Riviera new cruisers

[crisby]

We have booked our first cruise on the Riviera Caribbean Hideaways for January and have a few questions.

 

When do they hold the meeting where we find out how to escape if the ship is in trouble?

 

When do they hold the Captain's welcome party? Is everyone welcome?

 

In the package we will receive before we depart, will they tell us what entertainment will be onboard during our cruise?

 

We have already prepaid for cabin 7059. This cabin is over a blank space between two lifeboats, with several doors but no boat. Does anyone know what this area is for?

 

I have read about the teeny-tiny showers and I am a large woman. The picture below shows the tub and it looks like it is equipped for showering. Does anyone know if I am interpreting this correctly?

 

And lastly, what is an Aggie? And why do they travel in groups?

 

Thanks

Chris and Bill

[Noxequifans]

And lastly, what is an Aggie? And why do they travel in groups?

 

Let me try this one. :)

 

Aggies are students or alumni of Texas A and M locatred in College Station, Texas. The school is noted for its high spirit (I have been present at "yell practice" .. I need not explain more about that.)

 

A travel agency books alumni groups of various colleges and universities and they join all the other cruisers on Oceania. Thus the reference to groups. But I can add that Aggies do like to be with other Aggies. I have never found any of them to be other than friendly.

 

Hope this was helpful.

[LHT28]

We have booked our first cruise on the Riviera Caribbean Hideaways for January and have a few questions.

 

When do they hold the meeting where we find out how to escape if the ship is in trouble?

MUSTER DRILL is usually about 5:15pm to 5:30 on sailaway day

If you sail earlier than 5pm it will be before you sail

 

When do they hold the Captain's welcome party? Is everyone welcome?

Usually the 1st sea day & yes all are welcome

In the package we will receive before we depart, will they tell us what entertainment will be onboard during our cruise? Not usually

 

I have read about the teeny-tiny showers and I am a large woman. The picture below shows the tub and it looks like it is equipped for showering. Does anyone know if I am interpreting this correctly?

 

There is a shower in the tub area & also a stand alone shower

 

And lastly, what is an Aggie? And why do they travel in groups?

 

Thanks

Chris and Bill

 

Cannot help with the Aggies we do not have them in Canada :D

 

Enjoy the cruise

Lyn

[Rickey 88]

Cannot help with the Aggies we do not have them in Canada :D

 

Enjoy the cruise

Lyn

 

Not exactly, "Aggies" usually refers to students or alumni from Texas A & M, but is often can also used to identify class members (past and present) from any University, American or Canadian!

[LHT28]

Not exactly, "Aggies" usually refers to students or alumni from Texas A & M, but is often can also used to identify class members (past and present) from any University, American or Canadian!

 

The only AGGIES I have met were from Texas :D

 

Most alumni here have other names associated with their university

[no fuss travel]

The only Aggies I know in Canada are those who study Agriculture at University. They receive a degree in agriculture when they graduate. They also have a friendly competition at our universities with the Engineering students (Gears).

[Noxequifans]

Aggies can be found in Calgary. The Association of Former Students (of Texas A and M) as it is known has clubs in over 200 locations worldwide.

 

Go Aggies!

[JimandStan]

When do they hold the meeting where we find out how to escape if the ship is in trouble?

There will be a Drill before the Ship leaves the embarkation Port at which Passengers will be instructed in the evacuation procedures. This "Muster Drill" is held throughout the entire ship simultaneously, passengers (and crew) are directed to assemble in the various Public Rooms. Instructions for where cabin 7059 should report may be found on a sign bolted to the inside of your cabin door.

When do they hold the Captain's welcome party? Is everyone welcome?

Usually on the first full sea day, but this will vary by itiinerary (some of which have no sea days). All are welcome.

In the package we will receive before we depart, will they tell us what entertainment will be onboard during our cruise?

No, that is not generally announced ahead of time, unless you are sailing on a special interest sailing such as a Jacques Pepin Cruise or a Big Band Cruise.

We have already prepaid for cabin 7059. This cabin is over a blank space between two lifeboats, with several doors but no boat. Does anyone know what this area is for?

A lifeboat could not be positioned in that area because a structural element (I believe that it is an air vent) was in the way.

I have read about the teeny-tiny showers and I am a large woman. The picture below shows the tub and it looks like it is equipped for showering. Does anyone know if I am interpreting this correctly?

The tubs are equipped as showers, and additionally feature a hand held shower wand.

What is an Aggie? And why do they travel in groups?

On that subject, madame, my lips are sealed ;)

[writer100]

 

On that subject, madame, my lips are sealed ;)

 

Sir: I have a friend from Texas who claims that aggies move in groups for protection against Longhorns. Can you guess where my friend went to college? To be clear, I went to Haverford, and my graduating class wouldn't fill more that two rows in one section of any Texas stadium.The nickname for Haverford athletics is the Fords. Which might more reasonably be presented as the 'Fords. They have never been referred to as the Fighting Quakers.

[crisby]

Oh my goodness! I had no idea that I was starting a sports thread.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the actual cruise info.

 

Three months seems like a long wait, but I see so many people who have booked cruises a year ahead! Not sure how you come up with the patience.

 

Thanks again

Chris

[Mura]

It's very hard, Chris!

 

We used to book on average a year ahead. Lately we've been booking a year and a half ahead!

 

It requires immense patience, not one of my strong suits!

 

Even so, we're very close to our November 20th departure on Marina ...

 

Mura

[AWED23]

Sir: I have a friend from Texas who claims that aggies move in groups for protection against Longhorns. Can you guess where my friend went to college? To be clear, I went to Haverford, and my graduating class wouldn't fill more that two rows in one section of any Texas stadium.The nickname for Haverford athletics is the Fords. Which might more reasonably be presented as the 'Fords. They have never been referred to as the Fighting Quakers.

:D Best laugh of the day...The bit re: long horns vs. aggies....Priceless ...I am a Trojan from SO CAL but was fortunate enough to attend a Texas A&M Tattoo. I learned a good bit and at more than one place in the ceremonies I was in tears due to the emotions of the moment. Learning that 50% of the US Army officer corps present at Corregidor and the Bataan Death March were Texas Aggies was an enlightening piece of information for this old sailor. So I, for one, will not ever, ever make Aggie jokes again. I bow my head in respect for those ROTC grads from a fine school.:)

[Travelcat2]

Oh my goodness! I had no idea that I was starting a sports thread.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the actual cruise info.

 

Three months seems like a long wait, but I see so many people who have booked cruises a year ahead! Not sure how you come up with the patience.

 

Thanks again

Chris

 

Unfortunately, you have accidentally started a sports thread. It may be of interest that I am from the U.S. and do not know what an Aggie is (nor do I care).

 

In terms of patience......... it is a very difficult thing to learn in terms of cruises. We have a cruise booked for November, 2014 and can't understand why we cannot get information on the cruise now. I hope there is enough non-sports information on this thread to be of assistance to you.:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

 

Three months seems like a long wait, but I see so many people who have booked cruises a year ahead! Not sure how you come up with the patience.

 

It's got to do with anticipation! As long as I have a cruise booked I'm happy, no matter how far in advance. I booked my upcoming November cruise almost 18 months before the cruise. And we have a cruise booked for 11 months from now, that we booked last spring.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Oh my goodness! I had no idea that I was starting a sports thread.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the actual cruise info.

 

Three months seems like a long wait, but I see so many people who have booked cruises a year ahead! Not sure how you come up with the patience.

 

Thanks again

Chris

 

We become addicted to cruising and spend a lot of time here talking about the future and how to cope between cruises obsessing about the next ones and which to book and if there are any Longhorns, Aggies, Bruins or Trojans on Board and will they talk American Football non stop.

[orchestrapal]

Unfortunately in order to get the cabin we want we must book the morning,

no, the minute the new itineraries come out. The earlier Oceania puts them out there the earlier we have to book.

The trick of survival until the cruises, eat and drink well and speak of your trips often and do a lot of pre-planning since that is a large part of the pleasure.

[caviargal]

We are definitely not addicted to cruising but are to travel. We have several trips booked for 2014, including a river cruise, which is our preference for cruising these days. We booked that cruise 8 months ago and have already booked an apartment in Paris for several days pre cruise and our hotel in London post cruise. Lots of planning goes into our trips, and we do enjoy the anticipation and research into the areas we are visiting.

 

We are looking forward to our upcoming Oceania cruise for a change of pace and for the itinerary but will almost always choose another type of vacation to an ocean cruise.

[crisby]

We did a river cruise in Europe several years ago, and other than that, most of our vacations have been timeshares where we pretty much do everything for ourselves (excursions, shopping, meal planning, cooking, cleanup). Plus Bill is a golfer so most of our resorts are golf related. Needless to say, this cruise is for me, and it took me some major whining to get my sporty landlubber to finally agree to come on a cruise.

 

So the amount of pampering onboard the Riviera sounds just heavenly. With the time we have to wait for the cruise, I have been reading every review and looking at photos and videos on every site I can find. There is a certain sense of addiction creeping in, but the anticipation makes it worthwhile. Yesterday I printed up the menus from some of the restaurants and read them to Bill. The steaks at Polo hit a soft spot with him so we will definitely be booking a dinner there.

 

And by the way, I guess I didn't need to start the discussion about the Aggies. When I told Bill about the replies I was getting, he said I should have just asked him. Even as a Canadian, he was well aware of them, and I think he would have been fine to end up in an area surrounded by any sports enthusiasts.

 

Who knew? I was thinking it was some sort of short form for a nationality like Aussies.

 

Chris

[terry&mike]

Yes, we also booked our Riviera cruise far in advance, this past spring for Oct., 2014. We received great perks, plus were able to get one of the extended balcony cabins.

We also just booked a river cruise for September, 2015, to allow us to get 2 particular cabins side by side. Yes, it's nearly 2 years out, but it's on the calendar and will eventually arrive.

Like caviargirl, we infill with non-cruise trips every few months, and we like to add days before and after the cruise for a more extensive vacation. As I like to do this independently, this requires a lot of research, planning, and time, which is exciting to me. My DH says he believes I get more joy out of planning the trips, than on going on them!

[I&J Cruisers]

We have been an many cruises. Several years ago I was writing to someone I met on a cruise, I wrote that I had such a nice glow from the cruise that I was having trouble letting it go. He wrote back that the way to keep glowing is to book another one. Took his advice and we usually plan the next one shortly after we get back.

Crisby-- when is your cruise. We are booked on Caribbean Hideaways Jan 13th sailing. DH is also a golfer. We started cruising in 1983 when his company held their annual sales meeting on a cruise ship and invited the spouses. I won't repeat here his response when he found we wouldn't be at a golf resort, but he loved it and we have both been hooked ever since.

Irene

[crisby]

Yes, we are also on the Caribbean Hideaways cruise on January 13th. We have a veranda stateroom on the 7th deck, in the lower center of the ship which I was advised to book to avoid seasickness.

 

We have booked three of the Oceania excursions, just the half day island tours. Bill is not a swimmer so we will stick to the land.

 

What kind of stateroom/suite do you and Joe book? I have been looking at the choices and can't believe the kinds of rooms that are available. Maybe sometime in the future...

 

So much to look forward to.

 

Chris

[S O B]

..."Three months seems like a long wait, but I see so many people who have booked cruises a year ahead! Not sure how you come up with the patience. "

 

DW and I reserved our first O cruise 18 months ago and we fly to Rome in five days to meet the Riviera. It seems like forever since we booked and we're just giddy now that the day is finally about to arrive.

 

We lost all patience a few months later and hastily took a "practice cruise" on the Regatta in the Caribbean in December and while we were on that one also booked a 2014 Baltic cruise on the Marina. Be careful: these vacations are addictive!

[I&J Cruisers]

We booked a B4 guarantee, haven't gotten a cabin assignment yet. Haven't booked any excursions. This ship isn't so large that location isn't a big issue. DH also is not into water sports and we've been to all the ports except St Barts multiple times. We'll probably just walk around on our own there. I've booked the Discovery dinner in Le Reserve and 2 culinary classes. I checked the roll call after I sent the last post and saw that you've joined. I'd love to talk to you about the River Cruise you took. I've been looking into them, they sound intriguing. This will be our first Oceania cruise.

Irene

[dkbustr]

I, of course, would never be one to stir the pot. I am absolutely sure Bill will love his Caribbean Hideaways cruise on Oceania. The ports will be a delight. I would especially recommend spending some time on a 4 1/2 hour tour in Miami, maybe somewhere near Doral and the Blue Monster. Also I would highly recommend a 4 1/2 hour tour in Barbados possibly in the vicinity of Royal Westmoreland or Sandy Lane Club. Of course also a nice 4 1/2 hour tour in close proximity to St Lucia G and CC. And I know you said Bill doesn't do the beach scene, so I have selected these to be in areas mostly covered with turf, but with some sand and water.

 

If I can be of any additional help, you just let me know.

 

Mike

 

PS Go Pitt Panthers and Penn State Nittany Lions!!!

[crisby]

Oooh Mike, you are a troublemaker. Luckily, Bill is very frugal and won't want to pay the extra airfare for his clubs, or worse yet pay for rentals. And I had to be very careful to only book the excursions that would have us back onboard so we can have lunch on the ship, since it is included in the cruise price. So 4 &. 1/2 hour "tours" would be too long.

 

But I will encourage him to spend some quality time at the mini putt on the upper deck.;)

 

Irene, I will have my tablet with me and can show you our photos from the Scenic Tours river cruise we went on. It was pretty amazing. We will be sure to attend the Cruise Critic meet and greet and hopefully meet you there.

 

Chris