tigerfan75

Since the partitions are for slowing the spread of fire, a GM probably must give way to the decisions of the Safety Officer or Captain…

45 minutes ago, halfapair said:

Neophyte question here: When do they serve brunch in the GDR? Is it on Saturdays and Sundays? Or only Sundays? Or just sea days?

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

I have only a few O cruises under my belt (literally), but I believe the Brunch is an occasional “special” event.  I have experienced only two, both on long, consecutive sea days of a TA and a South Pacific.  One was on a weekend.

In my experience, NEVER use online booking of excursions.  It is always wonky.  O allows a guest that is booked through a TA to call direct for excursions.

4 hours ago, mountain grandma said:

Who is the General Manager on board?  We were on Insignia last August and will be on her again this fall.  Curious if the GM is the same.  
 

Thanks,

Billie

The GM is Ludmila Zelkin.  She can be seen moving all about the ship, and is easily accessible.

All of this energy and emotion makes wish for the good ol’ days of sandals, wine, and cookies…

31 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

I've *paid* them, albeit not recently.

 

From the Ticket Contract for our cruise this coming March, §2.i:

"Carrier reserves the right to charge a fuel surcharge supplement, without prior notice, should the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel increase above $65 USD per barrel on the NYMEX".  For what it's worth, WTI closed today at $74.51/bbl.

I’ve also paid them.  It was when we last sailed Cunard about 12 years ago….

On the cruise with you to Bali.  I agree completely with the service, and crew, and food.  Have had a few “misses”, but overall a very impressive cruise.

We, too, made a mention on our mid-cruise survey, and the GM called us to discuss.  A maintenance tech was in the stateroom soon thereafter.

Have sailed more than 170 days on O, and this sailing is the best experience so far.

2 hours ago, Fam_Cruise said:

Just got this info from O via my TA:

 

 

Around the World 2026 – Vista: Open for bookings March 13, 2024

Collection of Voyages 2025-2026: Open for bookings April 17, 2024

On Insignia now.  Attended the Future Sales Presentation this morning.  O Sales Ambassador stated the same dates as above for booking.  He also said that Miami would not tell him when the itineraries would be released, and would not share any itinerary details for fear that he would tell the guests.  However, he said that an advance look at the itineraries would be made available at some time, so onboard guests can “prebook”.

2 hours ago, psbhappy said:

We took our first Oceania Cruise on the Vista in December. The ship is stunning and we had several excellent meals. Just posting to add that it's not an exaggeration that the walls are surprisingly thin. We could hear our neighbors just from their louder speaking voices or when they got a little animated or were laughing. You could almost make out what they were saying if you tried hard enough. 

It wasn't just a loud TV issue. I would think they'd do something different with insulation before the next build. It was really surprising.  

Having sailed on Vista, I agree that there is a noise problem.  Could hear our neighbors talk on both sides of us, the toilets around us flush, and the TV until late into the night.  However, I personally believe it is not “an insulation” problem, but rather a “white noise” problem.

The fan noise for the HVAC (ventilation system) in the Vista is very quiet.  The fan noise on both the O class ships, and the two R class we have sailed is much higher.  On the Insignia now in an A2, and it seems to roar.  But guess what…I don’t hear my neighbors or a toilet flush.  
 

So perhaps the issue is that a more efficient ventilation system is the noise culprit?  YMMV

40 minutes ago, dandee2 said:

From cruise Critic:
 

Can I bring booze onboard an Oceania cruise?

Bringing alcohol onboard at embarkation: Passengers may not bring their own beer or liquor onboard, but may bring a maximum of three bottles of wine or Champagne per cabin for the duration of a cruise (this includes embarkation and purchasing onshore during a port call). A corkage fee of $25 applies if wine is consumed in a public area or dining room; there is no charge to drink it within the stateroom.

Purchasing alcohol in port to bring onboard: Wine bought ashore is allowed so long as it does not exceed the three bottles per cabin maximum. A corkage fee of $25 applies if wine is consumed in a public area or dining room. Passengers can bring liquor or beer onboard, as well, but it will be held until the end of the cruise.

Not correct!

56 minutes ago, Torquer said:

I did exactly the same thing.  But mine just says:  "COMPLIMENTARY SHIPBOARD CREDIT".  I do not have the "NCLH SHAREHOLDER" part after it.  I pretty have concluded that this really is the stockholder credit for $250 and not OBC from our travel agency or anything else.  But it would be nice if it were stated explicitly, or better yet, if O sent an email confirming the credit.

 

Now my next question is the way the credit is assigned with $125 to me and $125 to my wife.  Suppose I give my credit card number to charge all our room's expenses and my wife doesn't use her key card to purchase anything on the ship.  I hope that doesn't mean we would lose here $125 credit??

IME, you will not lose your credit.  The $125 will be used.

7 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Looking at the Ember menu (sample menu anyway) I see some things that we might eat - Lobster Roll, Crabcakes - but not much more.  Plus I hate noise.  Everyone says Ember is very noisy.  I am thinking that we will eat there, starters only, and then go to the Terrace Café.   IF the noise isn't too bad I suppose we can order a second round of starters ?  

We loved Jacques.  Which is not "Haute Cuisine" but far more "bistro" food.  It is wonderful.  Very sorry to see it go.

We did not find Ember noisy.  Perhaps because we are American?  Anyway, it was an excellent dining experience for us last summer.  Shared and two topper tables.  We returned several times.  Enjoy!

Although tech savvy, PLEASE no app.  I want to holiday, not carry and use a phone.  Everyone is different, just that I hope Cunard delays going in that direction…

Just now, Windjammer24 said:

This might not be the right place for this post but I’m new to the Oceania brand. I spoke with one of the sales reps on Monday January 15 and she told me that there were no more happy hours or captain’s receptions. I ask why these events have stopped and her reply was it was a senior management decision. Can someone verify that Oceania has stopped the happy hours the captains welcome party and receptions.

Captains Party and Happy Hours were last night on the Insignia ATW cruise…

10 minutes ago, clo said:

Not being snotty but why do people care about these parties?? Is it just the free booze?

 

We enjoy the introduction of the Staff, which facilitates matching faces to the position during casual encounters elsewhere on the ship…

6 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Our Sirena voyage in September 2022 did not include a Captain's reception, which was sensible at that time.  I have read somewhere that the cocktail parties have since resumed.   Could some kind soul with certain knowledge enlighten me?  If the tradition has resumed, I also need to know if the former norm of the second night of the voyage, or alternatively, the first sea day after embarkation, is the designated evening.  This will definitely affect the two M&Ms I am assisting to arrange for our Vista Grand Med Voyage in April.  Many thanks in advance.

Linda

Yes, there were Captain's Parties on our three O sailings in 2023.  And the nights were as you stated, either on the second night, or the first sea day.

7 hours ago, Torquer said:

I am resurrecting this old thread to ask another question about paying for shore excursions.  We have only ever taken one O excursion in the past, since we prefer private tour companies, but on our next cruise we will be taking two O excursions; we will not have O-life or Simply more.  I know it has to be paid for now with credit card when we book it, but when we get on board, would it be possible to switch the payment to use some of our OBC from our TA and as NCL stockholders?  We have done this on another cruise line, and we want to know if we can do this on O.

I have had success in switching from CC paid to SBC on prior O cruises.  I do not know if it a universal truth, or just my natural charm...

Just a week ago, I booked a cruise for late next year.  I, too, was surprised to learn that the distilled water was not furnished free of charge.  It has been free on every other cruise line I've used.  It was explained to me by the Cunard phone rep that it was a "relatively new policy".  I am concerned about how to carry my water onboard, also.

16 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

So I guess it is best to remove the daily gratuity from your account  & tip the staff in cash 

According to your   report that will be the only way staff will get the gratuities 🤔

I read the explanation differently.  As I understand it, O is paying the gratuities continuously at a full guest ship level. As an offset to its paying of the gratuities, O takes whatever the auto gratuities generate from the actual guest level.

I usually book directly with Cunard.  Then I approach my TA for a quote.  The TA usually provides a post-cruise rebate check of 5 - 7% of the fare, as well as other sailing benefits.  If I like what the TA has to offer, I transfer the booking to her within the 60-day window that allows a transfer.  If, for whatever reason, I do not want to transfer, I can keep the booking with Cunard.

16 hours ago, basor said:

On Vista for a B2B and heard many rave reviews for Ember and people trying for additional nights...we tried towards the middle of the 2nd cruise and could not get an additional so someone is liking Ember.  We gave it rave reviews...

+1.  Really, really liked it!

2 minutes ago, Fam_Cruise said:

Starting on December 1, 2023, booking transfers must be completed 14 days after a booking is made in order for the receiving agency to earn commission.

Thanks for the info.  Such a change will affect my upcoming plans.  Can you provide the source of your info?  I sincerely appreciate it.

11 minutes ago, kibutzer said:

Curious for those who have started or ended in Reykjavik what airlines did you fly? Did anyone use O for their flights? This destination seems challenging to get to.

I do not use O for flights.  Did an O sailing last summer that boarded in Reykjavik.  Since Delta is my preferred airline, I used Delta from JFK to Reykjavik.  Good luck…

3 minutes ago, edgee said:

Well, the "replacement" for Jacque on Vista, known as Ember, is pretty much a disaster not so much as that is a bad place to dine, but as a sought after specialty restaurant it is not. Folks who compare it to a slightly upscale Appleby's are not too far off IMHO. We found that when we called the reservation line looking for extra specialty dining slots, Ember was always offered with great flexibility.. So, if they are to do away with Jacque they need to come up with an alternative that is a helluva lot nicer than Ember.

I appreciated that others apparently somehow found Ember lacking.  Several I spoke with had heard the characterization of "Applebys, and did not even try it.  I enjoyed it very much, and took advantage of dining there as much as possible.  Obviously, an example of YMMV....

9 hours ago, RetiredLifer said:

We have been dealing with piracy drills for years.  Nothing new.

+1.  Was on a Cunard queen more than a decade ago, and we did piracy drill off the horn of Africa (Somali)....