Sthrngary

Tough thread and usually is with the subject of children. He is my story. In 2019, my wife and I were on the Getaway out of New Orleans. We were in a Haven Suite. It was Thanksgiving Week. I much prefer a Hot Tub to the pool. This was Pre-Covid. The Hot tub and pool on the main deck outside the Haven were completely packed. The Hot tub with young kids wall to wall. I thought we would be fine because the Haven had two Hot Tubs in the Haven Courtyard. Just like in the main pool area, the young kids were all over the hot tubs, all day long. It was the same group of 10. No parents to be found almost like the Haven area was the kids area. These young people were yelling, screaming, jumping in the pool that does not allow jumping. When on day three I finally got a seat in one of the two hot tubs. Two of the kids were laughing at me and I kindly said why are you laughing. They said, "You look so funny because you have yellow teeth." While I was embarrassed and never went into the Haven Courtyard pool or hot tub again. The first think I did when I got home was got my teeth whitened, I now drink my coffee from a straw, and I have a retainer that I use several times a week to keep my teeth white. I owe those two children a debt of gratitude for their honesty. The issue was not the children, they deserve to play and be kids. The issue was no parents watching their kids. My solutions was to never, ever go on Holiday cruises again on ships that are family oriented. Instead I go the week before or the week after the holiday. Better pricing and I have never had the same situation happen. This is a true story and it effected how and when I book cruises. The moral of the story is, "If you teeth are yellow, don't go into a hot tube with kids and get your teeth whitened." Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Funny, I had the same question because it is my first time on Oceania. I will share what I was told and found out. This in no way makes me an expert since I have never cruised with them. I am just glad other are wanting similar information as I did. I just booked the Oceania Riveara for Nov 2023. It you take the air from Oceania, the transfers are included. If you do your own air, they are not unless you are doing a Pre/Post cruise Hotel. This situation is similar to other Premium, Premium Plus and Luxury brands. All the Specialty Restaurants are included. Depending on your stateroom category, you have priority in day/time for a certain number. When you get on the ship, you can make more reservation if they are not fully booked. All indications are you go when you want. I know some other luxury brands have specific sitting like the old days. We have 6 excursions which means, I get three and my wife get 3 for a total of 6. They are the standard excursions which have a retail value of about $100.00 each. Notice your other options is $600.00 OBC. Or standard drink package for both passengers. Each come out to be about $600.00 in value. Again, I am NO expert however I did some deep diving before I booked. My last thought is I envy you for your past trips on Regent. It was always a goal but I gave it up due to expense. Love to hear your feedback after this cruise to the comparison. Good luck. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I do remember you. I am so happy you had a good time in the Haven. I am no expert on Oceania which is the reason I did an Op-Ed here. The once thing I am sure of is that on your Oceania cruise, the entire ship is the Haven. I know because I did a Crystal Cruise and that was the feeling I got. When you left your Suite, everyone was treated the same. That is vs. the Ship-Within-A-Ship concept like Haven. Unlike the NCL blog, I am here to allow the Loyal Oceania Cruisers to share tidbits of knowledge to make my wife and friends cruise next year over the top. I also want to have realistic expectations so my day dreams about the cruise are more like the reality it is when on. I will be on the NCL Breakaway this December 2022 because my wife (who does not gamble, LOL) can play in the finals of the NCL Casino's at Sea Slot Tournament. Wish her luck. Thanks for reaching out. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I don’t know if we will be on the same flight or not. NCL might not put them on the Delta flight that I’m going on.I don’t know if we will be on the same flight or not. NCL might not put them on the Delta flight that I’m going on.

I read your entire message. I tried to express my views. You are complaining on a NCL blog. You are not looking for feedback that disagrees with your assessment. Based on that, good luck and hope you resolve your issue. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ORV What I did was find out all the option from the upgrade promotion. Priced it out to support my friends budget. Then called my Cruise Travel Agent to do the booking. My additional perks come from AMX. The upgrade for my friends to PC is $1,200.00 per couple. They can make that decision. My wife and I are going to use my Airline Points for Delta One Business Class. I am a 5 mil on Delta. On learning the ins and out of Oceania, watch out what you ask for. I tend to ask so many question folks want me to book another brand. Thank you for your offer, you know I will take you up on it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Oh my, did you choose a tough subject. I know, I had a huge post and within that post I mentioned unruly children. The issue is not the kids. Kids will be kids. It is the parents that allow the children to go unsupervised and or don't care if the child is breaking the pool rules. We all have to remember, NCL has third and forth person free on some of their cabins and suites. If it is a time when it is a holiday or school is out, that is a bargain for many families. I made a decision to never cruise during those times and since then, never had an issue. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I think you got the situation wrong. The program that I think they gave you was Cruise First. You pay $250.00 and you get credit for $500.00. I did the same thing when I booked my next cruise some months ago. The reduced deposit is not a plus or a minus. They really don't give you any value like the "Cruise First". All you get is a little less amount that is your deposit for your cruise. I know how confusing this cruise stuff can be. That is why all my friend reach out to me when they want to cruise. Even my travel agent gets confused with NCL some times. You are not the only one but I know how frustrating it is. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabesThank you for the great comments. I have had butlers before. Several on the NCL Haven Voyages. One on a Celebrity cruise. However, the butler I had on the crystal cruise was the best I have ever had. He did make the voyage for us. He listen to us and the next thing you knew was he was doing something special. The NCL and Celebrity Butlers were nice but not even close. Something tells me the Butlers on Oceania will be awesome as you suggested. I feel so fortune to have caught the Oceania upgrade promotion. The only down side is it is over a year away. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Your question is a GREAT question. We were booked on Oceania for the same kind of cruise in 2020. it got cancelled due to covid. At the time, we had an argument when I suggested doing the pre-cruise hotel. My friend who does not understand cruising said, I am purchasing the airfare from Oceania, they will hold the ship for us if our flight has issues. I told him, they hold the ship for no one. They will simply fly you to your next port and you will lose part of your vacation not to mention the stress involved. This time, I did not ask. I just booked the Pre-Cruise Hotel. I would assume because of that, Oceania will fly them in the day before since it is their airfare and there pre-cruise hotel. Do I have that right?? I could not agree more. It is always on the table. Not my decision and I don't want to have another argument on extra's with them, LOL. You can lead a horse to water........ Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Rocket, wait until you get on-board and it is in your Room Service Menu. You can ask your Pre-Cruise Haven person how much it is and if you can get it arranged pre-cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am a first time cruiser with Oceania. I booked a European Cruise in 2020 on Oceania and it was cancelled due to Covid. Two days ago, I booked two Penthouse Suites on the Riviera for November 9, 2023. The Promotion was on the Home Page but you have to be on the Official Oceania web page. I went on a few that I thought was right but it was really a travel company. The other think I thought was interesting was the category of sailing already had the discount applied. That made the decision easier. I had been doing research of all the Cruise Brands with this similar itinerary for Oct-Nov 2023. Oceania had a cruise, 20 days earlier. My savings by booking this promotions was close to $4,000.00. I hope this helps some folks. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

UPDATE: Thank you every one for your feedback and excellent advice. Because of you great folks, as I outlined earlier, I booked two (2) Penthouse Suite Guarantee's on the Oceania Rivera for November 9, 2023. Oceania had the "Category Upgrades" available as a Labor Day Perk for this cruise. The other couple that I have the second suite for does not know I booked it. It will be my friends wife's 70th Birthday. He promised her a Greek Cruise but refused to book it until next year. I knew exactly what the issue was. He could not afford the Deposit until next year. Also, these folks do not understand the concept of planning ahead. So I booked both the rooms, and paid for the deposits with my American Express. This gives both suites the AMX Perks. The best perk of all was to get a Penthouse at literally almost $4,000.00 less then just 20 days prior. I prebooked the pre-hotel in Athens so we all would get their at least a day early. My friends will take the Coach Airfare that comes with the cruise booking. I recommended they did not pay for the premium coach because that extra money could go for some excursions. They are on a tight budget. My wife and I have saved airline points for years to go on this trip in Delta One Business Class. I will have to wait a few months to book that due to Delta's booking limitations. Like many people when they go on a new cruise brand, I have watched all the video's, read what I could here on CruiseCritic.com. I can see from many of your comments that this cruise will be very special. Thanks again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My wife and I always fly into the port the day before our cruise embarks. I choose a local restaurant for the Pre-Cruise Dinner. It is usually the Capital Grille which depends on the port. We ALWAYS get to the port early and get the earliest group on board or if in the Haven, Retreat or Suite class, we have coffee in their lounge at the port. On board, it is drink time with my wife having a wine and I have Tequila. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275Hello my friend. That is exactly what I am saying. It is ordered and delivered by room service or in your case, the Haven Butler. It comes with mixers. The bottles are not cheap. Before NCL changed the policy where all guests in a Haven Suite got the Premium Beverage Package, my adult children could choose a bottle of Spirits they wanted for the week. The rule was "No BAR TAB". We got a bottle of Vodka and the mixers. At the time it was about $100.00. Now with everyone in the Haven Suite getting the Beverage Package, we don't do that anymore. I hope that clarifies your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@rbxladyMy goal as the Op-Ed here is to assist in realistic expectations. It is my experience in the Haven that the only time a Butler would provide Canned Soda was two situations. First, when you are in an owners suite which provides three bottles of spirits and mixers. The mixers are soda and they replenish daily. It is complementary. The other situation is when you buy a bottle of spirits from room service. Included are some canned soda's. The Haven does not claim to provide soda's to the suite unless you pay extra for them. I also ALWAYS do the Premium "PLUS" Beverage Package. Even then, it has never happened in my suite without a cost. Now I am NOT saying some others have had a Butler that accommodated them. Happens all the time. I am saying it is not NCL Haven policy. So if you go on board and expect this and it does not happen, you will be disappointed. That is what I mean by realistic expectations. If it does happen, great. If it does not happen you are not surprised. When I comment on something that another CruiseCritic.com community member says and I softly challenge it, I mean no disrespect. Instead I just want all of us to have the best time possible. I hope my comment is take that way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowaIf you see a slightly portly man, with a un-lite cigar in his mouth, drinking a tequila, in a hot tub; that is me. Hope to see you there. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MuraWell written, clear and respectful. Thank you for taking the time. The older My wife and I get, the more having friends and family with us makes a big difference. Something tells me that having our best friends with us will make this trip memorable. Thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Perfect, thank you for the clarification. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I agree, this would be special. Is it $300.00 per person? Or for the room. I am hearing different things. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is a GREAT idea, thank you so much. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa Thank you for responding. I commented on your post this morning. I wanted to get back with you because we on CruiseCritic.com need to let folks know the decisions we make, on the advice given. I just booked two (PH3) Penthouse Staterooms for the November 9, 2023 cruise you are on. This is a 70th Birthday, for my friends wife and most likely the last of these types of trips we will be able to do together. Thank you and hope to see you then. @Siena219 I can't thank you enough on your references to Crystal. Everything you said makes sense to me after my Crystal Experience. I understand the difference in the drink program and your reference to entertainment. I can't imagine the food better than Crystal but I will take you word for it. As indicated above, I have made the booking. Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is the cruise I was looking at. Great pricing.

@LHT28 Yes, thank you for remembering. I do spreadsheets all the time for almost everything I consider doing especially if the investment is significant. Those spreadsheets focus on comparing brands investment, cabins, and amenities. I have already done the spread sheet bringing me to the high likelihood of booking an Oceania Cruise. With Crystal Cruises, it was my very first time on a Luxury Type Cruise and I was really interested on the perception of the differences from the guests. I remember we communicated on posts back then. Thanks for remembering. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Background: I have cruised on NCL for a long time. My usual stateroom is the Haven which I know intimately. I have also cruised with Celebrity in the Retreat. Finally, I cruised on Crystal Cruise last year prior to their financial issues. I have chosen the NCL Haven for the "Ship-within-a-Ship" concept. The better dining, excellent entertainment and less hectic when we had enough of the main ship. We chose Celebrity Retreat to gain an alterative to the Haven. We selected Crystal Cruises to dip our toes into the Luxury segment and called it a "Luxury Cruise Test Drive". Goal: To have a memorable Mediterranean Cruise with our best friends and not have to break the bank. Our friends are on a tighter budget than we are and asked for my help in comparisons. If it were up to me, I would book Regent Seven Seas due to the completely all inclusive approach they take. The issue is budget. Cruises especially these kinds of cruises are best shared with good friends. This means flexibility to suit all budgets. This brings Oceania as a great choose on paper. Now I need real guest comments to seal the deal. REQUEST FROM CRUISECRITIC.COM MEMBERS: Can you give the pro's and cons of Oceania. My concern is being bored on sea days and in the evenings. This came from my Crystal Cruise Experience. I would love to know what you loved about the brand. Any assistance is welcome. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.