Advice for honeymooners

[jlslaw1]

Hi. We have booked our honeymoon cruise on Oceania leaving on January 2 to the Caribbean. We are late 20's/early 30's. Will we enjoy this cruise? We have reserved a penthouse suite toward the rear of the ship. Is this a good spot on Regatta? Does Oceania do anything special for honeymooners? Thanks for any and all advice!

[JustBill]

Hi. We have booked our honeymoon cruise on Oceania leaving on January 2 to the Caribbean. We are late 20's/early 30's. Will we enjoy this cruise? We have reserved a penthouse suite toward the rear of the ship. Is this a good spot on Regatta? Does Oceania do anything special for honeymooners? Thanks for any and all advice!


The something special is that they don't disturb the honeymooners ;)

[Andee]

You will posibly be the youngest passengers on the ship, and there might not be any others your age--if that matters to you.

A penthouse suite sounds lovely--we can't stay at the front or rear of the ship because my husband has a tendency towards motion sickness, and does better midships.

Oceania is our favorite line--love the ships, the staff, the food.

Have a wonderful time!

[jlslaw1]

We were a little worried we would be the youngest, but we figured this wasn't a major downfall. There still seems to be a lot to do and the ports sound awesome. Thanks for the advice!

[Paisley12]

I agree with Andee. You will probably be the youngest on the ship. That being said, we enjoyed the company of a couple your age on the May cruise - Athens to Rome. They thoroughly enjoyed the company of "older" people in their 40's and above because most of the people taking these cruises were very well-travelled, fun and interesting. This is definitely an upscale and elegant cruise line.
If you want to be left alone ... you will be discreetly pampered. Just let them know.
This is a port intensive cruise line with very few sea days. If you enjoy getting off the ship and seeing all the great sites to see and coming back to relaxing and absolutely delicious dinners you will love it. If you enjoy, since it is your honeymoon, being alone you will enjoy that, too! We had a Penthouse (8051) and the butler was very attentive to our wants and needs. Use him ... that's what he is there for .... we had Julian on the Insignia and he was great. And if you feel he has exceeded your expectations remember to slip him a nice tip at the end of the cruise as well as others who you feel have serviced you well. They do add tips automatically to your bill but if someone has really been good to you ... an extra tip is a nice way of saying thank you.
Just remember to book your Toscana and Polo Grille reservations AS SOON AS you get on the ship (your butler can do this ... just ring him first thing!!!). Since you are in a Penthouse you are entitled to 2 each preferred reservations. These fill up fast we learned!!! You can sit at a table for two or go and share with someone to meet other people.
You'll get, each day, a paper called the Currents which lets you know what's going on the next day and beyond.
Also, try and book your excursions the first couple of days. Of course, they keep reminding you a few days ahead of each port about excursions coming up. Check out the web site and get a feel of which one you want to do from the description they have written there and you'll be ahead of the game.
Have a great honeymoon!! You have chosen a very good cruise line to start your cruising. I hope this helps a little!!!

[jlslaw1]

Thanks again for all of the advice! Just a couple more questions....how big are the bathrooms in a penthouse suite? We've heard they have a whirlpool tub/shower combination and two sinks. Is this correct? Also, what kind of furniture is on the verandah? Is there a lounger or just two chairs?

[timbo89]

The term "Penthouse suite" on Oceania is certaily a stretch. They would be classified as "mini-suites" on other lines.

The bathrooms on Penthouse suites are far from huge!!

If you are tall (over 5'11"), you will have to duck to shower. I believe there is only one wash hand basin in the bathroom, but there may be two. In any event, it is not conducive to two people being in there at the same time.

We have found that the butlers on Oceania are less attentive and capable as on other lines. Perhaps this is due to them being assigned a large number of suites to attend to. If your butler has to deal with a couple of suites occupied by a more "demanding" clientele, you will (as we have been) significantly short changed in service.

Theoretically, you can have your dinner served in your suite by your butler (from any of the restaurants). This might be a good option for honeymooners. We tried this once and it was a bit of a disaster. Perhaps you'd have better luck.

[ClaudiaF]

There are no whirlpool tubs in Penthouse suites ( that would be in Vista Suite and Owner Suites) only. The Penthouse does have a tub ( shower over ) and I believe one sink , but can't really remember 4 sure.
The balcony has 2 chairs and a table in that cabin..Chaises are again on the balconies of VS and OS, but you probably could get your butler to bring one for yours ?
Have a wonderful honeymoon.

[jlslaw1]

I'm really starting to wonder if we should switch to Holland America's Amsterdam ship or Celebrity's Galaxy. It sounds like we are paying a lot to have a penthouse suite and we could get the same room with the concierge level. Any thoughts? From the last couple of posts, it doesn't seem like the penthouse suite is worth it.

[ClaudiaF]

The concierge level is smaller cabin and bathroom is only a stall shower. You will appreciate having the extra space in your cabin in penthouse.