Wait, sandals???

[kjbacon]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

fish or steak is a choice  not a comparison

 If you had a steak that looked like a fish & were deciding what was  better  that would be  a comparison

Ok, I won’t compare Oceania to Regent. I’ll just make a choice of which one I prefer.

[makai 7]

We compare O to Regent every time we cruise on either.  We like both for different reasons and different types of travel… O when we want to just be on a ship and don’t care if we go ashore; Regent when we travel to new places and want to have everything managed for us.  Nothing wrong with making comparisons.

Maybe we we “see you” on our next cruise- (Riviera March 8?) we have cruises booked on both😊

Edited February 23, 2022 by makai 7

[kjbacon]

1 hour ago, makai 7 said:

We compare O to Regent every time we cruise on either.  We like both for different reasons and different types of travel… O when we want to just be on a ship and don’t care if we go ashore; Regent when we travel to new places and want to have everything managed for us.  Nothing wrong with making comparisons.

Maybe we we “see you” on our next cruise- (Riviera March 8?) we have cruises booked on both😊

Absolutely, can’t wait for our first Oceania experience on March 8 … shall we plan to meet? We are in if you are!

[ORV]

I would certainly hope that Regent would be a superior experience due to the price differential between the two. 

[emd138]

On 2/20/2022 at 11:27 AM, calicakes said:

I'm sure we'll be noticed for other reasons, as we are a same sex couple.

It could have just been the cruises that we were on, but we met many same sex couples on our cruises on Oceania.  The only reason that it was notable to us is that when we got on our first cruise with O, the first people that we met at boarding were a same sex couple.  They gave us so many helpful tips for the cruise, we will never forget them!

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

I would certainly hope that Regent would be a superior experience due to the price differential between the two. 

It's not that simple. A meaningful percentage of the price difference is due to Regent's inclusion of items you have to pay extra for on Oceania including unlimited alcoholic beverages, unlimited shore excursions, prepaid gratuities, and some land programs. 

[basor]

14 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

It's not that simple. A meaningful percentage of the price difference is due to Regent's inclusion of items you have to pay extra for on Oceania including unlimited alcoholic beverages, unlimited shore excursions, prepaid gratuities, and some land programs. 

Which is so nice to have choices for those that do not drink alcoholic beverages, DIY their shore excursions and have pre-paid gratuities from loyalty status or their TA....the included first class air and transfers are a nice perk on some of Regent's sailings.

[pinotlover]

There are no cabin comparisons between Oceania R ships and cabins on Regent. That alone destroys logical price comparisons between the lines.

[kjbacon]

Of course I’ll be comparing everything between Regent and Oceania and I’m looking forward to that. I was too subtle with my sarcasm in my earlier post 😁

 

We are happy with Regent but we do want to try a couple other lines. My number one reason for trying Oceania is their reputation for the best food at sea. I am a dyed in the wool foodie so we will be having dinner at Jacques on our first night and trying two of the wine pairing dinners. My hope is to do a running live report that mostly features the food with lots of pictures!

 

As others have said, it’s hard to compare prices because of the different inclusions but we do tend to partake in everything so we should get a feel for it. We are hoping that we aren’t constantly signing tabs or having to give our room number because the all inclusive feel is awfully nice.

 

Today, we are having snow and sleet so the tropics will be all the more enjoyable, especially with sandals on 😉

[MEFIowa]

11 hours ago, emd138 said:

It could have just been the cruises that we were on, but we met many same sex couples on our cruises on Oceania.  The only reason that it was notable to us is that when we got on our first cruise with O, the first people that we met at boarding were a same sex couple. ...

Per the daily Currents I saved from Riviera's 12/13-23/21 cruise, there were 2 LGBTQ+ Get-Togethers, on day 3 and day 9. There was one Veterans Meet and three Solo Travelers Meets. We had 719 passengers. 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

 We are hoping that we aren’t constantly signing tabs or having to give our room number because the all inclusive feel is awfully nice.

Better practice signing your name 😄

[PhD-iva]

25 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Better practice signing your name 😄

I had to sign each time I ordered a drink (except Captain’s welcome, etc.) bc I didn’t have a drinks package. I wonder if you will need your key card to order a drink once they recognize you and remember you have a drinks package. 
PS I doubt you would have to sign anything since there is no charge to your account when you have a drinks package (when you stay “within the lines”).

Edited February 24, 2022 by PhD-iva
Add ps

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I had to sign each time I ordered a drink (except Captain’s welcome, etc.) bc I didn’t have a drinks package. I wonder if you will need your key card to order a drink once they recognize you and remember you have a drinks package. 

I believe you still need to show your card  maybe even sign  before you leave the bar/dining venue

We pay as we drink a;so but they only bring the chit when you are ready to go 

[Kate-AHF]

2 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I had to sign each time I ordered a drink (except Captain’s welcome, etc.) bc I didn’t have a drinks package. I wonder if you will need your key card to order a drink once they recognize you and remember you have a drinks package. 

 

Yes.  The key card is required for any drink ordering even with the drinks package.    The bar still has to account for every pour, and the key card is the (ahem) "key".

[calicakes]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Per the daily Currents I saved from Riviera's 12/13-23/21 cruise, there were 2 LGBTQ+ Get-Togethers, on day 3 and day 9. There was one Veterans Meet and three Solo Travelers Meets. We had 719 passengers. 

I did see a get together for today,  Although that doesn't mean anybody will show up. I noticed that on celebrity. I'm glad they're not calling it a friend's of Dorothy meet up like they did the 1st time we cruised on celebrity.

[makai 7]

Hey there kjbacon- we definitely can meet up somewhere.  We are traveling with two other couples , but have absolutely nothing planned except dinner reservations and maybe some spa appointments 😊

name a date, time and place…. 
and yes, O is all about the food and exceptional services - we find the food to be superior to Regent.

[basor]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Better practice signing your name 😄

If you have the beverage package, you don't sign anything......when you are finished with your drinks, the server will take you card and then bring you back your card with a Thank you!  After a few days, the servers in the areas we usually would have a drink, remembered we had a drink package and didn't even ask for our card.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

I did see a get together for today,  Although that doesn't mean anybody will show up. I noticed that on celebrity. I'm glad they're not calling it a friend's of Dorothy meet up like they did the 1st time we cruised on celebrity.

O used to call it  that  but I guess times have changed  😉

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, basor said:

If you have the beverage package, you don't sign anything......when you are finished with your drinks, the server will take you card and then bring you back your card with a Thank you!  After a few days, the servers in the areas we usually would have a drink, remembered we had a drink package and didn't even ask for our card.

Thanks for the info

We  do not drink much  as I said  so we just pay by the drink 😉

 

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

... I'm glad they're not calling it a friend's of Dorothy meet up like they did the 1st time we cruised on celebrity.

Though going thru the Currents for my Dec 21 Riviera voyage, suddenly I'm wondering, what was "The Friends of Bill W./non-hosted Terrace Cafe Port" on Day 3 & 7?

[CruiseLibra]

8 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though going thru the Currents for my Dec 21 Riviera voyage, suddenly I'm wondering, what was "The Friends of Bill W./non-hosted Terrace Cafe Port" on Day 3 & 7?

Friends of Bill is an AA support group.

[kjbacon]

18 hours ago, makai 7 said:

Hey there kjbacon- we definitely can meet up somewhere.  We are traveling with two other couples , but have absolutely nothing planned except dinner reservations and maybe some spa appointments 😊

name a date, time and place…. 
and yes, O is all about the food and exceptional services - we find the food to be superior to Regent.

G’morning makai, great food and service, sounds fabulous. Just woke up to snow and sleet here so great food and service in the tropics 🌴 sounds about as good as it gets. I’ve loved Jacques Pepin all my life and have wanted to go to his restaurant for years so I’m very excited!

 

How about Thursday, March 10 at 5:30 in Horizons for Happy Hour? We usually go to the similar bar on Regent for a drink before dinner. You’re the Oceania vet so refine that suggestion anyway you think is best. Feel free to bring the other couples, or not, we will be happy either way.

[kjbacon]

19 hours ago, makai 7 said:

Hey there kjbacon- we definitely can meet up somewhere.  We are traveling with two other couples , but have absolutely nothing planned except dinner reservations and maybe some spa appointments 😊

name a date, time and place…. 
and yes, O is all about the food and exceptional services - we find the food to be superior to Regent.

I meant to suggest Wednesday, March 9 and not Thursday the 10th. Sorry for the confusion!!

[calicakes]

Update. No one said a word about my croc sandals last night in toscana. I saw a man wearing sneakers.

[kjbacon]

11 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Update. No one said a word about my croc sandals last night in toscana. I saw a man wearing sneakers.

Great to hear. Thank you for the update!! I hope you are enjoying yourselves 😁