New to Oceania...a few questions please!

[honeymoon cruiser 614]

Hi all -

 

My husband and I splurged for a penthouse for our 10th anniversary next year...Sirena from Barcelona to Rome! We are so excited! This is only our 3rd cruise and we want to make sure that we maximize our experience. I have looked over this thread but I still have a few questions. Seems like there a lot of you that can be of a lot of assistance. Thanks in advance!

 

1) Embarkation is at 1 and departure at 11 - what time should we be on ship? Can luggage be checked in and then we can leave the ship and sightsee until later? (Or once we are on the ship, we are on the ship)

 

2) Is there a reason to be on ship early? I'm going to try to book restaurant reservations in advance so I don't have to rush onto the ship to do that.

 

3) Our cruise stays overnight in Livorno (8am - 6pm following day). Would we have to come back to the ship that evening or could we stay over in Florence?

 

4) We have a penthouse suite. What items can you request for your fridge? I love European juices - do they offer those?

 

5) Do they have something like a Chef's table event? We did one on the NCL a few years ago and really loved it.

 

6) How far in advance do you have to make reservations for breakfast to be delivered to your room or to have dinner set up from specialty restaurant in room?

 

7) Do certain levels of rooms get to leave ship first on port days? (On our NCL suites got priority).

[Mura]

Hi all -

 

My husband and I splurged for a penthouse for our 10th anniversary next year...Sirena from Barcelona to Rome! We are so excited! This is only our 3rd cruise and we want to make sure that we maximize our experience. I have looked over this thread but I still have a few questions. Seems like there a lot of you that can be of a lot of assistance. Thanks in advance!

 

1) Embarkation is at 1 and departure at 11 - what time should we be on ship? Can luggage be checked in and then we can leave the ship and sightsee until later? (Or once we are on the ship, we are on the ship)

 

If departure is at 11pm, you could wait until 9pm or thereabouts to board. But it's wiser to come perhaps late afternoon. You don't want to miss the boat drill, which is usually around 5. If you do miss it, that's not a disaster -- with late departures they usually have a drill for people who weren't on board in time. They won't send you to the brig!

Likewise, if you want to drop your bags off, check in, etc., early you can ... then go off the ship to do some touring.

2) Is there a reason to be on ship early? I'm going to try to book restaurant reservations in advance so I don't have to rush onto the ship to do that.

 

You can do that online. I think with a PH you can do that 90 days in advance. The rules are posted everywhere so I'm not going to double check them! In fact, if you sign in to your account at the website they will tell you just when you can book the specialty reservations.

If you want dinner in La Reserve (the wine tasting dinner) or Privee (8-10 people in a private room), you will be charged in advance. There isn't a charge for the specialties.

3) Our cruise stays overnight in Livorno (8am - 6pm following day). Would we have to come back to the ship that evening or could we stay over in Florence?

You can stay over. But you need to let the ship know that you will be doing so! Personally, I think that's a good idea. Livorno isn't all that close to Florence, and there is so much to see there ... we spent four days when we were in Florence a number of years ago. When we had a port of call at Livorno (without an overnight), we stayed closer to home.

4) We have a penthouse suite. What items can you request for your fridge? I love European juices - do they offer those?

I have never seen European juices in the fridge, but in general you can request sodas and the like, so I would think that you you could do so for these juices. Bear in mind that sometimes sodas and other drinks are NOT available in every port. That's why you should contact the ship (or your TA) in advance so that they can be stocked. It's possible you won't be able to get them.

5) Do they have something like a Chef's table event? We did one on the NCL a few years ago and really loved it.

Not sure what this is and we have sailed on NCL although it's been a few years.

6) How far in advance do you have to make reservations for breakfast to be delivered to your room or to have dinner set up from specialty restaurant in room?

Breakfast, you put out your order the night before. We've always done so after dinner, you don't have to plan your breakfast lots in advance! To order dinner in the room, just contact your butler in the late afternoon. We've even done it in the early evening. Just bear in mind that he may be delivering lots of meals around the, so it's a good idea to give him advance notice. And if you want the meal delivered course by course, be sure to tell him so. The default seems to be to bring everything at once even thought they "say" it is delivered course by course.

7) Do certain levels of rooms get to leave ship first on port days? (On our NCL suites got priority).

 

I've seen that anyone with a gold card (and a PH will have a gold card) and "jump the line" -- I'm talking about days when you are tendering. I personally don't like to do so and so we take our turn.

 

If you are just leaving the ship (without tendering), we've always been able to leave whenever we wished. Occasionally there can be long lines of ship's tours leaving at the same time ... in that case, you'd just have to wait.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Mura

[Pet Nit Noy]

3) Our cruise stays overnight in Livorno (8am - 6pm following day). Would we have to come back to the ship that evening or could we stay over in Florence?

 

No. In fact, you'd be making a really smart decision to stay over in Florence. You'll have time for more of the great experiences waiting for you in the city.

You will have to inform Oceania in advance, and, almost certainly, once you're on the ship. But you shouldn't worry whether or not you'll be allowed to do this. In fact, you won't be alone in your decision. In most overnight ports, a small group of guests stays on land overnight. (St. Petersburg Russia being the exception.)

[honeymoon cruiser 614]

Thanks so much for the replies - I really appreciate the help. We are so excited! I should clarify that Chef's Table was a one time event on the cruise limited to 10 couples in the private dining room with a tasting menu prepared by the chef. It sounds like the wine dinner mentioned might be comparable. Thanks!

[Mura]

The closest to that on Oceania would be Privee. You pay $25 pp and order from the specialty restaurants for 8-10 people. When this started out the only specialty restaurants were Toscana and Polo, and you could order from either. I haven't taken advantage of this offer, and I'm not sure how it works on Marina or Riviera. I am assuming you could order from any of the specialty restaurants since on these ships there are FOUR restaurants, not only two.

 

But it's not a special menu prepared for you by the chef.

 

OTOH, La Reserve (which is much more expensive) is a wine-paired menu. Currently there are three different menus, and it's advisable to book prior to the cruise. There are only 24 seats in the restaurant and they don't do this every night. You can see the menus at the website.

[LHT28]

Just to clarify Privee & La Reserve are not offered on Sirena

& no there is no Chef's table or other event like that on Oceania

[LHT28]

The closest to that on Oceania would be Privee. You pay $25 pp and order from the specialty restaurants for 8-10 people. When this started out the only specialty restaurants were Toscana and Polo, and you could order from either.

Mura I think when Privee was first introduced it was $1000 for the room for up to 10 guests

 

you could choose dishes from a special menu with wine included

 

Then it was changed to $250 for the room for up to 10 guests & you can order from Polo & Toscana ..no wine included

[106f]

advice for the op. Learn the names of all your sister ships and hang out here. Read everything that interests you. I promise every question you have will be asked and answered before you ever need to post again. Worked like a charm for me.

[Mura]

Lyn, I may well be wrong. Probably am! But I could have sworn that we were sitting in Toscana on Nautica last JUnhe and saw some people being guided through to Privee ...

 

Probably I'm wrong! Maybe we were on Marina, but we haven't been on Marina for a few years now ...

 

Mura

[Caroldoll]

You were and that was probably a special dinner hosted by one of the officers.

[YoHoHo]

Chef's Table tasting menu is more akin to La Reserve that Is only on Marina and Riviera

 

OP if you made all your bookings there is no reason to be on the ship early other than explore and lunch. For some it seems the experience does not begin until they are onboard and so show up, and line up, early . We often skip the free lunch and spend time in the embarkation city arriving in time for mustar drill do as to not have to do a make-up test. Sometimes we drop the luggage off early at the dock and head back out or leave them at the hotel and sometimes even wait early at pier hoping to get on board early; it depends on the port

[Flatbush Flyer]

Chef's Table tasting menu is more akin to La Reserve that Is only on Marina and Riviera

 

OP if you made all your bookings there is no reason to be on the ship early other than explore and lunch. For some it seems the experience does not begin until they are onboard and so show up, and line up, early . We often skip the free lunch and spend time in the embarkation city arriving in time for mustar drill do as to not have to do a make-up test. Sometimes we drop the luggage off early at the dock and head back out or leave them at the hotel and sometimes even wait early at pier hoping to get on board early; it depends on the port

 

 

 

Comparing the "Chef's Table" offered by some mass market lines to O's LaReserve is a stretch.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[LHT28]

Lyn, I may well be wrong. Probably am! But I could have sworn that we were sitting in Toscana on Nautica last JUnhe and saw some people being guided through to Privee ...

 

Mura

Nothing on the deck plans for Privee on the R ships

Maybe they were just being seated at those aft tables with the view :halo:

[ORV]

You were and that was probably a special dinner hosted by one of the officers.

 

Are you replying to Mura? Privee on an R ship? Must be Oceania's best kept secret.

[Mura]

You were and that was probably a special dinner hosted by one of the officers.

 

That certainly could have been the case. We've been invited to a few of those hosted dinners on various ships but they were never held in a separate room, the way this one seemed to be. Not that it really matters! Thanks for the correction.

[Mura]

Of course all of you who remarked about my thinking that Privee exists on any of the "R" ships were absolutely correct. So my memory was flawed again ... we must have been on Marina that time.

 

Mura