china addict

OK, my husband and I actually experienced this on 1/4/2022.  We took "O" air which entitled us to the free transfer, but there was no advanced information from either "O" or our TA as to how this would work.  After an exhausting red-eye from LAX we went to the luggage carousel to find our checked bags, not knowing what to do.  Bleary-eyed, I noticed a woman with an Oceania placard and she confirmed that she was there to meet us.  She had a clip-board with the names of about 20 guests arriving on different flights but roughly the same time.  We waited until all guests were identified, then began a long trek with our bags to a distant area where our bus was waiting.  This was not outside Baggage Claim, but a long hike.  The bus then took us about a 10 minute ride to a rather tired off-airport hotel where we were served a complimentary continental breakfast.  We had to hang around until 10:30, then re-board a different bus for the longer drive to the cruise terminal.  Yes, we had our bags with us for breakfast and had to re-load onto second bus.  I was tired and cranky, but once we got to the terminal we got preferential treatment.  Our bags were whisked away, we jumped the line for Covid testing and were able to board the Riviera well before noon.  Overall a very tiring experience, but it's the first time I've ever entered an empty Terrace Cafe and had a glass of wine in my hand before noon.

I met Anna personally about ten years ago when we used her company for a two day private tour of St. Petersburg, and I have recommended her to many friends.  She is extremely professional and I loved supporting a female owned business.  Our guide was a young graduate from their School of Fine Arts who spoke excellent English, gave us a revelatory tour of the Hermitage, and shared her grandmother's experiences during the darkest days.  Both days, Anna personally appeared to make sure all was going well and to encourage our feedback.  I will never forget the many things I learned during that tour, however, I have made the personal decision to never return to Putin's Russia.  Please support Anna's business all you can at other Baltic ports.  She and her employees are worthy of Oceania's loyalty.

No, this is for Penthouse.  We sailed Jan 2022 with friends who were Concierge Veranda and their menu was much more limited.  We were served beautiful fruit platters for breakfast, they got bowls of diced fruit.  Veranda breakfast choices much more limited than PH.

Thanks for the prompt feedback.  Now I know how to proceed.

Our April 2020 cruise was cancelled, not by us but by Oceania due to Covid restrictions.  Most of the cruise fare has been refunded and our TA assures us that the small remaining portion will soon be credited to our charge card by Oceania.  That is not my issue.  I paid over $1,000 for a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy, worried about an onboard medical emergency.  Although the policy was purchased through my TA at the time of booking, she told me I would have to file a claim myself with the carrier for reimbursement.  I did so immediately but have not even received an acknowledgement from them.  I feel that most if not all of the insurance premium should be refunded to me.  Is anyone knowledgeable about my rights, and how have others handled this situation?   I can think of lots of things to do with $1,000+ if I can get it back.  Please share your wisdom with me.  

Procedure is exactly as described by Alasca above.  Was on Riviera last month and used the VIP line (legitimately) because the regular line was about 20 people long.  All I got was glares from those standing in line.  Rather embarrassing.  They assumed I was just pushing ahead.  Have noticed that many passengers on O consider themselves to be VIP's, regardless of true status with the line.  Legends in their own minds!

If you read my post carefully you will note that I had no particular desire to meet the captain, and I most certainly value navigational skills above social skills.  Any rational person would.  My point was that by not having one spoken word from the captain, or even one sighting, I had no reassurance that he was on board.  He could have been on life support on Deck 4 for all we knew, with Dottie deputized to run the ship.  Two minutes over the PA system at the start of the voyage to say I'm here and don't plan to leave the bridge would have let us know he was in charge.  Most airline pilots make a brief announcement from the cockpit to introduce themselves.  Is it too much to expect something similar from a ship's captain?  To you business moguls out there, is it enough for an executive to have good technical skills or is it preferable to have someone who combines technical expertise with leadership capabilities?  Over the last couple of years some prominent CEO's have fallen from grace over behavior problems, and I'm not referring to Bob Iger.

"New Captain" wasn't new at all, an Oceania regular with whom we've sailed before.  He's Norwegian with a name I can't remember, perhaps Gunnar something?  Always makes noontime announcements, is cordial and appears at receptions.  He was an improvement over the phantom captain who was at the Riviera helm in November.  The "Phantom" didn't appear at either of the welcome receptions and never made any announcements until well after the mid-cruise comments had been reviewed.  His only public appearance was a brief one on the penultimate night when all senior staff participated in the farewell in Riviera Lounge.  My usual philosophy is that if a person doesn't want to meet me, I don't want to meet them either.  But during this long period of invisibility and silence from the Captain, I wondered if we were sailing without one.  Was he in quarantine, on life-support or worse?  Certainly a huge contrast to the high visibility and warmth exuded by Azamara captains.  Yes, I realize the captain's prime responsibility is to safely navigate the ship, not be a social butterfly, but for the peace of mind of the passengers I think it's important to know that there is indeed a capable captain on board. Your opinion may vary.

DH and I disembarked earlier this week from same Caribbean cruise.  Last sailed Riviera in November 2019 and noticed a huge change-over in personnel since then.  New Captain (an improvement!), new GM and new Cruise Director.  Food in all four specialties met our high expectations but there were some misses in the GDR.  Tough steak from the Jacques Pepin menu and very eye-appealing but tasteless filet mignon.  Thankfully, Toscana and Polo still brilliant.  DH hates self-service and fighting for seats in the Terrace so we had most breakfasts and lunches in the GDR.  Fell in love with the halibut Salad Nicoise.  Has replaced Surf and Turf from Waves as my "go to" lunch favorite.  Disappointed in the availability and quality of lobster on board.  Rubbery.  A first world problem, I know!  Room service coffee was worse than ever, but Barristas is sublime and a favorite hang-out with great little snacks too.  Humphry Slocombe ice-cream was new to me and I over-indulged.  Elvis the Fat Years, Secret Breakfast, all kinds of yummy flavors.  Oceania, please keep these treats coming!  Wait staff in all locations were trying their best but seemed over-worked.  Agree with previous poster who said music was outdated.  Fun by the pool deck but dreary in Horizons.  Used to enjoy happy hour there, but this time around it was geriatric music with an off-key crooner.  Thankfully the drinks were 2-for-1 so that eased the suffering.  On past cruises have seldom used the pool deck because preferred to be off exploring.  The goal on this cruise was R&R with my husband so we sought seats in the shade and were introduced to the "chair hog" phenomenon.  It was virtually impossible to find two seats together so we were often separated while many books, bags, sunglasses, etc luxuriated cosily together.  Yes, we asked the pool attendants for help but without much success.  All in all it was a good trip and we are booked on Marina in April, corona virus permitting.  Can't say we noticed any extra hygiene precautions on this trip except for reminders to be vigilant about hand-washing. As always, we met nice and interesting fellow passengers.  That along with the food and interesting itineraries is the reason we often sail with Oceania.

Believe new GM's name was August.  Long time with O, just new to me.  Cruise Director was a Brit named John Clelford or Cleland or similar.  Quite good.  Better than Dottie IMO.

DH and I disembarked earlier this week from same Caribbean cruise.  Last sailed Riviera in November 2019 and noticed a huge change-over in personnel since then.  New Captain (an improvement!), new GM and new Cruise Director.  Food in all four specialties met our high expectations but there were some misses in the GDR.  Tough steak from the Jacques Pepin menu and very eye-appealing but tasteless filet mignon.  Thankfully, Toscana and Polo still brilliant.  DH hates self-service and fighting for seats in the Terrace so we had most breakfasts and lunches in the GDR.  Fell in love with the halibut Salad Nicoise.  Has replaced Surf and Turf from Waves as my "go to" lunch favorite.  Disappointed in the availability and quality of lobster on board.  Rubbery.  A first world problem, I know!  Room service coffee was worse than ever, but Barristas is sublime and a favorite hang-out with great little snacks too.  Humphry Slocombe ice-cream was new to me and I over-indulged.  Elvis the Fat Years, Secret Breakfast, all kinds of yummy flavors.  Oceania, please keep these treats coming!  Wait staff in all locations were trying their best but seemed over-worked.  Agree with previous poster who said music was outdated.  Fun by the pool deck but dreary in Horizons.  Used to enjoy happy hour there, but this time around it was geriatric music with an off-key crooner.  Thankfully the drinks were 2-for-1 so that eased the suffering.  On past cruises have seldom used the pool deck because preferred to be off exploring.  The goal on this cruise was R&R with my husband so we sought seats in the shade and were introduced to the "chair hog" phenomenon.  It was virtually impossible to find two seats together so we were often separated while many books, bags, sunglasses, etc luxuriated cosily together.  Yes, we asked the pool attendants for help but without much success.  All in all it was a good trip and we are booked on Marina in April, corona virus permitting.  Can't say we noticed any extra hygiene precautions on this trip except for reminders to be vigilant about hand-washing. As always, we met nice and interesting fellow passengers.  That along with the food and interesting itineraries is the reason we often sail with Oceania.

DH and I disembarked earlier this week from same Caribbean cruise.  Last sailed Riviera in November 2019 and noticed a huge change-over in personnel since then.  New Captain (an improvement!), new GM and new Cruise Director.  Food in all four specialties met our high expectations but there were some misses in the GDR.  Tough steak from the Jacques Pepin menu and very eye-appealing but tasteless filet mignon.  Thankfully, Toscana and Polo still brilliant.  DH hates self-service and fighting for seats in the Terrace so we had most breakfasts and lunches in the GDR.  Fell in love with the halibut Salad Nicoise.  Has replaced Surf and Turf from Waves as my "go to" lunch favorite.  Disappointed in the availability and quality of lobster on board.  Rubbery.  A first world problem, I know!  Room service coffee was worse than ever, but Barristas is sublime and a favorite hang-out with great little snacks too.  Humphry Slocombe ice-cream was new to me and I over-indulged.  Elvis the Fat Years, Secret Breakfast, all kinds of yummy flavors.  Oceania, please keep these treats coming!  Wait staff in all locations were trying their best but seemed over-worked.  Agree with previous poster who said music was outdated.  Fun by the pool deck but dreary in Horizons.  Used to enjoy happy hour there, but this time around it was geriatric music with an off-key crooner.  Thankfully the drinks were 2-for-1 so that eased the suffering.  On past cruises have seldom used the pool deck because preferred to be off exploring.  The goal on this cruise was R&R with my husband so we sought seats in the shade and were introduced to the "chair hog" phenomenon.  It was virtually impossible to find two seats together so we were often separated while many books, bags, sunglasses, etc luxuriated cosily together.  Yes, we asked the pool attendants for help but without much success.  All in all it was a good trip and we are booked on Marina in April, corona virus permitting.  Can't say we noticed any extra hygiene precautions on this trip except for reminders to be vigilant about hand-washing. As always, we met nice and interesting fellow passengers.  That along with the food and interesting itineraries is the reason we often sail with Oceania.

I started an angry thread about exorbitant medical costs when I was onboard Regatta about two weeks ago. My husband had pink-eye and the episode cost us $515, my complaint being that we could not determine the price of the two prescriptions until the next day when it was too late to protest.

I would love to travel with a small medical kit as many have recommended. It makes a lot of sense. But how in heck do you get a doctor to prescribe antibiotics, pain pills, cough medicine or eye drops in advance when you are not ill? It takes a Herculean effort on my part to get antibiotics when I feel horribly sick, usually only prescribed on the second doctor visit. The prevailing thought seems to be that they become ineffective when overused and should be reserved for dire circumstances. In any event we are a captive audience on Oceania and heaven help us if we get sick. The pain will be considerable.

Live from Regatta. We are sailing out of Costa Rica and the captain just announced we have left level 2 and are now at level 1. I was playing Trivia and a great cheer went up. The guest laundry is opening for the first time this cruise as is the library. Tomorrow we can play bridge and enjoy the putting green. Hopefully we'll have salt and pepper on the table and life will return to normal

Would certainly hope everyone knows to wash their hands, both young and old. Regatta captain just announced that if there are no new cases by 2:00 AM we will be cleared from Code Red. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Captain just reported we have one new GI case today, two cases in isolation, so Code Red has not been lifted. We sail the Panama Canal tomorrow so no opportunity for street food!

At the Captain's Reception tonight he announced that we are down to three cases of GI infections confined to their cabins. Expectation is that Code Red will end tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

It's now Day 6 here on Regatta and we are still under Code Red, stage two. No official numbers published but a crew member told me there is a dramatic drop-off in the number of new cases. Captain's Reception was postponed but will take place tonight, a good sign. On a lighter note, Matchu Pichu has been renamed "Mucho PooPoo" by our cruise director. ;p

Epilogue. Mr Blue Eyes has his twinkle back and the infection has gone. Please be advised that this was a very minor issue caught at its earliest stage. No pain, no loss of blood or consciousness, no oxygen required and no CPR. Didn't need any tender ministrations from the nurse and were not offered any. All this fuss could have been avoided if someone had said "We have drops at $77 and ointment at $270. Would you like either or both?" To me that's called informed choice and is a very simple form of respect. This is my last post on the subject but I invite the flamers to come out and disagree.

Stan and Jim, your snipe about me richly deserving my $270 back did not go unnoticed. It will be my honor to donate it to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, one of my favorite charities, where I know it will be put to good use. :)

Yet another message from the angry OP. Yes, we have insurance but unnecessarily boosting medical bills means that we all pay for it in the end. Not appealing unless you are part of Big Pharma. Drops and ointment for an eye infection is what the Brits call a "belt and braces" approach. Both will hold your pants up but you really only need one. Hawaiidan, I think you owe me an apology for implying that I am a fool of a patient. We are only talking pinkeye for heaven's sake and nothing life threatening. For those who are fans of Regatta's doctor, he never mentioned that it was infectious, never told my husband not to cross-contaminate his eyes and never told me to be sure to use a separate face towel. I asked if we should notify our room steward that our linens needed sterilization but he said not. BTW, I see many ER bills that are later slashed by the insurance company by virtue of being the primary caregiver for my 91 year old mother. As a reasonable adult I would rather see our medical dollars directed towards those who are genuinely ill and in need, rather than fattening the pockets of opportunists. Yes yes yes we will get the $270 back, but that's not the point.

OP again. We could not find out the price before leaving the medical center. Even the doctor claimed he didn't know. Prices determined by Corporate, and they figured it out pretty quickly overnight. I squawked immediately but was told nothing could be done. My whole point is yes, you should know prices before accepting the medication but we were denied that opportunity. Even at CVS or Walgreens you have the choice of getting a generic product or refusing an item that is too costly. This was legal extortion.

I'm the OP and my whole point was that we were not told the price of the ointment until the following day and not given the opportunity to decline it. Drops alone will cure conjunctivitis, as every mother knows. We were tricked into a $270 item that was not medically essential. this was neosporin eye ointment, not a cure for cancer. Shame on Oceania. And short-sighted too because they have lost two loyal clients. Sometimes, Principle does matter. If we can afford the cruise we can obviously afford vital medication, but this was daylight robbery.

I'm on Regatta now. they told us there was flu and gastro on the previous segment out of Buenos Aires, but since new passengers boarded in Lima the flu has ended and we have eight gastro cases. they have never used the word Noro, only gastro problems. There was no official update yesterday that I heard, and nothing so far today. Guest laundry, library and putting green closed. I would not use the hot tubs, but some are. paper menus, no table cloths in Terrace, no exchanging of answer sheets at Trivia and Big O points handled digitally. Will Advise if and when restrictions are lifted.

We boarded Regatta in Lima 3/29/17 and have been under Code Red Stage Two ever since for gastro reasons. Not Oceania's fault and we are observing necessary protocols. Despite rigorous hand washing my husband contracted pink-eye so we visited the medical center. We had no problem with the $150 consultation fee and chuckled that the $10 eye drops we get at home would probably cost $50. They cost a little more, but my outrage came the next morning when we received the medical bill. The doctor prescribed a second item, a 1/8th ounce tube of ophthalmic neosporin, which we leaned after the fact cost $270. I have not made a typo. One eighth of an ounce of eye ointment cost $270. I've raised kids before and drops alone have cured their pink-eye. IMO the ointment wasn't essential and we should have been told that it cost $270 beforehand rather than the next day.

When lodging an official complaint on board, I was listened to politely but told they were powerless to do anything about it because Corporate determines the prices. I complained to the doctor who repeated that Corporate sets the prices and he doesn't know the cost of what he prescribes. Wink, wink. The Medical Center is obviously a profit center for O.

I feel ripped off to the tune of $270 and whether it's covered by insurance or not, it's the principle that matters. I used to be an Oceania cheerleader. This is our sixth cruise with them and would be our last except that we have another on June 2nd that is already fully paid for. I am now dreading it. In my eyes they have lost their honor. I don't patronize companies I don't respect. A sad day for me.