post 2 from tropicalkerry2002 is accurate, it looks like the R ships are safe, with the possibility of expanding if another should come available.