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mauibabes

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About Me

  • Location
    Sacramento, California
  • Interests
    Golf, travel, cruising
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Oceania
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Europe

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  1. @yogagal47 Just wanted to make sure you were getting good info to make decisions. Your experience in Rio lays to rest the benefit of taking Insignia from MIA to RIO but that is an excellent itinerary and with 22 days, probably a lower cost per day than the Barbados itinerary. We were booked into Barbados a couple years ago but there were Covid issues in South America and Marina was redirected to the Caribbean and our A B C island hop trip was restructured but was still fun. Check out flights to and from Barbados, I think I still have some Jet Blue Credit based on flight cancellations as there are limited options. 22 vs 18, No problem 🤪👍, especially when it is even cheaper. Whatever you do, have a great time doing it on O. I think you and anyone new to O deserves help with O’s idiosyncrasies so I would prefer to offer assistance and actual experience rather than join the “Critics”. We joined the O family about 17 years ago so we do have experiences to share, like I said previously, some Good, Bad and Ugly but within our cruise world, it is pretty darn awesome. Love getting aboard and having staff from “years” back come up to say hello. So many ABSOLUTELY GREAT young people, it keeps us young too. Good Luck, Mauibabes
  2. @ORV My OOPS, as you said, lost focus 😇. Just trying to get across, minus my oops, if it were my decision, and it’s NOT, I would jump on the 22 day Insignia 2025 ATW First Segment. We have done an ATW segment as well as the Amazon/ Rio cruises and IMHO it is the Better cruise between the two and the Best Value. The only negative I see is having to make the longer flight home from Rio but seeing and experiencing Rio is well worth a longer flight. Sorry Yoga for sharing GTY misinformation, my comment really applied to Waitlisting on Oceania. Good luck with your decisions and thanks ORV. Mauibabes
  3. @yogagal47 I understand now. I was trying to make the point that Booking the Guaranteed A-1 or 2, unlike some other lines, guaranteed bookings do not get a discounted price.i just prefer to make a decision knowing my room and start planning ahead. If you book Sirena, I would suggest applying a Deposit as it is the best way for your Guarantee Booking to rise to the top when Cancellations come, and they will. Your trip is 18 days, Bridgetown to Bridgetown, if you can add a few extra days, I would suggest a different cruise. I was looking at the 2024/25 O Calendar and I then looked at Insignias ATW which leaves Miami on Jan. 5, she sails her first segment for 22 days; thru the Caribbean, thru the Amazon to Rio, and there were A-3 rooms available and the price is $8599 for 4 additional days and you will get to visit Rio. We did this trip in reverse about 10 years ago on her and it is outstanding, loved some extra days in Rio too. Since it is the first leg of the ATW, you might even have some additional amenities or experiences with people who are just starting a bucket list trip. Check it out but just an idea if it can fit your availability. Enjoy, Mauibabes
  4. @yogagal47 First, no idea what voyage you are considering but there is no $ benefit to book Guaranteed on O unless you are hoping to get a better upgrade. If you are really interested in the cruise, move to a Category that you can lock in your room and move on to booking tours and building your cruise dreams. Bathrooms, yes they are smaller, remember the R Class ships were 1999 vintage so large bathrooms were not necessary. The PH’s on O are 50% larger than the Veranda Staterooms so when on one of those ships, we always upgrade. That said, we have also cruised 35 days on an ATW segment in a Veranda room and the bathroom was adequate..Oceania and Azamara are sailing the same ships so, small bathrooms but a beautiful and enjoyable ship and cruise. Negativity, I know some of it is deserved and some is not but some people take the “Critic” part of Cruise Critic to heart and think they are doing everyone a favor. No, perhaps Regatta recently had issues and it won’t be perfect but she is a beautiful ship, the staff cares about you and works very hard to deliver a memorable experience. At least this is IMHO. Take the cruise, enjoy yourselves and create your own opinions. If something is not right, please tell someone who can make it right. If you have an unacceptable meal, have a quiet chat with the Maitre d so they can fix it. They want you back, it’s the name of the game. You will NOT be on a mass market monster ship with families and kids swarming about, you will have a well traveled traveler who is not intent on filling a plate 6” high in the Terrace Cafe because in a few hours, there is another wonderful meal coming. Believe me, you have to pace yourselves, too much of a good thing is still too much. Decide for yourself and turn off others negativity and cruise with realistic expectations. No line is PERFECT. Enjoy, Mauibabes
  5. I request a PDF for every cruise we take on O and I get it thru an O Rep as I have not seen it available on their website. In addition I book out tours, usually a combination of O and Private as early as I can based on availability. We are doing our first cruise under SM in November and I have already booked out tours for a sailing on Riviera. I also used my SM Excursion Credits to book a more expensive and highly desireable tour early in the cruise. If there are cancellations of tours, we should be in a position to rebook, accept refunds and then shift to private tour providers. One thing we have seen on our cruises since Covid, the local tour companies have lost staff and eliminated tours and Oceania has not been able to rehire tour companies to provide the breadth of tours. At least that is what I have heard from O staff. My two cents, Do Not wait to book tours, especially not waiting until on board. Make sure you have your SM credits spent. Enjoy, Mauibabes
  6. That is terrible about your experiences on Vista. We have friends on board now, their third on Vista and she sent a photo of her Lasagne an hour ago and said it was great. They get off soon and head out on a TA on Sirena so we will be following their experiences on that ship and voyage as well. When we have had an unacceptable meal, they have happened, we always have a little “Chat” with the Maitre d. We have met with a number of Chef’s, to share the Good, Bad and Ugly. I agree, this should not be happening and you need to tell them so and actually it should have happened anytime you are unsatisfied. We are booked back on Riviera in November and then in April 2025 so we will check her out for ourselves. We love O but are definitely not going to maintain silence if they are failing to live up to their commitment to the “Finest Cuisine at Sea”. Maybe you can check out Regent or others to see if they deliver a better quality product. Mauibabes
  7. Hopefully your TA can help you and if not, I hope you are successful getting your message across. You can work your way up the Executive Chain or just start with FDR, the CEO. All of what I wrote about is JMHO. Actually any cruise line experiences pre Covid bear no semblance to what they deliver today and it does not matter what you are paying for it. They have all lowered their/our expectations but again in MHO, O is still delivering a great value for its place in the cruise industry. I call it LUX LITE. Enjoy and Good luck with your efforts. Mauibabes.
  8. Now that you have 1 O cruise under your belt, the real tests and opinion formulation should come with #’s 2 and 3. I can not compare O to Silversea or Celebrity Retreat as I have no experience but I can relate to other Oceania cruise comparisons. We were on Vista twice last year and she was outstanding but not perfect. We loved our PH, Butler and overall service. We are not Pool people, Dermatologist rules 😇, but you are right, they could enhance their outdoor service in the Spa and service from the Pool Deck Bar staff. A few of our favorite experiences, as you said, Red Ginger is my #1 and I eat the Watermelon and Duck Salad and Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass every time I am there and the Rack of Lamb is awesome. My DW loves the Teriyaki Beef, Medium Rare. Toscana you said was not a favorite, you need to select different entrees because that restaurant is Outstanding especially with one of the Italian Chef’s offering nightly specials. Love the bread basket, Balsamic and Olive Oil cart, the Caesar Salad, the Dover Sole deboned at the table, the Lasagne is second to none and DW’s basis for comparing all Italian dining experiences on land or sea. Polo, Love the Shrimp Cocktail, the Waldorf Salad is DW’s #1, my Cardiologist limits my red meat so a Filet Mignon cooked Medium Rare and the variety of potatoes offered once a week. Ember, while not Jacques as on Marina and Riviera actually delivers some excellent entrees, just not gourmet fare. When you sail again, try the wine pairing dinners in Polo or Toscana in the private dining rooms, wonderful! If you want to push the dining envelope, book one of the evenings in Privee with the Pre set Gourmet dinner menus or the Dom Perignon Champagne pairing dinners. Yes you will PAY. Also remember, short of any wine pairing dinners, ALL the Specialty dinners were INCLUDED, aka NO CHARGE. I did not see a mention of your experiencing afternoon tea in Horizons or any time spent in Baristas and the Bakery. Both are favorites for us and companions as a place to chat and enjoy some goodies. Yes the Terrace Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the Best Buffet afloat and was rated so this past year on CC. Waves is also quite enjoyable, especially if a quick’ meal before or after an Excursion is needed. By the way, should you like ice cream, hope you tried the many flavors of Humphrey Slocumb that is made fresh daily. Our first Vista cruise was only 7 days and believe me, it was “far too short” to form a definitive opinion. Second trip was 16 days and that allowed many opportunities to find new favorite offerings, enjoy more guests and cocktail parties and a fabulous evening in the Culinary Center making awesome deserts and a “toddy”. With any luck your TA or other guests or the O Club Ambassadors encouraged you to book a future cruise while on board. It’s the Amenities and Discounts! If you did not book, then you have another couple weeks to take advantage of an Oceania offer to book and receive a Several hundred dollar booking credit. We have already prepared ourselves for the Allura Inaugural season by booking a trip with friends in October 2025. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and enjoy your travels and your Oceania family. Mauibabes
  9. We have traveled with friends who are Vegan and have also shared dinners in Specialty restaurants with other Vegan guests. They RAVED about their meals every night for two weeks. You have already heard from the posters above so just be prepared to be AMAZED. The Chefs do an awesome job of presenting Vegan menus. In October 2025 we will be on Allura and will be traveling with our son and partner who are Vegan but do eat fish. That said, since you say you will eat fish, YOU are in for a treat. Your MUST TRY list MUST include the Dover Sole in Polo, Toscana and Jacques. Also in Jacques, try the Chilean Sea Bass in Philo Dough for 2, but it does take at least 30 minutes to prepare, ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. in Red Ginger, the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is an 11 on a 10 point scale. We did the Marina Antarctica cruise in January 2023 and meals everywhere were Excellent so the decision to Book is a No Brainer if Vegan food is a major criteria. Just Enjoy, Mauibabes
  10. @basor 👍 Not same credit card game. Mauibabes.
  11. Guess I just ran into the “Wrong” answer when we tried to book with the Amex card because O said it was not “Combineable “. Like your answers better tho. I had some other Amenity benefits with the booking and it came down to taking one or the other, and “The Other” was worth more. Thanks for your prompt replies, you are “ON IT”. Mauibabes
  12. I watched this video previously. Yes Gary is excellent and you don’t have to be caught up in hype and lead ins like other podcasters. Great recommendation. Mauibabes.
  13. Don’t start the “party “ yet, sometimes these offers are not “combineable” at least that is what has happened to us. It makes a difference what offers and discounts you may already have on your booking, at least that is what we were told. Mauibabes
  14. You can’t go wrong. have a fabulous trip and Vista is beautiful. Mauibabes.
  15. @ppanyan So did your TA come through and was 10032 still available? We have lost a lot of desireable rooms by hesitating on grabbing what our gut told us was the best decision. Once we have grabbed our PH, we can always move if a better option appears, just working closely with Rep in Miami. The old, “Bird in the Hand” trick. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. Our friends on Vista now are having a great time. She sent pictures of an empty Barista’s yesterday afternoon and was wondering if people just did not venture upstairs after boarding, even to just hang out awaiting their rooms, or perhaps even a ship walk about. I do love my time sitting and chatting in Vista’s Barista’s, they did a great job including the Bakery. Enjoy Mauibabes
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