potterhill

As long as the Wine is in a sealed case and there is a  baggage tag on it, the porters have always taken it from us.
 

It was all of that. They just folded their arms across their chest and said no. Maybe they were working to rule.....🤷‍♀️

Mo


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I have wine carriers in my suitcase that stay in my suitcase. If I have a box of wine, I mark it fragile and check it with our suitcase at checkin. Never had any stolen at the dock, but might not do that at American ports with our Teamsters!

 

Question: Why would anyone want to walk around carrying a case of wine in their arms during check in and boarding, particularly if they board prior to the cabin being ready? Check it at the dock!

 

 

We only took a case once, at embarkation in Miami for PC cruise. They refused it with luggage and I had to drag it through checkin. We went up to room which was not supposed to be ready yet and my intention was to leave by door. Tried the key and dumped it in the room which was completed.

 

This was May 2018. I think we took all bottles to dr and paid the $25 fee. In the past sometimes they would have great sales of the last few bottles. We got some fabulous wines for great prices and the sommelier was there to assist with choosing. Haven’t seen that recently. The 7 bottle packages vary and the choices are not always to our taste. Not sure I would take a case on-board again knowing I had to schlep it all the way to the room.....

 

Mo

 

 

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[quote post="60048897" timestamp="1591540774" name="LHT28" userid="
 
We usually share a table   & have only met a few people we would not sit with again
[emoji6]
 

Same here. We have made wonderful friends through sharing tables. One couple lives 10k from us and we are great friends. Met them on the other side of the world- likely never would have met if not for the cruise. Only 1 obnoxious couple in many cruises. Although, to be fair, I think they are divorced by now! Lol. Our cancelled cruise was to celebrate 40 years....

Mo


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No invoice - only a confirmation from TA that both the booked cruise and deposits were cancelled and full refunds are pending (up to 90 days).

I was looking back at email and realized we had no confirmation of cancellation and wrote TA, asking if it indeed was in the queue. We had a response 2 days later saying yes, that it would take “at least 90 days” whereas previously it was “up to 90 days”. Received the invoice 2 days after that. The credit took about 3-4 days more to show up, about 60 days post cancellation. My husband received one credit whereas mine was broken into 3. No extra purchases. 🤷‍♀️. Maybe send a gentle query.

Mo


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Excellent news.
When did you cancel? There is hope for all of us - sooner or later [emoji846]

We replied to cancel on March 16. I forget which day they cancelled. A few days earlier. I made daughter and sil wait until they cancelled. Given the situation at the time I was sure they would.

DD had paid by wire transfer not sure why she didn’t use cc. She’d Forgotten that she didn’t have cc coverage. Received wire in her acct before we got on cc.

We were very disappointed we couldn’t cruise together as they live overseas. Planning for Christmas in Canada instead. 🤞. Cases are up in Ontario so far from a sure thing.


Mo


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We received our full refund this week for our April 4 cruise from Papeete to San Francisco.

Mo


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I hope you have a wonderful cruise. However for us at this time, and the foreseeable future, even a free ATW in an OS would not tempt us.

Mo


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Take the money and run.

That’s what we’re doing. I’ve said all along that’s what I would do if I were in charge of Tahiti. Protect my people. And it takes the decision out of our hands. Don’t get me wrong, we are very disappointed. It was our anniversary trip and our daughter and sil were joining us for the second leg. They live overseas so we don’t see them often.

Mo


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It seems the insurance companies will go to any lengths to avoid paying out. One wonders why bother buying cancellation insurance.

Exactly. We don’t. Yes we may take a hit on this one, but by self insuring we are still way ahead. Have the usual cc coverage. Split charges to maximize benefits.

Mo


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14 hours ago, sitraveler said:

I was on that cruise.  1 port was cancelled due to civil unrest.   We were never told of "engine issues"

We were told of engine issues when they first cancelled Cartagena. In an announcement they said they were going to pick up parts.  Then backpedealed and called it technical stop.  Then they made excuses off California coast re naval maneuvers.  We were traveling with a friend who has reason to know.  He said all maneuvers are published months ahead and if it was news to Oceania, someone hadn’t read the bulletins. 🤷‍♀️   

 

Its not like this is a new route. They’ve been doing it for years and know exactly how long it takes to get places.  No excuse to wandering into ports late and  leaving early consistently.  This never happened on our earlier cruises.  And taking so long to get to San Francisco.  Apparently that cold wind we encountered is very common, sweeping down from Alaska.   Actually I was surprised they didn’t blame it on Canada!

 

As for the illness on-board, I believe it came on-board in Guatemala.  We did an O tour that included lunch.  They served all kinds of fresh pressed juice, sliced fruit and salads.  We and our friends consumed only the hot foods and drinks.  No issues.  After boarding the bus, they handed out clamshells of fresh fruit that was consumed with great enthusiasm by nearly all.  It was very hot and this was very tempting.  Fresh local tropical fruit! AFAIK the four of us were the only abstainers.  This was an O tour.  If they want to eliminate food born illness they should stipulate food to be served on their tours.  People think it’s safe because it’s under the Oceania umbrella.  

 

Mo

We did the Regatta Miami to San Francisco in May.  We missed ports.   Were told it was engine issues.   Then they made every excuse under the sun.  We were exceedingly late into SF, effectively losing 1 of our three days there.  We will never sail on Regatta again, unless  they replace the engines.  Have 2 booked on Sirena that we discuss regularly.  Recently booked a crossing on QMII, our first not on O.  Actually quite looking forward to it! 

 

Mo

We were in concierge not far from the lounge. Was great to duck down there and grab some coffees, sandwiches and sweets when we had the urge. Our daughter met nearly everyone. We always travel pretty incognito but not on that cruise! She wasn’t our daughter, we were her parents! It was fabulous. She lives in Africa so we don’t see her often, and this was a spontaneous leap on her part to join us... would do again in a heartbeat, but you have to have the right kid. Never ever with my other two would I consider for a moment sharing a cabin. One of our best trips!

 

Mo

 

 

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Our 31 year old daughter (at the time) travelled with us for 25 days on Marina. We had a pull out sofa that they made up every night. It was not comfortable so they brought a second mattress in and that made all the difference. We had a balcony so that gave us some breathing space. It was wonderful and we would do again in a heartbeat. I say go for it!

 

Mo

 

 

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We cruised on Regatta in May. We won’t cruise on Regatta again. Have 2 7 day cruises booked on Sirena. They are now under review.

 

This was our 11th I think. Things have most definitely changed. Many annoying announcements about activities that are money makers. The people who do these are well aware when they happen. Food was ok but not the standard we have been used to. We were told there were engine problems. Later that was denied. We missed ports. Were late at others. About 10 hours late arriving in San Francisco. Disembarkation was a mess. I think we may focus on land travel in the near future.

 

Mo

 

 

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We absolutely would. Often travel offseason. Avoid the extreme temps and most of the other tourists.

Actually we are meeting our daughter and SIL in Rome for 2 weeks (approx halfway point) in October and then we’re off to Ireland for 6 days to visit family. Two years ago we did my birthday trip to Ireland and Scotland in late September/ October.

Bear in mind we are Canadian. This means we don’t wear ski jackets and mitts in Florida when the temperature drops below 20C. [emoji16]

 

Mo

 

 

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We haven’t had a brochure in at least a year, perhaps more. I like to get a few and have in fact booked cruises from them.

 

Mo

 

 

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Poor hygiene practices observed:

 

 

 

Use of hands to self serve in terrace

 

Putting food back

 

Refusing to use hand sanitizer

 

Failure to cover cough/sneeze

 

 

 

In addition my husband observed two men who used the urinals at same time as him, zip their pants and walk out. No hand washing! 🤢

 

Mo

 

 

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Earlier this month we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Brickell. It’s in a great area, we walked down to the water, over to the island near the port. Lots of great cafes, bars, & restaurants. We happened to be there on Cinco de Mayo and had great tacos at Coyo Around the corner. Bought some wine and scotch at nearby Publix to take onboard. Short cab ride to the Port.

 

Mo

 

 

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OMG

 

what did we do before the internet when waiting to be served :eek:

 

 

getting my bunker gear

 

 

 

Who put the bee [emoji219] in your bonnet? You do seem quite cranky lately.

 

Mo

 

 

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The highlighted part would seem like a positive thing. People shouldn't be on the internet in the restaurants.

 

 

 

Well that might depend on the speed of the service mighten it? One day at a table for two I tried to send email to my son. Let’s just say it was a very leisurely lunch. That’s how I know......

 

Mo

 

 

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Just off the infamous Regatta cruise.

 

On our last cruise in nov 2015 on Nautica the Internet was impossible to use unless between midnight and 5 am. On Regatta recently it worked fairly well.

 

Our room was on 7 slightly forward. Worked most of the time. No internet on terrace or in GDR. Never went on pool deck ever so can’t comment. Worked in Horizons. It’s not high speed, but it is so many times better than since it was made free. You can load FB. You can post/email photos most of the time. Not so in 2015.

 

The improvement was definitely apparent. For me I don’t need to stream tv on vacation. Your mileage may vary.

 

Mo

 

 

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En route totCartagena, doing 16 knots. Looks like we are going there just to make the voyage legal.

 

 

 

We are going to anchor and take on fuel. Admire the view. That’s the word on the street. So close......[emoji854]

 

Mo

 

 

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On board now. All is fine.

 

 

Not so fast....this afternoon after a lovely day in Havana, we had an announcement that our stop in Cartagena, Colombia was shortened to 2 hours from 5 due to engine repairs. Awhile later, another announcement saying we would not stop and tours would be refunded.

 

A disappointment as we were looking forward to visiting the Old Town Unesco site and knocking another one off the list.

 

However, this is the first port we have missed in 12 cruises so all in all not a bad record. And given that we came very close to cancelling last week, we are just happy to be onboard!

 

However this does seem to be an ongoing problem with Regatta. We recently purchased a new vehicle to replace one that had passed it's prime.....perhaps that time is approaching for Regatta, if not already here.

 

Mo

We have driven all over the world without an international driving permit. I would just forgedaboutit.

 

Mo

 

 

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Yes, you're missing something. A true king mattress is one piece and can't be split.

 

 

 

I highly doubt they would use a King that wasn’t split. Same reason they use “Queens” that are split. A one piece King limits the room arrangement and they are very difficult to move around and store. Spoken by someone who had reason to move one today.

 

Mo

 

 

 

 

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