willidc

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.

We just left Marina yesterday (July 11) after a Norway sailing and were in a Concierge stateroom on Deck 9. I understand about the bathroom upgrade being appealing, but we still found that bathroom to be more than adequate even without the larger shower replacement. The tub shower can still be used as a full shower if you are able. We found the ship to be extremely well maintained with attention to detail, and we were looking for signs of her age after some comments on this board. Here's hoping you enjoy your cruise as much as we just enjoyed ours.

Check with your cabin attendant. That looks like the special request allergen free toiletries. Perhaps requested by previous occupant of your cabin. Or maybe meant for another cabin.

On August 10, 2017, we left the Insignia around 8:45am after an Iceland to NYC cruise. As a previous poster said, we truly just walked across the street. We stood in a rather short (maybe 5-6 couples) taxi line and we were able to look straight at the bow of Insignia (so close she looked like a large ship) which was something we didn't expect in NYC. We had a 12:45pm flight out of LGA. As memory serves, it was uneventful and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. At this time of the summer, there could have been less traffic/activity due to workers in Manhattan being on vacation. So, perhaps a variable you may want to consider. We arrived on a Thursday.

We have enjoyed the white, green and blue scents from Bulgari while onboard. But I am still partial to the green as it was what was in our cabin on our first voyage with Oceania on maiden voyages of Riviera in 2012. I always try to bring back that clear green small hand soap to put in various drawers of clothing back home. For sure, the scent takes you back to the ship. Not sure how they decide what you get, but Concierge seemed to be green, PH blue, and balcony/ocean view/inside have been white for us. Although in Jan 2022 Marina (replacement for Sirena) on the Panama Canal cruise, we had a mixture of two white, one green and one blue when we boarded Jan 22. We were in a B3. April Med cruise on Riviera was also a mixture of green and white in Concierge. So things may still be dictated by supply chain.

We have done longer cruises on Deck 4 on the R ships. Nautica three times and Insignia on a Sydney to Papeete in either 4043 or 4045 which are our favorite two cabins. The 4049 cabin we would suggest is preferable to the 4055 for a couple of reasons. If you check a layout of the R ships, you will see that 4055 is right near the public area of Destination Services, Reception Hall and Reception Desk...actually the first cabin in that hallway. It is also next to the area where the gangway is often set up for passengers to disembark when the ship docks. You are also right across from the door that crew uses to come and go from the reception desk. Having said that, the good news is that you are extremely convenient to all of the above mentioned services, GDR one floor up with no real walk at all, and one floor up to the show lounge, boutiques and Martini's. We find them to be extremely convenient and have three more cruises booked in 4043 or 4045. We rarely need to use an elevator except rare instances when we go to Terrace, the pool, and, of course, not-so-rare occurences when we enjoy Toscana and Polo. We feel the starboard side (odd numbered cabins) on Deck 4 is preferable to port side (even numbered cabins) due to traffic to Medical on port side hallway. Another side benefit of Deck 4 is that movement is much less of an issue. We have never had motion sickness anywhere, but came close leaving Sydney trying to outrun a wind storm. Enjoy your cruise!