Riviera TA Missed Ports-- Odd Situation

[Ken the cruiser]

26 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

I agree  it worked fine  last Dec  for me

mind you we do not upload photos  to send home or do Face time or other  chats

I do not cruise for the internet

 

Remember, O didn't offer unlimited internet service to every cabin until April 2018.

[Paulchili]

38 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

I agree  it worked fine  last Dec  for me

mind you we do not upload photos  to send home or do Face time or other  chats

I do not cruise for the internet

 

I agree. We recently cruised on the Marina in the Med (Oct/Nov). I had no problem with getting my email (my primary use of the internet). In addition to that, I was able to book 2 flights online (awards) - one of which required transferring points from my bank to the airline - all without a problem. Was it as fast as it would have been at home? No, but it worked just fine. I was also able to make some “free” calls on my Xfinity using wifi connection (calls I needed to make for “business” purposes not for pleasure or chatting with family/friends) - i.e. wifi worked fine even for that.

Uploading pictures or some other activities might have posed problems but I don’t need that on a cruise.

No complaints here.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Remember, O didn't offer unlimited internet service to every cabin until April 2018.

we  did not have a problem on Marina in July  except  when we were the fjords of Norway  where I did not really expect  service  there

part of the problem could be  as you say people just leave their device connected all day/night ..

Maybe  there should be a time limit  per session

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Mura said:

That's true.  I'm not sending photos home (I do that after I AM home), I don't chat, etc.  I'm keeping track of email (which is mostly stuff I delete without reading), writing home when I need to, going to a website if I must.  Sometimes I go to CC to make a comment about the cruise ... as I recall I did when we were on our Lima-NYC cruise in 2015 and had an outbreak of Noro.  I wanted to warn people about the problem.  I think, Lyn, that you were on the cruise that left shortly thereafter from Montreal which had a recurrence of the problem.  Am I wrong on that score?

 

Mura

 

Yes you are correct  we got on in Montreal ..all  was clear until N.S.  when the signs of something going on started ..we left that day to fly home  because DH had a gallbladder attack

in the night  I was struck with the Noro  ..lost 2 days of my life

Fingers crossed  I never go through that again

[sitraveler]

On board Marina. Internet is fine. Ship is perfect.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The issue is complicated. First, if you logged off of your O account, it was difficult at times to log back onto your account. Second, sometimes after reviewing and subsequently deleting emails, they would reappear in the Inbox over and over after subsequently deleting them before connectivity was long enough to send the deleted messages to our email server. Sometimes it would be 4-5 hours before email was able to be successfully downloaded.

 

Third, my DW was unable to send any emails with an attachment, even if the attachment was less than a MB. Fourth, connectivity was bearable only after midnight or when everyone was at dinner or the evening show, sometimes. During the day in port connectivity was nonexistent most of the time.

 

 

 

here  is one example  of  why  the internet is slow

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-56268488

 

[nyfeds]

We were towards the front of the line waiting to debark in Miami and had no idea someone was injured.  Some on the line got downright nasty at the delay because they feared missing their flight home.  Lesson learned, don't time your flights so close to debarkation time. They have only themselves to blame cutting it so close.

 

No internet issues for us.

 

Overall, and for the most part, with a few exceptions, service was excellent on this TA portion of the cruise.  Riviera is a beautiful, well maintained ship.

Edited November 30, 2018 by nyfeds

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, LHT28 said:

we  did not have a problem on Marina in July  except  when we were the fjords of Norway  where I did not really expect  service  there

part of the problem could be  as you say people just leave their device connected all day/night ..

Maybe  there should be a time limit  per session

I like that idea! 

[cruzzzinma]

Part of the problem was communications. Despite an early sail-in, we were late docking because of congestion in the port, which made everything else late. We didn’t know that and made our way to the disembarkation deck at the specified time, found seats in the casino bar and waited. A few minutes later, delays were announced. Unfortunately, because passengers followed the debarkation instructions, it was very crowded on the deck with the gangway.

 

We were also near the front of the line when disembarkation was stopped and did not know why. They did stop calling numbers finally, but at that point it was warm and crowded. There were people standing in the area by the exit waiting for their numbers to be called along with people who had been called. That made it more complicated.

 

When we finally did get out, luggage was readily available, immigration was fast, and there were plenty of cabs.

[StanandJim]

26 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I like that idea! 

Time limits have been a part of the process from day one.  They dump users after a given number of inactive minutes.

[Rob the Cruiser]

52 minutes ago, nyfeds said:

We were towards the front of the line waiting to debark in Miami and had no idea someone was injured.  Some on the line got downright nasty at the delay because they feared missing their flight home.  Lesson learned, don't time your flights so close to debarkation time. They have only themselves to blame cutting it so close.

 

No internet issues for us.

 

Overall, and for the most part, with a few exceptions, service was excellent on this TA portion of the cruise.  Riviera is a beautiful, well maintained ship.

 

Poor planning on the passengers' part, yet they will complain that it was Oceania's fault. 

 

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

Time limits have been a part of the process from day one.  They dump users after a given number of inactive minutes.

that may be but I  do not think so

I know  someone who fell asleep with their  computer  & logged  several hundred minutes by the time they woke up

This  was when they had to pay for use  ...they had to go & have them adjusted

Then there are the ones that are  working online  so  they are  not in active but are online  for  long periods of  time ..hogging the bandwidth

JMO

[LHT28]

32 minutes ago, cruzzzinma said:

Part of the problem was communications. Despite an early sail-in, we were late docking because of congestion in the port, which made everything else late. We didn’t know that and made our way to the disembarkation deck at the specified time, found seats in the casino bar and waited. A few minutes later, delays were announced. Unfortunately, because passengers followed the debarkation instructions, it was very crowded on the deck with the gangway.

 

We were also near the front of the line when disembarkation was stopped and did not know why. They did stop calling numbers finally, but at that point it was warm and crowded. There were people standing in the area by the exit waiting for their numbers to be called along with people who had been called. That made it more complicated.

 

 

This  happens on every cruise  people stand near the exit  with luggage in tow  blocking the route  for those  that  have followed the rules  & are  just trying to get off when their number is called

It has been a big complaint  for years  now

[Mura]

Exactly the same situation arises in airports when people who aren't eligible to board yet block the way for those that ARE.

 

Ken, if we'd encountered any of the internet problems you discussed I'd have been upset as well.  But we just didn't.  I had thought that there was an automatic log-off after a certain period of inactivity as well ...

 

But I don't disagree that when people are told they have unlimited "free" internet, they think they should just leave the computer on 24/7.  I heard a gentleman in the internet cafe say just that a while back.  The internet guy advised him NOT to do so, but I don't doubt that he did.

 

Mura

[warburg]

8 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

here  is one example  of  why  the internet is slow

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-56268488

 

Wow, Mura! Thanks for the link. That post would certainly would soak up space on the ship's internet capability. We will be on Riviera in March in the Caribbean. We usually use wifi supplied by the ports. So far, most have it, convenient seating and sometimes good shopping.

 

This thread is interesting. My family had a cabin cruiser, and I spent a great deal of time on it. The weather played a huge role in everyday life. Changes in itinerary were the norm. Water is after all water. With sometimes hundreds of feet of it below us, common sense on top is priceless. It seems to me that some posters  think sailing on water is similar to highway travel. Those folks might fare better on land trips. However, so many places are not perfect either. For starters, Miami Beach- hurricanes, California-earthquakes forest fires, Houston-hurricanes, Puerto Rico.hurricanes, Midwest-blizzards, and so on. Hmmm. Maybe it's better to stay home.

Mary

[Mura]

Mary, I think you should have thanked Lyn -- not me!  But I found her example illuminating, too!

 

Mura

[ORV]

Ken, you might want to think twice about posting about laundering obc. You might suddenly find that option no longer available. Just saying. 

[wripro]

20 hours ago, LHT28 said:

you should  be  a writer  with all your conspiracy theories 😉

I am a writer actually. And conspiracy theories are often founded in truth.

[Shawnino]

Internet was terrible BUT no worse than any other ship/line that uses MTN (a lot do: Lindblad, NCL...).

We found that some spots on the ship, esp. aft, were better than others.

I was working while cruising and frustrated--but no more frustrated than the prof who splashed out for the "upgraded" internet and said she saw no difference.

I would gladly pay for a reliable connection. (Or my employer would, whatever.)

[Ken the cruiser]

44 minutes ago, ORV said:

Ken, you might want to think twice about posting about laundering obc. You might suddenly find that option no longer available. Just saying. 

ORV, for the most part this strategy becomes pretty much mute on O cruises sailing after May 19, 2019 on which you can pre-book O excursions using OBC posted to your onboard account prior to the cruise like loyalty, shareholder benefits and other applicable nonrefundable OBC.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Ken the cruiser

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

ORV, for the most part this strategy becomes pretty much mute on O cruises sailing after May 19, 2019 on which you can pre-book O excursions using OBC posted to your onboard account prior to the cruise like loyalty, shareholder benefits and other applicable nonrefundable OBC.

 

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

ORV, for the most part this strategy becomes pretty much mute on O cruises sailing after May 19, 2019 on which you can pre-book O excursions using OBC posted to your onboard account prior to the cruise like loyalty, shareholder benefits and other applicable nonrefundable OBC.

Not sure if it will be that easy.

For example, my Plat loyalty shows on my 11/2019 cruise but the PPG from my TA  (that I will get as OBC as my loyalty already pays for gratuities) does not. Thus, unless it shows up in my booking before the cruise I will have to change my prepaid excursions to use that OBC once onboard.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

 

Not sure if it will be that easy.

For example, my Plat loyalty shows on my 11/2019 cruise but the PPG from my TA  (that I will get as OBC as my loyalty already pays for gratuities) does not. Thus, unless it shows up in my booking before the cruise I will have to change my prepaid excursions to use that OBC once onboard.

Doesn't your TA give you refundable OBC? I know ours now does once we asked him about it. If not, then you are correct and will have to launder it to get it converted to refundable.  

[Paulchili]

14 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Doesn't your TA give you refundable OBC? I know ours now does once we asked him about it. If not, then you are correct and will have to launder it to get it converted to refundable.  

 

14 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Doesn't your TA give you refundable OBC? I know ours now does once we asked him about it. If not, then you are correct and will have to launder it to get it converted to refundable.  

Does your TA give you refundable OBC specifically in place of PPG or just as a “benefit”?

My TA gives me  “benefits” on all cruises but PPG only on certain bookings where his agency has a group booking. In such cases this is my second PPG as I get the first one with loyalty status. In these cases in the past this second PPG has always been given as non refundable OBC.

[Ken the cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

 

Does your TA give you refundable OBC specifically in place of PPG or just as a “benefit”?

My TA gives me  “benefits” on all cruises but PPG only on certain bookings where his agency has a group booking. In such cases this is my second PPG as I get the first one with loyalty status. In these cases in the past this second PPG has always been given as non refundable OBC.

That's a good question. But since we only book individually rather than part of a group booking, we haven't run across that issue yet. In your case I guess you'll still be doing a little "laundry" if you want to convert it to refundable.

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

That's a good question. But since we only book individually rather than part of a group booking, we haven't run across that issue yet.

You do not have to be part of  a group  to  get a group booking price

Some TA's  have group booking prices  but no formed groups

Maybe you are getting a group booking price & that is why you get the refundable  OBC