Stickman505

Thanks very much for the explanation and the photos. JimandStan's attached video was an eye opener. The range of motion and the change in pitch speed was surprising. I also loved the "Where To Buy" radio button.

 

The newer, larger Oceania ships are very well stabilized, and we didn't find the motion at the back of the ship to be significantly different from what we could feel in a mid-ship cabin on the Marina and Riviera, but you will notice the engine vibrations more distinctly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the thrusters are in use, the entire ship can hear and feel it, but the bow and/or stern get the brunt of it. Fortunately, they use the thrusters very sparingly. Maybe five or ten minutes as the ship enters or leaves a landing stage, and they are only necessary in some Ports .

 

 

Enjoy your Suite!

JimandStan,

Thanks for the picture of the thrusters. If you have pictures of the stabilizers would you please post them? I think I saw them once on Regatta. They looked like surfboards extending from near midship and didn't appear too large. I saw them while leaving port during happy hour so my vision could have been compromised.

Thanks.

Kiawahdon-

Thanks for taking the time to post your suggestions.

I'd like to elaborate on #6. We just returned from Regatta and will be on Marina next year (I assume Marina's and Regatta's systems are similar based on your description).

I would have liked to see much more information displayed on the TV. The information presented seemed random and in some cases hardly ever updated. In this age of computer weather predictions,it seemed odd that "today's and tomorrow's" weather usually displayed as N/A. As to the randomness of the presentation, if I wanted a certain piece of information, I sometimes had to spend long periods waiting for the screen to roll to the desired page while other screens repeated over and over. Adding to the additional information/interaction that you mentioned I think many technically minded passengers would love to see a page displaying technical information such as: Number of generators running and their voltage output; shaft rotation speeds and fuel consumption rate. Additionally, screen shots of the navigational radar screens and shots of the weather radar screens would add a lot of enjoyment for those of us that are captain wannabes.

We loved our 2014 cruise and are looking forward to 2015.

Just returned from an 18 day'er on Regatta - we used our cabana everyday and to borrow and slightly modify a line from Seinfeld - they're real and they're spectacular!

We're on a Panama Canal Cruise in less than two weeks - very few postings and nothing at all for several weeks - thought of posting :

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I'm wondering if dead message boards portend the character of the cruise or is there simply no correlation? We're pretty new to cruising so would like to know what others have experienced.

For those that didn't have teenagers about the time we did, the above quote is from Ben Stein's character in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

We've been very fortunate to have sailed in the beautiful waters around Tortola about 8 times.

Regarding the Baths- there are ropes and wooden steps that have been placed in difficult areas of the passage thru the boulders. The difficult areas are very short and not really all that difficult. There are a couple of places where it is necessary to stoop low to make it through but again it really isn't difficult or scary. Snorkeling along the outer edge of the Bath boulders is very fun also.

If a passage to Cooper Island could be arranged, it is a perfect Caribbean beach. Palm trees, beautiful water, beach bar and water sports rental equipment are all available. For the future, if an isolated house on a point overlooking the Saint Francis Drake Channel is of interest, check out Quart-A-Nancy House on Cooper Island.

Likewise, if you could arrange a day trip to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke you'll be rewarded with a similar experience to Cooper Island. Visit Jewel's Snack Shack or Ivan's Local Flavor Stress Free Bar ( an honor bar). Be sure to have a Pain Killer at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

If I was going to stay on Tortola, I would take a cab ( not cheap) over the hill to Cane Garden Bay and spend the day. Another nice beach with several beach bars. There is also an easy walk to a very old rum distillery (Calloway, I think). Family members provide free tours and rum can be purchased. Next to Cane Garden Bay is Brewer's Bay. It is also beautiful and quieter than Cane Garden Bay.

I agree with others that it would be best to get out of the port area.

Have a great time!

We'll be in a suite next year with butler service offered. After reading the above posts, I'm thinking we can unpack ourselves but would definitely consider having the butler provide the departure packing. We could separate the unmentionables from the items to be packed, to avoid that awkward situation, and would then be able to see how a professional would pack our items. I'd probably take a picture to use as a future guide.

Thanks for asking the original question.

bzv143-

I've had this same question but in reverse - Tahiti to Lima - I found a website that I think answers our question: (http://csirouniverseblog.com/author/hlsim/page/2/)

If you scroll down through the page (almost to the bottom) you'll eventually find a caricature of a man holding a briefcase behind him and facing north. The sun is pictured in the northern sky. I believe this shows that the port side of your ship would be the shaded side. Hopefully my comment will spark more comments. I'd like to know if I'm correct.

Have a great cruise.

We had a similar situation on Princess to Hawaii. We had a suite and mom's "bedroom" was an inside across the hall.

All went well to the points you raised. That is, we were able to link the bookings and were able to embark/disembark and tender together. We also had no dining problems in the usual sense. Where we did have a problem was with one of the perks associated with a suite. On Princess, suite passengers are entitled to a daily breakfast at a speciality restaurant called Sabatini's ( not open to the general population). I asked our travel agent (Expedia) and was told that she had talked to Princess and that my mother could join us each morning for the special breakfast ( included free lattes and mimosas) but that there might be a small extra charge. We showed up the first morning and were told mom couldn't join us. I described what I had been told and we were allowed to eat that morning. The waiter also asked the mater'd and was told we would not be allowed to bring mom again. I read postings on this site that the most important thing on a cruise is to never let something interfere with the wonderful experience we're fortunate enough to enjoy. I took that advice to heart but it still bothered me. My mom is a very active 94 year old who doesn't drink mimosas or lattes, who's presence would have been a plus to the dining environment and was a person that the cruise line was going to have to feed in any case ( I don't think the food was any different in the speciality restaurant ). So, I came up with an idea: because the food is the same but my wife and I would like to enjoy a latte I went to the restaurant the next morning and asked for 2 mimosas and 2 lattes to go. They were promptly delivered and I was thrilled- problem resolved. Attempted a repeat the next morning and ran into the original waiter from the first morning. He was hesitant to comply but eventually provided the requested beverages. He again made it clear that he didn't think we could be accommodated again. So, that night we were waiting in the lobby area and I spotted the customer service desk. I described my experience and explained that I understood that "rules are rules" but thought I had come up with a solution. She listened and said she would have the mater'd contact me. He did contact me and agreed to allow me to walk down and pick up the beverages each morning. He even came to our table that evening and several other times on other evenings. We looked like "pretty big deals" to the other passengers. It turned out to be a fun experience. The lessons I learned were don't let problems wreck your cruise and take the time to politely state your case to the powers that be. I hope this answers your question. You'll have a great time.

What ship/line?

So, after reading the positive cabana comments we thought what a great place to be ( we love to be outdoors ) as the ship is leaving a port, the sun is setting and the drinks are poured ( we realize that weather can be a factor but think elevated blood alcohol levels may alleviate some of the adverse effects). We had a drink and decided to book the cabana for the entire cruise through the Panama Canal. After another drink, questions started to surface for which we had no answers. It was at that moment we realized that we would have to appeal to the experts on the Cruise Critic Board for help.

Here is what we think know: liquor can be brought on board (wine, beer & hard):there is a "Happy Hour" and drinks are served on a two for one cost basis; "Brought-on" liquor can only be consumed in one's stateroom and the kidney dialysis machine can be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis only.

Here are the questions for the panel of experts: #1 Is the Cabanna considered an extension of the stateroom and therefore are drinks made with brought-on liquor permissible in the cabana? #2 Are the Cabana Boys allowed to serve Happy Hour priced drinks in the cabanas during Happy Hour times? #3 If the answer to #2 is no, is it feasible to walk down to Horizons, purchase the Happy Hour drinks and return to the cabanas for their consumptions? #4 if the answer to #2 is no and the answer to #3 is yes, and if one were wearing a leopard speedo, would one need to dress differently to enter Horizons while on the afore mentioned drink-run? #5 Are we allowed to use our cabana 24/18 or is use restricted to daylight hours? #6 Is there anything else we should know that would increase our enjoyment in the cabanas ( other than all the great comments above )?

We are looking forward to our cruise and your answers/suggestions.

I was confused by the various responses posted regarding the pool depths on Oceania so I emailed Oceania and received the following information:

Regatta - 4'6" forward and 5'25" aft ( I assume that means 5'3" )

Marina - 5'5"

Seems to me we'll just have to take a cruise to be sure.

We have booked a Bucket List trip to French Polynesia on Marina in 2015.

We will be stopping at the following ports of call:

Moorea

Raiatea

Bora Bora

Rangiroa

Fakarava

We love to snorkel and am wondering if it is necessary to book an actual snorkeling tour or can we easily find snorkeling spots on our own at some or all of the above POCs.

We enjoy reading everyone's posts and thank everyone in advance for their suggestions.

Could anyone tell me if the pools on Oceania (specifically the Regatta) are graduated in depth or all one level? Then, how deep is the deep end?

I do water aerobics every day and would like to plan what exercise equipment to bring along. Thanks for your assistance.

I have the same question, for the same reason regarding Marina. Does anyone know the pool depth (or range) on Marina?