gbp

What great memories he will have

I hope you all have a wonderful cruise & make many lasting memories (of the good kind )

 

Enjoy the cruise

 

Lyn

Thank you! I know this cruise will make our 25th anniversary even more special. I was fortunate to have parents who instilled in me a love for travel. It's great for my wife and I to see our son also enjoying the thrill of visiting new places.

Again, as long as you are sailing with your children during the summer or school break, most people do not have a problem when a few children are on board. It is when many of us avoid school holidays and pay a lot of money to have an adults-orientated vacation and then someone takes their kids out of school that I see a problem.

I'm not sure why you apparently assume that parents are pulling their children out of school to go on a cruise. For rxample, different schools have different vacation and holiday schedules, there are year-round schools as well as those on a more traditional schedule.

This summer we have to fly and fully expect to see tons of children at the airport, in the airplane and everywhere else. It is my choice to fly when school is out and, IMO, I have no right to expect children to be quiet, polite or civil. This is their vacation time and I respect it. It would be nice to see the respect be mutual!

I'm not sure what you are saying here... Is it disrepectful for parents to take their kids on cruises during times you don't expect to see children on cruises? As for the rest, kids will be kids, but you've every right to expect kids to be polite and civil.

We did a 3 week cruise a couple of years ago with only one child on the ship. He was about 7 and was really trying to behave. I noticed that no one would sit near them at dinner or when they were by the pool. The only people I saw that were nice to the family were crew members. The last week of the cruise, this sweet child could probably not take it anymore and went down a long hallway - running and screaming at the top of his lungs. I certainly do not blame the child but wonder what his parents were thinking!

It sounds like the behavior of the passengers was awful. Maybe the kid couldn't take the cruelty any longer. I'd guess his parents were thinking that their fellow passengers would treat them and their child with common decency.

In terms of shy or introverted teens, I would want my child to at least have the opportunity to spend some time with others of their age. Sitting and reading and/or playing games all the time does not sound particularly healthy - either from a physical or mental standpoint.

You are certainly entitled to your opinions about "shy or introverted teens", how parents should provide for them, and what is healthy or unhealthy for them when cruising and I'm sure your remarks stem from concern about them. I can assure you that the welfare of our son is very important to us and that we factor that in when making vacation plans. We wouldn't bring him on our upcoming cruise if we felt he wouldn't enjoy it or if we thought his behavior would negatively affect other passengers.

I have a very introverted dd. Her dream vacation would to be left alone, anywhere, to read or play her Nintendo DS, coupled with some travel and good food. So in that case, why can't the parents be on a ship THEY enjoy, if the kid is happy (and not bothering anyone) on any ship. My kids love to travel. The appeal is not the kids clubs, but the ports and culture.

 

Just my 2 cents. All kids, and all parents, are not alike.

Sounds a lot like my son! Also introverted, a reader, and a Nintendo fan. :)

Flying is great for spending time in one area. A cruise, where your accommodations travel with you, is a better way to experience multiple places with a minimum amount of hassle.

Seeing Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Munich, Helsinki, Copenhagen, on a 10-day cruise will be amazing. We are staying a couple of extra nights pre and post-cruise in Stockholm and Copenhagen, respectively.

I wasn't ready for cruising until I was out of my 40's. I cannot imagine what we would have done on Oceania (or any ship) before then - definitely not enough activity for me and few people actually look forward to overeating on the ship (except for the few special items that are pricey to get elsewhere).

 

I cannot imagine why some young people or parents want to pay more money for a smaller ship with little to do when they can pay less - go on a large beautiful ship with tons of things to do and see. Taking children for a cultural experience abroad is a lot more fun that being stuck on a ship (JMHO)

It sounds like you are equating a cruise with a number of sea days with one that spends almost all of its days at a port and where the majority of sailing time is at night. There's a big difference between the two!

...who is on a ship that really doesn't want children on board. Why would you want to do that to them?

 

I so often read these questions from folks who want to share the experience THEY enjoy on Crystal or Seabourn or Azamara or Oceania with their grandchildren, & wonder why they haven't considered whether their grandchild would in any way enjoy such an experience....of course they wouldn't enjoy it at all.

 

I'm 64 & feel younger than springtime on Oceania. What do you think an 18 year old would think about being invited to spend a week, 10 days, two weeks - in what amounts to an over-55/70 community? It is an experience WE love, but not so much for grandchildren.

 

If you REALLY love the grandkids take 'em to Harry Potter World (I have a secret desire to do this & will kidnap your child as a cover...) or Disney (ditto!). No kids or grandkids here & I was kidding about taking yours on btw!

Respectfully, again, it depends on the kids and the itinerary. Our 6-year-old went with us on a Regent Alaskan cruise. That had a children's program he enjoyed, but made limited use of, given the port-intensive itinerary.

When he was 11, we took him on a "tulip time" river cruise that visited the Netherlands and Belgium. He was the only child on the ship, but again, given the port-intensive itinerary, there was plenty to do off the ship. That same year, we were again sailed Regent on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise that included Turkey, Greece, and Israel. He spent some in the children's program, but didn't care for it all that much.

At times, I'm sure he was bored, but who isn't? The point was that he enjoyed the cruises and the ports we visited. It wasn't difficult to find things he wanted to do, activities my wife and I wanted to do, and figure out ways to blend the two.

I don't recall passengers reacting with hostility or disdain towards him; perhaps they kept their negative emotions to themselves. :)

He's 16 now, and he is looking forward to his first Oceania cruise and our first visit to the Baltics.

As posted above, "rude" or "obnoxious" adults can easily be dealt with by ship officers. The same cannot be said of children (short of debarking the passengers with unruly children at the next port).

Assuming a given cruise line has a code of conduct that places the responsibility of misbehaving children on their parents and has clear procedures in place to enforce said policy, and actually trains staff to enforce that policy, then I'd think debarking the parents and their kids at the next port is a final option to solve violations of the policy, not the first option.

Inappropriate behavior by anyone shouldn't be tolerated and should be reported to the appropriate personnel. If the problem continues, then the complaint should be escalated. Misbehavior that comprises the safety of passengers is vital to address. Violations of rules of conduct that don't involve safety, but interfere with enjoyment of a cruise are obviously important to address, too.

 

It wouldn't be wrong, if the people who brought that occasional child along could be depended upon to maintain a courteous atmosphere between that child and the rest of the passengers.

 

Sadly, we cannot count on sailing with that caliber of parent, therefore, with an investment often reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars at stake.....

 

Well, you get the picture ;)

Completely agree. And the reason is that parents who choose to bring kids on inappropriate cruise lines are much more interested in their own needs than those of their kids so they are less prone to look after them onboard.

I agree with this part: parents shouldn't bring their kids on non-family-oriented cruises unless they ensure their kids behave properly. To think there's no such thing as polite, respectful children, as some here apparently do, is simply incorrect.

Having a few kids on a luxury cruise isn't necessarily the same thing as having a lot of kids on a cruise that caters to that demographic. Admittedly a guess on my part, but the chances (I hope very low in any event) are that one is much likelier to run into an obnoxious, rude adult on an Oceania cruise than a child with similar qualities.

Despite all this, I agree that if one is looking for a cruise with a children's program, Oceania might not be the best choice -- unless the details for a given O cruise contradict that.

Having kids on Oceania (or any of the luxury lines) is like Disney trying to sell am adults only cruise. It's just plain wrong!

RSSC has a good kids program. Our son participated when he was 7 and 11 years-old. The orogram counsellors emphasized creativity, crafts, and games (not video games).

I'm not sure why it's wrong to have some kids on a luxury cruise. The pricing, many of the itineraries (and their lengths), and the school year itself means there are plenty of luxury cruises with little or no children on them.

It looks like I need to correct my above post. Alaska cruises offer a kids program. I just received an e-mail that includes the following.:

ALASKA EXPLORER YOUTH PROGRAM

For guests who travel with children ages 5 to 12, our Alaska Explorer Youth Program offers the opportunity for everyone to join in the excitement of exploration.

I sure hope not. Kids' programs bring kids and kids do not belong on Oceania.

It depends on the kids and the cruise itinerary. I don't think the mere presence of children causes problems. Oceania doesn't seem to offer a children's program (at least as a rule) and doesn't seem to market towards passengers with kids, so it's unlikely that many kids would be on a given Oceania cruise.

@travelglobetrotter:

"on our Fortresses and Fjords cruise in June/July. Murmansk, Solovetsky Islands (overnight) and Archangel. We're probably looking at O tours because of the visa issue. If you've been there, what do you think of the ports, and if you've taken an O tour, which one, and did you find it worthwhile? Thanks for any help. Marlene"

If these ports are similar to St Petersburg, you could probably find a local licensed tour company that would include the Russian visa with the tour(s) you take with them. You aren't necessarily limited to O tours. You can check on CruiseCritic or other forums, such as TripAdvisor for more details and reviews of tour companies that offer tours at a given port.

Reportedly, O tours can be much more expensive than independently making your own tour arrangements.

I've seen testimonials on at least one SPB tour web site that appear to have resulted from the tour operator prompting or reminding the customer to publish their review. I've been asked to do the same by private tour companies or guides and even local businesses that compete with other businesses for customers.

As long as the request is neither high pressure nor attempting to offer me anything in exchange for a good review, I've no problem with it. I believe most of the low-digit posters here and on sites like TripAdvisor were simply asked to provide reviews if thy liked the tour/guide.

As someone else said, I'm more interested in the usefulness of the review than whether the viewer initiated it on their own or subsequent to a request to do so. I don't pay much attention to reviews that praise or criticize, but don't provide what seems like credible information to support their opinion. It doesn't matter how many posts the person has.

And congratulations for getting caught up! Your travelogue writing, combining facts, personal experience and reflection is informative and a joy to read. The thought of the day is a nice finale for your posts. I look forward to your future entries!

We had only made our deposit and they still did not offer a full refund. We got the letter about holding $500 ($250 each) of my deposit as credit towards a new cruise to commence before Dec. 31, 2016. I just don't think it's too much to ask to refund my $500. There isn't another Oceania cruise that works for us this year.

If you can get a redacted copy of a letter promising s full refund, perhaps you can submit that to Oceania and say you wish to be treated the same as other cruisers in your situation. If that appeal doesn't work, other strategies include escalating the request (the higher, the better, IMO), using social media, e.g. Oceania's Facebook and/or Twitter pages' to post comments (in the vein of "I really like Oceania, but"), and finally, lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

There are no guarantees any of this would work, but if Oceania is smart, they will accommodate you. No guarantees on that, either. :)

They did not add --

 

 

• If you did not book with O -- any airline change fees on your account
  
• Any costs to get you to back to Istanbul to continue with your original plans are on your account
  
• Any non refundable tours you made for Istanbul -- sorry they were not booked by us.
  
• We are happy to refund your money -- because your cruise is oversold and we would not have to offer any buyouts.
  

I think you just provided the rationale for booking air and shore excursions through Oceania, despite their often higher prices. :)

OTOH, perhaps travel insurance with a change of itinerary benefit would provide some financial protection against this type of mishap. I plan to ask my travel agent about this.

ETA: If you want to cancel the entire cruise even though Oceania is still offering it, the change of itinerary benefit might not help much.

Many thanks got all the helpful advice! Although the Marina cruise is more expensive than the Silhouette cruise, especially if we wanted a couple of days pre and post-cruise in Stockholm and Copenhagen respectively, the added Riga and Klaipeda ports are tempting.

Since we are celebrating our 25th anniversary, I want the cruise to be special, yet more affordable than an all-inclusive luxury line such as Regent, where the fares reflect amenities such as shore excursions that we would do on our own.

I'm still wavering between Celebrity (Sky Suite S2 on Silhouette) and Oceania (PH2 on Marina) for our upcoming Baltic cruise. We've sailed on both RSSC (Mariner) and Celebrity (Solstice - verandah cabin) and like both for different reasons.

Both Baltic cruises have 3 days in St Petersburg, but Silhouette has overnights in Stockhom (embarkation port) and Copenhagen. Marina adds Riga, Latvia and Klaipeda, Lithuania. Marina has one sea day, Silhouette has two sea days. Regardless of the cruise, we will probably do independent private tours, in part because of my hearing disability. Ideally, the tours would include hearing aid-compatible headsets.

If the Marina would indeed have Culinary Center lessons during the cruise, I know my wife would really enjoy those. She'd also like lessons at the Artist's Loft. I don't know much about Celebrity's Top Chef-related activities. My wife is a big fan of the show. From what I've read, the food on Oceania is excellent, and it's great that the specialty restaurants are included. On the other hand, I've heard good things about Luminae on Celebrity. As suite customers, we could also eat at Blu, depending on availability.

Decisions, decisions... :)

The executive lounge is a large room where you can grab a snack or a coffee or read the paper or use the one computer there (if you have an Internet package).

It is not a big deal. There is a similar lounge for concierge class

 

Michaels club is a large space with deep seating with snacks complimentary alcohol and other drinks and where there is entertainment at cocktail hour. It is only for suite passengers and many people socialize and have drinks there

Thanks for the details!

Executive lounge is nothing like Michaels club...

Could you please elaborate on the differences between Michael's Club and the Executive Lounge? Thanks!

A comped dinner as a token gesture because the OP didn't plan ahead, sorry that makes no sense to me. I am certain that there were others on the ship that are Elite or Elite+ who showed up on time and are celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary. If they want to celebrate in Murano they pay but you feel the OP should be comped:eek:

 

The OPs loyalty is rewarded- Elite cocktail hour & breakfast, Internet minutes, laundry, etc

IMO, Celebrity doing something extra for a milestone event, such as a birthday, anniversary, etc is simply good business. Celebrity can scale it based on the passenger's cruise history with them. It's this type of extra effort that can increase cruise line loyalty.

For similar reasons, Celebrity could have made a token gesture to the couple who arrived too late to board the ship. Even just a sympathetic note from the Captain might have softened the blow somewhat.

In a way, Celebrity did drop the ball on this, whether or not the token gesture would have caused the OP to remain a Celebrity customer. The OP made a mistake in judgment and literally paid for it. I'd still like to know what happened during the phone call to Celebrity's emergency line.

I don't know if the OP's story is legitimate, but assuming so, while OP was responsible for their situation, I can empathize with the frustration they must have felt.

...as we're considering the June 19th Silhouette Baltics cruise. We are deciding between this cruise and one on the Oceania Marina, departing on July 3rd. It's our first time in the Baltics and Scandinavia, and a tough choice between cruise lines!

ETA: For us, the primary reason the Baltic cruise is so compelling is St. Petersburg!

I can't see the issue here, you didn't arrive in time and were left. Oh and Welcome to Cruise Critic though I don't expect you will like what you are about to read! LOL

Sorry to hear about your situation, OP. Although it wasn't Celebrity's fault for your late arrival, it would have been nice if they had a token gesture of sympathy at least, perhaps a complimentary bottle of wine or dessert...

I'm curious, though. You (OP) said you called the "emergency line", advising them you'd arrive between 3:30pm and 3:45pm. Whom did you speak with and what did they say?

Since I wasn't able to edit my post quickly enough (20 minute deadline), here is the complete version:

Try:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/cruise-restaurants-murano#

Select "Cost" and a pop-up window should state the per person amount. For example, Murano shows as $50pp. Select "View Restaurant Directory" to see other restaurant per person prices:

Bistro on Five: $10 - Constellation, Summit, Infinity, Millennium, Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, Reflection - Meals Served: All

Blu: Included for AquaClass guests; for Suite guests, based on availability - Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, Reflection, Infinity, Summit, Millennium, Constellation - B, D

Lawn Club Grill: $45 - Silhouette, Reflection - Varies

Luminae: Included for Suite Class guests - Eclipse, Equinox, Silhouette, Solstice, Reflection, Constellation, Infinity, Millennium, Summit - B, L, D

Murano: $50 - Eclipse, Solstice, Silhouette, Equinox, Reflection - D

Ocean Liners: $50 - Constellation - D

Qsine: $45 - Eclipse, Infinity, Silhouette, Summit, Millennium, Reflection - D

Silk Harvest: $35 - Solstice, Equinox - D

The Normandie: $50 - Summit - D

The Olympic: $50 - Millennium - D

The Porch: $25 - Sihouette, Reflection - L, D

Tuscan Grille: $45 - Eclipse, Solstice, Silhouette, Constellation, Equinox, Reflection - L, D

Try:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/cruise-restaurants-murano#

Select "Cost" and a pop-up window should state the per person amount. For example, Mutano shows as $50pp. Select "View Restaurant Directory" to see other restaurant per person prices:

Lawn Club Grill: $45