Woodrowst

Last week we disembarked from the Nautica in Barcelona. The ship docked at 6:00am and was cleared for disembarkation at 6:50am. We were the first group off the ship and got our luggage at 7:10am. We had an Oceania transfer and the bus waited for all 26 passengers until 7:30am but we could have taken a taxi and been at the airport at 7:40am. Getting through fast pass was a breeze and definitely worth it. BUT….. the fly in the ointment was the airline check in process. It was chaotic with very long lines. We flew United but all airlines looked just as bad. We could use the business class line and that helped but still took a while. It looked like the economy/economy plus check in could take an hour. So that makes your plan quite dicey. Another way to look at it is: why would you want to submit yourself to the stress and worry during your cruise that you will make your flight? I know that would make me enjoy the cruise less. Everything worked like clockwork for us. What if the ship docks late (as happens)? Or it takes longer than usual to get clearance (as happens)? Or the line for a taxi is 20 minutes long (as happens)? If you miss your flight what if you can’t rebook because all flights are flying full and there are no seats available for the foreseeable future (as happens)? And what if missing your flight means your tickets are cancelled, you can’t rebook for free, and you have to pay for your new tickets (as happens)? If the 9:20am flight is the best for you my suggestion would be to schedule it for the next day and stay a night in Barcelona. That would give you a day to see a fabulous city. If you haven’t seen La Sagrada Familia get advanced tickets and view the most amazing architecture you may ever see. If you need to fly out on disembarkation day I would get a flight that leaves at noon or later.

We just returned from the Nautica cruising Dubai to Barcelona. The masking situation changed over the course of the cruise. At the beginning very few passengers and virtually no staff wore masks. About 2/3 of the way through the cruise all staff started wearing masks and so did many passengers. They also removed any ability for passengers to get their own food (i.e. morning croissants near the coffee machines). There must have been an outbreak of some sort. A fellow passenger said they heard it was a stomach virus. That would explain the “no touch” food policy but not the masks as norovirus is spread by touch and not by air. This does point out that the mask situation can be fluid.

On our current Nautica cruise (we just left Israel and are headed for Malta) the other baked goods are fine. We are especially enjoying the breadsticks, french bread, and chocolate croissants. Only the cookies are devoid of flavor. ☺️

We have also enjoyed the chocolate croissants so I put them in the “everything other than cookies taste good” category.

Sorry to disappoint, but the cookies in Baristas on our cruise are no different and are as tasteless as anywhere else as the ship.

So I guess the question becomes why Oceania cuts back on the flavor ingredients in their cookies when they do not seem to do that with any of their other food items?

My wife and I are currently on the Nautica having embarked in Dubai and now entering the Red Sea on our way to Egypt. We are having a wonderful cruise. This is our 5th Oceania cruise and we have noticed on all of them that the cookies have no taste whatsoever. This is clearly the exception since all of the other food is terrific. So I thought I’d ask if anyone knows why Oceania bakes cookies that have no taste? Please understand that this is not a complaint. It would take a lot more than cardboard cookies to ruin our cruise. I am simply looking for an explanation. i also realize that the question can be read two ways. The taste I am talking about involves ingredients. It does not reference a cookie who wears shorts to dinner ☺️

Much appreciated.

My wife and I will soon be taking a Middle East cruise on the Nautica. We are visiting a number of countries and would like a small amount of local currency. We don’t need much as we are spending our off-ship time on Oceania shore excursions and mostly want money for tips, snacks, and bathrooms. We are particularly thinking of Egypt where articles talk about the need to tip everyone. It would be a burden to get so many local currencies in advance and my bank requires a minimum of $200 for each country. Does Oceania make available small amounts of local currencies for purchase at guest services?

The cruise company has three different disembarkation times listed on various documents and their website. Ordinarily I would not care but the flight turnaround time is tight. I know I can always check onboard.

I am disembarking in Barcelona later this month. I went to the official port site Cruise Schedule | Barcelona (bcncruiseport.com) and tried to do a schedule search but it came up empty. No matter what day or days I plug in nothing comes up. Does anyone know why this function is not working or how to work around it? I wanted an "official" listing of the docking time for my ship. Thanks!

Why? I have had the good fortune to have traveled to almost 60 countries and independent territories and China was the most fascinating of them all. I do agree that Shanghai is the least interesting city as it is the most westernized. Other areas provide a paradigm shift from what we are used to in North America and thus expand our horizons as travel is meant to do.

Can anyone who took an Oceania shore excursion from Safaga to Luxor to see the Valley of the Kings tell me if they provided a bathroom break on the long 3.5 hour drive each way? I am assuming yes, but you know what they say about people who assume..... Thanks!

Out of curiosity, what is a permanent traveller?

An alternative to a traditional cruise ship in the Amazon is to take a small boat expedition cruise. I did one through Road Scholar from Manaus. The boat only had 16 cabins and the focus was on experiencing Amazonia. The guides were locals who knew the nooks and crannies of the Amazon and Rio Negro. Rather than the (potentially boring) drive by done by cruise ships, we would take two to three trips a day in motorized canoes to see, hear, smell, and taste what the Amazon has to offer. We went piranha fishing and the crew used our catch to make soup for lunch. We played with the local pink dolphins. We took hikes in the forest. We visited indigenous villages. We trawled the shoreline for birds, snakes, cayman and other wildlife. We watched the cook buy fish that had just been caught by locals fishing within sight of us. Much more of an in-depth and authentic experience than can be provided by Oceania and other traditional cruise lines.

We got the same thing last week for our cruise departing at the end of May.

Surpisingly, no. I had expected them to add it on due to the direct flight request but there was no extra fee.

We went during the summer and the sea was tame.

PS: After my TA submitted my request O put together a proposed flight itinerary. I could still have requested changes at that point - they did not “book” the flights until I gave my approval. Everything went through my TA.

I researched the United flight and had my TA request it.

We are on an Oceania cruise next month from Dubai to Barcelona. I asked for a direct flight back from Barcelona to Washington DC on United and got it with no problem. They did not increase the quoted price. There are no direct flights from DC to Dubai and I was fine with the outbound connecting flights on Air France they gave us.

I second what Catlover said. It isn’t called the land of fire and ice for nothing. Due to the history of Icelandic volcanic activity you will see terrain unlike anywhere else. Stark and beautiful. My wife and I did a cruise around Iceland and loved it. I would think of it as an expedition type cruise where you want to experience a very different and beautiful environment with geysers and a landscape shaped by volcanos and earthquake. It is not geared for those who want a traditional cruise focusing on cities or warm weather activities (although there is swimming in volcanic heated lagoons). If you go in the winter you may see the Northern lights.

Does anyone have any idea what is in the blank space between cabins 605 and 607? It seems too large to be a storage closet.

We have been on both classes and prefer the smaller R ships. They just seem to be quieter and have a sense of intimacy that the bigger O class lacks. We prefer quiet and intimacy over bells and whistles. But that is just us. Everyone is different. The only way you will really answer your question is to try both!

Thank you to all who let me know there are no formal nights on a SS expedition cruise. If you can tolerate one more question: On a SS Expedition Cruise can I get away with bringing sweaters instead of jackets? Or will I need a jacket for evenings?