Flatbush Flyer

Most importantly, it’s not so much that the Cart “has been” glitchy. Rather, it’s that the Cart “IS” glitchy - always has been and always will be. The O phone Reps are fine with booking excursions. They get credit for everything they sell and excursions are very easy to handle. You tell them what you want, they plug them in and then tell you the best way to book them (considering all program options).

Surely, it seems easier to have O do it. But, the trade off is that, should something go wrong with air to/from the cruise, those who sought the O “convenience” are then stuck trying to connect with O for necessary changes while I’ve already called the airline direct (or immediately went to the customer services desk at the airport). I’m then on the next available plane in that airline’s consortium while they’re needing to go through an unnecessary third partner (if they can get through to them e.g., on a weekend, multiple time zones away. If the squeamish would just take the time to use a tool like the ITA Matrix website search engine, they’d quickly know their options and could then just call their preferred airline and ask the rep to assist them in making the best choice and booking it for them.

Book now. If you like the changes with “Simply More,” it looks like there may be an option to switch (though expect a fare differential).

Despite your final good (?) news, the fact remains that the Cart is glitchy and the most efficacious way to book O tours is to connect directly with an O agent with whom you have had successful dealings.

As I often say here, NEVER use O Air, particularly for bizclass.

I read and strive to fully understand and comply with both the Ticket Contract and the Terms & Conditions for each and every O cruise. If in effect, I also review the current FAQs regarding Sail Safe provisions. And, when there are extra governmental requirements involved (e.g., visa and/or testing/vaccination requirements in play), I do the necessary research to find out (from each involved primary source) what are those regulations and do I fully understand them. It’s amazing how a little extra attention pre-cruise helps smooth any potential disagreements/problems, once you leave home for any travel.

They don’t historically stock absinthe (though with the new bar menu, maybe). They have had Peychaud’s bitters on occasion. I’ve occasionally brought a little atomizer with the absinthe and that works.

I think I’ll join you.

Please do say hi to Sioux from the “Flatbush Flyer.”

At first glance, perhaps. But, the cost per night of a 7 day cruise is often considerably more than the cost per night of a 7 week cruise. I just did several random comparisons of several Riviera 10+\- day cruises to several 5-7 week cruises and the longer cruises were all less expensive by $ hundreds per night.

Let’s hope so. Those cruise lines that want to reduce their own stress as well as the stress on passengers always require passports for all passengers on all itineraries.

I forgot to say “on the BIGGER scale of things.”😉

Everyone on O gets a 5% fare discount solely by doing a two segment booking (i.e., a “custom” cruise when they are not published as an “extended journey.”

Currently, O’s shortest cruises are 7 days, which earn 1 credit each. Twenty of them (i.e., 140 nights) would get you a 2 week cruise anywhere O goes. That would translate to 50 one week cruises on SS for a complimentary one. So, in that scenario (350 days using short cruises), you’d be getting 2 cruises on O compared to one on SS. No other cruise line that I’ve found comes close to O’s O Club benefits.

Not sure about SS’s FF treatment but, remember that O Club members as low as Silver( get free gratuities too and will soon have an itinerary dependent credit for excursions. Of course, O also includes air or air credit.

If that’s the case, OP has additional issue not the least of which is written permission from parents for travel and medical treatment. That said, savvy travelers would have passports for all in their party since, regardless of the cruis line’s requirements, an emergency with air involved would require passports.

ORV: don’t forget that I’m anxiously awaiting your observations regarding Clelford the CD.

You’re certainly entitled to your opinion but inaccuracies do need to be corrected: if O cancels a tour that you’ve already booked, you certainly do get a refund (to your onboard account) unless you replace it with another tour. If the cancelled tour was an O Life selection, you get the base $100 (which is no refundable as cash - only SBC (just like the SBC perk. If the cancelled tour is one for which you paid, that credit is refundable. And it is far more convenient to have it all happen automatically than trying to connect with some private tour operators, particularly those with varying cancelation policies. In any case, your rant is useless since the new “Simply More” promo replacing O Life will give you no choice. You’ll get SBC limited solely to use for tour purchases. Use it or lose it. BTW, O has many many tours that rely on 16 passenger van/busses. Just stay away from the tours that say “panoramic” because that’s where you may find up to 30+\- folks unless you opt for the OE version which is limited to no more than 10 people.

Never been charged extra for Sapphire (nor Hendricks). Gunpowder, however, is an upcharge (and worth it).

When we first started cruising with O (more than a decade ago), many of the bartenders were from Bali (collectively and lovingly referred to as the “Bali Boys”). And they pretty much all had attended some formal bartender prep program plus had land and/or cruise experience. Today, the bar crew is far more diversified (though there are Bali Boys scattered across the fleet). Both among those vets and the newer hires as well, the knowledge of classic/staple cocktails is more than adequate. However, like the food prep, there’s O’s standards for popular cocktails and then there’s the real thing. Ask for an unspecified SideCar and you’ll get a mix of well brandy, triple sec and citrus mixer. And therein lies the challenge: if you want a “classic” like a true SideCar, you’ll need to be specific (until the barkeeps know you). For example, when we order a SideCar, it’s VSOP Cognac (Hennessy preferred), Cointreau and fresh squeezed lemon juice (ask nicely and they’ll do it for you; treat them well and they’ll squirrel away a small supply as well). “How much does THAT cost?” you ask. For the most part, not a penny more than the well swill you’d get if you don’t make the “call.” Remember that, unless it’s on the “top shelf” of Cognacs and Scotches (or the occasional “special” pour like Gunpowder Irish gin or El Tesoro Anejo Tequila) items like Bombay Sapphire Gin are readily available without an extra charge. Now for the bad news: you will find some O bartenders stumped by some fairly standard cocktails for which O does not carry all the ingredients (Sazerac [which requires absinthe] and Aviation [which requires Creme de Violette] come to mind) or are only recently finding their way onto the menus of many cosmopolitan bars and lounges. Yes, ordering a “Corpse Reviver II” will get you a strange look. All that said, I’ve found most (but not all) O barkeeps to be eager to learn not only the composition of, but also the back story for, “newer” (to them) items that are increasingly being requested.

Add me to the list of food quality is still excellent overall.

So, where does Clelford fit in your ranking of the Oceania CDs you’ve experienced?

+1

One doesn’t need to have a “refined palate” to figure out that most of the listed wines in the packages are just plain “bad.”

With only occasional exceptions, the wine-by-the-glass menu for the basic (and same for the upgrade) program is composed of quite mediocre wines that would retail for about $10/bottle in the U.S. (think about the bottom row in the supermarket wine section). And when there is addition of a decent inexpensive wine (e.g., Arboleda Carmenere or a Donnafugata white blend appear occasionally), news travels fast and the supply is quickly depleted. Same is true for the sparkling wine: usually low end European stuff but, once in a rare while, a NorCal sparkler like Schramsberg Mirabelle shows up (but will be gone within a few days if it’s arrival on the ship).