TravelingAngel

We just came back from the Riviera Fall Foliage cruise with Dottie and we did not experience any of the "horrors" so many are writing about.  She gave the morning and late afternoon reports and that was it as far as I recall.  We were off the ship during most days so I can't comment on what she did then. All I know is that she was not annoying or intrusive, nor did she try to sell merchandise.  She was friendly when approached. She was funny introducing the evening shows.  This was our 2nd cruise with her as the CD and both times we found her to be pleasant and engaged.   I can't imagine not taking a cruise on a ship I love that has a great itinerary simply because of the CD!  Especially if all that CD did wrong is talk too much!  I also think that if Oceania received more complaints about Dottie than compliments, she would not be working for Oceania, so I imagine the majority of people do not find her objectionable.  

We were on the Oct. 8th sailing and for the most part, the weather was fine. We had sun and mild temperatures in Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, St. John/Bay of Fundy, Bar Harbor (absolutely stunning) and Portland.  There was heavy rain all day in Sydney.  We missed Boston and Newport due to the rough seas; however, on board it wasn't too rocky and we still had a good time. All in all, it was a great cruise and we would not hesitate to recommend it.  There is always the possibility of bad weather whenever and wherever you cruise - it is the chance one takes in order to experience our big beautiful world! 

We did this cruise in December 2017 and loved it!  For those with an upcoming cruise, check out my blog (listed in my signature); it has loads of pictures and will give you a good idea of what you can expect to see.  Again, this was a once in a lifetime experience that we and you will never forget!!

Hi Jean,

I am glad you enjoyed my blog.

We had two full days and 3 nights in Bangkok and while one can always spend more time in a place so far from home, we felt that we saw most of what interested us and were very happy with the amount of time we had; I don't believe another day would have enhanced our experience very much.  If anything, the next time, I would arrange to spend some time in Thailand at a resort on the sea or in the jungle, simply to experience more of the country than just Bangkok. 

Whatever you decide, you will love this itinerary and traveling with Avalon!  Let me know if you have any other questions.

Happy Traveling!✈️

Angelika

My husband and I took a Mekong River cruise with Avalon Waterways last December and it was wonderful. I thought I would share my blog with fellow cruisers who may be taking this cruise this year, or who may be thinking about taking it; it is a cruise I highly recommend.

Here is the link:    https://4theluvoftravel.blogspot.com/2018/01/our-south-east-asia-adventure-december.html

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Hi All! My husband and I just came back from an Avalon Waterways trip to SE Asia and I can honestly say it was perfectly wonderful!:hearteyes: I created a travel blog of our trip and am sharing a link to my blog for those who might be interested. Traveling in December turned out to be a smart decision - less hot and humid than it will be with each passing month; it was actually a bit chilly in Hanoi. Anyway - I hope for those of you who take a look at my blog that you enjoy the pictures and please feel free to ask me any questions. Happy traveling!!

http://4theluvoftravel.blogspot.com/2018/01/our-south-east-asia-adventure-december.html

Hi,

We were on the Riviera from June 26 - July 10 and it was all fabulous - our suite, the food, the crew, and most importantly, the itinerary. We did not experience any of the negatives mentioned. There were more children but I think most belonged to the crew and they were very well behaved. Nolan was the CD and was great - very funny guy, we really enjoyed him. The shows were good - a couple were great.

We had cruised with Oceania 6 times before, all on the Marina. This was our first time on the Riviera and except for a few minor differences, it was the same so we felt right at home.:) The one thing that was noticeably different for us is the late night happy hour - I don't remember the Marina having that. One late night happy hour was around the pool and that was a lot of fun; I can't recall that ever happening on the Marina. There was a 2 person "band" and they were very good - very lively, with up beat music. Also, the shows started later, 930 or 945 instead of 9, giving people with a late dinner reservation a chance to see the show. Every show we attended had what looked like a full house.

I also noticed a lot more younger people, and by younger I mean in their 30s and 40s.:p I think this gave the ship a more energetic feel, especially in the evenings.

We don't sit around the pool so I can't comment on pool side rudeness. All I did notice was that it was more crowded than usual but I think that was due to the very beautiful and warm weather we experienced the entire cruise and that the cruise was fully booked. Actually, our cruise (Idyllic Coves) was two back-to-back 7 day cruises packaged as one. We got all the incentives and perks twice - except for the cruise credits!:rolleyes:

For all of you who have an upcoming cruise on the Riviera, have fun - I doubt you will be disappointed with the ship, the food or the crew - they are all top-notch!!

To the many who have posted info on CC: THANK YOU for all of the information that made our first-time cruise experience that much more enjoyable.

 

I hope this information is useful. It's my little way to say thank you and pay it forward from the others who helped us so much as we researched and prepared for what turned out to be the best vacation we have ever had.

Thank you Deborah and Greg for taking the time to write about your experience. It seems everyone has a different opinion about what is necessary or not when booking a cabin, but it is fun to hear from others about what they found worth the extra cost. I don't pack too much because I have learned that I tend to wear some things over and over while other things get worn maybe once - so now I just pack the stuff I know I will want to wear a lot - but I still love the bigger closet in the PH!! And the bigger bathroom. And the bigger sitting area and table and chairs at the foot of the bed.:) We do use the butler for breakfast in our room every day we have an excursion, and the day we disembark. So for me, the cost of a PH :eek: is worth it.

If I don't do a PH, a concierge level veranda cabin is a must! I can't imagine not being able to step outside for some ocean air, right from my cabin, or to have a glass of wine with my honey, as we watch the sunset. To sit and have my morning latte (which honey brings me from the concierge lounge!;) ) on my private veranda, in my pjs, is a luxury I won't give up. And those little sandwiches are such a treat when we come back from an excursion - before we go to happy hour!:D

Bottom line for me is that a concierge level cabin is a necessity, but a PH cabin is really, really nice.:cool:

I give up. Seriously. Come back to the bright side. Life is so much better here. The other cruise line forums light up like Christmas trees when Noro hits. And believe me it does. I can understand first timers being disgruntled if this happens on a cruise. But if you've felt positive about Oceania for years, suddenly you say game over because things didn't go well once?

 

What an entitled world we live in where the sun always shines and flowers are forever in bloom. No wonder there's so much divorce. Life is full of difficult times and what brings us a good life is how we handle them.

 

Anyone who wants smooth sailing all the time should stay home. But you might slip and fall in the bathtub and that can hurt. Plus you won't get to see what I'm seeing now from my chair in Horizons on a quiet morning approaching St Bart's, having a cup of coffee and looking out over the bow onto a calm and peaceful Caribbean Sea.

Hi Heather,

Thank you so much for your updates and positive outlook.

I am booked on a cruise on the Riviera in June and can't wait!! On our last cruise on the Marina, this past December/January, I had medical issues that prevented me from taking any of my pre-planned, long anticipated excursions - I was bummed but hey, stuff happens! :eek: As soon as we got home, I booked our next cruise. :) What happened to me had no cause that could be determined, so there is always the possibility it could happen again, but I'm betting that it won't. I know my situation is not the same as experiencing a Norvo outbreak, which impacts many more people, but it demonstrates that unfortunate and definitely unplanned and unwanted things can happen to anyone at any time, but that doesn't mean you have to let a negative experience determine your outlook on the future and rob you of your joy. After all, most times for most people things go very well - why not expect that they will again?

Another interesting nearby town is Elche about 25 km (15 miles) from Alicante. It is known as “The Palm Forest of Europe”.

 

There you can visit the Huerto del Cura (Priest's Garden).The garden features a large variety of palm trees and cactuses as well as other typical Mediterranean species, such as lemon and orange trees, pomegranate trees, carob trees and jujube trees along with other subtropical species gathered throughout the years to create a stunning collection of plants from the most unexpected places. The garden’s focal point is the magnificent eight trunked ‘Imperial Palm’.

Hi!

We will be in Alicante on Monday, July 4. There is a ship's tour that goes to Elche, but if we wanted to do this on our own, how difficult would it be? It is not far away - is there public transportation? From what I read, I believe there will be enough time for us to explore both Alicante and Elche, as we are docked from 10AM until 7PM.

Thanks for any information and/or advice!

.

 

The idea that O just suddenly made a decision is quite absurd. They had to preplan the new ports stops, prepare a press release and load new itineraries on the WEB. That takes time. I had called about my Turkish Visa (not being received or acknowledged) on the 15th and was given a run around.

Our trip was for Oct 22 - Nov1, Rome to Istanbul on the Nautica. I heard that Oceania was cancelling all stops in Turkey so figured I would be notified so I could choose another sailing.

I was not notified by Oceania, or by my TA. I heard through a tour operator that I had booked in Turkey that the tour was cancelled because Oceania wasn't stopping there in 2016! I checked my booked cruises and saw that Oceania had changed my cruise to Rome to Athens, keeping the same booking number. I find this completely unacceptable!

First of all, I have no desire to go to Athens because I've been there and I really wanted to go Turkey - Ephesus and Istanbul were the reasons we booked this cruise. I understand Oceania cancelling ports of call in Turkey, better safe than sorry and all that, but the least it could have done was notified its passengers of the change and find out what their passengers would like to do. There are still quite a few itineraries that we haven't done and would have been happy to choose one.

I can understand that changing cruises can get complicated. All Oceania did was change a couple of ports of call, and kept everyone who had booked the original cruise in the same cabin - no big deal. It is more complicated when people want to change itineraries, like we do. We now prefer the Monte Carlo to Lisbon itinerary because it too has several ports we've not been to and would love to see. This cruise leaves in June instead of October and is on the Riviera instead of the Nautica, so I suppose that entails a bit more work for Oceania. Luckily for us, we had not yet hit final payment day nor had we booked any air, so it really should not be a problem. Anyway, I've asked my TA to handle it and hopefully it will all work out.

But still - Oceania should have sent out an announcement to its passengers the minute they decided to cancel Turkish ports. That would have been the respectful way to treat its customers - that would have been good customer service.

Hi!

We got back from our cruise last week and although I am not in a position to write a real cruise review, I do want to say a few words about my experience.

We boarded the ship the 22nd of Dec and in the middle of the night I woke up in excrutiating pain, ending up on the floor writhing in pain (I never before understood that expression - now I do!:eek:) so the doctor and the nurse came (it was 330am) to take care of me. I won't go into what ailed me, but it was all about pain and they did everything they could to make me comfortable for the rest of the night until they could get me to a hospital the next day (we were still in Buenos Aires).

The next morning, the port authority agent was there the minute we docked and he was amazing. He drove me and my husband to the hospital (for X-rays), stayed with us the entire time to help translate, and made sure we got back to the ship safe and sound. Doctor Andrew and nurse Psyche (from the ship) were there for me and couldn't have been more caring and concerned. Psyche truly is an Angel.

Sadly, my situation did not get better so I was unable to take the excursions I had planned on for over a year - missing the penguins at Falkland Island was an especially big disappointment. However, I was made as comfortable as possible by my cabin stewardess , Krisztina, another Angel, who went beyond her duties to see that I had what I needed. I mostly needed ice cream. :p

We were fortunate to be in a penthouse and our butler was nice and did what I asked, but the amazing thing was that our butler from two cruises ago, Churchill, found out we were on board and came to visit me and hold my hand and made sure I was looked after. Our favorite waiter from past cruises, Robert, was now the head in the Grand Dining Room and one of the times I could actually get out of the cabin to eat, made sure I had a fabulous table and the quickest service imagineable. Every waiter was kind and helpful and just thinking about how tenderly they treated me brings tears to my eyes (yes, I'm crying as I write this).

So my cruise did not turn out as planned. However, we did meet some wonderful people who showed a stranger such caring and compassion that I will always remember them with great fondness. I had some fun and funny moments that still bring a smile to my face. I have some lovely new jewelry bought for me by my husband. :) I loved lying in the best bed in the whole world with the veranda door open, smelling the sea air, listening to the sounds of the ocean as the Marina effortlessly glided through the waters. I loved seeing the Christmas full moon from the Terrace Cafe patio. I loved having most breakfast, lunch and dinners in bed - well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but having the ability to have wonderful food brought to my bedside was a blessing. I did manage to eat at Jacques twice - the first night before the pain and the last night as the pain was easing - and the food, the service, the people with whom we shared the table - all were stellar.

Everytime Krisztina changed the sheets and I crawled back into that bed, it felt like heaven. Really, the bed alone makes traveling on the Marina worth any cost. And of course, the ice cream.:p

What else can I say? Before the cruise I was focused on the weather - a bit worried we might miss some tender ports due to rough seas or bad weather, so I kept visioning blue skies and calm seas. I am happy to say my weather programming was a huge success - not one port was missed and the heavy coats and hats were never needed. My husband said the excursions we had booked were excellent. You could say it was the perfect cruise for that part of the world and despite my disappointment, I am happy for everyone who got to benefit from my focused programming - you're welcome!;)

The two weeks on board are a bit of a blur, I must admit. I was under the influence of drugs (manna from heaven) but I was clear headed enough to know that I was blessed to have the care and attention of some amazingly wonderful people,(including the guest lecturer, a well known neurosurgeon and expert on South America, who took it upon himself to give me an exam and correspond with the doctors at the hospital in Puerto Montt!) and I am grateful to each and everyone of them. Having the ship's doctor and nurse become your best friends while cruising is never anyone's ideal goal, but boy oh boy, did I ever get lucky that Dr. Andrew and Psyche were there for me. Of course, I hope you never have to meet them but I highly recommend them and the ship's medical facility - absolutely top notch all the way.

When we got to Puerto Montt, we had another port authority agent who was equally as wonderful as the agent we had in Buenos Aires. He got me to the hospital for an MRI and also stayed with us the entire time. Before this cruise I really never gave much thought to port agents but now I know what they do and I am so grateful to them and what they did for me.

I could say more but I think I'm beginning to ramble. I just wanted to put out there that my experience on the Marina was made more than just tolerable, despite everything, it was made memorable, and in a good way by some very good, caring people. I now consider myself an official Oceania cheerleader!!

I am already excited about our next cruise and can't wait to re-book this cruise. The longer you live the more you understand that things go wrong, plans have to be changed, accidents happen, not everything works out for the best. However, with the right attitude and a great support team, the best can be made out of whatever happens!!:)

Happy New Year and safe travels!!

The one time there was a really fun welcome back to the ship from the crew was the day in Livorno when over 800 people took excursions to Florence - after all those hours on a bus, they were greated by the crew with song and refreshments and watching it all from our balcony was lots of fun. We had decided to skip the excursions as we were spending several days in Florence after the cruise, so we had Livorno and the ship practically to ourselves - we loved it!!:)

Just came back from our 6th cruise on the Marina (to South America) - I had some physical personal issues that influenced my enjoyment of the cruise (couldn't do the excursions), but I still love the Marina, the staff, the food and can't wait to go again! And the doctor and nurse were beyond wonderful - they were my angels.

Happy New Year and happy and safe travels to all!!

Hi,

Is it possible to cash traveler's checks on the Marina? And if you can, do you get nice clean bills in exchange? Cruising South America and need to pay for most things in USD - that is a lot of money to be carrying!:eek:

Thanks! Angelika

Leaving next month for our South American cruise - not even thinking of not going! Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a place on earth that is guaranteed to be safe from violence these days :mad: but I refuse to let fear rule my life. Life is just too precious to waste a moment of it living in fear of all the things that could happen, but probably won't. If Oceania is still going - so am I!:D

Thanks for your responses. We switched our cabin to 8000, since we wanted to be on the port side for this particular itinerary and prefer the front to the back. We've not cruised on the Nautica, only the Marina, so we are looking forward to experiencing the smaller ship and I am sure our cabin will be perfect - as is just about everything else on Oceania.:D

Hi Rick - Thanks for the quick reply, but, happily, we do not get sea sick!:D So for that reason, front or back does not matter that much to us.

Hi,

We are booked on the Nautica for the Singapore to Hong Kong cruise departing Feb 4, 2017. We have been assigned PH3 cabin 8063. This is under the Terrace Cafe, and at the back of the ship. Would it be better to be up front, which would however be under the Fitness Center? Having never been on the Nautica, I don't know if there is noise from the Cafe or the Fitness Center, that can be heard in the cabin's underneath. Front or back of the ship doesn't matter too much, as neither my husband or I get sea sick, my concern is mainly regarding noise. Also, is the starboard side the better side for this particular itinerary?

Thanks for any advice and opinions!

I am booked on an Oceania cruise October 2016 and had no problem booking my 4 free excursions on-line. It was really easy! :D

If you haven't done Rome to Venice, that is a fabulous itinerary! With stops in Monte Carlo, Cinque Terre, Florence, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik - all beautiful, all amazing to explore. We love port intensive cruises - and this itinerary certainly fit the bill: 10 days, 10 ports, 5 countries. We did this in 2011 - on the Marina - it was our first cruise ever and now this year we will be doing our 5th and 6th - all on the Marina! :D

Newhaven is a former port of Edinburgh and North of the city centre. You could easily take a taxi from there to the Castle or you could take bus number 47 from West Harbour Road to very close to the castle. Anybody on the bus would help you. It would take around 35 minutes.

Thank you for the info. I did some checking online and did see that this port is much closer to city center than the previous ports, so that means less time getting there and more time for us in the city to explore. Bought my tickets to the castle online as well - so I am ready to go!:D

Hi! This might be a silly question :p- but nevertheless - where is Newhaven?:D That is where our ship is arriving for Edinburgh, and it is a tender port. Is it close to Edinburgh?? I want to book my castle tickets and need a time, so I need to know how long it will take us to get from the dock to the castle. We arrive at 7:00AM.

Thanks for any info!!

We want to take a cruise to SE Asia, Singapore to Hong Kong, with the usual stops in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This cruise (by Oceania) is usually offered in October and in January/February.

Any opinions for which time of year would be better? Better meaning less heat & humidity?:p We have friends who want to go in October, and friends who want to go in January or February. We can go either time so before I try to cajole one set of friends into changing, I'd like to have some feedback from those who have been there & done that!;)

Thanks!

Hi All,

I have started a travel blog after being inspired by so many here on CC. My first entry is for our first cruise, which was with Oceania on the Marina back in April/May of 2011. I have taken a few other cruises since then, and hope to have the blog posts for those cruises done before I take my next cruise in July. The longer I wait to do it, the more challenging it becomes!:D

I want to make sure that I am posting this in the correct place, and if this is the best place for those who may be looking for info/photos of this particular itinerary?

Any advice/feedback will be appreciated.

http://4theluvoftravel.blogspot.com/

I'm in the process of arranging my tours for 89 ports in 6 months on the 2016

World Cruise. Right now I have a decent balance of 30 ship's tours, 7 overland tours and events and 20 private tours, none of which I personally organized. I expect to add a few more private tours and perhaps another ship tour or two (I have reached the threshold for the 25% "Your Way" discount, which is 25 to 28 tours for this cruise, depending on where you read the minimum number). I've already substituted 2 private tours instead of ship tours; the prices were similar but the private tours covered more ground with fewer people. I expect the balance to be "on our own", generally just walking about the ports. with some impromptu taxi rides and use of public transportation.

 

While private tours are desirable, there are some ports where they just aren't feasible, and in many other ports. the private excursions fill up quickly, leaving many folks in the cold.

WOW - I am impressed! I can't imagine doing what you are doing - scheduling so many tours, my head would be spinning:eek:! You are truly amazing!!

My first cruise on Oceania was in the Mediterranean and we did not do any ship tours (well, one in Kotor) or private tours. We didn't know about CC at the time and we were traveling with friends who also didn't have a clue. Since then, with each cruise, I have learned and now only book private tours, most of which I arrange because I like doing the research and feeling "in control.":D I do not think there is anything wrong with the ship's excursions - we had to take one in France because our private tour guide didn't show up (this can happen:cool:) so all 8 of us scrambled to get on one of the ship's excursions - luckily, there was space and it turned out well. We actually did everything we were going to do on our own - it just cost a bit more.:p

I wouldn't book a private excursion if you are averse to risk, especially the risk of not getting back in time before the ship sails away. On one cruise, the Oceania bus was very late but they waited for them - that of course would not happen if you were traveling on your own.