pinotlover

We were on the Sirena last month off the coast of Spain. We had NO internet period for 4 days of that trip. No email or simple surfing. The question is about a video Zoom call? 😂. How Lucky do you feel? If participating in that Zoom is vital, I’d suggest not getting on the ship.

Any particular cabins on Deck 8 you’ve “ been “?? Not one poster commented on late night parties! Not one! Plenty of comments about rolling carts in the Terrace and dragging of chairs in the wee Hours of night. Depending upon the specific cabins one stays in, the level of noise from above varies significantly.

Avoid those PH suites on the starboard side under the Terrace and Waves. The furthest back first two PH aren’t so bad, avoid the others. Carts rolling in the middle of the night and then the early risers dragging chairs in Waves before even 06:00 is dreadful.

Everyone we heard of in Covid jail were quarantined in their own cabin. Maybe a couple cabins held for split couples where one didn’t test positive, but surely not many.

Remember, all this doesn’t show until one’s 10th cruise, as I remember. Just having number 10 booked doesn’t count. If you have only actually completed 8 cruises, for example, the invoice for what may be number 10 will not show the additional OBC. Once you have completed #9, then you should have your invoice for that future cruise amended to reflect the credit. Best to have your TA handle it.

Part of that is just discussions among the group taking longer, part of it is the people sharing ordering 5-6 courses while everyone else orders 3. My point was the staff is careful not allowing a 4-6 top watch a 2 top getting served 3 courses while they get served one.

Just inform the Maitre De in the GDR and he’ll facilitate you. On a completely separate side note. Two tops should not expect faster or more facilitated service than shared tables just because they are on a two top. The staff is very observant to this other wise it can cause a mutiny. Two toppers wait and ( hopefully) enjoy their time together at the same pace as all others. Those with different expectations often find themselves disappointed.

I asked “more ports the better “ a simple question on this issue and he opted not to respond. Question was: Will those algorithms give two different prices to two different parties , for the same flight, at the same exact time? Still awaiting a response. What if I’m a black female getting quoted a higher price than my white male colleague in the next cubicle? If so, I might be flying free the rest of my life, with cash to spend!!

Chinese ports will soon ( if not already ) become as undesirable as Russian ports. HK, Shanghai, Beijing for get about it.

A convenient place to get light snacks, pastries, coffee, etc. without fighting any lines at Waves or the Terrace. On sea days, during long voyages, I often enjoy going in and reading the WSJ and other publications, therein available, to catch up with what’s going on in the world. Depending upon who’s working, the staff can sometimes provide useful help. A little secret, but I have often found that when the wifi was near no existent in our cabin, reception was excellent ( for the ship) inside the Executive/Concierge Lounges. Something was juiced up there.

Each ship has an onboard OCA ( Oceania Cruise Ambassador) that will assist you in booking your cruise(s) aboard. You will easily find their desk. As a repeater, you know them as the one heading up the repeater party. Since you didn’t stipulate which cruise you are interested in during 1/24, I will warn you that unless it’s a Carribean cruise, you’ll find many of the 1/24 cruises sold out by 1/23. If you like the cruise, I wouldn’t wait 3 months to book it in hopes of saving a few hundred dollars.

Might be a few rooms reserved, but not many. On our cruise, those with Covid quarantined in their cabin. Our final night’s dinner was with a couple just released from Covid prison in a standard veranda. They talked about how small that cabin became during quarantine, but praised the Lord they weren’t booked in an inside cabin serving their quarantine therein! Makes one think.

As expected and forewarned. Boardamania will be fun to watch on this one. People will still show up at 09:00-09:30. 🤪

Got off the Sirena on 11/4 in Barcelona before the ship departed for the TA to Miami. There were supply shortages at the time, and since BCN is not a major resupply port for O/NCL, I’m sure those issues continued on for the TA. Miami is the major resupply hub for the entire fleet. Time will tell on how they do restocking various supplies there.

As an Airborne Ranger, we often set in the hot sun, or under a shade tree, with both parachutes strapped on and a heavy back pack dangling between my knees waiting for the USAF plane to show up, often a couple hours or so later than scheduled. My love of hurry up and wait differs from yours. My primary comment centered around that if you are a self profess early boarder, don’t complain if/when things so badly after intentionally showing up early. It was your decision to do so. Enjoy boardamania to its fullest! As to susiean’s comments, I have never stayed in a hotel ( at least in the past 30 years) that wouldn’t watch our bags after checkout while we explore the city.

I agree wholeheartedly. It will be quite awhile before they diminish further. I believe the expectations should be that they will occur.

On a separate issue, we learned aboard that Lisbon is one of Oceania’s (NCL) major refurbishment ports, second only to Miami. While ships bring on food and some other supplies at other ports, a large percentage of needed staples are boarded there for future segments. We were docked in Lisbon for two days giving the ship plenty of time to load all supplies necessary for our next 10 day segment and the TA out of BCN thereafter. Supply shortages and supply chain issues were still reported by the staff after departure from Lisbon. I’m guessing you’ll encounter the same from Miami, but hopefully not as badly.

We talked to maybe one couple that was continually on past Miami from the TA. If the ship is full, that means effectively everyone is getting on in Miami. We don’t participate in boardamania even on normal cruises and couldn’t imagine doing so in Miami after an international TA turnaround! If you show up early, or during early boarding at the dock, don’t come crying over the results of your personal decision. We arrived at the Sirena at 3:00 pm in Bilboa to find one couple ahead of us in line. An easy 5 minute check in and off to an awaiting ready cabin. Some of the decks hadn’t been called even at 3:00 however. Your decision, your choice.

We bought some great Spanish wines and port at spectacular prices. No room in the suitcases for bulky bath towels! 🍷

Be aware that not all disembarkment ports are terminal facilities. That may means your only way off the ship, with all your luggage is down the stairs on the ramp, often from Deck 5. The lower deck options may not be available when the ship first docks. So the question becomes, can you manage all your luggage and carry on materials down the steps of the gangway? The ship does not have crew there to assist you. They are off loading checked baggage to the designated luggage area.

We just got off the Sirena on a 17 day cruise which was actually two segments. A 7 day and a 10 day. The ship was booked full the total time. All the Specialties reservations for the first night of the second segment were gone before the newbies boarded. They had either been pre booked as guarantees or snatched up early that morning. Those claiming that a Specialty reservation on Embarkment Day is a surety are living in the past or cruising on an empty ship. All Reservations for Specialties were completely booked out at the reservations desk early each morning. The Maitre De didn’t even waste time talking to those wandering in looking for cancellations.

If one’s currently booked cruise is already predominantly booked, I wouldn’t expect any new sales deals being offered. If you booked a cruise that is not in demand you may be in luck. We have four (4) cruises booked through 4/24. All are either fully waitlisted or nearly so. I don’t expect any deals to be offered.

A lot of O cruisers are totally capable of completely zoning out their surroundings. Take today for example on an O cruise, our tour guide gave us implicit instructions on what to do when we off loaded the ship. Repeated it three times. Several got off clueless, then did exactly what he told them not to do. I’m not so sure that “ talent “ of yours is a blessing. Some of us were taught/trained to absorb our surroundings.

How old must one be to have ever seen blue suede shoes on the dance floor? Perry Como put me to sleep 40 years ago. Listening to him over the speakers now is tiring, or perhaps a Rip Van Winkle moment.

I’m just guessing, but I firmly believe that by mid March 2023, when bookings might open if the ship is actually sailing, it’ll all be worked out and everyone will know. No La Reserve on the ship for competition, why the trepidation over not knowing months in advance? I’m concerned over whether the ship will even be sailing and the loss of airfare. Worry about booking a Specialty months before bookings open isn’t on my list!