1drifter

We are leaving on a world cruise and will be in Amsterdam in April. Our friends are taking a European river cruise in April, and we've found out they will be in Amsterdam the same day we are there!!  Plans now look like they will be docking at De Ruijterkade  and we will be at the PTA.  We're both taking morning shore excursions, but we would like to meet for lunch around

1 pm somewhere that has local cuisine, near where our ships are docked.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

When we chose O Air, we were given an itinerary and it did not meet our criteria and we called and changed it. It seems to me the in the email about your flights you are given an amount of time to accept or decline those flights.

It did not cost anything to get a better schedule....although afterwards, we chose to deviate to stay extra days in Miami after the cruise and it then cost the deviation fee.

I have a question about this procedure. We never received an e-mail about our flights. They are really terrible and we would have opted for something else. By the time I noticed that they had been posted to our account on-line, I called my TA and she said they had already been ticketed & could not be changed, unless we paid a $400 fee. (We could buy direct flights on our own for less than $400.) So this being our 1st Oceania cruise, we are starting out with a negative opinion. My question is, if you book through a TA, does she receive the e-mail about the flights & she is suppose to notify you? Or does Oceania usually let you know when your flights are assigned. I am wondering here if our TA dropped the ball or if Oceania really does not care about their customer's satisfaction.

We're looking forward to a great cruise, but we are disappointed in the handling of the air portion so far.

It sounds like we will be well taken care of. Thanks for all of your responses.

We are taking our 1st Oceania cruise in February. I have read many good things about the food, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience eating a vegetarian or vegan diet on the Marina. It looks as if Red Ginger has vegetarian selections. Would that be the only specialty restaurant that would be very accommodating to vegetarians?

We had our TA notify the cruise line of our vegan diet when we booked the cruise.

We've cruised a lot, but not on Oceania before. We've had varying degrees of success sticking to our diet on different cruise lines. We're hoping for a good experience on Oceania. Sharon

We cruised to Alaska June 20 on Disney. My grandsons swam in the pools--they loved it. It was too cool for me--and overcast. But the weather can vary. The pools were not crowded, but they were open.

We always try to get in a brunch at Palo, and the character breakfasts are fun. We never miss the Disney shows in the evening.

We are considering taking an east-bound transatlantic cruise on Cunard which lands in Southampton Oct 18 then taking a west-bound cruise from Lisbon on Crystal which boards the same day, Oct 18. Is this realistic? What is the best way to get from Southampton to Lisbon?:confused:

I realize people's tastes differ, so I don't want to say this will be your experience, but it was my favorite meal I have had on any cruise. I think part of what I enjoyed about our 1st brunch was that we went with a large group of our family & had the private dining room in Palo. But I have been back--every time I can--and I still enjoy the food & the experience. We've sailed Royal Caribbean, Disney, Crystal, Holland America & Celebrity, and we've had great food & not so great food. But if I had to chose 1 as my favorite, it would be Palo Brunch.

Thanks so much for the wonderful review & pictures! We will be on the Freedom in January & it is fun to preview it with all your great posts.

They ask you for your name, so you can tell them exactly how you would like to be announced. We had 10 people with all different last names, so we just said "Nana's crew". A lot of times I hear things like "The Smith and Jones Families". You can think about it now & then let them know at the door exactly how you'd like to be announced.

We prefer Palo--and we prefer brunch to dinner. But we are vegetarian, and that might affect our decision. Remy did prepare a vegetarian brunch for us, but we like the variety at Palo.

I've sailed with my grandson on several Disney cruises since he was 5 years old. He is 14 now and seems to enjoy the cruise even more now that he can hang out with kids his own age in the teen club. I think it depends on the teen & how outgoing they are, what their interests are, and what they like to do on vacation. But Disney does try to have activities for every age group, not just the youngest.

We have booked a private tour of the Amalfi Coast, so we can customize it to our liking. The tour suggests the normal route visiting Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. I'd just like to know if anyone has any suggestions for things they particularly liked on the Amalfi Coast so we would be sure to see them. Anything that you visited but thought it wasn't worth the time & effort? Someplace you either loved or hated for lunch? Just any suggestions to make it a wonderful day.

Thanks for the info! It sounds like hiring a service before we leave is the way to go!

I am trying to plan our day on the Amalfi Coast in May from the port of Sorrento. We will probably want to go to Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. My question is, are there tours or taxi/guides available at the port as there are in many other cities, or should I make advanced reservations with one of the guides recommended on CC. ( AP, Romeinlimo, Aldo or Joe Banana.)

We've been on the Magic several times before the recent dry dock, and we were on the Fantasy in November. Personally I prefer the Magic because it carries fewer people and seemed less crowded to me in most areas of the ship. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on any Disney ship though. They are all wonderful.

Food is a very personal subject. My husband thought Disney had much better food than Celebrity. If somebody else is cooking it and serving it to me I'm happy. There are several choices in the MDR and you can always check the menu outside the dining room during the day & decide if you'd like to eat somewhere else or have room service.

We booked another 3-day on the Magic at the end of February--can't wait!

I asked the same question before our cruise last spring. Someone replied that Norway is so beautiful, if you can afford it, see as much as you can. I opted for the longer shore excursion (we were on Celebrity--but the excursions sound similar.) I do not regret paying the extra money. I think we got a much better overview of Norway by taking the longer trip. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Every morning on the Oosterdam started with Continental breakfast of muesli, bran muffin, fresh squeezed oj, and fresh fruit with a cup of coffee. Then 3 times around the promenade deck! Shari