su-arizona

I thought this thread was about finding available cabins? Am I missing something?

The website has been behaving badly in recents days, but prior to that it was a little cumbersome to find available cabins, but not difficult. I enter booking, select the cabin type, then look at the available cabins. Not all are shown at one time (that would arguably be a bit TMI) but if you keep asking for more cabins it will cycle them through your options. Caveat - this works for veranda and penthouses; I have not had the good fortune to have to sort thru suites - though I guess it would work much the same.

I have a good TA - but I have sailed on O more frequently and already have pretty firm opinions about where I want to be located. So I search for cabins and tell her which one I'd like her to book. Then she gets to negotiate with the fine folks in air deviation....(not me, thank goodness)

The diversity of views in this thread just proves that "Opinions are like noses. Everyone has one"

And people, even those working on a cruise line, are very different. Some are nice and friendly, others not so much. On our last [sirena] cruise, though, we did notice that there were many crew members, particularly in the Terrace Cafe, who had very limited English. This makes excellent service difficult.

Most of our cruises have been limited to Oceania and WindStar, so I don't have a lot of different experience. But we do enjoy the interaction with senior crew members on WindStar, as well as the open bridge policy. While the Sirena captain was more available and personable than some on previous O cruises, I think guest interaction emanates from the top down, and Oceania could encourage this (without interfering with the primary duties of course!)

Cabins 7130 and 7135 at the stern of Deck 7 appear to have extended wraparound balconies - seems to be a nice perk. Does anyone have photos? Do they tend to get noise/motion from GDR below or the engines? Any firsthand experiences appreciated!

On an Oceania cruise, we booked an excursion to Granada with Spain Day Tours. They included the admission to the Alhambra, as well as a nice walking tour of the city of Granada. They did an excellent job and charged much less than the ship's excursion. You might check them out and see if they have a tour available.

IMHO - For your first visit to Venice, take a shared water taxi from the airport to your hotel. Approaching the city on a nice wooden boat is worth the price splurge. Figuring out public transportation with jet lag is not fun.

For my money, the Athens Gate hotel is the place to stay (in Athens). It is right on the edge of the Plaka, easy walking distance to the Acropolis and its fabulous museum, as well as all the fun restaurants and shops in the Plaka. It also has a rooftop restaurant with amazing views of the Parthenon. Nice place to start your included breakfast, and very reasonably priced. The rooms are a bit spartan, but comfortable and impeccably clean. Our last visit, I requested (and was given) a room with a view of the Acropolis, and we could also see the lit interior of the museum in the evening.

I have never had a problem with reputable private tour operators - but have had a number of "interesting experiences" with Oceania's choice of ports. For example, beware of small ports you haven't heard of/can't find out much about.

First there was Riviera porting in Motril Spain. It has good roads to Granada - but sadly absolutely no tourist infrastructure. There was a very expensive O shore excursion to Alhambra, which was filled many months before the cruise date. A CC group managed to book Spain Day Tours for a private tour to the Alhambra - and I think we ended up with 4-5 large buses full.

Then there was Sete. I had booked a rental car to drive to Carcassonne, but the car rental was far from town and there were NO cabs. A drab uninteresting town, and no way to escape....

And Portofino - seems that, like us, many cruises have not been able to go to Portofino as scheduled, to judge by postings/reviews in CC. We also missed St Malo on our last cruise, but that was not Oceania's fault, and we were offered compensation for missing it. A nice touch.

BTW, I have recently discovered a trip insurance policy specifically for cruises issued by Nationwide. My coverage for my next cruise includes a Pre-Paid Excursion Reimbursement of $500 for Itinerary Change. Fortunately, I haven't made a claim yet, but you might want to check it out. I found it on the insuremytrip.com site. The Nationwide plan is quite cost-competitive and well-reviewed.

Just tried out the link, which will clearly illustrate the difference in the ports. A couple tips - use the Harbormaster menu and choose Consulting Stopovers to see the ship lists. Since it's a busy port, suggest selecting the 'cruise ship' tabs.

I was so angry about our port location on our second Oceania cruise to Marseille that I was reluctant to cruise again on O-class ships - and avoided any cruise porting in Marseille. Arriving at the 'industrial port' discussed in this thread can totally ruin any plans that don't involve Oceania shore excursions. Like a previous poster, there were extremely long lines waiting for very infrequent busses into Marseille, and very few taxis.

But I know most ports have a schedule of cruise ship arrivals/departures, so I poked around a bit and found this site:

http://www.marseille-port.fr/en/Page/Harbours%20and%20terminals/12856

If you check the date you are scheduled to port in Marseille, you will find your ship and port location. "Fos" is the port located in the town of Marseille. "Marseille" (or Marseille Provence) is the industrial port.

Bon Chance!;)

I also prefer a cabin near the laundry and the lounge on Deck 9 (for Concierge Veranda) or Deck 10 (for PH). There is only one entrance to each of these laundries, and I would not choose a cabin directly across from the laundry door. The laundries can get very busy and the heavy laundry door can be noisy - as can some chatter in hallway!

On our first O cruise to Marseille on Riviera, we docked right at the foot of town. Fabulous. On our second trip to Marseille on Riviera (about 2 years ago) we docked at a more industrial port which was a 45 minute bus ride from Marseille. It totally ruined my plans to take the train to Avignon and I ended up taking a ship tour out of self-defense since we were docked in the middle of nowhere with nothing else to do. I don't recall a cruise terminal with car rental facilities, but perhaps it's been developed more since then. On the ship, I was told that larger ships like Riviera could no longer dock in town....

Make sure to pick up the current issue of National Geographic magazine. Fascinating (and scary) lengthy articles on Antartica complete with breaking ice shelves!

In Mallorca, assume you're docking at Palma. Take the ship shuttle or a cab, which will leave you near the cathedral (a very recognizable landmark). You can easily tour Palma on your own; the cathedral is spectacular, and the royal residence across the plaza is very interesting. Lots of nice shopping too.

In Gibraltar, again take shuttle or cab into town and walk around on your own to the tram - takes you to the top of the rock with monkeys etc.

Valencia has a nice HOHO bus, which will take you to the old town as well as past the modern aquarium etc. Easily doable on your own.

ln Lisbon, you will either dock near the Jeronimos Monastery (lovely sight) or at the foot of old town. There are two HOHO bus lines in Lisbon, but the traffic can be so horrendous they're not really enjoyable. There are also tours you can easily book on Trip Advisor to Queluz and Pena Palaces outside Lisbon (I took a Viator tour). But if you've never been to Lisbon, Jeronimos and the old town are more interesting and easily done on your own.

I love the tubs on Marina/Riviera. I can soak in the tub and use the hand shower while DH uses the standup shower to get cleaned up after a long day of touring. I never noticed any difference in the size of the bath or shower between PH and Veranda cabins on those ships, and we are very comfortable in a veranda cabin.

On the R class ships, I've decided we will only cruise in PH cabins because of the small bath/shower in veranda cabins.

Last time in Marseille, Riviera docked far (about 45 minute ride) from the city. There were no cabs available, but Oceania ran a shuttle into Marseille. There's a nice 'tourist train' in Marseille that will take you up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde which is worth a visit, and the town is pleasant to walk around. We took the ship excursion to Aix which was a nice town to visit. Avignon is wonderful.

You will be in walking distance to most sights in Monte Carlo (palace/old town/aquarium). The casino is too far to walk, take a cab (it's also not a lot of fun, but most folks want to see it). If you've been to Monte Carlo, St Paul de Vence and Eze are both nice to visit.

In Livorno, it is quite a distance to the train station (cab needed) and I never felt confident enough to take it for a single day in port. We did the Lucca shore excursion once, and it was a scenic little town. We took the "Florence on you Own" excursion last time, and had a wonderful day. The cost of that shore excursion was less than taking private transportation for just the two of us.

As others have said, Kotor and Dubrovnik are wonderful places to wander on your own. You will sail through a magnificent fjord to reach Kotor, so make sure you make time to enjoy the views from the ship on the way.

In Venice, it's easy to take public transportation to Murano. But unless you have spent a lot of time touring Venice and want to buy expensive glassware, I'd skip it. There is so much to see in Venice and it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world to simply walk around and enjoy. Here's a nice article:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/free-things-to-do-in-venice/

Have a fabulous cruise!

We stayed at the Sheraton San Juan too. The hotel's kind of run down, but you can't beat the location. Cruise ships are docked directly across the street - walking is quicker than taking a cab. And the hotel is within walking distance of all the sights and restaurants of Old San Juan.

So even though it's not a very nice hotel, I would stay there again because the location is so convenient. They also have a small, but pleasant, rooftop pool.

We will be on Silver Whisper in St Petersburg next month. We have a substantial OBC to use, so I spent a lot of time studying the SS shore excursions. Despite the OBC, I decided to book the 2-day tour with SPB. I simply could not see all the things I wanted to see by cobbling together the various SS tours. The SS Hermitage tour alone was almost as expensive as the full SPB 2-day tour, but the SPB itinerary covers most everything I wanted to see.

So far, SPB has been incredibly professional to deal with - I couldn't be more impressed. They also offer attractive packages for combining tours in other ports, so I suggest you take a look at their website.

I always post reviews of cruises here on CC, so check back in a few months and I will certainly review the cruise and the SPB tours both here and on Trip Advisor.

If you're a month out, you should have your cruise ticket by now (assuming you have an emailed ticket). Under "Your Pre-Cruise Information" on the second page it says where the ship will be located. Using this information, locate the port with Google maps and get directions to the Pulitzer Hotel. It always helps me to see on a map where I'm located and where I'm going.

I've never embarked at Barcelona but have disembarked at three different ports there (two mentioned in this post). At all the ports, I've always found cabs to be available and honest in Barcelona.

Count us as fans of "casual elegance". We don't enjoy attending formal events here, and have no desire to haul tux and gowns across the ocean. So after reading many snooty comments, and some helpful suggestions, we booked La Terraza and Hot Rocks for every formal evening, and most of the other nights too. I have no problem with others choosing to dress formally, but am growing weary of the 'holier than thou' attitude of some of the [presumably impeccably-dressed] posters here.

I enjoy helicopter flights and have flown many times on business - never on vacation. But unless you've been to Mallorca many times and are looking for something different, the drive from Palma to Valldemossa is very scenic, as are both towns. I would prefer to see both by land...

We've cruised on Oceania several times - when the Terrace Cafe was self-service and when it was not. We dine often in the Terrace Cafe, because we enjoy dining outdoors, don't care for the GDR much (dinners there tend to take a looonnng time), and because we often don't want to 'dress up' after a long day of touring.

Wine can be ordered there, and if you have an open bottle from other ship restaurants they will serve it in the Terrace Cafe. Shorts can be worn there.

While I understand going to full service (there were a number of noro outbreaks a few years back), the full service makes things like salads difficult (it was impossible to get salad dressing on the side, for instance) and often results in larger servings than I'd choose. If the servers are experienced and English-speaking, it generally works okay. If they are not, it is an annoyance.

"A few years ago, the larger pool was removed to make more seating for the Veranda/Candles restaurant. I only saw guests using the tables in this area two or three times, and usually it was one or two people sitting here. This seemed like such a waste of space."

We sailed on the first Windstar/Seabourn ship, Star Pride, shortly after it went to Windstar. It still had the 'larger pool' (I think it still does). If you had seen this pool, you would appreciate the seating area more. The "pool" was awful, and no one would ever dream of using it. As a bonus, the entry to the Star Bar had an underwater view of the "pool" - much like a human fish tank. Truly awful.

We sailed on Star Legend this winter, and I really liked all the changes made. I reviewed both ships in the Windstar reviews section here on Cruise Critic - you can see my comparison (including some photos). So glad you enjoyed your cruise!

Jeff, thanks so much for the heads up and all the information. This is my first booking with SS, and we chose it largely because of included business class air. I wanted specific flights, negotiated with SS for these flights and agreed to pay extra to get the flights/airlines I wanted rather than those SS offered.

Obtained the PNR from SS and went into my FF accounts and booked the specific seats I wanted. Figured all was well (though I saw the flights were not yet ticketed) until I saw your excellent advice. Turns out the seats I booked are no longer mine, though gratefully I still have two seats together (at this moment!)

I'll be on the phone with SS tomorrow first thing since the flights are still not ticketed and seats are getting scarce.

I have done this several times with Oceania and have had best results speaking directly with their air deviation department rather than the travel consultant (or whatever they call their online sales folks). Is there an equivalent department within SS I should try to speak with? Many thanks for all your help!

A recent review said that the hair dryers on Whisper were old and didn't work well. Haven't had to pack a hair dryer in quite awhile, since they are provided most everywhere these days. But should I bring my own hair dryer on Whisper? :eek:

Second the suggestion of EKOL for a private tour of Ephesus. They did a great job for us. Educational, but not at all boring. If you are going during the summer, keep in mind that it can be VERY hot in Ephesus.

Hvar is a fun little town, and there's a nice walk up the hill to an old fort there with great views. No guide needed.

In Olympia (assume the port is Katakalon?) we took a local cab to Olympia and called him to pick us up when we were ready to leave. It is a wonderful site, with an interesting museum. The ruins are well marked. You might do some family reading on the history of the Olympics to make it even more interesting.

We also enjoyed just walking around Kotor - make sure you take the time to enjoy the trip to Kotor, as the fjord is quite beautiful. Looking back at my photos, I don't think I appreciated it enough while I was cruising.

As others have said, the ship tours often are a bit dry and boring. Touring independently, especially with a child, allows you to tailor the sight to your specific interests.

On my first visit to Barcelona, reading and hearing all the warnings about pickpockets frightened me so much that I could not relax and enjoy walking on Las Ramblas. I relaxed a lot more on my following visits. I always take a purse with a strong zipper closure and leather strap that I can wear crossbody on all trips to Europe as well as to my local shopping mall in the US. It's a good precaution. I also don't carry my passport or more cash/cards than I need - anywhere.

I've only met a few people who have been victims and most incidents seem to have been on public transportation or in crowds. So I avoid those things in Barcelona, and you might want to do the same. Also met several folks who had things stolen from fanny packs or backpacks. Probably not a great idea either. But generally speaking, i feel a lot safer walking around most cities in Europe than big cities in the US. Barcelona is a super fun city, so be sensible - but have fun!