Tjoolder

Our 06/27/2024 cruise on Riviera lost 5 Turkish port. Embarkation has been changed from Istanbul to Trieste.

The itinary now also includes Rijeka and Zadar (Croatia), Kotor, Santorini and Mykonos.

We once docked in the old harbour in Marseille. IIRC it was on Sirena.

No bars -> No cruises for me.

And another reason to ban plastic...

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/dead-pregnant-whale-plastic-italy/

We have been there on Insignia some years ago and we docked right in the centre, next to the MuCEM museum.

A 5 min walk to the old harbor.

Does make you wonder

 

 

The Res dept people do not have a clue sometimes

 

You can call several times with the same question & get several answers ;)

They need more training IMO

Surely they do:rolleyes:

But I don't think this is the case here, as she confirmed there had been 2 policy changes.

I think Oceania loves us europeans so much that they want us to pay more, and are willing to change the rules of the game during the game.

Sounds like they made the offer before they checked to be sure they could offer you the cruise in USD

Usually US TA's cannot book people from other Countries (not including Canada)

It's not just a TA, it's a Oceania employee in Oceania HQ, with an Oceania email address (oceaniaregent.com), replying to a simple question "Can I book in USD instead of EUR?"

That's what bothers me the most. If it were a normal TA, I could understand that they aren't up with brand new, just invented policies...

Very strange indeed. When paying for a cruise we are always charged in US $. We live in Canada and so does our TA

This is how she mentionned it

"I it is going to be transferred to an agency then it has to be

booked in Euros or to work directly with me (an Oceania employee) it can be

either Euros or GBP or USD. Unfortunately there was a change and currency as

to be the same as what the Trae agent uses."

And a day later

" I am not able to book in USD anymore to anyone leaving out of Belgium. Unfortunately this change was made after I Quoted the cruise.

The TA was located in the Miami.

No miscommunication. Just changing the rules as they see fit.

On 8/29 I contacted Oceania asking whether it was possible to book a cruise in USD instead of in EUR.

This because of the actual exchange rate EUR/USD (1.20), which would save me appx 10% (Oceania uses exchange rate of 1.08)

The same day a TA working for Oceania contacted me and confirmed this was possible. She also confirmed that the booking could be transferred to my Belgian TA. Finally she gave me a quotation in USD.

On 9/05 she contacted me again mentionning that if I wanted to transfer the booking to my TA, I could only book in EUR. But if I booked directly with her, the booking could be either USD, EUR or GBP. (change of policy during the weekend)

On 9/06 I wanted to confirm this booking. She answered me that she was not able to book in USD anymore to anyone leaving out of Belgium. (change of policy after my last mail)

As a result I now should book in EUR, paying 10% more than someone in the US.

I can't shake the feeling that this has become something personal...:mad:

Oh my, you have so many questions and so many answers. Marsielle is a container ugly port. Marsielle itself is dangerous. Do something with a tour. We went to Provence which is so nice. It takes a whole day to do something there.

 

You must break it down by port. I agree with a lot of the above posters, read Rick Steeves. Then you will know.

 

In Europe some are good and some are bad. If you need to go a long way from the ship, use the ships tours. In some places the traffic is bad and you don't want to miss the ship.

We had a completely different experience in Marseille when we visited while on Insignia in 2014.

We were docked in the city centre next to the MuCEM and had a nice (free) walking tour with a local resident (Greeters network). He even joined us on our boat trip to the calanques (arond 4 hours) without asking him before.

Is it possible to upgrade the package before boarding or online?

Would like to avoid the first day lines and start with a good glass of Champagne...

Hi,

you could check out these guys

http://www.marseilleprovencegreeters.com/en/

We had a walk through Marseilles with Max and had a great time.

Does anyone have a status update on the pool deck refit?

We are boarding next Tuesday and it would be a pity if the pool deck is closed :mad:

@Roothy123

Could you send me the info too? Will be onthe Mayan Mystique cruise March 2013.

Email : tjoolder at dommel.be

Thanks