Lovesatq

Just heard on Don's Family Vacations Utube channel that all of NCL is returning to the old muster drills.  Hope this isn't true.

I was checking out the Siena deck plans and was only able to see one laundry room on deck 7 indicated. Can someone whose been on the Siena tell me if that is correct. Having a hard time believing only one laundry room. I would expect there to be one on each passenger deck. We prefer using the laundry service but if you need a quick ironing it's nice to have one close by.

Happened to us on our last Oceania cruise on Marina and it wasn't a problem at all. The nice part was the room was a lot larger then the standard size for the category. I was concerned at first but was told if a passenger needed the handicap room we would be upgraded to another cabin. Didn't happen and we enjoyed having the additional space and the bathroom wasn't an issue for us.

My husband, adult daughter, and I will be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel on Moorea post cruise for a couple of nights and I was wondering about activities. My problem is while we enjoy the sun, I have to be careful and not overdue and my daughter has a medical condition that pretty much eliminates many of the water activities except using the pool or beach. Does anyone have any suggestions for tours?

Thanks for the suggestions. Decided to go ahead and book the International in Moorea since so many seem to prefer it over Papeete. Requested an early check-in but know that you can't count on that. We'll bring our beach attire and just hang until we can check in. Fortunately, it's only an eight hour flight for us since we live in California and if we can sleep on the plane we should be in pretty good shape.

We're booked on the Oceania cruise in May Papeete to Los Angles and plan on a two night pre-cruise stay. My question is our flight arrives at 5:00 am. and we're staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Papeete so what do most people do with such an early morning arrival. Appears that the majority of flights have same early arrival times. Just curious how others have filled the time until check-in.

Totally with you on that G/T before dinner. Last cruise I called my TA and had them request diet tonic water for our room. Brought on a bottle of gin and I was set. I don't remember the brand of tonic but it was very good. It amazes me the difference in taste from one brand to another. I'll never purchase generic store brands again.

I'm also a huge believer in travel insurance. Unfortunately, we've had to cancel a couple of cruises because of personal and family medical issues. In both cases we were made whole using Travel Guard. I now purchase just the health/emergency evac insurance on land trips and use my United Club Card for the other expenses. I'm traveling to Italy next month for a wedding with my daughter and her husband and even though they're young I purchased medical for them for about $30 each for a week. Worth every cent knowing they won't be saddled with medical bills if either one gets sick or breaks a leg.

I don't call the O Life excursions "free" but think of them as "included". We booked a cruise for next year under the O Life program and figured it out that we're still coming slightly ahead when you add the gratuities and internet to the package. When you're looking at the list of excursions, remember the ones under the program do not include OC or OE which limits your choices in some ports. I left Regents because of the included excursions but figure on a 10 day cruise with four excursions included, we still have ports for DIY tours. We'll see how it goes.

At this point of my cruising career, ports dictate which line I'm going to consider for excursions, Oceania or Regents. For instance, our last cruise Oceania stopped at many ports that you could walked off the ship and easily have a DIY day with some private tours for sights further out. However, we're now looking at a Med cruise and that's not the case along with the language barrier could be an issue so we're considering Regents because of the included excursions. An example of private vs Oceania excursion was the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. We paid, I believe about 55 pounds per person vs. $300 if we took the Oceania offering. You really need to look at each port and decide what makes sense for you plus your comfort level. My brother won't under any circumstances take a private tour because he knows the ship won't wait for them if there's a problem and the the bus is late. I figure if by the very off chance there is a problem we probably could get to the next port on our own to meet the ship at the next port.

We used Smith's for Airports from Southampton to our B&B in London. Couldn't of been happier with their service. Our driver stopped half way to London so we could use the restrooms and grab a cup of coffee which was greatly appreciated. Trip takes about 2 hours. We'll be using them again for sure based on our recent experience.

Just returned from a post-cruise visit to London and had to let those of you who don't know about 20 Fenchurch St. Building (the one that looks like a walkie-talkie) about their Sky Garden.

If you want views, skip paying for the London Eye and go online and get a free ticket for the Sky Garden. The views are fabulous and so much better then the Eye plus they have a restaurant and coffee shop at the top. Here is the website for tickets:

https://skygardentickets.com/skygardenpublic_ui/events/

ChatKat

I totally agree with you. Our first cruise was with Celebrity for our 25th anniversary to Alaska. Maybe because it was our first and we got upgraded to a suite but when I think about cruising, my mind goes back to that very first one. I also live in CA so have experienced Princess (sailing out of SF is only a short drive) and have fond memories there too. However, at this stage of my life, I love smaller ships with less crowds and excellent service. . In a couple of weeks, I'll be experiencing my first Oceania cruise and can't wait.

Great tool to have is the an IPhone App called Tube Guide. Let's you know about closures, delays, elevator problems etc. Plus what I like is you can put in where you want to go to and the app will let you know what stations to take and travel time.

I tell my friends, if you only cruise once in your life, it has to be Alaska. I've done it twice (Celebrity & Princess) sailing out of San Francisco. If the ship, service, and food is what is important to you, the winner is Celebrity over Princess. However, sailing into Glacier Bay was the highlight of our cruise and probably would book Princess again just for that factor. If Oceania could get licensed to enter, I would jump on it immediately. Good luck with your choice.

My daughter and I both needlepoint and the kits are getting harder and harder to find in stores. It's a shame because we use to have several great shops. Suggest you check online. Good luck in your search.

I highly recommend Hummingbird Cars. Reasonably priced and excellent service. Driver met us at LHR with sign, helped with luggage, and drove us directly to our London B&B. On our return trip, driver was parked in front a good 20 minutes before scheduled. We've used them twice now and plan on again next June.

I have the United's MilesPlus Club card and here is my experience using their insurance coverage. Airfare was booked using the card for a SFO to LHR flight last May. Unfortunately, we had to cancel due to a family illness and I submitted a claim for airfare and hotel deposit. Here is the thing to remember that when you cancel. United allows you a credit for a year to rebook (with fee) another flight. I didn't want to use the credit since I had already booked using FF miles for our cruise in May, 2015. I was advised that I needed to wait until this November (one year from original booking of cancelled flight) and resubmit my claim and I should receive full reimbursement. I was told by the insurance representative if I decide for some reason to go ahead and use the United credit within the year, they would cover all fees. Keeping my fingers crossed I was advised correctly.

Yes our nonrefundable hotel deposit is included in our claim. In our case, we could of been out the $3500 if we didn't book another international flight before this November. Prior to cancelling our trip, I already scheduled another flight for our cruise next year using FF miles. I would much rather have the monies refunded back to me then a credit with an expiration date. Happy Chase added this benefit but will continue to purchase trip insurance since the cost of an O cruise is well beyond the $10K limit.

Interesting tread because I'm going through the claim process with United Miles Plus Club Credit Card right now. Unfortunately, a trip to London had to be canceled because of a family illness (not cruise related). We had nonrefundable airline tickets and hotel. We are going to be refunded for the airline tickets but need to wait until a year has passed from the airline booking date if we want a full refund. This is because United offers a credit for a future flight, minus $300, if we book another flight within a year of orginal booking. We have to wait until the offer has expired and then resubmit our claim. I was told if we do decided to use the United credit, the insurance company (Crawford) will reimburse us the $300 charge. I've been impressed with my dealings with the insurance company so far. If it wasn't for this benefit on our card, we would of been out $3500.

I highly recommend Hummingbird Cars. Very reliable and pricing is reasonable. We've used them twice now and very happy with them. Plan on booking again for next year's cruise.

I'm not very happy with my TA right now. My DH and I wanted an Ocean View room on Marina for a 2015 cruise. She came back to us stating that only one was available and we jumped on it and booked. Later I was looking at the deck plans and noticed it was a HC cabin. Called TA and she explained that if a HC passenger needed the room, we would be transferred which is only right. My big problem with TA is that she didn't explain all this upfront before we booked and don't understand why Oceania allowed the booking in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, we're really booked for a OV GTY cabin and most likely will be transferred. Looking for a new TA for future cruises.

My husband and I always purchase travel/cruise insurance especially since we've had to use it twice. Once because of medical issues and the other my mother's health. Since our health insurance won't cover us internationally, we also purchase just medical/evacuation insurance on independent trips. The cost for just medical is minor and well worth our piece of mind. It's one of those things that you hope you won't have to use it but comforting that it's there when you do.

Having global service while in Europe is the way to go. Last August while in London we had an early morning flight out of LHR that was delayed by 7 hours. We were informed about the delay and able to get some extra sleep. Without the phone we would of been stuck at the airport all that time. Also, make sure you have text ability. I have AT&T and that was an extra cost but worth it to keep in touch with home.

We stay at a lovely very affordable B&B called Captain Bligh House on Lambeth Road but three people would have to book two rooms. Across the street is Days Hotel Waterloo which is very reasonable priced. You're only a five minute walk to the Lambeth North Tube station and 10 minute walk to the London Eye. Imperial War Museum is just down the street. Highly recommend the area. Good luck with your booking.