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Do you receive color coded arm bands based on cabin category for sequence in boarding them after the excursions? I did read that this occurs.

Viking first started with that long payment in advance. We sucked it up to sail to sail on their inaugural cruise of Star, their first Oceans trip for 29 days in 2015. We loved the experience. At one time, they changed their prepayment to 6 months out…..that didn’t last long. We played their game for a while, but no longer. Add to that I can sail on SB or other “luxury” lines for less, and the package is not there any longer for us. The crazy thing….they keep selling full ships. So changing their marketing strategy and business model is highly unlikely to happen. At this point, Oceania and SB are on our radar for the future.

Makes sense for all the passengers who are fleeing one particular line. Thank you. I never read Celebrity’s boards as I have had no interest in that size of ship sailing. I wonder if the many passengers who left Celebrity have also tried other lines in the same segment as Oceania, or even the ‘luxury’ brands (I know johnthomas sailed V). Maybe there is just such a relieved sense of satisfaction with that specific change that most are happy to stick with O and not venture to others. Idk. It was just a curiosity thing.

I was referring to post #32 when I asked about the cruise line being referred to. These responses may be to another post

Exactly my point. That is what is why I just wonder why all the comparisons are between Celebrity and Oceania.

Maybe. It was out there by the poster, so I was sincerely interested.

Thank you. Good to know. Not an ideal time imo just before dinner of you both do not attend, but if the menu was right it could be tempting.

Thank you Sabbycat for your feedback on my query. I appreciate the information. Azamara is really no longer on my radar as much Oceania and Seabourn.

So if just one in a couple takes the class, the other half can join to eat the results? The ones offered on our itinerary are just before dinner hour so I hesitated

That makes sense. That Celebrity is a bridge between Princess (never again) and Oceania….. I would really like to see more of comparing Oceania with Viking and Azamara. It would be a beneficial comparison of like categories imo. I am sure those threads are on these boards, I just see so much comparison here on Celebrity with Oceania, and it feels like comparing apples to oranges.

Thank you for responding. I have heard great things about Cunard. It’s supposed to be pretty impressive. I will be interested in your feedback after this. We are smaller ship travelers, so we have not looked to sail with them, but I hope your upcoming Oceania experience is a good memory that you will report back to us on. We are new to O as well.

We have never sailed Celebrity. Never had the desire, so can not compare, but I do find it interesting how many people compare celebrity with Oceania. I would not have thought to categorize Oceania with Celebrity as I have always thought they were maybe a bridge between Princess et all and O, V, and Az, who seem to be a bridge between SB, SS, and Regent. As a result, I would expect that Oceania would be a step up from Celebrity, etc. Maybe I am missing something, but sincerely, I would never compare Oceania and Celebrity in expectations of experience.

I don’t think SS nor SB, or Regent, are in quite the same category. We’ve only sailed SB in that group, and realize that we will need to adjust our expectations somewhat, and at the same time we will love our experience if we do. I say this due to feedback from people who have sailed both, on both forums, and it is taken by me as helpful advice.

Two couple who are our longest friends of over 40 years…..we learned we do not cruise together well…..but we remain steadfast and enjoy one another immensely when we have the opportunity to see one another! Weekend get always work…..long trips, do not.

Marazul, you also recommended her to me, so thanks much! It may have been both of you, or even just you - who recommended her. The two of you are always beyond helpful and it is much appreciated.

Thanks Cruisemom42. I know I can always count on you having ideas…..even when you are on your own trip as I know you are right now. Enjoy! I will look at this for sure. I do want to locate a guide for this port.

We are not going to Mykonos this time. We have been before. It was an October trip and delightful due to time of year and few crowds. Thanks for the flashlight tip, but I just get no enjoyment being in the crush of humanity like that. Even if it is the only time I visit there, because that will be a huge piece of the memory. Terribly sad that the local government or port authority - or someone, doesn’t get this under control. Other ports in Europe are limiting numbers of ships for this reason.

It was definitely a big miss. There was another excursion to a UNESCO site but was quite a long distance. We missed opportunities on this port for sure, because staying in Sarande was a travel day lost.

We had a port day in Sarande earlier this year. It was hugely disappointing. We walked the strand and retuned to the ship to relax as there really is nothing to do. We did stop and have a beer near the water, but there was not much attractive about that location. A lot of people begging, and really no shopping, some swimming but it was right there where the ship was so that didn’t seem like a great idea….plus the ground was pretty rocky going into the water. That was it. I know that there are other places in Albania to visit that have history to them, but Sarande was not one of them

Santorini was a place I was looking forward to. Next year, on the day we are scheduled, 4 ships totaling 10,000+ passengers are in port that day. I cannot in any way see how that will be a fun experience. No thank you. We booked an excursion, and we are not excursions people, that is a boat - possibly catamaran, possibly yacht (have heard both), that will take us to see the sights from the water, provide swim time and lunch. I am disappointed that we likely won’t wander on up on land later that afternoon as the ship is docked until late, but we may not. I looked at all the schedules of the other ships, and two others have late stays, so I think in the end it will be a game day decision. That walk down in the dark, I have read, can be an unwise idea with poor lighting.

We will be visiting Izmir next year, which is basically known for visiting Ephesus. We have done that, including the terrace houses with a private guide in the past out of Kusadasi. We are likely going to revisit Ephesus as I have not really found other places that stand out near Izmir. I could certainly be missing something, so open to suggestions! Either way, we would like a private guide for that day. Does anyone have any recommendations? thank you!

Lackcreativity - I believe cruisemom42 was the person who highly recommended to me a woman for private tours. Her name is Amy Pace. She was great to communicate with. We originally booked her when we were a party of four, but in the end decided just the two of us would DIY. Her contact info is paceemalta@outlook.com. Her website is www.guidedtoursmalta.com. Have a great visit. It was on my bucket list as well and did not disappoint at all! We are, I believe, going back next year for a day and looking forward to it.

Curious as to what line you are referring to. If you do not mind sharing.

Also the planner and you made me laugh as well. Similar experiences, or there is the “what do you want to do? I don’t know, that do you want to do? I\we will do whatever you guys want to do…what sounds good….etc” dialogue. Now that drives me crazy. Everyone has an opinion. We’ve travelled with family, and friends in the past. We have found that for us, we mostly just travel as a couple. It just works. From the sound of things Sthrngary, you have more patience than I do!! I will look forward to your write up post cruise.

We sailed Seabourn earlier this year for the first time. Previously we sailed Viking multiple times, which we always enjoyed very much. Prices skyrocketed, and itineraries got stale in the areas we were interested in sailing, so we looked - at Azamara, Oceania, and Seabourn. We felt that the Seabourn product - food, stateroom, amenities, all inclusiveness, small ship, the whole package, all added up to a product that was superior to Viking. We would gladly sail them again. Will we sail Viking again, IDK, for a number of reasons, but mostly we are targeting Oceania and SB, with our eye on Explora. Our first O cruise is scheduled for next year….