ICT lineman

Good to know about Vista … the Oceania website Deck plan does not show that. Will be onboard this November for a TA.

Yes, the only R ship is Sirena … located were deck plan says Artist loft. Riviera and Marina have restrooms outside Horizons. The deck plan for Vista DOES NOT.

The only Oceania ship which has restrooms on the same deck as Horizons is Sirena … starboard. IMO poor design to have a large gathering area and bar with no restrooms and having to go down 1 deck. 😳

The 3-day free flight ‘window’ is one possibility that few know about. So as to allow for weather, delays or lost luggage, many suggest arriving 1-day before embarkation. Oceania Air deviation is one of the lesser known travel options. Once a deposit has been made and 270 days before embarkation, you can request specific flights and dates = Air deviation. Yes, the cost is $199 USD per guest plus any airline up charges beyond the Oceania contracted fare. Once requested, Oceania Air Department will present you with a quote which you can accept or reject within 96 hours.

Do not know how long it will last but Oceania is currently offering free air deviations from Gateway cities. https://www.oceaniacruises.com/air Other Gateways are $99.50 each direction

For the crew there is a small ( 6 inch x 4 inch ) 4 page version of Currents. It has front page, second page of excursion times, third page of activities for the day and back page of restaurant and bar hours. Very easy carry for pocket or purse. Just ask Cabin attendant for 2 small ones to be delivered at evening turndown when they bring the larger version of Currents and chocolates. Have done this on numerous cruises without any problem.

We were also on the Vancouver to Tokyo with goarmy, jessandarnie and met mr. fudge. We continued onward for 11 days to Korea and back to Tokyo. This was our second Regent cruise and second time on Explorer. Previous cruises have been on HAL Zaandam, both Oceania O ships and 3 of the 4 Oceania R ships = Gold level Oceania Club member. Our experiences was that Explorer was in excellent condition and crew were always cordial and helpful. We were in a Concierge E stateroom which is the same size as a O ship Penthouse and slightly larger that a R ship Penthouse. The walk in closet with a 2 sink bathroom were much nicer than a Oceania O ship Penthouse (R ship closet is not walk in). Really liked that the bed faced the balcony, was hard to figure out how the illy® Espresso Maker worked, mini-frig and bar were always stocked with desired soda and requested liqueur. Internet 🛜 was reasonably reliable throughout but live TV was off when in port due to local regulations 👎. Noticeable difference from Oceania was that the La Veranda buffet is self service while the Regent Pool Grill menu is far superior to Oceania Waves. Sette Mari at La Veranda was not to our liking and a major disappointment so the majority of our evening meals were in Compass Rose were service was comparable to Oceania but the daily different right-side menu items were uninspiring. The evening menu at Oceania Terrace Cafe offers more variety with frequent themed dinners. IOO, Regent and Oceania Specialty restaurants are equal and Regent excursions, while included, were not really different than Oceania pay-as-you go selections. Yes, this cruise stretch our budget but the attention from the crew was outstanding and superior to Oceania experiences. The no key card open bar was handy and the wine list far superior. A Oceania Penthouse with Beverage package fits our needs so while we enjoyed our time onboard, $ wise, I doubt we will sail Regent again.

Wife is occasion wine drinker only at Dinner. With 3 Oceania Club comp Chardonnay she will be good. For me, will definitely look for Pinot or AU/NZ Shirah in Montevideo and Ushuaia. For us, there are only 5 new ports so will not be doing many excursions and our second Panama Canal transit. Hope to meet you onboard. Cigars in Pool deck smoking area at 2 PM … bringing mix of Cuban and Dominican.

My choice of spirit is Bacardi Blanca and Pepsi. I request Pepsi in the stateroom mini-frig and Oceania follows through. With Oceania’s very liberal policy of bringing alcohol onboard, it has been easy find Bacardi and local wines at Ports in Europe where many have Duty Free stores. I simply take Pepsi and glass of rum from cabin to Waves bar then ask for a glass of ice. Staff surely knows what is happening but say nothing. On last October/November 38-day TA from Portsmouth to Miami brought alcohol onboard six times. Cruise had 4 Captains, 4 Oceania Club receptions and Horizon Happy Hours. Also received 3 bottles of comp Oceania wine and exchange Champagne for wine. Results were $260 for rum/wine and $450 for Ship drinks which were paid for with onboard credits. Next Monday, the 27th, is 38-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Miami and after extensive research found that opportunity to buy alcohol onshore was going to very limited so decided, for the first time, to buy the Prestige Beverage package for myself. Fortunately, I was able to get the package just before the price increase. Using the 10% Club discount and Onboard credit the cost is $45 per day.

Have flown 6 times across Equator. Will be on Marina February 27 from BA to Miami April 6. Does / will Oceania do a Pollywog [Shellback] ceremony ?

After Barcelona, Navigator is sailing onward to New York with a stop in Bermuda. The following is a quote from the RSSC Pre-cruise and Onboard Health & Safety Requirements for passengers boarding in Barcelona. https://www.rssc.com/voyage-health/NAV220824 “For cruises that visit Bermuda, all guests are required to complete Bermuda’s required Travel Authorization application, regardless of if they intend to go ashore or not, prior to arriving at the terminal in Barcelona on August 24, 2022, to board the ship. During the embarkation process, guests must provide a printed or digital copy of the email confirming that their application was approved or received and pending review from Bermuda authorities. Failure to start the application process will delay your embarkation and possibly the ship’s departure from Barcelona. Please note, as part of Bermuda’s Travel Authorization application process you will need to upload a negative COVID-19 PCR (NAAT) test up to 4 days before embarkation or supervised COVID-19 Antigen test up to 2 days before embarkation AND present evidence of the negative test at time of embarkation in Barcelona.” In October, we are doing a similar cruise on Oceania Sirena [ Portsmouth to Miami ]. I am curious as to how Regent will be meeting this Travel Authorization requirement for passengers who boarded in Amsterdam and are continuing on to New York.