ael123

Thank you for your responses. We are leaving tomorrow on Odyssey for a short 7 day cruise and I will talk to the spa manager to get an idea of what they charge on the longer voyages. 

Will be on Sojourn from 3/22 to 4/29 2020. I am interested in using the Serene suite. The cost is $25 a day. If I were to use it daily that would be about $925 for the trip - doubled if my husband used it also which seems a touch expensive. Loved the spa on Viking ocean cruises and it became my favorite place to go after a long day going a shore and taking various excursions. On Viking use of the spa is included. Does Seabourn offer voyage pricing where you pay to use the spa suite by the cruise rather than by the day?

Thank you for the information. Happy Sails.

I bought a back to back on Sojourn so we will be on 38 days. Yikes does that mean they will charge me twice? Those rates are outrageous but we will need internet. 

Awesome advice. Thank you all for responding.

I need some input from those of you who have sailed on Seabourn Sojourn or her sister ship. The last time we sailed Seabourn it was in Greece during the summer months and very warm. This July I am considering the 14 night Alaska cruise. I have been to Alaska before and I thought it was beautiful so I thought it might be a good choice to go again. My concern is I love to swim and when traveling to Alaska I wonder if Sojourn has a retractable cover so the pool can be used in the cooler climate or if there is an indoor pool. This past Christmas we sailed on Viking Sky which was a beautiful ship and had a retractable pool cover, heated floors in our bathroom and a large heated thalasso pool in the spa. So even when the weather was chilly or rainy I could swim in comfort every day. Last summer while in Scotland on Crystal we never used the pool because it was just too cold. I don't want to be in an area where the weather keeps me from swimming as that is my main form of exercise. Can those of you who have sailed on this ship tell me what if anything they do with the pool deck in the cooler weather. Do they heat the pool or do they drain it or is there a retractable cover to keep the air and pool warm? Thank you for any information you can provide.

48 hours!!!!! YES!

Will be on Fascination in 48 hours. Debating as to whether I should purchase the internet ahead of time or if there will be better pricing once I get on board. I need to check my email daily for work and will require a higher speed then what is offered on the social package. The higher speed is about $17 a day. Any suggestions - other than using the internet in the port. I don't want to take my lap top off the ship and don't want to use shared computers that are on land.

16 days:D:D - Can't wait for the fun to begin!!!

The Hilton Barbados offers two types of day pass. There is a basic day pass without any food or drinks included. That is $40. The other includes lunch and one drink for $55.

CorgiNole and cruisemom42 I am sorry if I offended you. You are correct all children are different. I work in schools so yes there is a wide range of personalities. Statistically the more children you put on the cruise ship the more likely you are to run into some that are not supervised by parents or some that are very active and bored if you are on a ship that is not designed with activities for children. Given I am spending a large sum of money to be able to rest and relax I look for lines that provide quiet spaces and luxury experiences where hopefully children and adults are respectful and there isn't a lot of loud pool competitions for stuffing ping pong balls in your shorts, seeing how many shots one can do and the like. That is a different market. The promotion of kids sail free I would expect to see on NCL, Carnival, Royal, Caribbean, MSC and the like. It surprised me to see it on O. Although hopefully the parents coming on the ship are looking to give their children the experience of seeing some amazing sites and will care for them appropriately. Alaska and the East coast are nice venues for children but if O is running the Kids sail free promotion in those venues I would be looking at another line to see Alaska and the east coast. LHT28 - thank you for putting my mind at ease. We will be in the Mediterranean. I didn't read which destinations were included. I am feeling much better thinking about laying by the pool and sipping my afternoon tea listening to the string quartet. :D

Hi Marie 50:

We have been on Celebrity and HAL. There is no comparison when you sail on O. Celebrity and Hal have institutional quality food. They are cooking for huge numbers of people and the ingredients they use in their foods have transfats and are very unhealthy. On Oceania the food is fresh, delicious and cooked for you. We live in downtown Chicago and eat at high end restaurants. On our 21 day cruise from London to Rome last year I can honestly say that I never in my life had food that was that good. Never... and I have dined at Michellin starred restaurants. They use organic french flower, high quality real butter not transfats, fresh seafood, and fresh meats and you can taste the difference. As far as your other questions....We have never paid a surcharge for dining in the specialty restaurants (Polo Grill, Toscana, Red Ginger, Jacques). We have not eaten in La Reserve or Privee so I can't say. We love eating at the Terrace Cafe on the back of the ship. The buffet has dishes from all the specialty restaurants.. when you get in line for your food the staff will carry your plate. You don't have anyone else touching the food only the staff. You point to what you want and they put it on your plate. There is lobster at the Terrace Cafe every night and if you so desire you can have as much lobster as you want. This summer we are doing the same area that we did last year not for the sights but for the cruise experience. The high teas are amazing. Much better than what you will get on HAL or Celebrity but the price point is higher. Oceania does have trivia games, they do have drink packages. You have to pay to use the Thalassotherapy pool (which I don't like) unless you have a concierge balcony or suite. We generally have a balcony and they will charge for the thalassotherapy pool. When we were on Celebrity I loved the thalassotherapy pool but although it said no children there were always children in it and the staff never told them to leave. We are in our late 50's and the beds on O are devine. You will definitely sleep well. The only thing I did not like last summer was on the longer cruises you need to do the life boat drill every I believe it was twice on a 21 day cruise and I like to sleep late. They usually do it in the morning about 10:00 and I did not like having that noise in the cabin in the morning and having to go up on deck. I would rather it was later in the afternoon.

Did you check to see if you could get a laundry package. When on board people who I have spoken to who do the longer cruises (world segments or snow bird in residence) generally get their laundry included in the price of the cruise. Although they did not include your laundry in your price - ask to see if they can give you a package since you will be on the ship for six weeks.

Typically there are not a lot of children on Oceania. However, this year I was taken back by O's promotion that children sail free. I thought why would they do this? It is the Kids Sail Free on Oceania Program. I am booked on Riviera but rather than doing my usual 21 days in the summer I booked 9 nights on Crystal and 9 on Oceania. I like Oceania better than Crystal but to be honest this promotion worried me. I like peaceful dining and quiet afternoon tea where I can listen to the string quartet. this program is for children 17 years or younger and guests can take up to two children with two paid adults. If I get on and there are a lot of children this will be my last cruise on Oceania as long as they run this promotion. I have sailed on Seabourn and Regent while I like Oceania the best out of all the luxury lines...I want to be able to relax. Getting kicked in the pool by children or having them jump and splash me is not my idea of fun. Neither is screaming in the dinning room of crying children. Last summer on Insignia there was one child and she was really well behaved. We talked in the pool and she was not a problem. When we went to Scandinavia there were two or three and when we went to Tahiti we didn't see one child on the ship. In any case we will have to see what this new promotion brings. I think the management at Oceania is making a mistake with this promotion. Parents of children should think about the kids enjoyment and take them on a ship that has a lot of fun things for them to do. Kids like the fun activities like the water slides, video game rooms and youth clubs.

I typically go on O for Christmas. This year they had a 15 day on Wind Star in the Caribbean. I regretted almost every minute of that cruise. On the O ships at Christmas the decorations are so lovely and they are always replenishing dishes of Christmas cookies that are located by the decorations. My first shock is when I walked by their ginger bread house and there were no Christmas cookies. The food was institutional, the bed uncomfortable, no afternoon tea, and no free internet to take care of last minute excursion details. I will never go on another Wind Star cruise again. I have out grown them. The beach BBQ was nice but the food at the BBQ was just grilled hamburgers and other picnic food. I get better food at the terrace cafe and on O we love to sit on the back of the ship and have dinner every night. On Windstar they did the deck cook out which was nice but it was only one night a week. There dinning room food was not very good and they were exceptionally unflexible. I asked for a dish of pasta one night and was refused because it was not on the menu and the chef said they could not accommodate me. I told him any pasta would do--- I just didn't feel like what was on the menu. There were other times when I asked for vegetables or a salad that wasn't on the menu and was refused although they had it for lunch that day. Anyway our cabin steward was excellent and I love the laundry package concept where you pay a flat rate to have your clothes cleaned the length of the cruise. But that is not enough to make up for the deficits. Wind Star is not a 5 star line. It is a 4 star line and as long as you go in it with that expectation you will not be disappointed. But it doesn't compare to O.

Hi Ray:

August 2016 my husband and I went from London to Rome on Insignia. It was a 20 day sailing but we stayed in London a couple of days before the cruise. We had a deluxe oceanview stateroom. I own a luggie scooter which I bought before the cruise because the rentals were more expensive and bigger than the luggie and I wanted something that was easy to travel with. At that time I could not walk due to inflammation in the bone marrow due to an oseteochondral defect where the femur joins the knee. That has since healed but the doctor told me I could not put any pressure on the knee. I want to tell you my husband and I have been on almost 20 cruise and that was by far the best cruise I have ever taken. First of all the luggie has a lithium battery which is small and light. I did not have any problems at any of the airports but I contacted the airlines ahead of time and they were aware I would be traveling with the battery. We removed the battery and put it in its little box before we collapsed the luggie. The reason I mention the battery is that battery life is very important on excursions and lithium batteries are not only small but last longer than other batteries. So make sure if you rent or buy you get an estimate of the type of batter and the battery life. Also the battery was small so it did not weigh much and it did not take up much space in the cabin. It also charged very quickly. We went all around Europe, I have many pictures of me on my luggie. The buses in the cities we traveled to had a ramp that would come down and up I would go. The ports shuttles also had ramps so I pulled in with my luggie and the shuttle would take us through the port to the outside of the gate and off we would go. I had a great time with the luggie. I rode mine up to the gate in each airport, it folded easily and they took it at the gate. United did put a couple of scratches on it. My luggie folds easily so it did not take up much cabin space and could fit under the desk. It maneuvered very well down the halls and I could get in my cabin without any problem. There are different sizes of scooters. The rentals I found were all larger than the luggie. Size is important. The rentals are much larger than a luggie and are good if you weigh more than 250 pounds because the luggie is smaller and can only seat up to 250 pounds unless you buy a more expensive model. Mine was the mid grade version. Everyone on Insignia was exceptional in helping me get on and off the ship. Some ports have steep ramps and in that case they would carry the luggie (it only weighs 51 pounds with the battery) down the ramp. But when the ramp was not steep I could ride it off the ship. When we entered the ship in Dover I went in through the lower level with the luggage while others entered at a higher level. I took the elevator up stairs and was at the buffet enjoying myself as soon as I boarded. The luggie was easy to get in and out of the elevators. I am not sure if I was in a larger scooter how easy they would be to maneuver. Getting a table in the Terrace cafe when it is crowded can take some doing because the tables are very close together. There are two sides of the terrace cafe and one side has more space than the other. During busy times I just decided I would use my crutches and take the luggie to the entrance of the terrace cafe and then use the crutches to get to a table because getting between the tables was difficult. The people who work in the cafe always helped me and carried my plate when I used my crutches. There was no problem with the luggie in the main dining room. The maiter'd would take us to the table and then drive it back to the doorway and would bring it to me when we were finished dining. Marsaille France was a very good location for the luggie. When I would take an excursion with the cruise line everyone was helpful. The bus driver would put the luggie under in cargo. I always pop the battery out and carry it with me while the collapsed luggie would travel under in the "cargo section" of the bus. I made sure that before we took the excursions that the concierge let the tour company know I had a scooter. Because it folded up and was so light taking it was never a problem. We took a bus from London to Dover and I had contacted the Bus Company and they were amazing. They were all prepared for me and gladly took the luggie. You can email me if you have any specific questions that I haven't answered. When traveling you want something that is light, foldable like a stroller, and has a small profile so you can turn easily. You want a battery that is portable, long lasting, quick charging. Livorno did not have very good slopping curbs for the luggie so a couple of times I had to go around out of my way to cross. We only had one port that required a tender in St. Malo France. I chose not to get off the ship at that port. The cruise line said if it was smooth and there were not a lot of waves I could get off but I decided to stay in and rest for the day. What my husband and I did in many ports was we took the open air buses. So I would take the luggie to the bus and they would help me on and collapse my scooter then we would go around the route and see the city. I did not try to go into castles but we did go into museums. Most buildings such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao have elevators and we did not have any problems. In Paris the museums we went in also had elevators. I would be happy to provide you with any information that I can. My email address is Lea.Lewis@sbcglobal.net. If you live in the Chicago area and want to try the scooter we can make arrangements so you can see how it feels to you so you will know if it is something you would like to use. When we were on our cruise I was stopped a lot and asked about my scooter and I let other people try it to see if they liked it. When it collapses, the tiller you steer with comes up so it can be pulled like a suitcase by anyone which was nice at the airport. I also have pictures of me at the airport, in Monaco, in England and Paris on my scooter. That little scooter really made the vacation a lot of fun for me. This summer we are going on Crystal from London - Honfleur and then flying to Niece and taking Riviera from Monaco to Barcelona. I am walking now but it was a lot of fun because of the speed adjustment you can go from slow like a walking pace to pretty fast to where my husband couldn't keep up so you can cover a lot of distance. I used to have to slow down so my husband could keep up with me. :D When I looked into renting last year versus purchasing my luggie cost $1400 but renting for $21 days was close to a thousand. I decided I would rather purchase because at that time I had no assurance that my leg would or wouldn't heal. If you are taking a short cruise renting is probably more feasible. If you want to get the specs on a luggie you can read about them at http://www.spinlife.com/Luggie-Luggie-Classic-Folding-Scooters/spec.cfm?productID=110306 . The price on this site is high. You can get a luggie classic on ebay for a lot less than what they advertise.

Last summer we used Rome cabs to transfer us from Civitavecchia to Rome airport. They were excellent, efficient and the driver was very helpful. I had a luggie cart because I had difficulty walking and the driver handled the luggage as well as put my folded cart up. It was a great transfer company.

We used Rome Cabs to transfer from Civitavecchia to Rome airport. They were punctual and we had an excellent driver. I had a luggie which is a motorized cart because I have difficulty walking and the driver was exceptionally and handled the luggage and my luggie. Wonderful company. Very comfortable car.

The $250 quote for the laundry service for a 15 day cruise.

Thank you for the input. Do they iron? My husband's hawaiian shirts if washed and folded would look awful. I thought the $250 was a little high based one the $109 price per week which is $218 for two weeks. However, maybe because this is a holiday cruise they are increasing the price. We have a credit from our travel agent so we are going to plan on taking the laundry package. I hope they include ironing. Please advise about pressing.

Thanks

Just wondering if anyone has bought the laundry service. We will be on Windsurf for 15 days over the Xmas holidays. My husband said he would rather pack light and just pay the $250 for the unlimited laundry service. I am not sure if they have a washer on board. Does Wind surf have a self service washer for cruiser use? If anyone here has purchased the laundry service were you pleased with the service. Do they wash and press? Do they dry clean? I ask because if they dry clean then I would bring a silk shirt otherwise I will stick to washables.

Any information is helpful.

Many thanks for the information.

My travel agent contacted me to say that Windstar upgraded me today. I went from a 126 cabin to a 211 cabin on Wind Surf. I told her I did not want the upgrade but according to her when she contacted them back they had already made the change and the ship is full that week so no change can be made at this time. My apprehension is this is a Christmas cruise and cabin 211 is near the water sports platform. We like to sleep late and I don't know if it will be noisy due to tenders leaving from that area and people lining up near our door. If anyone has had a cabin near the water sports platform was there a problem with noise? I may take my concern father with the company if I hear that this cabin is likely to be problematic. We will be on the ship for 15 days and want to relax and sleep in. I appreciate any information about cabins in that area.

I talked to my travel agent. She said Wind Surf is sold out for the Christmas sailing. I have never been on a sold out sailing. I hope it doesn't feel too crowded. Does anyone know which ports are tender and which are docked. I am trying to look up beaches near where we dock but I am not sure where that is one each island.

Hi - We are booked on the Christmas cruise 12/23 - 1/7. There is no one on the roll call so I don't know if that is an indicator of how full the ship is or isn't. We sailed on Windstar at Christmas in Costa Rica and the ship was not full.