Rummblestrip

If you have Tanzanite on you sail card, they will just asume that you were the suker that bought some of those colored rocks the sell on the ship. 

On 9/1/2021 at 9:48 AM, starsailor said:

Latest from CDC on Thailand is very very grim.  Is it time to bale?

No way! This would be the best time to visit Thailand. It is safer than any major city in the US. The numbers are falling fast and the vaccinations are ramping up quickly. The Thai's are working hard to make sure the country can open quickly and safely.

Can you imaging walking down Patong beach with only a few dozen people on the beach vs thousands pre-pandemic? True paradise there right now. My family is in Thailand and I can not wait to return in January. I have been told that the natural beauty of the country, mostly the beach tourist areas, has rebounded back to true paradise. Without all the tourists trashing the waters and the beaches, it is like 30-40 years ago.

Take advantage of the opportunity. There may never be a greater time to visit these beautiful parts of the world. 

On 8/18/2021 at 11:22 AM, ryano said:

The low carb keto diet is out the window for the week lol.     

This is the reason we choose to buy the unlimited package. The planks in Jamies at lunch is just one example. You can tell them you are keto and they will hook you up!  Many other places to find amazing keto options. 

2 hours ago, phillygwm said:

I wonder if I get my Latitudes bottle of wine in addition to my Premium Plus bottle?  That might not end well 🙂

Not sure, very rare that I drink the wine they provide. Not that I am a wine snob but the cheap ones they offer are never to my liking (at least the few I have tried). Just as the $1.99 convenience store "champagne" they have in the staterooms. I tell the room steward or butler to make them disappear. 

2 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

When you say “suite” do you mean the Haven?  If so that’s an incredible deal.  

No, Haven is not available on the Norwegian Sun, only penthouse and owners suites. Moved into the lowest level of "true" Suite category.  But still a "suite" deal!!! 

5 hours ago, KAYKAY121 said:

Host name, please??

 

You can call your casino host that you have. I am sure they all have the same access to the deals. 

6 hours ago, kenzie said:

Thank you Rummblesrrip, we ail all gain platinum status after this cruise so that is helpful, is there a concierge desk?

I am not sure on the Getaway. We have been in the Haven when sailing on the Getaway. There is a concierge in the Haven, not sure if that is the same or seperate. On some ships, we have found them by Cagney's (Mojito Bar). You can have them call 855-NCL-HAVEN (pre cruise concierge) and talk to them. If you are not in the Haven, that might be one of the great things to ask about when you get on the ship (tour of the Haven)!.

BTW...Congrats on the milestone! This is where the real loyalty perks kick in. 

Also, I suggest that you seek out the concierge on the ship. Many people do not utilize them nearly enough. We will always introduce ourselves to them. Even if we do not need their services, it is always nice to have another point of contact for any issues that may arise. We have had them pull some rabbits out of the hat for us. 

I have never needed the certificates. When you show at the restaurant, they should ask you if you would like to use your latitudes or your free at sea option. If at Le Bistro or Cagney's it will matter if you get a bottle of wine that night. 

5 hours ago, LGW59 said:

$$ Is what made me start to look into Oceania.  Hard to find an exact apples to apples but below is close as I was able to find.  I did these comparison within the last hour and both priced w/o air included.  WTH am I missing the price diff is huge!

 

Celebrity Beyond

Royal Suite (comparing this because that is where specialty dining becomes available)

9 nights - Oct 2022

$28,037 (always included package)

$800 OBC

Rome

Corsica

Portofino

Nice

Marseille

at sea

Palma De Mallorca

Valencia

Barcelona

 

Oceania Riviera

Vista Suite

10 nights - Oct 2022

$19,892

$600 OBC

Monte Carlo

Livorno

Rome

Salerno

Valletta

Crotone

Kotor

Split

Koper

Venice

Venice

 

Plus, from what I read...the Vista suites are about 40% larger (1200 vs 687).  

On 8/23/2021 at 3:41 PM, SophieM said:

Rumblestrip, it will be hard for me to think of you by any other name when we meet on the rooftop in Delhi. We'll get the second round!

 

J & E

Jane and Ed,

Not sure how you booked, but I was just able to add a "distinctive voyage" promo to my sailing. It is a nice perk, includes special meet up, an on board rep, and the shore perk is a car and driver for 4 hours on the 15th in Singapore. You should reach out to your agent to see it that is something they can add. 

Rummblestrip! 

43 minutes ago, cuterlmt said:

My minimum bid was accepted from an inside to a balcony cabin on the Encore 8/21/2021 sailing to Alaska. I did not find out until just 2 days before my cruise. It was an awesome upgrade. While I have bid before, I have never received a cabin. We get our cruises through CAS so I wasn't sure if we would ever get one since we pay so little for our cruises. 

FYI, I booked a 9 day Japan cruise with CAS in a club balcony. I called my casino host last week and he upgraded me to a suite for $217pp. Will save about that much just with the free room service charges...lol. 

FYI, if you like the casino as I do, this stock is the best odds. Over the last few weeks the stock price has been like a yo-yo. I have my 100 shares locked in and I play with 50-75 more buying and selling. I am lowering my cost basis every time.  Side Note, I do have an account that allows free trades. 

I also have sailed NCL many times. Usually in the haven or suites. I have my second Oceania cruise booked. I sailed the Riviera and loved what they offered. All the above mentioned are correct. While I have 2 more sailings on the NCL sun in a suite, I will miss the O experience. I cannot explain it, but there is just something special about Oceania. 

12 hours ago, jonikal said:

Our report on Suite 615 on the Dumont is very positive.  The layout is well designed and the walk-in closet is a major plus.  Balcony is small with enough space for just two upright chairs, but not much time was spent there anyway.  With regard to the suite's proximity to the gallery and photo area, we were never disturbed by any noise from the corridor.

We only heard the lifeboat being lowered twice, both times during the day, when the ship was at anchor.  The stair mechanism on the other side was only used once when disembarkation was on the starboard side.  Neither mechanical function is significant enough to prevent us from re-booking this delightful suite. 

Did you happen to take any photos? I think that would be great sitting on the balcony watching the disembarkation/embarkation process. I also love watching the crew deploy the lifeboats. On one sailing we spent the day on the ship while in port. We had the best experience watching the crew doing their emergency training in the lifeboats. It was a great day and gave us even more respect for the crew. They work so hard to make us happy and keep us safe. 

1 hour ago, SophieM said:

Hello, Rumblestrip and others!  We, too, are on the Mumbai cruise in Feb. ‘23 and have never done an O pre or post cruise, so I was very interested to read all the replies. I agree with others who said we have a mix of both seasoned and new folks. And, I particularly agree with KatieBelle. It is a whole new travel world post-Covid (I remain optimistic that we will be post-Covid). Are the tour operators from two years ago still in business? Or the hotels? Or? Or? Or? That being said, when we have traveled to Europe and Australia, both by land and sea, we have done all our own bookings with good, maybe even great success. India is a whole new ballgame for us, and given that and the amount of my time to do the planning, we have elected to let O take the load off and just let us enjoy. The positive reviews reinforced our decision. 
 

Looking forward to meeting you Rumblestrip! Maybe we’ll be in the same group. 🙂
 

Jane and Ed. 

Jane and Ed, 

Look forward to meeting you as well. 

An update on something previously posted...

The Oceania representative had mistakenly booked us for the overland trip to the Taj Mahal. Our agent noticed the cost difference and flagged him that there was a mistake. So, the overland has 10 tatal spots for the program. 2 of those spots are currently booked. For the Pre Cruise Taj Mahal trip, there are 30 spots available. It is a larger group but nothing that would give us worry about too many people. At the time they said 29 spots were available. 

CBB mentioned the cocktails on the rooftop in Delhi, If by chance we meet up there, the first round is on us...Cheers!

7 hours ago, sitraveler said:

Most O cruisers are well traveled.  And are comfortable traveling independently in Europe.  We can configure accommodations to our needs. New travelers aren’t on this site.  The O tours are useful when and where one isn’t comfortable independently. 

I am sorry, but I have to disagree. Many new travelers are on this site. My friends, that have never been out of the state they live in, are on this site doing research on the cruise I convinced them to take. I like to think that I am well traveled. For the last 20+ years, I have been in a hotel room or on a cruise ship for 300+ days a year. And I have yet to travel to or explore Europe. Traveled extensively in North/South/Central Americas, Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia....just no interest in most of Europe at this time. I would like to think that people that are loyal customers of Oceania would encourage people to use the land programs they offer. It seems that a lot people choose a cruise so they do not have to plan and travel independently. 

If you have time to decide, I will be sailing on her twice (Feb & April) on Asia itineraries. Once in an oceanview and one in a club balcony. I can give you an update on her condition.

I would never sail a mega ship to Alaska. You will be able to go into places that big ships not allowed. Also much closer than the mega ships. Alaska is about being out with nature. It is hard to be outside and have good views with waterslides and racetracks in your way. Also, thousands more getting off the ship in the small port is not appealing to me. 

Thank you all for the great responses. After talking to my agent, we went ahead and booked the Taj Mahal (India's Crown Jewel) land program.

Two of my questions were answered very quickly.  First, just need to pay by final payment. Second, the size of the group. 2 had already booked and 8 spots remained. I think it will be extra special with a small group of 10 or less. 

This will be our first time to visit India. With all the variables that there seems to be in India, this program offers a great value. The peace of mind will be priceless. 

One thing that I thought was interesting (concerning at first glance) was the hotels included in the package. An Aloft and a Courtyard (both Marriott). I was expecting a higher level of hotel to be included. But after reviewing the hotels, I think that both of them exceed their counterparts in the US. Both of them are rated 5 stars by Marriott. I have been a loyal customer of Marriott for 20+ years and this will be the my first stay at a Courtyard with a full spa. 

Please keep posting your experiences with Oceania's land programs. I think this will be a very good thread to help others make an informed decision. 

I have been trying to sort through all the reviews for information about Oceania land programs. I have found a few talking about them, but not too much detail. I am looking at a pre cruise trip to Taj Mahal. It is a 4 day program that starts in Delhi and ends in Mumbai. Has anyone here do this same trip?

I have a few general questions as well...

Is Oceania good at land programs? (I read some negative things about shore excursions) 

Do you need pay in full when making the reservation?

Will Oceania cancel if there are too few people? (It seems like there will not be many embarking in Mumbai) 

At the cost of $1700pp, the peace of mind getting to ship, ect would be worth the premium that I could book independently, your thoughts? 

Here is a link to the details of the land program...

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/asia-cruises/mumbai-to-bangkok-NAU230205/hotels/?sr=%2fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3d2023-2%26sort%3dfeatured%3adesc%26page%3d1%26pageSize%3d10

Looking forward to hearing others experiences. 

I am not sure if it is an NCL thing, but every time on NCL and Oceania (Haven and Concierge level) our clothes came back smelling like they have been washed in a vat of grease. He have had to discard items because we could never get the smell out of them. I will never send our laundry out on a ship. 

Thank you very much for details and the photos. 

3 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Fifty of us had Delos to ourselves this morning for about an hour. Then Celebrity Apex disgorged 3-400 people… 😱🤪

Just think, pre-rona it would have been almost 3000 she would have dropped in port. 

By chance does anyone have a list of wines available for the upgraded package? It would be great to explore some new wines. I have been a huge fan of Stag Leaps Artemis and do not explore too much in fear of disappointment.  

1 minute ago, AussieBoyTX said:

 

 

Yeah, seems like a good deal.
 

Like other lines I’ve been on, both passengers need to purchase the premium package. I forgot to mention that earlier. 

Good to know, my partner loves wine so that will be a good deal as well.