ORV

From some information I recently found out there are going to be some very disappointed “legacy” guests.

This just reaffirms what many regulars have said for years. For the most part when you call a customer service representative you may or may not get correct information. This is why it’s so important to use a knowledgeable Travel Agent. But I’m not going to beat my head against the wall trying to convince anyone of this. You either get it or you don’t.

Everything Gary said in his post. Here’s the best thing to do. Watch it once to familiarize yourself with the process. For all subsequent emails just delete them. When you get on board do what they tell you concerning checking in at your muster station. Once you get in your room watch it on the TV to unlock the TV. After that go about your business and enjoy your cruise.

Also the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic would probably have some excellent recommendations about this area.

We had the pizza last night. While I’m not one of those that thinks they know what’s the best pizza is I’ll just say we enjoyed it quite a bit. Had a nice 2024 Lagunitas IPA beer to go with it. Great for a change of pace. I find the regular Terrace pizza lousy.

In a perfect world option A is easily done. Since we don’t live in a perfect world I’d do option B. So many things can happen.

We made the port of Torshavn in the Faroe Islands, so I think we’re fortunate in that, as I hear that it’s frequently missed. It is rainy and chilly, but we’re here. We have a tour this afternoon. Glad I brought a rain jacket. Excellent dinner last night in Polo. Ordered a filet medium rare as I like it medium and I always hear that they over cook them. It came medium rare. 😊it was very good.

The crew moves from ship to ship, they are not always on the same one. On this cruise there are at least a half dozen or more that were on our Regatta cruise out of San Pedro(LA) in April. Oceania has many long time experienced staff that have been all over the world. So in essence being in the USA is not new to many of them.

I have not tried the pizza yet, but our cruise just started.

Actually that was yesterday afternoon. I’m 6 hours ahead of CST It’s because its coming to the US. Steve Campbell, from UK, Leeds. I think I’ve seen him before but can’t remember when

Third ship this year and third champagne. This one’s a winner

I’m currently on Nautica and the CD mentioned something I did not know on his morning TV talk. We’ve had US Coast Guard inspections and this was the reason we couldn’t embark a couple of days ago until 3pm. Being in Scotland this seems out of the ordinary and he said it was because Nautica has not been to the US in 20 years or more. I don’t know if he is right or not but thought that was interesting. So far have enjoyed the food and service. The previous cruise missed quite a few ports due to weather. We’ll see how this one shakes out. While I don’t really plan on doing a day to day live from report I’ll probably post a few observations here. We are in Kirkwall Orkney Islands today and it is rainy and windy. I was just here about a year ago so I’ll probably make it a ship day.

We’re stuck in the lock because of a technical issue with the lock. Hope that doesn’t effect free drinks from the Captain.

Is your cruise about over? We’re gone until 9/12. Hopefully it’ll cool off by then.

We couldn’t board Nautica yesterday until 3 pm, I feel cheated. Of course I’ve known this for a couple of months now, but they cost me a lunch. I’m going to ask for some OBC. The nerve of them. Actually it was 2:30, 🕝 Oh well, at least we had a shuttle today 🤓

So, Nautica does have an evening pizza setup, I’ll try to have it in a day or two. Maybe tonight after the Captain’s party. I’ll be in great shape to judge it by then. So far I’ve had 2 meals in the Terrace and 1 in Waves. They’ve all been pretty good 👍. Strawberries, blackberries, mango and pineapple were all delicious this AM.

We took a tour to St Andrew’s today. Enjoying the walk around town. I think it’s going to be in the 90s all week at home.

Jan are you up late or up early? Meanwhile it’s a beautiful day in Edinburgh. A little cloudy ⛅️ but with some sun. Should be around 60 f today.

If the roles would have been reversed I would have made plans accordingly and did my best to enjoy my vacation. Life’s too short to let little things eat you up. I’m just happy to be alive and be able to travel, physically and financially. I would say the complaints are what's revealing. Hope things get better for you.

All I know is that I’ve been booked on Nautica for 23 months and my invoice has always said Leith. Probably the reason yours was changed is that it’s a port stop and not an embark or debark. But it is very common practice for cruise lines to port well over an hour from the cities they advertise where they stop. They have been doing it for years. In most instances it’s up to the passengers to determine how to get to the main city. I could give you a long list but I don’t see any reason to. Anyone with cruise experience knows this is the way it is. Now if your itinerary advertised Leith as your port stop all along and changed it at the last minute I can see how you would be annoyed. But they also reserve that right. You have had a couple of months to make plans. Enjoy your cruise.

I believe Nautica has been scheduled for Leith for months. This is nothing new. There are many ports where the city proper is not easily accessed. Cruise lines have been running this way for years. You just need to plan accordingly. I’m waiting for my flight to Edinburgh as I post this.

I’ve noticed most of them do that.

You are 200% correct and it was a lesson learned and now always applied.

We were in a PH on a cruise and not only was our butler able to get us an extra reservation he also was able to add some friends of ours that were in an inside cabin to the reservation. But, there are no absolutes, many factors involved in any of these situations.

Let me confuse the issue even more. You can take five 24 day cruises and will only be Bronze. Yet you will have 120 days. Or you can take ten 7 day cruises and be Silver at 70 days. Did that help any?