Cruiser Jane

7 yrs ago, we were in Egypt also. But it was a totally different story then. Not totally safe, but not the dangerous place it is today! The only thing that happened was one guy took out a wad of money to pay for something he didn't want and the merchant grabbed the whole wad out of his hand and ran with it. The traveler lost all his money.

Look beyond their smiling faces and friendly façade. What they are really thinking is that money keeps coming out of our pockets.

Having said all this, I think Oceania would not stop there or even let people off the ship if they thought it would be unsafe.

Just be careful whatever you do. Use a neck wallet and tuck it inside your shirt. Don't carry much money on you and leave your cell phone on the ship. Stay close to your guide, and you should be fine.

Cheers,

Jan

I had not heard of any rules like this regarding booking on the first night when you already had your required SRs booked.

We're preparing for our 13th O cruise and other than the first 2 when we were totally belligerent to Oceania, we have gotten in an SR every first night even after we've booked our SRs on line. All of our cruises are long so everyone should get their SRs in.

The cruise we're taking in August will be 24 days so I'm sure we'll have no problems getting in the first night. We are never in PH, as we'd rather take more cruises each year than blow it all on one.

On one cruise, we went up to the Terrace Café for lunch. We happened across some CC friends and we all sat at a table for 6. We were invited by the host to go to a SR of our choice that night - table for the 6 of us.

Like Lyn says, it doesn't hurt to ask! But thanks for bringing up this subject! If we're denied, we'll think about this thread!

Jan

We had 11 O cruises under belt when we decided to take an X cruise. It was 1/3 the cost of O's cruises so we thought we'd try it.

First the X ships are too big to go to less visited ports so there was usually a big crowd of ships and people in the ports. If you weren't on an excursion, you were lost.

2. We were spoiled by being able to go to the Specialty Restaurants on board O w/o paying more. So we simply didn't go when you had to pay for them on X. We took the X cruise for the cost and to see what X was about. The MDR with X has about 27 different main dishes. O's MDR has over 100. The fish dishes were terrible on X. Great on O. Steaks were not the quality of O's on X. In general the food was not good on X if you didn't go to the SRs.

3. I felt lost on this X ship because it was 2,700 passengers; much larger than any O ship and more crowded. Lines for the MDR. Harder to hook up with CC members, so we didn't socialize much. On O, I usually am the person setting up the M&Gs and I know everyone. Such fun.

4. The X ship was really beautiful as are O's ships. But I noticed a vast difference in cleanliness. O's crew is constantly wiping down the handrails, and climbing under tables to clean. Xs tables were not clean in some cases, with food debris on the floor.

Having said all of this, I'm now having issues with O on our upcoming cruise so we'll see!

Hope this helps!

Once you have to pay in full, there will be no refunds from O. This just happened to us. They discounted our cruise and offered more OBC than we were originally offered. When TA asked O what they could do for us, we were offered an upgrade to a higher category. But this offer doesn't come close to the amount discounted plus the perks.

I don't remember this much "play" going on with O before they were acquired by Norwegian. I don't like these games. Really not fair to the person who booked early.

I told DH that I don't want to book anything early again - just wait for the reduced rates! This is our 13th cruise with O but we'll be considering other cruise companies now.

Thanks Marilyn. We're traveling in the Med. and in the Red Sea. I'm hoping for calm seas. We've had both in the Med. Have never been in the Red Sea.

I'm looking forward to the larger stateroom. We've had balconies and would like to have one, but our financial situation (with an empty house for sale) is not great. So this cruise is reasonable and we're trying to keep cost down. So we booked a "E" cabin (OV with obstructed view) and were on a guarantee. When the cruise was recently discounted, I called my agent and asked if we could get something back (already paid in full at this point). She said O will only allow an upgrade at this time to those 4 staterooms. I decided 7007 was the best and took it. So we'll see!

I have been in 7007 several times and liked it..there is a little more movement but it did not bother us..watch the two cabins on deck 6 though..it can be noisy over the lounge..

Jancruz1

Thank you Jancruz1. 7007 is the one I chose, so I'm glad for that. The ones on 6 have a door going to the suites which would be closed off, but I think it would look strange. This is exactly what I needed to know!!!

Have not stayed in them but you will have about the size of the balcony added to the cabin Approx 40 sq ft

Thanks Lyn. I do realize that. And it looks like they are a little wider which would be great. 2 people can cross in front of the bed at the same time. May be worth it. Worried about roughness. Wonder how bad it gets as opposed to the middle or back of the ship.

Have you ever stayed in the front of the ship? This will our first time.

Thanks,

Jan

We were on guarantees on 2 cruises and last cruise we jumped 4 categories and had a great room; the one before we also ended up in an upgrade to a concierge.

But on our current cruise, we booked a guarantee for an E figuring we can always buy up to a higher cat. if we don't like what we get. Then I saw that our cruise was discounted quite a lot. Called my TA. Since we've already had to pay in full, she could only offer an upgrade. The upgrade was to an OV in 7007. This is a much larger stateroom but it's almost in the front next to the large suite. We face the side and don't have a veranda, which is fine.

Has anyone ever stayed in either 7007, 7006, 6006, 0r 6007? They are all larger with just a window.

OH, and BTW Lyn, no O doesn't offer any discount and the only way you can get a guarantee is to book a category which has no available rooms. They hope one will open up.

Thanks,

Jan

Has anyone ever stayed in one of the 4 front cabins which are just OV cabins? They are 6006, 6007, 7006, and 7007? These appear to be a bit larger than the other veranda and OV cabins for the OV price. I know they are in the front and the seas may be rougher.

We're taking that chance on our cruise from Barcelona to Dubai.

Jan

I guess it's too late for my comment as our friends have decided. I think Oceania's prices are going way too high and they are going to suffer some for it. But the food choices on O offer over 100 different courses to X's 27 different offerings. X's food is really not good compared to O's.

We did this X cruise last year and found that the ports were over crowded with mega ships and there was way too much confusion for us and we just stayed on board in places like St. Maaten. Oceania's smaller ships can get into ports that the mega ships are not allowed in. O can go to more secluded and interesting destinations.

On the Eclipse, I noticed the tables in the café were not cleaned appropriately; sometimes left sticky. No placemats. More like an A&G cafeteria. We were in O's Terrace café after they closed once and noticed the crew UNDER the tables cleaning the legs and floor. Nothing is ever dirty on O. Having said that, the ratio of staff on O is much higher than the ratio of staff to cruisers on X. Thus there are not enough workers to clean the ship like O does.

I also found the class of people to be much different.

X was 1/3 the price of O for that cruise we took. It was okay, but I really don't think I want to go on another X cruise.

Jan

Allowed may not be the right word for Oceania. Appropriate is the word to use. I've never seen Oceania turn anyone away from the MDR or SRs for inappropriate wear. I witnessed O admitting to the MDR for dinner, a guy dressed in shorts and casual sandals. Of course, he was in the Owners suite and I guess they would have let him in wearing a bathrobe.

Wear whatever shoes you need to wear and simply let the Dr. Mgr. know that you have a foot problem. They will be happy to accommodate your request, esp. if you are dressed appropriately otherwise.

Enjoy your cruise!

Jan

We've been on 10 O cruises, and there has always been the flat green night light in the bathroom. I think it only works in that outlet, the one for razors. But if it's not there, simply crack your curtain and turn on the deck light (if you're in a cabin with a balcony). Otherwise, I guess it won't hurt to bring a nightlight with you.

Jan

I would cancel the O transfer either go eat at the hotel in the Airport or in the airport itself

You could sit in the hotel lobby or wander if your dad is too impatient ..it is more comfortable than waiting in the port if they even let you in the building early

 

Then take a taxi to the port later maybe noonish ..it is $24 + tip flat rate much cheaper than the O transfer

The porters will take you bags but do keep your carry-on with you with your valuables & meds

 

Enjoy

Lyn

This is exactly what I was going to suggest - Lyn beat me to it!

On our 2nd O cruise, we were left at the airport by O due to luggage not showing up. O finally found a spot on another bus of people they were transporting to the ship. Very bad experience. Don't expect O to take care of you when there is a problem. After that, we NEVER took O's transport again. We've learned it's always so much cheaper to simply hail a cab.

If you're concerned about having to wait for a cab, you may be able to make arrangements ahead of time with a taxi company to meet you at the airport. I don't know where to find such info, but searching the web is a start.

Good luck!

Jan

....when you receive a bad meal can be problematic when dining with others. Everyone else is eating and you're waiting! Still we've done this - had to if the dish was really bad, like too salty. And yes, Lyn, someone else at our table got uncooked chicken on one of our cruises. That's really bad!

We've been pretty lucky, but we've had unfortunate incidents in all of the dining rooms. Do you know that the same waiters in the SRs also double up and cover other restaurants on board depending on the crowd. We saw our favorite Polo waiter in the MDR. They are all hired by O unlike other ships where the SRs you pay for, have their own staff. So O is very different than the other ships where you pay extra for SRs. I prefer O's way of doing things and enjoy all of the SRs because of the great variety.

No problem bringing wine on board. We do it all the time, but no more than 3 bottles each. That's about all we can drink in our cabin. When you can buy a bottle of good wine in the dining rooms for about $40, I don't see the point in bringing cheap wine on and paying $30 corkage fee per bottle.

Wine packages: There are 2 different types of packages. One is a fee you pay ahead of time for each day and you get wine poured with dinner. You don't get a whole bottle. When you finish your glass, the waiter brings another or fills it up for you. I don't care for this package.

The other package is when you purchase 3 or 6 bottles of wine when you board the ship, at a discounted price. I think you can continue to do this throughout the cruise. Someone said you get 30% discount buying it ahead of time like this. I don't remember that. I remember 10 or 15%. Also, they have wine bizarres on board usually every cruise where they take the few bottles they have left of one type of wine and sell them at a discounted price. Still I don't remember it resulting in 30% off the bottle.

Can anyone back me up on this? We've never bought the daily packages and am only reciting from what others who have told me. We always attend the wine sales and buy a few bottles and they hold them for your dinner or you can take them back to your stateroom. If you do this, they know their wine and you don't pay a corkage fee if you simply bring it to the dining room.

It appears from the ship deck plan that all the balconies from 7108 wrapping back and up to 7111 are significantly bigger thatn other balconies. Can anyone verify if this is true. We have 7123 and it looks like a hugh balcony for a standard balcony cabin

We were in 7121 and YES, the balcony is much larger. Same width, but about 6' longer. One of our CC members booked 7123 and we opened the door between the 2 balconies and had CC parties out there. So much fun! However our friends in 7123 had trouble with the toilet the entire cruise. That was last year, so I'm sure they've gotten it fixed by now!

I have a picture of this but don't know how to attach a pic on here. I tried to click on Insert Image but it asks for a URL. My picture is downloaded on my Pictures. If you want the pic, you can email me and I'll send it to you.

janelleguichard [at sign] gmail [dot] com.

Cookie, I organized a Cabin Crawl on board the Marina once and one of our CC members had that room. They were gracious enough to show their cabin.

It's a little smaller than the PHs but in the same class. I guess the larger balcony makes up for the smaller stateroom. The bath is the same as a PH, but there is no walk-in closet. The closet is still adequate, with lots of storage but not walk-in. And the rest of the cabin is a little smaller as well, so there is a trade off. The balcony is fabulous!

Hope this helps!

Jan

We happened to be in the Terrace Café after hours one day and observed O's staff cleaning the legs and center portion of the tables (under the table). O's prides itself in cleanliness on board. The hand rails are cleaned often during the day.

We took an X cruise (Celebrity) and tables were dirty, lots of dirt under the tables - not the same at all.

So I'd take my chances with Oceania.

Jan

I found the posts regarding M&Gs interesting. I've arranged about 8 M&Gs all on Oceania ships because they don't support CC. I usually find the Head Concierge or the CD and ask for their help. I make up invitations ahead of time leaving the time, date and place blank. Then once on the ship, I find an officer to help me identify the best time to host. They respect you much better if you ask and not tell them when you want to do this. Then I fill in the info on the invitation (which has 2 to one sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 paper.) The Concierge or reception desk will make the copies for you and cut them in half. I fold over the invitation and write the name and stateroom on the top of each one. They are happy to deliver them as the work is already done for them.

I've never run into any problems. I think it depends on who the CD and C are. I've had great success with David Schrmet, Dotti, and Willie Aames and all of them know me. David Peterson was not much help and never made an attempt to get to know anyone, but the Concierge was great! For our next cruise - April 7 - we have Nolan Dean. We've had him as an Assistant CD, but not CD. So this will be interesting.

Lyn, I know if you were unsatisfied with this cruise, you claim was legitimate! It looks like we've all hijacked your thread! OOPS, Sorry.

Jan

I guess it all depends on how much you drink. Unless you consume an awful lot of wine, beer and champagne each day, I think you'd be better off doing what we do.

We go to happy hour most evenings - 5 to 6pm and it's 2 drinks for the price of one If you don't finish your second wine or drink, you can carry it to the dining room and the waiter will bring it to your table for you. Then we generally share a bottle of wine for dinner and have a mixed drink or glass of wine during happy hour. We usually don't have a drink during the day. So for us, the $40 pkg would cost us more ($80) per couple, than we would buy separately.

Remember, you will have the Captain's party one night; and another night - the Oceania Ambassador Club party (if you've had more than one cruise). You can drink as much as you want during the party times. Than go to the dining room with your last drink, order a bottle of your favorite wine, and if you don't finish it, they will save for your next meal no matter where that is.

We also like to bring a few bottles on board so we can share them in the stateroom with friends.

Again, it depends on how much you drink!

Jan

To obtain more privacy, you can buy 2 hooks attached to strong magnets and string a cord across the stateroom. The walls are metal and the hooks will hold light items. You can ask the cabin steward for an extra sheet. They will make up the sofa bed every day and take the sheet down and save it for the evening when you can ask them to put it back up.

The one thing that may be difficult is where to put all your clothes. The closets are very small and difficult to get into. You may want to keep all your shoes under the bed, and some of your clothes in a suitcase under the bed.

It will be very snug though! Good luck. Hope this helps!

Jan

Rachel, I'm enjoying your posts! Thanks for doing this.

For anyone with more than 7 pairs of shoes, try pushing your empty luggage further under the bed and put your shoes under the bed at the edge where you can stoop down and easily retrieve them.

One flaw design to the larger O ships is the closet in the regular staterooms. Be careful with the snap shut magnet on the side of the sliding door which made a hole in a silk shirt of one of our CC members. Even with the light, it's dark on the floor. I'm able to use the floor on the side closer to the hall to store all my shoes as I usually have about 7 pairs. Bill puts his 3 pair on the other end. The Interior design specialists were thinking only of looks and n ot comfort when they ordered the too big furniture all over the ship. That stateroom should have only had a loveseat so the night table can be pushed away from the closet to make room for you to get into it!

But after dealing with this problem the first time, I was prepared after that.

For anyone wanting a curtain to divide the sitting area from the bed, I recommend VERY STRONG magnets with hooks that you can string a cord from one end of the stateroom to the other. Then hang an extra sheet over it. Bring clothes pins to fasten it. I use my sarong. Not as big but it works.

Look forward to more posts Rachel - sorry for interrupting here.

Jan

We're booked for our 11th Oceania cruise this April on the Riviera. We have found our SR choices change from cruise to cruise. You can get a great meal in any of the restaurants, including the MDR. And you can have a meal that is not up to par. This can happen anywhere even in our restaurants at home.

But for the most part, ALL of O's restaurants are excellent. We really like the MDR. O is not like the other ships like X where the MDR is just okay and doesn't serve a wide variety of food. So if you don't pay to go to an SR, you won't have a really good dining experience.

The SRs on O have fixed menus but you never know what the chefs will create for the MDR! So we always check the menu board before the evening and sometimes CANCEL a SR to eat in the MDR. And please - always cancel your rsv. if you can't go. Sometimes you can walk up to an SR w/o a rsv. and get in because people have been considerate enough to cancel.

And as for wait time, we've been in and out of the MDR in 1 hour. If you dine just 2 people at a table, it doesn't take long. But if you sit at a table for 8, it could take over 2 hours. We've never on any cruise been in any of O's restaurants longer than 2 1/2 hours and that would have been an enjoyable group of 8. And it depends on how busy they are. But we'd had a difficult experience once in Polo where the food took a very long time to come out (we were seated with other CC members so we were enjoying each other's company anyway.) But when it finally came, the steaks were too salty. Ask for no salt on the steaks and any sauce on the side. But almost all of our experiences in Polo have been great.

So ANY of O's restaurants can become overbooked and you could experience a long wait, but it's not the norm.

Hope this helps!

Jan

Very unfair, but this new policy could come back to bite them also. I for one has been on 7 cruises, so what do we do? Should we try to make 10 so we can get the perks that come with it or worry they will not be there when we get to that level? Oceania needs to have a policy that their guests can rely on. There are other cruise lines of the same class as O that have cruises with ports just as good, so it could be time to look at them. Oceania is still our number one choice but they must show that they will treat us fairly. :confused: :mad:

RJB, you are right on with this comment! Please state this on your comments card in your stateroom of your next cruise. We love Oceania, but this kind of negative "give and take away" business will sour many to future cruises. We are actually thinking of trying another cruise line like Seabourn for our next cruise. I will mention this on my comment card. O keeps raising the prices of their cruises to where they are just as much as some of the premium cruise lines. And now that they are taking away benefits, who can trust them!

Since our TA always gives free PPG, when we booked our 11th cruise, we expected to have O convert the PPG into SBC like they promised. I was very disappointed to learn that now that I've gotten to this status, they decide to change this rule! I wonder like you, if they will continue to take away what they promised! I will raise this with the club Ambassador on board this next cruise and write it in my comments. Yes, they will give us $250 but that's not the same as the $490 SBC that the PPG is worth!

Cheers,

Jan

We just returned from the South Pacific cruise and had Willie Aames as our CD. I had my reserves about him, but loved him! He did everything he could to make our cruise more memorable. He was great to our Cruise Critics. This cruise was very difficult to get to so half of the ship didn't arrive till 10pm. We stayed in a hotel in Papeete so we were there at 11am. I found the Concierge, Diago, and told him I was arranging some CC group get togethers. He was a tremendous help -"let me call Willie to come meet you". Willis was so accommodating. I told him I had arranged with the group to meet for dinner the second night in the MDR. I also told the DR Mgr. of our plan. He was no help. I invited Willie to join us and he did! He even bought several bottles of wine for all of us to share! He sat next to me and I had an opportunity to get to know him. He is a remarkable guy and appears to be making a strong comeback. He typed up my invitation for our M&G which I decided to have on the 4th day (first sea day) in the evening. He suggested since nothing was going on in the Regatta lounge that we could have it there. He couldn't show up but the GM, Rafael Cinque joined us. I was offered a mic and asked each couple to come up and introduce themselves. The GM talked first! We really got to know each other better. This was the best CC Meet and Greet we've ever had because there were no interruptions - we had the whole lounge to ourselves.

Willis also put in some extra shows which were great! He asked the entertainers if they would be willing to do an extra event. He let them sing anything they wanted to so they were able to sing their best songs which they enjoyed doing. Willie also sings very well and sang for us! He really is quite the actor and entertainer! He also arranged for an afternoon show which was a repeat of the best show the entertainers did. We enjoyed it the second time as well. He is a very smart CD and works his job hard. He was everywhere on the ship. I also ran into our General Manager and Captain Brajcic (whom I love) several times on board.

If you have Willie, do attend some of the extra shows! They will change your mind about onboard entertainment on Oceania. And be sure to introduce yourself and let him know you are a CC member!

Cheers,

Jan