MOTB

Thanks. Yes, we do like 'pairing' our wines with food, at least white with fish (usually) and red with red meat. So we hope the sommelier will do this for us even if we just take the drinks with meals package. If we start with this package, would we be able to upgrade to the premium after a day or two if we decide this would suit us better?

When does the Captain's party usually take place?

We are on this cruise too. We haven't booked any tour guides - we will probably explore on our own. I ahve bad knees and might find it hard to keep up with an organised group, also we jjust prefer doing our own thing when possible. In Palma, Mallorca we will probably use the hop on, hop off (HOHO) bus, taking in the cathedral among other sights. In Sete, we will go for a wander around the town and maybe take a bus or taxi up the hill where there is a little fisherman's chapel. At Monaco, there is a HOHO bus that stops at all the places of interest. At Portofino, we'll just go for a wander (there are boat trips available). At La Spezia, if the weather is nice, we will walk along the harbour to pick up the coastal ferry that goes to all the Cinque Terre, gorgeous picturesque villages that are best accessed from the sea (I've done them before from another town in Italy) - you can't fit all of them in but can visit two or three and it's a lovely ride. Not expensive if you DIY. At Livorno, we're probably going to take the tuscanybus to Pisa to revisit the Leaning Tower. Florence is a fair way away and we are spending extra time with a rental car in Italy after the cruise so we've booked two nights there. Then we get off at Civitavecchia and, having spent 3 days in Rome two years ago, we are going to head for Spoleto and Assissi before going to Florence, then we're staying with an Italian friend for a night before flying back to London from Pisa airport. We are Europeans and can get to these countries relatively easily, so we don't feel the need to have action-packed days and as we'll have spent a couple of days in Barcelona before boarding Riviera, we'll be happy to spend a fair amount of time relaxing on board. But I can well understand that those of you coming from a long way away do want to see as much as possible and maybe guided tours are the answer for you. Enjoy yourselves whatever you decide to do and maybe we'll get together on board.

We are new to Oceania, cruising from Barcelona to Rome at the end of October. We have booked Red Ginger for our first night on board as we were able to get a good time slot and a table for 2. When we go to Asian restaurants in the UK, we usually order several dishes to share - is this the way to do things at Red Ginger, or do we just order a starter and main course each?

Can't see why it should be a problem for cruise lines to source their drinks duty free but it may be that they have to pay some tax when serving drinks in ports but not on the open seas, which are international waters with no-one to pay tax to!

But the chef should have made sure the chicken was cooked through properly before expecting the waitress to serve it.

That's very helpful. Sounds as though we'll be going for the premium package then! But wine still comes by the glass I understand. So when we've finished a glass, do they bring us another or do they just top up our glasses from a bottle. And do they ever just leave the bottle on the table?

Or should we consider paying corkage on bottles we take on board - there should be opportunities at all the ports? I believe we can drink what we wish in our cabins.

Still trying to decide about drink policy. As long as the wine waiters are attentive at meal times, that might be enough for us: champagne while we're waiting, white wine, red wine, maybe something sweet. Brandy for my OH with coffee? Presumably as long as we are in a dining venue it counts for the cheaper meals only package (and includes lunch). Is Waves included which serves until 4pm? (Thinking of the port days when we get bacl too late for GDR or Terrace). It would be good for us to have soft drinks the rest of the time!

And do I understand there is a Captain's Party with free drinks? And also Happy Hour?

You'll find it helpful to have a few euros for the ports of call. You won't find many Spaniards, French or Italians taking dollars - we've never tried to spend euros in the US!

Does the main pool have easy access, ie steps rather than a ladder?

So at dinner, when you want a refill, they bring you another glass? I suppose wine by the glass means you can have white with a starter, red with a main etc.

Chewy buns does sound like macaroons, which are gorgeous- crisp yet meltingly chewy with some sort of cream sandwiching the two halves. Had a perfect one at afternoon tea at the Ritz in London yesterday (a wedding anniversary treat from friends). Hard to understand how 'pates de fruits' could be described as buns - they are jellies. Proper ones are delicious with very concentrated fruit flavours.

We'll be on Oceania for the first time at the end of October (Barcelona to Rome on Riviera) so it's interesting to hear what people thought of the restaurants. We need to decide which one to book for our wedding anniversary on our last night (1st November).

Do they charge corkage for wines you bring on board (eg from a port visit) even if you have purchased the drinks package? After all, you could otherwise have wine by the glass with your meal (presuambly more than one)?

We're all at risk, wherever we live. We live in London and I won't feel any more at risk on a cruise or at any port of call. The risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is tiny, but it's there for all of us.

Can't understand why your friends won't wait and board with you at 1pm, a pretty sensible time for lunch. Apparently Civitavecchia has one or two things to see, eg the Michelangelo Fortress - not sure you can go in but you can walk round it and there are some fountains and you can look at the smart yachts in the harbour. Find a bar for a drink and the time will go quickly. But you'd need to get your friends to take most of your luggage on board for you (label it as theirs). It's a long way from Rome so a separate private transfer would be quite expensive (you could use the train or book seats on a coach transfer). If you do go separately, I would do as others suggest and spend a bit more time in Rome - there's so much to see - the HoHo bus is good.

So are the drinks complimentary at the Captain's Party?

And at lunch or dinner can it be any wine from the wine list?

But presumably they'll bring you another glass when you've drained the first one?!

Thanks, that's very helpful. It looks as though if we are out for a long port visit, we'll be able to get something to eat when we get back on board without having to wait until dinner (as I would hope!)

Am I right in assuming that there won't be bridge directors on Mediterranean cruises where we visit a port every day? Would love to play some bridge if possible, even just informally. We are on Barcelona to Rome 26th Oct to 2nd Nov

What are the times for breakfast and lunch in the different dining venues please

We cruised from Athens to Rome on Queen Elizabeth last September and booked a cruise only fare, arranging our own flights (using BA air miles) for 2/3 days before and after. It took some organising as obviously we had to make our own way to and from airports. In Rome, we booked the Rome on your Own trip, taking our luggage with us. Obviously we didn't use the return leg, but we could take our luggage on the coach and it was only a short walk from the coach park near the Vatican to our hotel (The Columbus, an amazing place - a 14th century papal palace. Unmodernised but full of character and not expensive. Used a HOHO bus but a demonstration and a special mass meant our nearest stop wasn't always available. We did do a lot in the 1 whole and 2 half days we had - an awful lot of walking, my knees knew about it! If you do Rome on your Own from the ship, plan what you want to do in advance and pre-book to avoid queues (we had a 3 day ROMA pass). Don't be too ambitious - you need to get back to the ship. Go again on a city break. Wonderful city - enjoy it.

Cunard (like P and O it's a Carnival company) have the same system. We ordered a 12 bottle package at the start of our cruise and were given a book of vouchers - we just handed one in for each bottle we ordered from the selection. White or red depending on what we were eating. Worked well.

I used top cashback and I paid the full amount as the balance would have been due a week later. But the site only registered 3 digits,not 4 so cashback tracked at a tenth of what it should be. Topcashback are sorting it out hopefully.

Our main concern was that we seemed to have been given twin beds for our Ruby Wedding Anniversary cruise - I managed to change it with a click in the right box and I did our dining preference too.

I phoned P and O last week because nothing was showing about our Gatwick to Southampton coach - it was on my CP the next day. She told me how to find the coach station at the airport.