AMHuntFerry

That was the plan, here is the result: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/oceania-experience/post/ships/marinas-refurbishment-new-culinary-venues-all-new-penthouse-suites-more#blog-navigation

To back up Flatbush Flyer's comment, we typically have just one reservation in each specialty and have actually cancelled our reservation in favor of the GDR (after seeing that day's menu). There is only one specialty that we are interested in getting extra reservations, and we have been successful getting an extra there when we tried.

I think the availability of planned entertainment and activities is almost as subjective as food, and a TA appeals to a certain way of cruising (vacation or transport, not tourist travel). My spouse and I are perfectly happy spending an entire day doing a puzzle, reading, playing board games (that we bring), chatting with fellow passengers, etc.; we rarely participate in any of the planned activities and only go to the entertainment/lecture if it sounds interesting. If we want activity, there is an entire gym waiting for us. We have a friend who goes on mega-ships and spends the entire non-port time in her room reading or watching TV. My brother goes bonkers on just one sea day even on ships larger than O. We fit somewhere in between.

I would swear that both of our charges show on the TV at the same time. I know we get one paper statement. There is only one credit card associated with our room, so maybe that's why.

@walkingsoon Out of curiosity, I checked those two segments on O's and my TA's sites. On O's site a PH1 is $10,710 + $12710 = $23,430. On my TA's site the first segment is about $1200 less than on O's site (probably a quiet sale).

Q1: This pricing seems average to me. The low end is usually the Caribbean and repositioning while the high end tends to be Japan/N-Europe/etc. Q3: While O has caviar (sometimes), sushi (dinner in TC), and foie gras (sometimes), there are a gazillion other choices. " I do like sitting in a relatively uncrowded lounge enjoying a tea and listening to small band.": Head to Horizons instead of Martinis for a less energetic Happy Hour or evening; Martinis can be too crowded/noisy for me but my spouse likes it. Sit at the Horizons bar if you want to chat with other people or sit at a table (there is waitstaff) and enjoy the view or read a book. The band plays pre-dinner and after the nightly show. There is also afternoon tea every day with the string quartet (typically). "I'm mostly trying to avoid noise, crowds and lines." Yep, O is a great place for you.

Q2 & Q4: I created the following table last year, and I think all of the perks are the same but haven't checked in the last few weeks (maybe no more ipad?). I think the cabin size is for O-ships but the space ratios will be similar for other ships. Cost if not included B A PH Sq. ft. N/A 291 (240 w/o balcony) 291 (240 w/o balcony) 440 (~363? w/o balcony) Room service N/A Room service menu +GDR menu +specialty menus Lounge (O and A only) N/A Concierge lounge Executive lounge Spa Terrace $25/day Spa Terrace access Spa Terrace access Laundry Varies Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait) Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait) Butler N/A Butler Embarkation N/A 1 pm embarkation (N/A currently) Room available ~3 Noon embarkation (N/A currently) Room available ~2 Noon embarkation (N/A currently) +priority baggage delivery Room available ~1 Champagne $$ for something better Welcome champagne (low end, not actually champagne if I recall) Welcome champagne (quality?) Specialty res at (# varies by cruise length and ship) N/A 45 days 60 days 75 days Misc iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board++ Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary pressing of garment upon embarkation++ Complimentary shoeshine service iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary shoeshine service Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation++ Walk in closet

@mlmdaisy You will need to logout before the agent can see your cart. This is how I book shorex...add what I want to the online cart then call O to book; repeat as needed. If you want to cancel one or want to rebook something (e.g., change time), you'll also need to call.

Another reason to call is to get the pdfs showing the itemized accounting for the chosen shorex; if you use a TA they will/should send them. Bring them on your cruise in case there are any glitches.

I think you're remembering the Currents info that says something to the effect that you need to wear clothes, not pool-wear (swimsuits/coverups). I guess some people think Horizons is part of the pool/spa area since those are the only places where swimwear is allowed (or going to/from room). Afternoon tea is not what I would call a dress-up occasion unless you want it to be.

Yes, sorry if my wording was unclear...I meant to indicate there was a deadline after which the cash option disappeared.

Our last cruise had a refund due. The letter we received 2 days before debarkation gave three versions of non-cash refund...credit card, check, or via TA (we were sent a check); the form of the refund depended on whether it was a US-booking or non-US-booking. There was also the option to get a cash refund by going to the Reception desk before early-morning on debarkation day.

"Favorite public spaces including Martinis, Horizons, The Grand Dining Room and Library have been elegantly updated with plush new carpets and refreshed upholstery; and specialty steakhouse Polo Grill boasts a fresh new look with new carpeting, stylish window treatments and sleek, pillowed-leather dining chairs." https://www.oceaniacruises.com/media/2024/Oceania+Cruises’+Marina+Returns+to+Service+After+Extensive+Refurbishment++Including+All-New+Penthouse+Suites+in+Addition+to+Three+New+Culinary+Venues/

You can use the non-refundable SBC for the drink package even though you paid in advance. The advance payment will show up as a refundable credit on your shipboard account. When the account is settled at the end of the cruise, non-refundable SBC is used first, then refundable SBC (which includes your prepayment for the drink package) is used, then a credit card is charged. If there is leftover refundable SBC, you get a refund.

One warning about internet on an Alaska cruise...we've taken 3 cruises to Alaska in 2023 and 2024. My spouse does some business on the cruise and has found that during the day/evening the internet can be incredibly slow to the point it's unusable since he has to go through the company's servers; I was able to check web-based email during these times but it can be slow. If he gets up in the middle of the night (say ~2-4 am), the internet is better. Also, if the port is popular, waiting until most people leave the ship meant he could get a little work done before we went ashore. Also I see that you're getting an e-sim for off-ship use. Be sure to check the coverage maps for your ports. Often as soon as you leave a populated area you'll lose coverage (and even parts of the populated areas may be iffy). Note that Starlink will be available by 2025 so future cruises should be better.

The dress code is really quite simple. Here is the Regatta May/June 1st day Currents which is similar (but goes into more detail) to what was in the pre-cruise booklet that was received a few weeks before embarkation. Haha.."simple" until you notice "sandals" and "tank tops" which are confusing when you know that these refer to Teva-style or flip flop sandals (not nice sandals) and t-knit tank tops (not silk tank tops for example).

A quick add-on to Vallesan comments: SM included wine/beer by the glass come from the drinks menu (in GDR, Terrace, Waves); there are some wines/beers by the glass in specialties that are not included so just confirm with the wine steward before ordering.

I think the above post answers this best. All I know is that the onboard booking SBC is often higher than the FCC SBC. I have not tried to book anything before the cruise.

@NewSalty I was waiting to see if anyone onboard would post, but since they haven't, I'll copy my FCC from June 2024. The discounts are the same as the book-onboard discounts that were offered. One difference is that the FCC SBC was $100 while the book-onboard SBC was $250 (although I have seen higher/lower on previous cruises). They both have a price guaranty and a no-fee change after the initial cruise is booked.

You can coordinate dinner reservations, although how you go about this will depend on your group's dynamics. When your dining reservations open up, there is an option to enter other people's booking number when doing each reservation (so you can have all or some shared reservations). It's probably simplest to have one person doing all of the bookings, but that requires everyone to allow that person carte blanche when choosing days/times.

On embarkation day, stop by the spa to get a class schedule for the whole cruise. There were classes on Regatta in September 2023 and May/June 2024; there were no classes in June 2023 so I think it may have been a staffing issue. There is no mention in Currents or this brochure of an additional cost for things like Pilates or HIIT. Here is the schedule from Regatta May/June 2024:

Here's one from February: https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_24_menus.htm#aquamar

I get that - I think it's more common than not. We both come from families that aren't prolific photographers...usually just planned photo shoots, very few memory-photos.

Here are the T&Cs from a FCC purchased in June:

We just leave our phones in the room while on the ship. If anyone needs to notify us of an emergency while we're sipping drinks and watching the waves, they have the ship's emergency phone number.