Gnoelj

20 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

Thank you Gnoelj.

 

I will post later today in a more detailed way, but have to take a pet under the weather to the vet right now.

 

I was one of many passengers who were taken to the GM's office and made to sign a letter stating that one would not upset the passengers and failure would mean "consequences".  Spoke with numerous guests who were threatened, some of which were also in 2 large parties who spoke with the captain.

 

At Colon an Oceania VIP came aboard and seemed to scare the staff. Saw this man walking the ship and going in and out of the kitchen. This would have happened after many complaints were sent to Oceania HQ via the web page Guest Services contact us.

 

Last day there were multiple passengers sitting in groups on the chaises around the pool, all filling out the questionnaires and showing everyone the damning reviews.

 

If you asked a guest, they just exploded with viral dislike of the missed ports and poor Oceania experience.

 

Oceania has done nothing.

 

But their intimidation and threats to guests tells their unease with the port cancellation situation.  "The bigger the reaction, the closer to the truth".

 

I have already advised my 2 TA's to avoid booking guests on Regatta. There is something very off about that ship.

 

More later

 

 

We could not help thinking of passengers who wish to see the captain being pressured to sign a letter that you will not make further complaints. Apart from discussing with other "disgruntled" passengers about having a "group action" of withdrawing your gratuities (yes, it could be quite controversial, but at least it is an option of last resort ), if you  have to sign that letter, perhaps you could specifically add and write by the side of your signature that you signed it "under duress ". We are not law experts so cannot be depended on,  but we believe in US Law and British Law any contract/agreement signed under duress would make that  invalid. You might like to check that up.

It's curious. From our experience with Oceania, we found most of the junior staff to be very helpful , pleasant and friendly but many in senior management including the captain were a bit "aloof" towards passengers  (there was one exception when the French manager was good).  Maybe if you are one of those who have sailed on it maybe 20 times or more, you might be treated differently, . Perhaps, senior management could  learn  from their juniors about good customer service , rather than the other way around !!! Gulp, hope we haven't said anything too controversial !

On ‎10‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:48 PM, ABoatNerd said:

Hello Oceania folks.

Currently on the Regatta panama canal cruise left San Fran Oct 6.

Oceania cancelled 2 port stops, shortened a 3rd and swapped out Cabo for San Diego. Apparently due to tropical storm sergeo a week a go that passed over the Baja.

We sailed past the Baja with no evidence of the storm,

The  ship has not been sailing at maximum speed at any time.  Not satisfied that time could have not been made up to have recovered 1 port.

Suffice it to say that the free "goodwill" 1 hr freeze booze offered by Oceania does not offset the significant reduction in the itinerary.

Also, on the voyage before this one, Juneau was missed.  

Many guests are displeased and asking questions.

When Ray the CD spoke about it in the Regatta lounge 2x there were many Boos from the guests.

Have heard guests on their phones cancelling future Oceania trips and seen numerous people in the computer room booking Viking cruises on line.

We are not pleased at all at the itinerary changes.

Otherwise - service is excellent but the Terrace cafe is not of past quality and many guests are grumbling about the new menus in the GDR.  The specialties seem constant.

Safe sailing.

Hope your disappointment has now been attended to satisfactorily by Oceania.

We were a bit irked to read on this thread that Oceania insisted its customers who wish to see the captain about the missing docks issue, to sign an agreement you will not make further complaints. It seems to us like a kind of forcing you to do something under duress, which does not seem fair. Why should you sign something like that just because you needed to see the Captain for a good reason?  Some would argue that is  kind of "bullying" customers.

If the Oceania management has not attended to the concerns of the many passengers on this issue,  we just wondered if one option passengers could take is to request for your gratuities to be taken out of the bill. We know some would argue it is not fair, etc, but if passengers are treated in the manner which makes you helpless, perhaps that "shock" of a substantial group of disgruntled passengers with-holding their gratuities may send home the message that customers' views should be taken into account seriously.

We have looked into some future Oceania cruises but when we saw it was the Regatta, I told my partner to avoid it. These days, with Oceania, we would only prefer to go on the relatively newer "O" ships.  Some may disagree but their "R" ships may have gone past their prime. Our next cruise is on Viking, we still would cruise with Oceania, but it would most likely be on their "O" ships. Perhaps, it's time Oceania look into adding new ships into their fleet and replace all or at least some of the "R" ships.

On ‎10‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:48 PM, ABoatNerd said:

Hello Oceania folks.

Currently on the Regatta panama canal cruise left San Fran Oct 6.

Oceania cancelled 2 port stops, shortened a 3rd and swapped out Cabo for San Diego. Apparently due to tropical storm sergeo a week a go that passed over the Baja.

We sailed past the Baja with no evidence of the storm,

The  ship has not been sailing at maximum speed at any time.  Not satisfied that time could have not been made up to have recovered 1 port.

Suffice it to say that the free "goodwill" 1 hr freeze booze offered by Oceania does not offset the significant reduction in the itinerary.

Also, on the voyage before this one, Juneau was missed.  

Many guests are displeased and asking questions.

When Ray the CD spoke about it in the Regatta lounge 2x there were many Boos from the guests.

Have heard guests on their phones cancelling future Oceania trips and seen numerous people in the computer room booking Viking cruises on line.

We are not pleased at all at the itinerary changes.

Otherwise - service is excellent but the Terrace cafe is not of past quality and many guests are grumbling about the new menus in the GDR.  The specialties seem constant.

Safe sailing.

Hope your disappointment has now been attended to satisfactorily by Oceania.

We were a bit irked to read on this thread that Oceania insisted its customers who wish to see the captain about the missing docks issue, to sign an agreement you will not make further complaints. It seems to us like a kind of forcing you to do something under duress, which does not seem fair. Why should you sign something like that just because you needed to see the Captain for a good reason?  Some would argue that is  kind of "bullying" customers.

If the Oceania management has not attended to the concerns of the many passengers on this issue,  we just wondered if one option passengers could take is to request for your gratuities to be taken out of the bill. We know some would argue it is not fair, etc, but if passengers are treated in the manner which makes you helpless, perhaps that "shock" of a substantial group of disgruntled passengers with-holding their gratuities may send home the message that customers' views should be taken into account seriously.

We have looked into some future Oceania cruises but when we saw it was the Regatta, I told my partner to avoid it. These days, with Oceania, we would only prefer to go on the relatively newer "O" ships.  Some may disagree but their "R" ships may have gone past their prime. Our next cruise is on Viking, we still would cruise with Oceania, but it would most likely be on their "O" ships. Perhaps, it's time Oceania look into adding new ships into their fleet and replace all or at least some of the "R" ships.

I understand that afternoon tea in the Wintergarden tends to fill up quickly. I would imagine that’s especially true on sea days, which would be the only time we could go.

 

What do you recommend one do in order to be sure to get a seat?

 

Only 2 more weeks! I can hardly stand it.

You understand right. It often fills up very quickly.

Viking needs to do something about this. This are our suggestion(s) (not that they will take them up):

1)Perhaps they could reorganise the seating arrangement. Instead of having low "fat" lounge seats, they could provide a kind of "Palm Court" style chair and tables?

2) They serve tea if you sit in the lounge outside Mamsens, but they did not seem to publicise it very well. Maybe they should put a sign to tell passengers that.

3) Their waiter service tends to be quite slow and sometimes confusing . You could be sitting for a while to get served, but after that two waiters came one after another. To quicken this up and make it a bit more slick, perhaps, they could take a leaf from their rival Oceania Cruises, and provide a buffet table service with pastries, cakes and sandwiches. The waiter service can still continue to serve tea and cakes, even though there is a buffet table. It does not have to be either one or the other, both could be available.

Another thing we'd like to say about the Winter Gardens, the "Mushroom" Tables are so wobbly and unstable. |Besides, they are also too small. It might give someone a "feel" of a table used by Troll (?), but it is not very practical. Maybe a rethink and redesign of the furnishings and organization of the Winter Garden is something Viking management can consider ....if they are not doing so already, as we speak!

Next year, we are going on a Viking West Indies Explorer cruise, one of Viking's regular cruises . As many "savvy" Viking cruisers might probably know, that cruise starts and ends in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This is our question. We have booked an American flight on business class from San Juan to London via Miami, does anyone know if American Airlines offer a business class lounge in San Juan airport?

We did some research and so far, we found only one lounge at the airport, and it is operated by Avianca, which is a Star Alliance airline partner. As American Airlines is a OneWorld Alliance airline partner, obviously, we are not qualified to go there.

It is not a "deal breaker" if American Airlines do not offer a lounge in San Juan airport, but as the Viking cruise ends early in the morning and our flight is not until around 3.30pm, we would have a lot of time to "hang around" at the airport. So having a lounge to spend some time would be nice.

If anyone have any information about that (American Airlines having a lounge, or not, at SJU), we would appreciate it.

PS: Sometimes, we wish that Viking would operate their West Indies cruises from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (like most other major cruise lines), instead of from San Juan, Puerto Rico. For those of us from the UK/Europe, it is not easy to get to San Juan as there are hardly any non-stop flights from the UK or Europe. Practically all flights mean a stopover plane change in Florida or New York. That means, we would have to arrive in San Juan late at night. Ah well, the "hazards" of travelling! Lol.

Hi all, Can anyone tell me from experience if there is a coffee maker in the veranda cabins on the Sky? On the Viking website it lists a coffee brewer under DV cabin benefits but not under V. However, in other places I read that the difference was basically the location of the cabin on board. Help! .... signed, an early morning caffeine addict...

To us, the Coffee Machine is a DISADVANTAGE, and it was certainly NOT APPRECIATED.

Actually, we learnt that we would prefer NOT to have the coffee machines in our veranda cabins. We were in a DV cabin and found that the bulky coffee machine was taking up limited space which we could use for storage. And besides, the coffee "pods" they provided were not very nice (we realise that like food, tastes for coffee differs between individuals).

We read some folks here even asked the machines to be removed - what a good idea!

As someone said, you could do just as well ordering coffee from room service. What we did was just go up to the buffet or the coffee bar and ordered our coffee and took it to the room. Much easier than "fiddling" with the coffee machine.

If we could, we would rather book a Verandah cabin rather than a DV cabin, because the savings could sometimes be quite substantial, and the extra benefits on a DV booking are not so great. The size and decor of the cabins are identical, apart from that pesky coffee machine! :=) Unfortunately, Verandah cabins frequently gets sold out first and DV cabins seems to be more frequently available. It happened on our last cruise, and on our next cruise as well , with Viking Ocean.

Consider yourself fortunate that you managed to book a Verandah cabin and you will not have that machine bothering you.

For us, Viking has a lot of good things about it, but two things which Viking could improve on are:

1) REMOVE THE COFFEE MACHINE (BUT MAKE IT AVAILABLE ON REQUEST INSTEAD).

2) REPLACE CHEF'S TABLE WITH ANOTHER SPECIALTY RESTAURANT THAT HAS MENUS THAT DO NOT DIVIDE OPINIONS SO MUCH. (It's more likely we would avoid Chef's Table on our next cruise).

We recalled on our last cruise in the Mediterranean that Mamsen's was closed on certain days.

We are not sure but we think it was not opened on port/docking days.

We have booked the West Indies Explorer cruise next and learnt that practically everyday on that cruise is a port day. We hope that Mamsen's will not be closed throughout most , or even worse , through out all of the entire cruise! (However, Viking could close Chef's Table entirely for all we care, it would not matter an iota to us, some of the cooking there is so strange and unappealing anyway! Agreed, that is subjective, hope we haven't upset any Chef's Table affectionados by saying that!)

Mamsen's is probably one of our favorite "foodie spots" on Viking ships. It is certainly an important attraction for us to go with this cruise line.

Does anyone who have been on the West Indies Explorer cruise before know what the opening days of Mamsen's are?

Glamis Castle should be an interesting day. The childhood home of the Queen Mother is a very interesting tour, which we did last year.

Glamis Castle is interesting but it is 72 miles (about 1hr 40 mins travel time each way) from Edinburgh. Not that close by. Question is, would you have enough time to go on the city tour, and go to Glamis Castle?

We could recommend a lot more other places to visit around Scotland too, but it is the time which would limit your visit.

How long is this Viking ship docking for in Edinburgh?

If you really want to see Edinburgh and the lovely parts of Scotland, you could do with 1-2 weeks, and you could not do it with just a part of one day !!!!

That is the big disadvantage about going on cruises and visiting places , you'd only get a "taste" of each place you visit, and that's just about it. Whistle stops come to mind !

Maybe if you like what you see when you visit Scotland on your cruise, you could plan to come back again, but this time, make it a land visit and spend quite a few more days there.

Thanks for your reply. Looks like Viking is at it again. On our last cruise which was supposed to stop in North Africa, both the stops in Algeria and Tunisia were cancelled.

 

/quote]

 

Do you really think that Viking changed those ports on a whim? I don't. I don't think that they put two such difficult ports on an itinerary just so that they would have to to keep canceling at the last minute or so that they could simply attract passengers to the itinerary. I think that they truly wanted to try to visit these ports (and they have done so), to give pax an opportunity to visit these places that they might not otherwise attempt to visit.

 

When you choose an itinerary with stops in an area that has a history of being unstable (as has Tunisia over the past few years), you have to understand that you might not get there. One of the reasons that we chose to sail this itinerary with Viking is that we knew that their number one priority is, was and will always be safety, that they would not sail us into harm's way--and that is exactly what happened to us last December/January when tensions in the Middle East flared. Yes, I regret not getting to see Algiers and Tunis but I do not regret Viking's decision.

 

No, we do not think for them having to cancel the ports in North Africa, they did it on a whim.

 

But as for changing Guadeloupe for Dominica, sure, they may have their reasons. But it would have been GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE , don't you think to place the information on their website and HIGHLIGHT to customers that the current itinerary has been slightly changed from that advertised in the brochure. We don't blame Viking for changing ports, but they could do better in communicating to customers, don't you think?

 

Having said that, we just have to let this go, and look on the positive side of the cruise. No cruise company is perfect, even though some folks may think they (these companies) are (perfect)!

At least you have plenty of warning.

 

There will be no public explanation as to why the port was changed, so we can guess all we want--denied berthing on that date, can't get the needed ground services (tours, bus, etc). I always think that when Viking makes these changes that they are doing it for the better and not on a whim.

 

And, yes it seems that the itinerary on all dates has been changed:

Thanks for your reply. Looks like Viking is at it again. On our last cruise which was supposed to stop in North Africa, both the stops in Algeria and Tunisia were cancelled.

Yes, we know in advance this time. Still, it would have been better if we found that out BEFORE we booked rather than AFTER booking.

From looking at images on the internet, it looks like Guadeloupe is more beautiful than Dominica - Guadeloupe has that "tropical paradise holiday-with-gorgeous-bays" look. Dominica looks somewhat "off-the-beaten-track" and less developed - probably more so since it has been badly affected by Hurricane Maria last year.

It appears that the 9th March 2019 cruise, the West Indies Explorer, Viking have changed one of its ports of call from that advertised in its brochure, and in the website.

The stop for Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe has been changed to Roseau, Dominica.

Is any one who has been looking into this cruise know what is happening? Has all other

Viking Ocean cruises for the West Indies Explorer itinarary also changed its port of call from Guadeloupe to Roseau?

For those of have been to both Guadeloupe and Dominica, is Dominica as beautiful as Guadeloupe, or is it more attractive, or less attractive?

Since you live in the area I was wondering if you might be able to answer a question. Do you know if Uber is widely used? We are considering skipping Edinburgh ( based on suggestions here) and heading to Linlithgow for a more relaxing day. Do you advise Uber as a good option? Thank you for all the local advice you have provided!

 

 

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To answer your questions:

1) Yes, UBER is widely used.

2) If your ship is anchored on the Firth of Forth, and your tender takes you to North Queensferry or South Queensferry, then going to Linlithgow is not far away. But if you have NOT been to downtown Edinburgh before, then, whoever advised you to skip Edinburgh and go to Linlithgow instead is in our view, has given you the WRONG ADVICE. Linlithgow is nice, but there is lot less to see compared to Edinburgh.

However, you might even dock at Leith, which is really a part of Edinburgh, (not far to downtown Edinburgh by Ube taxi, or bus). Or in Rosyth . You need to check with Viking.

Edinburgh is such a charming city, with its architecture quite unique to Scotland. Some of the buildings might even remind you of those found in Harry Potter! (J K Rowling lives in Edinburgh, by the way). Key attractions are the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile leading up to the Castle, and the Royal Yacht Britannia (the Queen's decommissioned ship, which is now a floating museum). Go up Carlton Hill (from the end of Princess Street in Edinburgh downtown) and you will get a breathtaking PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE CITY. And of course, if your ship is anchored on the Firth of Forth, you will see the 3 bridges spanning side-by-side across the Firth of Forth (Queensferry Crossing, Forth Road Bridge, and the Forth Rail Bridge).

Edinburgh is the second most visited city in the UK, after London. And it OOZES with CHARACTER.

By the way, doesn't VIKING have a free city tour of Edinburgh? Would be very surprised if they haven't.

It would have been great if Viking were to have an overnight stoppover in Edinburgh, like they do some other ports, eg Barcelona and Civitavecchia, etc. You need more than just one day (or in the case of many cruise lines, a few hours) to really see and experience the city.

PS: One thing in case you are taking buses in Edinburgh. Make sure you have the CORRECT FARE. They do NOT give change!

it it like Barristas or more dessert oriented ?

It is much more. Actually, Viking has its own Barrista in two places, not at Mamsen's . Mamsen's is a different experience altogether, Oceania has NOTHING of the kind to compare. This is something which Viking is ahead compared to Oceania. You have to cruise on Viking to experience it yourself.

So, as we were less impressed with Viking's afternoon tea than Oceania's, in the afternoon for tea and lovely pastries, we would just go to Mamsen's.

As for Barristas, Viking has one which offered a better selection of cakes and sandwiches than the barrista on Oceania. The other is a drinks and coffee bar (next to Mamsen's) and you could sit in the lounge or the nearby library located at the front of the ship and where you could enjoy a panoramic view of the sea.

Interesting post on the Viking board.

 

 

Since a cornerstone of Oceania's marketing is "best cuisine at sea" thought this was interesting.

 

 

What do you long term Oceania folks think about this article and Viking food versus Oceania?

We like BOTH Oceania and Viking Ocean Cruises. Each of the cruise lines have their strong points and we would happily cruise with either of them again (and again).

However, in our view, one of Viking's two speciality restaurants, it is NOT one of their strong points. In fact, we think it is one of their WEAKEST links. (We even did a review on our last Viking Ocean cruise a few months ago and this page gives you the link to our report on the Chef''s Table https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2576451&page=3 ) .

Apparently, it was not just us who disliked it. There were others who disliked it too, although some others liked it. It seemed a bit like "Marmite", you either hate it or love it. Some of the dishes they concocted seemed rather odd tasting .

If we go on Viking Ocean again, we will try to AVOID the Chef's Table. Give us Oceania's Red Ginger any day! As far as the Chef's Table is concerned, we do not think that it is any "threat" to Oceania's specialty restaurants.

Viking ships have only 2 speciality restaurants while the O ships on Oceania has 4 (And as we have indicated, we have "written off" one of Viking's two speciality restaurants, the Chef's Kitchen.). The other of Viking's speciality restaurant, Manfredi, has a kind of "American- Italian" feel about it. The cooking there was good . Actually, we would prefer Manfredi to Toscana if push comes to shove.

What we liked about Viking, and which Oceania does not have, is Mamsen's , a kind of cafe with really delicious Scandinavian cakes, soup and open faced sandwiches. However, Oceania's afternoon tea is a far superior experience than Viking's afternoon tea service (Viking does not have a buffet of pastries for afternoon tea, they bring the pastries and sandwiches to your table). As far as the buffet restaurants are concerned, the two cruise lines are "neck-and-neck".

The Main Dining room experiences on both cruise lines are good but neither are "perfect".

The pool side burger bar /restaurant offering on Oceania , in our view, is better on Oceania. For us, the quality of the burger on Oceania is "top notch", but somehow seemed somewhat "lacking" on Viking Ocean.

Sorry, I made a mistake...."Terima Kasih" (Thank you) in Malay means "I have received your LOVE" (not heart as I had mentioned about) . That is why they still touched their own hearts (to signify love) whenever they say that.

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT KUALA LUMPUR (....well, sort of).

Just some information about "KL" (Kuala Lumpur).

*Local Currency is the Malaysian Ringgit

*Like Singapore, you will find that in KL, the locals are of different ethnic origins - Malays , Chinese, and Indians.

*If you are not interested in going on the coach excursion, you might ask about taking the train from your dock at Port Kelang (Pelabuhan Kelang) to Kuala Lumpur Central Station (KL Sentral). Malaysia has one of the world's CHEAPEST public transport, it's so cheap it sounds ridiculous.

*The train fare is only RM6.40 ( about USD 1.70) . They also have a very good transit system and that is even cheaper. They are all air-conditioned and they run a reasonably efficient service. However, still give yourself plenty of time to get back before the ship leaves. (God forbid, if you miss the ship, you could still fly from KL to Penang, the next sotp. There are lots and lots of flights between either of the two airports in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, about 1 hour flying time. And the air fares are again, one of the world's lowest!)

* Malaysians are very proud of their cuisine, but some of their foods are "acquired tastes". They like food so much that the locals would say that in Malaysia, they only eat one meal a day - it starts at 7 in the morning and ends at 12 midnight ! Of course, this is a bit of an exaggeration, they are proud of it!

*In case you get lost and need to ask for directions, just know that most people speak "Malaysian English", it's English with a local accent with some Chinese and Malay thrown in for good measure. You will usually be able to make out what they are saying (but not always) and they are usually very friendly and eager to help. There are quite a number too who also speak "International" English, as Malaysia has sent millions of students to study the US, the UK , Australia and NZ. Practically every family in the country has at least one relative, if not more, who has studied abroad.

*Malaysians of all ages seem to be addicted to smart phones.

* Air condition is almost every where. Malaysia is amongst the top ten largest nations which export air conditioners. Some air conditioners are so efficient, especially in shopping malls, you 'd think they have installed a freezer instead of an airconditioning system by mistake!

* Malaysian children are often encouraged by their parents to learn to play the piano, and usually, it is classical music which they learnt to play. Having said that, the majority do not seem to have an appreciation of classical music, they just played that for their parents!

*As in any foreign country, watch out for pickpockets and the likes.

*Like Singapore, KL is also very, very hot. So be aware of that too.

*Tucked between the skyscrappers, KL has retained many old buildings built during the colonial times . In Singapore, during the 60's the govt then were so fervent in trying to be "modern", that they pulled down so many old buildings and replaced them with ones that do not have so much character.

* Interesting places to visit - the old moorish buidlings eg the old Post Office, and the old KL railway station (this is NOT the new KL central/"sentral" station). Also worth a visit is the Petronas Twin Towers , and you can take a lift to up to get a panoramic view of the city below.

*Things in Malaysia are better valued compared to Singapore, and prices are much lower.

*The most useful word to use in Malaysia is "TERIMA KASIH" (Thank you). Literrally, it means, I have received your heart. That is why when you did something nice to a Malay and when he said "Terima Kasih", he would use one hand to touch his own heart. The ethnic Indian Malaysians or Chinese Malaysians, however, do not do that (ie they do not touch their hearts when they say thank you).

*Talking about neighbouring Singapore being more expensive compared to Malaysia, there is a story which depicted how rich and well-off many Singaporeans are. It mentioned about a group of Singaporean tourists to Australian and who went into a department store. And after that, they have been nicknamed by the store staff as "The Birds". Why, because each time they came into the store and looked at the prices of the goods on sale, they just said "Cheap, cheap" (sounds like Cheep , cheep, made by the birds???!!! Geddit? )

We are thinking of cruising from the US West Coast to Hawaii, and back. Does anyone know, when we return back to a U.S. port on the West Coast, from Hawaii, do we have to go through customs and immigration as if we are coming from abroad. The reason we ask is, we know that Hawaii is part of the United States, but is a Holland America ship considered to be an American vessel or a foreign vessel.

If there are no restrictions, we might like to buy some Hawaiian fruits/foodstuff/delicacies to take home.

That’s all well for you if you get sick in the UK. Oceania ships do not fall under UK rules or UK medical costs.

I am in a similar position in that my insurance covers everything (or just about everything) while I am in US - no matter how large the bill is.

However, when I am abroad, my Medicare will not cover me. Thus I get additional insurance to cover those possibilities.

Likewise, UK citizens need to take out extra insurance IF their regular insurance does not cover them outside UK.

The point I was making is what Oceania medical center charges are in line with cost of medical care in US - and that is why they charge those rates. It’s up to each individual to make sure that they are covered or else be responsible for those charges. What the cost of medical care is in Italy, Vietnam or UK is irrelevant to Oceania just as they choose to use US $ for onboard currency and not Dongs.

Is it outrageously expensive? Yes - but it is what it is. That is what insurance is for - on land or at sea.

Aren't Oceania ships registered outside the US (eg Marshall Islands) , and not in the US? So, maybe they should charge (presumably lower) "Marshall Island" medical fee rates instead of American medical rates?:p . I know, and pigs might fly! Wonder if non-US cruise companies charge lower doctor's fees on board their ships?

The thing with travel insurance is, if you have to make a claim, the next time you renew your travel insurance, the premium will SKY ROCKET. So, it is not just to think, oh yeah, we have travel insurance, it's okay to make any claims even if the doctor's bill is sky high, and my travel insurance premium will not change.

The other issue I mentioned has not been answered. Why does Oceania cruises not offer their own travel insurance? That way, they would benefit by improving their balance sheet with this extra business, and at the same time, passengers would not be landed with a "shocking" medical bill if they fall ill on board.This would also almost eliminate the problem of passengers falling illand not seeing the doctor for fear of high bills (and maybe increasing potential of passing on disease to others, etc.,) .

Have you ever seen a bill from your hospital stay or ER to your insurance company? They are staggering indeed. Most of us don’t see them as our insurance gets billed directly (and they pay only a small portion of those charges according to contracted pricing).

What the ship is doing is sending you the bill as they don’t deal with your insurance company; your insurance will cover these charges but they are probably very much in line with what your local ER/hospital would charge you if you didn’t have insurance.

JMO

What hospital bill? You seem to be assuming every passenger on Oceania come from the US.

In the UK, if you use the National Health Service, there is absolutely NO CHARGE. So, the bill to use the hospital or to see the doctor is ZERO.

(In England and Wales, sometimes, they charge you for prescribed medication, sometimes not, and in Scotland, even prescription medication is free!)

When we have to use the dentist (on the NHS), the dentist will give us a list of different treatments with different charges(NHS pays a portion, and you pay the other portion, something like that).

Does the doctor on the cruise line have a list of different charges for different treatments so that if the passenger/patient do not want that treatment, he/she can refuse it? Just wondering.

What I do not understand is that why do the cruise lines not sell their own cruise insurance? That would create additional profits for the company, and give their passengers a peace of mind - no shocking doctor's bills if you fall ill . It's a win-win situation!

There had to be some kind of virus on board from Miami. Two days out and DW developed a nasty cough that got worse. By day six she went to the medical center. They did every test imaginable including Mono. Mono? Really? Results were "inconclusive but not noro". We knew it wasn't noro because we had it on a previous cruise. Anyway, she was administered three medications via IV along with several other prescription medications. She was fine after a week. (Total bill for services is around $12K. Yep, $12K. Primary and secondary insurance will cover most of the cost.)

Just wondering, the fact that Oceania's doctor charges such high (exorbitant ? justifiable/unjustifiable? obscene?) fees

for treatment, would that not discourage passengers who are ill to come forward to see them for treatment? If someone , say, is suffering from any disease , and did not see the doctor because of fear of being charged so much, would the cruise line's practice of charging that level of fees for treatment make it less favourable for maintaining the health and well-being of everyone on board?

Wonder if $$$ is more important than the health of everyone on the ship? Or am I missing something?

I won't blame shipping companies to charge high prices when passengers are on board when they are well, it is a business after all, but to do that when someone is sick, seems to be taking making profit a bit too far. Or do others not agree?

On a slightly different , but perhaps , related question.....I wonder what would the travel insurance feel if someone falls ill on a cruise, would they agree instead of seeing the cruise ship's doctor , when the ship docks on a stopover port, that he calls the insurance to find a local doctor in their recommmended contact list, and perhaps leave the ship. And if he/she then gets better, to fly back home early rather than staying on the ship till the end of the cruise. The passenger would not be enjoying himself/herself if he/she stays on board anyway. That way, it might cost the travel insurance less, assuming they would agree to cover for the fees charged by Oceania. Just a thought. Has anyone asked their travel insurance about this?

Another thought, perhaps the cruise company could offer a CRUISE TRAVEL INSURANCE itself to cover all charges on board, etc.?

Discuss?

The food on Balmoral this September was by far the best of all the ships/lines we've sailed on.

Don't mean to be rude, but what are the other ships/lines you have sailed on? That way, it would help us to compare the food catering standard on the Balmoral with these other ships/cruise lines.

Hi I've been on Britannia before but didn't get to eat in the main dining room (was a celebration cruise so each night in speciality). Now looking to book a couple of cheeky cheap trips on Oceana (with only a main dining room budget !).

Please do not judge me, but I like my food.

On every other cruise line I've been on, when in the main dining room, I've always been able to order say two starters and two main courses that I've fancied, is this going to be an issue in the dining room on P&O ?

Yes I know theres a buffett for grazing, but I like to eat in the main dining room.

Actually, there was an article on somewhere online something about 10 things you did not know about cruising, and one of those things is, you can order as much or as little food you wish in the restaurant.

I have not been on Oceana, but on the Ventura some months back, I have to say the general cooking on board was quite bad compared to other cruise lines, to the point I was beginning to LOSE MY APPETITE and was not looking forward to go for meals ("Oh no, not another meal on the Ventura again - Just don't look forward to that! "). The worst was the buffet. No kidding, it was that poor. Hope that other P&O cruise ships have better food! (We were on the Aurora before that and the food was better).

Since then, we have gone with other cruise lines, and are wary about cruising with P&O again.

DrHugs, the thread starter has not provided any further information, I can only hope he is never sails on Oceania again. My experience is Oceania is better than any of the other cruise lines he has been on. In my opinion, his comments are inflammatory.

The comment from @GICNJC seems to reflect on how intolerant this person perhaps may be. It is quite unnecessary and uncalled for.

@DrHugs has every right to cruise with Oceania as @GICNJC and anyone else, as long as he./she has paid for his/her fare fairly and squarely. How would @GICNJC feel if he/she makes some comment and then someone then say he/she "hopes" he/she does not go on future cruises with this cruise line? That won't be very nice, would it?

Thankfully, this discussion board is managed by CruiseCritic, and it is *NOT* the TOTALITARIAN CRUISE COMMENTS PAGES where you can only have one opinion, grovel towards the big bosses and toe the line, or else you get struck off !!! So @DrHugs can make his/her views. Others can ask for more clarification, that is reasonable . They can agree, or disagree with @DrHugs, that is also reasonable.

Hi all I'm on board viking star now so sad even Cagliari now was cancelled.

So we are on sea day and seems like activities not that interesting.

Btw Tripani was changed by Palermo :))))

Oh no, even Cagliari has been cancelled? What happened?

Did you say Trapani was changed to Palermo? Is Tunis/Port Goulette and Algiers changed to Naples and Palma de Mallorca on your cruise? If so, does it mean that your original itinerary, 4 STOPS OUT OF 5 STOPS have been CANCELLED OR CHANGED?

Understand exactly what you mean that activities on board Viking Star are not that interesting. We felt the same on our cruise on that ship. As have mentioned before, ACTIVITIES and ENTERTAINMENT on Viking is not one of its strong points. In fact, in our view, it is relatively WEAK compared to so many other cruise lines. VIKING can, and should , do better in that area. Perhaps, the Cruise Director is not working hard enough, or not as creative/talented as some others CDs (?). Or perhaps Viking's activity/entertainment budget is relative low? Who knows?

It is "just OK" if the cruise itinerary have many port visits . But if it has more sea days, then, the cruise GETS ***BORING***! How many times can you go to the restaurants, bars and cafes to eat and drink before you pine for having something else more interesting to do?

HOPE VIKING MANAGEMENT TAKES NOTICE OF THIS ESPECIALLY IF THEY NEED TO ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE FOR THEIR EXPANDING FLEET OF SHIPS.

PS: For those people who like doing "nothing" , you can continue to "do" as you wish. There are many of us who want more activities and entertainment . And NO THANK YOU, we do not want to go to other lower priced cruises, so please do not try to push us off to those other cruise lines. We want to go on Viking but we want a better standard/quality activities/entertainment/recreation on board their ships. If we can afford it and pay our fares, we have as much right to cruise with Viking as anyone - and we think Viking would welcome our custom.

Because we've been on the Star since January 4th and are still on her now. That's how I know who the OP is talking about. ��

 

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You got on the ship since Jan 4th.

However, that "incident" happened before that on a different and our cruise ENDED on Jan. 4th. We embarked on Dec 21st and disembarked on Jan 4th. You got on the ship the day we got off (Jan 4th). You were on a different cruise from the one we were on .So, how can you be so certain it is the same person? .

Supposing even if it is the same person as you claimed, does that mean that Viking did nothing about it? That would be so disappointing with Viking, especially when the receptionist expressed "concerned" about it.

Moreover, (even if that was the same person) , whether you like his piano playing or not is besides the point. It is not the piano playing which is at fault .

Maybe you will not feel it unless someone close to you was affected. Supposing you have a 83 year old frail mother cruising with you, and she was "targeted", you would be angry, wouldn't you?