pinotlover

It’s all merely a game for some. If O allowed sweat suits, some would show up in running shorts and wife beaters. If those were allowed, the same folks would show up in jock straps. Merely a game to see how low they can go. It’s all a game. So Oceania sets low standards and the trolls come out in these dress code threads to profess they aren’t low enough. Boring! Don’t feed the trolls!

OLife shore excursions are never a good deal. They are offered to the guests for the pure sake of convenience and represents a significant profit center for Oceania. Even with the possibility of a 25% discount from volume purchases, one is still typically paying 2X+ the cost of a comparable private tour. Multiply that by two people and it’s often silly.

Your TA calling Oceania directly is a better plan than asking here.

Be aware that the wines on the menu differ from ship to ship and can change regularly. I distinctly remember we drank through one of the selections mid cruise and another wine was substituted in for it. On another occasion, no substitute was available on board and we waited for a new shipment of different wines to be delivered to the ship.

Been going on for a number of years. A portion of those sophisticated well traveled fellow passengers some always talk about. 🥺

Late last month, we flew up to Portland, ME for an eating vacation. Fresh lobsters, raw oysters, steamed clams, mussels, etc all fresh just out of the ocean. Our 1 stop, 5 hour combined return took 28 hours. Wasn’t even a weekend or holiday. Thank goodness it happened on the return trip, not the going leg! We’re flying to Madrid, via LHR, next month for our upcoming cruise and we’re scared things will go array.

Actually, on our cruise, within the limitations of the dress codes, people went to dinner, including the Specialties, in Halloween customers. Or, perhaps those witches dresses and pointy hats weren’t costumes at all! 😳. The guy in the jester outfit was a hit! 😂🥂

In how many languages? I’ve been to the Province of Quebec and all the signs aren’t always in English! 😂 Fortunately through the years I’ve picked up enough French to manage. We’ve flown into multiple international airports where the signage was only in the native language. For those wanting or needing Oceania to hold their hand and walk them to the ship, I believe they offer that convenience, albeit expensive. It’s there for anyone needing it. However, if you want to save the money and DIY, there may be pre planning necessary.

I believe where one needs to go depends upon where the port master puts the ship that day. When multiple ships are docked the location where an O ship docks can change daily. Best to check the exact ship location before leaving the hotel. Through the years we have often had to find the ship at any given port because of changes made by the port master.

Marriott Copenhagen. Close to downtown and across from Tivoli. Trolley stops a block away. Easy and inexpensive connections to the airport.

Under the pool deck itself isn’t necessarily bad. Under Waves can be horrific. Also on the port side under the Terrace for Ph 2. Rolling of carts overhead most all night can be very noisey.

Still leaves the option that a threshold of Covid cases has been reported aboard and senior management finds it prudent for the staff to mask up.

A very quick read of Oceania’s FAQ will give you the answer. Any listed tour EXCEPT those designated by OS, OE, or any private vehicle is included. Therefore, it is not necessarily price, it is the tour designation. Hope that helps.

Your question is too broad. Different countries have different rules just like Canada and the U.S. have different rules. Might help if you be specific to specific countries. To compound matters, this past summer we found cities along the way with their own requirements that supplemented the country’s requirements.

My DW reminded me some passengers did “ dress” for dinner! 🥸

What’s particularly funny is how some here go on and on about how sophisticated and well traveled Oceania cruisers are versus those other lines, when many of us cruise on multiple lines. I guess in their minds, all that sophistication and travel experience disappears when people step onto another line for what may be a superior itinerary! 😂😂

Pre-Covid on the Marina in 2017 they did a huge decoration in the center atrium. Carved pumpkins and other things. Quite cute and impressive. No trick or treat.

Haven’t taken the time to see where is ship is at. We haven’t a clue whether this is a company wide mandate or merely required by the country in whose waters you’re sailing. Perhaps your cruise surpasses some arbitrary limit of Covid cases where management feels masks are necessary. We await reports from other ships.

We had a great nonstop YYZ-COP on Air Canada. Just Beware, their is a huge difference between Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge! Understand which you’re booking! They are all on the same website, often flying to the same cities.

A couple of points: 1. For simplicity only, think of bulk rate discounted tickets like FF seats. Airlines only put so many, on any given flight in the basket. Once the basket is empty, you go to a different pricing structure. The number of open seats on a plane means little with pricing. Remember, Oceania/NCL is not the only organization vying for the cheap seats. 2. Airlines run different fares out of different cities. Detroit-Amsterdam is often less expensive than AtL-AMS on Delta.

Depends upon your definition of change. If one originally deviates on both the inbound and outbound flights, that is charged one deviation fee. If however, one originally deviates on the inbound side and then later decides to likewise deviate on the departure flights, that two charges.

Mostly +1. I will say I have been fortunately offered several upgrades but there were never any negotiations. You get an offer, take it or leave it. If you don’t respond quickly, they move on to other guests . If you have a TA, the offers come via them, not directly from Oceania. Therefore, if your TA is otherwise indisposed, the offer may be filled by others before you can notified or even respond.

No superior group at all. People pay their money and do as they please. Here is a fact: ( yes I know facts are optional here) if one only books sales and/or when aboard ship, there will be many cruises they will never get on unless lucky. Here’s another: for some the ship is the destination; for others the ship is mostly a means to get to the ports they want to see.

Oceania provides certain services as convenience to its passengers. Those services typically come with highly inflated prices. There are passengers that need those services. Oceania has many very elderly customers that are both physically and mentally frail. They need that person, or their helper, holding the O sign to get their luggage off the conveyor belt, almost hold their hand as they lead them to the van/bus, and get them to their hotel, then the ship. Most of them would never book a cruise if they had to manage those tasks themselves. Same as with Oceania’s grossly overpriced shore tours. Those same passengers don’t typically get off the ship unless Mother Oceania takes their hand and leads them somewhere. A couple years back we boarded in Copenhagen and I helped a very elderly lady walk two blocks to see the Little Mermaid. She was thrilled. Mother Oceania didn’t have any shorex for continuing passengers that day, therefore they weren’t getting off the ship until I volunteered to take her. My wife stayed with the husband. Fortunately, many of us are still capable of arranging our own air, pre bookings our own hotels, and arranging our own tours. There is another subset of Oceania customers where those tasks now exceeds their capacities. We had dinner one night with a couple that clearly said their adult children take them to the airport, get them checked in, and delivered to Security. If they can make it to their plane and final airport, everything else is handled for them. Those Oceania provided conveniences keep them cruising, not financial considerations.

This post clearly differentiates a traveler from a cruiser. Kristal certainly understands that the reason any particular cruise is on sale or deep discount is because it has an itinerary that most travelers are not fond of. Thus, to attract those cruisers, that just want to be on a ship regardless of where it goes, Oceania slashed prices. There are a multitude of very popular, with infrequently visited ports, cruises that Kristol’s plan of waiting for a sale means one never gets on that cruise. It is worthwhile to note that pure cruisers can often do so less expensively than travelers seeking itineraries.