Tranquility Base

That will depend on which country the turnaround day is scheduled for.

I have caught the bus from Yorkeys to Palm Cove for a few hours. Change at James Cook University station. Having said that, Airlie is the place to go ashore for a beer. 'The Pub' (Airlie Beach Hotel) is a good local spot. First pub you'll come across after walking into town from the tender. Whilst eating tables are in front, behind those there is a separate counter top with bar stools which overlooks the Esplanade. Advise for next time, if possible try to book a smaller ship which is able to dock at Cairns.

Does this sound like a workable strategy to try to minimise loss of any SM Excursion Credits ? Interested in 3 excursions....all similar price. SM covers the cost of two excursions. Book the earliest two in the itinerary first (uses the SM), leaving the later one to use normal credits or credit card. Definitely try to avoid any late in the cruise tender ports using SM.

I would expect a matinee show as well as an evening one.

Which one ? Thanks.

I spent a week in a Library one day.

Many times; but only on transit port days. I would never consider doing this on embarkation day. Taxis are cheap. We were in transit about 7 months ago. Shared a taxi with another couple from the ship to Kampong Glam / Little India area. I think the fare was about SCD 14. MRT wasn't worth the hassle for that amount.

That's a shame. If I was on an 'R' ship on an overnight I would be disappointed not to be at Nah Rong. Walking into town from the ship was interesting.

I have a car service picking us up at Southampton port for the transfer to LHR. What port address in Southampton should I give to the airline, as they order the car on my behalf ? Thanks.

The cruise which the OP is on (28th Feb) may only be a 10 day one, however that departure date is also sold as a 17 day cruise and as a 28 day cruise. The OP's 'last night' won't be the 'last night' for many passengers.

See post # 7. Guess what the S in SPCT stands for.

That would work perfectly if it's still the case. Thanks.

Regatta ? That appears to be a single segment cruise......ie: only one embarkation port. So only one Captain's cocktail party.

Has anyone used the SM excursion credit to book one of the private vehicles listed in various ports on the Oceania website ?

I am arriving in Vancouver from a Pacific crossing and remaining for the next cruise for a B2B to Alaska. The port before Vancouver is Victoria. There are 3 ships scheduled in at Vancouver. What sort of procedure might I expect on that turnaround day regarding timings for immigration / security etc ? If there is going to be a mandatory and longish time ashore then we can fill in that time OK. But if it was a relatively short time we would like to re-board ASAP as we have to sort out our new cabin anyway.

Thanks....Hope all this checking on drinks deals won't be too much of a burden 🙂

A slightly related topic.....if you have time to report back about as well please. I can't recall how Happy Hour actually works at Martinis. However, it was reported by someone currently onboard that during HH at Martinis only their Martinis where available as the 2 for 1. If you wanted another type of drink (2 for 1 ) then you had to go to another bar. The post made it appear as though this was a change. Was this always the case or is this also new ?

We were recently on Riviera and we very much appreciated the new refit. Yes, the new bathroom was a great improvement. Whilst onboard we booked our next cruise which was itinerary based on Marina. Yes, we were disappointed to hear bathrooms in Veranda cabins will not be refurbished. However, one advantage for us will be replacing La Reserve with Aquamar. We anticipate using that new venue a bit.

Correct... Julie was specifically talking about interest charges by using a credit card for cash. The reply to her was misleading. Having said that, I think if one has added money to the Credit Card so the balance is positive, one could then use it for cash without interest ( as long as the balance stayed positive) But that's a different situation.

Are you aware of any credit cards which do not charge interest on cash withdrawals ?

One thing I learnt in retirement (from a job where ' the small stuff ' was often safety critical ) is now... .... don't sweat the small stuff. This extremely minor hiccup was easily resolved in a convivial manner. That's all I want. Someone else can worry about ''their system" I'm on holiday.

Which line was that and when ?

I recently did 3 consecutive cruises. On one of the turnaround days between 2 of the cruises, my pre-booked reservations were not showing in the computer. Showed the very pleasant & helpful person at the dining reservation desk the bookings made from the website and the missing reservations were immediately re-instated. They also asked at the same time whether I wished to make any changes to the timings which I did. This was before the new joining passengers had boarded. Easy Peasy.

Read post # 1.

This situation will increase during the next 18 months as the transition to SM unfolds. I think a solution will likely be found. Perhaps.....maybe.....hopefully.