SteelCity Cruiser

We had the same experience with the Scotch selections. Get to know one of the bartenders well and express interest in a certain spirit and they'll share what other brands might be on board during your sailing.

March-April 2022.

We had something similar happen - a medical emergency diversion caused us to miss Cabo (or rather, just stop there for a few hours to drop off and pick up crew members).

We noticed something similar on the same cruise itinerary two years ago. I think since it begins and ends in the US, no international flights are required, and that there are more sea days than port days (and the accompanying shore excursions) that an older, and less physically mobile demographic is attracted to the itinerary. It gives those folks the opportunity to enjoy a marvelous, pampered, high-end, all-adult and slightly exotic vacation experience without the strain and stress of doing the international flights/travel. No matter the age/mobility level, I found everyone on our Panama Canal cruise to be delightful, happy and enjoying their experience enormously.

Sounds like a thoroughly delightful day to me!!!

Thanks for the info. I had read where the Napier port was closed to traffic for several weeks after the cyclone came through because they really took a bad hit from that storm and from your description the reports certainly sound accurate! Glad to hear they are recovering.

Be curious to hear about the impact of the cyclone on Napier. That was one of two ports we missed when we cruised last year DURING the cyclone! We were to be on a wine tour there also, so I'm curious what we missed there.

Will be watching this with interest. We did Sydney to Auckland last year but missed 2 NZ ports due to a nasty cyclone diversion. Really enjoyed this trip though. If CJ and Yoga are in the Viking lounge, give them our regards! Really nice guys - funny and super helpful; we had some good times hanging out at the bar with them!

Or, do as some other lines do: provide opportunity to provide excursion feedback in real time on-board, or provide a 'paper and pencil' form (yeah - very retro- old-school) to do on board or mail in later.

We were on the Sirena Oct/Nov and did receive notices and reminders about the on line survey, which we did complete, but unfortunately, the opportunity did manage to elude most of the group we traveled with. When I mentioned it later, they were quite disappointed that they didn't see the notices nor have an opportunity to complete the form since you can't do it after disembarking (which you can do with several other cruise lines). I personally did not like their format at all. It was cumbersome to recognize on board staff that did outstanding work (and there were several that deserved special recognition) and zero opportunity to provide individual excursion feedback, just generic feedback on all of them. Frankly, I felt that the form was very vanilla, and that Oceania was offering the on-line evaluation form only for appearances, not really because they want genuine comments, feedback and suggestions on improvements.

We've done several Viking cruises (river and ocean) both pre- and post-pandemic, and just last month finished an 8-day cruise on Oceania (Turkey/Greece) on the Sirena (one of the older, smaller ships but refurbished somewhat recently) and I can agree with many of the points you made in your comparison with a couple exceptions. I didn't find the staff on board Oceania to be anywhere near the level of the Viking staff. Yes, they were responsive to our requests, but they didn't demonstrate that 'little extra' that the Viking staff is famous for - the ability to anticipate and respond to their customers. In a few cases, particularly in the buffet (Terrace Cafe), quite a few of the wait staff gave an air of "you are inconveniencing me" if we asked for juice, coffee or even water. It was almost impossible to get table service in the Horizons and Martini's lounges; we routinely got our own drinks at the bar and returned to our seats. And one of their wine stewards was, frankly, downright snotty. On the positive side - our room steward and butler were simply outstanding in every possible way. The food was excellent. Don't think we had one bad meal the entire cruise. BUT, my proviso on food is (and this is especially true on Viking): it depends on the executive chef. Some are simply better, more creative and more skilled at managing the kitchens than others. Some asked about excursions. Oceania has a very funky process/pricing for excursions that I can't begin to explain here. We did have some very good excursions, and some stunk out the joint badly. Overall, we had some excellent guides, and I liked that Oceania's tour groups are smaller than Vikings. That being said - when a tour was screwed up, it was REALLY screwed up beyond saving and no one on Oceania that I spoke to about the two or three disasters seemed to care. They listened politely and thanked me, but didn't really seem to care about honest feedback. Lastly - Viking does a great job soliciting feedback from their customers during and after the cruise - they make it easy to provide feedback and suggestions, and from what I've seen, will act on constructive suggestions if able to do so. Oceania gives you a brief window to complete a "check box" survey on line, and you can't do it after you leave the ship. Gave me the impression that they don't care what I think. I'll cruise Oceania again if the right itinerary and timing is there, but all things being equal, I'd go with Viking if given the choice.

We used Thistle Tours (they are on Viator also) and were very happy with them. Just to offer another option.

I saw plenty of 'dress' sandals on our most recent cruise. I also noticed that as the days went by, the level of "strict adherence" to the dress code became more relaxed. And FWIW - men do NOT have to wear sports jackets in the dining rooms. Most do, but not everyone.

Don't get me wrong - under the right situation (an itinerary I'd like to do that Viking doesn't offer) I'd go with Oceania again, but I'd be smarter on how we'd structure the experience. The overall cruising experience was fine (we were on one of their smaller ships) and quite enjoyable.

FWIW, we were just on an Oceania cruise with a group of friends, all of whom are experienced Viking customers. We ALL felt that, compared to Viking, Oceania was "nickle-dime" on several fronts. We had to pay extra for ALL of our excursions (I think Oceania is changing this pricing model for future cruises though), their beverage package is substantially more expensive than Viking's, and not nearly as comprehensive (e.g.: bottles of wine, and most of the better wines by the glass, are not included in the package, there is a $25 or $35 corkage fee for wine you bring on board yourself, and on Greek night in the restaurant they had a "wonderful Greek wine to compliment your dining experience" but it wasn't included in the beverage package and cost an additional $15/glass plus 20% gratuity), the spa, for many passengers, was extra, and they were constantly barraging us with "sales" in their on-board shop or encouraging us to spend more with them. When I board a Viking ship, I know the only additional expense I'll have are the gratuities which I'm happy to pay given the level of service we've consistently received on board. I certainly didn't feel that way on Oceania.

I vote with those recommending choosing a cabin closer to the elevators/stairs. We've been by them on 3 of our 4 cruises (on different deck levels) and like the easy access. No noise problems either.

Calling the port agent was the next step when I got the woman's text. I can tell you all that the next set of replacement luggage I buy will be the brightest, most obnoxiously colored/designed luggage I can find that is highly unlikely to be confused with someone elses! LOL!!

Her bag was still on the dock in the group next to ours. In fact, I first thought it was ours from a distance (we have azure blue Travel Pro and her's was a different brand, but similar color). My TA suggested I take a photo of her luggage tag and the bag just in case, so I did call her but it went right to voice mail. I left her a message and she texted me back several hours later.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations, but the good news is, the woman who took my bag got my voice mail and contacted me. Good fortune that she was still here in Athens in a hotel only a 15 minute walk away from ours and I was able to go over and retrieve our bag. SHE was contacted by Oceania about her bag left at the port and they are delivering it to her. She WASN'T asked if she took a bag in error, and I still haven't heard from Oceania about our formerly missing bag. One more thought (not that it will help you today). Do *not* pack "his" and "her" suitcases. Split your stuff between two suitcases so that if at least one suitcase shows up you can cope. This is what I do when we are traveling TO our destination, as well as always carrying on a 3-day supply of clothing just in case. However when going home I don't always follow that strategy depending on what else we need to fit in our bags (e.g. - we like to bring home local wines and need to distribute them for weight purposes).

My TA is traveling with us and has the same general number as everyone else.

We disembarked from Sirena today in Athens and one of our bags was missing. We think someone with a similar bag took ours in error. I completed the claim report with one of their reps but haven't heard anything yet and they didn't give me any contact information to follow up with them. We're in Athens for 1 more day, but I think Sirena sails out either tonight or tomorrow. I'm pretty desperate to find some way to follow up with them on this. Can anyone help me out with contact information other than their general number (which I have called but they can't help and when they forwarded me to the Customer Relations department I got their voice mail!!!!)

Well, I DID actually read our documents and it wasn't included in them, but thank you for kindly pointing that out.

Thank you. I was wondering if we'd be docked or tendered at Mykonos because I understand the tenders take you right into the old town section but if you are docked you need to shuttle in (or take the water taxi). Would be nice if they included that info on the itinerary in your final documents. (and yes, I know that status could change depending on what other ships are in port on a given day)

Is there some way to find out whether a port will be one at which we will be docked or anchored (thus tendering to shore)? I've been through all of the documents we've received for our Istanbul to Athens cruise and checked the web site but haven't successfully located this information. TIA.

Can someone explain simply for a neophyte? Hubby has purchased the premium package, I have not (I don't see me drinking $600 worth of booze/wine on a 10-day cruise). Are the advertised drink prices inclusive of the 20% gratuity?