pinotlover

June 20th.

The Privee was booked. We had ten people booked which is max occupancy. One would imagine Oceania would offer us first choice if a La Reserve dinner was their plan. Oceania did NOT! They merely canceled our reservation. They didn’t send us any information on menu options.

Just got this email from Oceania via my TA. “” Subject: Vista - Privee updated Dear valued guest, We would like to inform you of an important update to your Privee reservation. Kindly be advised Privee will not be offered due to the new concept being programmed onboard Vista. Therefore, your reservation has been removed and a full refund will be issued to your original form of payment…”” My TA hasn’t a clue as to what’s going on. Time will tell. Any others getting this email?

It should again be pointed out that cabin 8044 is a port side cabin. Different noise conditions exist under starboard side cabins under the Terrace and Waves.

Work it with your TA. They may well be able to do things we aren’t privy too.

Fully enclosed by netting . Ball can’t get out. Just like golf area.

The court is on the top deck of the Marina between the putt putt course and the golf driving net. I did not see provided paddles or balls. Not saying they aren’t there, but didn’t see any. Even though partially shielded from the wind by the wind screen, it still seemed to have a significant effect on play. I seem to remember our cruise, in that region, to being very windy except when actually inside a fjord.

Very few people actually cancel. For those that do, there is generally a wait list from those signing up at the Dining Reservation Desk . So showing up at 6:00 wouldn’t do you much good. By 6:45, most of the 6:30 stragglers have made it in and the staff has a better idea. Your best shot is going to Deck 5 to the reservation desk and requesting an additional night there. let me say again, a lot depends upon how full the ship is.

Starboard side, under the Terrace Cafe, can be quite noisy at night due to the rolling carts going overhead. Doesn’t happen on port side. The back 2-3 PH-3 cabins aren’t as bad. Forward of that can get noisy.

It will depend primarily on two things: 1. How full the ship is; 2. If you’re satisfied with eating later as in 8:00-9:00.

Consider Uniworld on the upper Amazon then do Manchu Picchuwith them.

I trust your experience. Just isn’t what happened with us, but we’ve never had the NCL stock OBC involved. How far ahead of the cruise was your refundable OBC applied to your account? Was your juggling done pre cruise or while abroad?

I don’t believe this is the case. At the time of booking the tours they will apply any OBC available. Refundable OBC will be held in account until the account is closed upon debarking and you will be given cash for any remaining amounts. You’ll pay your own cc bills.

Yes indeed, in all the multiple possibilities. Be careful with the term “ achieve”. SH and ACD are the same rank and pay with the same benefits, just different positions. On some cruises, one may be the SH while on another the ACD depending upon the circumstances.

The Social Hostess is an entirely separate position . Almost always a senior female member of the entertainment staff. The Social Hostess is also the same rank and pay as the Assistant CD. Some, not wanting to be on the CD career path, prefer the Social Hostess position to the Ass’t CD. It gives them the same pay and they can work until they “ age out “ of the entertainment team. Then, go in with life. Additionally, for future contracts, they avoid conflicts of marriage and partner relationships with the other two jobs.

There is no alternative department. Oceania tells you want they want you to know, when they want you to know it. Example. On our Marina cruise Oceania, we later found out, had cancelled a port over two weeks prior to sailing. We passengers were informed of that cancellation upon boarding . Oceania had no desire for us to know the details earlier. Unless one checks all their ports of call individually they won’t know their status until Oceania chooses to tell them. The harbormaster is the best source!!

Another item. One can’t log into their account at 11:50 ( for example) and wait until 12:00 to book. They must wait until AFTER 12:00 to log in. I typically advise at least 12:01, or so.

This is SO correct. People calling 1-800 and talking to some clerk. Do you think they have a clue on any of this? One can’t get a straight answer from Destination Services aboard ship, why does one believe aDial a Clerk would know anything?

The “ luggage tags “ are only plastic tags with your name and cabin number on them. They are not luggage tags one would use for airline travel. Since we always fly into the Embarkment port a day+ early, we don’t put the tags on until we get ready to go to the port. Their sole purpose is to assist in getting your luggage from the dock to your cabin. check your mailings from Oceania to ensure they aren’t in there. Easy to miss.

It was not a free overland. Cost was $1299 each. Offer was to increase the cost to $1599 each and do the tour. This was only for a two day tour with one overnight. We passed. Oceania to refund our payment for the Overland. I have been too busy to look at what Oceania wants for this Overland on future cruises. I’ll put it on my list.

Mauibabes; I wholeheartedly agree they work. Thus sayeth the above. However, in today’s AI world it’s not difficult to 1. Recognize that Pinotlover books most all his cruises upon cruise release and; 2. That I already have ( had) three cruises booked in the next year, that probably taxes my finances , and is as many as we ever take in a year. Therefore, we are extremely low probability targets for a new booking. Seems AI, or a competent IT person writing code, could take us off the mailing list for awhile until we meet other criteria. If I have booked three in a years span, there is zero chance we’ll take #4 regardless of the deal. Isn’t that what’s AI is for?? If using even a bit of logic, over a large population of cruisers can save X% of publishing and mailing costs, wouldn’t it be worth it to a cruise line with pummeling debt?

I’m not a marketing mastermind, but I feel that Oceania does indeed believe that those massive mailings bring in bookings or they wouldn’t be doing them. I’m quite sure they even have empirical data to support it. Those multiple page ads in Wine Spectator can’t be cheap either, but obviously they are paying for themselves. I get nuisance phone calls from companies wanting to sell me extended warranty policies on my vehicles regularly. Hard to believe that anyone buys, but obviously enough do that the companies kept on paying people to make the calls. Personally, I believe Oceania should direct a chunk of that print advertising dollars into building a reliable functional website. One that wants potential cruisers to explore their offerings more in lieu of frustration and aggravation. FDR obviously disagrees. Perhaps that would be confused with providing significant corporate communications which is intolerable to them.

Yes. They start on the 19th cruise. If that 10th cruise was booked before your status was updated, have your TA reinvoice the cruise ensuring your proper status is reflected on the contract.

Hong Kong is now a fully integrated part of the PRC. If anything stupid happens, I would not count on going anywhere in the PRC or Taiwan. I also wouldn’t count on Cathey Pacific being able to fly from there to the US. Probably not a good place to book a cruise to currently.

So the saga begins. A couple of months ago one of friends tried to join us on O’s land tour in Israel during our upcoming Vista cruise. He was told it was waitlisted and couldn’t book. A month ago was final payment. Today I get an email from Oceania telling us the Land tour didn’t have the minimum number of guests and it was cancelled. First Ouch! Then, wait for it, if you’ll give us $300 each more, we’ll run the tour!! Second Ouch!! Oh, the games being played.