Flatbush Flyer

If you want to communicate with your fellow passengers, join your cruise’s Roll Call: boards.cruisecritic.com >roll calls >Oceania >your ship >your embark month >scroll to your cruise name/dates You must register for a CC account to post. No cost & No spam (CC is a division of Trip Advisor). NOTE: if your cruise is a segment of a larger/popular multisegment cruise, your Roll Call may be included in that one (e.g., “Insignia’s ATW Roll Call covers that cruise and all its included segments”). If there is no Roll Call yet, you can start it with a first post. Just remember to include ship name, cruise name and full dates. Also, you can organize a formal CC M&G (with dedicated space, cabin invites and officer attendance) by contacting O in Miami at least a month prior to embark and supplying sign up info from the Roll Call. O is very responsive to CC M&G requests. Otherwise, you can also do informal M&Gs by picking time/place and hoping it’s available. There is a “default” CC M&G time/place as well. Search on CC’s O forum for that info. Bon Voyage!

Don’t make the rookie mistake of comparing only the cabin fare. Carnival and Norwegian (as well as the rest of the mass market lines) will “nickel dime” you to death for everything - even bottled water. With premium/luxury lines like Oceania, there are far more fare inclusions (that you’d pay for on mass market lines), e.g., unlimited internet, beverages, specialty dining, SBC for tours et al., even airfare in certain instances. ALWAYS compare the bottom line and then also look at the quality of what you get. With Oceania, you’d also get far better food, cabin amenities and crew plus space ratios. DO THE REAL MATH.

The only thing of major concern is the removal of the “price drop match” guarantee. The “book onboard” bonus SBC has always varied.

Glacier Bay is okay but pales in comparison the the Hubbard Glacier, which is the “poster child” for Alaska glaciers I recommend the smallest ship you can book e.g., Oceania Regatta (or another of their 670 passenger “R” ships) that goes to the Hubbard Glacier and includes smaller boat excursions that take you “up close and personal” with the calving glacier.

Hopefully, your travel insurance includes war/terror/civil unrest.

See the Currents pic I just posted😎 Voice of experience here: almost 500 days on O ships across approx 3 dozen cruise segments. Never have I had a problem and never have I seen anyone’s booze taken away. Still don’t believe what is practiced vs what is CYA? Next time you’re onboard, ask the GM or F&B manager.

:Often seen in the daily Currents, the restrictions are on where you consume whatever booze you bring. Spirits are not banned but they must be consumed in cabin. The 6 bottle wine limit at embark is only a CYA statement. Bring whatever you want at any port where booze purchases are allowed. You can take bottles of wine to meals (NOT glasses) as long as you pay the $25 corkage.

FWIW: what you are talking about is not unlike what I refer to as “net daily cost” of any kind of travel - cruising in particular. And it was “net daily cost” calculations that provided our “aha! experience” which resulted in moving up from “mass market” to “premium” cruising (and never looking back). Of course, itinerary is always a key component of travel choice. But, quality and value of your “home away from home” is equally important. And, in looking for cruise savings and/or value, the error that most rookie (and even many experienced) cruisers make is to compare only cabin costs. A far more efficacious approach is to first consider the sum of all required and optionally desired trip costs (cabin, booze, air, internet, specialty dining, tours….) and then divide by the number of trip days. That’s the quantitative side of the equation AND the results can be quite surprising when you start doing it. The next important step is to look at the quality of what you’re purchasing: food, sleep experience, crew and space ratios. Add to that consideration what you may want to avoid, e.g., thundering herds of folks on floating amusement parks, “nickel-diming” for everything, pesky photos and phony art shows, etc. All that said, price without consideration of the “net daily cost” AND the quality of the experience says nothing about true “value.”

If you’re looking at an evening event, they’re usually booked full far in advance. But, you could always ask. Just remember that Destination Services only mans their desk at certain times each day.

The official U.S. rules say controlled substances in original bottles but not necessarily all other Rx meds. However, you will need acceptable Rx proof for other Rx drugs (e.g., comprehensive pharmacy printout -a.k.a. “Back Panel”). As for other countries re:controlled substances, it can vary from having Rx proof to substance being banned outright.

From personal experience of “day + evening” same day tours on multiple occasions, I can confirm that there is an Oceania “layover” requirement for someone to book two tours for any individual on the same day. In fact, I recently did this by booking two same day tours with a 90 minute layover, And I seem to remember that the minimum layover is that 90 minutes rather than the 75 minutes you mention in your post. (90 minutes strikes a more familiar chord and does make more sense as a buffer). All that said, do know that, if you try to book two same day tours for yourself or partner on the O website, you’ll get a “conflict” notice (even with the right layover time). Every time I’ve tried it in a mock booking, I get that “conflict” notice. But, because the O website tour shopping is glitchy (particularly when it comes to tour availability for multisegment tours- long story), I always buy our tours by calling a trusted long-serving O phone rep. And, at that time, he can do the AM+PM same day tours purchase (as long as you have the minimum layover mentioned above). Of course, he can also do tour cancellations (which are not possible for DIY on the website. BTW, your TA can do this for you. But, many TAs are not familiar with O’s excursions policies and booking challenges.

We’ve done more than 30 O segments. I’d say that unintended significantly late disembark (for various reasons) affected at least 10% of those cruises. The worst of them was at SYD. A combo of mechanical issues under way and Immigration clearance logistics at the port delayed departure of guests by more than three hours. Plenty of missed flights that day. That said, the statistics are irrelevant. you either get off on time or don’t. Ergo, not a problem until it’s a problem.

Sure- not a problem… ….unless it’s a problem.😳

6 AM is a target for the ship’s arrival that is never guaranteed. Add the time for unexpected engineering and navigational delays, docking, CBP et al. clearances, etc. and that will determine (on that day) when you’re actually going to be able to leave the ship and the port. Pretty much any time before a noon flight is always risky.

If you booked the multisegments as a published “extended journey” or as a “custom cruise” (both with a single booking number), you should already have received a shore excursions PDF with the changeover day port’s tours usually listed. Likewise, the O website would usually have all days on your itinerary listed in your account’s view. That said, however, there are occasions when tours for those days are not listed.

Wrong coast for near perfect beach weather (w/o humidity) year round. If you're serious about oceanfront living in your senior years, look at coastal California in general and SoCal specifically. Plenty of cruises leaving from L.A. and San Diego. 😎

You think incorrectly😳 Several days before the end of each changeover segment, folks continuing will get a list of any tours available for changeover day. It is usually an expanded list compared to the doc folks leaving get (opportunity to do combo of bus tour with airport drop off).

We do mostly multisegment cruises. What border patrol requirements you’ll face at each “changeover” day can vary significantly depending, of course, on the specific port et al. authorities. And anything can happen. We had one SYD end port where disembarkation was delayed by almost 3 hours due to a combo of mechanical issues enroute delaying arrival and border patrol processing delays once there. That said, you may want to do ship sponsored (rather than private) tours on those days.

If you’re getting the wine locally (embark port), I suggest the collapsible cardboard carriers used by many wineries. They come in 2, 3, 4 and 6 bottle sizes. Lightweight and packable in your checked luggage, they can also be used to store the wine in your cabin (and then discard them at the end of your cruise.

As regards the BYOB issue and the question of O booze packages: #1 As much as (if not more than) the price of O booze, there’s the issue of quality and even convenience associated with DIY (and a little research). Over the years, we’ve developed a short list of local retailers at select embark ports (and certain itinerary ports) that offer the “holy trinity” of great selection, reasonable prices and delivery. For example, in Seattle, Miami, et al. US ports, there’s Total Wines. In Sydney, there’s Red Hat (formerly Australian Wine Center) with one shop right at Circular Quay. Headed to Southampton? We stay in London pre-cruise and our “go to” hotel in Mayfair is a short walk to Hedonism Wines. The list goes on…. We often preorder online or by phone and schedule delivery to our hotel or pickup enroute to the ship (just have your transfer driver stop for a few minutes). Have the shop package/box your purchase securely/labeled properly and you can drop it off with your luggage (remember a nice tip to the stevedores at the ship). #2 When we first started cruising with O, we’d occasionally buy the O Prestige package. But, as we started doing longer cruises and gained more knowledge about O’s booze idiosyncrasies, the package’s only true value (for us) became convenience - though at a hefty price. We’ve found that, on our mostly multi-segment cruises, there’s numerous free booze events (multiple Captain’s welcomes and O Club parties plus numerous officer invited dinners). Add Happy Hours (particularly with our preferred bartenders😎) that get you “bang for your buck” and the occasional “bin end list” wine buys. Given our consumption profile, the booze packages are usually far more costly than “pay as you go” bottom line.

This thread brings two things to mind: Attention Costco shoppers! Ever try Costco’s Reposado Tequila? It’s made by Santa Lucia Distillers in Jalisco, Mexico. Stellar! And it’s equal to or better than many high end brands (e.g., El Tesoro) that are twice the price. Don’t like O’s meats these days? Rather than complaining here, do something useful: Send it back. If more folks would do that, eventually, O will get the message.

Oceania was started with your demographic in mind. Small ships (670 or 1200 passengers) inclusive fares (e.g., internet, beverages, specialty restaurants at no extra charge…) that avoid nickel-diming. Stellar service with great space and crew ratios. Well respected for the “finest cuisine at sea.” Beyond the usual short Caribbean itineraries, O is best know for worldwide unique and exotic itineraries that are combinable to create custom cruises of various lengths (most of ours are 4-7 weeks. Our most recent February cruise was 2 weeks PPT-PPT and our upcoming CPT-BCN cruise will be 5 weeks.

Actually, if you are an upper level Intercontinental Rewards Club member and/or purchase their annual Ambassador perks package, you should still be able to get a day room with lunch included. (We were just there in February for a PPT-PPT cruise and passed the designated “day room” hotel section daily during our four day pre-cruise stay). Of course, there’s a charge and availability is limited. So, you have to book many months in advance. Also, if anyone reading this hasn’t been to PPT during the past few years, the airport now has a shared bizclass lounge (with A/C, snack type food and included booze). I know (from experience) that it serves United and several other airlines.

Unless you’re drinking it straight, which would be unusual, I think that you’ll find that most bars use the French Absente (I pictured in my previous post) in their cocktails. Here’s another brand (U.S. origin) that also works well for Sazeracs.

“Truly seasoned” cruisers would have not purchased their booze from “duty free” which generally has extremely high retail prices. Instead, they’d have done a bit of pre-cruise research for their itinerary and stocked up wherever they could’ve found the best selection at the best price. BTW: For all of our non-US passengers cruising from American ports, look for a Total Wines or BevMo store and/or even a super market or Costco in States that allow them to sell wine.