Sthrngary

@EJL2023 Thank you and I agree. If anyone is uncomfortable with my posts, please use the Ignore Feature or simply skip them. I acknowledge my post are to long. In life, you have to clearly accept criticisms as way to improve if it is true. The complaints about my posts are true.

Point made!! Corrections in process. Thank you

I recently have been told that my post are to long and wordy. "Word Salad" was the term used. In addition some comments were made that CruiseCritic.com should not be used as a "personal blog". I have heard these comments clearly and appreciate them. Yet I have been encouraged to do a "Semi-Live Review/Blog" of my upcoming experience with Oceania Cruises. I will give a bullet point overview below of some facts for perspective below. I will attempt to be brief vs. detailed in my responses. I am posting this a week earlier then we cruise so whomever has a question can give me a heads up and I will try to answer it as it happens in real time. I will post when I have some time with the emphasis being having a great vacation. Here are some fact to take into consideration: Group Cruising: We are a group of two couples from 64 to 76 years old. My wife and I have cruised for 44 years, our guest are on their first cruise ever. Everyone is relatively healthy with minor mobility issues. Airfare: We booked our own with Delta Airlines. Because of the unique nature of this cruise, we are all now flying Business Class Delta One. We are also all flying together. We are coming in one day early and having an extra day in Barcelona at the end of the vacation. Ground Transportation/Transfers: I have pre-booked and paid online, all ground transportation for a Mercedes-Sprinter Van that can hold four (4) people and all their luggage. I rarely use Cruise Brand Transfers. Pre/Post Hotels: The hotels were for Athens, Greece and Barcelona, Spain. We booked them directly with the hotel rather then using Oceania's hotel option. Both hotels use the Marriott Frequent Guest programs so my status provided perks. Cruise: This is a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the Oceania Riviera. We have two (2) cabins. A "Vista Suite" and a "Penthouse" (PH2). Both staterooms started as Guarantees. We choose Oceania for the Itinerary and to enhance our cruising experience. My wife and I would usually cruise on NCL in the Haven or Celebrity in the Retreat. Excursions: We are doing all our own excursions and not using any of Oceania's offerings. Drink Package: Three (3) of us have the "Prestige Drink Package" and one of us does not drink alcohol. Cooking Class: My wife and I are doing a cooking class onboard during the only sea day. The focus is Mediterranean Cuisine. If you have question, feel free to ask them. I will look at the list and answer when time permits. I will summarize my days on being new to Oceania and comparing to what I have been used to on other cruise lines, staterooms and level of accommodation. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@edgee Thank you for sharing. Other feedback is quite different then the recent opinions given. Yet it is each member’s responsibility to respectfully to all opinions. The message has been received. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Don't give something then take it away. Don't promise something and give me an excuse why you can't do it. If a employee tells a guest they have until a certain date to make a decision, the company has to support that promise. This is a cruise industry issue.

A different perspective. I will not debate this issue. What I will say after 44 years of cruising on most all the brands, I have noticed a lacked a true understanding of what guest truly need, when issue happen. In most cases, the brand comes around and does the right thing eventually. However by that time the brand makes the right decision to take care of their guests, the damage to the relationship has been done. I could never understand why it took so long. When a brand makes a promise verbal or in writing, then the take it back, reputational damage is done. Do many guest calm down and book the brand again, "YES". Many also go to another brand. The hardest thing in business is building Advocacy. When you lose an Advocate, it is very costly. All this can be eliminated or reduced with very clear, professional and concise communication. That corporate consistent communication is in my opinion is what is missing. Also missing it the very important training on how to handle these situation for the brands staff. The Corporate staff is left to say things just to get off the phone with the angry client. The decision to give a refund or FCC is called "Goodwill". You can't give it to one guest and not to another or it is called "Bad will". If I always have to be the squeaky wheel to get what is right, it simply gets old and frustrating. Counter to the corporate office is the majority of crew and team members actually on the ship. They, for the most part, work so hard just to make us happy. Shame, the executive can learn a lot from the crew on a cruise ship. Do the right thing early and boost about it. Do it after lots of angry complaints and loss advocates. Simply as that. This is not an Oceania Issue. It is an industry issue. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Tipping and gratuities are very personal and subjective. When commenting, someone will have a different opinion. I also love the pre-cruise gratuities program. With Oceania, unlike NCL, I also like that the Butlers are included which is why your daily gratuities are a bit more. My wife and I started our live out together as employee's of Shoney's Big Boy Restaurants. We were both poor and both in college. Our parents could not help us so we were on our own. I was the Night Manager and she was the head server. I share this so those that find my opinion off can see why I might feel the way I do. Besides the gratuities program, I also tip extra. The amount varies based on the service I receive. This might be when the service is provided by a server at a Restaurant, bar tender. It might be upfront with a butler because of many conversations I have had with butlers in the past. It might be at the end. This is just my way and at this stage of my life, I am happy to share a bit more for those that make me feel good about my vacation. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ToxM Thank you. I have watched this video many times. I then compared it to the video's mostly done by travel agents three years ago. There is no difference in the suites hence my question. I am just curious. The Suite looks outstanding. I also recently watched the Ship Tour done after the Dry Dock Refurnishing. Lovely ship. My entire group is looking forward to our experience which is now in 9 days. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ToxM Yes I was Tom but I thought those were not refurbished. You corrected me on that and it was nice to know. Also, only if you know, was the Vista Suites Refurbished. From everything I can find out, it looks like they were done some years ago. Love to know if you know. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Yesimapirate You are right about this. I emailed the hotel for a pre-arrival upgrade and to find out the Bonvoy Benefits. They confirmed due to my status they would provide an upgrade for both rooms. Seems this hotel nor the EDITION provided Breakfast as part of the Perk. Also, when I asked about the Club Level Access, which is provided at most Marriott Hotels, it was not here. The quoted me double the room rate for Club level. Still, I agree with you. $20.00 is a steal for a RC. Cruise well and enjoy every moment

This is the outcome of my Oceania Guarantee Journey. We booked two PH3 Guarantees in early September 2022. I normally would not do a Guarantee unless there was a financial benefit. With Oceania, there really is none. I booked two (2) staterooms at the PH3 Guarantee because it was the best value with a 4-Catigory upgrade promotion. That was a long time ago. Here is the results, FINALLY!! The first Guarantee: This was my cabin and I took the advice from this board and asked Oceania for a "Paid" Guest Upgrade. Long story but I paid and upgrade and got a Vista Suite. The second Guarantee: This was for my guest/friends coming along with us. The Cruise is on November 9, 2023. That is 10 days away. Today they issue our friends a Stateroom. It is a PH2 so they got a nice upgrade. I am thrilled because this is on the the newly refurbished cabins where some of the PH3 were not. The best part is they are the cabin under ours. That was a nice surprise. So would I do a Guarantee again, only under the same situation of a 4-Catigory upgrade. That seems to be the best way to gain a benefit. Long journey with what I consider a nice result. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Plus 1

@the more ports the better I will change my online name to "Stingray". I have Grey hair and ever joint in my body Sting on a daily basis. Love it. I love the fact that the Yellow Metro is close. Thank you for sharing. Cruse well and enjoy every moment.

@ORV "NO" as if this time. Most ports are Greece, Italy and France. My gut tells me Istanbul is NOT going to happen. That is based so many post I have read saying that Istanbul was always cancelled and the protests they had there yesterday. Thank you for asking. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PinonNoir That is OUTSTANDING. I love your line at the end. "Bottom line, don't mess with retired people who have time on their hands." You have given a GREAT example of "Never Giving Up" when you know you are right. Bravo. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@brdgplay22 Thank you very much for the clarification. My comment is designed to support and help you because of your situation. I have shared this before so I am happy to share it again. I have had two issues with Oceania. One in 2019 and one recently. Both had to do with Oceania Team member who on the phone said one thing, and it did not happen or the information was not at all accurate. On both of my situations, it was resolved to my satisfaction within just a few days. How I did it both times. Step One: I wrote a well crafted letter focused on exactly what happened. At no point in time did I threaten or was I rude in anyway. I have read your postings and you write beautifully. The key to issue resolution is great, direct communication and you establish a suggested resolutions within the letter. Step Two: You Federal Express the letter to the five top executives at Oceania Cruises. Each letter is address to one of the executives. Step Three: If you do not receive communications within 3 days of the letters being received, send again. On both of my situations, my travel agent who is very successful, has a great relationships with Oceania only got a "NO". Yet, my letters got both situations resolved relatively quickly. The same technique worked for NCL and HAL. The key is which you more than qualify, that your situation is valid and your descriptions is accurate. I want to end with this. I have shared this approach a few times on different social media blogs. Some folks say my approach will not work. Some other folks say nothing will work. In this case, what do you have to lose. However, if you are given an offer you can live with, "You Own Me A Drink". A Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred, shaken so much there is a thin layer of ice on top, dry as the Sahara desert with two blue cheese stuffed olives. That is my payment, DEAL!!!! Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PhD-iva I have NO skin in this game. I take NO sides here. I also get in trouble every time I post on topics that say, "I will never cruise this brand again." In all things in life, there are facts, non-facts and the truth. To get to the truth, one needs to have access to accurate information from both sides. You won't find that on Social Media even on cruisecritic.com. We tend to post what we believe the truth is that supports our position. Human nature. The brand does not post their positions so to find that out, they have to correspond with their guests in question. The letter I did read above was worded in a very interesting way. I have not seen the first letter that stated the details of any offer and not sure if it was just verbal. In this case, the OP has stated they had a window to take actions. Again, I have not as of yet seen anything in writing on start or end of that offer from the Brand. I do not challenge those that say they were told they had time. I also do not put past any brand to pull back an offer when they find out most clients are cancelling. Each side has a point of view and I bet each side can debate their positions. We debate on Social Media, the brand rarely puts anything in writing because it can come back to haunt them. What I do know is one of the ships in question is the Riviera. I am on the Riviera from November 9 to the 19, 2023. On the 19th when we disembark in Barcelona, Spain, the Riviera was going out for a 10 day and 30 day trip. These cruises especially the 10 day went from ALL categories in a Waitlist, to WIDE open. That tells me LOTS of guest cancelled. That would lead me to assume, lots of guest took the offer, LOTS!!! Then this post comes out about the same cruises. I think we all can make a determination what happened here when LOTS of folks started to cancel. Did the OP do something wrong, NO. They are the injured party here. Did the Brand in this case Oceania do something wrong, not sure. Don't have all the facts but sure seems like the could have handled it better. Please lets be clear, the root cause here is the conflict in the middle east. The rest is cause and effect from that stimulus. That was nether the guest or the brands fault. This situation is going to play out and who knows, maybe everyone can have a win. Stranger things have happened recently. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is one strange situation. Offer an alternative and then take it back. Not the best thing for guest relations for sure. I am quite sure that what ever offer was given initially, Oceania like most other brands had a policy they could take it back anytime. That does not make it right, just how all brand protect themselves. That Cruise Contract is a evolution in focusing mostly on the brands. We also have to take into consideration when offers have been given to us in the past. Example but not the same, just and example. Often times a brand will offer you and "Paid" upgrade. Those that understand the offer know, it was offered to a lot of people. Take it quick or lose it. On this trip, the moment the itinerary changed and a offer was given, was the time to act. Hindsight is 20/20 I know but this is an example of no thinking needed. Cancel. Something tells me this is not the end to this story. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Based on the post in this thread, I re-thought my hotel in Barcelona, Spain. The original selections reserved a very long time ago was, the Barcelona EDITION Hotel. After many comments on this location and accommodations, I changed to the Hotel Arts Barcelona. Since this is a thread on preparations I will share why I did this. The cost per night went up only $20.00. The main markets were closed on this day which was Sunday so staying in the Gothic Quarter was not as much of a draw. This hotel is a Ritz-Carlton with a lovely spa. We are off a 10 day cruise so maybe a little spa treatment might be nice. If we have any money left over from the cruise. Ritz-Carlton is part of the Marriott Guest Elite Program which fix in with my Titanium Status. This hotel is by the Beach with great views of the city. The rooms and hotel in general is much nicer. Now with any decision, as this stream proves, their are pro's/con's. You have to be willing to be flexibly when you gain first hand information to help your decision. When I told my wife and guest to go on YouTube and review the video's on the EDISION and the ARTS, the group said, "ARTS". Finally a group decisions. Thank everyone for your support and assistance. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruzin Terri Not only was your post helpful, it was educational. I fully understand your comment about being flamed. I have second degree burns on some of my posts for sure. You really did not need to worry about being burned because you throughout your post took accountability for your actions. That shows character and class. So many folks complain and blame everyone but themselves then cope a major attitude. Nothing ever goes completely correct on a cruise as we all know. What I really like about your post was a certain level of clarity as it relates to coverage for Credit Cards alone. Also, what happens when one uses points for travel outside of the credit card used for the cruise fare. Very informative. Thank you. Side personal story. I NEVER ever used Third Party Travel Insurance in 42 years of cruising. Then for what every reason and I don't remember what it was that motivated me, I purchased third party travel insurance with cancel for any reason, for my wife and myself. The timing was just as cruises were going to start back post covid and it was on Crystal Cruises out of Miami. 8 days prior to departure, my wife got covid. Half of my fare was going to be lost which was a lot of money. Remember, this was my first time EVER having Third Party Cruise Travel Insurance. My lose was paid within 15 business days after I did a claim. I also did a claim for misc. items not taken care of by the third party travel insurance and did a claim on my American Express Platinum Card. It was not much but it did pay something. I got really lucky. @Cruzin Terri Please if you have not already, still send in a claim. Also, please consider sending a nice note to Oceania explaining what happened. I am in no way saying it will make a differences in your situation. However, like chicken soup, it can't hurt. Stranger things have happened. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275 I can keep a secret if I want to. Where can I find the secret hand shake and whistle. I can write a good 500 words on those things alone. Cruise well and keep a secret.

Thank you for the clarification. Cruise well, and enjoy every moment.

@Traveling Fools A couple of things. First, thank you so much for responding. I am also thrilled you had the opportunity to stay in a Vista Suite. Second, my approach was to rate the experience based on how and what happens when you leave the suite not while you are in the suite. Third, funny comparison you gave utilizing the Vista Suite to the NCL Owners Suite. It just so happens, I cruise in the NCL Joy H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony 18 months ago. I will make some comparisons based on that. Forth, my guest are in a Penthouse so I will utilize their experience and maybe it can give me some difference from a Haven Penthouse Suite. Again, "Apple to Apple" comparisons are never completely accurate. To many variables. It will be a very interesting project for me which I am looking forward too. Thank you again for reaching out. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CDR Benson Hello Sir: You and I are going to have some stories to tell. You with Regent which was my first choice and me with Oceania chosen for budget considerations of the guest joining us. We both know the Haven very well and our comments will reflect that. For you and myself, we will be on much smaller ships. The vibe (not vibe beach club) will be much different. Gone are the Go-Cart Tracks and in is "Full Contact Trivia that take no prisoners". With everything in life there are compromises, pros and cons. We together will offer some great insight for this and other threads. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PatJim I thought so also until I did a comparison. Just like when we do a comparison of other cruise brands, it is very hard to do an "Apple to Apple" comparison. Example: if you get a Penthouse on Oceania, the butler gratuity is within the Pre-Paid Gratuity. In the Haven, we do the tip ourselves for the butler. On Oceania, the soft drinks in the mini-fridge are free and in the Haven except the Owners Suite is has a cost. These are not better or worse but you can see now it is hard to compare. Both are excellent choices for different reason's. The cost is much closer and in some cases less then I expected it. Not selling either why just thing everyone has to have realistic expectations. Due Diligence is the key. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.