Noxequifans

We did it on foot and spent some time in the Tivoli Gardens ... Not to be missed.

We found the Executive lounge useful for a snack and coffee during the day. Never was crowded.

On one of our O cruises we had alumni groups from eight colleges/universities. No problem at all. Their banners were displayed in the pool area one day ... Interesting to see. Also, they had their own excursions.

I would much rather have O fill cabins this way instead of discounting unsold cabins in various markets. These alumni folks are most welcome and seem to fit right in with the rest of O cruisers.

Best to get an answer through your travel agent (if you booked that way) or from Oceania if you booked direct.

We have taken quite a number of O excursions and were satisfied with the quality. The benefits of these excursions are they are easy to book, the operators have proper insurance, and they can be cancelled easily on the ship if necessary (perhaps up to a day or so before as we once found necessary).

On price, I am sure many cruisers generally find private tours less costly. But this is not true in all cases ... depending on the vendor, number of people, type of vehicle, and length of excursion. Also, is the driver the guide or is there an additional guide. In short, no scientific answer.

Since we are pretty picky regarding hotels and importantly hotel rooms, we reserve the hotel, class of room and sometimes location of room on our own. So far, working very well for us.

But, if one wants convenience and just a place to sleep after a long trip, having the cruise company make the choice is viable.

Not mentioned above is cost of the options.

Many of the current O offers "expire" as of December 31, 2013 and no doubt this has resulted in a very tight calling situation. Sort of resembles calling the IRS just before taxes are due.

I guess that the 30 day time limit is in place to discourage those who TA comparison shop to get what they judge the best deal. Yet it also allows enough time to locate a TA and have the booking transferred.

If the onboard rep advised this it might seem that O was trying to lose the booking for themselves. Some folks are perfectly content booking with O and leaving it that way.

It always was true when we booked on board. Our TA's name was on the printout handed to us as a confirmation,

Ditto for us. We also confirm with the onboard rep that the booking will go to our TA of record.

I always find it interesting to read posters opinions and post some myself. I am aware that people that have strong opinions (negative and positive) are the ones most likely to post. In some cases they have "an axe to grind" or are overly positive.

Getting back to the subject, it seems that some have experienced an overloaded O call center in these busy days ... the current offer expires at the end of the month. I am sure that supervision is aware of this as they review these boards. My business experience is that customers will tolerate some waiting as long as they can reach a representative who can handle their issue. Excessive waits need addressing by management.

As to the airline cancellation issue, it was a real anomaly as there were over 1000 flights impacted due to weather. Doesn't form a basis IMHO to rate O air department.

Some additional information for the original poster ... SweetPease. You can also have the ships laundry handle this chore. We have found it efficient and in the price range we experience locally.

There is a bag and form in your cabin for this and the charges will appear on your end of cruise statement. Really quite easy.

The lounges have been getting busier and busier ... Not surprised of efforts to thin them a bit. The JFK Delta lounge charges for food more than basic snack items.

We plan to eat at The Palm which has a location there before our next flight.

The usual pattern is for the bottom cabins and top suites to fill up first. This is also a function of the number of accomodations in each category.

Only each individual can answer the question on pricing. The market is near perfect in that it has a number of cruise lines and varying prices within each line. One can choose what is best for themselves.

When I read CC member reviews, I always remind myself that I am not dealing with a scientific random sample. Generally posters that have strong views (positive and negative) are most apt to detail their thoughts. i also know that I may not be getting the complete picture from these reports.

However, I do like to read them as it causes me to think about my own experiences on O.

Coffee is available 24/7 in the Terrace cafe. Horizons usually has coffee, juice and pastries starting at 6am.

Sorry, but never heard of box lunches .... May have something to due with local laws on bringing food into a country.

If your hotel stay is just to sleep, Newark could be OK but this limits about anything else. Staying in midtown Manhattan affords you unlimited choices in dining, sightseeing, etc. during your stay.

Taxi is the best. Check with your hotel doorman and tell him the time you plan on leaving. He will give you a good idea of the ease of getting a yellow cab at that time.

What I like about CC forums is that when a subject is introduced many contribute with thoughts far and wide. From these I have learned much.

Yes, sometimes the threads seem to go on too long and I have sometimes noted that. But, I welcome the contributions and am glad we are not constrained in the content of our comments to just the original question posed.

We are Oceania cruise veterans and seriously considered taking a European river cruise. We spent a good amount of time examining all we could about the river cruise experience. For what it is worth, here are our conclusions:

The food on river cruises is not in the same league as Oceania. All sit at one seating and are served by a usually busy wait staff. The menu is limited due to the size of the galley. In many cases going through the lock system during the night can be noisy or jarring.The European river levels (up or down) can interrupt a trip and make it more of a bus tour. The floods last year wreaked havoc on river cruises. The uppermost deck is many times closed due to passage under bridges. Some of the river views are less than scenic and more industrial. The price/value equation did not prove in due to the small ship size. Activites are very limited. On the positive side, river cruising permits inland exploration not accessible from an ocean port.

Bottom line, we remain Oceania fans.

SeatradeInsider reports a reduction of 20% from this years level.

20% reduction starting Jan 2014. Given that most cruise lines now have set their routes for 2014, wondering how that will be accomplished.

Looking ahead to our cruise next year that ends in Venice. We plan to pre-book a car service or taxi from the ship to the airport.

Appreciate any recommendations from cruisers that have used a car service or taxi there.

Each tender can hold approximately 150. If my math is correct, all the passengers on the ship should have been delivered on shore in about one hour ... unless the anchored location was fairly far out.

Never had a problem with the safe onboard.

When I go ashore I always use a security wallet ... either around my neck or waist (inside). The neck wallet can be easily accessed for cash or credit card as needed.