New To Oceania With Questions

[Issyalex]

3 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

You would think so but it isn't the case. It worked out for you this time but don't expect it to be the case every time.

The cruise line considers late arrivals airlines' problem. If you booked with Oceania there might be an agent there helping to get you to the next port but I believe at your expense. If you fly on your own you remain on your own.

That is my understanding of these rules. If I am incorrect, I am sure someone will correct me.

PS These things can vary. If it's a larger group and they are going to be just a little late, the ship will wait if they can (tides, schedules, etc). I've read about a large group arriving late to San Diego on a rt cruise to Hawaii. If they didn't wait for them, the next port would be Hawaii 5 days later.

Bottom line - just because you purchased your ticket through the cruise line, it is not a guarantee that they will wait for you if the flight is late.

If they didn’t wait for me I’d expect them to transfer me to the next port, book me a hotel room with food included at their expensive not mine. After all this is why people take their included flights. The only time I take inclusive flights is if the airport/port is difficult to get to but as I research how to get there and we stay at least 1 night pre cruise it’s a long time since we’ve took an inclusive flight. 

[Paulchili]

18 minutes ago, Issyalex said:

After all this is why people take their included flights

I think you are wrong about this. They take their flights because they cannot get a better price.

FWIW, I can't say that I am an expert on this subject as I have NEVER taken their flights.

Maybe someone who regularly uses their included flights can chime in. I am just relating things I have read here on CC over the years on this subject.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Paulchili

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Issyalex said:

IMO if I book inclusive flights with any cruiseline then they should wait on me. However if I book my own flights then it’s up to me to make sure I’m there in plenty of time. 

"Should" and "Shall" are vastly different things.

You may want to read your Oceania (or any cruise line) T&Cs as regards "transfers" and anything else that does not occur on the ship.

 

Paulchili is absolutely correct that what you get by booking air with the cruise line is the flight searches, ticketing/reticketing and, perhaps land transfers at the embarkation/disembarkation ports. Now, if it's an Oceania charter flight (e.g., Tahiti) or a LARGE group on a TA's or DIY's flight (e.g., one of the numerous college alumni cruises O does, O would probably hold the ship for the group's late arrival. 

But, at the bottom line, the airline issues are the airline's responsibility. 

 

And, across the cruise industry, your erroneous belief about waiting is not unusual (unless, of course, you've read the T&Cs).

 

[Issyalex]

3 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I think you are wrong about this. They take their flights because they cannot get a better price.

FWIW, I can't say that I am an expert on this subject as I have NEVER taken their flights.

Maybe someone who regularly uses their included flights can chime in. I am just relating things I have read here on CC over the years on this subject.

I’ve only ever booked one Oceania cruise with flights as I’ve found that if I remove their flights I can book a few nights pre cruise hotel and flights for the same money. 

[Issyalex]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

"Should" and "Shall" are vastly different things.

You may want to read your Oceania (or any cruise line) T&Cs as regards "transfers" and anything else that does not occur on the ship.

 

Paulchili is absolutely correct that what you get by booking air with the cruise line is the flight searches, ticketing/reticketing and, perhaps land transfers at the embarkation/disembarkation ports. Now, if it's an Oceania charter flight (e.g., Tahiti) or a LARGE group on a TA's or DIY's flight (e.g., one of the numerous college alumni cruises O does, O would probably hold the ship for the group's late arrival. 

But, at the bottom line, the airline issues are the airline's responsibility. 

 

And, across the cruise industry, your erroneous belief about waiting is not unusual (unless, of course, you've read the T&Cs).

 

In our nearly 20 years cruising we have only taken 3 cruises with inclusive flights and one of them was a charter flight, 2nd was with Celebrity and the third was the Oceania’s cruise where the flight was late and they waited for us. 

[Mura]

The ship in my experience DOES wait for your late Oceania fight but as had been said -- it depends.  When we did the Panama Canal the first time (leaving from Costa Rica) there were flights coming in from the frigid Northeast that were delayed because of weather, and the ship left before they arrived.  That was because we would have lost our Canal slot.  I never learned just when they caught up to the ship. It definitely will depend on when and where the next port is.  If you are on a transatlantic the next port might be 6 days away ...

 

A high school acquaintance who happened to be on a Dover-Southampton cruise with us in 2006 (Iceland, etc.) didn't catch the ship until we were in Oslo, and they were VERY unhappy because they had O flights and got no help at all (according to them) in terms of getting flights out.  In their case they were flying from Santa Ana, CA (John Wayne) to Dover.

 

Of course, both of these stories would suggest that passengers should consider flying in to the departure port at least a day early .... whether you do your own air arrangement OR take a deviation ....

 

Consider your departure port and the ship's departure port, as well as the NEXT port on the itinerary.  If you have a Caribbean itinerary departing from Miami it's quite different from flying from NY to Dubai!  Or from California to Europe.  In our case we generally choose to go in a few days early and leave a few days later so that we can visit the departure and arrival ports on our own.  Not everyone has the luxury of time to do this, of course.

 

Mura

[Flatbush Flyer]

31 minutes ago, Mura said:

....passengers should consider flying in to the departure port at least a day early .... 

 

.....we generally choose to go in a few days early and leave a few days later so that we can visit the departure and arrival ports on our own......

We always spend at least two nights pre-cruise in a non-California departure port (more if it's a new place for us or a favorite location). Also, we like itineraries that end in a different location (new or favorite) so that we can extend the stay there too. One exception is ending up in Miami, which for us is a "one and done" town. We fly out on departure day.

 

 

 

[Daniel A]

We are staying in a penthouse suite and it says one of the amenities is the ability to order in from a specialty restaurant.  If we were to 'order in' from Polo's, would that count as one of our specialty restaurant allotments?  Or rather would we be able to order a few times from Polo's for dining in the suite?

 

Another question is can we order room service Bloody Marys or Mimosas with our morning coffee?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Paulchili]

8 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

We are staying in a penthouse suite and it says one of the amenities is the ability to order in from a specialty restaurant.  If we were to 'order in' from Polo's, would that count as one of our specialty restaurant allotments?  Or rather would we be able to order a few times from Polo's for dining in the suite?

 

Another question is can we order room service Bloody Marys or Mimosas with our morning coffee?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

You can order from the specialties every night in addition to your allotted reservations.

Caveat -best to let the butler know early that you may be dining in that evening and each meal should be from a single specialty.

You should order course by course.

Know nothin' about birthing babies or drinks 🙂

 

[pinotlover]

7 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

We are staying in a penthouse suite and it says one of the amenities is the ability to order in from a specialty restaurant.  If we were to 'order in' from Polo's, would that count as one of our specialty restaurant allotments?  Or rather would we be able to order a few times from Polo's for dining in the suite?

 

Another question is can we order room service Bloody Marys or Mimosas with our morning coffee?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

In -Suite dining does not count towards your in restaurant dining opportunities. You can eat in-suite , reasonably depending upon your Butler’s schedule, as often as you desire. Coordinate with your butler.

 

Your Butler will serve your needs for cocktails at breakfast. He provides all the room service. If those drinks are something you regularly want to do , notify your butler. That way he can have all the necessary ingredients in his Butler’s pantry, and not gave to worry about the bars being open.

[Daniel A]

4 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Know nothin' about birthing babies or drinks 🙂

 

Thanks Prissie!    😂

[Daniel A]

7 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

You can order from the specialties every night in addition to your allotted reservations.

 

6 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

In -Suite dining does not count towards your in restaurant dining opportunities. You can eat in-suite , reasonably depending upon your Butler’s schedule, as often as you desire. Coordinate with your butler.

Does multiple in-suite dining from specialty restaurants incur additional charges?

 

Thanks so much for the rapid responses.

[Paulchili]

1 minute ago, Daniel A said:

 

Does multiple in-suite dining from specialty restaurants incur additional charges?

 

Thanks so much for the rapid responses.

No extra fees (maybe a larger tip for the butler if you use him very often)

[Mura]

+1

 

If you use the butler more than most of us do, then an extra tip is in order!   To be more specific, on some of our longer cruises when in a suite --I'm talking 14-21 days -- we might have dined in the suite 2-3 times.  Our tip reflected that.  If you think you might use en suite dining most nights ... that is a calculation to make.

 

On departure night, we always have dinner in our stateroom. Usually we will dine en suite once or twice when we had a long day touring.  You have to decide for yourself, but it's a nice option on busy days.

 

As and has been said -- you don't pay extra for the ensuite service.

 

Mura

 

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, Mura said:

+1

 

If you use the butler more than most of us do, then an extra tip is in order!   To be more specific, on some of our longer cruises when in a suite --I'm talking 14-21 days -- we might have dined in the suite 2-3 times.  Our tip reflected that.  If you think you might use en suite dining most nights ... that is a calculation to make.

 

On departure night, we always have dinner in our stateroom. Usually we will dine en suite once or twice when we had a long day touring.  You have to decide for yourself, but it's a nice option on busy days.

 

As and has been said -- you don't pay extra for the ensuite service.

 

Mura

 

Its what you pay the higher price for the cabin for......In my case  my wife has a disability that makes going out  for meals less than easy...   Having in cabin dining on a real dining table  when needed, is  not a luxury but  many times a necessity one has to consider for another.   

 That said  how does it work  if we wish to invite guests  in for dinner every now and then  ?.   

Finaly, do you think I could get a corn dog as a special order? 

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

That said  how does it work  if we wish to invite guests  in for dinner every now and then  ?.   

Finaly, do you think I could get a corn dog as a special order? 

You can definitely have guests for hors  d'oeuvres and drinks but the dinner may count against their allotment unless they are in a named suite (I am just guessing here).

You get 6 bottles of alcohol with your bar that you can exchange for others.

Ask about the corn dog - I doubt your butler will know what you're talking about😀 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Paulchili

[Daniel A]

6 hours ago, Paulchili said:

You get 6 bottles of alcohol with your bar that you can exchange for others.

Ask about the corn dog - I doubt your butler will know what you're talking about😀 

Is that true in the Penthouse Suite?  I thought they only stock the fridge with soft drinks.

[njhorseman]

7 hours ago, Paulchili said:

You can definitely have guests for hors  d'oeuvres and drinks but the dinner may count against their allotment unless they are in a named suite (I am just guessing here).

You get 6 bottles of alcohol with your bar that you can exchange for others.

Ask about the corn dog - I doubt your butler will know what you're talking about😀 

 

36 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Is that true in the Penthouse Suite?  I thought they only stock the fridge with soft drinks.

 Penthouse suites do not receive the six bottles of alcohol. That's only for suites above the penthouse  category. Every stateroom from the least expensive inside cabin to the most expensive suite gets the complimentary soft drinks.

[Queen of DaNile]

41 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Is that true in the Penthouse Suite?  I thought they only stock the fridge with soft drinks.

Only mixers and soft drinks. 

[Paulchili]

8 hours ago, Paulchili said:

You get 6 bottles of alcohol with your bar that you can exchange for others.

Dan is in an Oceania suite. The others that get the same are Vista & Owners suites.

PH gets a bottle of bubbly or wine.

[Daniel A]

46 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Dan is in an Oceania suite. The others that get the same are Vista & Owners suites.

PH gets a bottle of bubbly or wine.

Paul, if you're referring to me, I am sailing on the Insignia in a Penthouse 1.  Sorry if I was unclear.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Dan is in an Oceania suite. The others that get the same are Vista & Owners suites.

PH gets a bottle of bubbly or wine.

For any cabin, Bronze (or above) O Club membership gets your cabin a comp bottle of wine. 

[LesSails80435]

My wife & I typically book the Oceania Suite in O Class ships and Owner's Suite in R Class ships. There's one piece missing from this discussion and that is Oceania's Beverage Packages, House Select (wine & beer w/lunch & dinner) & Prestige Select Unlimited premium spirits, Champagne, wine and beer wherever and whenever you wish  
from $59.95 per guest, per day

We often entertain other guests and enrichment lecturers in our suite. We've never had any questions about ordering a specific wine varietal or drink for us or our guests when we have the Prestige Select. The other piece of this is in some ports and waters there is a significant 'tax' added to drinks and/or alcohol can't be served unless you are on one of the liquor packages.

[Paulchili]

59 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Paul, if you're referring to me, I am sailing on the Insignia in a Penthouse 1.  Sorry if I was unclear.  

Sorry, I meant Hawaiidan

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

For any cabin, Bronze (or above) O Club membership gets your cabin a comp bottle of wine. 

Weeelll..................