First Time Cruisers - Riviera Oceana suite 12008

[naughtypumpkin]

May I pick the brains and tap into the extensive experience of all you lovely people on here regarding our suite location and your experience booking excursions via Oceana and direct with onshore suppliers. We have never been on a cruise before so I am a little worried about sea sickness too - sorry to bombard you with queries, so excited! we are booked on the Istanbul to Dubai cruise in nov 2023 and i would love to see the pyramids when we stop off at Cairo/luxur - any tips for first time cruisers would be greatly appreciated - thank you

 

[Queen of DaNile]

Join the Roll Call for this cruise as I'm sure several of us will be planning private tours for this cruise. Keep in mind that the drives to Giza and Luxor are long and not particularly interesting but worth it. See you on board.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Queen of DaNile

[KS&JW]

Roll call for your cruise - 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by KS&JW

[naughtypumpkin]

12 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Join the Roll Call for this cruise as I'm sure several of us will be planning private tours for this cruise. Keep in mind that the drives to Giza and Luxor are long and not particularly interesting but worth it. See you on board.

Gosh! so you are going too? that's brilliant - have you done this route before? 😀 thank you

[naughtypumpkin]

2 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

Roll call for your cruise - 

thank you very much!

 

[PhD-iva]

NaughtyPumpkin, welcome to Oceania and to CruiseCritic! You’ll love cruising and O will be like your “other” home.
If you’re new to cruising, you’ll want to invest some time here on CC reading previous posts. There is wealth of information already shared with you by previous posters here. You can use the search function, which sometimes can be v helpful, and will always demonstrate that you’ve made the effort before re-asking that question that has already been answered multiple times. (but don’t be afraid to ask anyway!). For example, I recall a thread discussing/comparing the pros and cons of Oceania suites versus Vista suites. That should be a good one for you. Try searching….

Another good source of information for your questions regarding excursions will be the ports forum here on cruisecritic. On that section, the discussion is about the ports and excursions, recommendations for tour guides, previous experiences, tips and “do’s and don’ts”.

So many questions! I’m trying to remember what it was like to be a newbie, so many years ago!

Ciao for now!

[PhD-iva]

PS I suffer greatly w motion sickness. I have found great relief using scopolamine patches (behind the ear). No drowsiness. Here in the US you need a prescription. You’ll be fine!

[Queen of DaNile]

1 hour ago, naughtypumpkin said:

Gosh! so you are going too? that's brilliant - have you done this route before? 😀 thank you

We've gone the other way-Dubai to Pireas. Jeddah was what caught my eye. Hopefully the GEM will finally be open by the time we cruise and should be a spectacular addition to the Giza plateau.

[naughtypumpkin]

38 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

NaughtyPumpkin, welcome to Oceania and to CruiseCritic! You’ll love cruising and O will be like your “other” home.
If you’re new to cruising, you’ll want to invest some time here on CC reading previous posts. There is wealth of information already shared with you by previous posters here. You can use the search function, which sometimes can be v helpful, and will always demonstrate that you’ve made the effort before re-asking that question that has already been answered multiple times. (but don’t be afraid to ask anyway!). For example, I recall a thread discussing/comparing the pros and cons of Oceania suites versus Vista suites. That should be a good one for you. Try searching….

Another good source of information for your questions regarding excursions will be the ports forum here on cruisecritic. On that section, the discussion is about the ports and excursions, recommendations for tour guides, previous experiences, tips and “do’s and don’ts”.

So many questions! I’m trying to remember what it was like to be a newbie, so many years ago!

Ciao for now!

fabulous! thank you for all your help

[nursinadream]

Hi Naughtypumpkin from Yorkshire!  You've never been cruising and your first booking is Istanbul to Dubai?  Wow, you jumped right in, didn't you?  Looks like a fabulous itinerary.  I am new to Oceania and have 2 cruises booked for 2022.  I have learned a lot from the posts on this forum.  Enjoy your reading.

Deb in Naples, FL

[makai 7]

We cruised on Riviera in one of the Oceania Suites in 2019 (pre Covid).  We really loved the spaces and comfort, and dining in our cabin from all the restaurants.

if you have any cabin or amenity questions I would be happy to answer them if I can!

[mauibabes]

Naughty,

Congrats on your booking of that November 2023 itinerary on Riviera.  We and several friends booked it in October when we were on Riviera’s return to sailing cruises 1-4.  We have been in an O Suite next to the Artists Loft on a previous cruise and we had no problem with the motion of the ocean. Weather and Mother Nature will dictate what the seas are like.
Robin, aka PHDiva was with us on Riviera’s Oct/Nov cruises and it was fabulous. The suggestion for the Scopolamine Patches is a great one, definitely get some.  We brought some along and only used one and it was a precautionary measure because the Captain said we were going to have some rough weather that night. It was just a nice rock to sleep with 16-18’ waves and some strong winds. The ship is very stable so don’t think yourself into worrying about succumbing to sea  sickness.  
 

You picked an amazing itinerary, one that came HIGHLY recommended by our Oceania Club Ambassadors and the first time Riviera has made that trip.  You also picked an outstanding Suite.  The Oceania Suites are 1,000 sq. ft. and are  beautiful and amazing rooms, especially if you are getting together with friends. We had 14 friends with us on that trip to the Holy Land so lots of happy hours were spent in our suite. 
Definitely get on the Roll Call as was suggested, you will get lots of valuable help. This itinerary ends in Dubai but we have an ongoing bet with friends and some staff about where Riviera’s next cruise is going. The 2023/24 itineraries will be out in April and I am betting on south to Capetown SA so that could make for a really exceptional combination and Grand Voyage. 
If you want any info about Oceania or just need to chat about cruising, feel free to send an email off line.  gerryesker@gmail.com

Ciao,  Mauibabes 

 

[Kate-AHF]

You might want to consider the Pre-cruise Oceania tour of Istanbul that is on offer.  There is so much to see in Istanbul, and that tour gets you to most of it.  There is also the peace of mind that O will do the heavy lifting/planning, and you get to just enjoy instead of worrying about finding your way around.

 

I did a port-cruise tour with O in South America was was very, very pleased with it (and I'm picky).

[jagoffee]

6 hours ago, makai 7 said:

We cruised on Riviera in one of the Oceania Suites in 2019 (pre Covid).  We really loved the spaces and comfort, and dining in our cabin from all the restaurants.

if you have any cabin or amenity questions I would be happy to answer them if I can!

If staying in an OS will someone  contact us in advance for our liquor preferences?  Or is it done on the ship.  Thank you.

[mauibabes]

Just let your Travel Agent handle that for you.  We swapped all our liquor for wines and that was handled by our Butler because we had not made the decision by the time we got on Riviera. They will do whatever you want done. We loved the hot tub out on our deck too. Ah, decisions, decisions. 
Ciao, Mauibabes 

[naughtypumpkin]

17 hours ago, nursinadream said:

Hi Naughtypumpkin from Yorkshire!  You've never been cruising and your first booking is Istanbul to Dubai?  Wow, you jumped right in, didn't you?  Looks like a fabulous itinerary.  I am new to Oceania and have 2 cruises booked for 2022.  I have learned a lot from the posts on this forum.  Enjoy your reading.

Deb in Naples, FL

Once in a lifetime trip I think 😊I hope you have a lovely time too

[naughtypumpkin]

15 hours ago, makai 7 said:

We cruised on Riviera in one of the Oceania Suites in 2019 (pre Covid).  We really loved the spaces and comfort, and dining in our cabin from all the restaurants.

if you have any cabin or amenity questions I would be happy to answer them if I can!

Thank you so much that is very kind of you 😊

[naughtypumpkin]

15 hours ago, mauibabes said:

Naughty,

Congrats on your booking of that November 2023 itinerary on Riviera.  We and several friends booked it in October when we were on Riviera’s return to sailing cruises 1-4.  We have been in an O Suite next to the Artists Loft on a previous cruise and we had no problem with the motion of the ocean. Weather and Mother Nature will dictate what the seas are like.
Robin, aka PHDiva was with us on Riviera’s Oct/Nov cruises and it was fabulous. The suggestion for the Scopolamine Patches is a great one, definitely get some.  We brought some along and only used one and it was a precautionary measure because the Captain said we were going to have some rough weather that night. It was just a nice rock to sleep with 16-18’ waves and some strong winds. The ship is very stable so don’t think yourself into worrying about succumbing to sea  sickness.  
 

You picked an amazing itinerary, one that came HIGHLY recommended by our Oceania Club Ambassadors and the first time Riviera has made that trip.  You also picked an outstanding Suite.  The Oceania Suites are 1,000 sq. ft. and are  beautiful and amazing rooms, especially if you are getting together with friends. We had 14 friends with us on that trip to the Holy Land so lots of happy hours were spent in our suite. 
Definitely get on the Roll Call as was suggested, you will get lots of valuable help. This itinerary ends in Dubai but we have an ongoing bet with friends and some staff about where Riviera’s next cruise is going. The 2023/24 itineraries will be out in April and I am betting on south to Capetown SA so that could make for a really exceptional combination and Grand Voyage. 
If you want any info about Oceania or just need to chat about cruising, feel free to send an email off line.  gerryesker@gmail.com

Ciao,  Mauibabes 

 

Gosh, that it so helpful, thank you so much. It all seems such a long way away right now , definitely something to look forward to 😊