cotto22

We had originally taken Oceania's air without deviation, but after a disastrous trip this summer that literally took me 5 days (a very long story) to get from Houston to Bangor, Maine, I asked our TA to change our arrival a day earlier. I did not want out cruise to start out with any stress!

The entertainment on our last Regent cruise was not all that great, but it was well attended. What was the alternative rather than sitting in a bar looking at the water, which is fine, don't get me wrong!

  We attended a few, but other than Lovena Fox and a performance by one of the bar's jazz pianist playing classical music, we were not mesmerized! I don't think our low expectations of cruise entertainment have been exceeded all that often, but that is not the reason we cruise. If we leave a performance raving about a performance, it is a bonus.

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I am not a fan of  comedians & magicians either  

Somtimes you do not know  who you will see

Before  they changed the entertainment company they had a lot more solo  musicians   which we enjoyed

DH became friends with some  & still keeps intouch 

Hope you have some good acts

Enjoy

 

You know how some people absolutely hate clowns? Well that is how I feel about magicians! 

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Who is the lecturer?

 

Verne Lundquist. I am not a big college sports enthusiast, but my son is very familiar with him. I think he should be entertaining.

They have been touting our guest lecturer for months, and our cruise doesn't leave until October 30th!

We saw Lovena Fox too! She was good. I wasn't impressed with the lecturer on the only other Oceania cruise we were on, which might explain why I don't recall his name. We also enjoyed the crew's production at the end of the cruise. Some of them were better than the paid entertainers!

If seasickness is an issue, you might consider the patch. It is available by prescription, and the only side effect I had was that I was thirstier than normal. Dramamine makes me sleepy. I have tried the ginger chews, and although tasty, they did not do much for me. Can't comment on the bands. Just a suggestion!

We did a TA on Insignia in September 2014 from Southampton to NY via Canada.It was a wonderful cruise, although we did have a bought of rough weather that had us skipping a stop in Cork. We have cruised on some very large ships years ago (Cunard for our honeymoon and a second honeymoon before the birth of our first child), and then a Norwegian family cruise sometime later. After that, we have been on smaller ships, and enjoyed them tremendously.

  Personally, I think the decision to stay with Insignia or go with one of the larger Oceania ships might well depend on the itinerary. Some TA cruises only hit a few ports, while others are much more interesting! All seem to offer a nice number of sea days. The Insignia northern Atlantic that we were on had some lovely ports and some very nice days at sea with planned activities on board for those who were interested and lots of great dining as well! 

  I would not hesitate to try a TA on one of the larger Oceania ships if the itinerary was right. Our next cruise will be on Riviera, and we are looking forward to it at the end of October.

  Hope you enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide!

We did a Seabourn Caribbean several years ago that was dirt cheap. We had a balcony, lots of perks, and had a nice time, except for the customs in Miami. But if we did another one, I would probably stay on the ship and skip the islands. There are reasons for this, but too complicated to describe here. But I agree, view the ship as a floating resort and enjoy the trip.

Thanks!

3 hours ago, GrammieK said:

Cotto22-

yes, it has to be done onboard, but it was very easy for us. We went to reception and arranged for the upgrade and new "keys" were issued immediately. 

 

Happy cruising!

 

k

Totally agree about the avatar. Had to cover it with my hand to read the post! We would like to upgrade from the standard to the premium, but were told by our TA that it has to be done onboard. Hopefully it will be an easy process.

Guess I need packing lessons then! 

On 6/14/2019 at 2:46 PM, LHT28 said:

there is  irons & boards in the laundry rooms

plus the free pressings can be used anytime

I use mine  close to the end of the cruise then they go in the suitcase  😉

Why would you have clothes ironed and then put them in a suitcase where they will immediately get wrinkled? Just curious!

23 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

Go with the Owners Suite.   Only a slight bit more.   But well worth it.  👍

There is a $4,000 pp difference on our cruise between the PH and Owner's suites. That is a little more than slight in my bankbook! I know I would really enjoy the Owners suite, however, I am not sure the price difference would be worth it!

We have only been on Oceania once, on a TA on Insignia in 2014. We are currently looking forward to our second cruise this coming October on the Riviera. Laundry facilities on Insignia in 2014 were free. I was surprised when I read on the boards that we had to buy tokens to use the machines, actually surprised is not really the correct word, more like shocked. It seemed a little tacky to charge for the machines. On our most recent cruise on Regent, the machines were free.

  Is the thought that spending a few dollars on laundry will actually reduce the number of people using the machines? What is the alternative? Dirty clothes of spending 10 times more to have it done by the cruise line? I think we get some laundry done for free, but I am a picky about a lot of my clothes, and would prefer to wash them myself. My husband is not so picky.

  We have always had to wait for machines at various times. Sometimes it is a nice way to meet your fellow passengers.

On the only other Oceania cruise we have been on, I booked several private tours in Ireland and one in Canada that we shared through CC, and we joined one with another couple through CC. It worked out well, so I was planning on doing that again, and I have done some preliminary research. One of the reasons I looked at the ship's offerings was that I started to fill out a form online for Oceania, and there was a box that said that no excursions had been chosen, which i inferred that I could choose them! I then looked to see if there were a date someplace online, and thought I saw 240 days, but truthfully did not do the math. I know we are no where's near the time to make specialty restaurant reservations though! 

  Thanks for the words of wisdom.

We are also booked for a cruise in October, and every single shore excursion is marked as closed or sold out. I will post on my roll call, but as there are only 6 members so far, I am not sure what results I will get! We would like to do some private tours, but possibly one or two ship tours if they sounded interesting. We just booked the cruise on Wednesday, so I really have not had a chance to even look at the excursions. I am not a happy camper at the moment!

We are using Regent's flight deviation in September to spend a few extra days in the San Francisco area after an Alaskan cruise. The cruise arrives in San Francisco, but we are returning home out of San Jose, as we will be staying in Sunnyvale to celebrate our grandson's first birthday. Originally, we were scheduled to depart from SFO, but there was so extra charge to leave from San Jose.

We are returning to Regent (Mariner Vancouver to San Francisco) in September after being on Silversea several times and most recently a TA on Oceania. We were very happy with our experience on Oceania especially regarding the food and bar areas. The cocktails in the Martini bar were perfection, and my husband is somewhat hard to please.

I have done 2 TA, one on Voyager, and one on the Oceania Insignia. I am prone to motion sickness, so I wear the patch. I had no issues at all on Voyager. On Insignia, we hit very bad storms, as the ship went a northerly route to Canada, and we were shipbound (not allowed outside) for a couple of days. One evening, there was a poltergeist in our cabin, throwing glassware around and breaking things in the bathroom. Very exciting. Even during that, the patch did its job and I was not queasy at all. I think if you are prepared, and have the right cabin, you should be fine. Hopefully, the weather gods will cooperate!

I would not hesitate to do another TA. They is lots to do, with cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, trivia, lectures, etc.

Also on this cruise, so following.

I suppose I am missing the point here too. I realize we are all getting more casual. People wear jeans and sneakers or flip flops to church and shorts are acceptable in many fine dining restaurants. But there are dress codes. Schools have them. Businesses have them. Even shopping malls make you wear shoes and shirts.

Are we bemoaning the fact that men don't wear sports jackets or that they don't have to wear sports jackets? To me, it is kind of like prayer in school. No one makes you pray in school anymore, but no one prohibits it either. I would rather be overdressed that underdressed anytime. Sometimes I like to get dressed up, put on the jewelry and sparkle, But after a long day in port, I may not want to hassle with the gown and heels.

I found the 2 formals, 2 informals and elegant casual on Silver Sea to be rather a pain in the neck at times. It was too regimented and with luggage restrictions, to hard to pack for. I am looking forward to our next Regent Cruise, the first in many years, and hopefully we won't have to worry about jeans, shorts, or backward hats!

The thought of buffet line in 90 degree heat with or without a baseball cap is not pleasant. Personally, I am not a fan of baseball caps on anyone inside, but it is a common practice in Texas. So are men in shorts and flip flops in very nice restaurants when I think they should know better, but clearly I am not in charge of anyone's dress except mine (and perhaps my husband's at times).

I know cruising is a relaxing vacation, but putting on a nice pair of slacks and a decent shirt at dinner shouldn't cause that much stress, should it? Perhaps it is easier for women; I rather like to, but I don't want to generalize.

Anyway, enjoying this thread.

Currently on the Mariner Transcanal. Found demographic much older than we are. Worried that the cruise we have planned for Alaska in September will be a problem for our 28 year old daughter and her boyfriend. Should we switch to Oceania?

On our one and only Oceania cruise, we had so many older cruisers that 3 or 4 suffered health emergencies and were removed from the cruise either at a port or by helicopter. There were wheel chairs and scooters everywhere. There were a lot of cruisers in their 50's and 60's too, but very few under 30.

That being said, if I had been invited to cruise with my parents when I was 28, I would have jumped at the chance and enjoyed every single moment.