pinotlover

WAG based on prior release schedules only: September or October of this year.

For an extended visit, I recommend the Marriott that is right next to the Borghese Museum. Great hotel with multiple great restaurants within a couple of blocks. Subway system is close. We had an early flight out and our driver, arranged by the hotel had us at the airport in plenty of time . The hotel has a great rooftop restaurant overlooking parts of the City where a delightful breakfast is served. Pre book your tour of the Borghese early in the morning to beat the crowd, and enjoy the quick easy walk in the park to the mansion. To me, this is the greatest museum in Rome!

So are you saying that two different people can go to UA’s website, and see two completely different fares, depending upon how often they have inquired on the routes?

Left AMS today on AA in BC, not that BC matters. From the time we hit luggage check in to making the gate was 3 hours. We got there 4 hours before flight time and boarding was starting within about 15 minutes of our arrival. Flight oversold, people getting bounced from the flight. It’s not only AMS. Friends had their Copenhagen-EWR flight canceled on UA. Took three days to get another flight out. The flight board at AMS was loaded with flights being cancelled. 1. All this is out of Oceania’s control. Things are projected to get worse until at least October. Now is probably not a good time to delegate flights to a third party. 2. You do realize that Oceania buys bulk rate discount tickets? What priority do you believe those tickets have when problems arise?

United and its Star Alliance partners via Chicago seems to be the biggest issue. Doesn’t matter if through FRA or ZRH. Next is Delta feeds through ATL. Seems the problems occurred there, not in Paris or AMS. We had 2-3 couples show up a few days late. Same story regardless of airline. Regional flights canceled, everything full, couldn’t get new flights out for 1-2 days.

Things are going to hell in a hand basket right now over here, and in the States. Min check at Amsterdam airport is now 3 hours, on weekends they are saying 5 hours. There isn’t enough labor at any stage: baggage handling, check in desks, security, pilots, flight attendants, etc. Long lines everywhere. British Airlines is going on strike. So if you have a connecting flight with them, you may be out of luck. Plus KLM and I believe Air France has announced they are cutting about 25% of their flights, here on the Continent, due to personnel shortages . You really need to have non stop flights from the USA to your final destination! It is probably worth any premium you may have to pay. Not all the problems are generated from this side of the pond. We’re on Day 8 of our cruise and you’d be amazed by the number of fellow cruisers that haven’t gotten their luggage yet! In most cases it was several days after their arrival that it even left the States. In some cases it still hasn’t left. U. S. has major issues likewise. Good Luck to all fellow travelers! Right now, attempting to fly in the day of Embarkment is just dumb. We have another week left of cruising and traveling. Hopefully things go smoothly for our return! 🙏

Absolutely not always the case, if ever! Show us that in the T & C’s. I am booked on a Extended Journey that is in fact a B2B. My cruise has its own OLife package and its minimum requirements for the YWYW tour discounts. NO where are there any requirements to segregate by segments. As normal, I had my TA book the tours we selected. Most all of our Oceania shorex selections are on the latter segment of the cruise. We got all our tours and appropriate discounts.

Oceania started doing it this way back in 2019. Internet was so slow and problematic that most of us couldn’t complete the forms. I just took the drill as meaning Oceania didn’t really care much of what we thought.

+1. I will say however I’ve never understood food pictures for sharing. I’ve had food presentations that looked tremendous, but tasted like crap and vise versus. Here’s a picture of a piece of bread I had! Really!! 😂😂 Here’s my split pea soup! 🙄

Don’t forget Oceania allows you to book up to 30 days prior to your cruise and get full onboard credits, which includes current fare discounts and OBC. Discuss with your Travel Agent.

No apology needed. The large Agencies, that are OCC members, have numerous Agents working for them. Some of those Agents may be Oceania specialists, while others may be Regent or even other cruise line specialists. Therefore, it was previously important to find both an OCC member Agency, but also an Agent working for that Agency that specialized in Oceania. Industry turnover has been such in the past two years, it’s hard for anyone new to the system to get square footage.

Let me add, the airport was a quagmire! We quickly ended up putting on a mask. In the Admirals Club, people were hacking, coughing, and some visually ill. Many not wearing masks, when they entered, were soon digging for them. We ended up leaving and waiting in a mostly remote part of Philly’s airport. We spoke with a couple that got off a Viking cruise. They said most coming down with Covid, on their cruise, did so on Day 3-4. Only a few tested positive later in the cruise. That negative pre-cruise test means little because of infection time.

In Europe, starting a cruise tomorrow. Not on Oceania. No pre-Embarkment test required, only fully vaccinated. But, daily temperature check requirement for all passengers. We were told too many people getting Covid in transit and testing negative upon arrival. This way everyone gets a temperature check daily, and if high , off to mandatory testing. No escape and hiding with negativity on pre-cruise check.

I believe if you read the CC threads here on this Board, you will predominantly read about passengers on cruises with 50-60% occupancy. That answers your question most accurately.

😂 Opps! Should have been Ray ! 🥂

To the OP, Peter; Please find the Feb 27, 2023 B.A. -Miami Roll Call. I have posted several available shore excursions for that cruise that may provide you with plenty of information. My email address is included in one of the posts, so feel free to contact me. You’ll notice our listed tours are 50-70% less than those similarly listed by Oceania, and always small group.

I know of zero Travel Agents that are OCC members. She may however be a top producing Travel Agent that works for an OCC member Travel Agency. Otherwise, I generally agree with you.

Dave Carr

Let’s set the stage by saying not all cruises are the the same in this regard. 1. On many cruises that are 12 days or less, one will often find a younger crowd than on those 14-15+ days. The longer cruises are most often nearly totally retirees and quite often older retirees. The differences between the “ night life” on those cruise categories can be huge!!! 2. There are upscale Agencies that put together college Alumni group cruises that book with Oceania. Plus there is Food & Wine Trails that book group trips, with outings, on Oceania.These groups often bring more age diversity and livelihood to cruises than normally exist otherwise. Night life can be abundant on those cruises. Some Oceania cruisers specifically search out and hide from these cruises with more fear than of those that might have of smaller children. Livelihood is almost profanity to some. 3. Cruises that cater primarily to Americans, Brits, and Canadians are often lower key than those catering to Continental Europeans, Aussies, Kiwi, and/ or Far Eastern Asians typically have more energy and night life. So, as you can see, the answer to the OP can be highly variable. I wish them Luck and joyful cruising. If you are considering a specific released cruise, your TA can probably give you a heads up on who is booking the cruise.

Unusual service indeed! In these troubling times, I’d first ensure she didn’t have Covid, or something similar, and not just down and out for a few days. Hopefully, she bounces back. If you’ve experienced good service in the past, I wouldn’t act too hastily right now. I’ve had friends, in the past month, that were vaccinated and boosted, and got really sick for a week or so from the new variant.

I have two additional thoughts/questions. 1. Since the ships have been running at reduced passenger levels, are most of those few aboard cruisers not travelers? Is the ship their destination and any port visits secondary? 2. All of the shore tours I put together are 6-8 hours in length. Not typically strenuous, but all day events so to see and do as much as possible in the ports I may never visit again. I have received emails from fellow passengers asking me to consider only doing 2-3 hour tours in that is all they are interested in. Did two years of not sailing only mean the average demographics likewise increased by 2 years?

Bermuda is a wonderful place to visit. Easily and typically inexpensively reached from Dulles. I have never understood why people brave the Triangle to visit by ship, losing visiting time in transit. Wonderful restaurants on both ends of the country, so absolutely no need for the best cuisine at sea. Lots of places where a cruise ship is practical. IMO, Bermuda isn’t one of them. I suppose the ole Cruiser vs Traveler concept. 🍷

Honesty, I am now completely booked up for the next two years. Since Oceania changed its release program and made itineraries available two years out, instead of 18 months the game changed. Traditionally I would buy that FCC, as it was a good deal. However, timing is everything and with the requirement to book within a year and sail within two, the timing might not always be right to buy. Unlike some posters here that claim to “ always “ do certain things, I don’t always do anything except review what’s practical at the time.

For the first time, I am likewise having trouble filling shore tours. One of my larger question surrounds just how many are going to actually be on the ship. I have Oceania cruises booked over the next year that have gone from fully waitlisted, to availability in most all categories, then back to partially waitlist, then fuller availability again! Availability for our October cruise is opening up and we’re well past final payment! People seem to be booking and cancelling with abandonment. My theory on the OP is that many aren’t willing to fully commit to any thing, and booking and cancelling Oceania tours are easiest for them.

Perhaps you should explain this. If you book a seventeen (17) day cruise from X to Y, that actually consist of a seven (7) day cruise and a ten (10) day cruise, are all those remaining aboard at Day 7 tested. It’s only one cruise credit!