jwindham

I just did a solo on the Sirena and I had requested sharing tables for all of my reservations made ahead of time. There was only one glitch and that was the first booked one. They had moved me to 6:00 but when I showed up they said they could not put me with others until 6:30 so I just went to the library and waited as I did not want to eat alone. On the other hand the 2 nights I went to the MDR I requested a table by myself as I was tired and just wanted to read. They will work with you however you wish. Have a great cruise. Julia

The only consistent I have seen is that usually on Transatlantic trips they have a formal bridge instructor and then play of duplicate or just regular in the afternoons. This is definitely on sea days but sometimes based on time in port can be another day too. They had that on the Marina both last spring going over to Europe and coming back in the late fall. Julia

On my first Oceania cruise which was on the Riviera we did a GTY cabin. Got the assignment just 5 days before the cruise and it was the one on Deck 11 that was right at the elevators (sorry 4 years ago so I do not remember the cabin number). When I saw that I was thinking OK, noise but worth the price. I soon realized that when we shut the door, no noise at all and as said above it was wonderful to get off the elevators and just go to the side with the phone and there was our room. 10 steps was about all it took to get there. You will be great. Julia

When you go into your booking just click on the tab for Other Options. If any are offered they will be shown there. Julia

I had a land tour last August before my Greek cruise and I got the best details from my TA who got them from the description she was sent by Oceania. Hopefully that will help you out. Julia

The two menus are like LaReserve but they are not those menus. How they are alike is they are a fixed menu, no choices. But no extra charge if you chose one of them for your group. Julia

I have done Privee twice since they started with the 4 menus. If you chose the new special 2 it is like going to La Reserve. It is a set menu and all in the room have that menu. Since there were no exceptions, or I was told that, then I have opted for everyone to chose with the menus from Polo and Toscana and the nice thing about that is you can get a mix from both menus and it is up to each person to chose what they want. Hope this helps. Julia

Just did this on my Greek cruise. I take my own air always but booked the hotel an extra night as I was doing the pre cruise tour through Oceania. There were 2 people at the airport to meet me, one the driver, and one the Oceania rep. They had a sign with my name on it when I came out of baggage claim. It was a nice car and driver. Should be the same for you. Julia

My friend I travel with is not fond of Red Ginger so I often get the butler to bring me my favorite soup to eat in the cabin before we go to the Main Dining Room or the Terrace. Julia

We were on the TA from Miami to Barcelona and it was technically 2 cruises. Crew was changing in Lisbon. We got a new butler and a new cabin assistant. Also in Barcelona some changed out. Julia

On our last two cruises, both on Riviera, we were allowed as many devices as we wanted on the free internet package so had both of our phones and my IPad often at the same time. But if you get the upgrade, which I did on the second portion of our cruise, then it is only one device at a time. Hope this helps. Julia

Not how many in the bag but the count, you get 20 items for free in your bag. Julia

I have never seen any movies outdoors. They are shown in the theater, or only have been there when I have been on the Riviera or Marina. They do have popcorn when they show a movie. Julia

I am on one of the cruises in the "missing" time frame. They have all been sold out since the were released. It took only 2 - 3 days. I look at the one I am on, British Isles, from time to time and no cabin has opened up. So my guess is they are not there because there is nothing available. Julia

On the December 3 cruise my sister had 2 cooking classes booked and when we boarded there was a letter in the cabin saying they had given her a full refund but she was still able to go to the demo. So you should expect a refund if you have paid for a cooking class. Julia

Not casual, probably the one place on the ship  you would see men in jackets. You can still dress country club casual but it is an event to many people so they dress a little better. The pool is outside and in front of this area and you cannot see the pool at all from inside of the restaurant. You are just next to the doors on the port side that lead to the elevators inside and the entrance to the Terrace. it is covered and is easily roped off for the start of the dinner. Enjoy. Julia

General start time is 7:00. You will have a drink on the covered deck outside of the dining room before going in for the main courses. They serve a couple of canapes with the first wine. They block off the area just outside of the dining room so other cannot walk through during this time. We have found that if we show up a bit early it is fine. Also as a rule (before Covid) when you sat at one of the 3 tables on the deck area that was the group you had when you moved into the dining room with it's 3 tables. Enjoy. Julia

4 hours ago, NYHartChapp said:

First time Oceania cruiser here and I also am a bit confused about the Blue Book...on all of our other cruises, I've been able to print out boarding passes, luggage tags, itinerary, specialty restaurant reservations, etc. directly from the cruise line's website.  That's not the case with Oceania?  We're on Riviera 12/3, less than a month out.

I am on this same cruise and you cannot do your on line check in until 21 days out. After you finish that you can print your boarding pass. That should be end of next week. 

As noted above you get email confirmations about specialty restaurants when you book them as well as emails for any excursions you might have booked ahead of time. I too am waiting for the Blue Book that should have my luggage tags but if it does not come will get some at the port from the porters. Easy and have done that before when we had a guaranty cabin so did not know what it was until 5 days before sailing. Look forward to seeing you on board. Julia

My friend and I travel together all of the time so want split beds. Often they are not done when we get on but all we do is mention it to the steward and when we return from dinner they are set. I hope  you and your mother have a great cruise Welcome to Oceania. Julia

I have stayed directly across from the elevators on the Riviera, the sister ship, and heard nothing. It was a GTY cabin and when I saw where it was I thought OK, noise. Not a peep. It was nice getting off and seeing your cabin to know which side to go towards as that can be confusing sometimes. You should be fine. Julia

My friend and I usually stay in a PH but on the longest cruise we did, the Panama Canal, we did a Concierge veranda, same size as a regular veranda. I told my friend at the end of the cruise that the cabin itself was no issue with size, we were both comfortable in it and we had several sea days and I was getting over chemo so did stay in the cabin a lot. But what I did not like was the lack of storage space. I know that you can put your luggage opened up under the bed and put things there that you will not use much but I still ended up with a small stack of sweaters and tops on the side of the sofa. 

I agree with the comment about the B2 extended verandas. We had a PH with one of those and loved the extra space. So my suggestion is if storage is not a big issue go with an extended balcony or the Concierge for the lounge and hot breakfast. Julia

Best behind the scenes tour I have ever had was the engine room on an RCCL ship. We had eaten at the captains table and my friend I travel with is an engineer and she asked it if was possible. Two days later we were contacted and were offered a personal tour. A security officer followed us as the head engineer took us below deck and showed us everything. We had to wear long sleeve shirts and closed toe shoes. But it was great. That just proved to me that it does not hurt to ask nicely. Julia

My friend and I have used it every time since they offered it as we are usually in PH suites. We mainly send underwear, T Shirts, and casual wear like shorts and slacks, nothing we would wear to dinner. We have loved it. Usually got it a day early (2 versus 3 days) and nicely folded. They do put slim stickers on the necks of things like T Shirts so you just have to peal them off but I found one this week on a T Shirt I have not worn in a while so obviously they are not a bother if left on. Julia

About a third or so. But she just does not need it so it helps her. Julia

My friend I travel with lives in the Florida Keys so often on a TA she ops only for the air to or from Europe. You do get some off if not using the Miami portion. Julia