Vallesan

‘Americans please ignore’! Unfortunately some Americans think that the ‘whole world’ should understand their needs and wants and pander to them. We know that you have to adapt to the country you are visiting rather than them adjusting to you and your language and your mores!

I think the spectrum of nationalities depends very much on the time of year and the itinerary. Americans aren’t always the majority!

You know it would be quite easy to ‘google’ shoes sizes etc. in Europe before travelling! Travel comes with some ‘compromises’! Sorry didn’t read the rest of the thread before I posted!

I recently cancelled a BA flight and the miles went back into my account but they did charge a £1 fee!

Intercontinental might fit the bill.

Ahhh …. a rose by any other name!

You are exactly right ….The World will never be the way it ‘was’ . We have to accept this. We have to re-evaluate each line. We have to pick what suits us in the ‘here and now’. What was, was! No longer relevant. We still enjoy cruising despite the differences.

Just wondering if anyone has experienced the accessible tours that Oceania now offer. If so maybe you could tell me a little about the experience such as vehicles, itinerary, ease/difficulty of the actual tours. Some of the ‘easy’ ‘one walker’ tours are actually not that easy if you use a cane or rollator.

Q3. Cabin size. We’ve travelled Silversea and Seabourn and their entry balcony cabins are bigger than the Riviera balcony. However I didn’t feel that the Seabourn cabin was as roomy as the Oceania balcony because it was narrower and darker. I would guess that you would be happy with the regular balcony but for such a long trip the PH would definitely be a bonus. PH are 50% larger than the balcony cabins and personally, if I could, I would upgrade. In saying that ‘is it worth it’? Only you can decide!

Just guessing ‘casual jeans’ could be ‘ripped’ whereas non-casual are just ordinary jeans without holes!!

Our insurance in the UK covers each person £150 per missed port. We missed two last year and were reimbursed by £600. Don’t know about tour costs on top of that.

I’m sure Oceania will send you proof. When we’ve missed a port we go to reception as it happens and they send a personalised letter to the cabin. I know this doesn’t help now but it may for the future.

In the UK we got nothing, nada, in 2022/3 it was all e-tickets. I complained on my three cruises during that period and even said I would be happy to pay extra to have the documentation back! So May this year we had the ‘new’ version and I really have to say it was better than nothing. I agree not up to the same standard as the old one but still had that bit of a ‘thrill’ when the envelope arrived in the mail. MEFlowa I have to say given how you complain about pricing you should be glad they are sending out a ‘revised’ version which will cost them … and… you…. less!!!

I’ll be interested to hear how your trip goes. We have just returned from a 5* land based trip to Portugal but unfortunately the ‘hotel services’, or more particularly the restaurant, were not comparable to a cruise. Just wish they had been!

At one point I do think Oceania did have the ‘Finest Cuisine at Sea’. Since 2020 as cruising has resumed I think the food on lots of lines has deteriorated. I doubt a new slogan ‘We used to have the Finest Cuisine at Sea’ would attract quite so many new passengers! Personally I have had very few meals on Oceania that I would say afterwards ‘that was maaa!’ Yes there has been the odd one but overall I find the food good, not excellent, but good. Well good is good enough for me anyway!

We were also on that cruise in an A1. We had all the soft furnishing replacements as I noted in a post of mine above. Somebody did mention having new carpet but we didn’t. It seems to me that apart from the general areas and PH and above being refurbished, the other refurbishments have been done on a bit of an ad hoc basis. As an aside we had dinner one evening with the Purser and the FC consultant. I asked the question about if/when the A1 and below cabins would be refurbished and the answer was that the ship is not due into dry dock for two years! Make of that what you will!

I doubt very much if it could be!

Way back in 2016 we flew Heathrow to Hong Kong, BA, and arrived around 4pm for an 8pm sail-away! We’d been to HK several times before. Our friends, who we were travelling with us, had also been once. She didn’t want to stop there again so me, in my innocence , said OK and we flew on the day of the sailing. OK so it was an Oceania flight. We made it. Now with hindsight I’d never, ever, ever, take such a chance again. You live and learn!

I have to agree with you. As a person with mobility issues I am ‘realistic’ about my ability to take tours etc. I don’t expect the ‘cruise’ to adapt itself to my needs. I know what I can and can’t do and cruise with ‘my reality’. Unfortunately some people are either a little self centred or, back to the old chestnut again, just have ‘unrealistic expectations’. Like ‘living within our means’ we also have to ‘live within our capabilities’ that way life/holidays would be far more enjoyable for everyone.

Not sure about the cost of cabin refits compared with the addition of with a new dining venue and the evening opening of Waves. Whether Oceania saved money or not (somebody else will jump on that one!) is irrelevant for me the whole experience is what counts and I agree with you the new dining options were for the benefit of all and from my part they were welcomed.

We sailed on the first sailing post refit. Yes it was a disappointment despite knowing beforehand that the refit wasn’t going to extend to the A cabins and lower. However, we had a great cruise and the initial disappointment was soon healed by the excellent service and the good food etc.

We have sailed many times on Oceania small and large ships and I really don’t remember bad service at any time. The staff multifunction serving in different restaurants day and evening. Service again can be a bit subjective. I like good but unobtrusive service others almost expect the staff to ‘bow and scrape’ and be there at hand for their every whim!

Well I watched it, in fact only half way through before it just became a bore! Firstly I think this couple are suffering from ‘unreal expectations’. This whole video is about the food and we all know how subjective that is! They compare the food on Sirena to RSSC, Seabourn and Explora. I’ve not sailed Explora but as for the others they are all different but for me Oceania comes out on top for variety if nothing else.They say P&O food is better but I can’t comment because I’ve never sailed with them. They ‘loved’ Red Ginger! We like Red Ginger but how many people complain about it on these boards? I think I have to agree with @Kay S… take it all with a pinch of salt …or maybe that’s just what they needed to improve their food!

No special theme nights in the GDR as I remember but there are in Terrace Cafe some evenings. Best nights for speciality … whenever you can get the nights/times/sharing to suit you. No jackets needed. Simply More includes speciality restaurants. Can have as many glasses of wine/beer as you want, no limits apart from time limit!

You suggested in another post that some TAs may be less than ‘lily white’. Sounds like you could be right! I’ve only used two agents to transfer cruises to and never an issue. In fact when we’ve booked onboard they usually ask if we want it transferred to the agent we booked the current cruise through. Never heard of an agent refusing a transfer. My thoughts could be that they don't deal extensively enough with Oceania so can’t offer the same discounts???