Redtravel

We thought that we had resolved the dining reservation problem. Nope. Tonight we appeared at Embers at the time written on my reservation card. The maitr’d could not find our reservation. He told us that we were reserved in Polo tonight, not Embers. I showed him the ship reservation ticket. He said that the concierge had made a mistake. We were seated and had a nice meal.

You are making assumptions that the server was misinformed or lazy. That wasn’t the case. I was not misinformed. This is new to me. The server was very polite. He explained the menu concept. He wasn’t misinformed. He was just doing his job. I did not order a specialty drink. On your next Oceania cruise, you’ll likely encounter the same thing. It’s what it is.

Yes, things have changed on Oceania. We sail on Oceania often. Up until now, our experiences were amazing. During the Captains welcome party, you could order anything complimentary. Imagine my surprise when I watched the servers remove the usual bar menus. Shortly after an event menu was placed on each table in the bar area. It is very limited. I don’t know when this change started. Last year we sailed on Marina twice. Most recent cruise was June 2023. There were no limits on that sailing. Nothing stays the same.

On Vista now. Men in collared shirts with trousers is the norm. Many wear knits. Some wear jeans. Few wear ties or jackets. Women are mostly in pants and nice tops. Some women wear dresses. I did see a stunning couple last night. She wore a sequin gown. He wore a suit with a tie. If dressy is your thing, do it. However, don’t be surprised if people look at you.

Not seeing the list, I asked for a martini. Server said it’s not on the list. He said that I couldn’t get it. What? Just bring it. I will pay for it. That was the welcome party!

I was comparing 2 O cruises out of Miami. I prefer sticking to a specific checkin time. It was one of the good things that was started because of the pandemic. It spaced out people. Now, it’s get in line. We arrived @1. Line was long.

Last year, if you showed up before your assigned boarding time, you were shown to a waiting area. As traffic slowed, you were allowed to check in. Things are now unrestricted. As you enter, you are directed to a line.

The Captains welcome party had a restricted menu. We were told that we could only get what was on the list.

I go on vacation to relax and enjoy the comforts of the ship. Hope that things go as expected. That doesn’t always happen. How problems are addressed is important. Problem of the missing reservation was resolved.

You’re right. Actually the dining reservations are posted 3 ways….snail mail cruise summary booklet, email confirmations, and Oceania website under My reservations. I showed them the page from Oceania website.

It has been resolved. I was lucky that I had taken a screenshot of the dining reservations.

Got in a long line to talk to dining reservation concierge. She said that we only had 3 reservations, not 4. Also, I was told that nothing was available for my listed date. However, when I showed her copy of Oceania online confirmation for the 4 restaurants, she changed her tune. She apologized and found us a reservation. She also took a photo of my confirmation. I always take screenshots of any reservations connected to my cruise booking. Usually things go as planned. It’s when things go astray, a screenshot helps.

. You are going to pay tips one way or the other. It’s automatic. Including tips in fare is ok. For those loyalty levels that include tips, offer equivalent discount or OBC.

I may make a visit. Yesterday lines of people with key cards that didn’t work. Mine failed twice before I got to my cabin. I am very careful not to put it near any device. Got card at checkin, walked onto ship, card not working, went reception, checked in at muster station, card not working, etc. frustrating!

embarkation day had enough problems including dining reservations with no rep

Yes. I am on Vista now. Captains cocktail party is tonight. I was on Marina twice after pandemic. Both had the party.

Flatbush Flyer: I intend to show up at my reservation time. If anyone challenges me, I will show them reservation as shown online. I did make some phone calls yesterday to a variety of offices. Some didn’t answer and got no return calls. Reception did answer and transferred me to a busy phone line. Called reception again. This time I spoke to a different rep who said that I had to appear in person at an appointed time. Not happening. Hopefully it is just a glitch in the printed reservation card that we got at checkin.

We have traveled many times on Oceania. Made usual reservations in advance for 4 specialty restaurants. Got email confirmations and the 4 reservations were and are still listed on “My Oceania”. Imagine my surprise when we checked in for our Vista cruise and were given a slip that only listed 3 reservations. Where did the reservation go ? I was told that there is nothing they can do about it. Any suggestions?

Don’t know what happens if you are on the ship when they skip a port. With Simply More, we booked our excursions when we made our booking. Booked excursions before cruise. Needed 6 pp to get 25% discount. A few weeks later, the itinerary changed. One excursion was to a port that was eliminated. That brought us down to 5pp. Price went up. Called Oceania and booked an additional excursion. Price dropped. Result was booking 6 excursions was cheaper than booking 5.

Room service can be a good choice especially when you cannot go to dining venues. On our last cruise, we got to the ship after 3 pm. (Used Oceania air. ). Waves was crowded. terrace closed. We ordered room service. It came quickly. Food was delicious. Enjoyed dining on our private veranda. You can order from the menu. You can also ask for items not on menu. Usually you can get them. You can also order room service be delivered to you anywhere on the ship.

Sent a scan of both sides of the voucher to my TA. I still have the original.

We left another cruise line when they went to all inclusive. We didn't mind the price increase. We did mind the drunks. Recently we heard that that cruise line went back to cruise only. For those that drink, they offer a beverage plan. Oceania SM has its problems. It started in October. It will likely take time to work out those problems. Offer more excursions with varied starting times. With Olife, I always found excursions. If I booked late, choices were limited. For better choices, book early. For those people who get excursions cancelled by the ship or miss a port, compensation should be offered.

Got the offer about a week after a cruise. WE did book another cruise within the 45 day limit. Gave all the info to my TA. No new invoice yet. Final payment will be due in February. If the offer is legit, it should be applied then.

Relax. Unless you bring lots of extra clothing, you will find adequate storage. It’s way better than Celebrity Solstice ships that have 3 drawers and over bed cabinets. I am short and cannot reach high shelves. On a 10 day cruise, I bring 5 -6 days worth of clothes. Plan on using laundry service. In a rush, do it yourself. If you don’t mind the 3 day return, send it to the laundry service. Laundry usually is returned in 1-2 days. The only time that they took 3 days was on Marina in June. See you on Vista. 1/9

For our upcoming Vista cruise, I forgot that it was time to make reservations. Slept through the night. Expected to find slim pickings. When I logged in next day, only restaurants listed were Embers and Polo. Made those reservations. Strangely after I made those 2 selections, Toscana and Red Ginger showed open reservations. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to make my allotted reservations at decent times at sharing table. I know from previous experience that some reservation spots are held back and can be reserved on the ship. On some longer cruises, we have asked for additional reservations in some restaurants. We have also cancelled some reservations after a very busy day. The maitr’d in GDR has offered specialty reservations to some people who were waiting for a table in GDR. Sometimes you get lucky. Regardless food is excellent in all venues. Terrace Is my choice for dinner especially in warmer areas. Nice to sit outside . Buffet has same menu as GDR plus.