I read in an earlier thread that you could book O-Life and get a credit for airfare, even if you don't book air through them.

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Unless they just recently changed their policy, I believe they only allow 6 bottles of wine brought on board per stateroom.

The published CYA statement about limits on personal booze allowed at embarkation (originally 3 and now 6) has never (to my knowledge) been enforced. We regularly bring up to a case (12 bottles) onboard on day 1, often dependent on availability in the port of embarkation. We also replenish our supply in certain ports on our longer itineraries (see pic).

If you’re uncertain about this “practice vs policy,” just ask the head wine Stewart or F&B manager next time you’re on an O ship.

 

BTW: we recently embarked in Stockholm and were relieved to find that the retail wine prices at the Systembolaget (state liquor stores) were not as outlandish as we had heard. Yes, a decent bottle of wine was a few bucks more in tax but certainly not a break-the-bank situation.

[basor]

32 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Unless they just recently changed their policy, I believe they only allow 6 bottles of wine brought on board per stateroom.

Oceania has never limited the amount of wine, beer or any type of liquor be brought on board for consumption in your cabin........this as at embarkation and at any port..  we have brought on board a case of wine at embarkation, slapped a label on it, handed to the porters with our luggage and it is usually the first delivered to our cabin.  

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The published CYA statement about limits on personal booze allowed at embarkation (originally 3 and now 6) has never (to my knowledge) been enforced. We regularly bring up to a case (12 bottles) onboard on day 1, often dependent on availability in the port of embarkation. We also replenish our supply in certain ports on our longer itineraries (see pic).

If you’re uncertain about this “practice vs policy,” just ask the head wine Stewart or F&B manager next time you’re on an O ship.

 

BTW: we recently embarked in Stockholm and were relieved to find that the retail wine prices at the Systembolaget (state liquor stores) were not as outlandish as we had heard. Yes, a decent bottle of wine was a few bucks more in tax but certainly not a break-the-bank situation.

Thanks for this info.  I’m not sailing until Dec 2022 but this is very helpful to know..

[eldaradoe]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:18 PM, Cruzin Terri said:

To each his own.  The OBC works very well for us.  We rarely do ship excursions, but occasionally do.  We use it for drinks, corkage fees, and spa treatments and gratuities. it works well for us.,  We do not yet have 10 cruises so we don’t always get free gratuities from our TA.

it really depends on how you use it. If you are just going to go shopping in the boutique at the end of the cruise to use it up, than it is not worth it.

Terri

but your not gaining anything.......and you have to spend it on board....

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, eldaradoe said:

but your not gaining anything.......and you have to spend it on board....

but some people prefer to have it prepaid.  Why can't they live their lives their way???

[eldaradoe]

8 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

but some people prefer to have it prepaid.  Why can't they live their lives their way???

because if you don't use it all you lose it....but to each is own....if you want to give me your money I'll hold it and pay for your stuff...your not getting a discount for prepaying unless you choose excursions and not everyone uses it all or they have to add more $ in at the shops to get rid of it. It only makes sense for O not for the passenger. I'm really surprised that you would post that response but I guess this is your life!

 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by eldaradoe

[Stockjock]

FWIW, I did go ahead and book this, which would be my first Oceania sailing.  Ran it by the GF as a future birthday gift and she initially said "no", as she likes some of the clubs and entertainment of the larger ships.  I said I thought it would be nice to try something different (we've done Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Carnival, Pullmantur (RIP), RCCL, NCL, etc.  After a couple of days, she changed her mind.

I do have an Amex Platinum, so they have a nice amenity of $300 OBC, a bottle of wine and a wine tasting event.  Plus, I have NCL stock with gives me another $100 OBC (since I'm in the business, I have to say this isn't a recommendation for that stock), so $400 bonus OBC, plus the other perks, plus whatever else I can negotiate.  That should make up for the missed perks from O-Life, since I've skipped that.

It's a long ways off, but should be interesting.  I hope she enjoys it.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Stockjock

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

I do have an Amex Platinum, so they have a nice amenity of $300 OBC, a bottle of wine and a wine tasting event.

That may work out, but I always check whether getting 3% cash back from my Citi Costco Visa is worth more than the Amex $300 plus amenities.  As the cost of the cruise goes up, the Amex value doesn't so at some point 3% is worth more (often a lot more).

[Cruzin Terri]

11 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

That may work out, but I always check whether getting 3% cash back from my Citi Costco Visa is worth more than the Amex $300 plus amenities.  As the cost of the cruise goes up, the Amex value doesn't so at some point 3% is worth more (often a lot more).

I have found that my Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa saves me a ton of money in insurance.  They were very good about reimbursing me for the private tours i booked that I could not get a refund (tickets, etc) because I came down with COVID.  For the price of the Annual Fee, you get up to $20,000 of trip insurance per trip. I know Costco also has insurance, but this works out quite well for us.  While the annual fee is high, the price of insurance is higher.

i do like the O Life OBC. i find that I know how much I have to spend on things I like and try to keep it in check. The gratuities get paid, Corkage fee, If we want a shore excursion, we book it, go to the spa,  that way we are not committed to one category of amenity and we usually don’t have a bill at the end or if we do, it is not much.  It works for us.

Terri

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

I have found that my Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa saves me a ton of money in insurance.  They were very good about reimbursing me for the private tours i booked that I could not get a refund (tickets, etc) because I came down with COVID.  For the price of the Annual Fee, you get up to $20,000 of trip insurance per trip. I know Costco also has insurance, but this works out quite well for us.  While the annual fee is high, the price of insurance is higher.

i do like the O Life OBC. i find that I know how much I have to spend on things I like and try to keep it in check. The gratuities get paid, Corkage fee, If we want a shore excursion, we book it, go to the spa,  that way we are not committed to one category of amenity and we usually don’t have a bill at the end or if we do, it is not much.  It works for us.

Terri

We’ve considered “Sapphire” but find the trip protection limits mostly inadequate for longer cruises that exceed $20k. And the continuing Covid uncertainty of travel has cut (though not eliminated) our trip frequency.

 

Because we prefer United Airlines (incl. its having a major hub at SFO and Star Alliance hubs throughout much of the world), we’ve always been fine with the basic United Explorer Visa. <$100 annually, Club passes, <70 lb luggage allowance, a variety of bonus mileage offers and expanded access to flights that’ll allow FF points use.

 

That said, there’s obviously no “best” card for “travel” since there’s tremendous difference in travel practice from person to person. Like so much else, research is the key.

[Cruzin Terri]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

We’ve considered “Sapphire” but find the trip protection limits mostly inadequate for longer cruises that exceed $20k. And the continuing Covid uncertainty of travel has cut (though not eliminated) our trip frequency.

 

Because we prefer United Airlines (incl. its having a major hub at SFO and Star Alliance hubs throughout much of the world), we’ve always been fine with the basic United Explorer Visa. <$100 annually, Club passes, <70 lb luggage allowance, a variety of bonus mileage offers and expanded access to flights that’ll allow FF points use.

 

That said, there’s obviously no “best” card for “travel” since there’s tremendous difference in travel practice from person to person. Like so much else, research is the key.

Our last cruise was a bit over $20,000.  However, when i considered buying insurance it would have been the difference between what Chase covered and the amount of the insurance.  i considered it awash.  It worked out.  Chase was easy to work with.  

Terri

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Our last cruise was a bit over $20,000.  However, when i considered buying insurance it would have been the difference between what Chase covered and the amount of the insurance.  i considered it awash.  It worked out.  Chase was easy to work with.  

Terri

You may want to read the fine print on travel policies. Some companies require a policy amount for ALL trip expenses PERIOD (regardless of other coverage). Some limit the max required to non-refundable expenses only. Policies with PEC waivers can vary as well. 
In any case, you may want to connect with a broker (e.g., InsureMyTrip.com) about what is allowable.

[Cruzin Terri]

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You may want to read the fine print on travel policies. Some companies require a policy amount for ALL trip expenses PERIOD (regardless of other coverage). Some limit the max required to non-refundable expenses only. Policies with PEC waivers can vary as well. 
In any case, you may want to connect with a broker (e.g., InsureMyTrip.com) about what is allowable.

Chase covered up to $20,000 and paid for private excursions where I did not get my money refunded because of Covid.  We had the conversation before the trip.  They will cover up to $20,000 even if the trip is more money.