Vallesan

O’s “wives” … obviously a tying error on my part but at least it brought a bit of humour into the thread😀

Just a point to add to ‘sharing tables’. It can also be difficult when sharing especially with people from different countries/cultures. We have had some great ‘sharing’ tables and some that we really wouldn’t choose to repeat. One point which might be worth bearing in mind is that we have often had a ‘shared’ table but when we arrive at the restaurant we have had a table to ourselves. So don’t give up on the speciality restaurants because when the evening arrives you may find that in fact you do have a table for two!

I agree! We have a bottle of wine as a perk and we always take to the restaurant during the day and they serve it to us with dinner. No corkage on Oceania provided wives so no need to carry a glass.

I agree. Oceania’s alcohol policy is really generous. Please don’t abuse it!

Yes you are absolutely right. Having been married, still happily, for just over 54 years, I understand exactly what you’re saying. Travel safely and enjoy!

We are always happy to share too. I often wonder why others aren’t that keen to share …. unless maybe they are on their honeymoon! I’m assuming if not they are just not very sociable, which is fine, horses for courses!

Yes you more or less have it. As far as I’m aware there is no $ limit on the price of drinks included in the prestige package but there are some ‘top shelf’ spirits that aren’t included. The two happy hours are in Martinis between 5-6pm and in Horizons? around 10.30pm. I’m sure somebody will correct me if I’m wrong. I think there is an ‘official’ limit to the amount of wines/spirits that you can bring on board but I don’t think it’s adhered to. We usually bring one or two bottles of spirits on board as we embark. You can choose which mixers you want in your fridge which will be replenished as and when. In Europe we buy wines to take into dinner and sometimes we are charged $25 corkage, and sometimes not. In Asia and the Nordic countries, on the other hand, alcohol is very expensive so the package upgrade might be better.

That level of repairs really shouldn’t be undertaken during a cruise. It’s just not fair to the passengers on board at the time. Really bad I would be very upset.

Yes it is but really can’t afford to be somewhere were ’able bodied’ passengers are having problems with slippy floors!

Thanks for bringing up the floor surfaces. I use crutches and am constantly aware of slippery floors. They won’t be very good for antibody using a cane either. Although I very much fancied the Vista I think I might give it a miss!

Will be interesting to see!

How would that work if you were at sea?

Hello. Lovely to read your ‘positive’ attitude I’m sure you will love Oceania. I think one of the problems is that this is ‘Cruise Critic’ so many people take that literally and only post criticisms! I believe that the majority of people who are happy with Oceania don’t post here!

I totally agree with you! Unrealistic Expectations are, I think, the reason for the majority of angst. I think that 99% of crew are remarkable giving great service even when they have to deal with many ‘entitled’ rude passengers. I actually feel sorry for them sometimes. Your attitude is the one we should all adopt to improve our overall experiences if cruising.

That’s my understanding too. Maybe my post wasn’t very clear.

Having cruised 9 times with Oceania I can honestly say we have never had an issue with evening dining. At its worst we have had to ‘queue’ for a few minutes to enter the GDR at 6.30pm when it opens! We tend not to eat in the Terrace at night so can’t really comment. The only thing I can say is one persons ‘queue’ is another persons ‘opportunity to meet new people’ !

Not sure what size ships you normally cruise on but Oceania relatively small ship cruising is different. OK dress code in a nutshell … jeans, ripped are not acceptable in the evenings! You are talking about ships with 680 of 1250 capacity when full they are nothing like ‘mega ships’. The atmosphere is completely different. There are very few ‘chair hogs’ of ‘overcrowding’ in restaurants…. just remember the number of passengers! There is also bridge on port days.

The beverage package upgrade for SimplyMore can be purchased onboard. I tried to book it last week but it’s still showing as $69 pppd which is the old price under OLife. I rang my TA who was told by Oceania if it’s booked and paid for pre cruise as silver members we get 10% discount or $30 pppd on board with SimplyMore. If you have OLife then it will be $69 pppd.

Oceania’s transport, both coach and private, can be paid for without using their flights. However, both are pretty pricey!

Yes. I just didn’t want to complicate things. It’s always worth a phone call they can only say ‘no’!

Keep watching the sales for the price of your cruise and any added perks. Oceania should honour the change in price before full payment.

This just brings up another issue …. what is formal/casual, … depends on your country of origin!

Yes!!! Music by the pool is a problem. We actually complained a while ago because the music before 12pm lunchtime was like ‘funeral’ music …. not what you want on holiday!

I’m just delighted that we have sailed with Siversea before having read this thread. We had an amazing time. Dressed as appropriate (very understated) within OUR comfort zone. Never once felt out of place … (if others thought our dress was inappropriate then that was their problem!) We are really looking forward to another Silversea cruise but I do think that the ‘old timers’ should relax a little. Times are moving on!

I agree. I was thinking if the Terrace Cafe in the evening. Sorry if I was unclear.