roothy123

I don't think I've ever been on a shuttle in which there were non-Oceania cruisers. But I haven't been to every city that Oceania goes to, so maybe that's the case in some ports. In Chania (Souda Bay port) last year, there were two different shuttle buses running, and each was marked for the specific cruise line it served. And there was a board that showed the charge for using the non-Oceania one. Shuttles can definitely be a mixed bag. I remember at least one in which there were no buses running for a two hour period during lunch time. But at least hat was communicated to us the evening before we arrived in port. So if you're planning on relying on them, I'd suggest reading what's stated about them in the "Currents" paper you receive the night before your arrival. And I'd also consider taking a cab if you have early morning plans or if you might want to come back to the ship around lunch time.

Thank you. I think when I was there I walked one way, stopping at the lighthouse, and then took a taxi back. Or maybe that was vice versa. But it's been quite a while. And I don't know if I walked the full length of the Malecon, as I was looking for the internet cafe. But this time I won't. Are the golf carts for hire, or used as a taxi, or what? And would you happen to know how much a taxi costs, one way, and if it's easy to find one waiting in Mahahual? The taxi to one end and walk back to the ship might be doable, at least for me, though probably quite hot.

Could anyone who has been to Costa Maya recently give me an idea of what a taxi would cost to go from the port to Mahahual? And is it easy to get a taxi back from there to the port? And are USD accepted by taxi drivers?

I took an excursion to the Chacchoben ruins when I was there. I thought it was worthwhile, but if you're looking for more of a beach day, then that may not appeal to you. I spend a couple hours down in Mahahual too, just walking along the boardwalk.

If there are taxis at the port, you can get to the town and beach of Mahuhual for maybe $3 or $4. In a pinch, you could probably walk, too. Or if you're lucky, you may find there's a shuttle that goes there from the port. I enjoyed just walking around when I was there a number of years ago.

I've been to two places in which there were shuttles provided, and Oceania guests didn't have to pay, but guests on the other cruise line in town had to pay. So while often the port or city provides a shuttle, I think sometimes Oceania pays for us to be able to use it.

You may already know this, but if not: If you qualified for the 25% discount and you called Oceania to apply the discount, you can then gon on the website a little later and get a chart showing excursions you booked and what you "paid" under the "View Purchases" tab. On there, the "Price" is the retail price, the "Savings" is what you're being charged (i.e., Price minus 25%), and "Total" is the 25% discount. The chart also shows what $ amount of credit was applied & used (which could include shipboard credit as well as excursion credit) and what credit you have left.

It was pretty easy for me to book my excursions on the website. First I chose my excursions using a pdf copy of the excursions that my travel advisor sent me early on. I printed it (all 31 pages!) and found that using that made it easier to flip around from one port to another, or one page to another. I found that there was one excursion that was not online on the website, so I suppose it pays to check the online version against the paper version in some cases. And earlier today I noticed that one new excursion has been added online since when I looked about a month ago.So I'll check back in another month to see what's what. In any case, I booked everything on line, then called Oceania to ask them to re-do the prices so I'd be sure to get the 25% Simply More package discount. The whole call took less than 5 minutes. I received an email outlining the excursions I booked, and what I "paid" for them. A couple weeks later I decided to drop one excursion. Again, that took less than 5 minutes to call and have Oceania take it off my account.

I think you can use shipboard credits to pay gratuities. But if you're talking about the Simply More shore excursion credit you get, as others have said, no, you can't. (Shipboard credit is given by some travel advisors, and some shipboard credit is accrued as part of the loyalty program). The guest statement you receive after booking (or paying first deposit) should tell you what kind of credit it is. There's also spa credit sometimes, too - only for use at the spa.)

Harvest Caye is on my itinerary, and I'm not much of a beach/pool person, so I'd like to do something away from the Harvest Caye "village." Can anyone tell me whether the caye, or the cruise lines, offer boat service over to Placencia island? If so, how is it done? Do you purchase a ticket on your cruise ship, or in the "village" or what? And are you given a specific time for going over and back, or can you request what times you'd like? I'm going on Oceania, and I think it's a new port for them, so I'll ask them for information. But I'm guessing I'll have to wait until I'm on board to get any specifics. I know Oceania is not Norwegian, and may do things differently. But I thought I'd see if anyone can tell me more about how things work. Also, is there room at the dock for 3 ships? And just how long is that walk from a ship to the shore? And how expensive is the food on the caye? Has anyone done the Monkey River excursion or an excursion that goes on a boat around the Placencia Lagoon? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Harvest Caye is on my itinerary, and I'm not much of a beach/pool person, so I'd like to do something away from the Harvest Caye "village." Can anyone tell me whether the caye, or the cruise lines, offer boat service over to Placencia island? If so, how is it done? Do you purchase a ticket on your cruise ship, or in the "village" or what? And are you given a specific time for going over and back, or can you request what times you'd like? I'm going on Oceania, and I think it's a new port for them, so I'll ask them for information. But I'm guessing I'll have to wait until I'm on board to get any specifics. I know Oceania is not Norwegian, and may do things differently. But I thought I'd see if anyone can tell me more about how things work. Also, is there room at the dock for 3 ships? And just how long is that walk from a ship to the shore? And how expensive is the food on the caye? Has anyone done the Monkey River excursion or an excursion that goes on a boat around the Placencia Lagoon? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Looks good. Which tour did you do, Chacchoben with lunch? I thought about going to Kohunlich but I'm not sure I want to spend that much time on a bus. And I've been to Chacchoben.

I'm curious about what can be expected in Harvest Caye. I know it's a private island, with a pool and beach and expensive food and drinks. But has anyone taken the ferry over to Placencia? Would you mind telling me how that works -- buy tickets on the ship or in the Harvest Caye "village"? Are you assigned a time to go over and come back? How much choice do you have in the assigned times/length of time on Placencia? I've seen very little about Harvest Caye, so I'm hoping someone can give me some info. I'm going on Oceania, not Norwegian, and I think it's a new port for them. I'm not really looking forward to having a beach day, but things seem quite limited there if you want to go somewhere else. So any general info on what to see or do there would be appreciated. I have been to Costa Maya, and I enjoyed a half day excursion to the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben. I also like spending a few hours in the afternoon exploring the little town and beach of Mahahual, which is maybe a 5 to 10 minute drive from the port. When I was there, I took a quick and inexpensive taxi. But if a shuttle is offered by Oceania, that will be even better. I've also been to Roatan. There seem to be a good amount of things to do there. I'm going there again, so this time I think I'll take a tour that goes to see monkeys and sloths, plus iguanas. (Has anyone been to the iguana farm?)

Curious what the "Native Choice" is -- an excursion offered by the ship? In Costa Maya? Thanks

Traveling can certain be an adventure!

At one point I wrote up something about how to make specialty reservations. But I think the system has changed a little since then, so I probably won't do anything with it. As for the excursion reservations, they used to be easier. But with the advent of Simply More excursion credit and discounts, combined with what I believe to be somewhat more limited options for guided tours given to more people cruising/traveling now, things are different. I do feel that researching what to do in each port is worthwhile for me, but I know a few people who simply jump on a ship, look at some excursion info and book a couple ship-offered excursions, and walk around in the port for the rest. I guess it's a good thing there are multiple cruise lines out there, and multiple ways of pleasing the people who want to cruise. But even though I love researching and planning, I kind of feel sorry for anyone having to feel responsible for arranging what 5 other people might want to do. Over and out. I know you need to concentrate now on getting ready for this great adventure.....

Glad to hear there's someone out there like me. I'm fine in inside rooms, but occasionally "splurge" on an oceanview. For my next cruise, I'm happy that there's a full-length window in our oceanview. And we have a GTY, so I can always hope for getting a veranda, though it looks like so far the ship is quite packed, so unlikely. I'm a cheap date.

We cruised in Southeast Asia earlier this year on Riviera and there were two days of Asian specialties being served at the Terrace. It's a served buffet (other than the grill at The Terrace, which is different), so some of the food may not be as enticing as what you'd get in Red Ginger, if you're cruising on an Oceania ship that has RG. But if you like Asian, it's a plus. To the reservation debate, I should add that not everyone has limited choices as to times/days/restaurants with Oceania's reservation system. But if your room choice is in the lower third of the room booking categories (regular veranda, oceanview, inside), my opinion is that it IS definitely better to go online right at 12:01 if you want to eat reasonably early. And if you want to choose non-sharing or a sea day at 7:00, this is definitely the way to go, as is getting a non-sharing table for a group. But Volterra, tell your spouse and group that you did the best you could, as a newbie, and that you'll continue to do that once you get on board. I think all of you will really enjoy Oceania.

Thanks for the great pictures. Were these last two lighthouses at the locks in or near Gatun Lake? I'm trying to make some notes as to when to look for the lighthouses.

I'm the person you quoted above. Unfortunately, Covid cancelled my Cappadocia plans, including the stay at Zara Cave. I kept the info on it and am hoping to get back one day. I'm not the kind of person who looks for cookie cutter 5 star hotels. However, I do a LOT of research, and Zara Cave looked quite good to me, both in terms of location (very important to me) and overall hotel appeal. But I'd be interested to hear what you thought of it when you return!

From what I've heard, the Simply More excursion package option is just like Oceania's previous package option, except that with that option, you didn't receive any complimentary shore excursion credit. (But I'm not talking about OLife, for which you paid upfront and then chose from a somewhat limited list of excursions). Therefore, to me, the requirement to purchase and maintain a required number of excursions under Simply More to get 25% off doesn't seem all that new/unreasonable to me. But yes, it does limit your flexibility pre-cruise. But at least my (very responsive) travel agent told me that once onboard, if Oceania must cancel an excursion I've chosen, I won't be penalized. So that's a good thing. I always loved Oceania's "a la carte" approach to excursions, as many of us long time cruisers did. But I also understand that what's perceived to be "free excursions" can be a great marketing too. It can also get more Oceania cruisers on board to take Oceania excursions, which might result in more vendors and choices opening up to Oceania in the future. As for the number required, we're on a 14 day cruise (as counted by Oceania, so 15 calendar days with embark/disembark days). We have full day stops in 8 ports and must each purchase 5 excursions to get 25% off. We get $400 each in excursion credit. I'm a big excursion lover, though previously I've mixed and matched Oceania with private excursions with walk off/DIY sightseeing to fill my wanderlust needs. My husband enjoys staying on board the ship more than I do. We both have a good chunk of shipboard credit we received from Oceania's loyalty program plus our travel advisor. I've booked 6 excursions and used all of my excursion credit and most of my shipboard credit. My spouse has booked 3 excursions (full price) and has used most of his excursion credit. A few weeks pre-cruise, we'll review our choices (via the online "Pre-Purchased" summary) and make changes if we want and can. Right now, very few excursions are full, but we don't travel until winter, so things will no doubt change. I won't say I love Simply More, as I'm now paying "more" for other people's alchohol & excursions. But at least I can use the excursion benefits. And the program IS simpler compared to the previous mish mash of options (Olife choices, excursion package choices, restrictions on what excursions could be made, etc).

For my cruise, I know I need to book and maintain the required number of excursions for the Simply More excursion package discount of 25% to be applied. And I know I have to do this before the cruise, as that's clearly stated in the excursion list I received. At this point, I'm pretty sure I want to go with what I've picked, and I still have time to make changes (or cancel the whole "package") well before the cruise starts. However, I was wondering what happens when a guest is on board and wants to swap out an excursion that was pre-booked (at 25% off) and add a different one (assuming there's availability). Can that still be done on board? Are you penalized? And if you want to add one onboard, do you still get 25% off? I know Oceania has to have good counts and payment/credit use figured out before the cruise begins, so I can work with what they require. And I don't consider having to pay full price a horrendous situation. But I do like to understand choices before I have to make them, and so far I haven't gotten so far as to ask Oceania or my travel what would happen once I got onboard. So if anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it.

The Simply More Excursion Package is just the previous "Your World Collection" package. It's a discount for buying more excursions than perhaps you would before. O Life was something completely different. You paid for having it included, or you declined it. And the excursions were priced accordingly. There were limitations on which excursions you could choose. Yes, you have less flexibility with the SM Shore Excursion Package. You need to choose wisely and make any decisions/changes (from what I've seen) 14 days pre-sail to be happy with your choices. I research a lot pre-cruise, so that's not a big deal for me. And I have to say that I'm kind of liking having that excursion credit and the 25% off prices. And based on my next cruise, it appears Oceania has arranged quite a few more excursions than ever before, and many at lower prices, so that's another thing to give me hope there will be plenty to like. But of course, there is still going to be room for arranging/joining non-ship excursions, or just using the shuttles or a taxi and doing my own thing. I'm going to continue to be flexible as things change.

I'm guessing you'll get $200 back on your card. And they'll likely email you or your travel agent a "Pre-Purchased Shore Excursions & Onboard Experiences" document which lists your remaining excursions with date, time, duration, retail/package prices etc. It's similar to what you can get if you ask online for a summary on your purchases, but with a little more information.

For those ending up with 8 PM reservations, I'd suggest attending tea at 4 PM to try a few finger sandwiches or a scone, ordering a shrimp cocktail from room service, or getting some cheese and crackers (or whatever) from The Terrace at 6:30.