Sny

Amsterdam to Barcelona. I will just wait and try again tomorrow. If it's still an issue, I will call my TA or O.

Just tried to purchase beverage package for our upcoming cruise. on the Oceania website, in my booking. Got the message that purchases could not be done at this time because of beverage restrictions. Anyone know what that means?

Sea days are our favorites - room service breakfast, reading in the library, spa treatments, culinary class. international themed lunch in the MDR, workout, shuffleboard, Trivia,... chilling on the deck. We did the Med on Riviera in November, five years ago. Wonderful weather and fewer tourists than in the summer months.

I like that the Shore Excursion booklet is separate. It's so bulky, and since our decisions were made long ago, I can leave it at home.

Thanks, Hanoverian. Sounds like: 1. We should be getting the book in the next week or two and 2. I need to go online and get the Luggage Forward booked.

Getting excited about our September/October cruise and trying to anticipate when we'll get the Blue Book with our luggage tags. Can anyone recall how far in advance they arrive? Want to do Luggage Forward or Luggage Free and I recall that that info is also in the book.

Loved all your comments, Chris. Your insight into the conundrum regarding tours to meet both the older O veterans and the younger cruisers (who must eventually replace the older ones) is well taken. Interesting that, on a cruise designed to impress the media, O would not have done their homework to be certain that the guide was capable of delivering what was promised (and was Swedish). We had the opportunity to do the Baltic on O a few years ago, embarking in Stockholm. It was a wonderful place to spend a few days pre-embarkation. We stayed at the Clarion Wellington, a boutique hotel recommended by Rick Steves - spartan, but hospitable, with a lovely buffet breakfast. Actually, there was a Steves' group staying there to start a tour. When you and your husband go back, consider the Wasa Museum. It's amazing!!!

You ask about suggestions for shore excursions. We all know the demographics on O. As we get even older, mobility becomes an issue to most. O does have some tours listed as Easy activity; but they don't have them in every port. Generally, it's the panoramic drive on a bus. Additionally, in my experience, often the guide doesn't know and/or adhere to the posted activity level. There are creative ways to meet the needs of this population - ex. in Tallin a few years ago, we took the shuttle to the base of Old Town and hired a bike rickshaw for several hours. There are plenty of those bike rickshaws that could be engaged for a shore excursion, with a lunch stop along the way. I would think that similar experiences could be offered in other ports. As it is, we do many private shore excursions, with guides who will customize the experience to meet our desires and limitations. That's revenue that O is losing.

First of all, where are you docking. If you are on Marina, you will dock at Ijmuiden and that is not as close to the city or airport as the Amsterdam Cruise Port. Any way you look at it, your timing is very close... maybe impossible. Can you push everything back a couple hours?

Perhaps, we should start a new topic - why don't they offer shore excursions that are actually suited for those who are older and/or have mobility issues ? I agree that O's descriptions are often not in synch with the actual shore excursion. Often, it seems that the guide hasn't even read the full description as it relates to level of activity. Aside from the "panoramic" bus tours, I tend to book private excursions with guides who are willing to customize.

Selfishly, I hope that the chefs on Marina will continue to "test drive" some of the recipes on subsequent sailings... like the 21 day cruise I am on in September/October.

Aside from what Lyn mentions, a TA can often find better deals on hotels. Our Amex Platinum card plus the TA's research has booked us into some 4 and 5 star hotels for a great price, with additional credit to us during the stay. Using a TA who is a cruise specialist is important; as they are usually familiar with the ports. private shore excursions, transportation. In the past two months, my TA has been on two European cruises with her family - she walks the walk and talks the talk. And, when I panic and think that I've forgotten something, she's my "go to" to put me at ease.

Have your TA contact the airline and tell them that you both need wheelchair assistance. If it's possible to make the connection, that may be the only way.

I like ORD. November is early enough that snow should not be a factor (knock on wood). You would have enough time to catch a bite to eat from the many fine options. American and United are the major players there.

We seldom share tables; but have found that, in some of the specialties, the tables are so close to one another that it's easy to befriend those at the adjacent table. This scenario usually starts when someone asks about a dish that the other has ordered... and it goes on from there. We've had some delightful conversations with lovely people in this manner. The worst "shared" table experience we had was with a couple that we had been on a private shore excursion with us. After cocktails, we went to the MDR for dinner. The other couple were clearly out of control, loud and slurring their words. The kicker came when he said something with which she didn't agree. She actually spit at him across the table... and it landed. OMG!!!

Not uncommon to get prepaid gratuities from my TA. It shows as a credit on my O invoice.

It appears that the primary problems that concerned you were related to services contracted by Oceania with other operators, something that they have no direct control over. I would expect that such is an ongoing concern with Oceania (and other cruise lines). There are limited resources in most locales and quality can vary, even within a company. Having cruised 3x with O and booked on two in the near future, I have experienced similar situations and reported them to the appropriate desk/s onboard and in the mid-trip and final evaluations., I know from talking with O employees on the ship/s, that O takes those evaluations VERY seriously, with jobs on the line when ratings are not very high. I am actually shocked that O offered any form of compensation. I consider that very generous.

We have done it before, to Stockholm and from Amsterdam. Both worked well. We plan to send a couple bags this way to Amsterdam for Sept/Oct. cruise.

Love the Detroit airport and definitely prefer Delta there. Have flown both domestic and international from DTW and find it easy to navigate, with tram and multiple moving walkways. There's a hotel right in the airport and dining choices are excellent, including a great sushi and noodles place.

10-day quarantine in one of the most beautiful cities in North America? Heck - why not skip the Banff part and stay a couple weeks in Vancouver?

Me too

Absolutely.. We do it every time.

I have used LuggageFree and was very satisfied. It was nice NOT to have to drag big suitcases around airports and try to fit them into tiny European taxis. Also, was wonderful to have them in our stateroom when we got to the ship on embarkation day.

Gives me sticker shock. The last time I used the spa on Marina was four years ago.

Holy Cow!!!! This looks much higher than a couple years ago, when they had Canyon Ranch Spa.