Flatbush Flyer

There’s no such thing as the “best” cruise line without your defining YOUR criteria for “best.” I suggest that you interview a few well-respected TAs and pick one to assist you. FWIW: you can search here on CC for my several extensive posts about how to find a good TA.

Sorry Jan. I have zero interest in that concept.

Oceania is a world apart (in the best ways) from the other cruise lines you’ve mentioned. And yet, if you look at the bottom line of all you get with your base fare (beverages, internet, booze and excursion package, specialty restaurants, <1200 or <700 passengers, etc), you may find that it’s a far better deal - particularly when you also consider all that you DON’T get on those other lines (mediocre food, poor crew and space ratios, thundering herds of passengers, nickel-diming for every little thing….)

Old timers on O will also remember when the “Blue Book” also had the “thumbnail” pics and info about the senior officers on your cruise. BTW: The unique rest rooms (and the stage setup) in Horizons on Sirena are unchanged from the days when she was the Ocean Princess. Sirena is the only R ship with that layout.

Not rocket science.

We most often book O cruises soon after booking opens and, if possible, we do BoB or FCDCs. That gives us the “price drop match guarantee” which, although it has certain restrictions, is still a worthwhile perk as long as we keep our eye on the sales that follow. Occasionally, an O sale will come along that’s worth getting a reprice or, if there’s restrictions on things like “double dipping,” negotiating some added SBC for the original deal. But, for the most part, the earlier you book, the better your “bottom line” will be in the long run. As for “jumping ship” and starting the cultivation of a good working relationship with another cruise line(s), it is inevitable that the new one’s prices and sales will behave in the same manner as O over time. Don’t get me wrong. Shopping around and varying the shipboard experience (good or bad) works for some folks. But, we see a “preferred” cruise line like O as a vacation home, in part, because it then allows us to concentrate our planning/implementation on itinerary and activities. And we will maintain that vacation home until it no longer suits our preferences and expectations as well as our means to pay for it. And, we’re not alone in that approach.

“Ship within a ship?” Unappealing for all of the obvious reasons.

As everyone else is posting: the airfare was never “free.” If I remember correctly: When O first started out, the airfare was included in the sole fare price - no option for “cruise only.” Eventually, that morphed into with/without air pricing.

When shopping for a cruise, don’t make the rookie mistake of comparing only cabin prices. Use the “net daily rate” calculation which includes all required and optionally expected costs divided by the days in your trip.

You may be in luck! Everything you’ve done with purchases, $ adjustments pre-cruise will transfer to your onboard account. So, all payments by credit card are then considered credit to your onboard account regardless of what they were originally used for. (You’ll see them as credits on your account and they are “refundable” dollars). All charges like gratuities, booze purchases, spa stuff, will be seen as debits to your onboard account. So will non-refundable SBC like the non-refundable SBC you were given as a price adjustment. The onboard accounting system recalculates the credits/debits not prioritized on the type of purchase. Rather it calculates it with prioritization based on the type of $$$ in the mix! At least, that’s the way it has worked for as long as I can remember (and we’ve done a ton of O cruises). So, what should happen is the following: All your charges for extras (even pre-cruise) will first tap your non-refundable SBC balance (note that SM shore excursion credit will be first to be used for tours). Once that’s exhausted, your balance due will tap your refundable SBC (e.g., gifts from TAs). If you still “owe” $$$, the last money to be tapped will be any cash you had put into the deal (even if before the cruise and no matter what you originally used it for). But, just to be sure: once you’re onboard, doublecheck with Guest Relations that this priority is still in effect. You can even call O before hand (or have your TA do it) and see if the adjustment can be done now). This has happened to us before with a big refund provided as non-refundable SBC. And our onboard account adjusted just as I have described it. So, we went home with a nice “chunk of change.”

Depending on the airline, their SeaTac lounge may be less expensive than an hotel day room and still have included food, drinks, showers, etc.

One other important item. Don’t make the common mistake of only comparing cabin costs! Look at the bottom line of “net daily rate” which is all required and optionally desired cruise services and amenities. That premium/luxury cruise line’s fare may include airfare or air credit, all beverages, unlimited internet, specialty dining, excursions, etc.

Like HAL, Cunard was a contender many many years ago. Now, it’s at/near the top of the mass market heap with lines like HAL, Celebrity and Viking.

GDR can do 10 with advanced notice (since officer invited dinners often use the space). On Riviera and Marina, there’s Priveé, which you can rent for a fee. You can get ten in there. The specialty restaurants really aren’t set up to accommodate 10 at a table.

You’ll get a few more included amenities on Oceania’s sister line Regent. But, the fare will be $ thousands more. Even if you add the extra items as purchases on O, Regent will still be much more expensive (for very much the same bottom line experience. IMO, Gauguin and Viking are not in the same ballpark as any of the other lines you mentioned- perhaps they’re more upper end of the mass market.

If your “free” grats were OCAPP (pass through funds from O via TA) they may not be combinable with other perks originating from O (though called something else.

Useless since the list changes regularly (and the included SM wine are the same across all onboard restaurants.

Which is why I posted “WAS one.” (Hope all is well on your end.)

Not true. with O Life, the basic booze perk was one of three possible choices for your included perk.

Well, O has never really marketed itself as “luxury” although, years ago (as more lines self-proclaimed themselves as “premium” (a term first used by O)), O started claiming to be “ultra-premium.”

osandomir: “We probably won’t ever get to that level of loyalty if it actually exists….” ??? It certainly does exist!

I see your point in that someone whose president’s level should know what they’re talking about😳. nonetheless, there’s no way the head butler was seeking out a silver level O Club member and whisking him/her through the tour waiting line.

I still think you are misunderstanding something. The VIP “tour check in” that supposedly starts at Silver (or any other level for that matter) was a failed experiment of a few years ago. O would set up a marked off lane with a sign in the lounge. It was supposed to be limited access. The only problem was both the general line and the VIP line were going to the same table and the differentiation quickly disappeared when the crowd surged forward. The VIP deal lasted less than a year and I’ve not seen it again on six cruises over the past 24 months. What “Butler escort” deal he was talking about is something different for the top tier O Club folks.

Perhaps you misunderstood. s/he said “president’s circle.” It’s the highest O Club level.

In nil sapiendo vita iucundissima est.