susiesan

10 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

You might want to check out Tuesday's fatal attack of tourists and their guide at Queen Elizabeth National Park. What has been reported does not indicate that the LGBTQ issue had anything to do with it.

I just saw the article about this on TripAdvisor. I have contacted the TA who is getting in touch with the local operator. I have 3 months to think about this. The only deposit I have made so far I have pays for the gorilla trek permits which are not refundable.My airline tickets are awards so they can be cancelled and the miles re deposited at no charge. If it is still unsafe at Queen Elizabeth NP in January, where we are scheduled to be for 2 nights, I'm sure the safer operator will go somewhere else in Uganda.

11 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Uganda is “level 3…reconsider travel” according to the same body in the govt. 
 

 

I know that. I am going to be on a private safari with a local ground operator. There will be 4 of us traveling together, we will not be wandering around anywhere without our guide. A large reason for the warning is Uganda's stance on LGBTQ issues.

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Turkey may also become prohibitive. 

See my post 134. There are travel/security warnings for Turkey.

I'm glad my next vacation in January is not a cruise, it is a safari in Uganda.

2 hours ago, clojacks said:

Well, the US just did this....

 

Worldwide Caution: Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State

@StateDept

advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. More at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/worldwide-caution.html

The US State Dept. puts this kind of generic vague warning out all the time. I have seen this warning come and go over the years. It is actually common sense when traveling internationally. For those on this itinerary you have a security alert for Turkey/Istanbul

October 18, 2023 Location: ·     Throughout Turkiye ·     U.S. Consulate Adana Event: ·       The U.S. Consulate in Adana will remain closed to the public until further notice. U.S. citizens can reschedule their appointments to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. ·       Large demonstrations related to events in Israel and Gaza are expected throughout Turkiye for the next several weeks. 

If travel insurance companies start excluding countries in the Middle East then cruise ships and travelers will stop going there.

Yes, it's common on Oceania cruises  to cancel ports. It's more common for them to sell an itinerary and then after final payment is made to start lopping off an hour or two on a number of the ports, reducing the time in port and altering the itinerary from what you bought.

With the current wine package, can you have your glass filled at dinner and then take it with you to drink later in your cabin?

9 hours ago, basor said:

I believe that O is always cutting from port time is a bit of an overstatement - on our upcoming Vista 1 port time was reduce by 1 hour and 4 port times were increased by at least an hour....

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who did not have any port times reduced off their itinerary from the time they booked to the time they took the cruise. 

As Oceania is always cutting hours from port times, do a comparison with Azamara. I suspect you will find AZ has much longer port times. Also be aware that the port times for O that show now are likely to be reduced after you have made the final payment. This is their new modus operundi.

Be prepared to have your first try at your claim being paid to be denied. That's how insurance companies operate. Then you will have to go to battle with them to get your legitimate claim paid no matter how accurate your documentation is. They always say "no" at first, hoping people will just give up and won't pursue their claim. Be firm, don't roll over and accept their outcome.

13 hours ago, Copper2031 said:

So are you saying that Oceania is taking each passengers temperature as they board the ship in 2023?

No, they are not currently taking temperatures. I boarded in Barcelona 10 days ago. 

45 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Just as a reminder for you, with the new A Class ships there is no more “ dining under the stars”. The patio is now completely covered. 
 

As much as I really enjoyed the new vista design, this is one change I didn’t like. On pleasant evenings, I loved sitting outside looking at the stars while enjoying our meal. No longer possible. The restaurant manager told me this change was done because passengers wanting to eat lunch aboard, typically while docked in port, complained so much about the noon time heat and sun, so the entire area was covered. 😩

Is it enclosed or just completely covered?

I asked again at reception, now that the cruise is almost over. I got a call from engineering saying the poolside hot tubs on Sirena are the only ones in the fleet that have never had a button to push to turn them on. Supposedly the ship came this way when O got it from Princess. The captain can turn on the jacuzzi jets from the bridge and they are allegedly on all day. I told him they are not on, he insisted they are. I stopped arguing and said I've been using the hot tub outside the spa that does have a button to turn the jets on and off. Sigh.🙄

22 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Hmmm.  You're right.  I'd have lost my beer money on that.  🙄

 

Interesting Sirena fact: Between sailing for Renaissance (as R Four) and Oceania she sailed for Princess first as Tahitian Princess and then as Ocean Princess

Another Sirena fact: it is the only R ship that the poolside hot tub jets have never had a button by them to turn them on. The jacuzzi jets have never actually worked, or so I was told by engineering when I asked about turning them on.

23 hours ago, basor said:

Glad you found a acceptable 

Someone onboard speculated that another passenger complained that the jets were too strong and knocked him over so management just turned them off.

Update to original post: it is now 3 days later and the hot tubs still are disabled. I have not received an explanation or response to my question as to why. I used the hot tub off of the spa and will continue to do so.

10 hours ago, Tned123 said:

So Susie, Have you found everything else on the ship to your liking? Food OK?

Yes, the food is fine. There is still a large variety to choose from. Most dinners have been at Terrace so we can dine outside. Last night in Grand Dining dinner took over 2 hours, and the water got lots of orders wrong.

I'm not happy about the nonworking hot tub jets by the pool so I'll go use the jacuzzi by the spa. All excursions are private so I have no comment on them. We have a great fun trivia team and we are winning a lot of big O points. CD Peter is a hoot, he should have his own comedy show.

30 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Just walk out the door  from the dressing room  or gym🙂

I just went up to the spa to check out the hot tub situation.  The jets are working and I can use it.

This rules chengkp75 theory invalid.

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Just walk out the door  from the dressing room  or gym🙂

Don't you have to be in a concierge or suite cabin for access?

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Are these on the spa deck or pool deck?

Pool deck. I don't have access to the spa deck. I'm waiting to hear from engineering for an explanation.

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Are these air jets or water jets?  Many ships have removed the air jets from hot tubs, as use of these vastly increases the likelihood of promoting legionella.

If that is the case then the hot tubs should just be removed completely. A big vat of still hot bathwater is just as likely to breed all sorts of nasty germs and bacteria. I don't see my gym or any other place that has air jets for their hot tubs disconnecting them. I don't know if the jets in the spa deck hot tub have also been turned off as I don't have access.

So far, no one from engineering onboard has got back to me with an answer.

After returning from walking at the Alhambra yesterday I grabbed a drink and was going to relax in the hot tub late afternoon. I discovered there are no buttons to turn on the jets. I asked a pool attendant how to turn on the jets, he said you can't.  The hot tubs on Sirena are now just  big outside bathtubs. I'm disappointed as this is my afternoon ritual, soak my sore back and feet while sipping a cocktail. 

If the hot tubs don't work they should just be removed. Do the other ships have usable hot tubs?

3 hours ago, trickylibrarian said:

Susiean did you book through Spain Day Tours?  We are doing that tour with them while on the Nautica

in November.  Our itinerary shows us in Motril 9am-9pm. 

Yes, I did. Same company that O uses for more than half the price. I highly recommend them. We were told they do these trips to Granada all the time. Put together a group from your roll call and if 16 people sign on you go for free as the group starter.

5 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Great to dock in Motril for the Alhambra.  The other cruise line we sometimes use docks farther away.

 

I arranged a private tour for 17 from the roll call. It took 45 minutes on the bus from Motril to Granada.  Alhambra was spectacular, not too crowded. We are the only ship in today.

When I booked this cruise the original time for Motril was 8:00 to 6:00pm. Earlier this year when O started lopping off an hour here and there to save the planet and fight climate change the new departure time is now 5:00pm, that's where the hour was lost.