Hanoverian

Based on our experience on Vista in March, we agree with both of your points, Linda. However, we were in 11069 and I would describe the deck noise from above as a bit louder than you described but I chalk that up to different room locations on deck 11. Neither problem would make us hesitate to sail on Vista again. Far more troubling to me was the lack of coffee and light morning snacks in Horizon. I do love to sit, sip, and try to wake up in the mornings while looking out over the waves.

Also consider the following. Welcome - Making travel easy, friendly, personal (welcomepickups.com)

We were on a good post-cruise around Bridgetown after our Moon TA from Lisbon last November. The tour included a visit to a nature center and a very good lunch at a local restaurant. The guide was accommodating and informative. We arrived at the airport in sufficient time to catch our flight back to MIA. All of it went down without any problems from finding the bus after disembarking to arriving at the airport. I do approach such post-cruise tours like any other ship's excursion, just hope that Slversea or whatever line has properly vetted the tour company and thoroughly relayed everyone's expectations.

As reported by "Cruise Industry News" Silver Nova Delivered to Silversea - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News Very exciting!

Nice review, Pinot. We are on Vista next April but did see a video about the PHs, and our reaction to seeing no walk-in closet was the same as yours. Do you have any comments on the bathrooms, size of the shower, for instance, and possibly a foot rest?

I have to agree with the OP, I have always thought that Oceania could do much, much, better in the cookie department. Certainly a far cry from what is available at Seabourn Square or the Arts Cafe on Silversea. I am betting that BarbaraM is correct as to why this is so. But, our complaints over the years have fallen on deaf ears. There are days when I would have been happy just to find a bag of Oreos on the counter.

We did this several years ago. We got off in Porto and re-joined the ship in Lisbon the following day. All that Oceania asked when we floated the idea in front of them before the cruise was to be absolutely sure that the reception desk people were fully informed of our plans at least several days in advance. They also asked that we gave the ship phone numbers and hotel names and our mobile phone numbers so that it could get in touch with us in the event of some unforeseen event, either on our part or theirs. Informing just your room attendants is not enough. Ship management needs to be fully informed.

At the end of our around-South America cruise in 2019, and before beginning a three day land tour, we stayed at the Sheraton Miramar Hotel & Convention Center, Viña del Marr. Very nice hotel with a fabulous outdoor patio and bar overlooking the sea shore. The patio was a great place to sip a Chilean Pisco Sour or three and watch the waves break on shore. Good restaurant, as well.

I wonder if Oceania is thinking of persuading Giada to become its next celebrity chef?

This sounds like it is going to be quite the event. I wish that we could go to one of these ceremonies. Giada De Laurentiis, Harry Connick to usher in Oceania Cruises' Vista (seatrade-cruise.com)

In 2019, we stayed at the Santa Teresa Hotel RJ - MGallery in the Santa Teresa neighborhood, which is a bit artsy and hilly. Great views from the hotel on high, very nice pool, and a most excellent on-site restaurant for dinner and breakfast. It is not in the typical tourist hotel area such as the Hilton Copacabana is, so best to consult a map to understand where it is in the city. If flying into to Rio early in the day, consider hiring a car service such as Blacklane to take you to whatever hotel you choose as morning rush hour in Rio makes the L.A. rush look amateurish.

pino, following up on our meeting on Sirena last fall, any way to get in touch with you without giving away family secrets?

Here is an article of some interest from "Seatrade Cruise News". I do not know anything more than what is in this article and leave it up to y'all to interpret it as you see it. https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/jan-swartz-holland-america-groups-restructuring

Disembarkation seems to be the Achilles' heel of all cruise lines. Last fall, we disembarked Sirena in Lisbon, spent five days in Cascais, and then took the Silversea "Silver Moon" on a TA to Bridgetown. I do not remember any particular problems disembarking Sirena. However, despite a marvelous time on the Silver Moon TA, disembarkation in Bridgetown was a nightmare. All for the usual reasons that have been cited: no one from the cruise line in charge; no signage; very few line employees in the terminal; and luggage misplaced by the port handlers. In addition, we were on a ship's excursion for those with flights later in the day but we could not find two of our bags in the terminal which the Luggage Forward guy was waiting for outside. A Silversea employee with a clipboard was screaming that we were holding up the excursion, did we want to cancel our reservation, but offering zero help to find the missing bags. Finally, the terminal porter saw them all by themselves for some unknown reason, leaning up against a wall thirty feet away from all the other bags. We quickly sorted it all out and got on the excursion bus after a twenty minute delay. Why cruise lines refuse to do anything to bring some order and discipline to disembarkation is a mystery to us and something that we have encountered about 50% of the time since our first cruise in 2006. It is a terrible and unnecessarily frustrating way to end a good cruise. I would say that it is best to assume that it is an industry norm and a problem that one should always be prepared for, not just on Oceania.

I am with Kate-AHF, literally and legally! Am looking forward to it.

Exactly. If you need help with the web site, call them during the week. They have been helpful in the past. Keep 'em straight down there in Salem.

If it helps, we are on Sirena, "Whimsical Europe", sailing from Portsmouth, England, on September 17. We received our Blue Book and tags on August 19. We also are using Luggage Forward as we have in the past, but have always gone ahead and contracted with them on the internet when it suited us. No reason to wait for the Blue Book to do so. You will need some information from your reservation with Oceania, such as your suite number, but you can always get what you need from your invoice or your TA.

Oceania rejected my request to bring two adult visitors on ship in October of this year. "Health and safety" were given as the reasons for the denial. Actually does not make much sense in light of the new policies re COVID, but that's where things stand.

We received a massive, 236 page, compendium from Regent the other day. We have never sailed on Regent but did cancel a cruise with them early in the pandemic, which I guess gave Regent a foot in the door. We are booked through 2023 on Oceania and Silversea, so I guess that the Regent publication becomes a door stop or something. What a waste of trees.

It took about a week, but I received a reply from the Special Services Department via a corporate cruise specialist about bringing two friends aboard Sirena in Portsmouth for a tour and breakfast in October. Per the reply, "Unfortunately It will not be possible due to Current Protocols that are in place for the Ship." I will most likely wait until actually aboard Sirena to again ask for permission.

This has nothing to do with any policy reversal or new decisions by Oceania or the CDC. Canada and Greece still require negative test results when embarking from their ports. Oceania, and the entire cruise industry, is simply complying with their requirements.

Gracie115, we did the Marina South America cruise, December 2019-January 2020, and it absolutely was one of our favorite cruises ever. I can only echo everything that mauibabes said. I do want to note one thing for you to consider. South America is not Europe in the sense that all ports are tourist ready. Tourism is not that big of an industry yet in some countries, so do not always expect cafes along the waterside or high end shopping areas. Most small ports that specialize in cargo operations are often gateways to beautiful national parks or areas and towns of interest further inland. Do some internet research while you have the time and look for private guides that can take you beyond the pier. For instance, a Puerto Montt stop gives you access to the Osorno Volcano, the lakeside town of Puerto Varas, and the Alerce Andino National Park. We had a guide that managed to squeeze all three into one day. We found these to be a bit more interesting than Puerto Montt itself. But, again, I cannot say too much about how beautiful South America is, how well the people treated us, how cosmopolitan it can be in the bigger cities, and how the peasant-in-a-donkey cart image that we sometimes have of South America is so wrong. Good luck, I hope that you decide to do it. It will be a grand experience.

Thanks, babysteps and ronrick1943, we will give this a go next week after all in the front office have had time to get over the holiday weekend. I will report back.

We are on Sirena, "Vintages of Royalty", this fall, and would love to have friends from Yorkshire come aboard when we are in Portsmouth on October 11. The plan would be to have breakfast, and take a quick ship tour. and then head off for the day's adventures. FAQs on the Oceania web site says that visitors are not allowed. Regardless of FAQs, has anyone ever successfully asked for permission to bring guests aboard any Oceania ship?

And now "Seatrade Cruise News" claims that this may not be a done deal. Or maybe there is some aspect of the deal process that prohibits a public announcement at this particular time. https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/expedition-cruising/silversea-cannot-confirm-if-its-acquiring-crystal-endeavor