More Oceania Riviera Questions

We appreciate all the help we have received from the knowledgeable Oceania posters. We still have a couple of questions:

1. We are planning to bring 8-12 bottles of wine on board for our b2b cruises. We don't want to buy a special "suitcase" so how should we best do this? A cardboard case with checked luggage (will this be OK?)? A couple of wine bags as "carry on" (the prospect of lugging these around until our stateroom is available is not appealing)?

2. We plan to visit the onboard casino. How does we purchase our chips? Cash only? OBC? Directly goes to Credit Card?

3. Our cruise packages arrived but none of the excursions, none of our La Reserve bookings, none of our culinary experiences that we have purchased were listed. Nowhere did it list our OBC or prepaid gratuity. Should they have been? Kind of thought these packages would be more personal detail and less generic.

4. On b2b with same stateroom will we be re-carded or will OBC carry over? Stay on ship or expected to disembark? New room key?

Thanks. I will be better able to relax when I have all the processes in hand.

We appreciate all the help we have received from the knowledgeable Oceania posters. We still have a couple of questions:

 

1. We are planning to bring 8-12 bottles of wine on board for our b2b cruises. We don't want to buy a special "suitcase" so how should we best do this? A cardboard case with checked luggage (will this be OK?)? A couple of wine bags as "carry on" (the prospect of lugging these around until our stateroom is available is not appealing)?

2. We plan to visit the onboard casino. How does we purchase our chips? Cash only? OBC? Directly goes to Credit Card?

3. Our cruise packages arrived but none of the excursions, none of our La Reserve bookings, none of our culinary experiences that we have purchased were listed. Nowhere did it list our OBC or prepaid gratuity. Should they have been? Kind of thought these packages would be more personal detail and less generic.

4. On b2b with same stateroom will we be re-carded or will OBC carry over? Stay on ship or expected to disembark? New room key?

 

Thanks. I will be better able to relax when I have all the processes in hand.

Our cruise package included details on excursions but not culinary classes. Check your online account under manage my cruise and you should fine all the detail you are looking for. Also, your final invoice will include details on credits.

We appreciate all the help we have received from the knowledgeable Oceania posters. We still have a couple of questions:

 

1/We pack the wine in shipping boxes and shipped to hotel, then checked with porter at dock. Also once same package check as luggage at airport.

2/I believe cash and you can sign for an amount each day to your ship bill (however the add a percentage to the amount.

3/Check with your online account, and print it out-otherwise call "O".

4/On a b2b same cabin, we got to stay in the cabin and not leave the ship unless we wanted to leave-also you can have lunch in the main dining room.

Rick

Our cruise package included details on excursions but not culinary classes. Check your online account under manage my cruise and you should fine all the detail you are looking for. Also, your final invoice will include details on credits.

Thank you. The package for one leg did contain the shore excursion but the other package for the second leg did not so I will phone Oceania and get that straightened out.

"We pack the wine in shipping boxes and shipped to hotel..."

Thank you. Our plan is to visit Total Wines in Miami to purchase the wine the day before the cruises so I am hoping they will have shipping boxes (which I am guessing are slightly more robust than cardboard boxes)?

on B2B cruises we had to disembark the ship in Miami for about 1 hr while the ship is zero counted (whatever they call it)

You will receive instructions a few days prior to the end of the 1st segment with new key cards

You will have to to report to immigration/customs but you can go ashore if you want or O will give you an "intransit" card they walk you out & back into the building once most other passengers have disembarked

you will wait in the port building until the all clear then you can reboard

You can RSVP for lunch in the GDR or just go to the Terrace as per usual

Our OBC was carried over to the 2nd segment

I think just cash is accepted in the casino unless you want to use your CC then there is a fee attached

Unless the Total Wine store is a regular wine shipper, they probably only have the boxes the wines come in. You can ask them for a heavier duty one, but not all bottles are set up for the varies bottles, ie burgundy bottles vs Bordeaux bottles.

I have never had a problem with the regular boxes. Mark "Fragile" on the side of the box and the crew easily identities what they are has always taken pretty good care of them. Not tossing them around like footballs. :rolleyes:

Once the crew was even so nice as to sit my box of wine inside the cabin, in lieu of leaving them out in the hallway with the rest of the luggage! :D

If you wait to board until a time close to when one's cabins are typically ready for occupancy, you can then carry the wine aboard with you, and forget about any fears of breakage! We don't typically show up to the ship until 2:30- 3:00, drop our suitcases and check in, and carry my backpack and a case of wine up the gangway! Life is simple!

OP: if you've got some small roll-aboard bags that you will not be giving to porters, get two 6 pack handled cardboard wine carriers from Total Wine and tie/lash one to each Rollie. That'll take care of a caseload with little trouble. Otherwise, see if Total Wine has styrofoam wine shipping boxes and have the store box your choices and deliver to hotel where you can jury rig handles and add cabin info for drop off with porters.

As others have said, check you online "manage my booking" for details of all purchases. When you get to your cabin, you'll find cards/tix for all excursions, classes, etc you've purchased (or gotten with O Life) as well as cards indicating all OBC and whether it comes from O or TA. If anything is missing, call your TA immediately.

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Thank you. The package for one leg did contain the shore excursion but the other package for the second leg did not so I will phone Oceania and get that straightened out.

 

 

"We pack the wine in shipping boxes and shipped to hotel..."

 

Thank you. Our plan is to visit Total Wines in Miami to purchase the wine the day before the cruises so I am hoping they will have shipping boxes (which I am guessing are slightly more robust than cardboard boxes)?

They will, not to worry. Have a great cruise.

OP: if you've got some small roll-aboard bags that you will not be giving to porters, get two 6 pack handled cardboard wine carriers from Total Wine and tie/lash one to each Rollie. That'll take care of a caseload with little trouble. Otherwise, see if Total Wine has styrofoam wine shipping boxes and have the store box your choices and deliver to hotel where you can jury rig handles and add cabin info for drop off with porters.

 

As others have said, check you online "manage my booking" for details of all purchases. When you get to your cabin, you'll find cards/tix for all excursions, classes, etc you've purchased (or gotten with O Life) as well as cards indicating all OBC and whether it comes from O or TA. If anything is missing, call your TA immediately.

 

 

Thank you everyone for the information and tips. These will make our preparations so much simpler. Nice to know there is a way to verify booked items and inclusions waiting in your cabin.

 

It sounds like we better have some extra cash available if we are going to visit the casino on board - will only need enough for the first bet as after that I will be playing with the house's money. ...

 

Think I have a process in mind for getting that wine from Total Wine to our cabin.

 

I phoned Oceania about the omission of the shore excursion on our package for the second leg and they immediately emailed a confirmation letter to cover that. It was all a bit strange as the package of one leg was sent to our TA while the other was sent to our home.

I phoned Oceania about the omission of the shore excursion on our package for the second leg and they immediately emailed a confirmation letter to cover that. It was all a bit strange as the package of one leg was sent to our TA while the other was sent to our home.

When you booked the excursions & classes did you not receive an email confirmation?

I usually keep those emails on my netbook which I take with me

I think the TA has the option of asking for your booklet to be sent direct to you or to the TA

Ours usually come direct to us via Fedex

Enjoy the cruise

Lyn

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......

 

........... will only need enough for the first bet as after that I will be playing with the house's money. ...

 

.........

 

Perfect, love your optimism :)

Have a great cruise(s).

When you booked the excursions & classes did you not receive an email confirmation?

I usually keep those emails on my netbook which I take with me

 

Enjoy the cruise

Lyn, the confusion was that this particular booked excursion, "CHEF MARKET TOUR, LUNCH & COOKING DEMO" in Tangier disappeared from our booking online. As well, that particular excursion is no longer described in the possible excursions to book (at least on our personal Oceania site) for Tangier.

Lyn, the confusion was that this particular booked excursion, "CHEF MARKET TOUR, LUNCH & COOKING DEMO" in Tangier disappeared from our booking online. As well, that particular excursion is no longer described in the possible excursions to book (at least on our personal Oceania site) for Tangier.

maybe full ?? those are usually limited in # of passengers

Do you still have the tour booked ?

maybe full ?? those are usually limited in # of passengers

Do you still have the tour booked ?

Or maybe cancelled?

Or maybe cancelled?

also a possibility

maybe the Chef did not want to do that tour ;)

Or maybe cancelled?

I asked the Oceania that very question and she said it was still on. We sure hope it is on because it is the one tour that really caught our interest.

It could be filled as suggested.

Ignore..

We are going on the Riviera Feb 2 and we have not received documents other than luggage tags. When should they arrive?:confused:

We are going on the Riviera Feb 2 and we have not received documents other than luggage tags. When should they arrive?:confused:

How did you get the luggage tags?

Usually they come with the Blue Book

You will also get an email FINAL CRUISE SUMMARY about 3 wks prior ...did you get this ?

You do not really need any documents but do print off the Final Cruise summary to show the agents to get into the port building in Miami

They can be sticky about who they let in