honumaui

Curious what labor day sale offer we will get tomorrow..TA is going to try booking at C1 fares for an upgrade to A2 on two cruises on the list. Both on the old R ships. Will let you know what cost they will book. Does anyone actually get a four cat upgrade ?

Are you sure you went on Oceania's web site. I went in and it showed the sale right away..Four Cat upgrade on a list of cruises.  Book between Aug 30-Sep 07. I e mailed my TA to book on the 30th.

We did an Alaska cruise tour ( before covid) with them and it was great. Booked them again but cancelled because of covid .

We've been on 10 Windstar cruises incl two b to b on the Surf. We have booked with them directly ( also had two cancellations due to covid anxieties) and had no problems. We recommend booking the Wind Surf for the carib. The sails are unique and sail aways can't be matched. We also suggest wine by the bottle. They will also save unfinished bottles for next meal.  You will spend quite a bit more for the all in package unless you drink a lot and do a lot of laundry. Our only negative with them is having to fly from the west coast to a carib. island to board. We go a day ahead and sometimes stay a day after too. Not a problem before covid.

We have enjoyed the french balconies on Windstar. Their motorized yachts formally belonged to Seaborne.  Unless you want to sit on your balcony they are great. Ours was about a foot wide so we could step out and see the complete view the regular balconies have.

Just an idea. If you wanted to donate it to the crew, you could use it in the shops and get gifts for them but nothing big as they don't have much storage room. I guess they could ship stuff home from a port.

Jewelry, jewelry.jewelry. I have some really nice pieces from Regent cruises that I wear a lot. If we had spa treatments I would have enjoyed them but nothing to take home.

We decided to change our Dec cruise to 2023. TA called. Oceania would change the deposit without a problem but not our FCC which they said would expire  Dec 2022. So if it is just the deposit you should have no problem switching.

You may want to check the current requirements for entering Canada on the internet.

My recommendation: Book a cruise on Regent. After that book a cruise on Oceania. Then book another cruise on Regent. Then book another on Oceania.  Repeat until you are too old (or broke) to cruise any more,

Have been on Regent 3 times, Oceania once. Concierge level.  Comfort, service and food were comparable.  If you factor in the cost of business air , drinks and tours Regent wins by far. If you prefer to do your own air and not interested in a tour every day,  Oceania would be a more economical choice. For example, we have booked Regent for our next European trip and Oceania for the Caribbean as we have free air miles for Miami and have been to the islands many times..Oceania's OBC will pay for most of our beverages.

I am 79 and hubby is 80. Our advice..renew passports ..It is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. Travel as much as you can while you can. We have missed a lot of travel because of covid the past two years. We intend to make up for it as soon as the restrictions loosen up a bit (hopefully) . We have three cruises planned for the future. Our days of jumping off of catamarans to snorkel are over but still intend to enjoy what we can still do.

We've been on the Surf three times  ( two b to b ) and I never get tired of the sail away.  It is a treat you can not get on any of the big ships.  We were on our way departing from St Kitts once with our sails opening and the big Princess ship in port was taking photos of our sail away !

  Agree too on the deck barbecue..my hint - ''skip the salads and go for the lobster tails first."

Plan Candles for a day in port if possible..otherwise it can be a bit windy.

Check the entertainment times in the lounges..they are often duos that are quite good.  Also the entertainment before dinner in the main lounge.

And check out the yacht club for coffees and snacks. 

IMO Windstar's beds are adequate but not as comfortable as Regent's king.  If we only want the best in sleeping comfort we choose Regent. We booked a crossing on them for 2023.  If we want certain itineraries that only Windstar has we book them.  We booked them this fall for Canada & the East coast for the second time. They have the best itinerary for us.  We would also prefer them for Alaska if we went again. We also prefer the Surf in the Caribbean because we love the sails and size of the  yacht .

The beds were comfortable. Just had to sleep closer ! than on our Calif. king ( which is longer and more narrow than a standard king. But we have so much fun and good food on Windstar that by bedtime we really don't care.

Been to Tahiti 3 times..A land tour in 1968, the Tahitian Princess in 2006,  the Paul Gauguin in 2011. We have also sailed ( other places) on Regent and Windstar. I have also read that the PG is not what it used to be but we loved the Tahitian hostesses on board. It compared with Regent but that was a long time ago.  For comfort and great service I would pick Regent. For fun I would pick Wind Star for the sails and intimacy and the water platform. Loved the Star Legend in Alaska and Star Pride for Canada but probably would not choose the Breeze for Tahiti. You might want to check and compare the available tours on each one. You have a tough choice ! But whatever you choose, have a great time. Hint..If possible an itinerary that includes the Cooks and Marquesas is a plus. 

After 10 Windstar cruises we have only encountered rude passengers once. And wouldn't you know...they were a group of media or TAs traveling for free. 

We are also on the Riviera sailing from Miami Dec 03. It would be the first Riviera cruise out of Miami after the TA. We booked last Sept. because of the "fully vaccinated" policy. Got a good deal but getting cold feet. Have not received anything from O yet. At present cut off date to not have any cancellation penalty is Aug. 04.  Final due Sept. 04.

Been on 10 Windstar cruises. Got a free upgrade on the surf once. Same cabin but top level. On the Pride..twice we were offered ( by e mail) an upgrade to a french balcony cabin for a fraction of the original price. Took it and was well worth it.

Been on Oceania twice and have two more booked. Didn't get an invite either. Maybe they know we also cruise on Regent and Windstar and are not faithful. Just joking.  I would guess the selection was somewhat random.

One of our reasons for sailing on Regent is they take care of everything. All we have to do is get to the airport on time. Used to like planing our itinerary years ago  to save a few $$ but in our senior years like to be pampered which Regent does  beautifully. Quite often, esp. in Europe the upgrade to concierge is well worth it for the included hotel stay alone.  Lovely hotels, nice pre cruise breakfast. Some places Regent will have a free shuttle from the hotel to local sights. Don't mind the bus ride and we can chat with other passengers while waiting.  It is usually short plus we don't have to worry about the luggage.   Don't need to rush to be first on board.

Great...Hope you have a wonderful trip. We also had our first french balcony on a river cruise. I think people that are used to the balconies on the larger ships are disappointed as they expect to be able to sit out there. Sorry, only enough room for your feet. But that is all you need to get a better view and take photos from the balcony.  And you don't get the subtle sounds and fresh air of the ocean through a window. If you are someone who spends most of your time on the pool deck the upgrade cost is probably not worth it. But it is nice to be able to get up and go outside in your PJs. if the mood suits.

We experienced a Pride french balcony (pre stretching). Even though it was narrow you could stand outside and see up & down the length of the ship. It was great for taking photos from our room. And the fresh air was nice. I've booked one again in 2022.  I would prefer having the sitting area by the balcony instead of the bed although have never experienced the reverse.

We booked 28 March 2023 crossing on May 28th. But had to wait until mid June to get conformation for a post cruise tour in Lisbon. Don't know why the web site only goes until April 2023.

Oceania (also under the NCL banner) is stopping there in Dec. too. We are booked on that cruise in a penthouse suite for the first time ever. We are staying in our lovely penthouse and will watch the tenders depart and arrive back .  We can always go for a dip in the pool.

Same here..having been to many empty island beaches in Hawaii and the Carib. , a developed Cay would not be enjoyable for us. Can't see spending $$ for a cabana just to have shade. Our cabin is lovely. Hubby doesn't even want to go ashore.

Nice video.pretty beach...but notice the absence of crowds..In some shots..only one lovely young couple.

I guess everyone else is still waiting for their tender.