CorgiNole

I'm not sure where on the scale my parents' TA ranks in terms of Oceania. My parents sailed 7 times prior to Dad's death in 2015. They had three cruises booked at that time. Mom was able to change the first reservation to her cousin. I sailed on the second reservation last month.

My name has replaced Dad's name on the September sailing, though we are not sure at this time if I'll end up being a no-show (work obligations and my son's birthday falls during that trip) or if Mom can find someone to replace me or if I decide to run away to Spain and take the cruise with her... I spoke to the Oceania Ambassador while I was on the Nautica about the options and was told that since Mom doesn't use the Oceania Air, it is actually pretty simple to change the name on the reservation for the second person in the room. What cannot happen would be for Mom to change her reservation to my husband's name as at least one of the originally ticketed passengers has to be in the room.

Your mileage may vary. Definitely talk to someone knowledgeable at Oceania.

I find them useful to wipe the dust off my feet before getting into bed. I don't find them to be a slip hazard on the carpet. If it were a wood/laminate floor, I would definitely be concerned about slipping. Neat to know that there is a name for them.

It has been awhile, but I'm pretty sure last time we sailed Princess (2010) we had a boarding time based up on our cabin (and similar for our first cruise which was on Holland America in 01).

Granted with our cruise on Princess we were sailing from Southampton, and spent the morning at the Titanic museum and then wandering around town, so we did not have lines to wait in once we did decide to board. Probably not the right museum for my 9 year old embarking on his first cruise. Had to endure a few nights of nightmares...

Hello.

 

We are now 0 for 2 in our cruise attempts to get to Rgypt....maybe the third time's the charm?

 

Hope this answers some questions,

Nancy

I am 0 for 2 trying to see Istanbul. Our cruise this spring was moved from Istanbul to Athens (fortunately we had not purchased airline tickets at the time of the move). Someday we will try Istanbul on our own. Egypt is also on my list of places I'd love to visit and I'm hoping one day that I will feel safe enough to go.

K

I would imagine it could be any number of communicable diseases. Hopefully they folks in the cabin will be feeling better soon. Let them have their privacy.

The four performers who are currently on Nautica are quite good. On our 12 day cruise they did three shows. The comedian who was featured 2 nights was okay. I think I skipped the rest of the shows either due to dinner or lack of interest in the event. Though I was sad that dinner took so long that we didn't get to see the local performers while we were overnight in Israel.

Cheers, K

Years ago we did an anniversary cruise with my parents (party of 6) and booked adjoining balconies on Princess. They unlocked the balcony dividers so we had a very nice wide space.

Last month, Mom and I sailed Oceania on the MS Nautica in the Mediterranean. It was port intensive, and lots of places I had not visited before. We had a great time and felt very pampered.

Cheers, K

I understand that all dining is "open seating" or as you wish dining as it is called on some other lines. We like to share tables with other guests so how does that work in Oceania? If we request to share, how do we know we won't placed at a table where the guests wanted to dine by themselves?

Just came off my first Oceania cruise a month ago. Sharing was easy - though I recommend going to dinner earlier if you want to share. Twice we went to the GDR after 8 and they told us sharing was not available - I think because by then the flow of passengers has slowed down and we would have waited awhile for other passengers to be seated with us.

We did have two meals with couples who irritated us - one was just irritating and the other couple (on our night in a Specialty) made a point about complaining about how a steak was cooked to several people, but then repeatedly refused the offer for a new steak to be prepared for them. It escalated to the Head Chef visiting our table and them still carping. That was uncomfortable. Everyone else we shared with was an absolute blast and it made the trip more fun as we frequently found them aboard the ship or on some of the ship's tours.

When we were at Haifa in May this year, there was a sign on the gangplank asking that you notify Oceania if you were planning to be off the ship overnight. Looked like a straightforward process.

Cheers, K

yName calling asideyou,can be denied boarding

 

I renewed mypassport recently and lost about 4-5 monthsmany of us come up short swhen we renew. NN a big deal, IMO

I lost nearly 2 years on mine, as I was almost out of pages - based on the number required by each country on my recent cruise. While annoying, not the end of the world.

If the original poster is concerned about it being lost in the mail due to a move, it might be worth the extra to pay for overnight mail so that it is trackable on the way back.

Lets hope the Edge ships will have a wash basin prior to entering the Oceanview Cafe:

 

Beautiful set-up. And I had to chuckle as this looks similar (though fancier) to the set-up we have a boy scout camp - where we can get 400 young men to wash up prior to eating each meal served in the dining hall.

Cheers, K

I don't use a sanitizer because with some brands I break out, just so you are aware why some people don't use them. People need to know circumstances before they condemn others.

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way on my last cruise. I had a lovely breakout on my right hand which kept getting worse each time I used the sanitizer. So to try and not re-sanitize the affected spot and not rub the sanitizer into my jeans, I rubbed it down my forearm. Shortly thereafter, I had a break out there, which confirmed that I am sensitive to that brand.

I was obsessive about hand washing the rest of the cruise and about not touching railings or elevator buttons. I did let guest services know I was having an issue and they told me to just not use it.

Cheers, K

I grew up in Florida, so have a sense of what you are asking. I layered a sweater or a wrap over my dress or blouse in the evenings and had no problems with cold. I did head back to the cabin during dinner one night to collect a wrap for Mom as we were sitting under a vent. The evening temps in the Mediterranean in May were refreshing compared to the 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity I returned to.

Cheers, K

What is your first US city on your return itinerary?

When we arrived in Rome a few weeks ago, we walked off the ship and did not have to show our passports at all at the port. Gathered our luggage and grabbed a cab. Our ship was in port at 5:30 a.m. and I watched people disembarking as early as 7.

At the airport in Rome, you will first stand in line to answer the security questions - did you pack your bag, did anyone unknown give you anything to carry... then you will stand in line to check in for your flight and hand in your checked luggage. Then, if you are flying from Terminal 5 (I flew Delta), you will get on a bus to go to a different part of the terminal for your gates. Then stand in line at the gate to get on your plane.

When you arrive in the US you will go through Customs and Immigration at the first airport you arrive in regardless of your destination. Then you will collect your luggage and walk past more ICE officers (US Customs) hand in your declaration receipt, and then look for where to recheck your luggage to your final destination.

I hope you have a great trip!

Cheers, K

Admittedly I misread the question initially, so my response was along the lines of this low-level university administrator being treated as well as any of the wealthy retirees on board... I had a fabulous time chatting with people in Horizons who are so far removed from my own socioeconomic status that we are not in the same galaxy. I didn't notice any class distinctions in that manner.

Then I re-read the question. And my answer is similar - I really did not notice class of service distinctions while on board. The cruise I just came off of was my first on Oceania. I did get to participate in several of the perks of loyal Oceania passengers as it was my mother's 9th cruise with them. I attended the cocktail party for long-time cruisers. Nice, but not something I would be heartbroken to miss. We had a verandah stateroom and were treated no differently from other passengers.

Mom pointed out the spa deck that is available to people booked in suites - but as neither of us are big into sitting in sun chairs or using spa amenities, it is not an issue for us. And not worth paying extra for that type of perk. Mom did comment on seating location in the grand dining room, more towards the stern as she is sensitive to vibration and such, but when she asked if we could be seated more forward that was quickly granted. Based on the cabin we booked, we were allowed one reservation at each of the specials, and could have asked for more. For me, one at each special was enough. I like the atmosphere of the grand dining room.

Crew certainly did not make any distinctions that I could tell. We were greeted warmly at every turn and made to feel at home.

Cheers, K

We kayaked in Geiranger Fjord in 2010. It was a beautiful place to kayak. My husband and I are not experienced kayakers. He was matched up with a single passenger and I was matched up with our 9 year old son. Unfortunately it was quite windy and my son panicked a bit and quit paddling, so we turned back with the group that chose not to continue. My husband did the entire trip and had a great time. The water was pretty smooth, just the wind was an issue for us.

I don't put them on prior to flying. Only reason that I can think to do that would be if the cruise line was collecting your luggage for you. If you are meeting your luggage at baggage claim, add the cruise tags then so that they don't get lost before you arrive at the port.

I flew home via JFK last Wednesday. It took an hour to get to my gate from the time I left the plane. The biggest wait was clearing Customs and Immigration as it appears multiple international flights landed together, and that was followed up by a ridiculously slow PreCheck line. Once they figured out that they needed to get a second agent looking at boarding passes it started to move.

I've never paid for PreCheck - just rely on the random goodwill of the airline to stick me there. There have been flights where my teen son got PreCheck and I did not (so guess who got to carry the laptop bag...). And there have been flights where that line was closed so it wasn't worthwhile. I was at RDU 4 hours in advance for my outbound flight due to a ride scheduling conflict and breezed through PreCheck and then enjoyed a nice brunch pre-flight.

You can meet interesting people in the lines. And as long as you can keep a good humor, it is annoying but not tragic. This was the first time I've used the kiosk/receipt versus filling out the immigration form on the plane, and it felt like it made the process longer - as we had a line for the kiosk and then a line for the ICE official.

All of this said, there are dozens of airports I would choose before choosing to fly through JFK again.

I do encourage arriving as early as possible, if only to cut down on the pre-screening stress. The woman in line behind me in Rome was carping on the line and I considered asking why she didn't arrive an hour earlier (as her flight was an hour earlier than my flight...). She was not happy at line number 2 - though talked her way into using the first class line versus standing with the rest of us.

Mom and I flew in a day early to Athens for our recent cruise as she has a history of luggage not arriving on time. This time her luggage arrived just fine, but her bank card would not work in any of the airport ATMs. Fortunately I was able to get cash for our cab fare.

Mom remembered to call her bank pre-trip. They claim it was a network issue. I forgot to notify mine but had no issues withdrawing funds in Greece and Italy. The only time I've had issues was years ago in Cameroon (not cruise related and I did specifically let the bank know where I would be traveling) and had to borrow cash from my boss to pay for my hotel room.

I have some variation of this nightmare before any major trip. Probably stems from preparation for a work trip where it took over a week to find where I had last stashed my passport (not in husband's sock drawer where the rest of them were), and nearly had to shell out the funds to rush a replacement. Fortunately it turned up in the computer bag I'd used from the previous trip.

It is hard for me to admit that we had been to Istanbul more than half a dozen times (including multiple hotel nights) before we finally visited the Basilica Cistern. The place is simply amazing, and we probably walked right over the top on many of our long walks in the city.

 

Last month, while on the Prinsendam, we had to change a scheduled 2 day Istanbul stop to a 4 hour stop...where no passengers (other then those debarking) were permitted off the ship. This was the result of the latest State Department warning. While we sat on our ship while docked in the cruise port, we could see the new Viking Cruises ship (docked next to us) where passengers took their usual tours in town. Go figure. So anyone on a cruise to this city probably has to hold their collective breaths as to whether they will keep or miss the port. DW and I really like Istanbul, and would have had no problem getting off the ship (2 days after a bombing) because we refuse to let terrorists dictate our travel habits. But can't blame HAL (and other lines) for their actions in avoiding the port.

 

Hank

I cannot imagine how frustrating that must have been. Our Oceania cruise this past month was supposed to start in Istanbul, but in late January all of the Turkish ports were removed and the new start was in Athens. That was frustrating in and of itself. We met up in Rome with a group about to board a Princess cruise which was still scheduled to visit Istanbul. Our original plan had been to spend several days exploring the city prior to the cruise as I've never been. Still on my list of places to visit in the future. K

It's 16. Our youngest was a few months shy of his 16th birthday last year when were got passports, so his is only good for 5 years. It was also only $80, if I'm remembering right.

Yep, 16. We were looking at taking my son on a cruise with us in September. Cruise started the day before his 16th birthday... his passport expired last year so I've been putting off getting him a new passport until after his birthday. For other reasons that cruise is now off the table, so I can safely wait to get him an adult passport later this fall.

Glad you were able to get the free internet. Mom and I racked up an obscene number of minutes on our 12 day cruise. Some of it was from forgetting to logoff a few times. We definitely got the full value of the free internet.

The restaurant was Captain Anderson's. If Jacques is ranked a 10, CA is a 7. I also dined at a place called Firefly. This was upscale, rank 9; and many customers wearing caps.

 

Forgot to mention due to the closeness of the state of Alabama to Panama City Beach, FL, this area is known as "The Redneck Riviera" :D !

Loved Captain Anderson's as a kid. It is a very different atmosphere than The Polo Grille on Oceania though. We used to plan our visit to see the fishing boats come in. Last time we were in Florida we couldn't get the timing to work out to eat there so my husband and son have yet to enjoy a meal there.

Cheers, K