Flatbush Flyer

Not sensible for Celebrity since all it does is interfere with cabin stewards ability to do their work.

O Life items are not specified in your online account. That said, and at least for the tours, I recommend that you call O directly to make the purchases and get a copy of the PrePurchased Shore Excursions PDF which shows all the math for tours and other optional purchases (including all the Ultimate O Life items. Don’t use the Cart on the web- it’s very glitchy. Also it won’t allow booking multiple tours per person in a single day (e.g., AM & PM). And if you want to cancel a tour, you have to call anyway. Some folks here will recommend using your TA to do the bookings. Not all TAs fully understand strategizing the combo of O Life and YWYW.

And read the Ticket Contract too. Lots of info that dispels so many misconceptions by passengers. My “favorite” one is “The ship will wait for you.”

Our preferred line is Oceania. Their regular O Life pricing includes economy air tix across the US or to any embarkation port worldwide. If you prefer to DIY, the cruise fare is reduced- thus giving you an air credit. In fact, if you book a “combo cruise” of two or more consecutive segments, you’ll get a fare discount and the air credit for each segment if you prefer to DIY air. On an intercontinental flight that’s a “chunk of change.” This is yet another reason to not compare just cabin prices for a cruise. Always look at the “net daily rate” of a cruise. It includes ALL required and optionally desired add-ons (which will be additional costs on mass market lines but partially or completely included on premium/luxury lines).

Pretty much every mass market line. Premium/luxury lines include some combination of all sorts of things that are extra on mass market lines including non-alcoholic beverages, wifi, specialty dining, SBC, tours, booze, airfare (or air credit). In fact, if you go beyond looking only at cabin fares for price comparisons (and add in the value of necessary and/or optional items), you may be surprised when you do a true bottom line comparison.

You pay for those included excursions in your fare. And, if it’s like the regular O Life perk, the included “allowable” tours are probably those under $200 pp and w/o special designations like OS, OE, GL, etc.

The CC search engine uses Boolean queries. Actually, pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

And, during that “some time,” all sorts of folks will have to avoid and/or trip over their unnecessarily cumbersome items as they are dragged all over the ship.

“Buy”? There are cruise lines that provide all non-alcoholic beverages at no extra charge. On our preferred line, our cabin fridge is restocked daily with Pellegrino water and our favorite soft drinks. Specialty coffees (cappuccino, latte, etc), Specialty restaurants, WiFi- all are included in the fare. Of course, my cabin fare may appear higher than the line you’re used to. But, look at the bottom line of your proposed trip (including your desired extras) and then compare your “net daily cost” to mine. You might be very surprised! BTW: Doing an intercontinental cruise? Is your airfare (or an air credit for DIY) included in that mAs market cruise line cabin fare? Always do the bottom line “net daily rate” math for cruises.

Aragosta Fra Diavola in Toscana - almost as good as Nona’s.

If you’re talking about non-alcoholic beverages (like water and sodas, which you pay for on many other cruise lines), there’s no charge for those on Oceania.

I know a great one. However, you may want to read the Cruise Critic rules: No discussion of TAs allowed. That said, you can use the Search feature on CC. Several of us have posted fairly detailed comments on how to find a good cruise specialist TA. And, yes, the right TA can add perks, share commissions, etc.

With the lifting of mandatory testing and vax requirements across the cruise industry in recent months, it’s easy to understand why there’s far more displays of respiratory issues onboard than a year ago when controls were in place.

Our cabin fridge is stocked daily with Pellegrino.

Perhaps NCL is trying to get you to move up to their partner premium/luxury lines- Oceania and Regent. Or, perhaps FDR is using the NCLH cash cow (NCL) to keep his baby, Oceania, unchanged even as it now celebrates its 20th anniversary.

If you tend to have motion sickness, the last thing you want to do is to get an interior room. For most folks, in order to avoid motion sickness, your eyes and ears need to have the same cues. IMG_2847.MOV

Room service (24/7) menu on the TV.

Sounds like you need to get a new MD.

I didn’t know that.

Saturday evenings (EST) are web maintenance times. Accounts are locked during that time.

Hampton Inns are usually consistent decent lower mid-range hotels - part of the Hilton family of properties. As a rule, we prefer a more comfortable/convenient setting with better sleep et al. amenities and noteworthy “in house” dining. And since we travel a lot, we’ve found that Intercontinental properties generally best meet our needs and preferences and do so at a value laden price with locations in many major metro cruise ports, We’ve stayed at numerous IC properties pre/post cruises including New York, L.A., S.F. San Diego, Miami, Athens, Sydney and, most recently, in Tahiti. We also like some of IC’s sister Kimpton properties (e.g., the Vivadora in Barcelona). And I am convinced that IC family hotels (as a rule) treat their frequent visitors very well.

Search here on CC for my several detailed posts about finding a good cruise specialist TA.

All non-alcoholic beverages are included in your fare - anyplace at anytime (including stocking your cabin fridge).

One more item: No matter what your cruise “boarding pass” (or other cruise line correspondence) says, always check with the local port authority regarding your ship’s location within 24 hrs of embarkation. Ships can be moved for all sorts of reasons to a berth on the next pier or even in the next town (in major world ports).

The Intercontinental: Best hotel for Miami cruisers (particularly if you have FF and/or Ambassador status.