Will Oceania Allow an Unscheduled Overnight?

[MoreyCreek]

We will be in Riga Latvia in June, and will be meeting some relatives there for the first time.  They have invited us to spend the night at their home to celebrate the Latvian mid-summer festival (Ligo) and will drive us to Klaipeda Lithuania the next day to rejoin the ship.  Will Oceania allow this with advance notice?  It is an opportunity we hate to pass up.

Has anyone ever created their own overnight?

[pinotlover]

Notify Oceania well in advance and get their written authorization for the overnight. Provide a copy of that authorization to Special Services or your CD once aboard and you’ll be fine.

 

It is always your responsibility to meet the ship on time at the next port.

[taoscowboy]

We have done it twice without a problem: once to Hanoi returning to the ship at the same port and once in Australia to do the Great Ocean Road, returning to the ship at its next port.  Just give them advance notice.

[Go-Bucks!]

We're doing this 3 times on our upcoming world cruise, once for 3 days and 2 nights, and twice for 2 days and 1 night.

 

Our TA contacted Oceania about 6 months in advance with our plans and 3 months later they gave their approval. We have an email copy to take with us. They said to go to the guest services desk before leaving the ship in those ports and let them know. 

[jo-b]

If you do this make sure they have a contact number for you, we have had the experience of having too miss the port where passengers were rejoining and no one having their contact number. The concierge was asking any passengers she knew who they associated with and luckily another guest did have a mobile number for them. 

[Noxequifans]

4 hours ago, jo-b said:

If you do this make sure they have a contact number for you, we have had the experience of having too miss the port where passengers were rejoining and no one having their contact number. The concierge was asking any passengers she knew who they associated with and luckily another guest did have a mobile number for them. 

Excellent point. When planning a night away one needs to do their “homework” to cover all possibilities.

[Fetchpeople]

Based on my own positive personal experience:

1. Make sure you get Oceania's written approval of your plan

2. On boarding the cruise, promptly go the Purser's desk and let them make a copy of your approval

3. Provide them with your cell phone number, where you will be staying, and the cell phone number of those you are visiting

4. Take your passport(s) with you

5. Be prepared to go through enhanced, but not particularly difficult, security/passport control when you re-board

[Wendy The Wanderer]

11 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

We're doing this 3 times on our upcoming world cruise, once for 3 days and 2 nights, and twice for 2 days and 1 night.

 

Our TA contacted Oceania about 6 months in advance with our plans and 3 months later they gave their approval. We have an email copy to take with us. They said to go to the guest services desk before leaving the ship in those ports and let them know. 

 

This is very interesting to us.  Thinking of doing this a couple of times on our 2021 WC.  Much cheaper than doing the cruise-sponsored overland trips.  May I ask where you're doing these, Go-Bucks?

 

Odd that you have to get approval.  Obviously they have to know about it, but why would they have to approve?  Just logistics I guess.

[basor]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

This is very interesting to us.  Thinking of doing this a couple of times on our 2021 WC.  Much cheaper than doing the cruise-sponsored overland trips.  May I ask where you're doing these, Go-Bucks?

 

Odd that you have to get approval.  Obviously they have to know about it, but why would they have to approve?  Just logistics I guess.

We did this last November on Sirena up the Amazon.  Sent in request several months ahead and received approval.  They need to approve because of the immigration customs of various countries.  Apparently there are some countries that will not allow someone to board a ship that did not arrive with the ship.  The approval is to make sure there is not an immigration problem.  Ours went very smoothly and the onboard staff were very helpful and accommodating.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 minute ago, basor said:

We did this last November on Sirena up the Amazon.  Sent in request several months ahead and received approval.  They need to approve because of the immigration customs of various countries.  Apparently there are some countries that will not allow someone to board a ship that did not arrive with the ship.  The approval is to make sure there is not an immigration problem.  Ours went very smoothly and the onboard staff were very helpful and accommodating.

 

Oh, good point!  Thanks.  Was thinking of jumping ship in Bali for a couple of extra days then flying to Singapore to meet our ship.  But we'll see, it's two years away still.

[SellaVee]

We also did it in Hanoi.  A group of us on a private tour booked into a hotel.  We did notify Oceania and there were no problems.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I don't think I would have the nerve to do this, but just wondering:  Does anyone do this with 2 completely different countries?  I'm looking to book a cruise that departs from Bali, then has 2 sea days before getting to Australia.  I have no idea what the flight situation would be, but one thing's sure:  I'd rather spend 1 or 2 days in Bali rather than being at sea.  Has anyone done anything that nervy?  I guess this would be similar to what a poster above has mentioned (Bali).

Edited January 31, 2019 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[StanandJim]

35 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I don't think I would have the nerve to do this, but just wondering:  Does anyone do this with 2 completely different countries?  I'm looking to book a cruise that departs from Bali, then has 2 sea days before getting to Australia.  I have no idea what the flight situation would be, but one thing's sure:  I'd rather spend 1 or 2 days in Bali rather than being at sea.  Has anyone done anything that nervy?  I guess this would be similar to what a poster above has mentioned (Bali).

Such a thing can probably be accomplished but be aware that doing it that way is going to cause a nightmare of paperwork for everyone concerned; Australia, Bali, Oceania & you. 

Would two sea days really be that onerous?  

 

 

[MoreyCreek]

45 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I don't think I would have the nerve to do this, but just wondering:  Does anyone do this with 2 completely different countries?  I'm looking to book a cruise that departs from Bali, then has 2 sea days before getting to Australia.  I have no idea what the flight situation would be, but one thing's sure:  I'd rather spend 1 or 2 days in Bali rather than being at sea.  Has anyone done anything that nervy?  I guess this would be similar to what a poster above has mentioned (Bali).

In our case, we will be leaving the ship in Latvia and rejoining the next day in Lithuania.  Both countries are in the Schengen area so it should not be a problem.  Of course, we will clear it with Oceania if we decide to do this.

[Mura]

On our Marina cruise in November 2018 we had an overnight in Haifa.  The destinations guy told us that only 80 people were on board around noon on the Day #1 ...  I believe that most of those "missing" were on private tours, although I'm sure some were on ship tours.

 

We were meeting a cousin in Haifa and having spent several days in Jerusalem in the past we didn't feel a need to do so again.  If we'd had three days in Haifa, we might have decided differently!  In our previous visit in Jerusalem we a lot, but definitely not everything.  Then again, cousin Yafa lives near Haifa and we hadn't seen her in some years.

 

Mura