Vineyard View

Total truth. But at least say something. Total silence on a skipped port is really obscure to me.

So….are others looking at both land and sea….sea only….land only….or combinations of the two in the next couple of years?

One of the biggest joys in travel.

The ESS may very well have been a ‘one and done’. I it was great. I didn’t follow Oceania much before that, but there certainly hasn’t been anything close since….wave season probably closest but medically couldn’t book them. So that leaves us with what we have now, and who knows if any better, in the near future. You clearly were able to secure unbelievable pricing and upgrades.

This helps a whole lot! Thank you. The dots are all connecting. This summary is perfect.

That would be the piece I would find very frustrating. If a port is skipped, it seems to me that an explanation on why is not at all unreasonable to expect.

Thank you. I did not realize this. But I do read often of re-pricing for better sales and I don’t think they were all originally booked while onboard.

We are earnestly pondering between a cruise, or a land trip next year. We’ve pretty much done the ‘shop and often ship home’ items enough - but it was fun and we enjoy them, our family enjoys some, and we are good with that piece. What a wonderful chapter of memories you created with your daughter…..she will always treasure that time together as well. If you took out the shopping, which was part of the fun, your cost formula might swing a bit in your comparison! Ha! When we are currently discussing land trip ideas, we would target 3 home bases for a two week period - for the same reasons you point out. It was a lot easier to schlep bags on and off trains in the past. Land travel provides such a different experience than cruising….and we sincerely love both…..we’ve tried crunching the numbers on current land travel cost…..I think it can be done in lovely hotels, with various dining and wine experiences, for the same - maybe a little less -than current balcony cruise prices, but the two experiences are so different. Without doubt though, cruise is the easiest from a packing/moving standpoint. Harters, your Cyprus trip sounds intriguing. It would be nice to be at an all inclusive and have so much history to explore. Let us know how that is!

We had booked u dear the Extraordinary Saving last year for a sailing later this month. It was great pricing. Unfortunately we had to cancel due to medical. Now looking for next year. Thank you - I don’t see anything about low price guarantee on this sale, so it might not be available to re-price. IDK.

ORC…..in all my following on Oceania, you are truly one of the masters of figuring out the sales…. So please help me here in understanding….. I will say that there is savings compared to the most recent ‘sale’ for the itinerary we are finally considering…..I didn’t screenshot wave season pricing but memory says it was more attractive. Memorial Day, etc coming up….understanding no crystal ball ….jist not understanding historically Oceania pricing.

I am reading a lot about the lack of spices….control from Miami…..no opportunities to choose local produce/proteins from local ports…..pretty disappointing to read. Where/on whom, do you recommend that people look to sail to avoid the No no’s? I am not being snarky, but honestly curious.

Was this the wave season/January/February sale? Not being overly familiar with Oceania and their sales, I just don’t know what to think of the current one. It’s not a big savings, yet is this typically one of their more aggressive sales?

It was one of several ports where we were the only ship - that was a bonus for some places, but not for all.

Thanks for further info. I am not familiar with the winery, even though they are local. I might have to take a look at them! Pinotlover…..I can’t imagine being sedate at a wine inspired gathering…..how completely boring that would be! I think it’s more the industry group and corporate group impacts I was wondering about that take over large portions of a ship. I used to take customers on trips…..sometimes you would think that they never got out except for those trips! Oy!

Well, I guess thank you again. Too early for a cocktail, so I think I will go work outside in my gardens for a bit. ha! In looking at a screenshot from April, this really isn’t much of a sale on the itineraries we were considering.

Well I completely misunderstood this sale. So you can’t bump to a V from F,G, but you can bump from OV to V? From a novice O sales perspective, it seemed different when looking at category upgrading. I thank you for clarifying, but damn. I was feeling much better before reading this! Haha!

Louder music is a big Nono IMHO. So question. If you book on this 4 category upgrade, what are the chances that a new sale in the future could possibly be better? Let’s say you are paying an inside cabin price for a verandah, wouldn’t the verandah need to be lower priced than the inside cabin on a future sale? Am I missing something?

Thank you both. I know that it’s a roll of the dice to a certain degree. We are looking at Oceania (1200 pax) for the first time….this route or a Mediterranean in earlier May. Our trip last year was late May into early June and it was pretty crazy crowds in the larger ports, but we sailed Seabourn into many small ports so that was really lovely…..mid to late June might just push the crowds to a level I don’t want to be in…..if last year is an indication. I initially looked at March/April and the selection is slim….. I appreciate your feedback!

We are considering a sailing next Mid June with ports in Bilbao as well as Bordeaux. We have sailed from Lisbon to LeHavre, so a straight shot, but we have not sailed into the Bay of Biscay. I am wondering if a sailing that takes this route would be anticipated to have pretty rough seas? Also, mid June is way later than we usually travel (apr/may). I am guessing that the crowds will be pretty high then as well? Thank you in advance.

Excellent points, and what I was hoping to hear. Thank you for your first hand experience observations. Sincerely appreciate this robbie21.

We are looking at a few itineraries including a B2B next Spring in the Mediterranean. I was just reading a magazine about local food and wines, and noticed that one of the itineraries we are looking at is part of a ‘wine-themed’ cruise on Oceania, highlighting a specific winery. There are actually several different sailings on Oceania featuring different wineries from our area. This is not a hook that would set us to sail, but my concern is how this might impact the overall sailing? I have read about different larger groups on various lines, and it can alter the energy…..has anyone experienced being on a ‘wine themed’ sailing with Oceania before? Of so, did it affect your experience in any way? I have no idea how many people might be capped on something such as this, which would obviously be a large factor. Thank you

We docked there last year. Vodice, where you dock, is pretty small. Not enough to occupy you for a full day. We caught a cab to Sibenik (not walkable from Vodice) so that we could DIY. It was an easy port to do that and quite enjoyable. There are a couple of fortresses worth walking to. A pretty old town to walk through. Found a great little restaurant once the rain stopped and had a lovely lunch in a courtyard. We are not excursion people, so I do not remember where all went to from this port - one was a walking tour of Sibenik….glad we did it DIY.

Sounds like an incredible price….and if itinerary match, bonus round! Hoping you have a great voyage!

I am surprised you are sailing on SS again. I was under the impression from your posts that you don’t feel very enamored with them in the first two. I hope you have a great trip.

I believe HAL and Princess are the two tops for Alaska….so if you want into places (ie: Glacier Bay) that many others cannot enter, then these two reign due to their longevity in the market. It I were thinking about that age range, and a good percentage were younger, I believe Princess may be a better fit…,Anne more activities and wider demographic range. But wow…..45 people! That said….good for you putting this together in honor of your father! What a beautiful way to honor him. One of my parents most treasured sailing locals was Alaska. For you gather so many people, and reach out for input….class act! I hope that what you decide is absolutely as perfect as it can be.