CorgiNole

I would guess the casual jeans include the ripped ones (whether pre-ripped or ripped through honest wear). Dressy might be colored denim or designer denim.  I generally don't pack jeans on cruises (or most travel) due to the weight and that if I get wet on a shore excursion, they take forever to dry, also dependent on the weather forecast for the trip. My son got turned away from the dining room one night wearing khakis and a nice v-neck t-shirt solid color (he came back soon after in a collared shirt so all was well). And then last year in Toscana one of the people at our table was wearing a dry-fit t shirt with something written on it. It all depends on the maitre'd as to how the dress code will be enforced.

I was on Nautica this spring and one of the women we met used a scooter due to MS. I know she didn't leave the ship at any of the tender ports, and I think she stayed on the ship most days - but was content to socialize and spend time in the lounges and by the pool. I know she was able to access the pool deck, lounges and dining rooms. They were staying on Deck 6, so I don't know if it was an accessible cabin. Like many able bodied persons, I didn't pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of getting through doors, other than holding them open a few times.  One of the other passengers used a rollator/walker on a number of the tours, and while she moved slowly, she did get out and about to enjoy the ports. My mother uses a cane while traveling (and I likely would have benefited from one on that trip as I completely screwed up my hip a month before the cruise - so was moving fairly slowly myself).  Trying to get in better shape for our upcoming cruise in July on Marina.

We sailed with Carson Turner on the Nautica this spring. Had a great time with him.

I enjoy the needlepoint gathering. For the most part I've not seen bad behavior. The hostess generally has had a "show me your completed project" policy before she hands out the next one to a guest. This past cruise, she gave me an extra for the airplane as we were both leaving the ship and facing a long flight home.

I have witnessed people trying to convince/bully the entertainment staff over the awarding of Big O points during the games. For the most part, I play to meet up with other passengers, not for the points - but I have a very nice jacket from the most recent cruise.

We sailed a TA on Insignia in 2017 - Iceland to NYC. I love the ship (have also sailed twice on Nautica). I find plenty to do onboard and love sea days. We picked the Iceland to NYC itinerary in part because it had 5 sea days. I've never felt crowded on one of the small ships. There are times when it might be harder to find a table at the Terrace, but generally that clears out pretty quickly. 

I've stayed at The Portswood V&A Waterfront several times and would stay with them again. I really like the location. I will add the caveat that my last visit was 10 years ago.

Was on the Nautica in April. Guiseppi and Captain Max commented several times that by the time Nautica goes in for refurbishment, all of the kinks should be worked out.

Also of note is that refurbishments are being done in different shipyards, so there may be different craftsmen and layouts available.  This allows the ships to stay within their geographic zones rather than detour to one place. 

On Nautica a few weeks ago, the smoke odor was strong leaving the pool deck towards the fitness center. Slightly less noticible in Horizons. I found myself zigzagging to avoid the smell.

I've gone back to our stateroom to grab a sweater or light wrap in the past. I don't recall ever being too hot in the grand dining room. Temperature is so subjective based on our bodies/hormones/etc. that I dont' know that you can ever find a perfect setting. For me, layers is key.

I was successful on our cruise on the Insignia a few summers ago on sea days. I lurked in the hallway until the official opening time, and was the first one in both days. I brought knitting and a book with me and hung out in the laundry room, though there were plenty of people who came and left.

I think the only thing you might find useful in the folder is the luggage tags, but I believe you can get blank ones and fill them out at the pier when you board.

Mine was sent to my mother's house.  Since we are meeting up a few days early to do our own land tour, she is bringing it with her rather than mailing it to me.

But if I were not using her I would book directly with a hotel, use Hotels.com, or Booking.com to at least research hotels. Those websites are very easy to use.

Even the big hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt have easy websites to use.

 

Is booking through hotel.com cheaper than booking the hotel direct on its internet site?

I use hotels.com because I earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed. I learned to check carefully for surcharges though as in some foreign locales the surcharge was as much as the discount was advertised to be. If you are extremely brand loyal to a hotel, then by all means use their site.

We accidentally found ourselves in the same hotel as the Oceania pre-cruise when we sailed out of Athens a few years ago. Validated my choice of hotel. I am certain we paid far less, and the transfer from near the Parthenon to the port was nominal compared to what ship transfers cost. We definitely make our own pre and post sailing hotel reservations.

Question for y'all. Is there something about the Juneau harbor or about the Holland America ships that they creep in to the dock? I was watching an MSC ship dock on the Nassau cam this morning, and it slid right in - but watching the Holland America ships over the past few weeks in Juneau, it has almost been painfully slow as they enter the port.

My understanding, as we have a cruise booked including China and Vietnam next spring, is that they will send a package of materials for you to fill out and submit with your passport. The last several times I visited China, I had to send my passport out for the visa. We decided to use O's service /assistance for this trip as the service I used for work travel would be even more expensive.

Are you sailing from a city where you could do some sightseeing before boarding the ship? When we sailed from Athens a few years ago, we checked our bags with the concierge and walked up to the Parthenon for a few hours. We then caught a cab at the hotel and boarded the ship around 3 - so we were able to walk on with no waiting. The ship sailed at 6, so we could have stayed in town longer had we wanted to.

Mom has done several solo cruises. Most recent one was from Lima to Buenos Aires. The singles supplement has varied by cruise. Previous posters are correct that they won't force you into joining a table if you want to eat alone. There is generally a reception for cruisers traveling alone early on so that you can meet other travelers. She is in her 70s and comfortable traveling alone and has a very easy time meeting new people.

I do not know of any airlines which permit multiple boarding passes on the same phone. If it is a reservation with 3 people on it, it is probable that boarding passes are not even available by phone; thus each person would have to have a printed one.

 

Welcome others to correct me if I am wrong.

In my experience, they prefer one per phone. Also - desk agents have warned me, while printing paper passes, of the dangers of your battery running down mid trip.

Just remember to read carefully the order in which the soap button needs to be pushed. My strategy for laundry last summer on Insignia was to be among the first in the door as soon as it opened. Unfortunately, I did end up running one load with no soap because I didn't follow the instructions correctly - there was one set on the wall (the correct set) and the other on the machine - which is for if you bring your own soap. I was able to prevent that from happening to another passenger.

Unfortunately, my attitude is the result of experience. Kids running around screaming, bellyflopping in the pool, pushing every button in the elevators, crying in the restaurants. knocking over furniture.....all while their oblivious parents sit nearby and say nothing (or worse, are nowhere in sight.) Strangely enough, I don't blame the kids. I blame those parents who have put their own needs and wants ahead of their kids'. Several of these kinds of cruises and lesson learned!

Have you seen this behavior on the Oceania ships or on the larger lines? In my limited experience on Oceania, the children have been well behaved. When we were getting ready to sail last summer I was talking with a friend who sailed on Carnival to the Bahamas over spring break. I will admit that my response to her complaint that there were over 900 children on board their ship was a little smug, as even a sold-out Insignia was only going to have around 650 passengers total. Given the expense of sailing Oceania versus some of the behemoth ships, I think the kid behavior is different. And age isn't really a determinant of bad behavior. I've witnessed that from all age groups.

This is concerning.

We booked on O this coming autumn because we thought that the food on NCL is simply no onger acceptable (I know, I know... NCLH still gets our $$$).

If O food turns out to be no better, what do we do next?

 

(I'm not expecting Michelin-starred quality at sea, but at least the equivalent of a solid, mid-range restaurant...)

On my two cruises with Oceania, the only food I didn't enjoy were dishes that I was trying just to try something different. I have had some amazing meals on board (Nautica and Insignia). My son hugged the chef in Toscana last summer after he was brought to tears by his steak. I hope what people experienced on this trip was an anomaly.

I think there were 12-15 on our cruise from Iceland to NY last summer. (Not a promotional sailing - most were with a multi-family group. 1 was my then 16 year old son). While I know many long-time cruisers don't like sailing with children - at some point Oceania has to develop the next generation of clientele. Not saying they should put in kids clubs on every trip - but four sailings in a year gives families a taste of a cruiseline that they may return to.

I've not seen any in the ship's boutiques. Strikes me as a very high dollar set of items to try to keep in inventory. I also imagine the markup for convenience would be ridiculous. I have seen apple products in some of the US Airport kiosks.

We took our 16 year old son on a transatlantic cruise from Iceland to New York last summer. He had a great time. We researched the ports in advance to find tours that would be more active than those offered by the cruise line - e.g. kayaking and a small boat trip out to hike on the ice cap in Greenland. We did know in advance that Oceania doesn't offer kids club/kids activities. He found plenty to do and made friends of all ages around the ship. We got to know the entertainers well during the daily O points activities (ping pong, shuffleboard, etc.).

Two summers ago I took an Oceania cruise through the Greek Isles. The ports of call were fascinating as they are ports that you won't get to see from the larger ships. Try to look at this as 2 weeks of a completely different experience. On the Greek Isles cruise, you likely won't have more than a day at sea. These are very port intensive cruises. It has the potential to be a great experience for you. Perhaps you can talk with your parents about cruising on a larger ship next year or the year after.

I am hoping I did not make a mistake. I have a cruise booked on Insignia for summer 2019. The only other cruise I have done to date is Princess (Crown Princess). I will be doing a Royal Caribbean, Empress (couldn't find itinerary on Oceania that I liked and was available) and QM2.

 

I realize Oceania isn't considered true top of the line luxury however, the itinerary on Insignia meets my needs at an acceptable price point. I was OK with Crown Princess (was not rowdy as I have heard Carnival can be and the people were friendly, service was fine) although I would have liked a little better food.

We cruised on Insignia last summer. It is a small ship, and old, but the crew was great. You will find it to be very different from the Crown Princess (I sailed on her 9 years ago). What I love about the small ships is that they can get into ports that the bigger ships cannot. Our experience two summers ago in Greece was very different on the Nautica than it was on the Star Princess based on the ports we could visit.

I'm early 50s and feel like I fit right in on the ships. I've enjoyed meeting folks from all walks of life. On our last cruise, I did plan some non-ship sponsored shore excursions that were a little more 'high adventure' in nature.