live from marina!!!!!!! Musings from an O newbie - Azamara cheerleader.

[Mura]

I have been on other lines that had the same "class category" check-in. One was Cunard (the QE2), the other was NCL. Quite different lines!

 

But I'm surprised to hear there was confusion because we haven't encountered that on any of our O cruises. Maybe we were lucky! When we boarded in Athens for the Black Sea cruise last August on Regatta there was a delay but that was because the security guy who had to check our passports decided to take a 20 minute break and there was no replacement.

 

I HAVE seen people in lower categories board early. One couple I innocently led in with us ... We'd met them on the train the day before returning from Girona to Barcelona (where we boarded Regatta) and it just didn't occur to me that higher cabins boarded earlier than lower ones. No one stopped them so probably there was plenty of room up in Terrace for lunch at the time.

 

Mura

[canuck.qc]

It sounds like there are a number of people on this thread that have sailed with Oceania before. I'm interested to hear more about the embarkation process. I am a first time cruiser with O in 2014. From my signature below, I have sailed on several different cruise lines, from inside cabins to deluxe suite accommodations. I've never experienced a bad embarkation process. I guess what I don't understand is why there wouldn't be several lines for different customer statuses or suite and non-suite guests to enter. On the flip side, there are at most 1250 guests boarding so maybe it doesn't take very long.

 

Care to share your experiences?

 

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

We have never experienced slow or disorganized embarkation on any of our O cruises. As LHT28 mention, don't show up hours early especially if you are in a lower Cat. expecting to breeze thru. Some ports are not as efficient as others regarding processing. Most times we have arrived days earlier & choose to take our time to visit the sites before boarding! Reading similar cruise posts on CC you are warned of the more challenging embarkation ports..our next cruise to FP include LAX and PPT..I know what to expect:o

[calvin81]

I agree with a previous poster's comment about expecting to board earlier than the time stated on your documents (based on cabin category). We were on Riviera in June, boarded in Rome. Many people from our roll call were putting together drivers to the port and all leaving Rome mid-morning. We spent the morning exploring Rome! We've been there before, but there is always something new to see. We got to the ship about 2:45, there was absolutely no line, took about 5 minutes -- and then we had a wonderful lunch in the Terrace Cafe. By the time we were done with lunch we went to our cabin and the luggage was there. Yes, we enjoy being onboard, but with a 10 day cruise ahead of us there was no reason to rush to board and wait in lines.

[loum140]

On our last few Oceania cruises every category was processed at the same time only using different lines (suites, concierge, staterooms). It was quite painless.

[cpinstein]

Think Barcelona will allow early boarding for lower cabins? It will be a very full itinerary next spring and would like to get on, unpacked and settled.

[orchestrapal]

Think Barcelona will allow early boarding for lower cabins? It will be a very full itinerary next spring and would like to get on, unpacked and settled.

 

If everyone in the "lower cabins" thinks the way you do it will be the boarding mess that has happened before. Times are assigned just to avoid the crowding. Don't blame the cruise line if you all come early and it is a mess!! :rolleyes:

[hondorner]

This may sound harsh or cruel, but I think it needs to be said. If boarding earlier is important, one should consider that when choosing a cabin category.

[LHT28]

It will be a very full itinerary next spring and would like to get on, unpacked and settled.

 

Don't we all :rolleyes:

[orchestrapal]

This may sound harsh or cruel, but I think it needs to be said. If boarding earlier is important, one should consider that when choosing a cabin category.

 

Well said!;)

[GeorgesGal]

Well said!;)

 

Ditto!

[ricki]

Think Barcelona will allow early boarding for lower cabins? It will be a very full itinerary next spring and would like to get on, unpacked and settled.

 

Hi Carole,

 

Glad you are trying Oceania! We boarded in Barcelona last year as Concierge Level guests, but there was no attempt to distinguish one cabin level from another at boarding.

 

Ricki

[TERRIER1]

Hi Carole,

 

Glad you are trying Oceania! We boarded in Barcelona last year as Concierge Level guests, but there was no attempt to distinguish one cabin level from another at boarding.

 

Ricki

 

We boarded twice in Barcelona and twice in Civitevecchia. We were in B level cabins and did not experience boarding one level from another and boarding early on all these occassions. There were different check in lines.

 

Check in at Papeeti was in the Town Hall and no one could board until 6 pm. It was rather disorganized and confusing for all. Miami was the only time Oceania called boarding by level.

[DOJO466]

Cindy must be having way too much fun on her cruise...haven't seen a "live" post yet. Good for her

[Paulchili]

Cindy must be having way too much fun on her cruise...haven't seen a "live" post yet. Good for her

 

+1

It doesn't seem to keep the rest of us from posting here though - does it? :D

Cindi - we are all anxiously awaiting your live reports. Afterall, what's more important - your cruise/sightseeing or keeping us posted?:D

[fairbourne]

This may sound harsh or cruel, but I think it needs to be said. If boarding earlier is important, one should consider that when choosing a cabin category.

 

Could not agree more!

 

Boarding recently in Seattle was done as stated in our boarding information found in THAT brochure.

 

We arrived just a few minutes after 11am, and after filling in the health form, were asked for stateroom category and then shown to a queue for suites - Owners, Oceania and PHs. I think we stood for about 3 or 4 minutes, if that, before being directed to a check in desk.

 

There were lots of people waiting in a roped off area, I imagine the other staterooms categories who had turned up early. People we met in a verandah stateroom waited an hour to be checked in - they turned up early and took the gamble on being checked in early.

 

So as far as I am concerned this was a breeze and by 11.30 we were sitting on the outside deck of the Terrace Cafe enjoying drinks and looking forward to lunch! :)

 

There were lots of announcements keeping people informed as to when their stateroom would be ready, but from one announcement, it would appear that some were more anxious than others and not happy to wait as people were asked not to open the fire doors and hamper the housekeeping staff who were busy trying to get all the staterooms ready!

 

For those of you who have never cruised from Seattle, there are plenty of porters to take your luggage from you as you arrive. And when you disembark, if you give your luggage to a porter when you collect your bags, and you need a taxi, the porters have priority over the main taxi queue. We did not know this but we always use a porter and she whisked us through and got us a taxi almost straight away, whilst the people who had not used a porter were standing in a very long line. It was worth a generous tip for that service with a lovely smile. The taxi driver told us it was chaos that morning as another larger cruise ship had arrived at the same time, so taxis were stretched, so we has a very quick ride to pick up our rental car before he whizzed back to the pier! I imagine two or more ships arriving at the same time is not unusual!

 

ANYWAY! my vote is with you DJO466 - I think Ms CindilouwhoLOU is having way too much fun or has got lost in the Martinis Menu!:D

[Louby-Lou]

I'm reading this avidly too since I travel on my first O cruise in 6 weeks on Nautica. I guess we will be the last to board though :(

 

Sailed twice on O, from New York and Rio. NY - we arrived at our allotted time to be told there would be at least a 30 min delay - which turned out to be 45 mins and there was no seating! Both times we were in a PH and both times everyone boarded at the same time there being no priority for any category!

[PVPatti]

We must be quite lucky. We have taken three cruises on O (Regatta once and Marina 2x). Upon arrival at the terminal around noon time we walk directly to the counter, and within several minutes we enter the ship, walk directly to the Terrace Cafe and eat lunch. By the time we finish our bags are at the door of our stateroom. We travel C1 or B4. Our experiences on Oceania are vastly different than our one cruise on Celebrity where I felt like I was part of a cattle herd. That distinct impression stayed with me throughout the entire cruise because it affected every aspect of the cruise experience.

 

In Sept. we will embark from Stockholm for a Baltic cruise. It will be interesting to see if things will be any different from our past experiences with O.

[kbeauinal]

The embarkation process is just as you suspected, different lines for different levels of accommodations. I was on the same cruise as Cindi. It was very smooth for us. We boarded quickly, then went to the Terrace Cafe for lunch. Our stateroom was already for us at 1 p.m., just when they said it would be ready. And our luggage was waiting for us when we got to the stateroom.

 

This was our 5th Oceania cruise, but our first time on one of the larger ships. The food was just as good as on the smaller ships, and we loved the two additional specialty restaurants, Jacques and Red Ginger. Frankly, we like the Grand Dining Room just as well, and sometimes the Terrace Cafe or even Waves Grill is more to our liking. Just depends on how much time we want to devote to eating and how hungry we are.

 

The concierge level staterooms are larger on Marina than on the smaller ships, especially the bathrooms, which have both a tub and a separate shower. On the smaller ships, the concierge level staterooms only have a shower, and the penthouse suites have a tub/shower combo.

 

We didn't like the Library on Marina as well as the ones on Regatta and Nautica, which are large open rooms with shelves around the perimeter and groupings of sofas, chairs and love seats. On Marina, the Library is a maze of small alcoves that you have to wander among to find books. Plus the jogging track is directly overhead, and it can sound like a herd of elephants is tromping above you. However, the addition of Barista, which is right next to the Library is nice.

 

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, made even more so by fantastic weather and a great group of new friends that we met through Cruise Critic and enjoyed touring and dining with.

 

It sounds like there are a number of people on this thread that have sailed with Oceania before. I'm interested to hear more about the embarkation process. I am a first time cruiser with O in 2014. From my signature below, I have sailed on several different cruise lines, from inside cabins to deluxe suite accommodations. I've never experienced a bad embarkation process. I guess what I don't understand is why there wouldn't be several lines for different customer statuses or suite and non-suite guests to enter. On the flip side, there are at most 1250 guests boarding so maybe it doesn't take very long.

 

Care to share your experiences?

 

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

[kbeauinal]

We had a CC Meet and Greet in Horizons immediately after the muster station drill. About 90 in attendance.

 

I look forward to the comparison, too. I'm an avid O supporter - never had any problems and uber-enjoyed my 4 cruises on Riviera and Insignia.

 

Wondering,, were you able to get a meet and greet CC party? I haven't had one since Insignia 7 years ago.

 

BTW: Try the money-penny martini - bet you can't drink just one :)

 

Kathy

[kbeauinal]

Unless she's still in Stockholm, Cindi should be home, unpacked and trying to recover from jet lag. I was on the same cruise. Although we spent a few days ahead of the cruise in London, we did not stay over in Stockholm, since we had a day and night on the ship after arriving in Stockholm. We got home last Tuesday, June 25.

 

Cindy must be having way too much fun on her cruise...haven't seen a "live" post yet. Good for her

[Arusha]

It sounds like there are a number of people on this thread that have sailed with Oceania before. I'm interested to hear more about the embarkation process. I am a first time cruiser with O in 2014. From my signature below, I have sailed on several different cruise lines, from inside cabins to deluxe suite accommodations. I've never experienced a bad embarkation process. I guess what I don't understand is why there wouldn't be several lines for different customer statuses or suite and non-suite guests to enter. On the flip side, there are at most 1250 guests boarding so maybe it doesn't take very long.

 

Care to share your experiences?

 

 

I've been on two Oceania Regatta cruises that embarked from different ports, and the experiences have been different, due to reasons explained previously by Hondorner.

 

In addition, your experience may be affected by the number and size of other ships at the port embarking on the same day, the terminal architecture, and flow control.

 

The first cruise was from Manhattan Cruise Terminal last October. Regatta was the only ship embarking from this particular pier. My listed embarkation time was 11 AM. I arrived a little after 10:30 AM. There were a few people waiting. Unfortunately the ship had not yet arrived! It ended up being several hours late. The shoreside services/port personnel had us go through security, and then we sat in a waiting area while the ship disembarked and got ready for the next set of pax. When the ship was ready to board sometime later, separate queues were set up according to cabin level. (The fellow sitting next to me, who arrived early, was furious that the boarding wasn't done in order of arrival. The services/port folks had given us group numbers, under the mistaken assumption that we'd be boarding in order of arrival.)

 

The second cruise was from Vancouver's Canada Place terminal this May. My listed embarkation time was 11 AM. I arrived early, a little after 10 AM, simply because I had stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel atop Canada Place and it was just a short elevator ride down to the terminal. There were 3 ships at the terminal that day: Regatta, a large Princess ship, and a large HAL ship. The crowds were still streaming off the ships and through the terminal, so the porters were busy and weren't accepting incoming bags yet. There was no separation between embarking and disembarking pax. Security and customs started by 10:30, all 3 sets of ship pax intermingled. After customs, were we seated in a waiting area pretty much in the same order that we had arrived and gone through security/customs. until the cruise lines were ready for check-in. The services/port folks let us leave from the waiting area one row at a time, with the first rows that were seated leaving first regardless of your cabin level or priority boarding. The Oceania check-in area did not have queues by cabin level.

[DOJO466]

Unless she's still in Stockholm, Cindi should be home, unpacked and trying to recover from jet lag. I was on the same cruise. Although we spent a few days ahead of the cruise in London, we did not stay over in Stockholm, since we had a day and night on the ship after arriving in Stockholm. We got home last Tuesday, June 25.

 

That's odd. She posted June 26th

[brian_uk]

I really do not understand nor do I accept the suggestion that if you want to board earlier you should pay for a higher category.

People pay what they can afford and the desire to board earlier is just that....a desire.

 

I see no difference to going to a Hotel where check-in may be 4pm. You just do not stand there saying BUT I HAVE A SEA VIEW ROOM and expect better.

 

Checking in is a pain in the BUTT but its a fact of life.

 

Brian

[fairbourne]

I really do not understand nor do I accept the suggestion that if you want to board earlier you should pay for a higher category.

People pay what they can afford and the desire to board earlier is just that....a desire.

 

I see no difference to going to a Hotel where check-in may be 4pm. You just do not stand there saying BUT I HAVE A SEA VIEW ROOM and expect better.

 

Checking in is a pain in the BUTT but its a fact of life.

 

Brian

 

Brian - My interpretation of the message which suggested this, was that if you wanted to guarantee the earliest embarkation and it is listed as a privilege if you book a higher category stateroom, then in order to get that, you must pay for it! But what was actually written was that it should be "a consideration".

 

It has nothing to do with what anyone can or cannot afford. It is a choice. And may be important to some, but I honestly cannot see that early embarkation would be top of the list for anyone choosing a higher grade stateroom - there would be much more that would come before that! Certainly on my list! (matinees with afternoon tea in suite for example ;):D)

 

The time you can board is quite clearly stated in your cruise documents, so turning up earlier than your stated time, in some respects, only adds to creating problems for the check in staff. If someone has been given an earlier check in on a previous occasion, the expectation that it could be offered again may linger.

 

Staggered boarding time is done for a reason, to try and eliminate long lines, and make it a pleasant experience for everyone and not the "pain in the you know what" you suggest.

 

To make the analogy to an hotel is not quite correct either - if you are a member of an hotel frequent guest programme which offers perks which can include early check in; or book a rate which allows early check in or check out, then you pay for it - either with cash or with loyalty! Same with car rental VIP programmes, or airlines in choosing to fly in a premium cabin. So either way you pays your money, you makes your choice.

 

You get what you pay for, but sometimes, just sometimes, it is lovely to get something which you have not paid for, nor asked for - then it becomes the desire fulfilled which is quite delicious and gives us all that wonderful feel-good factor we do love. :).

[Occy]

This may sound harsh or cruel, but I think it needs to be said. If boarding earlier is important, one should consider that when choosing a cabin category.

 

I agree !!