ToxM

Do you think that asking for a 4 top would mean less of a wait generally?

I cant imagine many happy to share people would want to just share with one other couple?

Useful, thank you. Maybe things will be different next November, or maybe they will have slipped back the same way.

I spose if we both get freedom dining then it MIGHT be easier to get a 4 top.

All part of the adventure!

Some advice please. Booked on Arcadia with hubby and my sister and her husband are also booked.

Apart from dining, is there any advantages to linking the booking?

We are both hoping to get freedom dining (both booked saver suites) so we can share 4 tops when we want to - would there be any other value in a linked booking for us? We will of course all be using sep credit cards for on board expenses.

I would expect the reductions in passenger capacity to be minimal.  Perhaps limited to the extra cabins needed to house additional personnel and isolation area.  Probably less than a handful of cabins.
 
Not sure I like the idea of someone daily spraying a "non-toxic" fog in my cabin.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/health

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One thing that did interest me - and purely on an operational way for my next Oceania cruise is that I am in the accessible cabin that is attached (with a connecting door) to the medical centre.

I am guessing that if Oceania goes ahead with something like these guidelines, I am going to get turfed out of that as they mention suitable isolation rooms.


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Of course on my actual booking on the Oceania system (that I linked my account to on the website yesterday) has my mums surname wrong - so thats been flagged to the TA to get corrected (It is right in the TA invoice).


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Is this an invoice from a TA?

Mine from my TA yesterday was marked Open sitting..


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Very interesting.
Our cruise, 2nd of August is still sailing, just 60 days away.  At least it has not been cancelled yet.
Here in Wales, we are still on lockdown which has started to be relaxed slowly.
schools and shops are not open. We are not allowed to travel more than 5 miles from our home which is nowhere near an airport and the Uk government are bringing in a 14 day isolation for any one entering the country from the 8th of June. Numbers of cases/deaths are dropping but we are a long way off normal. 
 
Uk citizens are not allowed into Spain yet ( we fly into Barcelona) or Italy ( we fly out of Venice). Non essential travel has been banned.
Today P&O cancelled all its cruises until 15th October.(worldofcruising.co.uk ) P&O Sails mostly from the Uk . I have also read the posts re the CEO of Norwegian ( which, I think, includes Oceania)
 
Do anyone think Oceania will sail its ships to Europe and resume cruises? It’s website is still saying cruises will resume on the 1st of August therefore we would be on the 1st Riviera sailing. 
 
thank you
 
 
 

I saw this on VisageLibris on an Oceania group, I believe NCL own Oceania and the RSSC and Oceania specific guidelines will be out soon, but this gives a good framework to see how things will be.

https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/why-cruise-norwegian/book-with-confidence?cid=DM_MKD_NA_PRO_NA_TAC_NA_PEACEOFMIND_NA_NA_NA#safety

Hope it all works out well and your mom won't be disappointed.

Here is what I think you might be too optimistic about. You may not be getting off the ship but everybody else will be and IF anyone gets infected, you may find yourself in the middle of it. It is even more infectious than Noro.
Of course, things may be very different by then and you may be perfectly safe.
All the best for your cruise .

Here’s my experience.

For reference I am in the UK.

I have been watching this virus since it started in China at the start of the year. Prepped for shortages quietly and carefully in January and early Feb. Cancelled and rebooked a cruise with another line I had for November this year at the end of March - rebooked it in fact for March 2022.

Ive now rebooked that for a second time for November 2021 and booked Sirena for 11 days in May 2021.

Reasoning:
IF cruising resumes by then (which I think it will) the landscape and protocols will be different and the question will not necessarily be is it safe - it will be as safe as it can be - the question will be is it in a form which you can deal with compared to how it was.

The Sirena cruise is Southampton - Southampton, 70 minutes by car for me, no flight and Western Europe, most of the ports we will not be getting off the ship for. I am fairly confident that a small ship, sensible measures in line with what the state of the virus is at the time and common sense will see us through.

The November cruise is again Southampton - Southampton, on a mid sized P and O ship and we have a suite - we have space to keep a bit more distant if we want to.

I dont know if we will ever get as functional a vaccine as people want. I would rather travel less to get to a cruise, and admittedly, take advantage from a certain level of bargain (as I have with the Sirena cruise) and taking into account pot odds and have a calculated risk.

One thing is for sure, Norovirus is going to be right down on cruises!

Just re-re booked a cruise (second rebooking from cruise originally booked for November this year) saved over a grand by booking saver on a suite (same grade band as I had before) onto a saver from the select price. We are going to Norway next October so a wraparound balcony will be nice and if we dont get the dining allocation we want then we can get the butler to try and change to freedom dining for us or tell him he is going to be busy serving meals for us in the cabin - I am sure that will get us the allocation we want ;)

Always been unsure about saver fares, but in this case, due to a very helpful lady on the phone when I rebooked we worked out that I can guarantee to a certain grade - for suites at least.

Dont care if we hear the azipods etc, we are on a ship, I want to hear and feel it move.

 
Not the worst in Europe if you go by deaths per head of population.

Hi, we use Mobility at Sea to hire a hoist, every time we cruise. We have never had problems with Mobility at Sea. We have used them for 5 - 6 years twice a year. 
 
My Dad hired his first scooter from them in May 2019. We had no idea which scooter would be suitable or which would fit in his cabin, Dad was in a normal cabin. Mobility at Sea recommended which scooter, a folding scooter in our case, would be best for him and which would fit in his cabin.  
As my Dad had never used a scooter he was asked to meet a member of their team in the terminal on embarkation day, at a prearranged time. The gentleman spent about 10 minutes showing both my Son and Dad how to use the scooter. It was my idea that my son was shown how to use and fold the scooter, just in case my Dad forgot as he was feeling nervous about using a scooter for the first time. The gentleman was quite willing to spent as much time as we needed for my Dad to feel comfortable using and folding the scooter.
 
My dad hired a scooter from them again in October 2019. This time the scooter was waiting for him in his cabin.   
 
On both occasions my Dad had to leave the scooter in his cabin at the end of the cruise. Also on both occasions Mobility at Sea
rang my Dad up roughly a week before he was due to sail to confirm his sailing details; Ship; Cabin Number etc.
 
I would recommend Mobility at Sea but I'm sorry I can not help you with their prices, as I only know roughly how much it costs to hire a hoist (approximately £250 for 14 nights). 
 

Hi experts :)

My mum and I will be cruising Southampton - Southampton next May. After a couple of holidays in Turkey where she used a hire scooter and managed really well we are going to hire a scooter from Mobility at Sea.

Has anyone used them, what was their experience, and where was the pick up/drop off point? We are cruising with Oceania so it wont be a busy day at the port. Also any hints at prices would be welcome.

Thanks in advance :)

Hope it all works out well for you.
Don't forget that Sirena is the only one that has Red Ginger as well as Tuscan steak.

The  Terrace  is not self serve so the staff  will plate whatever she  wants   & usually  wait staff member will assist in carrying her plate to the table
Secure a table first ;)
There is  enough space between the counters to get a scooter  by
Waves also have  light breakfast if the weather is good
You might check on Youtube for some videos of the ship
 
On Sirena  they have 2  H/C outside cabins  on Deck 4  it might be worth trying for one of those  unless you are going to  a PH +   for the space
The regular cabins  you will not be able to get a scooter  inside the cabin
 
Enjoy

To steer the conversation slightly back on course..

Possibly about to push the button on May 21 Southampton - Southampton cruise with my mobility impaired mum (to assuage her pent up need for a cruise) on Sirena. She will be using a mobility scooter...how would it work with her using the Terrace? Is there space for a scooter around the buffet, or will it be part of my filial duties ... maybe a member of staff would help her?

Experiences of using the Terrace on a scooter please :)

We had an accessible cabin on Discovery, as I have a manual wheelchair. There are only 10 on each ship, so you need to book early.
The cabins are wider than a normal cabin, so plenty of room for a scooter. You have to keep it in your cabin. In an emergency it would be a hazard if left in the corridor. I wasn’t keen on the big ramp on the balcony as it took up so much room. I don’t need my wheelchair in the cabin.
There is an automatic push button entry door and lots of techy stuff, like usb plugs by the bed.
There were no armchairs because of the layout of the cabin differs from the normal.
A big wet room with seat, grab rails etc. Dim nightlight around bathroom mirror, very useful and push buttons for lights etc. But a bit short on storage in the bathroom.
The corridors seem slightly wider than normal, so easy to get around and didn’t have to wait ages for an empty lift.
Staff are lovely, kind and helpful, and the food divine, especially in the steak house.
We went to Norway and one of the ports was a tender which I got on Ok, you have to pass a step test first. But I don’t think they would take a scooter. My wheelchair folds and is very light.
Loved this beautiful ship.
Any other questions please ask.

Thank you both for your replies, mum is ringing Saga this afternoon - I think youa re right about the deluxe. Moving between dining room and table wouldn’t be an issue and she understands tenders wouldn’t be possible and that going ashore might be an issue - shes all about enjoying the ship. 

Thanks again 🙂

Hi Saga experts!

Considering accompanying my mum on a Saga cruise when we are able. We will be hiring a mobility scooter for her to use during the cruise. Are there specific accessible cabins that we need to book? I had a look at a couple of vids of the standard cabins and I am not sure there is going be anywhere a MS could be easily stored.

Doing a couple of mock bookings, I didnt see anywhere to notify that we would need an accessible cabin?

Thanks in advance for any advice/info.

Just now, wowzz said:

Yes,  we've been on Celebrity and they are a class above P&O.  However,  even if you are in Aqua or whatever, at the end of the day you are still on board a large cruise liner,  most of which actually have more pax than the likes of Arcadia,  Oceana or Aurora. 

Tend to agree here, been on Eclipse twice, and while she is a lovely ship, not in the premium luxury level of Oceania/Viking. 

Ive cruised with P&O and Oceania.

There really is no comparison I am sad to say. Oceania service from the moment we got out of the taxi at the Port at Athens to the time we got off the ship it was a pure joy to cruise. The food was sublime, no queues for anything, we had a Deluxe Oceanview on Marina (1250 pax) and the cabin was lovely, the bed was amazing and the bathroom was super lovely. If you are into a lot of entertainment then maybe PO win over Oceania, but we enjoyed the trivia and bingo and the ents team was around and doing stuff but we didnt go to the shows, but they were well attended. 

There’s absolutely no comparison with the food - you will be astounded at the quality of the buffet (if they still exist) - there is no pushing and shoving - all food is served to you on the Oceania Buffet - lobster and steaks cooked to order at night and the pool bar has wagyu and lobster on the menu!

Afternoon tea is lovely The speciality restaurants are included in the price and are excellent. As long as the drink doesnt have alcohol in it it is free - that includes speciality coffees. If you choose an “O Life drinks package” as part of your perk for booking then you get wine and beer with lunch and dinner - if you upgrade that it is $20 a day extra - an absolute bargain - also you dont have to have the same package in the cabin so if one doesnt drink then no problem. 

No photographers, no art gallery (although the art on the ship is lovely), no nickel and dining, the internet is functional for one device per cabin at one time for no extra cost. 

Free drinks at Captains Happy Hour which was twice in 10 days for us - we were the only people in the casino bar at that time, so we were plied with free drinks!

Tours can be expensive with Oceania - but if you have cruised before thats not an issue. 

I absolutely adored my cruise on Oceania - it is head and shoulders above PO. If money were no object then I would cruise with them all the time. 

My next cruise is PO in a suite in March 2022, with hubby so we can make an informed choice about whether we want to do a world cruise in a Suite on PO or go for a lesser cabin on Oceania. Hubby is averse to the 180 day itin on Oceania, and the cruising from Soton is a big draw, but if I had my way it would be Oceania all the way. 

I have a soft spot for Aurora as she is a lovely small ship, but I dont think even a suite on PO can compare to Oceania in terms of food and service. 

Go for the Oceania cruise - I promise you that you will not regret it.