1985rz1

Really, it depends on the itinerary and ports, along with what type of experience you are looking for. Each line has its plusses and minuses.

A TA should provide you with the Oceania invoice. Yes. SATaxman is correct. These are all included in the cruise fare. As SATaxman said: yes, only one person has to upgrade. Yes, the $69.95 price is for people who booked under the old OLife program and did not chose the basic package as the OLife perk. Under SM, your option is to upgrade at $30 pp pd. When you consider the upgrade, be aware that the package includes gratuity, which is 20% when drinks are ordered ala carte. Also, there is a daily happy hour in the lounges with 2 for 1 drinks (same drink) from 5 pm to 6 pm, and another in Horizons at 10 or 10:30. In addition there is a Captain's Reception on one night where drinks are free and usually a first-timers reception where they are also free. Have a great cruise!

The Aussies see the pricing in AU$, so the comparison is not straightforward as you need to know the exchange rate that is being used.

@CraigM I neglected to add that the onboard upgrade cost is $30 pp pd.

O's site is a bit convoluted because there is still an overlap between bookings made under OLife before SM went into effect, where the basic package could be selected as an OLife option or not. So those under OLife who did not chose the basic beverage package option as an OLife perk can still purchase it. Eventually, these parallel options will disappear and only SM will remain. As several threads here have purported, the upgrade to the basic SM package can only be done while onboard, but I vaguely remember some said their TA was able to upgrade them.

Generally, one must be out of the stateroom by 8 am and off the ship by 9 am.

With Simply More and any enhanced beverage packages, the gratuity is included. Non-alcoholic drinks, except for the Lyre non-alcoholic spirits, are included in the cruise fare. There is a general Gratuity that is assessed per day per stateroom, and an additional amount if you have a suite with a butler, but that is independent of SM any upgraded beverage package.

You can make cell calls with your cell phone, if you don't put your phone in airplane mode. You will connect to Cellular at Sea cell service on the ship...but calls, texts and data are charged at extremely high rates. Like you, we switched to T-Mobile because international texting and 5GB/mo of high speed data are included for 215 countries, and calls (which we would rarely use) are only $0.25/minute. We've been very happy with T-Mobile's domestic coverage which include Canada and Mexico. It's been as good as the Verizon's service we had, which didn't include Mexico and Canada in the plan, and the T-Mobile plan was much cheaper...even more so when you added in the extra cost of Verizon's international plans.

Not unusual. The cart for online booking engine is wonky at best, and isn't always (some would say never) correct. It also doesn't apply the 25% discount automatically when you add the qualifying excursion unless you click the right button, and even then it doesn't if the bookings were in two separate transactions. That's why we always have our TA do the excursions booking for us. Assuming you booked them yourself online, you will have to call Oceania to get it corrected.

You will still be required to watch it onboard before you can access anything else on the TV in your Stateroom...and I think you will have to check-in at your muster station to verify you've done your due diligence. At least that was the drill on our Sirena cruise last year.

We dumped Verizon because of its international plans were of a poor value, so I can't say definitely one way or another now. Cellular at Sea, the ship's cell service was definitely not included then. Perhaps, the agent was referring to WiFi calling, using the ships WiFi network to make calls and send texts, which uses your unlimited home plan. Most newish phones allow WiFi calling, and our old Verizon phones did.

If you find the cognac is included, let us know. Some folks suggest the "more" implied a larger selection of wines by the glass than just the one or two under the old OLife system basic package. We typically don't drink wine with meals...occasionally at most...so we don't know what is implied, but it is a rather confusing description.

Yes, I forgot that port is a fortified wine and that may qualify. Best to ask before ordering if unsure.

If you asking about the included drinks with SM, they are only the wine, beer, and champagne that are offered by the glass in dining venues at mealtimes. No liquors or spirits are included. If you order a port, cognac, a cocktail, wine, beer, or other spirits or liquors, (and charge it to your stateroom), whether you are in a dining venue or a lounge/bar, you can have it and walk around with it at any time the bars are open. Oceania does not monitor the number of drinks you consume.

Actually Sirena doesn't have them as separated entities. They are replaced by Tuscan Grill which takes menu items from each. The second restaurant is Red Ginger.

Oops, my misreading the ship name. So forget my question.

When is the cruise you are considering? The Mariner is scheduled for the NeXt refurbishment in April/May of this year.

Same here with our Androids, although our experience doesn't have the 10-year history you have. But we've been to many different countries with no problems.

Maybe O would like to relive 2023....🤣

As Lyn suggests, it is the weekend and the site is wonky because they usually do site maintenance on weekends. Check again after the weekend or maybe after the Jan 1 holiday.

O does not email out reminders of when excursions open for bookings, but it is stated in your online booking when you click on the excursions line under manage your booking. Our TA sends us a copy of the excursion pdf about a week or so before the bookings open, so we can plan our port activities. If you booked within a year, a good TA should send you the pdf when you book. If you were unaware of the excursions booking openings, you also may be unaware of the date when online dining reservations can be made. The dates are linked you your stateroom category and you should be prepared to book as soon as they open (almost down to the minute) if you want a 2-top or want specific times. The date is listed on your invoice, although our TA reminds us in advance. Oceania does not send you a reminder. If you don't know how many advance reservations you can book online, here is the list: https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

Your 1 reservation per speciality restaurant is your pre-cruise allotment that you can make online. Based on availability, you can eat multiple times at any speciality pecialty, once onboard, whether your butler makes a reservation for you or you make it yourself at the reservation desk or at the restaurant. There is no charge for additional reservations. Availability can vary considerably, depending on the length of the cruise and passenger demand.

Same dress for all specialties and the GDR: country club causal. Neither ties nor jackets are required. Some folks wear them, but not the majority. Collared shirt is required, but it can be either long-sleeved or short-sleeved. Any reasonable shoe is OK, just not flip-flops. Dress sandals are OK. Women can wear either long pants or dresses. No shorts. Do a search for "dress code" and you will find many threads that may provide you with more information.

Have you thought about checking the porter-written tags for accuracy when you drop them off? We check every tag that goes on our baggage from airlines to cruise ships to verify the information is correct before we leave them in their hands.

Did you have travel insurance, which normally includes trip interruption coverage. I believe your situation would have been covered. Perhaps someone who has filed this type of claim could verify the coverage. If my belief is wrong, I would sure like to know about it.