Tips for first time Oceania cruise?

[DrSHF]

Hi. We’re pretty experienced cruisers but have never tried Oceania. Now booked Lisbon to Venice Oct 4, very nice itinerary. Plus happy that the ship is requiring vaccinations. Any tips for first timers? Thanks.

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 minutes ago, DrSHF said:

Hi. We’re pretty experienced cruisers but have never tried Oceania. Now booked Lisbon to Venice Oct 4, very nice itinerary. Plus happy that the ship is requiring vaccinations. Any tips for first timers? Thanks.

Welcome aboard.

 

One (of many) terrific thing about O is that you can bring as much personal alcohol as you want onboard. (We do longer O cruises and generally bring a case of wine at embarkation (replenishing it along the way). 

HOWEVER, your personal alcohol, including spirits, are meant for consumption in your cabin (O will even provide mixers).The only exception is wine, which you can take bottles to meals for a $25/bottle corkage charge (it includes the gratuity).

 

I mention this because there is the occasional cheapskate who will attempt to bring drinks from the cabin into public spaces. PLEASE do not do this! O’s gracious policy treats folks like responsible adults and we want to keep it that way.

 

Along these lines, following the few simple rules of decorum (“country club casual” dress, honoring smoking restrictions, etc) will make for a pleasant journey.

 

Other items:

 

Identify and use a TA who is, at least, a member agency of O’s Connoisseurs Club since added perks beyond O Life/O Club can be substantial.

 

Likewise, peruse the Oceania forums here on CC to learn more about how best to book itineraries, choose O Life perks (particularly the tours option and its relationship to the YWYW discount on paid tours you may add.

[DrSHF]

Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. I keep reading conflicting info about alcohol policy, so I am happy to hear your clearly stated response. We work with  a very pleasant travel agency, although I don’t know if it is a member of O's Connoisseurs Club. I tend to think not, as its main perks are simply substantial  price reductions, so maybe it it all a wash at the end of the day,

Anyway, we are  looking forward really to ANYTHING fun at this point. But thanks again.

[LHT28]

Be sure to check out afternoon tea  at least once during the cruise 

4pm daily in Horizons (except embarkation day)

 

Depends on your like & dislikes  they have music in the the evening the string quartet   & Martinis Bar  have  piano player  plus the evening show in the lounge

 

Book your specialty restaurant as soon as your time slot  to book opens up

 

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

[shank63]

Join the Roll Call for your cruise on Cruise Critic.  This is a good resource for joining or organizing private tours in addition to the excursions choice of the O Life options.

[pinotlover]

Go to Oceania’s website and under “My Account “ register your cruise. You will need your cruise contract number. It is at that portal where one signs up for ship tours, dining reservations, La Reserve and ( maybe) Privee .

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 minutes ago, DrSHF said:

Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. I keep reading conflicting info about alcohol policy, so I am happy to hear your clearly stated response. We work with  a very pleasant travel agency, although I don’t know if it is a member of O's Connoisseurs Club. I tend to think not, as its main perks are simply substantial  price reductions, so maybe it it all a wash at the end of the day,

Anyway, we are  looking forward really to ANYTHING fun at this point. But thanks again.

The booze confusion regards O’s published CYA statement with a bottle limit. 
I have never experienced (nor have I ever heard of) anyone being refused as much as they’ve got with them.

[pinotlover]

5 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The booze confusion regards O’s published CYA statement with a bottle limit. 
I have never experienced (nor have I ever heard of) anyone being refused as much as they’ve got with them.

I’ve often thought that perhaps we are doing both Oceania and new cruisers an injustice by telling them this. It does lead to confusion. Perhaps the best policy would be to direct them to the very generous public policy, and then let them learn once aboard. In fact, we probably shouldn’t be listing the non enforcement of this policy as a benefit of cruising Oceania. Maybe there are some things best left unsaid and learned from experience once aboard. A dilemma.

[marieps]

I found the bridge lessons offered on sea days (length of cruise dependent) very enjoyable.  Also, take note of the native homelands of each officer.  During the Country Fair that knowledge will come in handy.  O hands out some very nice swag to those who have earned points during the cruise.  The fair is a fun way to earn them.

[mauibabes]

Similar Newbie questions have been asked on this blog, just continue scrolling down the pages below. LOTS of knowledgeable posters and many veteran O cruisers, 10, 20, 30, 40 plus so there is no question you won’t get an answer to.  You will love Oceania and the staff, guests and ship. Outstanding food  too and the gym to help you work it off.  
welcome to the O Club!

Gerry and Bonnie

[Harters]

We've only done one O cruise (in 2017), so are very much newbies in comparision to many contributors to the board. We've literally today just booked O cruise #2 for next year.

 

I enjoy planning for any holiday so my advice is  to start that process soon. Consider what you might want to do at each port and start to come to decisions about whether you'd want to do a ship's excursion, book your own excursion direct with a local  company or, simply, take yourselves off into town and explore. And, yes, if you're going to do ship's excursions, make sure you secure them by booking them as soon as your slot opens up. And tie that in with booking your speciality restaurants - you do not want to have done a full day's excursion and then be in a rush for an extra special dinner.

 

 

[marieps]

In case it's not been mentioned...book your specialty restaurant reservations as soon as they open up.  It depends on what category you're in.  The website will give you a countdown after you resister your cruise.  

[BrocktonCruiser]

We are seasoned cruisers, mainly with NCL, but also Carnival, RCCL and Celebrity.  We did one Oceania cruise Christmas 2019 which we had booked planning to visit Cuba.  That itinerary was cancelled but we took the offer to switch for Caribbean. We were so happy we did and are now booked for a November Transatlantic, after two cruises being cancelled due to COVID.

 

 We learned to enjoy a smaller and more laid back style of cruise.  We had worried about having less options for entertainment than on the larger ships, but I learned to relax a bit more, stop at the Coffee Bar  for a complimentary cappuccino, even sit quietly in the library for a few moments.  The food was as good as advertised.  Do follow the advice to book your specialty dining early.  But, we also learned that it was not necessary to avoid the pool buffet, as we generally did on other ships.  The service was excellent; seating was generally available and the food was excellent, including steak and lobster at dinner.  It was a fine option on those days when we had a long day in port or a late sail away.

 

The service was excellent and ship felt luxurious, without being stuffy or fancy.  The country club chic atmosphere made you feel “special” without the fuss and bother of fancy dress up etc.

 

We loved our first Oceania cruise and hope you will too.

[marieps]

15 minutes ago, BrocktonCruiser said:

We are seasoned cruisers, mainly with NCL, but also Carnival, RCCL and Celebrity.  We did one Oceania cruise Christmas 2019 which we had booked planning to visit Cuba.  That itinerary was cancelled but we took the offer to switch for Caribbean. We were so happy we did and are now booked for a November Transatlantic, after two cruises being cancelled due to COVID.

 

 We learned to enjoy a smaller and more laid back style of cruise.  We had worried about having less options for entertainment than on the larger ships, but I learned to relax a bit more, stop at the Coffee Bar  for a complimentary cappuccino, even sit quietly in the library for a few moments.  The food was as good as advertised.  Do follow the advice to book your specialty dining early.  But, we also learned that it was not necessary to avoid the pool buffet, as we generally did on other ships.  The service was excellent; seating was generally available and the food was excellent, including steak and lobster at dinner.  It was a fine option on those days when we had a long day in port or a late sail away.

 

The service was excellent and ship felt luxurious, without being stuffy or fancy.  The country club chic atmosphere made you feel “special” without the fuss and bother of fancy dress up etc.

 

We loved our first Oceania cruise and hope you will too.

A very nice and accurate review.  The surf and turf at Waves Grill is a very nice lunch, even if the lobster is frozen.  We enjoyed it several times.

[DENIE]

Just booked our first O cruise recently (Rome-Barcelona) in June 2022.  I have also been collecting advice.  Looking forward to our first O cruise! As others have said, the advice in this forum is great! 🙂

Edited June 3, 2021 by DENIE

[pinotlover]

Another tip.

 

Upon booking, our TA always sends us the contract we have entered into with Oceania concerning that booking/cruise. It’s a relevantly short contract, not typically more than 4-5 pages, and easy to read and self explanatory for most people of  even average intelligence. My tip: Take a few short minutes and read the terms and conditions ( T&C) of the agreement of which you have entered. It is truly amazing the number of people that come here with questions or issues that are clearly spelled out in those T&Cs. Read them.

 

Likewise, for Oceania newbies, Oceania, on its website, has a very good section called FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions. Another great place to learn a lot about Oceania’s practices and policies. Another excellent short read.

[drkitkat123]

On 6/3/2021 at 1:56 AM, pinotlover said:

I’ve often thought that perhaps we are doing both Oceania and new cruisers an injustice by telling them this. It does lead to confusion. Perhaps the best policy would be to direct them to the very generous public policy, and then let them learn once aboard. In fact, we probably shouldn’t be listing the non enforcement of this policy as a benefit of cruising Oceania. Maybe there are some things best left unsaid and learned from experience once aboard. A dilemma.

I totally agree. It always seems to bug me (don't know why - my issue) when posters say you can ignore the rule about how many bottles you can bring on board but you must follow the rule about bringing drinks out of your cabin.....

[Vineyard View]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:55 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

 

Identify and use a TA who is, at least, a member agency of O’s Connoisseurs Club since added perks beyond O Life/O Club can be substantial.

 

Likewise, peruse the Oceania forums here on CC to learn more about how best to book itineraries, choose O Life perks (particularly the tours option and its relationship to the YWYW discount on paid tours you may add.

I am interested in understanding better how to locate these Member agencies you mention. I went onto O website and it requested my zip. It provided two very small local agencies. We have a larger TA that we have been happy with, and I have to wonder if I am going about this the best way. 
 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, drkitkat123 said:

I totally agree. It always seems to bug me (don't know why - my issue) when posters say you can ignore the rule about how many bottles you can bring on board but you must follow the rule about bringing drinks out of your cabin.....

Why does it bug you? The more bottles one brings the greater likelihood O will collect corkage fees and telling folks not to violate the  onboard booze rules slso makes O money with those corkage fees.

Nonetheless, I do understand Pinotlover’s point. After all, I learned about it by observation. 👀 

[Flatbush Flyer]

43 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I am interested in understanding better how to locate these Member agencies you mention. I went onto O website and it requested my zip. It provided two very small local agencies. We have a larger TA that we have been happy with, and I have to wonder if I am going about this the best way. 
 

As I have posted here on many occasions, don’t be shy. Once onboard, ask any/every body what TA they use. After 2-3 cruises, you’ll realize your hearing about the same handful of agencies more often than not.

[drkitkat123]

16 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Why does it bug you? The more bottles one brings the greater likelihood O will collect corkage fees and telling folks not to violate the  onboard booze rules slso makes O money with those corkage fees.

Nonetheless, I do understand Pinotlover’s point. After all, I learned about it by observation. 👀 

I said I do not know why it bugs me 😀

Why do you think that O will make more money out of collecting corkage fees on excess bottles brought on board versus selling more bottles of wine at huge mark-ups?

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, drkitkat123 said:

I said I do not know why it bugs me 😀

Why do you think that O will make more money out of collecting corkage fees on excess bottles brought on board versus selling more bottles of wine at huge mark-ups?

 

Because each personal bottle is $25 in and nothing out on personal bottles. Many of us who bring a stock don’t buy O’s wine and wouldn’t necessarily buy O wine if that was all that was available. And if we did, we’d focus on the “bin end” list and the 1-2 loss leaders in the 7 bottle package.. 

[Vineyard View]

42 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As I have posted here on many occasions, don’t be shy. Once onboard, ask any/every body what TA they use. After 2-3 cruises, you’ll realize your hearing about the same handful of agencies more often than not.

I have my go to agency for when I travel on Viking. I understand   that we can’t name travel agencies on CC and respect that. I guess I was wondering if Oceania promotes or lists their concierge level agencies and if so where I might find that. We also are looking at trying O for the first time and didn’t know of such a thing existed. Thank you though for your response. I appreciate it. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

I have my go to agency for when I travel on Viking. I understand   that we can’t name travel agencies on CC and respect that. I guess I was wondering if Oceania promotes or lists their concierge level agencies and if so where I might find that. We also are looking at trying O for the first time and didn’t know of such a thing existed. Thank you though for your response. I appreciate it. 

I think you mean O’s Connoisseurs Club TAs (or better still, O’s “preferred partners”).

Knowing how to make the most out of O’s booking idiosyncrasies and attitude toward exceptions is as much an art as it is a science.

[pinotlover]

2 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I have my go to agency for when I travel on Viking. I understand   that we can’t name travel agencies on CC and respect that. I guess I was wondering if Oceania promotes or lists their concierge level agencies and if so where I might find that. We also are looking at trying O for the first time and didn’t know of such a thing existed. Thank you though for your response. I appreciate it. 

I’ve posted several times that the OCC is now mostly a dinosaur. It’s still there, and Oceania is talking about reviving it, but don’t get overwhelmed with discussions of old. 
 

What NCLH now advertises is its Preferred Partner list. Those names are easily findable. Within those partners ask to be directed to an Agent that specializes with Oceania.