VisionaryJax

On 6/7/2023 at 1:45 AM, Hambagahle said:

Here is what I think is different following the pandemic based on the tourists I see in my own country, Switzerland - because there was a three year period where people could really not travel there was a "cooped up" feeling AND a lot of spare cash floating around.   Now people who were very happy with Princess or HAL are moving up to Oceania and Azamara.  And some who loved Oceania have moved up to Regent.  So you get, if you like, people coming from another culture.  With different expectations and ways of doing things.  

This sounds reasonable to me: a different culture between cruise lines.

6 hours ago, Psoque said:

However, I refuse to agree that there is some sort of a well-defined cultural segregation of people based on which cruise lines they patronize. 

....

I firmly believe that there will be inconsiderate, rude, ignorant people everywhere we go, and only thing I can do is to either ignore them or deal with them in a manner that is most conducive and least disruptive to our enjoyment.  I’m actually getting very good at ignoring people like that.

I agree that all you can do about rude people is work around them as best you can. But I am still wondering about the culture between cruise lines. And while there may be no difference between cruisers -- people are people -- I feel like the differences between what the cruise lines offer will attract different people.

As I said previously, I don't have a ton of cruising experience like many folks on here! But I know when we were younger and cruising as a family, the cruises that had things like rock wall climbing and FlowRider surfing were more crowded, had more lines, and a "shot of the day," and were just noisier and with a more party-hardy atmosphere. The activities were great for the kids, and I don't recall any specific incidences of rudeness/obnoxiousness except in lines when people were shirty about not losing place.

It was a totally different vibe on our Oceania/Marina cruise. No rock wall, no FlowRider -- there were some shows, but the most enjoyable entertainment for me was the lecturers who prepped us for the places we would visit ... Some of the best-attended events were lectures with the marine biologist who told us about the sea life of the South Pacific (and more). And I learned a ton from the lecturer who told us about the Pitcairn Islands and Easter Island.

I have to think the different offerings of the cruise lines attract different clientele. All this to say ... now that we're old folks, and after experiencing Oceania with fellow old folks ... we wouldn't really want to go back to Carnival or Royal Caribbean?

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

So, here is my theory!  There is no accounting for "jerks" and they do exist everywhere.  There are also folks who cannot "hold their booze" and all the drinking on ships contribute to their bad behavior.  But we cannot help but think that folks on the luxury lines simply have the attitude that everyone on the ship is there....which makes them OK (just because they are there).  Not sure if that makes sense, but it explains what we have encountered.  

 

This DOES make sense! Are you saying that if I witnessed a stumbling drunk on a luxury cruise, I would think: "Well, he paid $XXXX to be here, so he must be a worthwhile person," whereas if I witnessed a stumbling drunk on Carnival I would say, "Must be Wal-Mart week here"? Because that may be it! You know I said I didn't remember any angry incidents on the lower-priced cruises except when people were jockeying for position in lines, but on Oceania one of the guys we met and were enjoying spending time with got completely wasted one afternoon, and although he didn't do anything obnoxious besides falling asleep in his soup and not making sense (now I am afraid he was having an episode! But no, he had been drinking all afternoon), my opinion of him didn't immediately change to "Wal-Mart Week." We continued to have fun together the rest of the time.

3 hours ago, ORV said:

What was this thread about? 

Ha ha ha! I think I partly derailed it by asking if people thought the nature of travelers had changed from before the pandemic, and then we started discussing cruise line culture, and then ... we started calling each other elitists! I love this forum.

This thread has been quite interesting! My partner and I have done several cruises -- not dozens like some of you! When the kids were smaller, we were on Carnival and Royal Caribbean with the little ones and Granny, and we cruised through the Panama Canal on Princess. We had fun, but then the kids became teens and wanted to do other kinds of vacations, and we didn't cruise for a long while and then in 2019 for our 20th anniversary we booked Oceania Marina in the South Pacific, and we loved it so much! It was our trip of a lifetime, and the older and more sedate clientele were just what we wanted as old sedate folks ourselves! We had an amazingly spacious cabin and loved always being able to find a place by the pool and a seat at the bar and not always having to chase after a kid ...

We loved it so much, we decided to book another trip of a lifetime as soon as we could, and we definitely wanted it to be on Marina. Then of course the pandemic ... and all our plans were put on hold ... and so now we're booked on sister ship Riviera for our 25th anniversary next year. What worries me, based on this thread is ... are Oceania cruisers different after the pandemic than they were before? I know people's nerves and behavior got frayed and upset during and after pandemic from so much stress and fear ... we read about folks having breakdowns on airplanes all the time now! So what do you think ...

Did we just get lucky on our 2019 cruise to have a lot of jovial and easy-going fellow passengers? There were only 800 aboard a ship that I think can hold 1200, so maybe there just weren't crowds and the need to compete making people act up?

Or are travelers essentially different now than they were pre-pandemic with more of a license to be obnoxious and strike back if told to behave?

I want to believe we will luck into another polite, friendly, and not chaotic group on our Riviera cruise next year -- but based on the experiences reported here ...  I am wondering!

11 minutes ago, johnwelch62 said:

 

The three tasting plates were a ceviche (I'll have to ask my wife what the seafood was), a fois gras with lime jelly, and a carpacio. If I recall correctly, the ceviche was paired with the 2013 Grand Vintage, the fois gras was paired with the Nectar Imperial Demi Sec, and the carpacio was paired with the Rose Imperial.

 

 

Thanks for the photos and description!

On 4/1/2023 at 10:19 PM, alpencoolcruiser said:

We stayed at the Anantara Downtown Dubai at the Business area of Dubai - getting to the metro without luggage is doable when its not that warm. I have a bunce of resources from our trip / cruise to Dubai including on Burj Khalifa if this helps including what we did in 2 days

Thank you for this!

On 2/28/2023 at 1:14 PM, 40yearcruiser said:

Since our flight into Dubai arrives at 3:15 am (on March 24) we have opted to stay at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport which offers a 24 hr shuttle service from airport to hotel. We will be staying there the short night after we arrive and the next night as well before we embark on our cruise ship which won't leave until the next evening. The hotel offers a free shuttle in the daytime to the Festival City Mall, Dubai Mall, Souk Al Marfa, and Al Mamzar Beach Park. What do you recommend from those choices? We will have another day in Dubai after we get on the ship. We were in Dubai a few years ago on a cruise stop and went to the Dubai Mall and up to the deck of Burj Kalifa so want to do something different this year. We realize that we will be arriving at the beginning of Ramadan so don't know how that will affect our choices. Any advice is welcome!

Thank you for this info on the HI Express. We stay in a bunch of IHG Hotels so this is a nice option, we might be able to get free nights. Did you decide what you will do on your days in Dubai? Also how was the Burj Kalifa? Is it crowded? Did you get to the very top? Is it worth going?

You will be on your way in days! Have fun!

On 2/9/2023 at 2:04 AM, Jayayeff said:

 

Just a quick comment if you were interested, the floating hotel moored beside the cruise terminal in Port Rashid is actually the QE2 not the Queen Mary (I believe that is in a port in California).  Also when checking for pre or post cruise hotel accommodation in Dubai it's good to know which terminal your cruise ship will dock at as there are now two here and there is quite a distance between them.  The original Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid which is in the old part of Dubai and the new one which is called Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal which is right beside the Palm Jumeirah and close to Dubai Marina.   I've met up with friends arriving here on cruise ships twice recently and one arrived in Port Rashid (with Oceania) and the other at Dubai Harbour (with Cunard on the QM2).   As others have rightly noted traffic is dreadful here for the most part so finding somewhere that has easy access to the Metro would be a good idea... It's easy to use, very clean and for the most part above ground so you can sightsee as you go!!

Anne...

Thank you so much! This is great information! I appreciate your taking the time to comment here. Do you live in Dubai? What are the "don't miss" things for a few days before our trip? Thanks!

Also you are right about the Queen mary in Long Beach; I have been on that ship and forgot the name! LOL

On 2/8/2023 at 10:52 AM, Jonny C said:

The Divevolk Sea Touch 4 Max case - You can use it for diving (60 metres) too although we only use it for snorkeling as I have a set up for my mirrorless camera for diving.  All functions on the touchscreen are useable under water.  Fits my Samsung and my son's iphone (each uses a different adapter)

 

Canadian info found here:  https://www.divevolkdiving.com/en-ca/products/divevolk-seatouch-4max-underwater-iphone-diving-housing-iphone-diving-case-compatiable-for-iphone-12-pro-max-13-pro-13-pro-max

 

 

 

 

Thank you! I just put this on my Amazon wish list for our cruise next year!

I am following this because I want to take my iPhone snorkeling. The last time I did was in 2019, and I bought a cheap sleeve like a Zip Loc from Amazon, and it did not work at all! It did stay zipped and keep the phone dry, but underwater there was no way to manipulate the touch screen. On the surface you could easily shoot, but once it was in the water, it didn't work at all -- so disappointing!

So if you are checking in here, in addition to @newlaxfan's Samsung S22 , please also give recommendations for an iPhone! I like to do some breath-hold diving maybe to 30 feet, if you have a suggestions for a sleeve that will go deeper.

Thanks everyone!

On 2/4/2023 at 2:57 AM, little britain said:

Taxis are dirt cheap. There are also Ubers.

 

Best area imho is around the marina or JBR Jumeriah Beach Resort. Here you can walk to lots of restaurants and shops. 
I recommend the Sofitel on JBR.  There is also the cheap efficient tram which connects to the cheap efficient metro.

 

Avoid the Palm as it’s soulless and few facilities outside your hotel - also only one road on/ off so traffic is bad 

Thank you! This is such great information. That Palm! I didn't even think of that. This whole region is new to me.

On 2/4/2023 at 5:34 AM, FlyerTalker said:

 

Emirates has done a great job of "selling" their airline as one of opulence and luxury.  They did this by having a "wow" first class product and using the halo effect to trickle down to other classes.  EK television spots show their first product, with the suites and showers.  But there is quite the drop down to business from that of first.

 

Is it a good business product?  On the 380 and new-interior 777s - yes.  Is it world-leading even there?  No.  It doesn't compare with Qatar's Q-Suite, nor with the newer products from ANA, Etihad and Singapore. 

 

Other things to consider - you may want to look into the various "free stopover" possibilities along the way.  Turkish will give you free stopover in Istanbul, along with a hotel in business class, for example.  Get to add in another interesting city along the way.

 

Best of luck.  Feel free to post with any other questions.

Thank you ! I appreciate it so much! I will probably be back with more questions as I do more research. I will look into the other airlines you mentions. Appreciate it!

On 2/2/2023 at 1:06 PM, John Bull said:

 

 

That's tough.

The 5 - 10 minute (?) walk from the entrance to the top of the siq (narrow canyon) was unmade when we were there some years ago. The siq is paved, a walk of (?) 15 minutes (?)  down to the Treasury, etc

 

There are two-wheel two-passenger horse-drawn carriages which ply the route - going down you should be able to negotiate a fare of pennies because most folk are happy to walk down and most of the carriages go down empty.

But walking back up is hard work & where they make their money - they'll squeeze as much as they can.

Sorry, I don't recall how much folk were paying, and that was in any case a long time ago.

 

The ground in the valley is quite rough too, but still plenty to see and be amazed if you don't go far.

 

So give the difficulty - and the cost - a good deal of thought.

 

There is a second route- a road which goes down on the far side. Not available to the Average Joe, but may be available to those with mobility problems. Worth researching

 

JB 🙂

Thank you, this is good information! We will assess how he is doing with mobility closer to our trip and decide ... We will probably never get to Jordan again, and I would love to see it! If it's just money, we have been saving like mad and would probably opt to pay for a carriage -- or a motorised buggy!

22 hours ago, Pushka said:

I think there are motorised buggies now instead of the horses. Can get one way or return tickets. 

This would be great. I would hate to put a horse to the trouble of hauling my broke ass up a steep incline! Thanks for the information!

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

Im going on a cruise From Dubai-Athens next week.  Staying 2 days pre-cruise.  Im staying at the Gevora Hotel ( near the Burj Kalifa).  I also pre-purchased a 2 day Hop on Hop Off bus tour that will take me to all the major sites ( no need to worry about taxis or ride shares).  If you want to stay close to the port, look into the Queen Mary Hotel.  Used to be a luxury ship ( luxury from 1930-50's standards) that is now a floating hotel in the port.  

Ooooh! Have fun! And thanks for the hotel information. Queen Mary sounds great! Also a place near the Burj Kalifa sounds great. If you think of it, please drop back in here and post how was the hotel and the hop-on/hop-off. I saw that as an option and wondered if it would a good plan -- we're older and don't hop on or off anything much, I would be curious how it is.

On 2/2/2023 at 11:15 AM, Zach1213 said:

Just a heads up, there's not any international airport in Jerusalem and you'll be flying to/from Tel Aviv (TLV). I assume your cruise also ends in Tel Aviv or at least somewhere near Tel Aviv since Jerusalem is very much not a coastal city. 

 

Emirates Business Class is quite nice, so I would probably recommend that. I would say, after that, look at Turkish via Istanbul. There are plenty of other business class options between TLV and IAH (BA via London, Air France via Paris, Lufthansa via Frankfurt, KLM via Amsterdam, American via NYC, Delta via Atlanta/Boston/NYC, United via Chicago/Newark/DC) which will be fine, but I do think Emirates is a step above in both hard and soft product. If you don't mind backtracking a couple hours (going east TLV-DXB to go west DXB-IAH), you're sure to have an enjoyable flight. 

Thank you for this! I did know we had to fly out of Tel Aviv; the cruise line is calling our final port Jerusalem, so I did, too. and thank you for the information/suggestions! Further down it was suggested Emirates business class and first class are quite different. Any thoughts? We've only every now and then upgraded on United, but we've seen such glowing reports about Emirates!

On 2/2/2023 at 11:29 AM, Gardyloo said:

It might be worth noting that according to ITA the TLV-DXB segment connecting to IAH will be operated by Emirates' low-cost subsidiary FlyDubai.  Assuming your flight is on their 737Max 9 planes, you'll have business class seats that are quite good (and almost unique for low-cost airlines) and you'll have a 4 1/2-hour layover at DXB, plenty of time for lounging.  But it does make for a VERY long day, over 24h in transit, which could be reduced significantly if you took another carrier.  

 

Longhaul business class products are becoming much more competitive and comparable, and the differences are shrinking.  While Emirates' reputation is high (much more their first class service than business class) whether it's worth the premium in price or length of time, is your call.  

Thank you! I was trying to figure that out about FlyDubai; it looked like it was bookable on Emirates site, and I thought the flight number looked like Emirates. And I agree, it would be a long day home after a long (for us) cruise. I wish I could set it up AFTER we fly on Emirates on the way there to see if it would be worth it!

On 2/2/2023 at 1:33 PM, CruiserBruce said:

So, the purpose is to experience Emirates? Otherwise El Al or United fly from TLV to the US.

Yeah, we definitely want to fly Houston to Dubai on Emirates as it appears to be a direct flight, and we've been curious to try them. We may just do United home from Tel Aviv as that would be more direct. I was wondering if the vaunted Emirates Business Class is worth the backtracking.

22 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Be careful with Emirates (EK) business class.  Some of their 777s still have their old seating, which is a ghastly 2-3-2 configuration.  The difference between their A380 and old 777 business product is huge, with the new 777 biz seating somewhat better than before, but not at 380 level.  And most of their promotional photos are of the 380 interior, not the old 777.

 

You might want to consider flying Etihad through Abu Dhabi.  Even though Etihad doesn't service IAH on their own, you can get a ticket with the final segment into IAH on JetBlue or AA from either JFK or ORD.  I'd put the EY product above the old EK 777s, and as good or better than the new 777.

 

As for "going backwards" - in the big picture, it's a rounding error.  Your flight time from DXB to IAH is longer than you might suspect.

 

Just a few thoughts, but you definitely need to research the specific cabins on the aircraft used for your routes.

 

 

Thank you! I am not at all familiar with the set-ups of the various cabins. As I was looking at Emirates online, the differences between Business Class and First Class didn't seem huge, but you are right, they wouldn't showcase older cabins with fewer amenities! I will definitely research more before I book.

Thank you everyone for responding! We haven't cruised in ages, but last time we did, I came here beforehand and found such helpful information and folks. I appreciate it!

Howdy! Anyone who flies to the USA from Israel, or from Jerusalem to Houston, specifically, I have a question.

We will be cruising Dubai-Jerusalem, and we want to fly Houston to Dubai on Emirates because we have heard such great things about the airline, and this is our special 25th anniversary trip and we want everything luxurious so we will go business class. It looks as if we can fly home on Emirates as well, but we fly from Jerusalem back to Dubai to connect.

If the service and everything is as great as we've heard on Emirates, I don't mind that (except it seems a waste of time going backward), but if anyone has flown Jerusalem to Houston (or somewhere in the continental USA) on a different airline, I would be curious to hear of your experience and if it would be a better ending to our trip of a lifetime to take a more direct route home.

Thanks in advance for any information/opinions.

Following this because we will embark from Dubai in 2024. @Busy Mum, if you think of it, lease post what you decide to do and how it works out! Thank you!

Thank you for this thread. I have a desire to go to Petra from our cruise next year -- but my husband is not a great walker (although he is working on getting better now, and we have about a year until we cruise). Is Petra something we can consider if he can't get around very well?

Thanks for any information and recommendations!

Wow! Y'all have so many good ideas. I looked up MSC Yacht Club already, it looks fabulous. I am also keeping watch on Oceania site in case they post fall 2022. Right now they have only spring dates up that far in advance.

My husband didn't think he would like river cruising, so we didn't look at Viking. I want to have a closer look at Celebrity now, and several people mentioned Azmara, so I will check that out.

I have read about Crystal and ... what is it Silver Seas? Those are both supposed to be quite luxurious.

But yeah, please tell me more if anyone has other suggestions, and thanks for all the responses.

Wow y'all! Thanks for all the recommendations. I am going to go through and investigate them all as I have time. We have cruised on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival before, but that was always with grandma and the kids, and when we went as an old couple on Oceania, we kind of fell in love with the more mature atmosphere and the enrichment activities as opposed to rock climbing or surfing on board.

Thanks Silver 91 for the video! It's always great to see a real video of the cabin. What an insane series that is!

I am dreaming about our next cruise! We canceled one we had scheduled for March because it was leaving from Rio and partly on the Amazon, and I have no faith that things will be cooled down enough for cruising (especially there) by March.

Now I am looking at anytime January-August, 2022. But which line? We really wanted to do Oceania again, but the Riviera and Marina (their bigger ships) aren't going anywhere we want to be so far -- they haven't posted clear into the summer, 2022.

So what is your favorite line, and why? We are looking for luxury; I was looking at Celebrity ships and "The Retreat" which is some kind of all-suite deal on some ships? But one thing also we liked about Oceania was that it was all adults, and a lot of them were old folks like us.

Tell me your favorites and why and about the age of the clientele?

Then we can all dream together!

Thanks!

Jax

On 3/23/2019 at 11:53 AM, GeorgesGal said:

 

So sorry you didn't get ashore on Easter Island on this cruise.  Last year we sailed to FP out of Lima, Peru (actually Callao was the port I think!).  And we were so very fortunate to be able to go ashore on both scheduled days - although the first day was dangerously rough in boarding the tender.  Spectacular place!  BUT I see you were also lucky enough to have James as guest lecturer.  What a fountain of information.  We enjoyed all four of his lecture days, and in fact hired his tour company for the two days ashore.

We also booked with Patrick's Mahoi Nui and loved his tour.

Your narrative brings back so very many fond memories.  This was one more of my bucket list cruises, and am hoping to cruise to FP once more.

 

Thanks for taking the time for your review!

 

Donna

Yes! James' lectures were fantastic! We had also booked with him for a tour, but of course, we didn't get to go. I think it was much better the way you did the cruise, with 2 days for EI. I am dying to go back now. James really gave you an idea of what amazing history and culture you were going to see remnants of ... So disappointing to miss out! I agree with you, it would be great to go back again, to FP.

22 hours ago, merlot101 said:

Thanks for the wonderful photos and write-up of your cruise.  We took the cruise in reverse from Miami-Lima-FP in January, 2018.  We were fortunate to tender ashore on EI both days.  We took the ship tours so we would be sure to get off first and (more important) back on if the weather would have changed.  The passengers that had private tours were late tendering and only got a few hours on EI on both days.  

Thank you for reading! That cruise sounds like a more practical route for seeing EI, with 2 days there. I would have settled for a few hours ashore!

21 hours ago, osandomir said:

On day one everyone was late ashore, as the tendering started hours after the ship arrived at EI. It was already after noon when our great captain finally allowed the tenders to operate. It wasn’t easy to say the least. The crew worked really hard to help the passengers to the tenders safely. The ride was bumpy as well. Some people decided not to go on the tenders on the second day. In contrast, while ashore the weather was very nice most of the day.

 

The next day the condition of the sea improved and we went ashore in the morning with our tender tickets in a timely manor. Both days we were able to visit all the sites as it was scheduled on our two days private tour of EI. We traveled in the minivan opposite to big busses that Oceania used for their tours. Thankfully, we got lucky because it’s an amazing place on the earth indeed.

3

Oh, that sounds so wonderful! Except for the bumpy ride in; my poor husband wouldn't have loved that, but he would have done it; he was really jazzed to see Easter Island, too. I am hopeful I can get him to fly back one of these days so we can stay a couple days and be sure to see it.

Thanks you all for reading! I will update you when we choose our next Oceania cruise. I really loved having this forum to help me prepare and to follow along on the adventure. Y'all are a fun group of folks.

Also I should say, I forgot to mention in the review that Carol (CarMill) from this forum arranged a Cruise Critica Meet n Greet on board, and we were about 80 folks all together. That was swell to meet so many CC people in person!

On 3/23/2019 at 9:26 AM, greykitty said:

I am so sorry for your loss.  To me, Barney looked as though he knew he was surrounded by love always.  I know your heart must ache right now, but I hope time brings you peace.  

Thank you!

Y'all are such a lovely, supportive group. I appreciate it!

8 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

😔 I am so sad but he lived a wonderful exceptional caring life that had soooo much love from the moon and back.

God bless you during your time of grief but realize Barney had a great purpose being in your family and will always be with you in spirit ! 

Loved your blog and loved your pictures!

Take care

Sincerely

Denise from San Diego😊

8 hours ago, Mura said:

As a pet lover myself, I also send my sympathies at the lost of Barney.  But it sounds like he was treated as well as he could be while you were away, which must be a comfort.

 

Mura

 

8 hours ago, LHT28 said:

How  sad   you did not get to say goodbye

But  he  seemed to go peacefully 

My sympathies  to you ..hard to lose a family pet

7 hours ago, Petoonya said:

He looks like the kind of guy who gave back every ounce of love that he got. And from all you've said about him, Barney knew he was loved IMMENSELY. Huge hugs to you VJ. Cannot imagine how hard it would be to return to a house without Barney. But he's smiling knowing what a wonderful time you two had. He's your little Barney angel.

Thanks y’all. Your kind words are a blessing. I feel like B probably felt it was easier to pass when there was no one there...which is ok, he could let go and not worry about us. That is some wild anthropomorphising, but it gives me comfort. And of course I think he knew he was loved, by everyone in his life. His vet just last night emailed me a video of him playing a puzzle game. Everyone loved Barney.

6 minutes ago, ORV said:

Thanks for your review of this. As I read I am just happy my wife doesn't list my details of my bathroom visits. 

Ha ha ha! Maybe I should change that!

First off, thanks everyone for all the encouragement! We are home from the trip, and I can say, you were all RIGHT. It was wonderful. Beyond imagination, really. The places we were looked like postcards. And our ship and suite were amazing. The hotel on Papeete was lovely, the vow renewal service went off far better than I ever thought it would (one of the highlights of the trip!), and the cruise was just fantastic. The one disappointment, we didn't get to land at Easter Island. But I am sure I will go back!

We had asked our doggie sitter not to tell us if anything went wrong with Barney. We couldn't do anything so far away, and it would only be distressing knowing he was in trouble and we couldn't be there. She works at his vet's office, and we just left her a credit card and knew she would take care of him. I got a couple of texts from her saying he was doing well but struggling with an infection on his leg, the same place he had the IV for his calcium, etc. She was taking him to work with her, which he liked going to the vet's office, everyone there loved him, he was like a pet, and he was getting the infection treated and cleaned every day.

Then the night we were heading home after the cruise, at the airport I received an email from her; the previous Saturday Barney had eaten a good breakfast and was "spry as usual" in the afternoon; Brittany was staying at the house with him and went out for a couple hours in the evening -- when she came back, she said, she had found him in his basket (his little bed), and he had passed away. She said he seemed peaceful and didn't appear to have been in distress, for which I was grateful. He was old, diabetic, and had been having a hard time recovering from his surgeries, so it wasn't a shock. But we will surely miss him.

We were already sad our cruise was over ... and doubly sad our boy wouldn't be there to greet us when we arrived home. Thanks for the all the prayers and concern for him here. He was a goof and a good boy. Here he is in one of his final days, hanging out at the vet's office.

I forgot to say, we also got 3 bags of laundry complimentary in the suite which was very helpful, up to 20 pieces per bag. We came home with some clean clothes, which is nice.

And we got personalized stationery "From the Suite of" -- that was a hoot, and I used it to write invitations to our guests to come to happy hour. 

I've been looking at future possibilities, and it seems like only Marina and Riviera have the OceaniaSuite? When I Iook at pictures and layouts of the Vista and Owner's suites on the other ships, they don't look as nice to me -- but they must be, as they're both higher priced.

I should say, we took advantage of the on-board promotional to put down a deposit on our next cruise. It locked in the guaranteed lowest price until the day of sailing, and we don't have to choose our next cruise for a year from now -- and then the cruise can be still further in the future ... So we have time to save and plan again. For doing this early deposit, we also got $100 ship-board credit off our bill on this cruise, which was nice. Between my spa visit, our bar bill, and a couple of excursions, we had a little bit of a tab.

Let me get to disembarkation: it was quite easy and well organized. We were asked to be off the ship by 9 a.m., but we had to pick up our passports, which had been kept by Oceania since we boarded, in the Marina Lounge before exiting. When we arrived at 8:45 to the Marina Lounge, I think ours might have been the last two passports in the box! The lounge was full of people booked on Oceania tours waiting to be told to exit, but we were able to walk right off.

We had booked a private tour for our day in Lima, because our flight did not depart until midnight. Oceania, aware of our flight, had also booked us a transfer to the JW Marriott, where they had set up a lounge for people in transit, and gave us tags to have our bags sent directly there; this service also included a transfer to the airport that evening.

Our having a private tour kind of messed up the system; when we arrived a few hours later than other passengers to the Marriott, the folks receiving Oceania passengers there were happy to see us! They'd been worried when our bags arrived, and we did not. It was actually quite a nice system. We had the 4th floor of the Marriott with a conference room set up with drinks and snacks, the room next door had all the luggage in it, grouped by when people's transfer to the airport would be departing, and a projection TV playing CNN global news (that got old after a few hours but it was better than the movie they finally put on which had some gritty violence!) -- can't please everyone.

Then at 8:30 that evening, we were in a van with another couple on our flight, driven to the airport by the Oceania staff or whoever they contract with in Lima, and the representative stayed with us while we checked in and walked us to the immigration/departure line. Very helpful and efficient. I believe this service was complimentary for all cruisers who had a long layover, not just suite people. This is a nice benefit.

As for our tour in Lima: I booked with Tours by Locals-dot-com, and had arranged with our guide for a custom tour. My husband and I had read about Lima and decided we wanted to see the Inca market in Miraflores, the "Love Park" also in Miraflores, and the neighborhood of Barranco which is supposed to be scenic and touristy. Our guide had agreed to this and said she would also recommend a good place for lunch for us, and if there was time, show us the city center. Her regular half-day tour in Lima began in city center and included monasteries, museums and historic buildings that didn't interest us as much as the things we had prioritized.

As the tour began, we were driven through horrendous traffic to the city center. I should have spoken up at that point and reminded the guide that we had arranged a custom tour with Miraflores and Barranco at the top of the list and the city center reserved for "if we have time," but I didn't speak up, so the rest is on me.

The traffic as we took in the historic sites was atrocious, so the van stopped and starts in fits, and my husband got car sick! After a couple hours, I finally did say that we needed to stop by the hotel and let him get inside and to a bathroom -- but our guide fretted because the hotel apparently wasn't on the route she had planned, and if they stopped to let us out, they couldn't park or wait -- and as it happened the hotel was 25 minutes away and by the time we got there, my husband didn't want them to wait; he wasn't getting back in that van. So we didn't get to see the scenic sights in Lima we had hoped to see -- and had paid to see!

So if you book with Tours by Locals, I suggest you be prepared to do the tour as they have advertised it, or if you arrange for a custom one, don't be afraid to speak up if it seems you're not getting what you arranged for. I feel like this whole day could have had a much nicer outcome if I had insisted we go to Miraflores first; it was a much less congested neighborhood and we would have been out of the car and touring the market with my poor husband feeling much better. We did pass the Love Park on the way to the hotel, and it did look beautiful, arranged along the sea with lovely tile work walkway and the centerpiece of a sculpture called, I believe, The Kiss. But by then my man was so ready to be out of that vehicle, we couldn't even stop!

At the hotel, after he took care of his stomach problem, we walked across the street to a very modern and popular mall that's built into the bluff facing the coastline. It has a lovely children's playground and park on top, and all chic stores in the multi-level mall. It was a beautiful sunny day for a little stroll. I will post a couple photos from the park (me with Paddington!) and the coastline from the upper level over the mall. Very pretty setting. I would like to go back to Lima some day, and also continue on to Machu Pichu as some of our fellow cruisers were doing. I was there once (Machu Pichu) on business, but it is a long time ago, and I remember it as a mystical place.

Thus ended our adventure. Our last day, in Lima, was a long one, and I feel like I made a misstep by not insisting our tour guide follow the plan we had agreed on. Otherwise, the system Oceania worked out to provide a space for us until our flight and transfers for us and our bags to the airport was great.

If I think of anything I forgot, I will add to this. For the moment, I think this is the end of my review. Overall, I loved cruising with Oceania and will be back.