Nashna

Insurance companies frown on partial coverage.  I was always told to insure the full trip cost to avoid complications and reduction of coverage.  You did the right thing by upgrading your coverage.  

Hi Gary...The anticipation of a trip truly excites me.  The planning is a delightful challenge.  Due to the pandemic and the need for a knee operation or two for my husband and me, we have canceled four planned trips in the last few years.  My Marriott Bonvoy account is a roller coaster of ups and downs due to my cancellations and rebooking.  My TA's patience is noble. I should be packing for a lovely Canada New England trip next week...instead, I'll be getting a new knee.  I started a roll call for the journey I was forced to cancel.   I'm still active on that site and getting tips for our trip next year.  That trip has evolved from a simple Canada/ New England 10-day trip to a 26-day NYC to Copenhagen on O sailing the Arctic Circle.   This happens when my dear husband says, "I would like to see Iceland. Can we do that on a Canada cruise?"  We have rationalized the extended cruise by counting the trips we missed.   I'm very fortunate to have a partner ready to go anywhere as long as he doesn't need to plan the trip.     

26 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I agree.   Not the best but better than nothing.   Ponant didn't have either N/A Wine or Beer so beggars can't be choosers. 

 

My favorite non-alcoholic wine is Ariel Cabernet Sauvignon - not bad at $85 for a 6 pack on Amazon.   

 

I don't generally like any of the Sparkling Wines but I do enjoy  Tost - about $35 on Amazon.

If you live close enough, Total Wines has Ariel Cab for just $8.99 with a 10 percent discount when you buy the case.  Some of my husband's favorites are Be Well at $14.99 & Be Free at $9.99...both are Cabs.  Plus, Total Wines ships.  He loves the non-alcoholic spirits Total Wines sells called Ritual which has Gin, Rum, Tequila, and vodka non-alcoholic for about $27.00 per fifth.  No one can tell the difference in the rum when used as a mixer.  The tequila in the margaritas is also amazing.  He plans to pay the extra $30.00 per day for the premium drink package on O as they offer all these special non-alcoholic drinks.  He enjoys sipping a decent wine with dinner and the ability to have a decent mocktail when we dine out.  It's so nice to have options.

I have sailed on Celebrity, Carnival, RCCl, Princess, and HAL.  You do not want to sail on HAL...you are way too young for the clientele onboard.  Shoot, I was 72 at the time and too young!  Try Celebrity or Princess; you would enjoy those two more than HAL.

On 9/15/2023 at 1:00 PM, MamaFej said:

I agree. That's neither appropriate nor fair. 

 

I'd agree anyway, but I may be switching to non-alcoholic wine (if any) and I would like to have the option. Do you have any non-alcoholic wines you recommend on Celebrity? I've never tried any.

 

In January, Celebrity only offered Fre which is a very poor-quality non-alcoholic wine...sold in local US grocery stores for $7.99.   There are so many excellent non-alcoholic wines available now that I don't understand why a better quality is not stocked.  While the NA wine was always available in the restaurants, we had trouble getting non-alcoholic wine in the various bars. We are sailing on O. in January. They offer a fairly good selection along with non-alcoholic spirits. 

Sailing In the Yacht Club on MSC, along with a group of twenty Jazz enthusiasts, was an experience—one man dressed in amazing-colored tuxes with shoes to match in red and yellow.  (My favorite was the red velvet with the pointed toe, which reminded me of the pope's.  Seriously, I have never seen such elaborate tuxes in colors and prints.  The ladies wore stunning slinky gowns adorned with sparking jewelry and spiked heels.  My dressiest outfit was a black jumpsuit with pearls.  My husband wore his navy blue blazer with gray slacks.  Fortunately, most passengers followed the country club casual dress code, and we weren't out of place.  We met some passengers sailing in this group, and dressing up was a significant part of their identity.  They were delightful and we looked forward to the fashion show each evening.  To each their own.

On 6/19/2022 at 5:14 AM, edinburgher said:

Sounds like it was a lovely tour.

 

We didn't do anything as in-depth as that, simply took the public bus across to Klaksvik (another cruise port) which gave us a scenic tour of the islands.  We then explored Torshavn when we returned.

 

Klaksvik was tiny so we returned quite quickly, but we knew that before we went and the purpose of going there was to get a scenic drive, which we got.

Thanks for posting.  We are not interested in the ship's tours and were thinking of just spending the time wandering around Torshavn.  How long was the bus ride to Klaksvik?

We will be sailing out of NYC next July to Reykjavik.  I love the shots of NYC!  The video music is so upbeat!

We did not have an issue when we docked sailing on a 144-passenger Winstar ship.  Perhaps it was because its size was comparable to a Saudi yacht.  

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

That’s debatable! 
 

Posted signs ( for the non oblivious) clearly state your temperature is being taken upon boarding. On an earlier cruise, the staff was reporting passengers with troubling coughs and appearing blush. I talked with fellow passengers that had been directed to medical for testing. Security escorted some to medical in that cruise that didn’t go voluntarily as directed.

 

It’s not necessarily all voluntary.

I'm glad to hear that.  While some folks might know they have COVID-19 and choose to be silent and infect others, I'm sure some reluctance to face the COVID test is a "wishing it wasn't so."

You really can't blame them.  It is an amazing place to stay.  I'm surprised they allow day charters and cruise ships to dock.  

I wonder if St. Bart's disdain for day trippers is due to the ferry that drops off passengers from St. Martin.  While researching options for St. Bart's, I was struck by the number of day sails to St. Bart's offered at very low prices. On a recent stop in St. Bart's, we rented a jeep and drove around the island.  It was an enjoyable day, but we don't wish to repeat it.  We had signed up for a ship's catamaran excursion.  However, the local tour operator does not allow people over 70 to sail on their boats.  Our best option at this point is to do as you suggested.  Take a walk around Gustavia and have a nice lunch.  

Check with O.  Your cruise might be part of a continuation of another cruise.  I just called them about the same issue.  I am taking the first two segments of a six-segment cruise.  O. sent me the offerings for Reykjavik from the fully extended cruise.  I will call back with the excursion I want, and they will place it in my reservation.    

On 9/2/2023 at 4:03 PM, ToxM said:

Exactly!

 

Your experience of cruising is about to have a paradigm change. 

 

So maybe, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe the best way to experience O when you travel on it is to experience it as it is … rather than explain why it should be like the line you just travelled on, before you even travel on it… 

 

 

I've sailed on Seabourn, Windstar, Azamara, and Regent.  However, this is my first experience with O.  Having sailed on much smaller ships than O, I believe I have a good idea of what to expect on O.  I will have my phone with me most of the time on my O sailing.  I use my phone to take photos, take notes (a great way to remember the names of the ship's staff and fellow passengers we meet), catch up on the latest news, and stay in touch with family.  Plus, I serve in a leadership position in several organizations that might require my input while I'm traveling.  If Oceania had an app, I would certainly make use of it.  However, I don't think using the app should be essential to sail.  

On 9/1/2023 at 4:53 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

In four Greenland ports I booked tours in two of them. One of the ports we skipped (Nuuk) -- here I'd booked a whale-watching boat excursion. The other excursion I booked was in Qaqortoq to the Viking ruins at Hvalsey Church, which also involved a short boat ride and a walk to the site. The latter was the most important to me as the main reason for my interest in Greenland is the period of Viking settlement there between around 1000-1500 AD. The other two ports offered enough opportunity simply by walking around the small village area near the port -- there were a couple of museums that included some old buildings that 

had been moved, restored and were full of interesting if somewhat quixotic historic items and memorabilia.

 

Do not depend on making independent arrangements in the Greenland ports. When ships arrive, they tend to suck up all of the available resources locally. I looked for nearly half a year for some kind of independent tour to the Hvalsey Church site but couldn't find anything suitable.

 

The library -- well, a bit of a loaded question for me. I depend mostly on my Kindle for reading material when I travel as I like to have a variety of choices available that often aren't met in the kinds of higgledy-piggledy small libraries on ships. However, I did browse the library on Insignia and there appeared to be quite a large variety of materials from recent novels to biographies and history and yes, some guides.

 

It was a bit cool and windy for me on deck when at sea. On days when we did scenic cruising, I would sit somewhere with a view out and then pop out to take photos when we approached areas of interest. As we moved farther south, there were a couple of days (when in port) when some people were sitting around the pool area and enjoying the sun (which was appreciated after a series of cloudy, showery days).

 

In Iceland and Greenland, the daily highs were in the mid 50's. This crept higher as we moved south. I believe in Bar Harbor, our last port and a sunny day, it may have reached the low 70s. At night the lows got as low as the low 40s in the early part of the cruise.

 

Clothing -- I tried to bring a little of everything, since the weather in that part of the world is hard to predict. Most useful items were my rain shell with hood. It is unlined but on cooler days I would wear a sweater or fleece as a second layer underneath it. Pants that are made of material that dries quickly worked better for me than rain pants. Avoid pants that are heavy when wet like jeans or terry/fleece. My trusty silk underwear was also utilized, especially on the two occasions I was on a small boat on the water. Some said to bring mosquito netting (for the annoying small flies/gnats in Greenland in particular) but I never encountered them. I also recommend a pair of gloves and a scarf of some kind. Be careful with a hat as the wind can be strong -- on one boat tour saw a man's hat sail off into the water.

 

The ports I enjoyed most: the two-plus days I spent in Reykjavik ahead of the cruise were great. The Qaqortoq and St. Anthony stops for the Viking ruins. And Heimaey Island was a surprise -- very pretty island with an interesting story (it's where there was a volcanic eruption in the 1970s that destroyed about half the town).  And they have puffins!  😆🐧

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.  Your answers were very helpful.  We were also considering the Whale Watching in Nuuk.  Since we have so many sea days, we hope to make that port.  I like your suggestions on clothing.  Many have said they used rain pants, but I'm not a fan.  Our first segment begins in NYC and the second ends in Copenhagen.  Normally, I don't stress about packing.  However, the various climates in this itinerary force me to seriously consider what to pack.  

We tend to sail on many different types of ships as we accompany friends and family when they cruise.  Our grands prefer the larger ships, and some of our old friends can't afford the premium lines.  We enjoy all different types of cruising as we love being on the sea.  It will just be the two of us on our following O sailings.

We used our Celebrity apps constantly on our 2021 and 2022 sailings.  Celebrity has four different GDRs, each featuring a diverse selection each night.  The menus were listed, allowing you to pick a restaurant to suit your taste that evening.  The app was used for everything, including registration.  We were able to download our health information and arrange for specialty dining reservations on the same day. Since Celebrity had many different activities co-occurring, having them listed on the app was convenient.  One night, we didn't enjoy the band that was performing, we just checked the app and went to another venue.  The feature I enjoyed the most was our complete itinerary on the app.  We could make and follow our schedule.  Example:  Monday   10:00 a.m.  Lecture in lounge 12:15 pm lunch at Tosca 2:00 pm Meet & Greet lounge 4:00 pm Afternoon Tea - 5:00 pm Sunset Sail Excursion, meet at the pier.  Guest could then click on the excursion information.  The app was helpful on the larger Celebrity ships with its myriad offerings.  Typically, at least one of us always carries our mobile phone with us so it is not inconvenient.  We are 76 and 77 years old and embrace the new technology when it makes our lives easier.  O. ships are not large and have fewer options than the mass market ships.  Knowing how well the app can work, we would like to have one offered on O.  However, it is not a deal breaker for us.   

Thank you for your excellent review.  You encouraged us to book the New York to Reykjavik segment as an add-on to our Reykjavik Copenhagen July 2024 cruise.  Would you be so kind as to answer a few questions?  Did you go off on your own in Greenland or do ship excursions?  Did you find the library selections adequate?  Did the library selection feature books or guides on the itinerary?  Were you able to spend time on deck?  What was the lowest and highest temperature you experienced on the sailing?  Were there articles of clothing that you found essential for the climate?  What port was the highlight of your voyage?  

Your observation on the makeup of the Insignia clientele was the same mix (or lack thereof) that I experienced on Seabourn and Regent.  I'm sure that O. and the rest of the premium cruise lines have prioritized diversion, as expanding their base is the key to their financial success while it makes for a more inclusive clientele.  

Thank you so much for your thoughtful report.  I am following anxiously as we contemplate adding the New York to Reykjavík portion to our Reykjavik to Copenhagen voyage next summer.  Your photos are amazing.

We are booked on the Reykjavik to Copenhagen July 2024 cruise and are considering adding the NYC to Reykjavik segment to our reservation.  While reading the Insignia reviews on CC, I noticed they were very negative.   Considering that folks might be more inclined to report negative experiences than positive ones, the negatives were much higher than expected.  Our first O. cruise will be in January on the Vista.  As the Insignia is an older ship, I expected the ambiance to be less than the Vista.  The reviews mentioned poor food quality, ship condition, shore excursion options, and their fellow passengers.  I would appreciate hearing impressions of Insignia from recent passengers.  

Thank you for posting.  We have an Insignia cruise from Reykjavik to Copenhagen booked for next year. I have just begun searching for the itinerary options.  Were you able to visit all of the ports?  

I've done three Regent sailings before 2018. At the time, the Regent CC posts were helpful and not at all snarky.   I found the passengers to be interesting and engaged.  I was still working then and liked their multiple offerings of 7-day cruises.  At the time, Regent offered some excellent last-minute discounts that suited our work schedules.  Now that we have the time to take longer cruises, the Regent pricing is a bit over what we wish to spend.  

58 minutes ago, Straughn said:

Another soon to be first time Oceania cruiser here. My first cruise is on Vista, in the Caribbean, this December. I am one of the growing number of Celebrity (former) loyalists who are jumping to other cruise lines.  The issues and policy changes coming from the new management at Celebrity are reinforcing my decision.

 

I chose Oceania because friends, who were also Celebrity loyalists, started cruising on O well before Covid hit. They convinced me to try it and I had two cruises cancelled because of the pandemic. Hoping that the third scheduled one goes as planned.
 

As a solo cruiser, I am hoping that the “cruise only” option reappears. While Vista has solo cabins, the reviews, especially about the bathrooms, have not been encouraging.  If I end up not liking the solo cabin, but liking the Oceania product, pricing will certainly be an issue as I am paying for two Simply  More perks in a regular cabin.

 

I have found this board to be far more balanced than some other boards on Cruise Critic. The Celebrity board is one of the worst. There are a few cheerleaders on that board that will defend Celebrity, no matter what the issue. Someone can post a review of their cruise listing all the wonderful experiences they had, and comment on two or three minor things that went wrong. The cheerleaders will excoriate that person for bashing Celebrity. Even with all the changes  going on now, there are people for which Celebrity can do no wrong and if you had an issue, it has to be because of you, not anything Celebrity did.

 

 

 

 

We had a similar experience with the CC Celebrity site.  I don't mind cheerleaders, but snarky, rude comments are totally unacceptable.  I wish the moderators would enforce the rules.  We are going on our first O cruise in January.  Our friends have been enthusiastically recommending O for years.  Our b2b Celebrity cruises in January caused us to rethink our loyalty.  I truly never considered the importance of food quality and selection until it was terribly off.  

19 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@AMHuntFerry Thank you for telling your story.  I have cruised so much, going with someone with fresh eyes is half the fun.  In my family and now with friends, it seems like they could care less they are going on a cruise until it is about two weeks away.  Drives me nuts. 

 

How do you tell three adults in their 60's and 70's that strategy and preparation makes a difference to your overall cruising experience.  It is like talking to a wall.  Yet at the two week mark, the question happen.

 

1. What time is our flight leaving?  Why is it so early, can we change it?
2. Why did you choose the Polo Grille for that night?  Let's do it another night!
3. We are doing a cooking class on a sea day, why can't we get our friends in the same class?
4. Why did you choose that hotel for our pre/post cruise?  it seems like we could have made a better choice.

 

Cruise after cruise I got these types of question way after the time when those decisions had to be made.  To combat these annoying  questions by folks that took little or no effort to discuss the topics the MANY times I brought it up, I came up with a solution.  I call it, the "Journey Document".  In it I outline times, dates and decisions made plus why they were made.  When the crazy questions come up I say, "Page 20, middle of the page".  When they don't understand why I can't move a restaurant date and time, even with an explanation of the policies of the cruise brand.  My response is, "Call your congressman or take care of it yourself when you get on-board.  Good luck". 

 

It is not quite as bad as I am outlining but for planners and organizers that have to beg for feedback, it happens all the time.  "Respect.  I get no respect.  No respect at all!".

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I had planned a trip to an AI in the DR with two other couples who have been friends for over 55 years.  My husband had a medical emergency three days before the trip, and we nearly lost him.  Knowing my friends are not savvy travelers, I gave them oral and written instructions along with a detailed daily itinerary with nightly dinner reservations, show dates and times, spa services, and how to reach the charter day sail.  The first night's dinner was a disaster as they showed up at the elegant restaurant in Bermuda shorts.  Maitre de made them change (I had listed (long pants for men) on the itinerary...which they didn't read.  The resort was very large and consisted of various sections.  They never visited the spa because they couldn't find it.  They never saw a show because...it was next to the spa.  They canceled the Day Sail because it was too confusing to leave the resort.  They discovered both the spa and the theatre as they departed the resort.  They now get cancel for any reason insurance when traveling with us just in case we can't make it.

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

I have not heard of this line ?

So sorry...I should have typed Regent.  Since I live in a community with Regency in the title...my fingers made a mistake.