keelykat

Do they have facial recognition at the Tampa port.  Makes going thru security so much faster.

Does anyone know why the Equinox has not sailed ?  I thought they were leaving at 6:00

Just sailed on a b2b on the Equinox in August.  Spent many many hours in the casino and saw very few wins.  

Only ship I sail on that caters to high rollers only.  In all the hours I spent there no one from the staff even said Hi.

We have done Luggage Valet from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale many times with no problems but it does depend on the time of your flight.  It is a great service...

Trouble T we are going on a back to back in August and wondering how the transition day went.  We normally do a 10 or 11 day in August on Equinox but they have done away with them and only 7 day summer cruises offered.

just off the feb 7th to 18th partial transit on the zuiderdam...loved the ship...the old world elegance...the spotless condition of all public spaces...the food was fine...we are not foodies....the service was superb with the exception of the pinnacle grill which seemed woefully understaffed. the cabin seemed small at first...a b-level veranda...(we were just on seabourn last nov which has huge cabins and beautiful bathrooms)...but it provided us with a loveseat and table for room service and a large interactive tv. the shows were typical cruise shows...singers and dancers and a comedian and a magician. but the zuiderdam made up for that with a fabulous steel band and an exceptional classical quintet..imho. the lincoln center stage was the gem that set this ship and cruise apart for us. this ship has aged well...i would book a cruise on the zuiderdam in a heartbeat...and probably will.

I was on the cruise right before yours and I totally agree that I would sail on the Zuiderdam again. Ship is spotless and beautiful. Service and food were also very good. Lunch in Pinnacle grill was great but dinner was disappointing. We were in a Signature suite and had plenty of room and storage. Six of us traveled together and no complaints the 11 days on the Zuiderdam................I am sure you will enjoy your cruise as much as we all did.

Thanks maybe we will be hearing something shortly. Enjoy your cruise

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are also on the Zuiderdam on January 27th..................are you on the same one or earlier in January.We are in a signature suite and hoping for an upsell to Neptune.

I am booked on a Caribbean cruise sailing in January 2018. Several of the posted ports have been devastated by Irma. When will we know if there is a change of ports?

Just returned from the Labor Day 11 day cruise on the Equinox. Advised morning of the cruise about changes to the ports we would go to. Captain did a great job and it was smooth sailing the entire 11 days. Curacau became our first port in lieu of St. Thomas and had only one extra sea day. Safety of passengers and crew was a priority. Our last stop was Antigua and many supplies were offloaded for those affected by Irma.

Prayers go out to all that were affected by Irma.

Fran

If you require a wheel chair, why are you not bringing your own? Celebrity (and all other cruise lines, that I know of) do not provide wheel chairs. Some may help you to board, but that is it and it is very difficult to snag one. If you cannot board a ship on your own, then IMO you need one for the duration of your cruise. (how do you get from point A to point B during your cruise). I truly have never understood this question from anyone. Yes, I am disabled and have my own.

My DH walks with a cane and has problems walking uphill so it helps to have assistance to board. Once on the ship can manage since most floors are level.

Fran

Has anyone experienced getting a wheelchair for boarding the Equinox in Miami. We sailed out of Tampa in January and it was almost impossible.. We are on the Labor Day cruise and hope it will be better.

Thanks Fran

I see water on the premium and standard packages. Any water at all on the classic

Fran

The ship's laundry service is wonderful, and your ship might have a special for the entire cruise. Check at the front desk once you're aboard.

We just returned from a 2 week Caribbean cruise on the Oosterdam and had unlimited washing and pressing for $98.00 for the 2 weeks. Sent wash out every morning and it was back on hangers by dinner time. Knowing HAL has this service I will pack a lot less clothes from now on.

Fran

We have been sailing on Oceania for the past 5 years but decided to return to HAL because of their 2 week cruise out of Tampa on the Oosterdam and were pleased with every aspect of the trip. Ship, service and food were all above our expectations. Needless to say we will be booking again on HAL. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

Fran

Has anyone with a guarantee signature suite received their cabin assignment for Fridays Oosterdam cruise. With only 6 days until we board I thought we would have our cabin by now. I will be happy with whatever I get but just want to print my boarding pass and luggage tags.

Fran from North Carolina

Check you rate first without your Mariner # and then redo it with your number. I was surprised when I booked my January cruise with the difference when I used my Mariner number.

Fran from NC

Yes, sometimes specialty restaurants are discounted on board, but it's not something that you can depend on.

 

If you can purchase pre-cruise, consider taking advantage of this:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/dining_discount_packages.pdf

We just pre-purchased for Freedom 8/21 cruise but we were disappointed that we cannot reserve until we board since we are celebrating Birthdays on two different nights.

Fran

You just dashed my hopes. This sounds like there is a $7.95 charge just for coffee!!!. That's what husband had read today. Why would I want to pay $7.95 for a pot of coffee plus a tip :( Need some advice from someone who just sailed in a balcony room...not Haven or a suite.

Just off the Getaway and we had 2 pots of coffee delivered every morning and there is NO service charge for morning continental breakfast. Leave the breakfast card out the night before and they are there right on time.

A tip is all that is needed.

Happy Holidays from aboard the M/S Riviera!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Sarasota, Fl. Looking forward to boarding the Riviera on January 4th.

Has anyone done this on the Getaway? What time did you line up? What time were you off of the ship? We have done this on two other cruise lines and found the process very easy.

 

Our port is in Miami. Thanks.

We were on the 8/23--8/30 cruise and did not use the easy walk off but those that did left about 7:45. We had gray luggage tags which were called about 8:15 and it was the fastest we ever left a ship, found our luggage and went through customs. We were outside by 8:30..........I thought it would take time to go through customs but I was wrong..........porter brought us to an empty line.

Have a Great cruise.

Fran from Florida

Surmising from the Cruise Critic response, I would say that:

 

Wave 1 was sent to those passengers currently deposited on an upcoming Oceania Cruise.

Wave 2 was sent to those Passengers who had a booking within the last year.

Wave 3 has yet to be sent.

Hi Stan & Jim,

We fall under the first two waves and have not recieved an email from Oceania. I first read about it right here on Cruise Critic.

Just by chance, we just took a last minute cruise on NCL Getaway last week. I was pleasently surprised with many aspects of the ship and staff. It was our first on NCL and large ships and although it was a change from what we are use too we did enjoy it for the week.

Fran from Florida

Looking at the deck plans, it looks like that particular cabin would have the couch by the balcony.

How can you tell by the deck plans where the bed is?? We are also sailing on August 23rd.

Looking forward to the Getaway

Fran from Florida

My husband and I were on the Riviera in Dec.2013 and also found the guest relations young woman to be rude, disinterested and difficult.We have cruised 48 times and we cancelled our 2 booked Oceania cruises.We were in an Oceania suite that had problems and prefer to spend our money elsewhere.

I was on the 1/3/14 Riviera cruise and had to use guest relations because my entry card was not working. I had a very pleasant, very pregnant young lady who not only issued me a new card but walked me back to my cabin to make sure it worked. She did not want me to have to come back if it still was not working.

I found most of the crew to be friendly and efficient but did have some in the Terrace at lunch time that were not as pleasant as they could have been.

This was only my third Oceania cruise but I am sure it will not be my last.

Fran In Florida

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

We just spent the past 10 days on the Riviera and as usual had a great cruise. We did Mayan Mystique and have been to these islands many times and like Don did not spend much time off the ship. The weather was not as good as it has been in the past but I enjoy being on the ship so the weather did not bother me since I live in Florida where I get lots of sunshine.

This was my third Oceania cruise but the first time I did a cooking class with Annie Copps and will certainly do more on my future cruises. Annie is a delight and the class was very informative and enjoyable.

This is the first time we had Roy Perez as CD. He is a very upbeat person who is always smiling and is sure to brighten your day.

Enjoy your cruise.............

Fran from University Park, Fl.

Heather so sorry to hear about the problems you have encountered since coming home. How did you discover that your identity was compromised?

We will be boarding the Riviera on Friday for our Caribbean visit. As you know I have been to the Caribbean on several cruises but really enjoy the ship, the new friends I make and the food. Will miss you this year.

Fran in Florida