TFree

We are experienced American cruisers, but have never cruised into or out of Southampton.  I will supply details below, to the extent helpful in responding, but our questions are:

(1) what time should be able to walk off the ship with luggage; and

(2) what time should be book a private car transfer pick-up to head to St. Pancras station to catch the Eurostar to Paris.

We are 4 travelers, all Americans, disembarking Oceania Marina in Southampton on Sunday, September 22, 2024.  Our booking shows arrival at Southampton at 6:00 am, and on the Oceania website, if you were booking another cabin, it says "Disembark 8 am."  There are 3 other ships in port that day, including one doing an overnight and departing the next day (Queen Anne, Seven Seas Splendor and Sun Princess, the one departing the next day).  We are booking a private car transfer to St. Pancras station and then taking the Eurostar to Paris, where we will continue our adventure for a few more days.

Our plan is to disembark, carrying our own luggage, as early as possible, 8 am if that is the first opportunity, or earlier if the ship has been cleared.  Never having been to Southampton, we don't know what to expect by way of customs.  We are inclined to schedule a car transfer pickup at 8:30 am, but I don't know if that is realistic.  Any help would be appreciated.

Tom & Judy

22 hours ago, Tr1v1alCru1ser said:

I switched it off, it was too bright!

So did we. 
 

Tom & Judy

The search function could be your friend here.  This has been discussed in multiple threads.  The quick summary: many people have been unhappy about the switch.  Others (probably a minority) like Ember.

Tom & Judy

The window has always been 30 days.  There was a report that it is being shortened to 14 days, but I have not seen proof of this.  We booked a cruise onboard the Vista on November 17.  I don't see anything on the invoice issued onboard that states what the deadline is.

However, on November 26, we received an email confirming the payment of the deposit.  The text of the email includes this wording:

"Attached please find your deposit confirmation for the future sailing you have selected onboard. You have made this new booking direct with Oceania Cruises. Please note that you have 30 days from the end of this current cruise to assign your new reservation to your preferred travel agent or agency."

We have already transferred our booking to a TA, so regardless whether the deadline has been shortened, we are covered.

If somebody has seen written documentation that the transfer period has been shortened to 14 days, I think we would all benefit from seeing that.

Tom & Judy

When we were on board Vista two weeks ago, we booked a new cruise departing September 10, 2024. The final payment date shown on the invoice is April 13, 2024, which is 150 days before the departure of the cruise.
 

Tom & Judy

2 minutes ago, CoolChile said:

So, to be clear, the Oceania bookings are in your (and your friends') name?  In other words, the bookings are not currently assigned to any TA but you are trying to find a TA to transfer the bookings to that gives you "meaningful benefits"?

 

You were on the Vista Panama Canal sailing Nov 3 (the one right after ours) so you might want to step up your research (lots of tips here on how to find a "good" one) as you have only 30 days to reassign the booking from Oceania to a TA.  That is, unless Oceania changes the time allowed to do that from 30 to 14 days on December 1, and makes it retroactive.

Correct in all respects.  I inquired of an agent we had used last year (although we ultimately had to cancel that cruise).  He came very highly recommended from a very frequent Celebrity cruiser.  I am sure that this is not the kind of travel agent who will spend hours on the phone with you going over cruises and options.  But if you come to him with an already booked cruise (as here) or when you are ready to book a cruise, he offers benefits that will be hard to beat.  So I am almost positive we will go with him again, and thus render moot the 30 days vs. 14 days issue (we booked on November 17, so we are good either way.

Tom & Judy

8 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Do you have a TA you want to transfer your reservation to??

@EJL2023: just to give more context, we booked not only for ourselves, but for two other couples who are friends of ours, all of us going on the cruise.  While we had a TA on the cruise that ended last week, we left her off this reservation, and we are not likely to use her again, since her agency apparently will not, as a matter of policy, add any meaningful benefits for a booking.  So we are exploring a couple of agents we know of, and the other couples are also exploring.  We will share what we learn, and see what we all want to do.  This is one of those situations where the prohibition on naming TAs on Cruise Critic is irritating, even if it is understandable.

Tom & Judy

16 minutes ago, schmerl said:

I suggest you call Oceania and get the information from them directly. 

@schmerl: I have.  (1) we were told onboard when we booked that we have 30 days; and (2) I was told on the phone today that we have 30 days.  It is just unsettling when I can't find a written answer to this pretty basic question is the booking invoice, in the passenger contract, in the Terms & Conditions, or anywhere else on the website, in a time of rapidly changing rules.

Tom & Judy

"Oceania" is not really helpful as a source of this information.  Does that mean a phone conversation?  If so, apply however many grains of salt you wish.  Is it in some official announcement document we can verify?  I booked a cruise onboard on November 17.  So presumably we have 30 days to transfer to a TA.  Unless Oceania really has changed the policy effective December 1, and it intends to apply this change retroactively.  So, I would be interested in tracking down the actual source of this information.

Tom & Judy

1 hour ago, TIMONEY said:

Are Black Friday sales combinable with onboard booking perks?

We were told onboard Vista that they are combinable. 
 

Tom & Judy

I looked at six or eight cruises yesterday online, and then I looked at the same cruises again today. I see either no difference or a negligible difference on those cruises. Most of them are on the sale.

My only conclusion is that either they posted the sale prices yesterday without announcing them, or this sale is a big nothing burger. I am going to ask at the future cruise desk on Vista. 
 

Tom & Judy

1 hour ago, Spikehines said:

On a slightly different question of connectivity….does What’s App work on the ship for texting?

It does.  Currently on Vista with the basic (non-upgraded) Star Link WiFi.  We have also made WiFi voice calls on board (using WhatsApp or FaceTime voice calls for people who have those features, and at least one plain old WiFi call on a Samsung phone).  And we tested a Zoom video call the other day.  It worked pretty well, with just a little glitchiness at times.

Tom & Judy

I agree that you should price it out and decide. We had the same issue with our Panama Canal cruise leaving next week. Initially, it looked like about a wash to us. The up charge was $798, but we figured (A) we would get free wine and beer; & (B) we would get a second Wi-Fi login to use as part of simplyMORE. Then, when Oceania decided to start extending the second Wi-Fi login to all cabins, whether booked through OLife or through simplyMORE, the deal no longer looked attractive to us, so we stayed with all OLife. 
 

Tom & Judy

2 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I have a cruise departing in a few days.  Currently in a concierge class cabin at a relatively good price through their Amazing Deals promo.

They've been bugging me to put in for an upgrade via MoveUp.  I thought maybe it would be closed because the cruise sails so soon, but it wasn't.  So I bid on a suite.

They let me enter my bid, took me to the final page, requesting credit card info, which I provided, then on the next page, gave me an error that I wasn't eligible for an upgrade.

Any idea what's up with that?  You'd think if I wasn't eligible, they'd tell me outright, rather than allowing me to go through the MoveUp process, including credit card info and such.

Did you use a travel agent? I discovered a few years back that some travel agents do not participate in the move up program. I did not understand it at the time, and I don’t understand it now. But if you have a travel agent, you might check with them.
 

Tom & Judy

We tried an Oceania cruise (on Marina) in October, 2021 and liked it quite a bit (with a hiccup or two, this was early post-pandemic).  We take our second Oceania cruise in a couple of weeks (on Vista, Panama Canal).  We thought the specialty restaurants were outstanding (you get one "free" reservation in each included with the cruise).  We were less impressed with the main dining room, but in fairness our recent Celebrity cruises were in the Retreat, so maybe comparing the main dining room to Luminae is not a fair comparison.  A lot of Oceania cruisers are unhappy with the switch to SimplyMore (more inclusive with no cruise-only option).

Tom & Judy

On 9/4/2023 at 4:07 PM, GerryL13 said:

So, the travel docs for the October Panama Canal cruise on Vista arrived this weekend. Being the "read the manual" kind of person I am, I sat down and read/scanned the 40+-page booklet. On the page describing what I can expect in my Veranda stateroom (B3) there is a confusing footnote: Under Gratuities it says "... a suggested gratuity of $18.00* per guest, per day will be automatically added to your onboard account." Okay. Understood that to be the case. But there is a footnote. * "Not applicable on Oct 16, 2023 Inaugural Panama Canal."

 

So that leaves me wondering precisely what is not applicable. The amount? The automatic addition? It would be too much to hope that it means gratuities are included on this booking, especially since I have not seen anything to that effect in my paperwork. Can anyone offer any insight into how to interpret this mystery footnote?  (And yes, I will try to reach them by phone later in the week.)

 

Related question: I've been going on the presumption that I can use cruise credits to pay gratuities. I haven't seen anything saying OBC cannot be used to cover gratuities, but neither have I see anything saying they can.

 

Thanks

Just as a point of information, we are on the following Panama Canal cruise (November 3-19).  Seeing your post caused me to take a look at the booklet.  Ours says (p. 19): ". . . suggested gratuity of $18.00 per guest, per day" will be added.  There is a footnote, but it refers to NZ and AU bookings.  So whatever is different for your Panama Canal cruise, it is for your cruise only.  If you find the answer please report back.

Tom & Judy

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

The building looks very new and is located on the river.   I was surprised to learn tat th property was originally built a Gimble's Department Store in 1900.   I have fond memories of Gimbe's in Philadelphia as a child.  The building has gone through a number of major renovations before becoming a Conference Center and Hotel.

Jim:

How interesting.  My parents met while both were working at Gimbel's in Milwaukee.  This would have been in the 1930's.  Everybody from that generation is gone, but I assume this must have been where it was, and Google suggests that it is.  I will have to check it out next time I am in Milwaukee.

Tom & Judy

17 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I think I got the Red Suit  Bag at Marshall's -   It is incredible what it can hold.   We have 2 suits, pants 14 shirts, undergarments and most of my electronics in it. 

 

The other bag was actually a freeby from Samsonite.    I bought in an old Canvas Samsonite Suite bag to have the zipper replaced.   They said they couldn't do it as the bag was so old.     As I was leaving --- he said why don't you take this -  brand new with labels still on it.  

Jim – sorry, I was actually referring to the “not your bag“ handle wrap. I am just going to order some brightly colored ones if I can’t find that specific one.
 

Tom & Judy

14 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

After someone grabbed my bag by mistake at Port Everglades a couple years ago I bought these for our bags.   
 

 

Jim: these are great.  I see others in bright colors on Amazon, but not these specifically.  Do you recall where you got them?

Tom & Judy

3 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@AMHuntFerry Thank you for telling your story.  I have cruised so much, going with someone with fresh eyes is half the fun.  In my family and now with friends, it seems like they could care less they are going on a cruise until it is about two weeks away.  Drives me nuts. 

 

How do you tell three adults in their 60's and 70's that strategy and preparation makes a difference to your overall cruising experience.  It is like talking to a wall.  Yet at the two week mark, the question happen.

 

1. What time is our flight leaving?  Why is it so early, can we change it?
2. Why did you choose the Polo Grille for that night?  Let's do it another night!
3. We are doing a cooking class on a sea day, why can't we get our friends in the same class?
4. Why did you choose that hotel for our pre/post cruise?  it seems like we could have made a better choice.

 

Cruise after cruise I got these types of question way after the time when those decisions had to be made.  To combat these annoying  questions by folks that took little or no effort to discuss the topics the MANY times I brought it up, I came up with a solution.  I call it, the "Journey Document".  In it I outline times, dates and decisions made plus why they were made.  When the crazy questions come up I say, "Page 20, middle of the page".  When they don't understand why I can't move a restaurant date and time, even with an explanation of the policies of the cruise brand.  My response is, "Call your congressman or take care of it yourself when you get on-board.  Good luck". 

 

It is not quite as bad as I am outlining but for planners and organizers that have to beg for feedback, it happens all the time.  "Respect.  I get no respect.  No respect at all!".

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

As the planner in the family, I was laughing out loud reading this.  I don't get these questions from my wife, she is happy to work with me in planning.  But when our kids were younger, they would drive me nuts with holiday travel.  We would set up flights around Thanksgiving or spring break, and then a week or so before hand they would ask if we can change the flights.  "That is a holiday weekend, are you crazy?"

Tom & Judy

13 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Ok. If within the rules, I traveled on a Collette small group tour. Tour name was smth like “Scotland, Land of Lore and Legend”. Tour director was Janice Killmurray. She was wonderful!

Robin:

Since I have no way to contact you directly, I will just say "thank you" here. We also take Collette land tours (through their partnership with Marriott Vacation Club), and we increasingly have gravitated toward the small group tours. So it is good to hear of one as to which you had a positive reaction.

Tom & Judy

4 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

I asked my O Rep yesterday about any issues/or problems that would impact our October PC transit. I was told we would be going through the new Locks and O was not aware of any specific issues that would impact our transit, we are good to go. 
We are definitely ready for our Vista inaugural with friends, can’t wait. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

We are on the following (November 3) Panama Canal cruise.  The part that surprises me about what you were told is the suggestion that Vista will use the new locks.  I looked up Vista's dimensions, and it clearly is of a size where it would fit in the old (Panamax) locks as opposed to the new (NeoPanamax) locks.  That being so, it would surprise me if Vista would be using the new locks.  I am wondering if anybody else has information on this subject.

Tom & Judy

3 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

What are the rules for buying NCL stock and then gaining on-board-credit for being stock holder.  To clarify, I have no stock.  I can buy some, how much do I need and can I apply for the credit event though my final payment already passed.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

https://www.nclhltd.com/investors/shareholder-benefits
 

100 shares. I am not sure, but I assume that you could provide proof after final payment, and still receive the onboard credit.

Tom & Judy

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Oceania has confirmed to my TA that effective Oct. 1 every cabin will get two log ins, regardless of the fare they paid. So I converted 3 upcoming cruises to Simply More from “cruise only” thinking that it was an advantage in order to get two wi if logins. It is not. So, I recalculated without that advantage and my conversion to Simply More is about an even proposition for us. 

@edgee: we did the same on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise, after concluding it was about even for us WITH BOTH the extra WiFi login and the included wine and beer. Once it became pretty clear that we will get the 2nd login anyway, it was no longer an even deal for us. Our TA was able to get it switched back to OLife. 
 

Tom & Judy

49 minutes ago, drdaddy said:

Concerning the promotions. 

 

I will be on a B2B2B in October. I was wondering if there was any way that the casino would care if I had leftover promotional chips to use, say, on the second trip? Also, can I just hold on to regular chips from the previous cruise to use on the next cruise?

 

Why I would hold on to regular chips, I don't know.  But interesting question about the promotional ones.

 

 

We were on a B2B cruise last year, and I asked a different question: can I carry over some of my large onboard credit from the first cruise to the second cruise. I was assured by others on these boards that the answer to that question was no.
 

I did not think about the option you are suggesting. What if I just used all of my OBC to buy promo chips, and kept some of  them for the second cruise? I don’t see how that would not work. I think the reason it never occurred to me was that we had already maxed out the amount of 10% bonus  Pre-cruise casino purchases that we could make. If we had just used remaining OBC to buy chips to use in the casino, I assume we would then get regular chips? Maybe not. I assume someone will answer that part of the question.

Tom & Judy