First Oceania Cruise, Maybe Last Cruise

[clo]

On 7/8/2019 at 2:37 PM, Bootman4U said:

I am so SOOOO tired of hearing people whining because they have decided for whatever reason that they don't want to be "special."  What the hell is "special" about somebody who decided to spend their money on a suite  on a cruise ship?  Does it make you feel better if you can denigrate those who spend their money in a different way than you do? 

@bootman4u, we're still waiting to hear from you.  

[susiesan]

On 6/29/2019 at 4:39 PM, clo said:

We were slow learners I guess.  And language can be an issue.  For instance, SE Asia.  I can't imagine doing Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam on our own.  And our Turkey and Israel trips were awesome.  Although even then we started getting the picture.  The Turkey days were long and we were too tired to go out on our own.  Anyway we're hoping that O will give us some of the best of both worlds.

Language is not an issue anywhere in the world. I have visited every country in SE Asia on my own or as a private tour., including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Anyone with a hotel room to rent, a restaurant meal to be served, and tour guide services speaks English. This coming October my DH and I will visit Kyushu, Japan for a week on our own then ferry over to South Korea for a week on our own. But then next summer 2020 we have an O cruise booked Copenhagen to Stockholm for 10 days. I looked into doing the same itinerary on our own as a combination of land trip and ferry travel and the cruise doesn't cost that much more.

[clo]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Anyone with a hotel room to rent, a restaurant meal to be served,

Not necessarily.  At least not in Latin America.  We stay in local places and eat the local food.  It's not at all unusual for us to be the only English speakers some place.  Now western Europe I'll agree with you.

[halfapair]

On 7/1/2019 at 5:07 PM, oceaniacruiserri said:

I totally agree that there is nothing like independent land travel. Some of our best trips in the past we have flown to a large city in Europe and stayed in that city a week or so, then rented a car and driven to small towns and stayed in inexpensive gites, inns, etc. I also like cruising (on Oceania) for the simplicity and relaxation which you will never find on independent land trips unless you just plop yourselves down at a resort. Both are nice and if you are fortunate you can do both at some time(s) in your life:)

We like to travel that way, too. Sometimes a cruise is a good way to reach some of the more "out of the way" port towns or islands you might not get to if you travel on your own.

[Go-Bucks!]

On 6/28/2019 at 10:17 PM, Paulchili said:

You mentioned that lobster was available about 25% of time in Terrace Cafe. It is normally available daily - has that changed?

 

Currently on Insignia, lobster tail is available every night in Terrace Cafe, everyday in Waves Grill, every night in Polo, and every night in Toscana. Whole lobster is available in Polo every night.

[Go-Bucks!]

On 6/29/2019 at 1:24 PM, skiladyldp said:

I do like organized tours but hope we get enough free time to explore on our own.  Almost all hotel stops are for 2 nights.  

 

Rick Steves' tours are great, especially if you like mixing with locals and don't need to stay in 5-Star hotels. His tours can be guided or not, give lots of free time, take you to places you'd never even know about on your own and are reasonably priced. www dot rick steves dot com.

[Paulchili]

9 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Currently on Insignia, lobster tail is available every night in Terrace Cafe, everyday in Waves Grill, every night in Polo, and every night in Toscana. Whole lobster is available in Polo every night.

Thank you. 

That is what I thought and was hoping it is still the case. Not sure what OP was referring to.

[clo]

18 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Currently on Insignia, lobster tail is available every night in Terrace Cafe, everyday in Waves Grill, every night in Polo, and every night in Toscana. Whole lobster is available in Polo every night.

Did I read that some/most of it isn't from Maine?