lborne

If you are flexible on dates and ports, it is always good to check what other ships will be in port with you. Having 12,000 people at the same destination is not something I enjoy.

I've done a search and see only 1 mention of guruwalk. Has anyone had experience with them?

Posted in Roll Call, but thought I'd share here too. Just noticed our tour booked through Oceania in Izmir - Ancient Sardis - ends at 8:15pm but the ship is scheduled to depart at 7:00pm. I know if you book excursions through the cruise line, they make sure you get back before the ship leaves, but something is not right here. I called Oceania and they said yes, 7 is the departure time, not the all-on-board time and said they don’t know how to explain the discrepancy but that I should call back Monday when the tour department is open. I’m sure there is a simple explanation, but I’ve never seen this before.

This is what shows up on their Italian website.

I compared cruise fare only - no airfare. But it does seem that the Italian website does not show the O-life ultimate that is valid on certain categories, and when factored in, it is about the difference.

I'd read on my rollcall board that people were finding the cruise fares much cheaper for those in Europe where their website shows prices in Euros. So I asked a travel agent friend in Italy to look up my cruise just going to the Oceania web site. For my cruise (cruise fare only), the B3 category is $1989 Euros, or about $2200 USD. On the US website, it is showing $3249 USD. Surely this has something to do with VAT or other taxes. Anyone know why the $1000 difference?

We've called several times and once held for more than 2 hours. No estimated hold time is mentioned, nor is there a callback option. Maybe we should go through a TA instead of calling Oceania directly?

Thank you. We are getting the beverage package as part of the O-life Ultimate deal, so are set for lunch and dinner. Good that we can bring wine and alcohol on board to have in our room. We will be in Milan and Venice several days before so will have time to shop for it. I suppose if I want a beer by the pool, I would just pay for it as it would probably be cheaper than upgrading the beverage package. Good tip on not overpacking.

Ironically, the same cruise as you. Oct 30 - Nov 9, Riviera.

Yes, that is exactly what I was talking about. Usually it is contained in a sticky post, but sometimes it is elsewhere, which is why I asked. Thanks.

Yes, when I have specific questions, I will be posting here with ship, dates, etc., and plan to also post in the Roll Call section. I've uses Cruise Critic for planning many times, but it has been several years since I've been on a cruise, and this is a new line.

Our first time on Oceania and I was looking for a tip sheet or thread or document. Something along the lines of a FAQ, but more details. I know the Disney forum has one, but don't see one here. Thanks.