pinotlover

There is an expresso machine in both the Executive and Concierge Lounge. It is however the regular grade of coffee used in the dining venues and not the more superior quality found in Barrista. Still easy and complimentary.

I believe Gary gave a very good list of some of the possibilities. Actually they’ll attempt to achieve most any requests one has. There in lies the important part: requests. A lot of people are pure, or nearly so, DIYers. They’d rather sit on hold, and then talk to a perhaps untrained phone rep than use their TA. Except for a few perks, they never use their TA. We allow our TA to take care of any issues that might arise and never do the 1-800-thingy. There are a lot of things one’s TA can do if requested. Same goes with the butler. Some people refuse to use any services they can provide, others might do so minimally. I’ve seen some that prefer to stand in the Specialty reservations line because they prefer to DIY as opposed to asking the butler. I’m not saying our butler is always capable of getting that extra reservation when and where we want it, but a no from him is typically 85% accurate and the wait in line isn’t typically worth success the other 15%. Long story short: It is what you make it. Mostly your choice. Ask and you shall receive. Don’t ask, don’t receive. Personal choice. Happy cruising.

On my recent cruise I didn’t notice any increase in staffing of the wine stewards. What I do believe is, as they get to know the individual drinkers, they increase the size of the pour so to not have to come around as often. Those 4-5 Oz pours became 6-7 Oz ones.

Oceania, especially the CD, would rather not listen to 1-3 days of complaining . Except in the rare case of some very localized weather, all the decisions are made in Miami. Miami makes a decision and the ship’s crew bears the brunt.

I have found that the tour operators often know if a port will be missed before we passengers do. One tour operator was telling us three days in advance the ship was skipping the port while ship personnel refused to confirm it until 24 hours before scheduled arrival.

In all my experiences with Oceania, except TC and Waves obviously, we have always been escorted to our table from the hostess station; seated, hand our napkins placed; and handed a menu. Always! There was never a wait to get a menu. If Clo experienced anything other than this procedure, it was definitely out of the norms. We never received a menu from our waiter. How long we might have to wait to place an order can vary significantly, but never having a menu.

One small comment. All the above comments have been about the TA, as in the Travel Agency. Nothing has yet be said about the other TA, or Travel Agent. Not all Travel Agents working for an OCC Travel Agency are Oceania specialists. If only perks matter, I suppose getting a quote will suffice. However, if one wants a bit more from their Travel Agent, it takes more exploration than just identifying an OCC.

We were on the Riveria last month and it had been Starlink. The system worked fine, except of course in S.Korea where it was blocked.

I believe the TC is obviously best for you. We’re never into the 39 minute Applebee’s meal. We don’t require 2 tops. Different strokes for different folks. Many of our memorable meals on Oceania have been wonderfully pace meals with new diverse passengers. Something many disdain.

I agree wholeheartedly. The only question is how the majority of Oceania cruisers, on any given cruise, differentiates this!

Forgive me if my post was aggressive. We have almost always loved the dish. Just saying that Miami has a rule that the Specialty dish be served 7/365 regardless of ingredient availability. We even had a restaurant chef apologize a Specialty course because Miami dictated it be served regardless. I can love a wonderfully flavorful dish that excites the taste glands while not calling it “ spicy “. Spice does not have to indicate heat, but it is often described independently of sweetness. While I can love properly prepared key lime pie and its wonderful flavors, I don’t call it spicy. Is a beautiful crème brûlée spicy? Do NoNos get to vote?

I am so glad you enjoyed the watermelon duck salad. It has historically been one of our favorites. However, on the Riveria last month it was neither confit nor crispy. There was no cashews , mint, nor basil. Along with the totally unripe watermelon, it was a disaster. My question to you is the definition of the dish is” spicy”. Do you personally consider” fresh fish sauce” as being “spicy”. While you may enjoy sweet, does that classify in your mind as spicy? Fwiw, they originally used tamarind sauce not sweet sauce.

Oceania’s major issue derives from from its huge swings of inconsistency. Being a long term Oceania cruiser, the food in the GDR was once significantly different from that in the buffet (Terrace Grill). Outside of the grill station, Oceania chose to make the evening menu similar for the two. For those wanting to eat a complete meal in 30-40 minutes (or less), they could go to the buffet. For those wanting a more relaxed dinner, served at their table, they could go to the GDR. The food is the same. This degraded ( only imho) the GDR.

We got off Riveria a month ago and was served Heidseck. I personally believe we are at a point where all our ancedotal experiences have little value. Are the port Agents, under Oceania’s instruction, just digging through the warehouses and flushing out all the old stock? A few cases of this and that found here or there that needs to be poured out? Perhaps the only direction we can receive on this is for someone on board to ask the question directly if the head Somm. I say this realizing the head Somm we had on the Riveria was basically clueless. She taught a wine class and made numerous eras in her presentation while repeatedly she was still learning. She was the head Somm (wine steward )! However, perhaps that person might give information on the intended direction. Where they plan on being in 4-5 months, not where they are now.

Several of the dates are suspect because of ship positions. They aren’t doing a dry dock in FP, nor some of the other scheduled ship locations.

If you’re staying at a major hotel pre cruise, you can have the the party send it to the hotel. Notify the Concierge or front desk. When traveling abroad on business, we had documents sent to us quite often like this. Don’t use US Mail. Have the party send it FedEx or UPS! Using the regular mail may take until the 2028 election to receive.

😂. Exactly! One would think that those proclaimed sophisticated travelers would just ask the room stewards where they were from if they couldn’t read the name tags. Nope face plants to the ummm chest seemed appropriate. It didn’t take that change long to happen! 🙄

A few random comments: 1. Oceania oftentimes adds to and subtracts from ( cancels) tours as situations warrant. I’ve seen shore tours added 5-6 months pre-cruise. Others similarly cancelled.This means that the pdf one requested upon booking, 12+ months out, may not be accurate or up to date. 2. For those few exceptional ship tours we choose, I send the tour descriptions to my TA and she books them. I have no desire to spend time on the phone ( including possibly on hold) talking to a phone rep. My way, it’s all in writing so I can compare what I received to what I requested thus eliminating any chances of verbal mis communication. 3. This 25% off thingy has become a quagmire for some. There may be different results for different folks. If Oceania cancels a port, or more importantly altered port times before you board, this may upset your plans. We boarded the Vista last June to learn 3 or 4 ports had 2 or more hours clipped off them. People likewise learned this resulted in some cases of cancelled tours. If the passengers didn’t rebook tours to get back to their minimum requirements, tour prices were recalculated accordingly. This created havoc. This policy was not employed for tours cancelled because of weather or other reasons after the start of the cruise. Unless one just prefers expensive ship tours, chasing that 25% off can be a fool’s folly. Book what you think you’d like to do and let the chips fall as they may. I’ve seen too many book additional tours, they didn’t really want, just to get 25% off an expensive tour they really wanted, to then have that tour cancelled.

Absolutely! Plus, this isn’t a commonly held practice for many, but at times my DW decides to dress very nicely, look very pretty, and not do the LCD thing. When she does, I feel compelled to step it up and dress more nicely. One of the fashion statements onboard is the lady nicely dressed, a bit of bling, and dolled up, while the husband wear his Izod polo shirt 1-2 sizes to small, or a 2002 era flowery Hawaiian shirt, or what appears to be an old bowling league shirt. 🙄. The restaurant hostess is looking around trying to find who goes with the guy, as it assuredly can’t be the nicely dressed lady standing nearby! 😂 If my DW prettifies, I prettify!

I have never understood the disdain for sport jackets. While I understand the hassle of packing a tux, my sport jacket folds neatly requiring little room. All this reminds me an Alaskan cruise we did, on another line, with a gentleman that only wore shorts. Nice guy, but he was adamant he only wore shorts 365, didn’t even own a pair of regular trousers. He thought it old fashioned and outrageous that he couldn’t dine in the GDR or Specialty restaurant. Thing is, he knew what the rules were when he booked. Whether old fashioned or not, different establishments have different dress codes, if they have any at all. Dress codes may well be a reason to choose or not choose a line. Different strokes for different folks. Oceania’s are rather simple and straightforward. What t’s me are those that blatantly attempt to not adhere to them.

I wasn’t disagreeing with your post. Just a reminder we were told the exact same thing last year and the release was finally made last month. With the world in such turmoil, I don’t believe the cruise lines, outside of Viking, are comfortable releasing itineraries more than two years out. The current new release, with lots to choose from, has only been out a month! Predictions on when the next release will be is a wag. If I made any projections as a date, it would be after the release of the 2027 ATW. Now , when will that be?? 🤔

Or April of next year, as was this year’s release. A wag is a wag this far out.

Best posted on your Roll Call. Follow the tab above and find yours. P.S. when you make a posting like this giving no dates, no ship, or any other relevant information it’s often ignored.

Marina is just current, Riveria’s was in 22. Vista is still new. FDR said there would be no more upgrades or overhauls on the R ships. Looks like the answer is “ well in the future when one of the required inspections are due.

Funny story on those old name tags. Thanks for the laugh! 😂