qldtraveller

Marina has just arrived in Havana. FDR is on board, as you might expect, and he has issued a delightful letter in which he describes why today is so special to him.

There is a substantial array of day time and evening excursions. We have a private guide for the day and hope to see a good many of the sights, sounds and flavours.

The initial views from the ship are of a cosmopolitan city that is distinctly crumbly and faded. No surprise there then!

Will post more later.

Ola from Australia

May I say many thanks for confirming what it is like and it is what we want to see. We have a private guide(a lady) and driver for 2 days(some friends have used the lady previously for a 10 day tour) and have chosen what we wish to see and do and go to the not so touristy to see the real people and the areas. It is nice to see someone present the real picture. We are there April 6/7 and are really looking forward to way it is.

Again many thanks for all your message Re: Habana

Hi

As the original enquiry seemed to be a Canadian and they have similar systems to ours I was just making a suggestion. As indicated our cash card is guaranteed(just like a credit card), we have a fixed rate at the time) and most of my North American friends do not get the surcharge applied. There are surcharges applied for public holidays etc.

I was just trying to assist the person who started this board with some advice and the simplistic way of not worrying about currency's.

unfortunately, as is usual with you provide a negative response.

As an aside our AUD is 71c to USD which means you might get 69 if you are lucky.

We will be on the BTB cruise leaving Tahiti -Australia Feb.4/17. Going to French Poly, Samoa, the Marquesas,Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia.

Can we get some advice as to how many currencies we need to have for this cruise?

Thanks!:)

Hi

Just a quick note on currencies required.

We use a cash card with monies loaded on it in various currencies(USD, EUR, AUD and others). When we get to larger town with ATM's just go to ATM and extract cash from this card. If we get USD from ATM we get 1 for 1 and no surcharge. We are not charge a surcharge for any currency we get off the card and exchange rate is reasonable. We never use credit cards due to interest charges.

Secondly, we always change some cash(usually USD) on board or in port as many places do not take credit cards or will only take certain ones.

Oceania quite often in many ports has an exchange person on board who exchanges to local currency and also takes back the currency and converts it back to USD. Not everywhere and yes, you might lose some on the exchange rate but what is a couple of dollars when seeing great areas of the world.

I would also correct a previous comment on Australia charging a surcharge on credit cards. We live here and only on rare occasions(taxis/cabs) is there a surcharge and many venues may charge a fee if you use an American Express or Diners Club Card. This is changing as we use M/C, Visa and Amex in Australia for everything and only a some places still charge a surcharge. There are service fees at restaurants and airlines charge a credit card fee(what don't they charge for).

I just love it when people say something about somewhere and it is not correct and they assume as it happens once then it is standard.

We have visited all the places you are to visit and there is really no issue if you have some cash to use and the cash card

as an example when we do say a 30 day cruise on Oceania we may use the credit off shore maybe 5 times. The rest is cash from cash card in each port. On our last cruise with Oceania we had to deal with some 15 currencies and it was not an issue.

I hope that helps as one does not need to over complicate the currency issue. Take a cash card with 2 currencies(USD and EUR) let the ATM convert and if no facility then take some cash ashore and convert. Yes, exchange rate may not be what you expect but you are seeing the world.

Always remember the exchange rate you see is normally a rate some 2-3 cents higher than what you will get and that is why there is a buy and sell.

Enjoy the cruise and the pacific islands.

The UK office have assured me that all marketing info has been stopped, apart from stuff that's already in the system.

 

They have asked me to follow them on Twitter so they can DM me, no way.

I have read this board with interest.

I have to say that if this is a major issue in your life then you must have very few other problems to worry about and deal with.

As people say change your email to an incorrect one(I do this all the time and it stops), mark Oceania as spam, change your postal address to a fictitious mail box etc. companies soon get the hint.

:)WE have just completed a leg from Shanghai to Sydney on Insignia which included Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney. This was during April.

Yes it was hot and humid in Darwin, perfect for rest of cruise.

I have lived in North Queensland many years ago and live in SE Queensland now. Cyclones are very rare in April/May.

A circumnavigation of Australia is a scheduling issue for Oceania and other cruise lines. Most go through to Indonesia/Thailand etc. Also the southern part of Australia is approaching winter and quite rough seas.

That is why many cruise lines do not sail around the bottom of Australia or around NZ due to9 weather which is cold and seas are rough from say May to October and cruise the northern islands up from Australia.

So I guess one needs to accept the conditions are very different around Australia at any time of the year.

Yes, O is always expensive in its initial opening espec. for 2018. One just sits and waits for the reduction which will occur. Also if you are on a O cruise book on board and there is possibly the offer of you receiving the lower price when it occurs. we have this for 3 cruises we booked on board.

Deb,

funny you should say this.

We befriended a crew member from Myanmar whom we saw almost daily polishing the rails in the stairwell and he was so thankful that we always stopped and talked for a while. I suspect he discovered our eating patterns and tried to be there when we were passing through to practice his English a little (at least I'd like to think so :)) BTW, he had a PhD from home but could find no work there; because of his lack of language skills all he could do was polishing rails on the ship. He was eager to teach us a few words in his language and talk to us about his country. Had we not taken the time to talk to him, we would have never known any of this. I bet others have similar stories to tell if we take the time to find out a little more about them.

It is now 4 years later and he is no longer with Oceania but we correspond frequently with him and he keeps inviting us to visit him in Myanmar.

Like you said - how hard is it to be nice (and it costs nothing) to

them as people and thus show appreciation for their hard work.

Hi

Just like you we befriended a Indian Chap who every day cleaned the rails, did the word work at entrance to GDR and at 7:30pm started the rubbish bin clearing fron Deck 10 down to 4 in all foyers etc.

We seemed to be the only ones who said hello as every day we would have a smile for him and vice versa.

I had a great chat to him and his backup when cleaning the rubber on the stairs with toothe brushes.

Thank you for your support on this. Guess based on the responses I am preaching to the converted as they say.

First of all, what I want to say does not apply to everyone who cruises on Oceania.

Secondly, I am an Oceania fan(7 cruises and 2 booked and 1 more to be booked) and I realise the following may upset a few people.

We have just completed a 30 day cruise from CPT - SIN.

The crew were great. They are human beings just like we are doing a job to improve their family life in some other part of the world.

Yet, they may have to work 7 days a week up to 10 - 12 hours a day depending on their roster for the day(some on any would be seen in the Terrace for b/fast & lunch, then hi-tea and then GDR). They have be at all times tidy, pleasant, smile, nice and meet the demands/request of us passengers every day and hold conversations with you if you want to talk to them. And they have to do this for their 6 - 8 month contract.

Okay they may occasionally get a few hours off in a port once every few ports.

For this particular cruise and some past cruises we have taken I noticed that many of the passengers have forgotten the simple words such as "please" or "thanks" or "thank you very much" or "may I" or "excuse me" etc. This was to destination services, dining areas and other areas.

In many cases people would wave their hands and ask for a server to come an clean the table or get a fork or napkin etc. but never using the words mentioned above. In one case a "gentleman" would not accept water from a waiter. Only from the white shirt maitre de. One guy even had the waiter bring his 4 rashers of bacon to his table on the terrace every morning as he had a plate of oats in his hand. One day we did not have strawberries available for breakfast so a woman demanded the waiter go and find some somewhere. There were many other incidents of rudeness like a group moving tables together and locking a gentleman's walker so he could not get out.

Come on, we are on a boat for 30 days which is totally self sufficient.

In a many cases people would walk into the GDR at say 7:30pm and ask for the dinners to be served quickly or have desserts and coffees rushed as they were running late for 8:30 Trivia or the show or something else so everyone else in that station area had to wait for these people who could not organise themselves to be there earlier knowing that between 7:00pm - 8:00pm was the most hectic every night.

The demands made on the crew by people without saying the simple above mentioned words was amazing and the crew had to take all in their stride and continue smiling.

Whether one is a level 8 to a level 4 cabin manners are still the same.

These crew are human beings also and many do it to assist their families build a home and have their children educated. Yes, they volunteered to do it but some for respect would not go astray to those this concerns.

Just think of yourself and if you could awake at say 6:00am every morning and work till say 10:00pm, eat at odd times etc. and smile and be nice at all times for 7 days a week for six months on a boat

As I said this only to those who have forgotten some simple words to use.

I am so grateful my mother taught me to be polite to people because the other side is ugly and so disrespectful.

I stand corrected

 

I do not understand why they would force people to book through Australian wholesalers then?

 

Many years ago we Canadians could not book direct with US cruise lines we had to use a Canadian wholesaler then came the WWW ..things changed

The issue is not that we are forced to it just the way it works for cost expediency.

As an example I go to book Oceania or RSC cruises at our TA's office. The coy she works for pays an annual fee to be member of a group which is the wholesaler. This wholesaler has access to Oceania's booking system etc and can provide the costings in AUD to our TA plus any benefits. This wholesaler may also haverirect access to many other cruise lines. However, if I book RSSC with our TA she goes to the same wholesaler as for Oceania. However, our Wholesaler then goes to the wholesaler for RSSC who provides the price to our wholesaler then sent to our TA.

However, if one books say Princess cruises then the TA's can go direct to the Princess Cruises office as they have staff in abundance and as part of Carnival Group in Australua have a large number of boats operating out of Australian Ports. Also people booked on Carnival cruises in Australia are generally never allowed to talk to Princess direct.

Oceania has Marina down here for a month and RSSC also generally has one boat down here for a month.

So we are not forced to use the wholesaler it is just the average Australian does not even understand the process when the TA puts the cruise together for them,

They think the TA deals direct with cruise line.

I also the lady who started this thread may have a TA associated with a who.saler not associated with Oceania direct and does not understand the process. I have communicated directly with Oceania people in Sydney by phone and e-mail and never had an issue.

Hope that clarifies the operation a little and apologies for long winded response.

As an aside an UK couple who are friends and have cruised 30 times with Princess and associated lines could not book a cruise from Sydney to Tahiti return in AUD(also cheaper than UK price) as they do not have Australian address with their membership level. Even I could not book direct and the TA could not even do it.

We live and learn as to why the world has different ways

Jobs

 

They regulate the travel industry ... they are trying to protect the jobs of people that live in Australia

If everyone bought their goods & services off shore a lot of people would be on the dole

Actually you are incorrect.

Oceania operates with a particular wholesaler in Australia. Other wholesalers have to go thru that one to arrange a booking.

Example, RSSC(same company as Oceania(Prestige now NCL) uses a different wholesaler and when we book RSSC thru our TA it goes to the Oceania Wholesaler and then to RSSC's wholesaler.

This is the way it works in Australia due to small population and the expense of each TA company booking direct.

Princess, Cunard, RSSC and many others do not have direct contact with the public except at seminars or exhibitions.

It is nothing about travel regulations or jobs as it is still a major employer.

It is to do with the structures put in to try and have people like Oceania and RSSC and HAL operate with small offices in Australia.

In fact over 85% of cruises are bought directly w/i Australia from Australian offices. This is for Carnival Group especially.

Hope that clarifies the situation for you.

We use on board bookings all the time.

If we cancel we receive our deposit back less an admin fee.

This is required by the contract taken on by the consolidator/wholesaler in Australua as pRt of their exclusive agreement.

Oceania Australia has nothing to do with it as I have dealt with them directly.

Your contract is with Oceania who then give it to their TA which is the consolidator who then notify our travel agent with an invoice.

Our TA issues the invoice with cruise price in AUD as was printed by Oceania on board less the deposit.

There is also a mention of the deposit and what you get back depending on cancellation time.

Note if book direct with the TA the consolidator would require 2.5 times the deposit and most is not refundable.

Hope that clarifies the position.

We do this with Oceania and have now sailed 7 times with in 3 years and another 2 upcoming.

Sydney Australia. Oceania in Australia hides behind wholesale travel agents who generally only deal with retail travel agents (except for Fiona Miller of Cruise Office who was lovely and tried valiantly to help) and won't let you talk to them direct to try to get a sensible resolution - all I wanted was to roll-over my 2014 reservation for a 2015 reservation. I named the 2015 cruise and was ready to place a firm reservation. Oceania was intractable!

I am Australian. Every time we sail Oceania(7 times) we always book onboard a cruise we are not using( ghost booking). Sometimes we book 2 of these.

We pay a deposit for 2 of us in AUD( same for each one and less than if we book in Australia). We always book a ghost trip some 9 - 12 months away so final payment is not needed till 6 - 9 months on. Currently, we are awaiting the cruises for rest of 2016 to be released in March 2015.

We then contact our travel agent and we transfer the ghost booking( it is an actual cruise) to the one we want with no issues or extra monies needed.

We go thru travel agent to wholesaler/ consolidator who then contact Oceania.

Someone is misleading you and I Suspect the TA is not doing their job properly. Oceania and consolidator have always worked with this process in how it is described.

Australia is the 3rd largest market for Oceania and they do not go against the offer.

It is true that things like free air, pre-cruise may not be available but local consolidator can assist even though we never use them.

We have dealt with 3 Oceania ambassadors on our numerous cruises and never once have they mislead us.

Hi

S/be grateful for the credit.

Travel insurance covers other costs as we have been thru it before.

Wish Princess had done the same instead of saying try your travel insurance.

Yes, it is disappointing that the cruise was curtailed and that you were offered your cruise monies back plus 25%.

One is always out of pocket at times when tours etc. are cancelled.

Part of travelling the world today.

Our 24 day cruise to the Amazon was cancelled by Oceania 5 days before we were scheduled to sail due to a tragic fire that occurred on the ship when it was about half way thru a 10 day itinerary. While this was not Oceania's fault, in my opinion, 700 people booked on this major cruise have been offered insufficient compensation by Oceania. Oceania proffered alternatives as follows:

1) A full refund of the fare and a 25% credit of the cost of the cancelled cruise for a future cruise in 2016 but, with exception of $150 for air change fees, no compensation for the myriad other out of pocket costs, eg. visas, required vaccinations, non-refundable airfare, trip insurance, etc.). Further, as detailed in the option described below, specific cruises were excluded from this offer--most notably the two most similar itineraries.

2) Accommodation at no additional cost on 10 specific cruises, only two of which with itineraries comparable to the cancelled trip, again with a 25% credit for a future 2016 cruise as above. Several of these cruises are to the far east or South Africa, some are 15 months away, and all but one will require international air travel at much greater time and expense as opposed to the cancelled trip which was round trip out of Miami. Neither of the two substitute cruises with similar itineraries are for the same time of year (Christmas holiday). Oceania has shown no concern or consideration for any of these factors.

 

While I have not seen the details of the compensation offered to the individuals on the cruise that was terminated early, it has been reported to be a full refund and 50% credit for a future cruise. The abruptly terminated cruise was halfway complete at the time of the fire, so those passengers basically got a free cruise and a deeply discounted future cruise. Yes, admittedly those passengers were terribly inconvenienced, but so were those expecting to board after them. Given the difference in the compensaton offered, it seems that the first 700 passengers were much more important to Oceania than the 700 who totally lost out on their cruise. Oceania has rigidly refused to consider a comparable compensation package for those of us who received no cruise time at all and have lost money on other costs associated with the trip.

 

Accordingly, I will take my cruise dollars to another line in the future. I hope you will consider this when you are choosing a cruise line for yourself.

Hi

Firstly we have sailed Regent, Oceania, Princess, HAL and Paul Gaugin so I am speaking from experiencing small and large vessels.

I have read the criticism a number of times and normally would not respond. However, there are some issues with a one sided bias.

I find it so fortunate that you are able to sail the better cruise lines and afford a penthouse and all that it offers. We only just have a balcony cabin.

Maybe the butler(why do you need one) & front office staff saw your attitude in your face and they were surly. Have never had any major issues.

I generally refused the MDR as they were to fast and menu was lacking. Gratefully, cruise lines are looking slowing the service from the American rush hour so everyone from the rest of the world as well as many Americans can enjoy their food and wine.

Noticed no comments on the Terrace or Waves Baristas or Speciality restaurants. Somewhat strange.

The weather was bad and some ports were missed. Guess the power of Nature and the sea just is not fair and safety of the passengers is non event. This is an issue and risk we take when cruising with any cruise line anywhere in the world.

In regards to the medical issue if you are a doctor in medicine I am surprised you did not self diagnose earlier as you indicate you had the medicines with you. Instead you took up the time of the doctor and the opportunity for a patient to get in earlier.

Also we had a serious issue on our last cruise with me and all the tests(blood and everything was done on board Nautica this time) and no charge. Even on RSSC where my lady had treatment every day for 14 days with breathing issues before we went ashore. The total bill was $USD800. Regarding staff the ship is not a hospital and on most cruises there are 2 people to receive you. Remember you are one of 1200 passengers plus the crew who also visit the doctor.

Re : the spa no comment as we do not use it.

The captain's daily report at noon was not clear. Well, never seems to have been a problem generally whether the Captain is Greek, Italian, Norwegian or Croatian etc.

Most crew coming to the end of their contracts tend to make sure they do not upset anyone as they have 2 months off and hope to have their contract renewed again with the same cruise company. So again I guess you just seemed to manage to attract the wrong crew and since there are a large number of crew to have everyone happy and smiling every day is not easy. Suspect you found it hard sometimes to be happy and easy going every day.

Regarding special food requests my lady is Vegan and Oceania, Regent, Paul Gauguin all meet the meal requirements everyday. We get a menu or menus delivered for the next day and she chooses what she would like prepared and guess what the meals are made for her. Not sure why you failed to get the message across.

Yes, we have had issues on Oceania(6 cruises) and Regent(5 cruises) and definitely Princess and Hal but we take it up that day or the next and it is resolved or dealt with in a professional manner.

We also make it point to know crew members and it is amazing how much effort they make to look after you.

Cruising is a long distance trip and there will always be issues with it due to nature, ports, crew, boat itself etc. but that is part and parcel of it and one just gets over the disappointment and continues with the flow.

It is no different than getting on a plane for a long haul flight, plane goes back to terminal, crew cannot fly as it will exceed its legal time for flying so o/nite in a hotel etc. Now suspect that you travel first class so ask the economy and/or business class travellers how this is when delays like this occur.

I hope that some day you might see the positives in things but I suspect that unless everything is laid out and you have to do nothing you will not be happy.

Whoever, you choose next to cruise with I hope they do not have bad weather, missing ports, unqualified doctors, meals that take 2 - 2 1/2 hours to serve and the crew are always at you beck and call and smiling. Good luck and I look forward to your next positive report.

We made our choices for cruising and it does not include Seabourne, HAL or Princess but would use RSSC if the tours were not included as we are independent tours people.

This is my first Oceania Cruise .so far not impressed by Oceanias organizational skills

We are arriving on a charter flight at 6 am .boarding starts at noon or 1 pm .There is no terminal to speak of where we could sit in relative comfort ..so what are we supposed to do until 1 pm ?

Getting a hotel room not available till the pm is retarded ....lugging luggage anywhere is not exactly feasable

Tour operators do not want big bags ...

So pray tell what does one do ..shlepping big luggagecarryons,travel pillowspurse,and winter jackets ....

I hope NCLCorrects this ...terrible first i mpression of a "luxury"line

Hi

As indicated in your message about rain in Tahiti and my response to it maybe you should realise that this early arrival somewhere in the world is a common issue.

In many places of the world flights arrive around 5:00 - 6:00am and many hotels(unless you pay a premium or for the night before) will not let you check in till after 2:00pm. So you are stuck with luggage and the same clothes you have been in for hours. This is the real world today.

The same applies for late night flight departures where you have to wait all day after being kicked out of hotel at 10:00am unless you pay more.

We had same issue in Papeete and we just rolled up to a hotel and had them store it for us and then went back later. We actually had a continental breakfast (toast, juice and coffee) there also and relaxed till we had to leave to embark. Had access to bathrooms. I also believe Oceania sometimes arrange things in Papeete.

We have learnt that one just has to go with the flow associated with international travel.:)

Hi

Please note Tahiti is in the tropics.

Summer is Dec thru Feb.

Summer is also Rainy season in most tropical areas but also can rain any time.

Nov to Mar are the safest months for cruise companies to sail in South Pacific, Australia, NZ

Maybe that is why all the islands in the South Pacific tropics are so green.

ypu should not even worry about it for such a beautiful area of the world.

Also in regards to early morning arrival. Guess what that occurs in many parts of the world and there are many cases one cannot even check into hotels before 2:00pm after arriving at 5:00 - 6:00am. Just go with the flow.

Re : Cairns point taken and I apologise as I thought you had an early flight out of Cairns.

The reason I raised this about open and services Brisbane Intnl. Airport has literally no services check in side after Mid night and airside has nothing open after 2:00am(last flight out) until customs and immigration re-open at 5:00 - 5:30am.

Yes you check in at 4:00 am for your Intnl flight at 6:00am but have sit around awaiting for the officials to be ready. That is Brisbane so you can imagine Cairns.

As an aside we recently were held in Auckland for 25 minutes as we would arrive at the destination to early and the bus transporting the immigration and customs to our airport would not be there in time.

Even Sydney has a curfew between 10:30pm and 5:30am for no landings except in emergencies.

Welcome to the world of Australian airports.

Hi

Have been reading all this with great interest since we have been to India twice using Oceania and private tours.

Oceania has always issued documents(notice) to the wholesaler who passes onto the TA' s who notify us by e-mail that we need to get a Tourist Visa for India, Myanmar, Vietnam etc.

They even indicate no-one can board w/o Indian Visa.

Question is : the Oceania crew have to know what the look of a business visa and tourist visa is? No much difference in looks?

Why should a TA be responsible if info. Passed on?

Also some reading on entry requirements into India on the Internet helps as with other countries. Does not require a lot of time and application can be do on-line. And the process only requires a few days w/o passport.

We have the same notification from Oceania for some countries in Africa where visas are required.

The small print says you are responsible for obtaining the correct visa type for what one is doing not the cruise line or TA as you have to fill in the forms.

Never assume anything re : visas. Read and research s the things change from month to month.

Just a quick note.

Hope Cairns domestic terminal open for people from midnight to 4:00am as you may be looking for a park bench.

Cairns is not a busy airport at the best of times and at 23:50 suspect very little is open for service.

Good luck with it.

As far as the train.....I really am not in a hurry...I don't care if it goes 30 mph and rocks like a cradle ! I still get to see more landscape than flying. Plus for the $230 fare I save 1 a rental car gas, a hotel night and3 meals.

 

Thanks for the suggestion for Air NZ $1600 economy Plus....and I appreciate the comment that OZ airlines are nothing special.

 

I have a fare however carved out with United... Palm Spring-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Guam- Cairns , arriving 2350Thursday.. catch a OZ flight for Brisbane at 0600 so no danger on connections.

Return Flight: Monday 0045 , Cairns-Guam-Inchon-Los Angeles Palm springs. All in First/Business class seats!... Fare:$ 11.50 usd ..... rt and 140,000 points

 

The main reason for my post was to offer a creative way to fly to Australia and save 210,000 miles !!! Because, to fly to Sydney its 175,000 to 195,000 points EACH WAY ! This route is some 60% cheaper And in addition it gives some 3 hours lay over times , which is good on a flight that long 3 hours in Honolulu and I get 2 bags up to 70 lbs.

I travel at about 40 lbs and 1 case and a 8 lb rucksack I have found that if I need something, well they have stores where I am heading.

 

The airlines have a heavy demand for Australia and very few flights in order to keep demand and fares high. ( they did this to Hawaii too... where they used to fly 747's from LA or SF and now its in little 737's... Reduce seats, raise fare !!!)

 

Mind you I maintain a 700-800,000 mile account and my wife 300,000, so points/miles are not a problem In fact spending 255,000 to fly to Saipan, Palau and Iwo Jima in march)

 

So thanks all you OZ folks...fair dinkum

Hi

Agree with my fellow Queenslander.

If you are concerned about a 15 hr flight to OZ wait till you do the Tilt Train once it is reduced to a speed of less than 60mph some 4 hours out of Brisbane. QLD runs a very narrow gauge system so the train rocks a little. Also it is not a tilt train as we know in Europe, UK and Japan. I am a train buff.

Also some people are fortunate they can fly business class.

May I respectfully suggest premium economy which are better than most of the business class SEATS offered by the American Airline System. Fly Qantas(Direct in 14 hours) or Air New Zealand(via Auckland and only 9 - 10 hours, layover and fly to Syd and is around $1,600USD each way). Look at the seats available on their web page.

In regards to flying from Cairns to Sydney etc. please be aware that should you miss your connection with Virgin or Jetstar(supposedly a QF subsidiary) you will most probably have to buy another ticket at full price. We flew from Bangkok to Sydney and missed our connection so had to buy new tickets to get home. Never again.

Cairns Airport is not a busy airport so facilities such as lounges are limited.

As many of us think there are easier ways to do it and even Virgin offers flights from USA to Australia and are linked with Delta.

Maybe one should look a little deeper at their options before deciding to waste points and money.

As an aside Air New Zealand Premium Economy has won a number of awards.

Also you CANNOT check your luggage all the way through if connecting with a cheap airline(Virgin(unless you fly Virgin from USA) or Jetstar). You need to pick it up, wheel it across to the domestic(walk) and recheck at least 30 minutes before the flight. No late check ins allowed. Also all luggage etc. is extra.

Also our budget airlines are no better than most of the American airlines and what they offer so buyer beware.

I hope the comments are taken as result of what we experience in Australia when we need to fly from and to USA.

Hi everyone

I read all this NCL related to Oceania & RSSC. I find it most interesting to see the various views. In presenting my thoughts(suspect some will get upset) I will preface them with the following

Have sailed on Princess & HAL, Paul Gauguin and RSSC

We do not have a suite but always a balcony cabin( on Oceania level 7)

Every person who cruises selects their cruise company/boats based on many factors that suit their needs

Ours are we do not like large boats, large crowds( even 2000 passenger boats we are not keen on), children(especially. Uncontrolled ones) , cabaret shows, extra charges for speciality restaurants, pay for basically everything else o/s main meals, visit the ports where the large vessels can get into, set dining times etc.

Our cruise choices incl. nearly fully inclusive, most passengers are of a similar ilk(retired and well travelled), have an interest in going to different places and experiencing the local needs, a lot of independent travellers(in 6 Oceania cruises we have only done 2 of their tours the rest we book ourlseves), no children or teenagers(been there and done that), grey crew(many the same on each cruise we do), great food, provide shuttle buses( found previous comments interesting re : Oceania and no shuttles in a port - never seen that issue before, prefer 21 - 40 day cruises, no major cabaret shows etc.

Based on this being our needs Oceania provide that with their 600 passenger vessels or 1200 boats(have been on Marina and enjoyed the trip but a different crowd).

We have visited some 70 countries and in excess of 200 cities and lot of that comes down to previous travel and now with Oceania.

In fact due to credits etc. we have left our last 3 cruises with no monies owing at the end and we do have drinks. There are also some nice little things Oceania allows which many others don't and part of that is related to the passengers being a fairly responsible lot.

As such with any takeover there are always going to be changes and consolidation but we are both hoping that NCL realises what is has in Oceania & Regent and the loyal base it has and what it provides to the serious traveller.

Here's hoping we do not lose the Oceania feeling.

I conclude by repeating we have our reasons for choosing Oceania & Regent and these may not suit a lot of other people and one will always argue in a biased manner.

By the way the reason we stopped using Regent as we did not want to do the all inclusive tours part as we are independent travellers.

Thank you And here's hoping there are no substantial differences in 6 - 12 months.

I will check on line of course, but was distinctly told by Air dept that they could not book the seats. This change came about in April this year. We always had our seats booked thru O air on Luft, not anymore. You contact them (airline)and pay anytime up to 48 hours prior to flight per leg so I am told.

Hi

This charging for seats in advance is not a new charge for us in Southern Hemisphere. We pay for seats on domestic(internal) and most International Flights from Australia. All airlines possibly excl. US based ones do it. Some even charge a fee for a bag. Recently a friend flew Brisbane - Hong kong - Helsinki - Berlin and paid $EUR240 for both of them.

We are currently being asked to pay for pre-booked seats for a connecting flight from DFW - Montreal after flying from Sydney into DFW and this connection is on AA.

This now the norm but I have to say seating couples apart is not the norm as most of the airlines know when people are flying together as it is their databases.

This is the new update old of airlines.

Yes, we can reserve seats 24 hours or less before the flight with most of them if we book it ourselves.

We have found out from a previous experience that where a group booking is made the company concerned is the only one who has access to those seats as airline change the ownership. Therefore, you have no control or access.

Maybe, this will occur more and more in the USA.

I am also referring to flying in economy as premium economy and business class have a lot more rights and facilities available to them.

Also I used to travel many weeks a year on planes.

I know some countries "rape" their customers and make it hard if not impossible to get ahead.. The classic is booking cruises from OZ..through a syndicate. I was shocked once to see that Qantas charged for coach in points what many US carriers charged for First or Business for the same route.

Life is not fair.....I wish it were for you down south... I have British friends who get "dummy" addresses in the states and using credit cards and US flyer programs get what their own country would never allow........

 

I too appreciate that we in the US are fortunate

Hi

Just a small correction. Qantas, BA, SQ do not charge when using points. What the charge is taxes etc. On recent flights with QF, Sq the charge for taxes, security was $aud700 and the fare was normally $800. The charge is the same for all classes.

I have dummy addresses in the USA and have lived and worked there and know that system. Problem is charging non-USA dollars to it causes a poor exchange rate and a foreign tx fee which are ignored for points.

Also cruise prices are comparable to your prices on Oceania/Regent except last few months as the exchange rate has gone so they are now converting to a higher price.

This is an issue for most non us based people.

It is not "rape" but what we have to deal with.

Does anyone have any experience using Oceania air with a deviation flying from NYC to Sydney and back from Papeeti? I was curious if there was a hefty upcharge in addition to the deviation fee and whether there were multiple stops other than NYC-LAX. Also, does Oceania offer premium economy or only economy. Thanks.

Hi

Not sure about Premium economy but do offer upgrades to business class.

However, note business class for most American Airlines is a little behind the rest of the world regards what is provided etc.

Have used Qantas a number of times from LAX to SYD. Flew Premium Economy and was reasonably comfortable. Can buy 1 way fares for no penalty when you go on-line to them.

Re : Papeete back.

We used Air Tahiti from Papeete to Auckland one way but booked a return as it was cheaper. Did not use the return portion. Common trick used in Eurtope to get cheap fares.

The other thing with Air Tahiti is change the location of where you are. We had a price for business class on the Australian site which was more than $700 more for the 2 of us than when we checked the NZ site. Also never buy from these airlines where there are based. It is the era of e-tickets so there is no need to book as you in the USA. We do this all the time.

Just did a Rome to Brisbane flight with Emirates and booked it online in Dubai. Not in Rome or Brisbane. It was cheaper than Rome or Brisbane for the same flights.

Maybe does not help but that is how we do fares.

Ok, I make the " over generalized statement after well of 30 years of serious flying millions of miles. It is a valid statement which saves me$ 8000 to $15000 real dollars every year. I airline and one hotel chain Marriott.. nation wide world wide...

 

On Pearl I have written this many times but for you here is how you can pick up a good 200,000 miles in a few months without flying a lick or spending a dime extra. that you do for beans gas taxes or medicine..... ready?

 

When you get a UA credit card, each of you can apply for and get a different card. Then each has a it coupled to your UAL FF #. That's 30,000 miles each Then each of you puts the others name on your card add 5000, each

We are now at 35,000 miles...each! OK?

you wait 90 days, and go get another of their cards ( they have 3 or 4 beyond the Explorer.) Now you again both do the exact same thing as before and pow>>>> another 35,000 miles!.......

So now each person has 70,000 miles ( 140,000 altogether)....

Wait another 90 days and bingo... pick another UA card...and do the same as before. Now in 60 mos you have each 105 ,000 miles each ! (210,000 total)

 

And that's without flying! or spending anything more than an annual card fee of about $400 the second year.

 

Now charge everything from gum to taxes on your cards, and you will pick up an easy 1200 miles each paying bills, buying gas, etc. NO MORE CASH or Checks if at all possible ! Cash and checks are your enemy... use the cards.

I wince at the grocery store to see people pull out money or write a check !!!

 

Putting all your cards on auto pay with the bank..100% pay off each month. in 6 mos that 7200 miles each so your at 112,200 each !!!

 

Then all your travel and big ticket items, car repair... and of course UA air fare For your cruise you pays 1/2 !! UA tickets get double points. So lets say your trip to South America will cost you 2500 in air each and 20,000 K in cruise.... not to mention say another 4000 of on board cost and that is 5000 for the ai so that's 17,000 more miles..

. Now your right at 129,000 miles each !!! add 6 more months and add another routine 7200 miles. !!!.... (136,000 miles each)

And Hey if you spend over 20,000 in a year you get a 10,000 mile bonus !

 

I have 4 credit cards... 3 ual 1 Marriott My wife has 2 UAL and 1 Marriott we have a credit score of 800+ and best of all 700,000 miles in the bank...and we spend about 100,000 avg each year.

 

Its called churning. AA cards will not let you. UAL/Chase will! Again a reason to stick at all costs with UAL. Rallydave, PaulMCO.. we all do it and fly first and business for no more than what we normaly spend.

 

Need extra miles? UAL will sell you extra miles for 3.5 cents each.....

 

Pearl you can too....start today

Hi

May I suggest you see the real world re the points systems.

Many of us around the globe do not have the great mileage systems you in the USA have and suspect that is why airlines get into Chapter 11.

Yes we use our cards for everything but we may only get 1/2 point or 1 point for every $dollar spent etc. etc. and it is Australian dollars.

We are limited on what airlines we can use them and only have maybe 2 flights a day from some cities to an Asian airport if we are lucky(normally one) as they all code share now.

Fortunately, when I lived ion the USA for a few years I managed nearly 1 mill. miles on their mileage plan and used them constantly for holidays. Most people globally unless flying frequently cannot get the points built quickly or in some cases they are lost.

I hope you open minded enough to understand we are all not as fortunate as you.

Hi

Find this discussion interesting as we are looking at the Northern Europe cruise incl. St Petersburg.

It is interesting as we watched a show on Australian TV and read in a local Travel Magazine that if you do a private tour then you are responsible for obtains the visas. Interestingly, when looking at tour operators for this area they all indicate we had to arrange the visa and they would provide the letter to you. It is quite a process for us. Also in some instances if you have a single tour organised for the time in St Petersburg then you cannot leave the dock area once you have done tour.

If you do tours with cruise line they get the visa automatically for you as long as vessel is not there more than 72 hours and you do their tours.

I was also informed that it is not possible to tour around on your own.

A lot of this appears on the visa application site we have viewed.

As such we want to see St. Petersburg from the streets, canals, do a concert and see the o/s and inside of the buildings and ride the metro. Whatever is the easiest we will do.

I guess in reading all the comments there seems to be different views on how best to see St. Petersburg and we seem to have a different process for visas here to many of you others.

Can't wait to visit and appreciate what there is to see and the culture etc.

Thank you for your patience in reading this.