mauibabes

@pinotlover my mistake for lumping too many thoughts together. You are right on👍 and an outstanding resource. I was sharing thoughts more specifically for Woofbite who seemed to be approaching things with negativity. IMHO he should be surprised with his upcoming O cruise, especially if his past experiences are with HAL or Princess. mahalo, Mauibabes

OK Pinot, so “Always” is a wrong word to use because you identify a lot of possibilities where a person may not luck out. I have never not gotten a first night reservation so maybe we are just lucky. Woof, all those of us who suggest trying to book after midnight on the prescribed day are telling you is that it is a way to ensure you are at the front of the line getting your reservations. I do not know how other lines like Princess or HAL or Viking operate so I only relate to the Oceania process for reservations. If you are dreading it, I sure hope you have a great time anyway as O is a superior product to those others. Go with a positive attitude and ENJOY. Mauibabes

@Adornme75 go on line at midnight EST on the date you are allowed to book Specialties and try your luck. If you are willing to share and a bit flexible on the time, you should do well. If you have any problems with the reservation system, call your TA or Oceania directly in the morning for assistance. We don’t usually have issues but it is possible. As I mentioned previously, do not bother to book a Specialty restaurant on the first night, they are always available so just go to the Reservations Desk when you board to see what is available. It is an easy way to get an extra dinner in one of them. Enjoy, Mauibabes

@mountain grandma Billie and Ted, great to see this post. Have a fabulous time on Vista because she is beautiful. Any chance Gordica is the Restaurant Manager on board. If she is she is Awesome and will do everything possible to make your dining experiences wonderful. We have absolutely loved our time on V and one of these days our paths will be crossing again. Bonnie and Gerry, aka Mauibabes

@Woofa, Amen. November we will be on Riviera and the Marina TA so we too will test the cuisine. The changes sound great and we were excited to read this Press Release. Mauibabes

I am definitely looking forward to the “DETAILS” because we have historically booked O Air when it was beneficial to us but we were always tied to booking flights 270 days out. We too use it for the Discounted Premium Economy Option when we were flying to Europe. In the past year those $99, $199 PE flights have been Long Gone and replaced with $499 to $999 PE prices for the Upgrade. When flying to South America, Asia or Australia, we always did our own thing because we caught some flight deals, whether cash or mileage credits. I visited my Travel Agency today to discuss this major policy change and they had yet to receive any specific details. I guess we all must wait until July 1 or a bootlegged posting from O. When talking to the Agent, she remarked that based on the airlines pricing since Covid and the addition of Dynamic Pricing, she did not understand how any cruise line could continue to offer flights with locked in prices, especially when selling cruises 2 years into the future. She expected Oceania is just on the front end of this change in flight policies coming in the industry. While many lines are offering flight programs, it will be interesting to see what is on the horizon with other lines and how long they hold on to their costly programs. I am afraid I have to agree as I search flight prices for some upcoming cruises. Even if I can get DW to agree to fly in the back of the bus/Economy, I have not been able to beat the Oceania sM with Air prices. JMHO’s At least it is a “Short Wait and See” 😇🤞🤙 Mauibabes

@lindavan1 Go for it 👍🤞😇, you will love Vista. We are booked with some cousins Nov 4-14 on Riviera, Rome to Barcelona and that trip also has a fantastic itinerary. To cap it off, we saw an O offer from Lisbon to Miami November 15-27 on Marina and DW loves O transatlantic cruises and our PH stateroom was cheaper than the Biz class filight home so I was “encouraged to Book It”. Absolutely take your best shot and just ENJOY a fantastic cruise. Umbrellas are included in your stateroom. We travel with a Gortex jacket so just add layers and ready for what comes. Have a fantastic adventure. Mauibabes

@FlyerTalkerWOW, thanks. I am not that familiar with Consolidators so I really appreciate your input and share your comments with those friends. Mauibabes.

Just maybe they are being forced to retire that Airline Rate Crystal Ball because based on my flights over the past few years, the Airlines are not helping anyone but themselves. The included Oceania Air Plan with its one size fits all value must have been impossible to manage and even break even. I do not know how they have lasted this long, probably ate a lot of cost to some ports of call. I know we have all pretty much given up on O business class tix because it was too high and that was “With” airline contracts in place. We have seen friends using Consolidators to get better prices seats. I can not recall when I used O Air last but it has been years. Maybe this is nothing more than O, and possibly others, throwing up their hands and putting a stop to beating their heads against the wall. I guess we will have to see what the new deal looks like in detail come July 1. Call me Crystal Ball less Mauibabes

Where did you find the Flex Fare reference because that is not an Oceania term I had heard before. Other lines, perhaps. Mauibabes

@Wynterwynd DW still rates any Italian restaurant asked on the Lasagne in Toscana but agree with you, LOVE the Dover Sole. You won’t be on Marina or Riviera but when you are, in Jacques, try the Sea Bass in Puff Pastry for 2, OUTSTANDING. While Ember catches some negatives by some, they do serve some great dishes, in fact some friends last October said some meals were The Best! You will enjoy Aquamar Kitchen meals as well so just plan to ENJOY! Mauibabes

@Barsoap IMHO, while waiting for Gary and all the other O cruise vets to guide you, call Oceania NOW and tell the Rep the cruise you want and grab the best available PH room and have them put it on a 5 day Hold ASAP. Most important you will have the room and pricing and 5 days to decide if you want to put down the Deposit. You are not out anything 👍😇💰 After you have done this, then post all your questions and you will be inundated with “Words of Wisdom”. The O Rep will also answer your questions as well. Mauibabes

@aussietwoOMG, that was over 10 years ago, what a memory. Your note tells me we owe G and S an email. We just love our O family, guests and staff. Been talking to Marilyn today as she organizes their trip to Rome in November Take care, stay well and we will see you again. Mauibabes.

We have only been on Vista a couple times in the last year and they were not customer friendly so gave nothing away. You are right, Credit cut significantly and prices increased significantly so hardly a great perk, just a faint effort to attract you to go to the spa. DW won’t even bother to go to the Spa on our next trip. Waiting to see what the next changes in the Loyalty perks are. Mauibabes

@aussietwo, Hi Roz, I was just being nice 😇. Yes, it is added on and not eligible to be paid with the Credit. In the past any of my credit balance could be used by Bonnie for other services but that is not how it is now, not even to buy products so “use it or lose it” 🤬. By the way, we are hoping to sail again in November with our mutual friends Marilyn and Bruce 👍🤞 🙏 You and John got off Vista in Miami a few days before we were boarding for our PC trip with them so we know of you well from your past trips with them. Perhaps you know our friends from Adelaide, Sandy and Graham. If so, our we owe a lot to O for expanding our friendships around the world, especially Oz. Bonnie and Gerry/Mauibabes