IWantToLiveOverTheSea

Unfortunately, I seldom wear anything with pockets on a cruise, hence the lanyard! But I agree that the bungie thing is quite useful, and popular.

I know most people don't like lanyards, but I prefer to use one while on the ship, since I don't usually carry a purse or even a phone. There are some very nice lanyards on Etsy.com. Just make sure the lanyard itself comes with a card holder badge - or buy a small package at an office supply store, or Amazon or whatever.

Sorry, commented on this and then realized my response was not relevant, so deleted it.

I may have mentioned this before, but if not: We really enjoyed Hotel Granvia. It was around $150, included a nice breakfast, and was located in the area I prefer for Barcelona (L'Example, near Placa Catalunya).

This isn't exactly the situation described, but I was able to change to a different room (same room category) when I saw that a room I had wanted had become available. I had to get my non-Oceania travel advisor to call Oceania, but that was no big deal. However, the change didn't impact Olife/SimplyMORE amenities, so it was a simple change. And I had not made final payment yet. Final payment isn't for a month or so, therefore I'm curious what you find out, Rainbow. My travel agent's been on vacation but I was going to call him next week, as before SM launched, I figured I might possibly buy Olife for the excursion amenity. This will be for my first Asian cruise, and there are a few ports that might be a bit of a challenge to do on my own, so I'll likely spend more time and money than usual on Oceania excursions..

I'm not familiar with that vendor or guide. And I haven't used too many private guides. However, when I have (2019, Bali was last time we did a totally private tour), I found that the guide pretty much kept his space when needed, and it seemed just about right to me. I think if we had wanted him to escort us more, or stick closer to us, he would have. But we like to pretty much just take advantage of the transportation, and like having basic info and then going off a little (but not totally) on our own, as long as we can see the guide, and ask him/her questions when we wanted. I'm not very outgoing but I don't uncomfortable with silence and assume guides are OK with it. Our guide in Bali was wonderful, but I suppose if you wanted, you could gently/subtly ask any guide you speak to or hire how things generally go. Will the guide stick with you? Accompany you places or just give you tickets and let you go, coming back when you want?. Some people like a LOT of info; others (like me) like to be free to (mostly) explore a little, and take a lot of pictures. And I suppose some like a greater degree of handholding, particularly if mobility or stamina or hearing isn't the best. I'm guessing most halfway experienced guides manage to figure out what style is best for each group of clients and then try to provide the right style.

I haven't done any of Viking's extensions, but for getting off the cruise and either going to a hotel or airport, I bring a small carry on (or a small tote that can be added to carryon) which can hold at least one or two days of clothing, shoes, toothbrush/paste, medications and nightwear. I find it's also a good idea to do this when going TO a cruise, as there's always a possibility that the air part of your journey does not go as expected. A few people like to walk off the ship with all of their luggage, but that seems completely not necessary to me. Luggage isn't taken away until late the last night. Viking is good about allowing people to leave the ship pretty early once it's in port, tied, up and cleared. And it has never taken us more than 10 minutes to find and get luggage in the port terminal (if needed; not sure if needed for post-cruise extensions).

Well, when I booked my 2024 cruise we were waitlisted for a freebie pre-extension on our cruise. That was maybe 3 months ago. After maybe half that time, I was notified we had made the waitlist. Our final payment date is next month. I'm hoping/assuming everything goes to plan and the pre-extension is a go. It will affect our airline reservations, which we plan to make ourselves. Luckily the cruise does not start from a country that makes many people nervous due to ongoing security concerns. But the email you reference your friend received has now made me a little nervous.

Just curious, if there's any way of knowing this for the original Oct. 2024 itinerary: Just how many ports require tending, and how many ports MAY require tendering, given that some ports have multiple dock locations/different capacity, etc.? I'm pretty sure that if I had signed up for the original cruise, I may have considered sticking with it, even if the tender ports had been replaced with days at sea. But I don't know how many ports we're talking about, and I know not all ports make their berth assignments over a year away.

Yes. And with excursions, there have been times, while few, where the city we visited had absolutely no options for touring on our own -- not a taxi, not a tour, very little in the city (town?) So I was very happy to book a ship's tour in those (few) places. And we are hoping to start branching out again and not sticking to tours in Europe. In Southeast Asia, I'm thinking that excursions offered by a cruise ship may be more attractive to me than trying to do everything on my own, for several reasons. So I doubt I'll be switching to another cruise line just because of "Simply More." And I do think that Oceania has the best itineraries out there, as I like lots of ports, including lesser-known ports, so it's really easy to find a cruise I want.

Much has been said about Oceania's shortening of port times. However, on our April cruise, on a 14 or 15 day cruise to at least 10 ports, only 4 hours were shaved off. While I love being in port as long as possible, I didn't find the loss of 3 hours problematic. Many times I'm back on board an hour early anyway, so it was no big deal.

Yes, that was my first thought, getting closer to Viking's model -- add some excursions so Oceania can say they offer free excursions, plus beer & wine with certain meals, and internet for both people in a room. And in a way I think they're getting closer to Regent with it's almost completely "included" model. But for people like myself and spouse, this will make our cost go up, as we almost always book JUST cruise, with nothing else. And since we rarely drink anything, the alcohol additions are worthless. So is the internet for a second person. But some people really hate the one internet account per room, so i guess overall that's a good move for Oceania now that it's getting Starlink. And I suppose if I have a lot of excursion credit to offset my increased cruise only cost, it won't hurt me to go on more excursions. So we'll see..... I priced out my currently booked cruise (final payment due in August) on the website and it looked like we'd be paying $2K more (for the two of us) for a 15 day cruise in a B3. It appears we'd still be getting the "early booking discount" if we switched now (if it's possible to switch to More now). But we'd gain $1K to use for excursions. Overall, I loved that Oceania used to be so a la carte. But many people are confused by the choices, so perhaps it's better for O to gravitate toward a simpler model. But I need to start budgeting more $$ for their "MORE" program.

I was wondering if anyone could give me information on where the cruise port is located in Manila. It sounds like on the western side of the Manila area with the Intramuros area not terribly far away. But I know distances can be deceiving, especially in a place like Manila which is known for its traffic. If I'm just interested in getting to the Fort Santiago area and around there, will there likely be taxis or jeepneys or a shuttle I can take? It looks like there is a bus (line 2) not too far away as well, but while I'm confident about taking buses in Europe, I'm less confident about taking them in the Phillippines! (Will I recognize where to get the bus? Need pesos? Will I even recognize the bus?!) Can anyone tell me about Manila?

We were in the first room on 4 next to Reception in April on Sirena, maybe 4055, but I forget. In any case, it was always quiet. On our way to the elevator, we got to be pretty familiar with the folks at the Reception, and the Concierge.

I just take a small backpack -- good for tendering, or going ashore when I want to keep my hands free for photography or whatever. A tote bag isn't practical for me, and I've never missed having one. And if something is attached to my back, I'm less likely to forget about it.

kreastman, not standard. But at midnight on Regatta to welcome in the (awful to be) year 2020 I was at the party on the pool deck, so can't say for sure what the Captain was doing that particular night/time.

My favorite non-staff related memory is probably this: Eating lunch on The Terrace on Sirena in Bordeaux after sailing the Garonne River. What a view we had from there! And watching the tie up was memorable too - Sirena being turned around by a tug, crew putting rat guards on the lines, and people on the shore waving at us. It was certainly not your usual ocean cruise stop in an ugly commercial port! And that day in Bordeaux, we were part of the entertainment.

We have a favorite cabin steward. We spent a month cruising Bali, Australia and New Zealand, in an inside cabin on Regatta. Raj from Goa, India was the best room steward we'd ever had. We're used to great service on O, but he went above and beyond. He decorated our cabin and kept us laughing. WE occasionally decorated our cabin and kept HIM laughing. He got us some Oceania swag, brought my spouse some spray for pain, and made us towel animals, even though O doesn't do towel animals. We could be gone 5 minutes and he'd swoop in and clean our cabin. We joked that he had placed a tracking device in spouse's pocket. He was always friendly, called us by our names on the first day and thereafter, and we loved talking to him if he had time to talk. It's a shame that when Covid hit, he stopped working on cruise ships, and (as far as I know) hasn't gone back.

Random thoughts: Unless suites come with special Wifi privileges, if there are two of you in suite, don't try to both use internet account at once. One person at a time can be using the free wifi/internet account at a time. You can both use it, and use it on different devices, just not at same time. If you both want to use wifi a lot, pay for an extra account. And if need help, look in the Currents to see when the computer manager will be in Oceania at Sea and ask for help. At least give The Terrace a try for dinner, especially on nice evenings when you can sit outside. Even if there's no ship or land in sight, I love eating out there. And try the grill in the middle of the served buffet at least once. Shouldn't be hard to find a suite, but if you're fumbling first day, look for a landmark like a phone when you get off the elevator. If your suite is on same side of ship as the phone, that will help you. If you want to be alone rather than surrounded by people on the pool deck, look for loungers on the deck above, or on either side of the ship on one of the decks (forget which one). Horizons is good for early AM coffee. Waves is good for lighter lunches. Salmon teriyaki washed down with a smoothie is my favorite. Baristas is good for cappucinos. Library is nice for peace & quiet, and they have travel books if you want to plan another vacation. If you're into art (artist loft classes) sign up early. For info on Oceania, don't forget to look at the FAQs mentioned at bottom of O's website home page. And don't expect Oceania to be the same as Crystal, Windstar, Celebrity, Viking, or whatever you cruised last. Keep an open mind.

I realize this thread is old but I'll ask anyway: Does anybody know of a way to get to Mont St. Michel other than by cruise excursion? Someone asked me and I don't know. Apparently cruise excursions are pretty booked up already. We visited the Mont quite a while ago, but not via a cruise. And what about St Malo? If the person can't get to Mont St Michel, is it hard to get to St Malo to create a nice day of DIYing there?

Oceania Cruise Lines goes to Bordeaux, and docks on the river. But their ships are smaller, so they can do it. But first they sometimes have to sit on the river for a couple hours after coming from the sea, as the tides are not OK for heading up (or is it down?) the river. So if you can cruise on Oceania, you may have a chance of walking off a cruise ship and right into Bordeaux. I imagine some other lines are able to do the river trip too - maybe Azamara? Of if you see "Le Verdon sur Mer" on another line's itinerary, that cruise may get to Bordeaux. But by cruise ship from there to Bordeaux on Oceania is almost 4 hours. At least when you're there, though, it's easy to go explore Bordeaux.

Just in case it helps, it's my understanding that Ho Chi Minh City (port Oceania is assigned to, at least for our cruise) and Phu My are two different ports. Maybe Whatsinport will give an unofficial but helpful information on the two ports. And the way Oceania does things, usually the city in parentheses is the port city and the tourist city is listed first. So if you're going to Hue (Chan May) the ship will dock in Chan May. But other cruise lines may do it differently. And we haven't yet been advised by Oceania exactly whether Americans and other cruisers need an evisa or not. And Oceania had a ship dock on the river in HCMC recently. I'm not sure what port that was, and whether they needed an evisa or not. I contacted one vendor and he suggested we were berthing at a spot on the river that I didn't realize. But who knows? I'm assuming we may need an evisa (obtained online; takes up to 3 days) for our stops in Chan May, Nha Trang, and HCMC.

Thanks for that info, Expat. And since you live in the Phillippines, I was wondering if you know anything about cruises that visit Coron on Busuanga Island. I found some info about Coron but now I'm wondering where ships tender to - town pier, or ferry pier ("port terminal" on a map) or what. Would you happen to know? And would you happen to know anything about Puerto Princesa - what's available around the port, or what's best thing (preferably culture or scenery related) to see or do? And I guess I have the same question about Coron - anything in particular that stands out? I'm not a diver, so diving is out! But I love photography, and am always looking for things to photograph.

Assuming you're going to Benoa, where most cruise lines stop, there's very little right near the port and even to get out of the port would take a walk of maybe 10 or 15 minutes or more. And there's little in the port terminal. This is based on our December 2019 visit to Bali. We embarked there, and I didn't see any taxis waiting for anyone who wanted to use them. But that was disembarkation/embarkation day, and things may have been slower than usual. I do know that taxi drivers have to pay to get into the port, so I imagine not very many are willing to do that and just hang around to see if anyone needs them. What I would really, really recommend is to hire a driver before you go. If you arrive in the afternoon and are there overnight, you'll have time to do some things not terribly close, but not terribly far, from the port. If you're there a whole day, that's even better. We used a driver to take us around the area of Ubud, which is culturally rich in scenery, culture, temples, etc. He also took us to the port from Ubud where we overnighted, but that was only a few hours of the day. He was great - personable, spoke good English (though his writing in emails pre-cruise wasn't perfect - but I totally understand that!) and his large vehicle was air conditioned and comfortable. He can take you from one place on the island to another (airport, port, or tourist area) or you can hire him for a day (or two). It may also be possible to have him pick you up and take you to a nice place for dinner somewhere, then pick you up and take you back to the port. Or there may be an evening performance of dance/drama (popular in Bali) also that is within easy reach of Benoa. You can pick something/somewhere you want to go, or ask him to suggest something. Unless you're young, you may not want to go to the beaches that are west of Benoa. But there is a famous temple out that way (Tanah Lot) which might be interesting. And the beach of Sanur, other direction, is more sedate and nice to visit. Anyway, the driver we used is Dewa ("day-wah") Gede and he has lived in Bali all his life. I learned about him on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic, hired him, and now am recommending him. Wonderful person, and a wonderful, low keyed but very informative person who provides a great way to see the beautiful island of Bali. (And yes, I absolutely loved Bali.) His email is dgrock1140 [at symbol] yahoo [dot] com. I can give you other contact info if you want it. He is certainly not expensive at all, and very flexible, and only requires payment after he returns you to the ship. You could probably spend a whole day with him and spend less than you would on one ship's excursion. And you could see exactly what you'd want to see. I don't do many private excursions. But in Bali, they're affordable, and they make great sense. But I wouldn't count on taxis at the port....

Yes, it's Oceania, but it's one of their larger ships. I think one of their smaller ones was in Saigon not long ago, during the world cruise, and they were definitely tied up on the river somewhere, judging from the picture someone posted. But I didn't look at Marine Traffic as I should have, and the person who posted the picture wasn't able to tell me much about where they were, so I'm not sure if that's what the tour guide was basing his projection on, or what.