willidc

But! There's more! You are now very close to the concierge lounge and the laundry. We were in that cabin in 2023 and loved the location.

On this June 4 Sirena sailing, the CD's name is Dottie Kolusa. Our contacts on the ship did not know at this point who is the GM .

In addition to the above, we enjoy the welcome champagne as a nice touch, but the most important amenity for us is the ability to have earlier booking for the specialty restaurants. Our dinners are very important to us and getting the reservation at the time and table for two on the days we want make Concierge very attractive. We typically book a balcony at the beginning when we see if the Concierge rooms are much more expensive (and $116/day we would consider much more expensive). If the sailing sells well quickly, then we keep our balcony. But I check regularly and during promos and have found that we can get into that A category much cheaper on most sailings we have booked by waiting and watching until we leave home for the airport. On our last two cruises we did use the Concierge crew member on the larger ships in the Concierge lounge. Nice and convenient on Deck 9 where we prefer to be onthe larger ships. It is a personal decision as to if it is worth it. Do you want to be on THAT particular sailing? Then you can book the A1 and check often to see if a B category cabin opens up. In cases like yours you can WL but then don't have a guarantee that you will be on the ship. Your decision. Best of Luck!

Our son just got married Saturday and is spending his honeymoon on Sirena for the Seville to Dublin segment. Their first Oceania cruise was on Riviera18 months ago for their engagement. They are in their early 30s. Their cabin is almost completely forward on deck 7. We are also hoping that this is a good sailing. We have 21 Oceania sailings under our belt. Have sailed all of the ships except Sirena. So we could not relate anything to them other than what we have experienced on the other R ships. BTW, they boarded the ship today. After flying overnight he texted us that at 6'3" and about 185 pounds he found the "small" shower to be "fully functional" for him. We will be watching this thread. Thanks! .

Regarding the inside room on Insignia---While we did not do a TA on Insignia, we did do a sailing from Sydney to Papeete (20 days?) as part of the ATW in 2016 in an inside (7002) at the extreme front of the ship. It was a last minute (3 week notice) booking that came up at an incredible price from our TA with the caveat that we could not pick our cabin. We had high winds that we were outrunning for the first half of the trip and there was more motion than being in an inside midship, but we never got seasick. My favorite reading location is usually underneath Lifeboat#1. Few people use the loungers there, very close to Baristas if you desire a nice coffee break from reading, and you can't get much closer to the water. I think the inside room on the smaller R ships is one of the biggest bargains on Oceania. The square footage is only about 20 sq ft smaller than balcony (if memory is correct) but with no doors to a balcony, the bed is against the back wall making the room seem larger with better traffic flow for us. Insides on Marina/Riviera have no sofa so my husband will not sail in those insides and we usually get a concierge cabin on the larger ships. You sound like someone who would likely enjoy Oceania. We had sailed Cunard long ago and also HAL long ago on the Kungsholm. We now have our 24th Oceania sailing booked since 2012 and we have enjoyed every one. Give us a try!

If your time is flexible and you truly would rather experience a cooking class than do anything else at that time, then do not give up. With Chef Stephanie on Marina, I was told to show up at about 3:50 because people do not show sometimes, say they forgot or are at the pool, etc. Waitlist calls at that point often are not productive since many are maybe not in their room. So, if I would be standing there at 4 PM I could possibly "get lucky"-----which has happened twice for me. While you cannot pick which menu to cook, one time I did get the elusive seafood menu with four or five different items. Good luck! And enjoy your cruise!

On our second Oceania cruise in 2012, we booked an inside on Riviera (10036 or 10038?). Very quiet and no complaints about location, vibrations, or service. What we did not know was that Riviera inside rooms do not have a sofa, only a single hard chair. We have booked insides on the smaller R ships and those insides do have a sofa and are quite roomy. Not the situation with the two O class ships Riviera and Marina. Not sure what has been done with the upgrade on Riviera, but last we checked there were still no sofas in the O Class insides. Husband will not sail without a sofa in his cabin. So, if a sofa is important to you, this may be a consideration in your choice. Enjoy your cruise!

Hard to determine since we have conflicting information from passengers not making all aboard time vs NCL statement. I know who I believe. From personal experience, we have returned to the ship late three times (beyond sail time) on Oceania tours since 2012 in Saint Tropez, Sri Lanka, and in Vietnam this past Feb(due this time to an entitled shopper), and the ship did wait.

+1 We finished reserving our Specialty dining for our 20th sailing this past week. We booked Toscana at 6:30 on the first night. The first night is typically the night we want the earliest dinner at a table for two in a quiet atmosphere. After the travel, the embarcation, Terrace for lunch, unpacking and a shower, it is so nice to just RELAX over a quiet dinner. We have had some success with requesting that Specialty on embarcation, but not 100% success for the restaurant we prefer. So, now we lock that reservation 60 days prior and usually get another Toscana reservation near the end of the sailing by requesting it if available, or by using the waitlist. It all depends on what you prefer. The GDR does tend to have an opening rush on the first nights due to new Oceania guests thinking a line will form. Once they realize that it is not necessary, the GDR becomes a lovely venue for dinner whenever you decide to enter. Islabahia--Welcome to Oceania! Enjoy your cruise!

I am not sure if this is an appropriate comparison, but we were in Istanbul after an Oceania Cruise ending on September 16 and spent a couple of days after the cruise. We saw very little change compared to when we were there in 2012 other than modernization, increased security, and more traffic. The port is new, huge, well marked, and well run when we left the ship. We flew Turkish Airlines back to US, so can only comment on their area of the huge, new airport which had its own exit from the main highway to the airport. Speaking only of Turkish Airlines, I can say that security is greatly elevated from 2012 experience. Checked luggage scanned twice before getting to counter to check it. Hand luggage was scanned at least 4 times. Before boarding at the gate, passengers get a private pat down. Not sure if this is standard procedure or if there was an alert that day. We did not perceive much being different as far as touring from 2012. But we did notice people in public dressing in more modest or religious clothing than in 2012. We did not revisit any of the mosques, but were told that access and dress code is now more strict. We did not have concerns being there due to obvious security, but we were there mid September and now may be a different situation. You will be in an Oceania group with your pre-cruise in Istanbul. They have done an excellent job on pre-cruises we have taken and it would be a shame to miss that part of your trip. We have felt safe on both of our pre-cruise tours in Abu Dhabi Nov 2022, and Thailand in 2018. Perhaps someone else has additional information for you.

Your last paragraph hits the nail on the head! Last month (Sept 2023) we sailed on a two-segment Nautica cruise (Malta to Venice, Venice to Istanbul), single booking number and (of course) single invoice. At booking we were told that this was called a "combo cruise". The O Club and OCAPP gratuities were the same as yours and our invoice reflected that we should receive the $250/cabin in lieu of O Club grats for the second segment. However, our account on the ship showed that $250 had been posted then removed. We tried to work with Reception and were told "the system" had removed the OCAPP. Since our invoice showed we were to get the $250 we argued our case. After a few days, we were told that Miami does not do that anymore. In fairness, our booking was from early 2020 on one of the last sailings Marina made prior to shutdown for Covid. So, your comment (“luck of the draw” as to who in Miami answers the phone when you or your TA call for clarification) hit home for us. I am glad the right person answered the phone for you---karma for all of the valuable information you share with others on this board.

We have sailed both O and Viking. To be honest, the Viking was a one and done. Details if you PM me. The only saving grace on V was that we made friends with two couples the first evening and that made the sailing enjoyable. The excellent conversation at meals diverted our attention from that food on V.

We just left Nautica on Sept. 15 and stayed in 4041. Previously stayed in 4045 and 4043 (twice). Those Oceanviews at the front of Decks 6 and 7 are roomier and we have appreciated the extra space, but it is so hard to beat the convenience and midship smoothness of those starboard OVs on Deck 4. Seems like there is much less need for elevators. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi, ORV! Exactly my thought! And OP been sailing longer than us. With only one post under that screen name. Hmmmmm. Anyway, we were on Nautica December 2022 as well for the MidEast sailings. Differences we noted were mostly some common sense economics like two pats of butter under the cover for a table of two at breakfast vs four or more. Bread baskets more in line for two diners. Portion distortion trimmed down a bit with always an offer of “more” if the plate was clean. I could go on. Quality for us was never an issue with rare exception. But food opinion is so subjective, we can only say that there were no more “misses” than in 2012 when we began sailing Oceania 19 cruises ago (which is fewer than you have.) We are on Nautica now ( in Venice) in the middle of a B2B and can say service is pretty much back to pre Pandemic. Terrace (never our favorite) has been exceptional on this sailing and I may begin visiting there because I want to rather than I have to after a late tour return. With several other discussions on this same topic, beginning a new one brings up either redundancy or the question “Why?”.

"I'm not sure what happens regarding payment for the 20th when it's dependent upon us completing the previous ones. In fact, we haven't even completed our 17th yet." We have made final payment on 20th and we are leaving next week for #19. Everything works out with a certain level of expertise and trust on both sides. Enjoy your cruises!

We are taking our 20th cruise at the end of January 2024. We had originally booked the cruise as an OLife 15 day. With the SM announcement, we knew there would be changes. The OLife went away and we booked the same 9 excursions we were going to book under OLife. We did get the 25% discount. We were pro rated for the 15th day since the 20th allows 14 days max. And we were permitted to upgrade our stateroom with an upcharge. They did not permit us to add Air to the invoice even though we said we would pay. They reinvoiced us and, while not free, it was one heck of a discount. Since it is a 15 day sailing, our final payment date was August 31. We decided to make final payment last Friday, However, none of our "Gifts and Amenities" were shown on the invoice (which is typically significant). We were told that those would be showing up at a later time? Keeping our fingers crossed. Enjoy your cruise!

When we first began sailing with Oceania in 2012 (Riviera), there was either half and half or coffee cream on the table. Post pandemic, the default for coffee lightener seems to be whole milk. However, i drew the line one morning in GDR when skim milk was placed on the table for my coffee. If you request "cream", some sort of a heavier lightener will show up. On a longer cruise, a familiar server will remember for you. Enjoy your cruise!

You are quite correct. On the Nov Nautica 2022 sailing, we were invited to join two officers for dinner in GDR. With many rumors going around even at that late date after return to sailing, we asked if it was true that approximately 30% of crew did not return post-pandemic and they emphatically said that was true. My yardstick is "are crew members trying to please and are they working hard?" If that answer is "yes", I become a most patient and understanding person.

sorry...double post

It appears brochure deck maps that only single star rooms are Concierge across from laundry. And single star indicates a triple with sofa bed. As LHT28 has indicated, the only quads are insides on R ships with two beds that drop down from ceiling. This info from the 2024 collection brochure 'big' book. Hope this helps.

I am thinking that many of the disappointed diners who have posted in the past year may have still been experiencing some of the "return from Covid" issues. In 2022 we had four O cruises (Jan-Marina, April-Riviera, Sept-Regatta, Nov-Nautica), and with each sailing we experienced a bit more of the return to 'normal' that we had enjoyed with O since 2012. We enjoyed all four 2022 cruises and felt blessed to be able to be on all four. July 2023 (last month) on Marina to Norway has been our best sailing post-covid. If there must be some temporary cost cutting here and there in order for them to stay in business, or substitutions (a different bacon) due to supply chain issues, so be it. We have not been able to find a better match for us (and our money) than Oceania. As for Viking, one river and one ocean cruise. And done. Everyone needs to find their personal niche. May you all enjoy your cruise, in your personal niche!

I just finished going through this in late July.. My TA had heard in late June prior to the launch of SM (without official confirmation), that the 25% would be kept, but Unlimited would be gone. I confirmed at that time with my Oceania rep that the Unlimited Passport would be gone after July 1. We had booked four cruises prior to July 1 so we could have choices in the future not knowing what what was ahead with SM. Last week we booked our tours for our late January cruise and the Unlimited was not there. On the positive side, we were able to book our Olife as usual (even tho the language said SM) with the four included Olife tours and the remaining five with the 25% discount. It might be worth a call to Oceania and ask for the shore excursion department to see how you are able to proceed. You do not need to go through your TA. They have always been willing to talk with us. Enjoy your cruise!

Not related to a GTY booking, but we did do a BTB sailing once where we had to change cabins. On turn around day, the cabin stewards do essentially everything for you. The take anything hanging in closets and carry to new room, drawers do not need to be emptied since they merely switched drawers. The did ask us to pack our bathroom items into either a carry on for transport to the new room. But this was pre Covid, so things may have changed. It is worth it to ask. LOL, we thought we would help the cabin attendants since they are so busy on turn around day, but they said they were not permitted to let us help. We don't know if that is still the procedure. As far as the Insides go, on Regatta the only cabins that may have motion for you are 7002, 7003, 6010, 6011. We had 7002 on Insignia for a sailing from Sydney to Papeete with quite a bit of wind. Motion typically does not bother us at all, but if I wanted to read or use my ipad/iphone, I needed to go down to Deck 4 since staying in 7002 doing those activities made me a bit queasy. No problems ever in any other Insides on Deck 7. If we book Inside we book Deck 7 since it is close to laundry. We have been right next to laundry and have not been bothered by noise or traffic. We are usually up before laundry opens in the morning and at night the laundry closes at 10 PM. Enjoy your cruise!

We have had three GTY bookings. The first was on the third sailing of Riviera in 2012. We were GTY Oceanview. We were nervous and made several calls to Oceania since we had to leave for the airport and still did not have a cabin number. When we got to the dock, they looked up our name and gave us the cabin number 10105. Told them there must be some mistake since we had Oceanview GTY, but they tagged our bags with the Concierge cabin number and we boarded the ship. Second time, we ended up about two months prior to sailing with the same category we had booked. But as previous posters point out, we were very happy to just be on the sailing. Most recently was November 2022 on a MidEast sailing that was full with a backlog of people who had been cancelled during pandemic. We cleared the GTY into cabin 7000 on Nautica which had a balcony with no roof. Great if you want direct sunlight with lots of motion facing forward, but it was not the cabin we would have chosen. We watched the booking daily until we saw another cabin open up in the same category in a location more to our liking and called immediately to have it changed. So, the GTY got us on the ship so we could plan, but persistence paid off in moving to a more desirable location. My point is, we have had three GTY bookings with three different outcomes. But all were happy endings. Enjoy your cruise!

You are most welcome! And do not forget that as a Concierge guest you have complimentary access to the Aquamar Spa facilities/showers and deck which many guests use in addition to their stateroom showers.