Flatbush Flyer

Like the GDR, the Terrace Café has lunch and dinner service with published time spans of several hours each. That’s when you can order beer and wine that’s included in the basic booze package.

So, the traditional wine-by-the-glass list with 12-15 mediocre items and a handful of unthrilling beers, will be expanded to include a few more losers and some non-alcoholic items. It’ll still be the “house select package.”

As any geezer originally from Brooklyn would say: FUGGEDABOUTIT!😎

Not my responsibility to read everyone’s other threads. Comprehensive, freestanding questions and similarly detailed answers are what makes for data-informed cruiser decision making.

Uncalled for. “Sideways” says nothing.

In that case, it appears that you are asking for a refund of the tour price as compensation for a bad experience. That has nothing to do with my previous explanation. The mechanics of your O Life/YWYW arrangements won’t change. The only unknown then is what, if anything, you’ll get as compensation (0%, 50%, 100% or something in between). The one definite I can say is get it handled before you leave the ship.

As yet, no one here has posted a decent summary of the big picture of “Simply More” as it is currently understood. Although unverifiable, what follows here is the best summary I could find, apparently written by a TA who attended a recent O webinar. FWIW: NOTICE: Oceania changes coming July 1, 2023 Hello members, I created the following notes from an Oceania webinar yesterday. On July 1, 2023, a new program begins, and an old friend is retired. Olife is being replaced by a program called simplyMORE. Beginning July 1, 2023, all bookings sailing after Oct 1, 2023, will include simplyMORE. The program is designed to be more inclusive and much simpler to understand. Some of the highlights are noted below. • All bookings include FREE champagne, wine, and more with over 30 alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices for lunch and dinner. Comparable to what you think of now as House Select Beverage Package. You will be able to upgrade the simplyMORE drink package for $30 per person per day and you will be able to upgrade prior to embarkation. • All simplyMORE bookings include a shore excursion credit. There will be a group of excursions to choose from using your credit. Unlike Olife, with simplyMORE you can choose to apply your credit to any excursion. You will be responsible for the difference in cost that exceeds the credit. simplyMORE shore excursion credits are: 7-9 days $600 per stateroom, 10-13 days $800, 14-18 days $1,000, 19-24 days $1,200, 25-30 days $1,400, 31-35 days $1,600. • FREE Unlimited Wi-Fi for both people booked in a stateroom! Vista is already outfitted with Starlink. Other ships will be upgrading soon. • When you choose air with simplyMORE, transfers will now be included. • When you choose cruise-only fare under the simplyMORE program you are excluding air only, all of the other amenity changes outlined will be included. Current bookings will have the choice to stay as is or change to simplyMORE. If you change to simplyMORE, you will be subject to repricing the booking. You do not get to add simplyMORE to an existing booking at your current pricing. Please don’t try to change an existing booking now, this program is not implemented yet. Your TA and Oceania will not be able to provide you with a comparison quote yet. As for me, I really appreciate FREE Unlimited Wi-Fi for 2 and being able to pick from all shore excursions using my excursion credit. More details to come. Please hold your questions until there is more information with the understanding that this is preliminary.

“Sideways?” if O cancels an O Life $0 tour onboard, you can immediately request a refund (you sign a form at DS), which will always be the base $100/tour OR you can add a replacement tour. Note, however that, whatever you do, your DS account should then auto-adjust and the next most expensive of your already booked/O Life qualifying paid tours (not already an $0 O Life one) will then fill the vacant O Life slot and you will be credited whatever you had paid for it (this is usually done near the end of the segment/cruise). If the O cancelled O Life tour was counted in your meeting the minimum number of cruises for YWYW, you should not lose the existing discount on any paid YWYW discounted tours (existing or newly added). “Sideways?” If you are saying that O somehow assigned you to a tour you did not select pre-cruise and admits it, the same as above should happen. But, if YOU cancelled the O Life tour, O technically owes you zip. But, you can always negotiate and, if the person at the DS desk says no, you can always ask to talk with the DS manager. This is why your having (and understanding) a copy of the “prepurchased shore excursions” PDF is so important. It allow you to quickly figure out what adjustments should happen for cancellations and how best to do any replacement. And this is another reason why relying on your TA to fix it while your at sea is not the smartest idea. In addition, as a cruise segment nears its end, I strongly recommend requesting a copy of your DETAILED onboard account (the one that lists the details of each tour rather than the simplified version without specific details). Not all DS staff (or even Guest Services staff) know how to retrieve the more detailed account printout. So, a manager can always do it. Also, if you don’t have the “prepurchased shore excursions” PDF, DS should also be able to print it. But, theirs will be updated rather than the original. So do have the original (or most up-to-date precruise one that you know was correct for all that happened with your tours pre-cruise) with you since it trumps everything in any disagreement with DS. This is not as complicated as it may seem. When all goes as it should, there should be no problems. I just want you and others to know the mechanics in case something does go FUBAR.

Call the Visa office at the embassy or a regional consulate (e.g., San Francisco)

With only a short time left before O Life fades into the sunset, here’s the current basics regarding the best practices for the purchase of O’s excursions: Firstly, get a copy of the most current “shore excursions” PDF for your cruise (call O). When you do, you’ll find that it is far easier to use for planning than the O website. You’ll also learn that the PDF and the web listings often don’t jive completely. BTW: on the first page of that PDF, you’ll find your cruise’s required number of tours (per person) you must have to qualify for the 25% Your World Your Way discount if it is available (note that your O Life allotted tours count in that minimum). You may also see the cost of the Unlimited Passport Collection which has a cruise-specific flat fee that gets you your choice of any O Life allowable tours (most of those under $200) plus 40% discount on paid ones. However, note that, in all but the rarest situations, YWYW is always the better deal. Pick your provided perk number of O Life allowable tours per person (remember that the tours perk is per cabin) and any desired extra paid tour per person necessary to qualify for the total four tours/person for YWYW on your itinerary. Next, use the O website tours section to mock book. Then go to the cart and check the YWYW button for each person. The total bottom line cost should then adjust (but the individual $ next to each tour will probably make zero sense). The system online is very glitchy. Do not purchase the tours there. So, before you put anything in the Cart, do your selection calculations on your own spreadsheet and then proceed to that mock tour booking to see if your total matches the Cart’s total. Make sure that your calculations assign $0 to your allotment of O Life tours with priority given to the most expensive ones. The Cart does that automatically if you select the YWYW button at the top for each person. Note that the Cart will also automatically use any Oceania provided SBC (listed in your cruise’s account) to pay down the balance due (unless you indicate otherwise). If you want to proceed with the purchase, you’ll need to provide your credit card info. BUT….. If your own bottom line calculation and the Cart’s bottom line match you should now NOT buy the tours online. Rather, call O and have the phone rep do the booking. Again, the Cart (including its memory of your choices) is VERY glitchy. Note, sadly, that not all O phone reps are created equal. So, you may need to try several initial calls to find one that works for you (and when you do, get his/her direct phone extension and email address). But there is a core group that are excellent and, even if you used a TA, you can do optional purchases direct with O (which we have done for years). Our TA is extremely knowledgeable. Yet we DIY the tours. Why? As good as your TA might be, s/he will not be onboard with you when there’s an emergent problem. AND, perhaps most importantly, DIYing the O Life/YWYW tours gains you a very good understanding of the tour policies (maybe even more than some of the Destination Services staff onboard) and you will /should get (ask nicely but demand if necessary) a PDF of the “pre-purchased shore excursions that shows all the math of your transaction. This document is extremely important -particularly when O misses a port or otherwise cancels one or more of your tours. It trumps everything else in a staff whizzing match when the onboard tour modification “poop hits the fan.” Some others here may say just let your TA do it. Again, the TA won’t be standing next to you when you have an emergent Destination Services issue. And fully understanding the policies (thanks to DIY and that “prepurchased PDF) puts you way ahead in any disagreement.

I’ve already suggested using the search feature, which is what I too would have to do (and won’t). Others have asked CC moderators to make a couple of my detailed and accurate O Life and YWYW posts into “stickies.” But, that hasn’t happened (nor is it likely to happen since O Life will soon be replaced by Simply More. That said, here are the basics: Firstly, get a copy of the most current “shore excursions” PDF for your cruise (call O). When you do, you’ll find that it is far easier to use for planning than the O website. You’ll also learn that the PDF and the web listings often don’t jive completely. BTW: on the first page of that PDF, you’ll find your cruise’s required number of tours (per person) you must have to qualify for the 25% Your World Your Way discount if it is available (note that your O Life allotted tours count in that minimum). You may also see the cost of the Unlimited Passport Collection which has a cruise-specific flat fee that gets you your choice of any O Life allowable tours (most of those under $200) plus 40% discount on paid ones. However, note that, in all but the rarest situations, YWYW is always the better deal. Pick your provided perk number of O Life allowable tours per person (remember that the tours perk is per cabin) and any desired extra paid tour per person necessary to qualify for the total four tours/person for YWYW on your itinerary. Next, use the O website tours section to mock book. Then go to the cart and check the YWYW button for each person. The total bottom line cost should then adjust (but the individual $ next to each tour will probably make zero sense). The system online is very glitchy. Do not purchase the tours there. So, before you put anything in the Cart, do your selection calculations on your own spreadsheet and then proceed to that mock tour booking to see if your total matches the Cart’s total. Make sure that your calculations assign $0 to your allotment of O Life tours with priority given to the most expensive ones. The Cart does that automatically if you select the YWYW button at the top for each person. Note that the Cart will also automatically use any Oceania provided SBC (listed in your cruise’s account) to pay down the balance due (unless you indicate otherwise). If you want to proceed with the purchase, you’ll need to provide your credit card info. BUT….. If your own bottom line calculation and the Cart’s bottom line match you should now NOT buy the tours online. Rather, call O and have the phone rep do the booking. Again, the Cart (including its memory of your choices) is VERY glitchy. Note, sadly, that not all O phone reps are created equal. So, you may need to try several initial calls to find one that works for you (and when you do, get his/her direct phone extension and email address). But there is a core group that are excellent and, even if you used a TA, you can do optional purchases direct with O (which we have done for years). Our TA is extremely knowledgeable. Yet we DIY the tours. Why? As good as your TA might be, s/he will not be onboard with you when there’s an emergent problem. AND, perhaps most importantly, DIYing the O Life/YWYW tours gains you a very good understanding of the tour policies (maybe even more than some of the Destination Services staff onboard) and you will /should get (ask nicely but demand if necessary) a PDF of the “pre-purchased shore excursions that shows all the math of your transaction. This document is extremely important -particularly when O misses a port or otherwise cancels one or more of your tours. It trumps everything else in a staff whizzing match when the onboard tour modification “poop hits the fan.” Some others here may say just let your TA do it. Again, the TA won’t be standing next to you when you have an emergent Destination Services issue. And fully understanding the policies (thanks to DIY and that “prepurchased PDF) puts you way ahead in any disagreement.

As others are trying to tell you, the SBC option in O Life has zero added value: you get the same $ onboard that you paid extra for in the O Life cabin fare. And it’s non-refundable. in the meantime, what concerns me is that folks here keep talking about a notice on another Social Media platform that, like TAs, cannot be discussed on Cruise Critic. Now if they could just take a pic or two of the info (as long as it’s actually coming from Oceania’s own corporate group and not one of the ever growing number of desperate TA’s sponsored groups), I’m guessing that the anonymous info (without any mention of the specific Social Media platform) would be perfectly ok.

“Cruise only” can also be done with air.

A not-so-better difference. A credit (which you’ve paid for in the “new” O Life type fare, as opposed to a base value that could be doubled by picking the right allowable tours in the old O Life will just be a “wash” like the old SBC.

That’s what Dom would have you believe. None of their stuff has ever impressed me as justifying the outrageous pricing. I’ll stick with NorCal sparklers like Scharffenberger and Roederer.

“Other premium?” No matter how it’s packaged, “ship within a ship” is still a mass market wannabe.

You can always tell the folks who packed only a single carryon. 😳 We do longer cruises of mostly 3 to 7 weeks and pack for an approx.10 day span thus relying on doing laundry at appropriate transitions. Unless we’re including snorkel or other significant outdoor items (occasionally in their own <20” rollaboard), we’re fine with each having our own 27” Briggs & Riley “compressible” hardside suitcase and our own small handheld B&R “stackable” for valuables/medicines/electronics/travel docs. Once onboard, we then use the open 27” ones for under-bed extra storage.

On an iPhone, hold the $ sign key down and the available icons for pounds, euros, etc will appear. Slide you finger to the one you want and let go (£, €….).

Based on past promotions, what you will probably get is an opportunity to rebook though there will be a price differential. The unknown is how that differential will be calculated.

Our most recent FP visit involved two segments earlier this year: SYD-SYD (incl. OZ) and SYD-PPT. Land stays in SYD before and PPT after. We really wanted to add PPT-LAX (or SFO). But Regatta would be doing several short segments around FP and, as enticing as a few weeks in FP sounded, it was not a Plan A for us. That said, among our favorite cruises are TransPacifics. And it only takes one to eliminate the Caribbean from future cruise considerations.

For example, try cruising SYD to PPT. Before getting to Polynesia, two customs agents board the ship at an earlier port, enjoy a sea day aboard and then do a ”face-to-face” (including a stamp) prior to arrival at a FP island. Though not a cruise nor military ship (rather, California’s Golden Bear), had Australian authorities come aboard at HMAS Kuttabul to clear us on board for both entry and exit.

Flying or cruising, lots of countries have abandoned stamps and now use scanning of chipped passports for ETAs

Country Fair is a hoot. There’s also a boat building contest added and special event for transoceanic “line crossings” (e.g., equator and IDL).

Recently broke open the piggy-bank to book a 2.5 week land/sea trip to Peru in Sept. 2024 (including the Galapogos and Machu Picchu). It’s a combo of a 40 passenger expedition ship and mostly Belmond hotels. Definitely, a bucket list item at $15k per person (not including the air). Given the reputation of the tour company we’re using, it should be money well spent. FWIW: when it comes to an example of a $14,000 per person cruise that would be OK with me, 6 weeks in a veranda cabin (with O Life and O Club Platinum perks) on Oceania (before TA rebate) sounds about right for something with assured quality and value. Moreover, I am convinced that many infrequent travelers are unaware of the contemporary cost of international trips (land and/or water) which can easily top $300 per person per day at the bottom line of all planned expenses.

Orv- Thanks for the quick onboard review of Riviera. Glad that you got to the ship on time but it’s worth repeating for others who might want to chance it: “…an hour and half delay out of DFW.” Though there’s always hope for a change, I’m sad to say that you’re stuck with O’s worst CD, John Clelford. (You can search here on CC for some of the comments about his seeming disinterest in his job and the passengers [personally witnessed on two other O cruises]). And it appears he’s still insisting on creating “super spreader” events by holding Trivia in Martini’s (last time we were on an O ship with him during the Covid era restart, multiple complaints to the GM finally got a change of venue back to the lounge). Enjoy the cruise and please keep us posted.