bahamamama11

We are considering a Caribbean cruise with Emerald Yachts in the Caribbean this winter. Has anyone been on one of these cruises, and if so do you have any words of wisdom that might sway our decision?

1) We are very interested in using the water toys from the swim platform. Are these available for use all or at least most days?

2) I'm also quite confused by their beverage package selections. From what my TA explains, everyone gets an intermediate beverage package (wine/beer/soft drinks/coffees) with meals, but anything other than water between meals costs extra. The premium package is said to include the aforementioned beverages anytime, and the platinum package adds in spirits. Are the wines available with the platinum package any different or better than those included with the premium package? Do either of the upgraded packages provide better wines than what is included at meals to everyone?

I'd love to hear some feedback. There are very few reviews of the Emerald Voyages anywhere to be found, and I've not seen any from Caribbean journeys. Thanks so much!

Thank you everyone for the input and advice. I very seldom use cruise air, but had a really great experience with Oceania to the South Pacific so I thought I’d give them another chance booking flights  for our Bermuda as the price was right.  
When we went to Papeete, we flew from the west coast. Oceania had us connecting to a charter flight from LAX which gave us far better flight times than I could find myself. On the way home flights left at Papeete at midnight and Oceania let us stay onboard until very late afternoon (no cabins but could use facilities onboard) and then transferred us to the airport with a very reasonable wait time. 
All in all a very positive experience. I was hoping for some similar care this time. 
 

This sounds epically awful! This is what happens when you relinquish control and take cruise air!

I'm a big DIY'er and am constantly on the Internet snuffing out travel deals. I wouldn't think of booking a cruise without a good TA. They bring so much to the table!

Years ago we would book our next cruise ( or a cruise credit) while onboard ship, and insist that we held the booking ourselves. I'd then shop this booking around to several agents, to see what perks they could offer. All of them brought extra value to the booking with additional shipboard credit etc. We'd try them out.

We finally came across an agent who always adds to the booking, is responsive to our calls, and has come through for us several times in a very big way. An agent who books a lot with a particular cruise line has a lot more clout with the cruise line when there is a problem than an individual cruiser has. 

We were on the Silver Muse in May, in a group of 6. Prior to boarding we could not get reservations at laDame on any night. (I do admit we were a bit late to the party on this cruise, booking only 2 months ahead.) We spoke with the dining room manager right after we boarded, and were able to get reservations for all of the specialty restaurants without any difficulty. We did not have any preference as to which night we wanted to eat in each.

That being said, we found Atlantide to be superior to all of the specialty restaurants with the exception of la Dame. If you tell the staff at Atlantide what you would like to eat the next night, they will provide it so long as they have the ingredients on the ship. 

I'm taking an Oceania cruise roundtrip New York to Bermuda.Oceania is supplying air and transfers.I'm just in a regular balcony cabin, and am still Blue with their loyalty program. I hope someone has experience with a similar situation, and can give me an idea of just how awful the first and last day of the cruise are going to be.

We are arriving into LaGuardia at 9:30 am on the day of embarkation, after a red eye flight. Will Oceania take us from the airport directly to the cruise ship terminal? Will they let us board the ship on arrival (I know the cabins won't be ready), or will we be expected to wait in the terminal until boarding commences in the early afternoon? 

At the end of the cruise (Manhattan again) they have booked us on a 3:30 pm flight out of LaGuardia. Will they dump us at the airport right after disembarkation to sit in the airport for 6 hours, or will they let us remain aboard (out of our cabins) and transfer us later, for a more humane wait at the airport?

Thanks so much for any insight!

Thank you for this stellar review, certainly the most comprehensive and entertaining of any I have seen. 

We are doing the Lyon to Avignon segment of your cruise in September. We are very independent travellers, and are looking to leave the ship and hope to do bit of sightseeing on our own in addition to the provided tours. 

Particularly in Lyon and Avignon : any insight as to how much time we will have to wander on our own?

Thank you.

I made two dining reservations for an upcoming cruise. There are 10 of us in a group, and we wanted to eat in the specialty restaurant at the same time. Four of us would like to eat in the specialty restaurants more often- would love the 5 night dining package. We made ( and paid for ) the two reservations just to be with the group. Is it possible to incorporate those dinners ( and the fees paid ) into a 5 night dining package once onboard ship? If I book the multi-night dining package prior to boarding, I can't be guaranteed of getting dinner seating times to coincide with the rest of our friends for those two special dinners. Comments or suggestions?

We get on in Athens as well. I hope the 'new' cast and crew are as considerate and dignified as you are.

You can take advantage of BOTH the special offer onboard and what is offered by a good travel agent. If you do an onboard booking, you can ask to have the booking released from the agent you booked your current cruise on (otherwise Oceania automatically assigns the booking to whomever you booked your current cruise with.) Now you have 30 days to move that booking from Oceania to the travel agent of your choice. You can "shop" the booking to multiple agents seeing what perks they offer you, or of course just head back to your usual agent. This way, though, you have the booking in your own hands and they have a reason to woo your business with the offer of some perks as it isn't automatically given to them.

3 quick questions about the regular beverage package

 

.....if you are eating at WAVES any time while they are serving lunch will your glass of wine be included (thinking of a late lunch after coming back from tour) or is it just during the time lunch is served in the GDR or Terrace?

 

Second question - we will be in a penthouse and enjoy having dinner served in our room - is wine included in these meals?

 

3rd question - if you order lunch from room service is the glass of wine included?

 

We had the full beverage package last cruise and trying to decide, based on our drinking habits, if it is worth paying the upgrade on our next cruise. We drink only wine and so if all of the above are a "yes" than the regular beverage package will work just fine for us along with bottles of wine in our room to enjoy a glass on our balcony before/after dinner.

 

Thanks in advance....

We have cruised on O with the 'Classic" beverage package on several occasions. Waves will continue to serve you drinks until they close at 4pm. On a couple of sea days we enjoyed VERY long lunches there. The waiters at Waves will also typically top up your glass just before they are closing up.

You can get a glass of wine delivered to your room IF you also order food with it, and IF there is a dining venue onboard ship that is open at the time. So there is a hiatus between 4pm ( when Waves closes) and 6 pm (when the restaurants reopen for dinner) where wine sent to the room would be charged. I've never had a full room service dinner in my room, so don't know what they would do for second (or third...) glasses during the meal.

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I purchased tickets for two on line from Aegean Traveller for 20 euro each for Nov. They included cable car from Fira back to ship. I can't vouch for the company but I guess I'll find out in Nov.

Did it work out for you?

How did you chose the time for your boat from Fira to Oia - I'm a little worried about getting off the ship quickly with the tenders often being full of people taking ship's excursions.

We'll be in Santorini May 1 on the Oceania Riviera. How are the tenders managed on Oceania? Any suggestions as to how best to get to Oia? I hear that the ferries that used to travel between Fira and Oia have been discontinued, and the buses are likely not running that day because it's "May Day Holiday." We would like to do the hike between Oia and Fira and hopefully end up in Fira so we're close to the ship at the end of the hike. Don't think we would like to walk both ways.

We will be tendered in St. Malo on the Oceania Marina this June. We have arranged a private tour for our group of 21. When I've done tendered stops before, the only way to get a big group like this off is to "beat the rush" for tendering as the Oceania excursions get priority once they start going. The boat anchors at 6 am. Does anyone know what time the tenders start running? What time do the ships excursions typically start at that port? Just wondering what I should be telling my group members as far as a meeting time that morning.

Thanks

Thank you.

We will be sailing on the Reflection in November. I am interested in the dining packages that include 4 night of specialty restaurants. Celebrity says that the package can not be purchased on board. If I buy the package before departure, I can not use shipboard credits to pay for them. I have a whack of credit available and with pre-paid gratuities and a premium drinks package already arranged, don't want to shell out money for the package and then look for something to spend the credits on. Any advice?