ORV

1 hour ago, Aloha 1 said:

We have 10 O cruises under our belt and another 40 + on other lines, and Peter was the most annoying CD we've ever experienced.

I think you might be talking about a different Peter. 

If you use a travel agent I would suggest involving them. It sounds like you have a special case. 

4 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

No, because I never ever on the ship mention what suite we are in.  However people ask questions regarding the suite and perks or your preferences.  Big difference when you wear a pin on the ship.  Just saying.........

That’s your point of view. I have no problem with people wearing their pins or hats signifying their level. Did you think I was referring to you about constantly mentioning being in an owners suite? I guess if the shoe fits. 
 

Maybe we should let everyone do what works for them without putting them down. 

Thanks for adding extra info Jon. Since we are only drinking wine at meals after the first couple of days we’ve found things on the list that work for us. The Prosecco is pretty good and much better than the Germain champagne. We do miss the Raymond red blend but find the Deakin Shiraz a decent red. The Backhouse Pinot is not that good for what we like. 
 

In the late afternoon’s we also do a Mikey in the room. 
 

If anyone is going to be on the next leg that’s on this one let me know. I may have a bottle or two left over. 
 

Cabo today. High 75 and sunny. Nice

1 hour ago, ronrick1943 said:

Just an opinion - but really who wants them, more important are the benefits you get at each level.  Wearing a pin on the ship is just saying "lookout me, I'm special", do you really want to know those people.  The crew know who you are and what status you happen to be...........

You mean like the people that are regularly mentioning that they always book owners suites?🙄

11 minutes ago, jannray said:

I'm enjoying this thread.  My DH and I start our first ever O cruise on the Regatta to Alaska in a regular veranda cabin on level 6 right over Baristas!  Really interested in everything you have to share.  Any tips? We board on May 30. Starting the countdown!

Just go with an open mind. Tips?, enjoy the ship and Alaska. I love them both. But, if you have any specific questions I’d be happy help. 

11 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

But then you get photo-bombed by...a bag

That there is funny, I don’t care who you are. I didn’t even think about that, just that guy that got his face all covered with soot from the exhaust. 

Enough about bags. I guess we don’t have to burn 🔥 clean fuel in Mexico. 

Yes, I had the same problem. Thought I was blocked or something as my wife’s IPhone worked fine. Plus I was also on Regatta’s internet so thought that might be an issue. Now that we’re parked and I’m on cell service it’s working fine. 

I’m sure you’ve been to Kotor, but yes it would be disappointing to miss it. 

5 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

My upcoming cruise that I want to shift from is Nov. 3.   Was told I have 11 days to  do it.  So only 6 months..

When did you book it?

17 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

I am reasonably sure that feature to shift without penalty is only available up to 6 months prior, not final payment.

I think it’s a year. 

Bordering on political topics but PPP ended 3 years ago. Economic stimulus payments ended approximately the same time. 
 

Next

Thanks to the current OCA/ FCC onboard, Jenny Faust, we finally got our Platinum hats and bags on our 29th cruise. We’ve been told no by at least 3 other Ambassadors ever since they started this program. We were at 21 when they started this. Not really the hat and bag, but the principle.  

And so it goes. 

50 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

 I would guess you don’t get ‘concierge’ benefits.  But if, when you get on board, you do then ‘grab it with both hands and say ‘thank you’ !’

I answered this on another thread. I’d say no. They’ve got it figured out. 

Just thought I’d start a new thread about the current 4-20 / 5-1 cruise. I wanted to separate any new comments from the previous thread. Anyone currently on this cruise feel free to post. Or not on this cruise feel free to chime in, except for that woman that’s always hijacking threads with personal nonsense. 
 

Halfway through. No missed ports. Mazatlan today. Weather is mid 80s and lovely. Repeaters partly tonight, looking forward to some free drinks. 

10 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Haha.. good luck with that, especially with the newest Celebrity ships.. Many times when you account for all inclusions and compare apples to apples (cabin size, refundable deposit etc), Celebrity actually becomes more expensive.

Well let’s just say Oceania is not for everyone as well as Celebrity is not for everybody. I do tend to like them both but I’m aware of what the product is on both. 

Since this is round trip LA it’s popular with locals since they don’t have to fly. 

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Except that there are 2 other of us from the same cruise with similar comments as well as indications in posts from a person on the next cruise.

Don’t attribute too much negativity to my earlier reports. I was initially concerned about wine choices and berry provisions and a couple of other things.  The food choices and quality have greatly increased. Perhaps it took a little time for them to be distributed through the proper channels. 
 

So far not real happy with the trivia, although that might sound trivial to some it’s important to some of us. I attribute that to lack of experience to a new CD on the job. He’s a nice young man but it’s not the style of trivia us regulars have been accustomed to. That hasn’t stopped us from having fun though. 
 

What do I like?  The food has been up to the regular standards after a weak start. Our room steward has done a fantastic job. The Service, wait staff etc, for the most part has been excellent, with a rough patch here and there. One of our favorite bartenders, Baptiste, is in Martinis. Although we don’t have a drink package or have been going to HH, we know others there are in good hands. 
 

We don’t really go to the shows so have no input there. 
 

The activities are pretty much par for the course for Oceania. Should they rethink them and try to energize them some? Absolutely! 
 

What do I not like?  Well, they brought back that Germain swill someone has called Champagne. Quite frankly Cooks is much better for a Sparkling Wine. On Marina we had Heidsiek. The Raymond Red blend is not on the by the glass menu like it was on Marina last month. Quite disappointed in that. You can buy a bottle for $50 though. Maybe they figured out it was too good for the by the glass menu, although it retails for 10-14 dollars a bottle. The bed is just not as comfortable as they always have been. We’re in a cheap room, Ocean view, but they’ve always been good here before. 
 

But, I hate to complain, so we’ll just call these observations. All in all we’re having a great time. One thing to consider is that the passengers are a heavy California mix. I’m not saying that’s bad, I love a lot of people from CA, but it not the standard FL, NY, TX, Midwestern people we normally see. It’s just a little different vibe. 
 

There’s nothing that will make me not book again in the future. 

38 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

You may be mixing apples and oranges. 

 

A "Closed Loop Cruise" is one where it embarks in one United States port and disembarks at the same US port.  The PVSA only requires that the ship stop at any foreign port, so Bermuda would satisfy the PVSA for a Closed Loop Cruise.

 

The other type of cruise that PVSA regulates is where the ship embarks at one United States port and disembarks at a different US port.  PVSA requires that the ship must stop at a "distant foreign port" which is a defined term in the PVSA.  US Department of Homeland Security publishes a list of what constitutes a "distant Foreign port" as opposed to a "foreign port."

 

I have two examples:

 

A closed loop cruise leaving from San Diego and stopping in Ensenada, Mexico and returning to San Diego would satisfy the PVSA.

 

A cruise sailing from San Diego and terminating in Fort Lauderdale would need to stop at a distant foreign port.  Central American countries do not qualify as distant foreign ports so on a Panama Canal full transit from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale, the ship will usually stop in Cartegena, Columbia as Columbia is a distant foreign port located on the South American Continent.

 

Any ship flagged in the United States is exempt from the PVSA.

 

I hope this explanation helped and wasn't too basic of a response to your question.

Actually I understand all of that. I just didn’t know if Bermuda was a distant foreign port. 

For us ignorant people when is Golden Week? I’m sure I could google it. 

Does Bermuda not qualify?

27 minutes ago, judi666 said:

The food was actually fine to very good. The service is excellant.  If you have a veranda room, you may be shocked at the bathroom size, but it’s good for an amusing story,  it will work out. 

Are you still on board? Saw a lady last night that looked just like your picture. 

On 4/19/2024 at 8:37 PM, alcpa1 said:

I know what the fine print says but we were able to book another sailing for friends who were not onboard with the same perks we got. Perhaps it was due to their O status. I was surprised, to say the least.