Flatbush Flyer

Your supposition is incorrect. The “bread and butter” of those cruise lines requiring passports includes regularly scheduled “closed loop” itineraries. Perhaps the informed decision-making that keeps them afloat trumps the “reading” and limited experience of some occasional passengers who erroneously believe that legitimacy is more important than common sense. One only needs to peruse the daily news to see the fallacy of that belief.

And yet, with very few exceptions, the bulk of two entire cruise industry segments (premium and luxury) steadfastly refuse to accept a passenger (on any itinerary) without a passport even though your “reading” says there’s “no problemo.”

And, yet, there are plenty of cruise lines that actually “would never allow the birth certificate as a valid document” (for all of the obvious reasons). It appears that you are the one who may be “exaggerating” with a baseless claim. in any case, International cruise travel without a passport, travel/medical insurance and adequate credit card limits remains a recipe for disappointment and inconvenience to self and others.

It appears that you seem to think that folks without a passport will get an automatic (and immediate) OK to their request to CBP et al. to fly home to the US without a passport. Not as easy as you may think. There can be significant time and associated expense to the unprepared passenger in making that “pass” happen (if it happens at all). Add to that the reality that there’s not a US embassy/consulate readily available in every port city. Worse still, the rest of us may experience delay of the ship because of one person’s bad travel choice (e.g., no or inappropriate passport for someone wanting/needing to leave the ship, fly home, etc.). And, yes, requiring all passengers on all itineraries to bring a valid passport actually does save ship’s personnel normally unnecessary support efforts to accommodate the ill-prepared passengers. And it’s that “worse still” scenario that is one of the main reasons why premium/luxury lines require them. It avoids the creation of potentially negative delay consequences for all the other rules-abiding passengers as well as for their staff. On the other hand, the practice of/incentive to those (mostly mass market) cruise lines that don’t require passports of all passengers on all itineraries is obvious. They don’t want to lose the revenues created by every last passenger - particularly those struggling to afford their product. And their concern for the burden it may place on their staff may not be all that important to the line’s management (after all, just look at their unfavorable crew:passenger ratios for evidence of that reality).

When it comes to unexpected problems while traveling abroad, a better observation might be “pay now or pay later.” (hopefully not followed by that other observation: “we told you so.”😳) Seriously: Have you ever given any thought to the reason why most (if not all) premium/luxury cruise lines require ALL passengers on ALL itineraries to have a valid passport? Could it be because their travel abroad knowledge/experience demonstrates that doing so eliminates all sorts of related and potentially significant problems for their passengers?

+1 😎

Traveling to ANY foreign country without a valid passport (just to save $$) is the poster child for “pennywise and pound foolish.” And if some folks who do (or want to) cruise/travel a lot aren’t preparing for unexpected emergencies that might include unplanned international flights, it’s a good bet that they’re not buying travel insurance either. Passports and Travel Insurance? Not necessary….. ……until it’s needed.😳

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/cruise-ship-rescues-68-migrants-finds-5-bodies-111274018

OOPS! I should’ve instead asked if they like those items - expecting the answer to be something like “too exotic.” (Of course, either could pass for a version of “chicken fried steak.”😎) The point I had hoped to make is that “picky” eaters sometimes never get past the name of a dish on a menu.

Some here might say that, perhaps, you should follow your own advice.

Did you not enjoy either the Wiener Schnitzel or Milanese di Vitello on O?

Regardless of what a cruise line’s advertising may say about not leaving without passengers on one of the ship’s tours that returns late, the truth is found in the fine print of your cruise Ticket Contract and Terms & Conditions. I’ve yet to see or hear of a cruise line that truly “guarantees” the performance of its contracted services (which can include ship’s shore excursions, pre/post cruise flights they arrange, etc). As the old saying goes: “Time and Tide wait for no man” (or woman). All sorts of things from weather to sea conditions to port labor issue and ship traffic can (and do) impact the ship’s time flexibility. And let’s not forget that the person with the final say about any changes to port arrival/departure times is the Port Captain (not the ship captain).

Oceania has solo cabins.

This is the Oceania forum. That said, I doubt you’re going to find all the menus online for any cruise line’s meal rotation (which can be longer than 2 weeks). Even then, there’s occasional variation in the rotations and specials, including the regional menus in the Terrace Café at certain ports. And, remember too that, with advance notice, O chefs will make custom dishes for you if the ingredients are readily available.

No disrespect meant. Rather, if you’re a “meat and potatoes” person, Oceania is probably not a good choice (unless you don’t mind paying the premium fare that covers all of the complex food ingredients/preps you won’t eat).

Ain’t that the truth!

Sounds like you may have forgotten about IHOP and Panda Express.😳 In all honesty, Oceania’s food may be a waste of your hard earned fare dollars given your apparently limited taste profile. And don’t hold your breath about ever seeing all of O’s quite varied menus on their website. Not going to happen and O regulars neither need nor want that.

I always chuckle when someone posts requests for hotel recommendations that “won’t break the bank” or are even just “reasonably priced.” Without a frame of reference, those terms are useless. And even when someone identifies a well respected property which, at $300/night they find reasonably priced for them, that rate may vary significantly due to all sorts of circumstances. Here’s a great cruise port example: Few folks will disagree that the Intercontinental in Miami is the best all around property for a pre-cruise stay in terms of location, amenities, service et al. And the price is often, IMO, “reasonable” at $300+\- per night. But, check the price during a convention or certain holidays and that $300 can easily be closer to $600.

If O listed everything they serve for dinner during an approx. 18 day menu rotation, it would take up way too much website real estate And, while a “steak” restaurant has a certain degree of appeal for folks who may not “get out much” at home (or who live in a culinary desert), Oceania has far more interesting menu offerings across its full array of dining venues. As for comparing O to Viking and Regent, let’s get real: Viking Ocean is nothing more than a competitor of upper end mass market lines like Celebrity and HAL. Where Viking “shines” is in its strategy of buying a ton of self-aggrandizing advertising that pretty much guarantees it glowing magazine reviews. As for Regent, it is quite similar to O except for its all-inclusive pricing. That said, however, most food oriented publication (and major metro news food reviews) have always placed O at the top of their cruise ship accolades list (and way ahead of Regent).

We’ve got Disneyland (the real one in SoCal) with grandkid coming up in several weeks. THEN, I’ll need a vacation! That said, hold on to your hats! We’re jumping ship from Oceania (briefly) to a Tauck Machu Picchu/Galapagos trip including a really small expedition ship. But, we’ll be back on O to Polynesia in February.

Oops - I got it wrong. Good news: 3 bags Bad news : 3 day turn around

One bag per cabin. On Marina, there’s a self serve free laundry on at least four different decks.

Dave Perhaps you don’t realize that the GDR and Terrace menus you’ve posted are for a single night. Those menus change daily! Also, you’ve neglected to post the specialty restaurant menus, which are varied and include daily specials. AND, your mention of a “one night only” specialty restaurant reservation erroneously suggests that you can only eat in those venues once during a cruise! There’s no charge for O specialty restaurants and you can eat in them nightly (space available). Finally, you mention dietary restrictions. If you contact O at least a month prior to embark, they’ll arrange a meeting with dining managers/chefs to start the process of custom tailoring your menu options. In all honestly, it sounds like you’ve not had much extensive experience with premium/luxury cruise lines like O. Certainly, none of the ones you mentioned can compare to O. But, it’s your choice. That said, however, you really need to do your homework regarding Oceania.

You can pre-request a cake and there are other items you can purchase. Make arrangements weeks prior to the cruise. If you do nothing and birthdates are correct on your cruise record, there’ll probably be a small individual baked good with candle if you’re dining at a specialty restaurant (or probably the GDR).

Just to be clear: On O ships, it’s called Grand Dining Room (and there are no reservations required).