MEFIowa

Relying on my MBA, I keep in mind that there is no such thing as a free lunch and there are choices & opportunity costs. So... I bring on board my 6 bottles of wine. That I paid pittance for but enjoy. And I buy beer, wine and hard liquor in ports at the least expensive places and bring them back on board. Plus I book my excursions in advance direct with the excursion. And I'll find good airfare on my own, with no shortage of sites willing to help me do that constantly searching. I bet that when I compare what I actually spent for the things you're paying for, I'm spending less. Wanna bet? I think I paid less than $60 for all my wine, beer, and hard liquor on my 12/13-23/21 cruise. And I drank every night. Plus, I brought some back home. But then I paid $1 for a beer & $5 for small bottle of rum in Belize City. And less than $10 for Cana and Tequila in Mexico.

Wife and I were on Riviera 12/13-23/21, W. Caribbean. IIRC, we had about 719 passengers and 779 crew. We were pampered if we wanted to be. But you did pay attention to the signs that said, for example, when the concierge would be in the Concierge Lounge.

What exactly is "too good to be true"? The OLife choices are essentially pre-paying in advance to get what you paid for at an inflated price. What, for example, does the beverage package actually get you? They aren't giving you FREE drinks. Or FREE excursions. When you see how much it costs you and what you get, I'll stick to "Cruise Only" fare at sales prices (e.g., Presidents' or Memorial).

From the 12/13-23/21 Riviera cruise in the W. Caribbean, rather laid back, limited and sedate. Keep in mind what is "night life". Thus, our comic did two shows. The first, 12/16, was at 1730! The second, 12/20, was at 2130. Wife and I went to the 2nd. But I was curious about the 1st so I waited outside the doors at 1830 that evening. A mad rush to get to the restaurants that open at 1830.

In Belize City wife and I enjoyed Martha's Cafe in December 2021 (off Oceania Riviera). It is vegan/vegetarian, but has a nice view, is close, and the staff were friendly. We enjoyed the lunch and beers on a hot Sunday midday. Martha's Cafe - Harbour View Boutique Hotel & Yoga Retreat, Belize (harbourviewbelize.com)

The Sale was just a simple one for wife & I on our 11/9-19/2023 Riviera cruise, turning a C Deluxe Outside into a B4 Veranda for the same $2249. [The B1-2-3 were then all priced together at $2,899.] So saved us $650 per to get the Veranda upgrade.

"Debuting in December 2022 and November 2023 respectively, the Riviera and Marina will become better-than-new ships, the company said, with all new suites and staterooms and updated public spaces. ... The company said that the Riviera's and Marina's suites and staterooms will be reimagined to provide a radiant and "even more decadent degree of lavish residential comfort while leaving no surface untouched, no design detail wanting. Lighter, brighter, and even more spacious, every suite and stateroom onboard will glow from a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall re-inspiration." Among public space updates, the company said that the convivial lounges, tony bars, and decadent dining venues will be gracious beneficiaries of a blissfully elegant restyling, elevating social and epicurean interludes to new heights of congenial sophistication. The Grand Dining Room will be even grander and more opulent with plush new carpets underfoot and lustrous, leather-covered armchairs creating an indulgently comfortable setting for a lavish evening of dining." " Oceania Announces Big Refits for Riviera and Marina - Cruise Industry News