Jim_Iain

You do have to pay extra gratuity, but then again with Celebrity we also do. This cruise worked perfect for us. We are booked on the Lisbon to Buenos Aires. We then booked this one that puts us into Barcelona 2-3 days before the TA. Just to make it fun We then booked the Cunard TA - New York to London a couple weeks before the Oceania cruise. This may be a real good comparison of 3 different cruises with different lines. Celebrity's direction of shorter cruise and less interesting itineraries is what is forcing us to look elsewhere. One we jumped ship with our first Ponant Cruise we are now shopping destination and price as oppose to dedication. I've learned a big lesson.

We originally were going to try our first cruise on Oceania in a Penthouse which is equivalent to a Sky Suite but when we saw the price and a couple video's of the Owners Suite we couldn't resist. We ended up booking another Oceania Vancouver Alaska ending in LA for September of this year so we can experience them for the first time. I'm surprised how many Ex Celebrity I'm meeting over on the Oceania Forum.

It is impossible to make a blanket statement about all cruises and classes of cabin. After many years as an exclusive upper Celebrity Suite Passengers I finally decided to explore other cruising opportunities and have found some very good deals that won my booking as oppose to Celebrity. Price was on of the considerations while many other changes at Celebrity also played into my recent bookings. Our target market is different from many others is usually CS and RS. I will give one example - Where Price had a major influence on decision. Oceania - Istanbul - Barcelona - Oceania Vista Nov 9, 2025 10 Day Booking includes $600 OBC, Free Champagne, Free Specialty Dining , Free Wif, Free drinks with all meals and a cocktail hour. They do sell a premium upgrade. We booked the Owner Suite which is larger than a PH so that can be used for comparison - $24,000. To us it was an incredible deal- Compared to Celebrity on a similar cruise approx same number of days - Celebrity Suite $20,536 500 Sq Ft Royal Suite $29,536 759 Sq Ft Edge Villa $34,536 950 Sq Ft Penthouse $40,536 1,575 Sq Ft Highlights Complimentary laundry service - up to 3 bags per stateroom (some restrictions apply) Priority Noon ship embarkation with priority luggage delivery Exclusive card-only access to private Executive Lounge staffed by a dedicated Concierge featuring complimentary soft drinks, coffees and snacks throughout the day 24-hour Butler service Complimentary in-suite bar setup with 6 full-size bottles of premium spirits and wines from our suite beverage menu Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne Fresh fruit basket replenished daily Priority online specialty restaurant reservations Unlimited access to Aquamar Spa Terrace iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board Optional private in-suite embarkation day lunch from noon to 2 pm in Owner’s Suites Customized entertainment system Bulgari gift set and variety of amenities Choice of daily printed newspaper Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag and personalized stationery Cashmere lap blankets Choice of pillow from a luxurious selection Complimentary shoe shine service Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation (certain limitations apply)

I have heard about that popping up when someone answers Yes to one of the health questions. In that case the passenger has to have a quick meeting from A medical professional. I remember reading of one where a wife filling out her Husband's Health check and had accidentally checked he was pregnant. It was quickly resolved but he did have to speak with a nurse who laughed and cleared him to board.

Last year we did the Rotterdam to AMS Airport. 11:00 is possible if nothing is held up like disembarking and Airport check in and security. Since we were in suites we disembarked at 7:15 and were at the airport at our gate by 9:00 From the Rotterdam Pier - You can easily grab an Uber or just walk down the pier to the Subway Station and Grab a Subway or Tram to CS. From Central Station Trains run about every 15 minutes and all stop at Scholarship. Total time for Subway and Train about 1 hour. They usually begin walkoff around 7:00 and general disembarkation begins about 7:15. Last Call usually 9:00 AM. If you don't have priority you may have to ask for an early disembarkation tag.

I had the Gin offered in December or 2023. It had an incredibly strong herbal flavor that stayed you your pallet. I agree many of the drinks rely on the booze as a flavor. Then again Decaffeinated Coffee lacks the flavor of the real thing. Since I can't drink alcohol because it triggers migraines, I just live with the reality. Acquire a new pallet or be willing to suffer the consequences. The have a number of of Zero-Proof drinks at every bar. Example of Cosmopolitan Bar - I was never one for sweet drinks when I did drink and would normally just go for Glenorangie up... kida hard to get a virgin one. Cranberry Mule - Cranberry juice, ginger beer, mint, agave nectar and soda water Peach Sangria - momin peach, pineapple juice and soda water Raspberry Fizz - Raspberries, lime juice, agave nectar and soda water Watermelon Tropic - momin watermelon, pineapple juice and lime juice. Virgin Pina Colada Virgin Mudslide

Have to agree.. I apologize if I came on too strong. All so often people want to debate and criticize in lieu of providing constructive criticism. One of the problems with forums is that written text is often absent facial expression and smirks and smiles.

About the only noise I've ever heard from below was when our room was above where the anchor is located. Let me tell you in a tender port when they drop it ---- Good Morning... I can't imagine you would have any problem but a good idea to check out the sticky for your ship and specific room for any reports of noise.

I have been offered a non-alcoholic Gin in Retreat. I'm sure it is available elsewhere. Personal Opinion - It was the most disgusting thing I have ever drank. They do have Fre - Non-Alcoholic Bubbly, White, White Zinfandel and Red as well as a O'Douel's and Heineken Zero As for Mock Cocktails --- most bartenders can make a Virgin out of almost anything on the Menu - of course a Virgin Martini may just be an olive in a glass.

Sure does... In Eden on the walkway ramp they have a shelf with about 20-30 books that may have been left behind. Originally they had a little (LITTLE) cart with books on it. I'm definitely stretching the definition of Library. "a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale. b. : a collection of such materials."

No issues at all today.. like @Arizona Wildcat I often have to enter my credentials 2 times before it opens. Really disappointed they have not fixed the bug to stay signed in that has existed for at least 6 months.

I've done it before - as for rate when I made the change was that it was still substantially cheaper then the Refundable Rate. In the case of a CS on a recent cruise the cost of NR was $3,000 more than Refundable. When you cancel a reservation you room immediately comes back into inventory and you our your agent can then grab it immediately.

I was sure that anything posted would fire up someone. Congratulations. I was in no way not respectful to the OP but pointing out that people like you to flame any response. "One-Up-Manship" may not be a word but I think most readers understand an extra hyphen was put into One- Upmanship. My response was to the statement that most of the posters were ignoring the OP's original statement she booked with an agent not on Celebrity direct. Which is a valid statement.

You are so logical. LOL. Will be fun to see how many want to debate your quote.

Generally they will begin disembarkation at 7:00AM with Walk Off's followed by general disembarkation. Disembarkation is done by calling luggage tag numbers and last call is around 9:00 AM. Travel time to BCN is about 30 minutes and you should plan minimum of 1 1/2 hour to arrive. I would plan on booking a flight after 12:30 for a comfortable disembarkation and not feel rushed.

As you also know there really isn't much difference in Business Class on European flights. Same seats as coach but they block off the middle seat. I decided the heck with it - I'm not pay something like £40 to select a seat. Back to FBC - they also indicated there was a fee for seating. Funny thing about FBC - they were offering a Code Share on Iberia (Same BA Flight) with no seat charge -- but they upped the fare to include it.

Like many other things - it may be more smoking mirrors than reality. I had a problem a number of years ago - I forgot my Passport and had to run back home to retrieve. I called FBC to have them re-route me under their Guarantee. I was told that the ticket was a promotional AA fare and not valid for interline booking. AA was fully booked on all routes on that day but they assured me they could get me to the next port 3 days later. I declined. I was able to get a future flight credit on AA to use within one year. I ended up doing a quick Mileage booking on United on a flight leaving one hour from booking out of my closer airport San Jose. Since I had no luggage (Iain took all the luggage and continued on. It was a crazy route --- San Jose - Vancouver - Vancouver to Frankfort and Frankfort to Rome. I arrived 3 hours after Iain in Rome.

I'll have to take a look. I walk 10 miles a day around the track and just has never noticed it. But then again I'm usually enthralled in e-book mystery novels.

Thanks for pointing out. I'm simply saying I've never seen it played on any Celebrity Ship.

Yes and years ago you got a nice Italian Chocolate (Cova) with your cup of cappuccino. I can honestly say I have not been offered a glass of bubbly since 2019 - when Covid shut down cruising. I can't say it bothers me because we never accepted it anyway - nice touch but terrible cheap beverage on offer and I don't drink alcohol.

When we boarded in Singapore, the Indonesia Visa was a requirement at checking in. Some were trying to do it in the terminal and failed. After hours they let them board but flagged their SeaPass. They had to either complete it before Benoa or would not be permitted off the ship. Once in Indonesia there was an immigration desk and you had to scan you QR code to leave the terminal.

Go for it. You may be in the minority but you will definitely see others in Tux and even some in Kilt's Chic is designed to dress as formal as you wish.

Generally no. I believe there might be a penalty if cancelled within x number of days prior to the excursion. I believe their may also be penalties for expensive multi day excursions that also require air transport -- e.g. Taj Majal

Almost as fun of a topic as bringing up Dress Code on Cunard ---

They have the exact same services but are very different. 1. In Michael's Club they do not have a Hot/Cold table for Continental Breakfast and evening Snacks. In MC you have a menu for both and a serve will deliver them to you. In Retreat it is self service. 2. Decor is different Dark Paneled Club decor vs Light and contemporary. 3. Comfort - Retreat has the most uncomfortable, hard and unusable furniture -- e.g. small table for tea that can't hold a teapot, cups and plate. Chairs so low or tilted back at an angle you can hardly get out. Won't even go into the original Munchkin Chairs that were eventually replaced and sent to the kids club. 4. Bars- On S-Class The Micahels Club have an actual bar with seats so you can sit and talk with other and chat with the bar tender. Retreat - they removed the seating and the bar is only a service area - they do have a couple high tops in the alcove windows on M-Class. 5. Retreat has more of a feel of an Airport Lounge vs a Club type intimacy Just my 2 cents worth.