babysteps

Last Nautica ended March 1 2023 Next Vista scheduled May 2025 Highly likely we'll be on a cruise before Vista, we just haven't booked it yet 😄

Hello fellow planning-focused people! Loving the detail and advice in this thread. A few things to chime in from our adventures: ITAmatrix is another great tool, same data as google flights but more powerful/customizable search engine. You can't book in Matrix, there is an add-on (or separate app?) that will usually create a bookable link but I haven't used it yet, for many/most itineraries you can just go to the airline and build the itinerary yourself. Whatever search engine you are using there will be some missing info. If I understand this right -@FlyerTalker correct me please! - the ITA and Google data comes from the GDS system. Some airlines don't participate (eg Southwest) and some hold back certain parts of their available seats (just recently American). Seat maps show assigned seats. There may be way more ticketed passengers than the already-assigned seat map shows for airlines that charge a fee for seat selection. Expert Flyer (a paid subscription service) will show remaining tickets to be sold (by fare bucket), and you can also set alerts. Knowing this level of detail may not matter in most cases, but can be super helpful in some situations. So far I haven't subscribed to Expert Flyer. When booking direct with hotels, we join the frequent-stay program (if any) before reserving. They usually comes with more options and/or better pricing choices. We have used AirBnBs - yes it isn't perfect so we check property and host reviews in detail before comitting. I find Trip Advisor helpful to locate hotels and give an idea on pricing, but haven't used them to book hotels. When we get adventurous, we check about AC, elevators, private baths etc.- your flexibility may vary, check with your travel partners before making assumptions lol! We like AC and private bath, elevator is optional in most cases for us. Book indirect with caution. If anything goes wrong it seems to be much worse to resolve. There are exceptions, just make informed decisions! And indirect may not be what you think - we booked a rental car in Malta last year direct with the brand and got all the insurances. Picking up the car they wanted to charge us for required insurance! It was an independently owned location, not a franchise (who knew). We had enough paperwork showing the reservation that they were able to resolve it, but it took some firm requests and an extra 20+ minutes to fix. Stay flexible! Things are starting to settle, but change is inevitable. One itinerary in 2020 to reach a cruise we had a great nonstop using miles to Milan on AA, then the airline shortened their seasonal Milan service so we got canceled. We pivoted to paid-to-Trieste on LH (because the cruise start had also changed from Venice to Trieste) -- and then days later a major schedule change made that unattractive, got a full refund. Final answer was AA miles via LHR on a connecting BA flight to Venice. We made it fine and that was a lot of pivoting and planning!! My motto for travel planning is that a good plan B makes plan A behave much better! Happy planning 😊

To try to avoid being that person I take a screenshot of the boarding pass. That way even if I lose connection I still have what I need to board.

The "credits applied only on final summary" is the standard procedure in our experience. O usually issues printed ledgers the night before disembarcation, and you can check on the TV. If a credit is missing, contact or go to reception immediately to resolve. Most of the time the credits post fine, every once in a while we need to get them updated and corrected. I imagine the process to correct is much more difficult once you leave the ship - not a criticism of you, just a description of one more source of frustration on your situation. Suggest you get your TA involved if they aren't already.

We have only used O air twice. Once we got tired of waiting for ticketing and our TA reached out to O who then did get the ticket issued. The other time our tickets were issued as expected, no intervention needed.

Twice in 2019 we disembarked in NYC. Once we called an Uber (short wait, the taxi line was very long) to go to Newark/EWR. The other time we (well, my spouse - I hung out on the sidewalk with our baggage) walked to the nearby car rental location to pick up a car - I don't think this would make sense to drive to a local airport, we were doing a 4 hour drive. A noon departure could work but it's not a lot of space for anything going wrong. A later departure would lower the impact of any delays. Everyone has a different tolerance for risk and a different level of tolerance for longer waits at the airport.

Last I knew you could drop 'standard' air out before final payment with no penalty. Our TA usually includes O air at the beginning, and then we drop it if we don't use it. In the past the air credit # did indeed change over time for the same cruise, although more recently it seems to be more 'set'. Suggest you ask your TA before making any changes so you know what the changes will be!

We have had a guarantee cabin at least twice, once iirc we got a cabin number about 2 weeks out, the other time it was available just before boarding. I don't recall the exact specifics, but however the logistics worked it wasn't an issue for dropping our bags. Both times we sailed in the category guaranteed - no upgrade for us, we didn't really expect one based on reports here. We were happy both times 😊

One cruise we had 3 (or more?) partial bottles of wine toward the end of the cruise. We summoned the bottles and 6 or so glasses from room service and had our own de-cluttering happy hour

The least hassle imo is to arrange ahead of time for a car service. Either on your own (online) or through your hotel or TA. Less expensive but perhaps barely more hassle, in most cities you could also use a ride share app (could be a local brand eg in Bangkok or Singapore at the moment Grab works better than Uber) or in some cities you can easily get a taxi. You will need local cell service and data for the apps to work for you. The hotels that offer a shuttle may or may not be a good idea - once we stayed at a very dated Days Inn at Miami airport with included airport and cruise port shuttles. Old and crowded buses anyone? Although a very low price... O doesn't have a list that I know of and their hotel option is usually way more than you would pay directly to the same hotel reserving on your own.

Taste and smell are powerful senses that most of us don't understand that well. Plus our assumptions and what we see (visuals) have a big impact on our perceptions of taste and smell. Two examples - ask someone who's done dark-glass tastings how hard it is to tell the difference between red and white wines - it is quite difficult for most people, which seems hard to believe and yet is true.Or, watch at the next 'country fair' how many people get the match-the-spice activity 100% correct - hint, not many.

Seems like it is a good idea to call in if online tells you one of your excursions is 'wait listed' - in some cases this is what a cancelled excursion will tell you. That's what happened to us Aug 2022 for a Salerno port stop/Capri tour.

Similar experience Feb 19 2023. Although the announcement may have been longer than 5 minutes lol. I didn't time it but CD Leslie John kept warning us it would be a long announcement - although it wasn't bad at all.

Hey @Jayne E could you share the embarkation date of the Aug 2023 Riviera where they changed ports on you? We're looking at a Marina Oct 2023 with some of the same ports, trying to see when/if they update the online itineraries. Will help us decide whether to book or not, and after looking online I wasn't sure which exact cruise they did this to you on, thanks!!

If you don't have CFAR (or CFmostAR), yes agree try asking to change to another cruise rather than cancel. Or ask to leave the ship pre-Myanmar and join back again after Myanmar. At this late moment the answer might be "no" to one or both of those ideas but it might be worth a try. Others likely will have even better ideas!

I believe there was a first-timers party when we were just on Nautica in Feb 2023. Didn't know of one when we were on Nautica in Aug 2022. My info may not be perfect!

My comments above are based on my most recent experiences, others may have more up-to-date info!

If we don't have a same-day flight we tend to request the latest possible time slot to disembark. Much less stressful!

Excellent overview! One additional thought - many miles/awards tickets cost no more to be done as 2 one-ways vs a single round-trip. This means you could book the outbound as soon as it's available and then the return once it is available. This approach may also give you more flexibility to make future desired changes (if any).

For Salerno, there was no shuttle in August of 2022. Nautica was at the 'Porto Touristico' dock, there is a terminal with a cafe but there was *not* a taxi stand, we ended up calling a local taxi service RadioTaxi Salerno

[a few updates from our Feb 2023 Nautica Bangkok-to-Singapore - note that in Sihanoukville and Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon there were very good local shuttle bus teams, matching polo's and a team member at each shuttle stop so even if the bus wasn't there you knew you were in the right spot] Adelaide Aus................Tram right at port goes to centre city, no shuttle ...Dec 2019 Agios Nikolaos ............Don't need a shuttle as dock near town centre ......update 2020 Airlie Beach (Aust.) .....Tender, then $5AUD pp each way shuttle Akaroa NZ ................... Tender of centre of town. ...... Dec 2019 Alanya (Turkey) ............Taxis take you to the top of the hill . ... update 2020 Albany West Aus ..........Shuttle to town centre ...........Dec 2019 Alesund ........................ Dock at town so no shuttle Alexandria .................... Shuttle to city square Alicante Sp ....................free shuttle .............update 2022 Amalfi .......................... No need for shuttle Antigua...........................dock in town ..no shuttle Antofagasta ................. Free shuttle to town Antwerp ....................... Dock in town - no shuttle needed ... Aug 2017 Aqaba ........................... Shuttle Arrecife (Canary Is.)......free shuttle .............................per Currents 2014 Ashdod Israel .............. Shuttle to Seal Mall ... April/June 2022 Athens (Port of Pireus)...Shuttle to outside port area in Pireus - need tour to Athens (2022) Bangkok ....................... Free shuttle to town (mall in/near Lumphini area Feb 2023) Bar Harbour ................. Dock at town so no shuttle Barcelona .................... Free shuttle to town (worldTrade Centre) Basseterre, St. Kitts ..... Dock at town so no shuttle Belfast .......................... Free shuttle to town (near City Hall) Bermuda (Hamilton)....... dock in town ..no shuttle Bilbao ............................Free shuttle to town Bordeaux (city) ............ Dock at town so no shuttle Bordeaux (Le Verdon) .... shore excursion required Brisbane (Aus) ............. Free shuttle to town Bozcaada, Turkey........... tender port, and small city. No shuttle needed .... April 2022 Broome (Australia)........ Free shuttle to town Bruges (Zeebruge) ......... free shuttle to port gates ... August 2017 Burnie Tas Aus...............Shuttle to Makers Workshop (meet guides/taxis) and to town......update 2020 Buenes Aires ................. Free shuttle to town / Plaza Hotel .......... update 2020 Cadiz ........................... Dock at town so no shuttle. Need transport to Seville Cairns Aus ................... Dock at town so no shuttle Callao (Lima) ............... Free shuttle to town Canary Islands .............Shuttle to terminal then walk ................ update 2020 Capetown..................NO shuttle - walk or cab. (E berth, Terminal, Duncan Rd Jan 2019 Casablanca .............. Free shuttle to town Castries, St Lucia ...... Dock at town so no shuttle Chania (Hania), Crete (Greece) - shuttle to city center Civitavecchia(for Rome).. Free shuttle to Civitavecchia Cobh..................... Dock at town so no shuttle Colombo, .............. Free from ship to Port Gate 1. (local taxis available there) Jan 2019 Concarneau .............. Dock at town so no shuttle Copenhagen .............. Free shuttle to town – however reports of it being difficult see post 301 Coquimbo ................ Free shuttle to town Corfu ......................... Free shuttle to town Corner Brook ............ Dock at town so no shuttle Crete..........................Shuttle ................update 2020 Dar es Salaam...........Free shuttle from pier to Hyatt Regency in City Center. Long walk from ship to exit gate. There are several gates which may be confusing. Very busy working port (Jan 2019) Darwin Aus ............... Free shuttle to town Dubai .........................Free shuttle from the port to the Dubai Mall Dublin ...................... Free shuttle to town (kildare St/Merrion Square) ... Aug 2017 Dubrovnick .............. Free shuttle to town Dunedin NZ .............. Free shuttle to town East London, SA ........... Free shuttle from pier to the Hemingsway Mall (Jan 2019) Edinburgh (Leith) .......No shuttle - Closest port to town but still a distance to city centre Eden Aus ................... Tender then shuttle but only short walk Ephesus ..........Quite a drive from Kusadasi - best done by a tour ...........update 2020 Esmeraldas ............. shuttle to Playa de las Palmas (docked / itinerary said tender) Mar 2019 Exmouth (Aus) ........... Free shuttle to town Flam Norway............... No shuttle needed - dock in town July 2018 Fremantle/Perth ........unsure, nearby ferry dock, train station very close to dock..... update Dec 2019 Geirange ................... No shuttle needed - Dock at town Geraldton West Aus ...Shuttle .................Update Dec 2019 Gisbourne NZ ............ Free shuttle to town but short walk Gothenburg ................ Shuttle to City Hall Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas) - tender used to get to island. No shuttle needed. Greenock ................ ..No shuttle needed - Dock at town (15-20 minute walk to train to Glasgow) Haifa .........................shuttle to port entrance only (April 2022) Halifax ................. ....No shuttle needed - Dock at town Halifax pier 31 shuttle to Pier 22 pavillion April 2019 Hamburg ................. Shuttle provided by Port to City Hall ....Aug 2017Harvest Caye........... ferry to mainland *not* operating for independents when there Mar 2019 Havana, Cuba ............ Dock in city. walk off on main street.... April 2017. Helsinki ................... Free shuttle to town/ Shuttle from Westport to terminal near Market Square Hobart (aus) ............ Dock at town so no shuttle ... Sep 2017 Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)..Free shuttle to town (Union Square shopping near Opera House) Feb 2023 Holyhead ................ Free shuttle to town (really to end of dock) ... Aug 2017 Invergordon ............. Dock at town so no shuttle .... August 2017 Kirkwall (Shetlands Is) .......Shuttle to visitors centre Castle St .... update 2017 Koh Samui................Dock at Nathon town so no shuttle Koper ...................... Dock at town so no shuttle Kotor ....................... Dock at town so no shuttle Kristiansand ............ Walking distance to town ...(South coast Norway) August 2017 Kristiansund.............No shuttle - dock in town (West coast of Norway) July 2018 Kusadasi (for Ephesus) - no shuttle, shopping available nearby in city. April 22 La Coruna ............... Dock at town so no shuttle Langkawi.................Free shuttle from pier to Cenang Duty free Mall Jan 2019 La Rochelle ............. Free shuttle to town Le Havre (for Paris) .... Free shuttle to town (Le Havre) .... August 2017 Le Verdon ................. Free shuttle to town (Soulacsur Mer) Lerwick .................... Dock at town so no shuttle Lima - .......................Free shuttle to Marriott at Larcomar (Miraflores neighborhood) Mar 2019 Lisbon .................... Free shuttle to town (or dock in town) Liverpool ............... Dock at town so no shuttle ... August 2017 Livorno ................... Free shuttle to town Londonderry Nth Ire .....Shuttle to visitors centre in town..........update 2019 Male, Maldives.........tender port.... guides waiting + pick up tours there. Walk in town Jan 2019 Mahe, Seychelles........no shuttle . Jan 2019 Malaga ....................Shuttle ..............update 2022 Manta Ecuador ...... shuttle to main square (longish walk); will drop you at port gate Mar 2109 Maputo, ...................Free shuttle from pier to City Center (feima market) Jan 2019 Marseille ............... Free shuttle to town (fort Saint John) Melbourne Vic Aus ...Tram 109 is 5-10 min walk from port, buy ticket at convenience store, no shuttle. Trams within City Centre free, no shuttle ...... update Dec 2019 Messina (Italy) - ship docks at City Center; no shuttle needed. Miami .................... Free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace (*not* as an embarkation day) Mar 2019 Mitilini.....................This is tender port near town centre....... update 2020 Monte Carlo ............. Dock at town so no shuttle Murmansk ................ Need to book a tour either O or private for visa Muscat ..................... Free shuttle to the Souk Mykonos.....................No shuttle needed, dock in town ...update 2020 Napier NZ.....................shuttle to ISite info centre on Marine Parade .... update Dec 2019 Nassau, Bahamas ..........dock in town New York .................. no shuttle (Manhattan cruise terminal) Mar 2019 Newcastle .................. Free shuttle to nearest metro station (limited timing) Nosy be, Madagascar...Free shuttle (tender port) from pier to Town Center Market Jan 2019 Oporto ........................ Free shuttle to town Oslo ............................. Dock in town so no shuttle .... Aug 2017 Paphos, Cyprus ......... ?no shuttle. About 10 minutes walk to shops etc April 2022 Palma de Mallorca........ Free shuttle to town (cathedral) Paris - see Le Havre Patmos..............Dock in town - no shuttle needed .... update 2020 Perth see Fremantle Phillip Is Vic Aus.........long tender ride in, shuttle to beach /boardwalk, limited car hire/taxis....Dec 2019 Phuket, Thailand........no shuttle Jan 2019 Picton NZ .................... Dock at town so no shuttle Pireus (Port for Athens)...Shuttle to outside port in Pireus, need tour to Athens (2022) Pisco ......................... Free shuttle to town Port Arthur Tas Aus ..... Tender in to PA Penal Settlement - (no real town so a guess) no shuttle needed updated 2022 Port Elizabeth, South Africa....Free shuttle from pier to the Boardwalk jan 2019 Port Klang................... Shuttle to Bukit Tinggi Mall. Break from 11:45 - 1:30. Jan 19 Portofini ................... No need for shuttlePuerto Limon........... no shuttle, tours by the local taxis & shops on the pier, walk to town Mar 2019 Portland ................... Free shuttle to town Praislin, Seychelles....no shuttle Praislin, .............. .......no shuttle . Jan 2019 Roatan ...................... no shuttle, Oceania docks in Coxen Hole, many port shops etc Mar 2019 Roatan can also dock at Mahogany Bay resort port Rhodes ....................... Dock in town. no shuttle - longish walk to port gates. .April 2022 Richards Bay............... Free shuttle from pier to Boardwalk Mall. (Jan 2019) Rio .............. Free shuttle to town Rome ........................(see Civitavecchia) Safaga,Egypt .............. a shuttle to downtown Saint John NB ........... Dock at town so no shuttle Salalah, Oman ............ shuttle to the Souk Salaverry............. shuttle to Trujillo/or shuttle to port gate - private tours. Tours in Trujillo Mar 2019 San Sebastion de la Gomera ...........None needed ........ update 2020 Santa Cruz De Teneriffe ........Shuttle to terminal ....................update 2019 Santo Tomas, ...... - no shuttle, tours in the terminal, walk into town Mar 2019 Santos ......................... Free shuttle to town - about 6 yrs ago no shuttle to San Paulus Skagan Denmark............free shuttle to town July 2018 Sihanoukville Cambodia...free shuttle to town 2 stops Ochiteal Beach, Phsar Leu Market Feb 2023 Singapore.......................no shuttle Jan 2019 Sorrento ...................... Free shuttle to town Split ............................. Dock at town so no shuttle Stavanger ....................dock in town July 2018 St Barts ..................... tender to town..no shuttle St. Lucia ................... Castries: Dock at town so no shuttle. Pointe Seraphine: .....walking distance (500 metres) or harbour water taxi to main area town. St Malo ...................... Dock at town so no shuttle St Jean De Luz .......... Dock at town so no shuttle St Petersburg .............. Need to book a tour - either O or private for visa Sydney N.S. ................. Dock at town so no shuttle Sydney Cove/ Circular Quay Aus ...... Free shuttle to Darling Harbour centre ..... 2018 Sydney White Bay dock Aus ...turnaround day . no shuttles, taxis available ..... Dec 2019 Tallinn ........................ Free shuttle to gates of old lower town (main road outside city wall) Tauranga /Rororua.....disembarkation ?? shuttle ..............Dec 2019 Trapani, Sicily .......... no shuttle; docked very near downtown June 2022 Valencia ..................... Free shuttle to town Valletta ..................... Dock below town. Take an elevator up for €1-€2 . Free to go back. update April 2022 Venice ....................... Free shuttle to town Warnemunde............ walk to town or train (short walk from port) to Rostock July 2018 Wellington NZ............free shuttle to several places city centre ...... Dec 2019 Zakynthos, Greece ....tender port, no shuttle, smallish island. Walk to small town 2022 Zanzibar................... Free shuttle from pier to Kelele Square (Jan 2019) Zeebruge (for Bruges).... Shuttle to port gates ... Aug 2017

We put the robes on the hooks on the bathroom side of the bathroom door. To create extra space in the closet for a longer cruise, we swap out some of the provided hangers and use thin drycleaner hangers that we bring with us (the unused hangers can go with your room steward or hang out in our empty suitcase under the bed). Our most recent cruise was 10 days in warm weather on Nautica and no need to swap out hangers, we had plenty of space.

Last month we had a shared reservation on Nautica at Toscano and when arriving were asked whether we'd prefer a table for 4 or 6. Same cruise for our shared Polo reservation we were not asked for a preference and were at a table for 4. More than once on longer cruises we have appeared for a shared table and been offered a 2-top. Several years ago we were assigned to a shared table for 8 in Polo but that's the only time we've seen that in 11 cruises.

Marine-approved fragrance free detergent is supplied at no charge. I am soap sensitive and tolerate it fine.

Others may know better - I believe if you haven't yet done final payment that you can drop OLife. You might not have to wait until next time