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sunlover12

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Everything posted by sunlover12

  1. Agreed. I like the hair dryer provided in the cabin and I'm fairly picky about it. My hair dryer from home would take up to too much valuable space in my luggage.
  2. An 11:30 flight should be fine. I agree with Harters that handling her own luggage off the ship is recommended. Don't bother booking a private transfer or Oceania transfer because there will be plenty of taxis at the port. We didn't have to wait for one. We were also on Sirena. We flew United out of Barcelona and they don't open the check-in counter until 3 hours before departure. The Barcelona airport is large and busy. It took us probably 20 minutes to get through security and another 10 minutes for immigration but it shouldn't be a problem making the 11:30 flight. Enjoy your cruise.
  3. I haven't been on any of the cruise lines you've mentioned so I can't comment on them. The only other cruise line I've been on other than Oceania is Royal Caribbean. On their very large Oasis class ships, an app is extremely useful and I was glad to have it. With 17 decks, many restaurants and many activities, it's good to have that app. Oceania's ships are a much different experience from Royal Caribbean. They are smaller so I personally have never felt the need for an app while I've been onboard. All of the information that I have needed to know is on the TV in the cabin and in the daily Currents. Enjoy your upcoming cruise. Looking forward to hearing about it.
  4. There is no dress code so shorts would be okay. With that said, most men will wear pants and a collared shirt. I was on Harmony a month ago and we ate dinner in CK for 4 nights. My experience was that I saw a couple of men in shorts but that was all. For breakfast and lunch, it's more casual.
  5. That is hard to say because of weather. I was on a Nautica cruise last August and we were supposed to tender in Amalfi/Positano and ended up tendering quite a bit further away. We were on an Oceania excursion and if we had tendered where we scheduled to it would have been a 30-minute drive instead of 90 minutes that it ended up being. Weather and sea conditions are going to dictate it. I don't know when the last tender is going to be but I would allow plenty of time.
  6. Very true. I have a UA flight booked with a connecting flight on a partner airline, Swiss. Swiss' carry-on bag policy is that it cannot exceed 8 kg. This is something that you need to do your homework on and plan ahead because no one wants to find this out when they're at the gate.
  7. The vast majority of passengers on my August cruise were American. The reason why this particular cruise attracted so many younger people was that it was 7 days. A short cruise attracts a younger crowd, a long cruise will attract an older crowd. It was also port intensive with no sea days which, IMO, will skew to the younger side.
  8. Entertainment is more low key than what you may be used to but there is a show in the lounge every night starting at 9:30. When the show is over the ship will be quiet at 10:30 especially if the next day is an early port day. There are a couple of sea days on this itinerary so the Horizons bar at 10:30 could be livelier on those nights with the band playing. My opinion is that you will not feel out of place as a 49-year old. I was on a 7-day Med cruise last year on Nautica and I'd estimate late 40's the average age on that cruise. Many people who were in the prime of their careers. I'm in my late 60's and definitely felt like one of the older folks onboard. You won't feel out of place as a solo either. Enjoy your cruise no matter which one you choose.
  9. Oceania for me too. It's a premium line with casual dress and atmosphere. Specialty dining is no extra charge. The food in all the restaurants is very good. No extra charge for sodas and specialty coffee. Beer and wine included with lunch and dinner. No nickel and diming. Their largest ships are 1200 passengers so it never feels crowded. The smaller ships can go to so many more ports than the big ships. Oceania has some very interesting itineraries. I've been on Royal's Oasis class ships and are now pretty much done with those for a variety of reasons. Enjoy your future cruising no matter which line you choose.
  10. @Sthrngary I agree when you say "Timing seems to be everything". Absolutely. I am booked on Nautica, Boston to Montreal, September 25. The same cruise is also sailing 3+ weeks later. The price difference is significant in some of the cabin categories. The later cruise is included in the New Year's Sale and the earlier one is not. We would rather pay more and have a much better chance of seeing the fall colors and enjoy what is likely to be more pleasant weather. The fall colors will be gone on the later cruise. It looks like a lot of people feel the same way because the earlier cruise is showing waitlisted in many cabin categories and the later cruise has availability in every category. Regarding air, we always choose the credit and book our own air. Over the years, I know that we have definitely saved a significant amount of money doing this but everyone should do their own math and decide what's best for them.
  11. Choosing a good travel agent can be a benefit. I've done it both ways. When we first started cruising we would book directly with Oceania. We have now found a very good TA. She is not only very responsive but she has also saved us $ in the form of pre-paid gratuities. I wouldn't get complimentary PPG if I booked directly with O. I agree with Hank when he says that you're just one customer with the cruise line when you book directly with them. Regarding the sales, I've said this before and I'll say it again. They are quite limited. None of the Oceania cruises I have sailed on have been included in any of the sales. Sure it's a way to save $ but you have to be quite flexible regarding which cruises and when you're willing to book.
  12. I know that my least favorite is the Oasis class. Too big, too many people, crowded elevators, and too much risk for getting sick. I just got off Harmony on Sunday and got very sick. Same thing happened a year ago on Wonder. Perfectly healthy when I embarked and very sick when I got off. I confined myself to my cabin on the last day. I am still battling whatever nasty virus was on that ship. This was my 15th cruise (various cruise lines) overall and never got sick on the other 13 which were smaller ships. Entertainment is good on the Oasis class ships however I am port driven and the big ships are quite limited on where they can go. I'm looking at Radiance now. A smaller ship and the itineraries are much more interesting. I know this is an unpopular opinion but I will not go on Oasis class again. No interest in the new Icon either.
  13. I’m on Harmony now. It has felt very crowded but it’s because the weather has not been good. Cool, very rainy and windy. It’s sunny and warm today, finally, so people will start spreading out. We haven’t been to WJ. The line was so long just to get in. MTD (with reservations) line was long the first night. It was crazy. We like Park Cafe for lunch and it was fairly quiet fortunately.
  14. To reiterate what's already been said, I'd be very leery of any travel agency who is saying they are selling Oceania Cruises without Simply More. Simply More is here to stay for the near-term anyway. Perhaps Oceania will go back to Cruise Only at some point, but IMO, it's not going to happen anytime soon. The mega cruise ships are still selling cruise only if anyone is interested in those.
  15. Next week I'll be on my first cruise at Diamond level. How do the drink vouchers work? Are they paper vouchers or electronically on the key card? Thanks.
  16. I disagree. My community just opened a beautiful new public library last week that is twice the size of the old library. Libraries are equipped with so much more than books nowadays. They will always be needed and welcomed.
  17. In my opinion, yes, specialty dining is worth the extra $. Better food, service, and atmosphere. On our upcoming cruise on Harmony in 2 weeks we have reservations for 2 specialties. We have not had a bad meal yet in any of the specialties. We'll eat in the MDR one night to see how it goes and the other nights we'll be in CK. The food in MDR just is not good. Cold spaghetti and dry, tasteless cake is what comes to mind from my last cruise.
  18. I was on a port-intensive, 7day Mediterranean cruise on Nautica last August. It was a younger crowd with many in their 40’s and early 50’s who were in the prime of their careers. I am in my late 60’s, retired, and usually feel in the median age range but on this particular cruise I was definitely one of the older ones. The 7 day itinerary had a lot to do with the demographics. As you said, only Oceania has the actual data but I do feel like they are marketing more to younger age groups, as they should.
  19. I don't know if I should be envious or what but I've never received one of those. I wonder what the criteria is or are they just randomly selected.
  20. Same here. My booked cruise for later this year on Nautica has never been included in any of the sales. There are many cruises that aren’t included in the sales.
  21. It’s the legitimate potential that revenue will be lost from that passenger not onboard. Even if they don’t spend much on drinks or whatever, there is still the daily gratuity fee per person. I do believe that MOST passengers will spend $ onboard the ship. Just My Opinion.
  22. I am not an extravagant spender at all but I have no problem spending money on Oceania. Drinks and an occasional visit to the spa. I have cruised on Royal and other than specialty dining I don’t spend more there than I do on Oceania. I do understand from a business standpoint why Oceania charges a single supplement, as they should. It’s because of lost revenue from onboard spending.
  23. Did you mention to the dining room manager in Toscana that your wife had a health condition that required the orthotic shoes? I wouldn’t have relied solely on comments on CC as this is something that really depends on the staff onboard. The construction wouldn’t have been tolerable to me either. Sorry that you and the other passengers had to endure that.
  24. I haven't seen reviews of shore excursions anywhere. At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, which I am not, my experience has been generally good with the couple of dozen Oceania excursions I have been on. My excursions have followed the descriptions and haven't wavered from it. There is one exception that I can think of and it was because of weather. It was in Madeira in 2022. The tour operator suggested that we not go to the top of the mountain as planned because of fog and we wouldn't be able to see anything. She suggested another view point but before we did that, she polled the group and we all agreed. She was very aware of what the tour description said and was hesitant in wavering from it. My most recent O cruise was in the Mediterranean in August of this year. The Oceania excursions that I was on followed the description exactly on each one.
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