Vallesan

You know I really don’t know! Fortunately we’ve never experienced major changes. Yes we have missed ports because of weather. I think we are living through ‘extraordinary’ times so some ‘extraordinary’ things are happening.

I’m guessing you aren’t in the UK. Things are quite different here …. we pay $$$$ more!

Yes you are reading this absolutely right. Whatever offer I have booked on board I get a further 10%, or maybe a fraction less 9.5% , from my TA. I can only say ‘go for it’! The TA still gets commission on the trip. We met people, who are now friends, on a Regent cruise. They always sail Regent, hated their one and only cruise with Oceania, but that’s another story! Anyway, they always use/used the UK Oceania/Regent UK rep but never transferred to a TA so were/are losing out on the extra discount. The good thing about using the Oceania rep is that she has all the cabin availability right there in front of her so you don’t have to go back and forth with an agent if you require a specific position, deck etc. In the UK we have a great rep, can always pass on the information …. if that’s allowed!

Yes it will. I can only tell you from my experience I get roughly 10% discount on the on board price. Good hunting!

Just as long as their ‘misery’ doesn’t rub off on you! I remember being on a cruise several years ago and there was a couple, he was from Texas, she was a buxom blonde from Russia who spoke very little English but she always wore a huge smile. Her joy was to sit in the hot tub, smiling and drinking champagne. You just couldn’t help but smile along with her. They are the sort of ‘happy’ cruisers that are a joy to meet.

I must admit I cross check prices with a few other agents before I book but my TA always does better even if is only by £100 or so but it’s often a far more substantial amount. The real plus as far as I’m concerned is if I ask for information or a repricing if there’s a sale they always come back to me very quickly. I have been using them since maybe 2017 and never had an issue.

Yes it is. Oceania will have your TA on file and will automatically transfer it over unless you prefer another agent. I can’t remember exactly what happens on board but when I book a cruise directly with the Oceania agent in the UK I just have to send an email to her to transfer my booking over to the TA but I think it may be automatic on board. Just one point to remember is that the change over time has reduced from 30days after booking to 14 (I think!).

Supposedly?

I somehow don’t see the Riviera going through Suez in May. But who knows?

I think the 30 day limit has been reduced to 14 now. Worth checking!

It will be really interesting to see the comparison. However, you can’t really compare. We love cruising but also enjoy land based holidays. One doesn’t necessarily have to preclude the other. Both have their good points especially with a saving of £5000! Whatever you choose the most important thing is to ENJOY!

I think you have answered your own question! Talk to Oceania. Only Oceania can tell you where you are in the waitlist queue for each cabin and the possible likelihood of the cabins actually becoming available. Also ask about the single supplement. You may have to pay for both fares in the case of one cancelling after a certain date. I think only Oceania, either through you TA or directly, can answer your questions.

Yes I think a few posters have highlighted the length of a cruise, shorter is cheaper, time of year, summer is busier, hotter (in Europe) and busier (school holidays). So each type of cruise attracts different passengers. In my experience, and it is only my experience, the Caribbean tends to attract younger passengers especially on 7 night cruises. Europe attracts an ‘older’ crowd, especially from the US I guess in part because of flight costs etc. Having sailed in the Caribbean, Asia and Europe with Oceania I’m not sure that any itinerary apart from the Caribbean would suit your needs. In saying that, the ‘small ship’ experience, the inclusivity, the service and the food may just suit you really well. The whole experience is different to the large/larger ships when every single thing is an up charge! Maybe worth trying to see!

Tenerife: North very lush and green, South drier, more beach resorts. Mount Teide great trip highest mountain in Spain, good scenic trip from Santa Cruz, moon like terrain really a must see if you have enough time in port. If not some great fish restaurants on Santa Cruz beach, Las Teresitas. Enjoy!

I’m only going from my own experience. I travelled with Oceania air to Hong Kong from Heathrow BA non stop. Last year I used Seabourn air to Athens and was offered a route from Manchester out via Frankfurt and back via Amsterdam. I got non-stop BA to Athens from Heathrow. Incidentally I paid in full for my cruise to get an extra discount at the time of booking. . I was due to travel in September and I was offered flights in the February and was able to book seats immediately. I think most cruise lines use BA for flights from the UK.

Richyking. The chances of having to change planes from LHR to Istanbul are pretty slim. This usually happens if you are flying from a regional airport but it’s usually non-stop from Heathrow. It’s odd that Oceania can’t be more helpful once you have paid in full. If they can’t or won’t help try to at least find out which airline and flight you're booked on, and then you could maybe approach the airline and explain the situation. They may be able to help. Good luck!

This thread was just ‘idle speculation’. I know it’s not possible to ‘regulate’ the industry and yes, as has been said it will be down to individual ports/countries to ‘regulate’ as they see fit. Thank you so much for your thoughts. All very interesting

I was reading about Oceania changing an itinerary from a ‘sail by’ of Antarctica to a ‘sail by’ of a less desirable Antarctic island. In 2018 we met a couple on a Seabourn cruise who had been to Antarctica and, at that time, it was almost like going to the moon. Now it seems almost as commonplace as going to the Caribbean. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has 5610 passengers, maximum 7600, plus 2350 crew. The Suez Canal/ Red Sea are closed leading to all sorts of congestion in the ports in the Mediterranean. Ports that all ships are now all vying for. Quite a number of ports are now putting a stop to excessive/size of ships number passengers to conserve their habitat. Venice, Galapagos, and possibly Norwegian ports. In the UK if you want to ‘build’ or ‘remodel’ a property you need to apply for ‘planning permission’. I’m just wondering if a similar ‘planning permission’ should be applied to the building of new cruise ships? It almost seems as though these ‘huge monsters’ of the seas can expand and grow unregulated. The future doesn’t look that good to me especially for small islands. P.S . I do recognise the financial benefits for some places but I’m not sure that that will offset the damage done to their environment.

All good things must come to an end! Safe travels.

See exactly where you’re coming from. Sounds like you were really very unlucky health wise. No wonder you didn’t enjoy the cruise. When we sailed Regent we were both well so ‘feeling rotten’ didn’t make our cruise a ‘never to be repeated’ trip! We just didn’t click with the ‘brand’. In saying that we have never had a problem on their Oceania sisters. I don’t even think our expectations were any higher than on Oceania it just wasn’t for us. Doubt it will be even at their vastly discounted prices, which in fact just brings them in line with Seabourn and Silversea both of which are far superior to Regent.

Yes! When I see them written down I wonder what on earth possessed me to do that. The only defence was that we were flying business from/to Frankfurt with Singapore Airlines! The other point in my defence is that I organise and book the trips when I make a suggestion to OH he doesn’t really listen just says ‘yes’. Anyway, won’t be doing that again!

Seabourn does have the Colonnade at night but like Silversea’s La Terazza, the lunchtime buffet becomes waiter service in the evening. So yes not a buffet as such but still more relaxed than the MDR etc.

Yes! You’re right … a faff! Must admit I hate that commuter flight to Heathrow. We tend to drive now and stay in the Sheraton Skyline overnight because they have a fantastic Indian restaurant in the hotel. We should have been in Asia now having just got off the Riviera in Bangkok then flying down to Penang. To get good priced business class flights I opted to fly Manchester/ Frankfurt/ Singapore, then it would have been Bangkok/KL/Penang as I couldn’t get non-stop at the right time. Then returning was to have been Penang/Singapore/Frankfurt/Manchester. I booked this 12 months ago and I’m afraid when it came to a week before my OH had a horrendous panic attack. End of trip. I guess 7 flights was a bit ambitious! Fortunately we had visited all but one port and have been to both Singapore and Penang before. Very disappointed but I think had we gone it would have been a nightmare. Such is life, especially when you want to do long haul from the Northwest.

I can see the dilemma you both have. I think this may be our last year cruising. Long haul is just tooooo long now and we have almost exhausted Europe so we are also thinking about land based trips. Lots to consider. We are sailing on Seabourn Quest in April with only 450 passengers so the smallest we will have done yet. Maybe that could become a better fit. Will wait and see.

So sorry your experience was so dire. We aren’t fans of Regent either. In fact when we were on board we actually cancelled a future cruise we had booked with them! I can understand your reluctance to cruise again. We’ve sailed on the Sirena several times and never had bad food. Our last cruise on that ship was February 2023 but things may have altered since then. Why don’t you ask a question to see what the experiences of recent Sirena cruisers are. Then of course you would still have to calculate the risk of a ‘blip’.