pinotlover

Entire another thread on this subject right in page one. Take a glimpse a bit further down the front page. 44 replies.

Just consider how all those cruisers feel that believe the library is their second bedroom. They marks/reserves their library chair early for that afternoon nap!! 😂😂 Now they’ll have to either sleep in their cabins or in an ice cream joint! 😇

Guess it depends upon the definition of success. My capacity to eat is X. Adding these stations won’t increase X at all. Is there an expectation that people will overall starting eating more food if these stations are added? Is something else being deleted to make room for these stations, such as Ember replacing Jacques ? Is that deemed a success? By whom? Is this truly a new addition requiring additional manpower? Manpower = $$$. I doubt it will then be free, as we’ll pay for it somehow. Is that success? We users individually paid for La Reserve. How many more items would you like to see added and thusly pay higher fare for? Personally, I’d rather have the people wanting all the new items pay for all that success. All this success ( higher fares) is starting to cross a threshold for us. First, we got the price increase nicknamed SM? Now we’re not sure what we’re getting, but “ included” means we’re all paying for it. I’ve never gone hungry on an Oceania ship, a there’s only so much success I want to pay for.

When we were on the Vista, a minimum of a group of eight could book one of the La Reserve menus in the Privee on any given night that the Privee wasn’t reserved for a ship function. The Vista reserved the right to add up to 2 more to the Group. If you didn’t have a minimum of eight, you could put your name on a waitlist to see if Oceania could put together a group for that menu. In doing this, one had no clue which night the dinner would be, or if it would happen. So if you had other plans for the evening Oceania finally notified you of, availability, you had to choose. The prices of the meals quoted above have now increased fairly significantly. Likewise, since they now can only be booked aboard ship, the price may be further increased by any applicable VAT tax. Adding 20% VAT to an over $400 meal pushes you to a $500 each affair. What I can’t remember is if the quoted prices included gratuity, which would add to the price. As I have stated before, a combination of this overly expensive meal, a cumbersome reservation system, and not refreshing menus and wines leads me to believe Oceania is killing off the concept. On the Vista, Privee can only be reserved via a La Reserve dinner. On our upcoming April Riveria cruise, there are no La Reserve dinners being offered.

I will add that it is my understanding that when the “Group Thinks” were held on SM, several of the TA present advised not to allow SM credits to be used for excursion bookings until after Final Payment. Jr, et.al. chose to ignore that recommendation. I believe that issue should be revisited.

Instead of paying much attention to ancedotal experiences with weather, I advise everyone to go to actual weather sites that accurately accumulates weather data over decades. From that data, one can get an excellent overview of what they may experience. Ancedotal experiences may include reports of sitting around their swimming pool last January in Niagara Falls, NY. An actual review of true data may acknowledge that event while revealing it isn’t something you should plan for.

😂. SM was a price increase. That’s all. Potential faux credits for maybe shore excursions was/is a game! SM was always just a price increase. If one is able to get a couple of ship shorex out of the deal: good for you. Otherwise, we all pay the new price whether we eat meals aboard, drink wine or beer during meals aboard, or take any ship shorex. The price is the price.

For us, itinerary trumps bathrooms. We were last on the Marina last Spring and she’s still fine, except for the HVAC system really needing a redo. Personally wished that Oceania would continued to support LaReserve. It distinguished them in the field. Updated new LR menus, new wines, new themes, etc. Neither Ember nor Aquamar does much for us. Not an avocado toast type guy! 🙄 The bar in La Reserve, when occasionally opened, was always enjoyable. Decent wines, by the glass, were always worth the cost, along with good finger food , and it was all we regularly needed for dinner. However, Oceania has decided to move on and is killing off LR. For us, part of the Simply Less for More money strategy .

I always wear a jacket to the Specialties. They can be frigid, warm, or just right. It is classier to sit in a frigid restaurant in a sports jacket, than shivering without it. One can always slip it off if too warm. My wife always takes a sweater to the Specialties just in case. Some women take shaws. On our Marina cruise last Spring, we left the GDR one night because of the over production of the A/C unit. The wait staff was in their winter coats in the GDR. So unless you’re one of the tough Northlanders that wear your shorts and t-shirts into the Canadian winter forest lands, I advise taking a sports jacket for potential comfort , not because of any required dress code. Sometimes the Specialties are very comfortable, sometimes they can hang meat in them as if it’s a meat hangar.

They will not bring a bottle. If both the bubbly and the white wine are for the same person, they will have to be ordered separately. Won’t bring both at the same time. Outside of serving you if you’re visually drunk, No. You have to remember that one beverage server often has a large number of passengers to handle. The true answer depends upon how often they rotate to your table to take orders or refill glasses. Realistically, that may only happen 3-4 times in an evening.

Oceania decided how much of a price increase they needed/wanted. If they gave people spendable OBC, outside of the tours, that would act to lessen the price increase. Not what the line intends to do.

SM is merely a price increase. That’s all. People need to get past the other fantasies. Whether you drink or not, the price went up. Whether you desire to, or not, to take a ship shore excursions it doesn’t matter, the price went up. SM was a price increase and not a particularly well disguised one.

To be a bit more specific on the issue. The train station sets in the bottom of the hill serving Liborne and the village of St. Emilion. . The primary village of St Emilion sets high up on the hilltop. So the issue becomes: how mobile are your guests? If climbing a steep hill, with occasional steps, isn’t a problem, then go for it. Even the tour of the historic church will involve challenging steps for the impaired. What may be thirty minutes walking for me, might be 90 minutes for others. Choose wisely.

So not in the monsoon season like January is, and of which the OP asked specifically about. Yes, there is a seasonal difference in weather patterns in October as compared to January.

The dessert wines, included in the “ wine by the glass “ menu changes throughout the year. It is not always a fortified wine such as a port or sherry. Sometimes it’s a Trockenbeeren Auslese ( TbA), Vin Santo, or Sauternes ( or Barsacs), or other dessert wine. The selection varies amongst a group of perfectly delightful wines. Don’t get hung up on the thought they will always be fortified wines.

You do realize that January is the middle of the rainy season when the Amazon swells the most. Poor timing.

There is typically ( not always) a port on the “ wine by the glass “ menu, therefore covered by the SM program. Cognac is not a beer or wine, so not on the package. However, if you upgrade to the Premium Package some cognacs are included in the package. Others are not and come with a hefty price tag. Always, Always ask before you order if a beer or wine is included, especially in the Specialties.

There is a substantial cost involved in developing and maintaining a credible wine list for any venue. Those costs are compounded by the venue’s addition of proper stemware ( with higher breakage rates) and properly trained staff. The $25 corkage fee, which is not exorbitant by any means, is to partially compensate the venue for the lost sales and facility fees associated with their wine program. I am pleased that Oceania allows this perk at a reasonable cost. I highly doubt the corkage fee will go away anytime in the foreseeable future. Very few of the patrons are buying inexpensive supermarket wines and paying corkage. Most of the wines are locally sourced, of very good quality, and mid to upper range in cost.

I believe the OP’s question directly concerned the SM benefits not being listed on the ONLiNE account page, not elsewhere. ORV properly addressed the issue as questioned. There are pages of information on the invoice not included on one’s online account page. But that wasn’t the question.

SM was a merely price hike during today’s inflationary times. I thought we got past that. Kroger still has sales, but doesn’t mean the sales price is lower than the 2020 price for the same item. SM was a price increase. Let’s move on!

There is no clear cut rule on when one is cut off from the basic package. It’s like the dress code: on receptionist may allow the obvious casual jeans, while the next one bars you from entry. Same with the basic drinks package; one waiter may allow someone to pound wine until closing and say nothing. Another waiter may take you off the package and present you a bill. The staff makes multiple decisions as they execute their duties. If you want hard fast rules, join the Navy, Oceania isn’t for you. There is the third option in this matter. The waitstaff will stop showing up at your table for refills. They can simply tell management they felt the passenger was getting too inebriated if questioned later.

We still had the Germain in June. If, and that seems to be an if, Oceania transitions over to a different label, it will be a slow process as they pour out supplies in all of their different distribution centers. Quite possible to be having one bubbly on the ship, from the Embarkment port, and then get resupplied with Germain at the next Center. This is the reason some of the wines hang around for years. Oceania bought them by the container load, few like the wine, and it takes years to pour ( serve) out.

Since we rarely board by 2:30, typically 3:30 or so, I’d say anytime by 3:30 is timely. 😎 I can walk out the door and eat typical American food off a buffet line or fast food joint anytime. Our next cruise embarks in Tokyo. Can’t understand why anyone would pass up the great local cuisine and all the sights to just sit on a ship and eat Americanized ship food! 🤔 If that’s all you really want to do, why put your body through the time changes and grueling flights? Just fly to Miami, as Oceania serves the exact same food in Miami as they do in Tokyo, Sidney, Istanbul, Athens, NYC, etc. Each to their own.

There is a greatly publicized desire to return to cruising. Seems to me, if true, it wouldn’t take a never ending stream of sales to fill the ships. This is especially the case when considering the number of cruise ships that became scrap iron in 20/21. Of all my cruises in the past 18 months, only one has been full. Perhaps the demand isn’t as great as some believe. Oceania added a new ship, the Vista, last May. Is it now just mostly distributing its customer base between more ships? 1200 new cruisers is a lot to add. With the addition of the Allura next year, it’ll take the deletion of two R ships just to break even with needed headcount. That upcoming new cruise release will be an interesting one. With a growing portion of the world redlined, thus fewer places to visit, how many cruises to nowhere can they sell? Brugge with 12 cruise ships tied up in Ostende? It will take a huge sale to get most of us there for that! Alternative plans?

Yep! Anything before that 2 for 1 discount is a Sale! 😂