AlexCherie

9 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yeah, what Lyn said above, and I'm pretty sure that staircase is a butler passageway. If you went down there and sat at a table you were probably on an Oceania Suite balcony, depending on which ship you were on. No doubt you'd have to go early to grab it. 

No no no ...

you are sitting at the *top* of the stairs, and just behind the grill. LOL. 

Looking down.

2 hours ago, Rally said:

“On any given night you can enjoy as much lobster, shrimp, steak and lamb as you can consume at the top of the stair case, looking out at the wake of the ship in the night air.”

 

is this in Barristas?  Every night starting about when?  Thanks

Sorry poorly crafted. Yes, just behind The Terrace Cafe where they serve Lobster and Steak there is a staircase leading down one floor. If you need to arrive early to grab it - but it's literally the best seat in the house.

Steps from the grill and desserts, looking down the staircase you see the wake of the ship. It's divine.

On 5/7/2023 at 7:12 PM, Sabbycat said:

 

We really enjoy getting a coffee at Baristas after breakfast and sitting in the Library while drinking it. It is very relaxing. But it is a very busy spot on a sea day! 

Soft leather chairs, hot coffee and biscuits, a good book, sunshine, quiet. What could be better?

We didn't find this out until late in our cruise ... I went onboard salivating about dining at the wonderful restaurants. 

You know what?

On any given night you can enjoy as much lobster, shrimp, steak and lamb as you can consume at the top of the stair case, looking out at the wake of the ship in the night air. Without worrying or thinking about your waiter. 

We won't ever forget that. A trip of a lifetime.

19 hours ago, jazznruby said:

Oooh, gotta differ with that one. I know you're making a rash generalization, and sure, there are plenty of examples of your 'after 75' statement, but...at 77 and 75 respectively, my husband and I are in better shape than many younger travelers/cruisers....happy to say. And while there's always the possibility that things change and s..t happens, we haven't yet started the countdown.

Every one is different, and at 65 my life expectancy is 83. That said, Mom was motoring around the house at 97 and died at 100.

I tell my clients filet mignon tastes a whole lot better at 70 than it does at 90. I'm good with that as a standard. Front load every good time you have and don't leave anything on the table.

 

7 hours ago, ORV said:

Make sure the Ultimate works with that Cabin selection. My cruise in January the Ultimate was only for B4- PH1. There were many other cruises with the same Terms. 

True enough. We considered swapping for another cruise and found that it didn't apply. I think you need to look for cruises with "Exceptional Saving" label. 

But confirm with the agent to be sure.

17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

DONE (within the last 12 months):

Summer 2022 Insignia ARN-LIS-NYC  36 days

Autumn 2022 Marina BCN-FCO-MIA   47 days

Winter 2023 Regatta SYD-SYD-PPT   33 days

 

UPCOMING (so far):

Summer 2023 Insignia: SF-NYC         20 days

Autumn 2023 Regatta: SEA-YVR-LA  23 days

Winter 2024 Riviera: BKK-HK-Tokyo   37 days

Spring 2025 Nautica: CPT-LIS-BCN   26 days

 

(also looking at one or two more in 2024)

Take a break and leave a cabin for the rest of us.

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

would gladly do this one, but we are off to alaska on the regatta and added the LA to LA portion, but will not get off the ship in San Fran..and its an overnight......not the chaos, that city is in...wish O would substitute this port for something else in CA, but what?

 

I have considered that exact itinerary  ... including the extension. Being a NYer, there's nothing SF or for that matter LA can show me regarding chaos I haven't seen. 

OTOH, I would never have imagined 20 years ago wanting to use an excursion in an American city for safety's sake. Shame.

41 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Ultimate O Life certainly is a good deal for many O customers - particularly those new to Oceania.

However, as some of the threads here on CC’s O forums have indicated, in many cases, it’s not so great for O regulars with existing bookings wanting to have it added to their deal. Savvy shoppers who have already taken advantage of previous “special” fare pricing on an upcoming cruise are often locked out of “Ultimate” O Life because O denies anything that smells like its definition of “double dipping.”

I noticed a B2B set of cruises between Barcelona and Istanbul - I think an interior cabin was around $3000 for 20 days, plus the package. 

I'm not game for spending several days in Instanbul, but there were a lot of nice cruises with the deal attached.

Surprised at the number of less expensive cabins still available. Maybe alarmed is a better word.

40 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

HAL- N/S just before COVID
O - Just after COVID

HAL - Spring, 2023

The changes have been remarkable. One of the things I notice is the moving delta between cost and product, and focus onboard.

And I remarked to my wife that I'd never seen less emphasis on washing hands as we just experienced. 

And a disturbing trend forward: I don't recall seeing as many open cabins available this close to sailing on Oceania as I do now. Before COVID, every interior cabin was assigned for at least 18 months. Not anymore.

I continue to believe at least one if not two operators will be bankrupt by Christmas.

Imagine the news if some 80,000 American guests from various Carnival cruise ships were distributed to ports around the world - and most of them with fewer resources at hand than Crystal passengers at hand. Oh, the humanity.



 

And despite the incredibly optimistic tenor of that post, we just now booked a Labor Day cruise out of NYC for Bermuda on the Big O. 🙂

I mean, drink package, cash, and a couple of excursions included? Gotta take that one.

Thank you for posting - it's re-assuring. 

Other cruise lines are not doing nearly as well - not nearly. 

HAL- N/S just before COVID
O - Just after COVID

HAL - Spring, 2023

The changes have been remarkable. One of the things I notice is the moving delta between cost and product, and focus onboard.

And I remarked to my wife that I'd never seen less emphasis on washing hands as we just experienced. 

And a disturbing trend forward: I don't recall seeing as many open cabins available this close to sailing on Oceania as I do now. Before COVID, every interior cabin was assigned for at least 18 months. Not anymore.

I continue to believe at least one if not two operators will be bankrupt by Christmas.

Imagine the news if some 80,000 American guests from various Carnival cruise ships were distributed to ports around the world - and most of them with fewer resources at hand than Crystal passengers at hand. Oh, the humanity.



 

On 4/6/2023 at 3:52 PM, Maisyboo said:

Agreed. We were on the same sailing 3/25-4/1.This was our 7th HA cruise and will be our last . I read the negative reviews and just didn’t  want to believe that things could change in such a dramatic manner. Sad , Time to find a new cruise line . 

It's expensive, but I'd fully recommend an Oceania cruise. I'm going back.

Time is so precious right? I think at best I have a dozen great vacations left where I can really get around and enjoy myself. Maybe I've got 20 trips.

When you look at it that way, that sailing becomes even more infuriating. Cheers, mate.

We've only just taken our maiden voyage on O, and there's a bunch of good advise from other posters.

Some of my thoughts ...

* Avoid dining in the specialty dining rooms on consecutive nights. Don't get me wrong - the food is wonderful. You might find your system overwhelmed, is all.
* Spend some quality time in the library.
* Exhale (a lot!0, and don't feel the need to hurry. Fewer guests really is a decompression you might not fully understand if you've done lots of mass affluent ships in the 3500 passenger class.

But most of all ...

The people are just phenomenal. It was one of the best parts of our trip, just chilling with other guests. We found a lot of joy in those conversations - I think you'll see a high level of O loyalty aboard.  

I found everything else I'd endured at sea to be a false economy. Enjoy!

4 hours ago, L454S said:

We have done many T/A's. That said, we have found things to keep us occupied like the music trivia and a Meet and Greet from a facebook page, music venues, etc. Games in the Crows Nest area are plentiful.

 

Heading to the Dutch Cafe for Latte and Cappuccino.

Tell Lesley "Alex and Cherie say hi!" - we were on the NS from mid March to April 1. I know he is on his way home to disembark for awhile ... presuming he is still on board. Him and Martin were a good team.

Drip Coffee to go, with a heated ceramic cup!

4 minutes ago, 2inSETexas said:

We’ve been to Cayman on another cruise line. I think the tender process there is horrendous regardless of the weather or size of the ship.

Honestly Cayman's tender process highlighted our Captain's skills. The waters were so rough, the tender process so difficult, that other ships in the area weren't able to disembark.

Nieuw Statendam saw delays, but everyone made their connection and got on and off. But yeah, Cayman's never good.

28 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Don't give up on HAL entirely if you see a good itinerary on a non-Pinnacle ship. I sailed Eurodam for the first time this winter. I was concerned about the size, as I love the R and Vista ships. The only staffing issues I could see were in MDR where our table was slow (although others around us were not, leading me to think that teams had one table too many to manage) and the midship pool bar staff. Ship was always clean, food was good, Lido service was good. The ship didn't feel crowded or loud (except for BBKing and Billboard, of course). There's something about the step up to the Pinnacles that doesn't work for me. 

We enjoyed the Veendam on a B2B in Canada/NE. Great itinerary, ship fit like a glove, MDR was fine. And perhaps most importantly, there was access to the Pinnacle DR - booked solid on NS. Part of this naturally is the new "Have Everything" promotion.

It will always be in our top 5 experiences. (Didn't hurt that we got to do a 14 day NE cruise for a total of $700 for both of us. Not a misprint.) 

But the taste is so sour from that last trip ... it will take a lot. Put it this way, I'd rather spend $200 a night on a West Coast/Alaska trip on O and sleep inside than go back to HAL. 

We sailed Nieuw Statendam in '19 and loved it - so much so that after sailing with Oceania in 2021 it stayed with us in our minds. Based on quality versus cost, it was a great experience.

Just off a 14 day B2B in the Caribbean (March 18 - April 1, 2023). Full to the gills - not sure if that was the case in '19. But it was a horrible experience for me. Overflowing everywhere, everything a wait. 

MDR was a disaster, leaving you to eat at the buffet unless you were willing to sit and sit and sit. Food was not terrible, but it was after all a buffet. Like shoveling food into your mouth. Staff themselves were scurrying to find napkins to wash to have for each sitting. Desserts felt like they came from a high school cafeteria, complete with aluminum pie trays. 

Comedian Vince Acevedo packed the theater, to the extent it was consistently SRO and no available seats. (He was hilarious.) Both shows, and he performed on two nights each cruise.

Not only will I never sail the Pinnacle class again, I'm done with HAL. Each his own, of course, but I loved the Vollendam, Eurodam and HAL generally before this. 

Any feedback on cabins directly above the Main Stage - Deck 4? Is there a noise issue? I would think not, but better to ask.

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

It may be but there is also a poorly advertised private sale going on. I booked the new 28 day Alaska and with login I am saving a few bills over the brochure rate, not as spectacular but certainly enough to pay for the bonus HIA.  Plus the Mariner early booking OBC.  just be sure you do login and go to the cart as @AlexCheriementioned.  There was a final price drop given there.  As I said - nothing as grand as hers but …

 

I think this ends soon too

Here is the thing - on both instances I was looking at, the cruise was offered either as a 14 day or 2, 7 day cruises.

Now, you could have gotten outstanding offers on other cruises (January 7, for $129) but nothing approaching $64 for a 7 day cruise or $200 a W/Med cruise. 

Once I alerted them to the issue, within an hour the $200 trip was gone replaced at $867 or something. 

Pretty darned sure at this point they had human error and it had something to do with splitting a cruise into components or joining them together for larger trips. We'll never know of course. 

For sure, this much happened: HAL will win on my purchase. I did pay going rate on one cabin for 7 days, but I am also bringing onboard a bunch of people that have never sailed. And now look at how many people spent time at their website.

Cheers and thanks to everyone for responding. 

3 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

The $200 deal is a casino offer, and you'll get the $200 back in OBC.

I spoke to HAL on the phone afterwards, told them about the price and within an hour the price was gone.

However at the time, on the phone with a HAL representative they did not indicate anything about a casino offer or any attachments to the offer. 

I asked if that was a valid offer, if there were any strings attached and was told there wasn't. 

Just sayin'. From my vantage point, that price is gone. 

1 minute ago, Crazy For Cats said:

I just logged in and followed your steps.  I see the 129 for the January itinerary.  I then looked at the March 11 and see $64 pp.  Both are for inside information.  
 

On the March I started a mock booking.  It truly says 64 pp. you get $200 obc per stateroom.  If I add HIA the price jumps to 949.

 

This must be a private sale but I don’t remember seeing an email on it.

Now look at the N/S sailings in Europe in April and May. 

Take two, 7 day cruises and spend $200 on each leg. That's screwed up. Oh by hte way, no Mariner discount on that one.

No - this has nothing at all to do with my status as a Mariner.

You can either book a 14 day trip on the Nieuw Statendam to leave Barcelona and r/t back from April 22 to May 6 for $1566 ... OR

You can book two individual cruises, in 7 day increments, and pay $200 for each of the two legs.

$400 for 14 days on the N/S in Europe.

40 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

I am logged in, price does not change on Edge and Win 11.

Can you find a cruise for Nieuw Statendam that departs Fort Lauderdale on March 11, 18, 25, or the 1st of April?

Because I'm almost certain the ship is in port, every one of those days, and I don't see it.

26 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Quite often these promotions are targeted at specific people. Looks like @AlexCherieis in the group HAL is targeting right now. The price reduction does not show up for me either.

Very interesting! I guess that's possible!!!

Although ... I have to say, it that's true it's really, really bad marketing. There has been almost zero collateral material aimed at me, either on social media or in print or via email.

By comparison, I'm bombarded by other luxe lines like Oceania and Regent (whom I've never sailed). I would think if you are going to target me, then you are going to make an effort instead of literally hiding the promotion.

Just a general note - 

5 minutes ago, ocean sounds said:

1 Star only.   Maybe yours is also a resident rate?

Ummm ... NY? Sort of doubt it.