mauibabes

I looked too because we are sailing from Tokyo on Riviera April 25. Got this off Google:

@janelledocb

We were in 11021 and I would consider 11015 to be in a great location as ours was not noisy. You would be under the Oceania Suites so guests above and below. We have sailed in similar rooms on Marina and Riviera and they have always been great. Go and enjoy.

Mauibabes

I don’t really know the answer but we have heard him many times over the years and he is beyond tone deaf. Just sounds BAD so you are all Correct and he really does not have a KEY 🤪👍

JMHO,

Mauibabes

@BillK400

I have not been in an Oceanview Stateroom but I believe it is 45 days from Embarkation. More than likely you will not get your first choices because other higher level categories start booking up to 75 days in advance. Take whatever restaurants and times that are available and be willing to “Share” a table. When you board in August, you can stop at the Reservation Desk and see what you can do to adjust restaurants and reservation times.  Also, when you are at the Reservation Desk, ask about any availability the first night in any of the Specialty restaurants. If they have anything available, they will give it to you and it WON’T count against your Specialty restaurant allocation. 
Good Luck and enjoy Marina after her new “Refurb” that should be starting today or soon. 
Mauibabes 

Starting in BA, definitely add some time to do a Pre tour to the Iguazu Falls. Far more impressive than Niagara Falls, JMHO. In Rio, we did private tours, check out Rio +Tours.

A year ago January we flew down to SA from LAX and changed planes in DFW to get our PE seats. Oceania offered only Economy.

I have been told it is pretty much the European cruises that have PE options. We are heading to Rome in the Fall and the airlines are hitting O up for $999 for the PE upgrade so that makes the cost $1699 pp each way. I have found PE flights, DIY cheaper than $1700. It’s not O, it is the airlines that are 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬✈️. Biz Class can easily be $3500-$5000 pp, each way. I initially made my reservation with the Air included and just cancelled them last week, that way I could spend some months 🙏for some decent fares that never came. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

That is definitely one tour I would do as a Ship’s tour just for the added insurance of returning on time or to a dock with an Oceania ship waiting for me. Just joking. 
That could be a short and stressful tour day to see Paris for only a few hours.  I would rather go back from Amsterdam and spend some days, too much to see and too beautiful to rush bye. 
Would it be possible to get in a tour to Normandy?  That is pretty spectacular but then I do not know where Rouen is as I did not check a map before I started pecking away. 
Mauibabes

Ditto, never been allowed for us.  We ended up going on board Crystal to meet up with friends. Must be the Suite life 😇

Mauibabes

Sorry, can’t make that comparison. Since Franc G is the Top chef with Explora, I can believe it would be very excellent. 
I will just “tough it out “ on O and call it good enough. 
Mauibabes

JMHO, our tastes are all different and some are more food adventurous than others.  I do not “try” things even though I can on the ship. I order what I like and that is “my” decision. I must say however that after over 15 years of sailing on Oceania, I have NEVER gone hungry or walked away from the table in need of finding something to eat. 
I must say I do have my favorites so in Jacques, I go for the Pumpkin Soup, the Dover Sole, the Sea Bass in Puff Pastry. In Toscana I can not pass up the Oil and Balsamic trolly with the bread basket and focaccia, the Lasagne, the Dover Sole and virtually any Chef’s Pasta Special of the night and YES to me it makes a difference if the Chef is Italian. Red Ginger, it MUST be the Watermelon and Duck Salad, the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, the Rack of Lamb, DW loves the Teriyaki Beef.  Polo, DW goes for the Filet Mignon, Waldorf Salad, various potato offerings and the Giant Shrimp Cocktail and also the Table made Caesar Salad. Ember, while not gourmet, all of the entrees have been very good. GDR, good meals but DW always orders Jacques Chicken to take a break from the meals served in the Specialties. Terrace Cafe, B L D there are always delicious offerings, best buffet dining we have ever had aboard any line. 
 

Well, that is my $0.03, Inflation you know. With this said, it’s time to “Drop” my mic and fade into the sunset. 

Mauibabes

It’s easy, peasy because the Room Stewards handle it for you. They will move all your hanging items and put them in the same place in your new room. You will pack your suitcases and bathroom stuff, safe, and everything else and it will be on your bed when you arrive from your excursion. You will need to get a new key card and follow any directions the Front Desk requires but B2B’s are easy on O. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

October we stayed at Marriott Biscayne Bay, nice and had all the amenities. Stayed there with our Bonvoy Credits so “Free” was good 😇👍 5-10 minutes to the Port. Be careful when heading to the ship, the location can be changed on a moments notice and your driver can spend a lot of time finding your ship. 
Mauibabes

We travel with a 25” and a 19” carry on each that fit under the bed and we also keep some less used pieces of clothing in them to swap out as needed. DW takes day and night wear for 10 days, always mix and match to stretch the wardrobe.  Besides, it is not like you can’t buy something on board or in port if you need it. Any DW has to have shopping time in every port. 

The Reference to the 50# limit is valid unless you fly to/from Bus or First Class, then it would be 70#. 
We bought the 25” suitcases specially to help keep our travels under the weight limit. We only push the limit if I add bottles of wine 👍🙏 or alcohol and we press the Oceania blue bag or one we bring along to haul extra stuff home if we have exceeded the limits. 
Our packing style has worked great, whether 10, 20, 35 or 46 days and we wash clothes regularly to stretch our wardrobe. The laundry is free and depending on your stateroom category, you do get three bags (20items) of laundry done by the staff for no cost in Concierge and above. Anything else you will pay for if you want things pressed. 
Bottom line, you can fit everything you need for your trip in your room and under your bed or you can ask your Room Steward to stow your suitcases and create extra storage under your bed with some creative planning and Amazon acquisitions. 
Mauibabes

You did not mention the itinerary or ship you were booking but if Alaska, they do have things for the kids. We were on a Rio to Miami cruise and had one 9 year old so she had about 200 grandparents interacting with her.  She was adopted by the Entertainment team and she saw parts of the ship that none of us saw. She had a fabulous time and she was a delight for her grandparents that she was traveling with as her parents were teachers and had a different holiday schedule.  If the kids are busy with you on tours, they will survive fine and the internet will also provide some entertainment. They will eat well, no cost for their drinks or drink packages required. 
Bring them on and plan to have a great trip on a special itinerary. My wife read a FB post and the family was bringing 11 kids with them and 32 all totaled for a 50th Anniversary cruise.  Talk to your travel agent and Oceania about the specific activities they might enjoy on your cruise. 
Mauibabes
 

Often times we just misread others intentions. Could it be that O was doing some targeted research from guests at specific levels to see what they valued?  Any chance with the necessary price increases they are considering some enhancements to the Loyalty Program to make up for the increases? I certainly do not know but I did submit the Survey providing input for their consideration. 
Thanks for your input Jan 👍🙏

Mauibabes

@basor 

@EJL2023

Ditto with your approach. I believe the offer begins April 1 so maybe the sleuths can capture some rates of those specific cruises mentioned and then Monday when the Promotion hits, Tada, we will hear the results posted on CC.  
We have booked into an Oceania hotel for a pre night several times on our own and it was cheaper to do it ourselves but not in a ginormous way, depends on city and hotels. We have had friends use the Pre night hotel because it was a part of their total Oceania package, they were picked up at the airport and the next day delivered to the ship and they got a VERY nice room. Yes, we pay for convenience 🤪👍.  We all build our travel packages in a way that suits us. 
 

When we have traveled on a Tauck Tour, they include a Pre/Post night stay and that is the only company who I have seen that actually includes their Gift of Time without charge. IF you are an eligible traveler, of course. IF you are paying, be prepared 😇💰. Just maybe, there is no Free Breakfast OR Free Lunch. 
 

Basor, testing my memory, are you on Riviera Nov. 4-14, Rome to Barcelona as part of an upcoming B2B2B trip? If so, see you on board 🛳️🍷

Mahalo,

Mauibabes
 

@yogagal47

Just wanted to make sure you were getting good info to make decisions. Your experience in Rio lays to rest the benefit of taking Insignia from MIA to RIO but that is an excellent itinerary and with 22 days, probably a lower cost per day than the Barbados itinerary. We were booked into Barbados a couple years ago but there were Covid issues in South America and Marina was redirected to the Caribbean and our A B C island hop trip was restructured but was still fun.  Check out flights to and from Barbados, I think I still have some Jet Blue Credit based on flight cancellations as there are limited options. 
22 vs 18, No problem 🤪👍, especially when it is even cheaper.  Whatever you do, have a great time doing it on O. 
I think you and anyone new to O deserves help with O’s idiosyncrasies so I would prefer to offer assistance and actual experience rather than join the “Critics”. We joined the O family about 17 years ago so we do have experiences to share, like I said previously, some Good, Bad and Ugly but within our cruise world, it is pretty darn awesome.  Love getting aboard and having staff from “years” back come up to say hello. So many ABSOLUTELY GREAT young people, it keeps us young too.  
 

Good Luck,

Mauibabes

@ORV

My OOPS, as you said, lost focus 😇. Just trying to get across, minus my oops, if it were my decision, and it’s NOT, I would jump on the 22 day Insignia 2025 ATW First Segment. We have done an ATW segment as well as the Amazon/ Rio cruises and IMHO it is the Better cruise between the two and the Best Value. The only negative I see is having to make the longer flight home from Rio but seeing and experiencing Rio is well worth a longer flight. 
Sorry Yoga for sharing GTY misinformation, my comment really applied to Waitlisting on Oceania. 
 

Good luck with your decisions and thanks ORV. 

Mauibabes 
 

@yogagal47

I understand now.  I was trying to make the point that Booking the Guaranteed A-1 or 2, unlike some other lines, guaranteed bookings do not get a discounted price.i just prefer to make a decision knowing my room and start planning ahead.  If you book Sirena, I would suggest applying a Deposit as it is the best way for your Guarantee Booking to rise to the top when Cancellations come, and they will. Your trip is 18 days, Bridgetown to Bridgetown, if you can add a few extra days, I would suggest a different cruise.  I was looking at the 2024/25 O Calendar and I then looked at Insignias ATW which leaves Miami on Jan. 5, she sails her first segment for 22 days; thru the Caribbean, thru the Amazon to Rio, and there were A-3 rooms available and the price is $8599 for 4 additional days and you will get to visit Rio. We did this trip in reverse about 10 years ago on her and it is outstanding, loved some extra days in Rio too. Since it is the first leg of the ATW, you might even have some additional amenities or experiences with people who are just starting a bucket list trip. Check it out but just an idea if it can fit your availability. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes
 

@yogagal47 

First, no idea what voyage you are considering but there is no $ benefit to book Guaranteed on O unless you are hoping to get a better upgrade. If you are really interested in the cruise, move to a Category that you can lock in your room and move on to booking tours and building your cruise dreams. 
Bathrooms, yes they are smaller, remember the R Class ships were 1999 vintage so large bathrooms were not necessary. The PH’s on O are 50% larger than the Veranda Staterooms so when on one of those ships, we always upgrade.  That said, we have also cruised 35 days on an ATW segment in a Veranda room and the bathroom was adequate..Oceania and Azamara are sailing the same ships so, small bathrooms but a beautiful and enjoyable ship and cruise. 
 

Negativity, I know some of it is deserved and some is not but some people take the “Critic” part of Cruise Critic to heart and think they are doing everyone a favor.  No, perhaps Regatta recently had issues and it won’t be perfect but she is a beautiful ship, the staff cares about you and works very hard to deliver a memorable experience. At least this is IMHO.  Take the cruise, enjoy yourselves and create your own opinions. If something is not right, please tell someone who can make it right.  If you have an unacceptable meal, have a quiet chat with the Maitre d so they can fix it. They want you back, it’s the name of the game. You will NOT be on a mass market monster ship with families and kids swarming about, you will have a well traveled traveler who is not intent on filling a plate 6” high in the Terrace Cafe because in a few hours, there is another wonderful meal coming. Believe me, you have to pace yourselves, too much of a good thing is still too much. 
Decide for yourself and turn off others negativity and cruise with realistic expectations. No line is PERFECT. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

I request a PDF for every cruise we take on O and I get it thru an O Rep as I have not seen it available on their website. In addition I book out tours, usually a combination of O and Private as early as I can based on availability. We are doing our first cruise under SM in November and I have already booked out tours for a sailing on Riviera. I also used my SM Excursion Credits to book a more expensive and highly desireable tour early in the cruise. If there are cancellations of tours, we should be in a position to rebook, accept refunds and then shift to private tour providers. One thing we have seen on our cruises since Covid, the local tour companies have lost staff and eliminated tours and Oceania has not been able to rehire tour companies to provide the breadth of tours. At least that is what I have heard from O staff. 
My two cents, Do Not wait to book tours, especially not waiting until on board. Make sure you have your SM credits spent. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes
 

That is terrible about your experiences on Vista. We have friends on board now, their third on Vista and she sent a photo of her Lasagne an hour ago and said it was great.  They get off soon and head out on a TA on Sirena so we will be following their experiences on that ship and voyage as well. When we have had an unacceptable meal, they have happened, we always have a little “Chat” with the Maitre d. We have met with a number of Chef’s, to share the Good, Bad and Ugly.
 I agree, this should not be happening and you need to tell them so and actually it should have happened anytime you are unsatisfied. 
We are booked back on Riviera in November and then in April 2025 so we will check her out for ourselves. 
We love O but are definitely not going to maintain silence if they are failing to live up to their commitment to the “Finest Cuisine at Sea”. 

Maybe you can check out Regent or others to see if they deliver a better quality product.

Mauibabes

Hopefully your TA can help you and if not, I hope you are successful getting your message across. You can work your way up the Executive Chain or just start with FDR, the CEO. 
All of what I wrote about is JMHO.  Actually any cruise line experiences pre Covid bear no semblance to what they deliver today and it does not matter what you are paying for it.  They have all lowered their/our expectations but again in MHO, O is still delivering a great value for its place in the cruise industry. I call it LUX LITE. 
Enjoy and Good luck with your efforts.

Mauibabes. 

Now that you have 1 O cruise under your belt, the real tests and opinion formulation should come with #’s 2 and 3. I can not compare O to Silversea or Celebrity Retreat as I have no experience but I can relate to other Oceania cruise comparisons. We were on Vista twice last year and she was outstanding but not perfect. We loved our PH, Butler and overall service.  We are not Pool people, Dermatologist rules 😇, but you are right, they could enhance their outdoor service in the Spa and service from the Pool Deck Bar staff.  
 

A few of our favorite experiences, as you said, Red Ginger is my #1 and I eat the   Watermelon and Duck Salad and Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass every time I am there and the Rack of Lamb is awesome. My DW loves the Teriyaki Beef, Medium Rare.  Toscana you said was not a favorite, you need to select different entrees because that restaurant is Outstanding especially with one of the Italian Chef’s offering nightly specials. Love the bread basket, Balsamic and Olive Oil cart, the Caesar Salad, the Dover Sole deboned at the table, the Lasagne is second to none and DW’s basis for comparing all Italian dining experiences on land or sea.  Polo, Love the Shrimp Cocktail, the Waldorf Salad is DW’s #1, my Cardiologist limits my red meat so a Filet Mignon cooked Medium Rare and the variety of potatoes offered once a week.  Ember, while not Jacques as on Marina and Riviera actually delivers some excellent entrees, just not gourmet fare. When you sail again, try the wine pairing dinners in Polo or Toscana in the private dining rooms, wonderful! If you want to push the dining envelope, book one of the evenings in Privee with the Pre set Gourmet dinner menus or the Dom Perignon Champagne pairing dinners. Yes you will PAY. Also remember, short of any wine pairing dinners, ALL the Specialty dinners were INCLUDED, aka NO CHARGE. 

I did not see a mention of your experiencing afternoon tea in Horizons or any time spent in Baristas and the Bakery. Both are favorites for us and companions as a place to chat and enjoy some goodies.  Yes the Terrace Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the Best Buffet afloat and was rated so this past year on CC. Waves is also quite enjoyable, especially if a quick’ meal before or after an Excursion is needed. By the way, should you like ice cream, hope you tried the many flavors of Humphrey Slocumb that is made fresh daily. 
Our first Vista cruise was only 7 days and believe me, it was “far too short” to form a definitive opinion. Second trip was 16 days and that allowed many opportunities to find new favorite offerings, enjoy more guests and cocktail parties and a fabulous evening in the Culinary Center making awesome deserts and a “toddy”. 

With any luck your TA or other guests or the O Club Ambassadors encouraged you to book a future cruise while on board. It’s the Amenities and Discounts! If you did not book, then you have another couple weeks to take advantage of an Oceania offer to book and receive a Several hundred dollar booking credit. We have already prepared ourselves for the Allura Inaugural season by booking a trip with friends in October 2025. 
 

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and enjoy your travels and your Oceania family. 
Mauibabes

We have traveled with friends who are Vegan and have also shared dinners in Specialty restaurants with other Vegan guests. They RAVED about their meals every night for two weeks. You have already heard from the posters above so just be prepared to be AMAZED. The Chefs do an awesome job of presenting Vegan menus. In October 2025 we will be on Allura and will be traveling with our son and partner who are Vegan but do eat fish. That said, since you say you will eat fish, YOU are in for a treat.  Your MUST TRY list MUST include the Dover Sole in Polo, Toscana and Jacques. Also in Jacques, try the Chilean Sea Bass in Philo Dough for 2, but it does take at least 30 minutes to prepare, ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. in Red Ginger, the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is an 11 on a 10 point scale. 
We did the Marina Antarctica cruise in January 2023 and meals everywhere were Excellent so the decision to Book is a No Brainer if Vegan food is a major criteria. 
Just Enjoy,

Mauibabes

@basor

👍

Not same credit card game.  
Mauibabes.