pinotlover

I would never have noticed it either, in the Lounge , while going through the reception line if we hadn’t circled back behind the greeters for a table on the upper level . Sitting there discreetly against the wall with all entering in plain sight.

Absolutely! Plus passengers should feel some confidence that it isn’t all left to the integrity of the individual passengers to report if they are feverish or sick or not. Not going ashore won’t hide you from the equipment being moved around the ship to monitor the passenger’s health.

+1 with passport visa express. I used them several years ago for China and they were excellent. Quick and efficient.

We had fully checked in on line, including uploading our pictures. They still took another picture of us at check in at the dock. For those not oblivious to the electronic placard upon boarding, Facial recognition is used aboard ship when boarding AND in conjunction with the thermal detection device for taking and monitoring a passenger’s temperature. We saw that device moved around the ship appearing at not only the boarding area but also discretely at the entrance to the Terrace and in the Lounge at one of the receptions. We later learned from unfortunate guests that those setting off the thermal tests received invitations they couldn’t refuse to visit the medical clinic.

Actually a crapshoot. Uniworld offers a 5% discount for paying upfront. Glad I took advantage of it. My stock accounts lost a lot more than 5% last year. I could have paid for multiple cruises in an OS for what disappeared. 😢🥺. Paying upfront reduced the amount I lost. Life’s a gamble. This year’s market might not be pretty either!

In 2019, we did Southampton-Southampton, 20 or 21 day cruise. It included two stops on the North side of Iceland and an overnight in Reykjavik. The later was after a scheduled 2 stop In Greenland. It was on the Nautica, and I believe they only ran that itinerary once per year at the time. The cruise typically filled quickly upon release. That cruise was combined, with many aboard, with the 21 day Copenhagen-Southampton cruise that went up the Norway coast and over the top to Archangel. The Russian portion of that itinerary has obviously been eliminated, so not sure what’s happening now.

Just received notification of port modifications for our Dec OZ circumnavigation. Email only includes changes for first leg to Bali. It does not include 2nd leg.

Oceania has neither published a 2024 date nor a later date for the refurbishment. Everything is pure speculation at this time.

Thank you! I’m getting very nervous about our booking for this cruise. A lot of money, both ship and airfare, for that many sea days especially on an R ship. The shorten port times adds insult to injury.

I have a request for anyone that did the circumnavigation cruise this year. How many total ports did you miss, and how many total sea days did you end up with? Thanks for your efforts!

Some officers are highly visible and attend all the functions. Some of the senior officers attend none of the functions . There is no requirement for any senior O officer to ever intermingle with guests. You were on a ship with the good guys! Luck if the draw.

+1. Won’t much affect a TA, but this will become a huge factor between the two lines, especially as Oceania slices more port times away. For those that care, some of Oceania’s senior staff, such as the ship captain, are invisible. They don’t even show up for the Captain’s Welcome Party. AZ’s senior staff intermingles with the passengers FAR more than Oceania’s. Never been a big deal for me, but others enjoy meeting and being coddled by senior staff.

I’ll repeat my comments while in my Sirena cruise. : I had some great meals and I had some very poor meals.It’s the Inconsistency that’s killing them.

Typically, when Oceania makes cruise cancellations, they do it before the air schedule opens up for that time frame. That’s 11-12 months depending upon airlines. Therefore, most all of 2024 is still in play. I will add that the ship yards appear to be fairly busy and it would be at least that far out to get a slot reserved. I still personally believe that NCLH’s financial condition is such that they need all the revenue they can get, and will delay extra expenses as long as possible. I’ll be on Marina next month. Will be interesting to make my own decisions. In Oct, our OCA on Sirena announced that the cruise schedule for the second “ A” Class ship would be announced in April for 2025 sailings. We’ll soon see if that actually happens. A new ship is a lot of money NCLH doesn’t have.

We found a total absence of tamarind in the Red Ginger watermelon duck salad. Eradicated much of the flavor. Then , they presented Tamarind Soup, after acknowledging they had no tamarind aboard. Disappointing to say the least. Going bland seems to be accepted alternative.

We are on the Dec23-Jan 24 circumnavigation. Looks mostly similar to your itinerary. Hopefully they figure out the descaling in advance. A lot of money for additional sea days we don’t want. As always will attempt to avoid Oceania shorex! Would love your information on the guide in Bali!! Was hoping to be there two days with an overnight, but only one unfortunately .

I don’t believe we actually docked, but was on anchor. There was only one major city in the Bay. We didn’t do the overnight to Hanoi, but spent one of the days touring through the remarkable Bay with its inhabitants along with a cave tour. The next day we walked around the town itself and visited a fabulous marketplace.

Not for mentioned, but one of the things we love about the GDR is the open seating. The Specialties have reservation times which one must/should stay fairly compliant with. In the GDR, if we’re having drinks with friends that have later reservations, had a large lunch ashore, or just prefer to watch a magnificent sail away in Horizons; we can go to dinner when we please. The outside of the Terrace may not be open or desired because of weather. Additionally, the Terrace is mostly an early crowd. Go there at 7:30 and there may only be 6-10 people scattered around the entire restaurant. ( I realize this is preferable to some). Go to the GDR and you most likely can still share and meet new cruisers. Typically good food, good ambience, a dress code and a pleasant evening. Looking back, we have had fewer misses ( poorly done meals) in the GDR than in the Specialties.

Part of our routine, is that nightly, either after the show or dinner, upon returning to our cabin we read the Currents and the news extracts left on our beds. Therefore, Dottie’s reading of such is repetitive. However, to hear any of the CDs one must open their cabin door. Only the Captain’s announcements come into the cabin now. The far larger issue is that a significant number of passengers never read the Currents, never listen to the CD announcements, and are totally oblivious to anything reps from Destination Services or their tour guides say. A perfect example of this issue occurs when Destination Services is setting up the table to give out passes for the tours. A lady announces over and over and over again to please take a seat and they will call you up when ready. In walks Mr Oblivious, with everyone else seated, that goes to the table and hands out their coupon slip! This , of course, just after the rep has finished telling them to take a seat. I believe the other CDs realize nothing they do will ever reach the Oblivious, so therefore keep their sermons shorter. Dottie drones on.

Once aboard, just ask your fellow cruisers. Easy conversation at dinner. Most fellow cruisers will gladly make recommendations if they are satisfied with their Agent. Don’t be surprised when you start hearing the same names popping up . First, decide what is important to you with an Agent. That way you can address your questions more efficiently.

We don’t find our PH cabin, most particularly on the O ships, conducive to eating full meals for two, much less four. The table, at the foot of the bed, just isn’t large enough for two people with plates if steak/chops, lobster, or other large dishes along with wine glasses, water glasses and any other accompanying items. One of us would end up moving to the coffee table to have space. What we do enjoy en Suite, is ordering a couple of waves of appetizers ( finger food). The butler can then set up the table as a buffet of sorts. Then we can sit either on the veranda or inside, as we please, and graze from the shared selections at will. Since the PG and Toscana share a kitchen, and both menus can be used, this provides a large selection of finger foods to choose from. On the Sirena, with its varied mix, the choices can be eclectic! Plenty of room for the wine glasses!! 😜!

Remember that Santiago easily includes visiting Valparaiso which is much more attractive. Several day trips out of Santiago to completely different wine regions are available. Stay in one hotel in Santiago and hit all the area including Patagonia.

The discussion by the OP does bring up an interesting point, that being the significant portion of Oceania cruisers that either don’t drink alcohol or drink very little. On the Sirena it was often commented on how Horizons might only have 10–15 patrons during Happy Hour, with some being hanger ons from tea. Martinis was rarely full. To run a successful beverage program one must have a sufficient audience to make it viable. My question becomes “ is the current increases in both drinks and drink packages being partially driven by the need to distribute those total costs over a diminished number of cruisers?” A Premium line has to have a premium beverage package to compete imo. There’s a line there of costs versus availability that can be problematic. I’ll take notice on my cruise next month to see how utilized the bars are. Drinking coke or coffee during evening trivia won’t count.

Funny! I thought the sale was primarily on cruises that weren’t selling. Highly sought after! 😂 None of the cruises I’m currently booked on are included! 🤔

Amazing! Oceania is so flush with cash they don’t feel the need to advertise either Cooking Classes or Privee availablity. Our June 11 Vista cruise lists nothing for either. It appears I can contact my TA and inquire, but with NCLH so flush with cash will they even respond to her? They obviously don’t need our money. 🤔