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@JeanKC I have never heard that Cruise Travel Insurance was Mandatory. Always an options supported by so many who post they did not have and and got stuck with a big bill on-board. My I suggest you double check what is and is not covered with your policy. Also, there is a big difference between coverages especially compared to what most cruise lines offer. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@taloolabelle I hope you are excited as I am. I will give you below the result of my research and I think you will love it. I will change and adjust my findings after my cruise. I do a lot of writing prior to cruise so it is easy to change and adjust prior to final posting. There is a video on YouTube by a travel agent that is Suite 12001. The suite has not changed like the renovations of other suites on the Riviera. Look up the video. Hear is the research I have done. Hope you like it. The Vista Suite for my wife and me was a pleasant comedy of errors. We originally booked a Concierge Stateroom which was upgraded with the 4-Catigory Upgrade promotion to a PH3 Guarantee Penthouse. Fast forward to the “Extraordinary Sales Event” in which we received a huge reduction in fare cost for the PH3 Guarantee. I then asked my travel agent to call Oceania for a guest “Paid” upgrade to a “Vista Suite” because the Oceania Suites Level were waitlisted, the Owners Suites were way too much suite and expense. There were two (2) Vista Suites left. A mistake was made in quoting the upgrade price by the Oceania representative, and the original upgrade amount was NOT honored. Mistakes happen and I did NOT get upset or harbor resentment. I wrote a very kind, thoughtful and professional letter/email. It resulted in gaining another paid upgrade offer, higher cost than the original which I accepted immediately. Win/Win situation for Oceania Cruises and myself. On to the elusive and luxurious “Vista Suite”. A small back story. Two years ago, I cruised on the NCL Joy with my family in the (H2) Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large balcony. This was the result of four (4) Covid-19 cancellations applying Future Cruise Credits (FCC) and discounts. I thought at the time, this was “IT” for me. I would never have as grand a cruise suite, ever again. I was WRONG! The “Vista Suite” is a marked improvement in many ways compared to the NCL (H2) Haven Owners Suite. The Vista’s entire square footage of the suite and veranda is 1,657. Depending on the deck, the measurement increases and decreases. My first home 44 years ago was 800 sf. The Vista veranda is 652 making the actual suite 1,005 sf. As you walk into this Vista Suite, you will find a “Full” second bathroom with a rainforest shower head. As you move forward to the main room, it opens to one of the nicest living spaces I have ever seen on a cruise ship or any luxury hotel. It had a Great Room, large butler’s pantry/bar, dining room table with four (4) chairs. The quality of the furnishings was instantly notable. The decorations and art were the real deal. The lighting was automated with a legend showing the lighting scene modes. The entire suite was wired with a Bose Sound System for music and surround sound for movies. Storage in this suite was no issue and almost ridiculous. When you book an Oceania, Vista, or Owners Suite it comes with a Suite Bar Menu. You can order six (6) full bottles of spirits and or wine using the Suites Bar Menu and provide your selections to your 24/7 butler or the pre-cruise ship concierge. Waiting for you in your suite is a fresh fruit basket which is replenished daily. To the side of the couch was a standing ice bucket with a bottle of real French Champagne (Blue Label) chilling. Petit fours were on the coffee table with a bowl of individually wrapped Werther's Original candies. Each day between 04:00 PM and 05:00 PM, a small plate of delicious canapes was provided. You can choose what you like with a special menu in the suite. You share your preferences with your butler. Vista Suite has two (2) devices for unlimited (non-streaming) internet (As of July 1, 2023, the “Simply More™ program includes two (2) devices for all staterooms). You can upgrade to streaming for $10.00 per day, per device. In general, I was impressed with the little bits of attention to detail in the suite. NOTE: When comparing the high-end suites from Mainstream Cruise brands to a Premium-Plus/Luxury brand like Oceania show subtle differences. Little niceties that you can almost miss. I appreciate that kind of attention to detail. The master bedroom was a king-sized bed, you have the Sweat Dreams™ pillow menu to choose from, a glass makeup table with chair in the corner of the room, and the actual bedroom is much larger than any other master bedroom I have ever stayed in on a cruise ship. The walk-in closet was more than any two (2) people would ever need. I personally loved the two (2) sets of robes, heavy long and light short plus Oceania Slippers. Again, little things make a difference. The master bath was also extremely impressive. It has a huge vanity with double sink, rainforest shower head, bidet, and most importantly an extra-large jacuzzi soaking tub. This soaking tub is larger than in the Oceania Owner’s Suite. On the counter are bath salts, high-end toiletries, and a Bulgari™ gift box to take home of the luxury bath products. To the side is a small exercise room with two (2) machines facing a flat screen TV. To the other side was an Oceanview window. This specific exercise room for us was a bit of a waste but used for the storage of the Veranda lounge chair cushions when the weather was bad. Oceania provides three (3) bags of laundry with 20 items per bag with a three-day turn-around, during our voyage. You can press four (4) items on or before day three of your cruise. You also have access to a full laundry facility with detergent on many floors. That was a godsent. I hate packing dirty clothes. The huge wrap-around veranda was a showstopper. An outdoor dining room table for four, two plush lounge chairs (We had two additional chairs added for our friends joining us in a Penthouse Suite) and around the side, two more chairs with a wonderful outside Jacuzzi Tub not longer has an outdoor TV set. On one of the chairs was an Oceania Beach Terrycloth bag and some other items as a gift. The suite is on the “Bow” of the ship with the same view as the captain’s bridge. As a matter of fact, Deck 12 is just above the captain’s bridge and below the Aquamara outdoor spa. There was NO noise with a few exceptions I will outline below. Some areas of concerns were, · The location of the veranda is a mixed blessing. While the ship is cruising fast, it is too windy to be outside. When coming into or out of ports; it is lovely and relaxing. · The bow thrusters can be a bit annoying when docking or when leaving the dock, but it only lasts a very short time. · Some decks with Vista Suites were asked to close their curtains at night because the light distracted the bridge. The exception was the Vista Suites on Deck 12 because they were above the bridge. Remember, much of this will change when we complete our cruise. I hope it will help you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Want to Select a Cruise Brand? Research and Ask Questions! Every cruise brand has positives and negatives. They can not be perfect for every guest. Always reminds me of Ford and Chevy Trucks. Both trucks about the same size with the same stuff. Some folks will only purchase Chevy and other only Ford. My approach is to go to the brand board on CruiseCritic.com I am interested in, in my recent case it was Oceania Cruise, and read all the posts. Engage and ask questions. Make a list of what you learn. Something will suit you others will not. When the cruise is very expensive, look at what all the brands you are interested in provide including the investment. The best think you can do is know what you are paying for so you won't be disappointed. My last comparison was Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Viking, SeaBourne, SilverSeas, Oceania Cruises and the VIP sections of NCL, Celebrity and MSC. When I was done, I could see very clearly which cruise brand provided the best value proposition. I also learn all about each cruise brand. Making a booking decision was that much easier with the knowledge base. The down side it the time to research. The upside is you greatly reduce making an expensive mistake. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

A person for my own heart. Your options are Credit Card, Vacation Insurance if purchased and Oceania brand. Good luck and please report back. A word of advice. Many will discourage you saying they did what you are doing and it did not work. Other that have never tried like to come across as experts saying it won't work. Stay focused, never lose your temper, stick to the facts and how it made you feel. Always suggest with Oceania what you feel is a realistic solution to your issue. You can do it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PinonNoir The word for the day is a balanced honest review. These come in different forms. The first is someone who has cruised the brand before and has a foundation of what to expect. The second is someone who has never cruise before and this voyage is a step up in cruising class. No foundation above Mainstream Cruising. The Third is someone who has cruise Ultra-Luxury and compares every aspect of any other brand based on the Ultra Luxury Experience. Your review falls into category #1. You had a foundation of knowledge and you compared the reviewed experience to past experience. Very helpful both the Pro/Cons. New cruisers to Oceania like myself have no foundation of knowledge from real experiences. What we do with reviews like yours is learn from them. Will we have lobster, yes but we will not on the last night. If it comes out tough, will we be upset. No, we knew that was a possibility when we ordered it. Learned Behavior. Missed Ports are a thing. Seems like to new folks a high likely hood of happening. If it does happen, will we be disappointed, sure. But knowing what we know now, we logically know it could happen. If it does not, it exceeds our expectation. My point is, by knowing the down side, even if the experiences are debated by others on the same sailing, gives new people to Oceania, a frame of reference. Don't do this, watch out for this, let people all get off the ship on the last day and simply enjoy a longer lunch on deck if you can spare the time. "A cruise with NO issues does not exist. If you know what some of the controllable issues are, you can avoid them. That makes for a cruise with LESS issues." Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vlthom I found out that this call might NOT be common especially when I got it. This is the second time I posted what happened. Before folks come out of the would work on this, so here is what happened. I do a deep dive on learning everything I can about a new brand I want to cruise with. It takes forever. I only stay with the brand and do a booking if their hype equals the treatment I actually received. Without writing a book, Oceania and their team exceeded my expectations and still continue to do so. When I am happy with a brand, I send out a very nice letter focused on the detailed positive treatment I got. I never lie, or overly exaggerate. I figure cruise brands get enough hate mail. I was so blown away, I sent that note and meant every word. I also, as is my norm, let Oceania know that I post a lot in social media and my posts are always fair. A few weeks later, I got a call from a person with the title of "Special Services Coordinator-Riviera". It was over 150 days before embarkment. At the time, I just figured it was normal treatment. I was quickly told it was not. So maybe it was my letter or maybe it was me posting so much on other boards. Either way, it was nice and I appreciated it. I want to add a few things here. I paid in full for both of my Staterooms over two months in advance. I have NEVER done that before. I was so impressed, I thought that was the least I could do. Hope that answers your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I got a call from the Oceania Riviera--Guest Desk a few months ago. They asked is I had any food allergies or needs so they could pre-order if needed due to supply chain issues. I had NONE. I asked for some Orange Juice in the mini-fridge for one cabin and Cranberry Juice in the other cabin. They confirmed and put it in my file. On another line, if you had a special request, like Diet Dr Pepper and they did not carry it, they would make a special order for it if you gave them enough time. It was hit or miss if that special order ever got there. I have never been that picky. I have posted about this Oceania call so far in advance and quite frankly was a bit confused by it. It ended up being NOT something that was done often. I was very impressed. When in the NCL Haven, that call usually came about 90 days or less before cruise embarkment date. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Wow, great spouse. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

On the outdoor Hot Tub question for Oceania Suites on the Riviera. The YouTube.com Video is called "Oceania Riviera | Oceania Suite | Full Walkthrough Tour & Review | 4K" . The video was done last week. The time marker is 07:56 and you can clearly see the outdoor Hot Tub and no TV. I believe that other than new carpeting, no real renovation has been done to the Oceania, Vista and Owners Suite since 2021. It that had been done, maybe they might have removed the hot tubs from the Oceania and Vista Suites. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The Riviera "Vista" Suite also still have a hot tub outside as well. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You have to make changes to accommodate your trip. That is why it is editable. Enjoy. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I learned a lot from this Topic. Interesting take on things. Because I love watching video's on really nice suites, may I recommend the Vista, Owners Suite Video. Some, but not all of the issues outlined have been updated. Part of this was done with a real butlers closet. On the Hot Tub for one of the side decks, I learned during reviewing this thread that the power that be eliminate them on the Vista along with the outside TV. In a recent video, I noticed even on the Riviera, in the Oceania and Vista Suites the TV was not longer visible. I also noticed on the Vista, the Vista Suite no longer had a little gym with makes complete sense to me. Many of us dream of going in an upper end suite. We watch video's, consider the extra room, storage, bathrooms and amenities. Then, one day by plan or accident we end up in a upper level suite. This happened to me on the NCL Joy. I was in the Haven (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony. 1400 sf including a wrap around balcony. I took my family and I thought it was a very nice suite. The nicest I had ever had until now. The truth is like buying a new car, after a day or two, it was just another suite. Bigger, Yes; More Amenities like bottles of spirits, Yes; a huge deck that wrapped around the ship, Yes; It was impressive. Yet it had lots of wind because it was on the bow of the ship when the ship was moving or on a sea day. It A/C was hit/miss. The second bedroom bath was the size designed for kids with a very low toilets. Great suite, but not perfect especially for the investment even though I got a deal on it due to so many cancellations. I like the author here shared the good, bad and ugly. I am quite positive that I will have positives/negatives to say about my upcoming Vista Suite on the Riviera. The difference here is having so many straight forward folks that listed the Good, Bad and Ugly already. Just like the author here did on the Owners Suite on the Riviera. Glad this blog in general has far more realistic reviews then other I have read. Makes managing expectations for easier. I hope to do the same when I cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@brer111 My pleasure. I hope you can down load it. You may have to put the file as landscape and mess with it a bit. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Cruise_Agenda_Template.xlsxCruise_Agenda_Template.xlsx

That is why I asked the question earlier. I then went back to the Oceania Website to see about the rules. 1) We can bring 6 bottles of wine onboard. We can drink it in our staterooms. If went want to bring them with us to a restaurant. There is a $25.00 cork fee. 2) In Oceania, Vista and Owners Suites, you are provided by Oceania 6 bottles of spirits or Wine. The poster was not happy with the wine selection so they brought their own. I, like you got the two things confused. What I learned was bring a couple of my wife's favorite wine for the suite. Good information and much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PinonNoir What I like about current topic on this thread is putting some thought into making a cruise the best it can be. If wine, or a better level of wine is important to your vacation, bring it on board. Your screen name says it all. My wife loves Chardonnay. May be I will bring a couple of bottles for the suite just to make sure she is happy. I do have a question. The Rule of 6 bottles per stateroom. Can you clarify. Are you saying, Oceania will allow you to bring 6 bottles of wine on board OR are you referring to the six bottle of Spirits or wine that is an amenity to the Owners Suite? Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you to @FetaCheese for getting me to consider reading the entire 15 page Oceania Ticket Contract. This is NOT the first Ticket Contract that I have read and they all read the same. It was an boring and yet interesting read. I highly recommend it. Now after reading this document, if you take it at face value, much fewer guest would ever book any cruise vacation with ANY brand. It is solidly weighted on the Cruise Brands legal side. I knew this before I read it as we all should. Will it stop me from booking another cruise, heck "NO". My favorite vacations are cruise vacations. Still we all should be aware of the very detailed facts on the document that we agree too. I also think many of the complaints that happen about cruising have their core answers in this document. Instead of giving you a link, I will attach the PDF below. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. oceania-guest-ticket-contract-new.pdf

@FetaCheese I hope you know I am NOT challenging you in anyway. 24. GUEST BOOKINGS As a condition of Our business, We retain the right to overbook Guest accommodations. In the event that the Guest accommodation referenced in this Ticket Contract is overbooked, or if We determine that the Ship is overbooked, We may, at Our discretion, deny boarding to any Guest and, at Our further discretion, refund all monies paid or offer another Cruise or CruiseTour in substitute. Interesting read. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

OK, well put. No excuse for not doing due diligence. Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Flatbush Flyer Your statement is true. When ever a reference to a more expensive stateroom is posted on this and most other boards, your statement is brought up. The other side of the coin. Folks that book Owners Suite in the most cases (exceptions to every rule) don't worry about buying more cruises for the price they pay for an Owners Suite. Four most of us, this is kind of hard to believe. We need to keep our stateroom chooses in a category of what is acceptable to you. Whether you purchase an inside cabin or owners suite, you have your own personal reasons. All reasons for the financial decisions we all make are relative to our situation in our personal and business life. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Please explain this comment. Not sure what you mean. Using airline tickets (I know they are not the same) as examples, Bump off a flight with a guaranteed seat, just not assigned, provides compensation. As this thread outlined, it might be to those in catigories with assignments, or those with Guarantees and it sometime can be interesting propositions. The reality is the Guarantees will clear, no one will be involuntarily bumped, all will be cruising that choose to cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I did the above post on July 12, 2023: I said I would report back on progress as time went on. I was tracking the results of a cruise sales (in the form or stateroom availability), as it related to my one remaining Guaranteed Stateroom Assignments. This ship sailing currently is ALL waitlisted except one Owners Suite on Deck 8. My remaining stateroom is a PH3 Guarantee. The reservation is paid in full and there is 105 days to the embarking day. Final payment for others due date is August 11, 2023. My daily checks have shown NO waitlist stateroom open in several weeks. The penalty stage is in effect for deposits. In 15 days the penalty stage will be in effect for cruise fare paid in full. When reviewing ALL the comments in this stream, the earliest a Guarantee was assigned was 1 week prior to final payment and the latest was the day before embarkation. From everything shared by others, a waitlisted cruise STILL on the Summer Sale, there is NO business reason why my remaining guarantee stateroom should clear until the week before the cruise. If this changes, I will report back. This is an interesting study for me. Not everyone might think so unless you have a Guarantee Stateroom. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PinonNoir I read what you wrote twice. When I book a new ship, I really study all the staterooms especially Penthouse and above. I go to YouTube and watch every video I can find. With the Riviera, I get excited when a new travel advisor or influencer does a detailed look at the newly refurbished cabins. I saw the Owners Suite and the size of it was impressive. Yet with two people it seemed overkill. That perspective comes from recently cruising the Owners Suite on the NCL Joy. We had four in the suite and still it was massive. The way your Oceania Owners Suites decks were distributed also seemed off. Now I do love the fact it was the back of the ship from a wind standpoint. With the good comes the thrusters. All I am trying to really say it I can clearly see why you wrote the review the way you did. I did learn to ask for a "night light" in the bathroom. That is no joke, GREAT idea. Closing, thank you for taking the time and paying the substantial investment. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

"And Then There Was Nothing Left To Do!" One of my biggest mistakes was visualizing my vacation over and over in my mind. In my day dreams, it was perfect in every way. Anyone that has ever taken a cruise knows nothing is ever perfect. I want to give you and example so you can see how focusing the perfect vacation can backfire. On NCL's private island they have a very expensive excursion where you rent a Private Beach Villa. One price, you can have up to 6 people. The place is lovely with A/C, Internet, a few soft drinks and on a private beach. You get a Golf Cart ride from the entrance of the island to this private beach. It was very nice but not the perfect time I was hoping and dreaming about. I was in a fool mood the entire day and really can't put my finger on why. My family thought the place was lovely with the exception of the sand. We lived in Miramar Beach, FL where the sand is the best I have ever scene. My mood was because my expectation was higher than reality. My mistake and I am careful not to do this as much anymore. My title to this segment is, "And Then There Was Nothing Left To Do!" In 100 hundred days my wife and best friends will be on a 17 hour series of flights to Athens, Greece for a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on Oceania Cruises. There is no more planning left to do. We paid for the entire cruise a month ahead of time. My guest joining my wife and me, have had to do nothing. I have taken care of everything. I wrote a journey document which gives instructions on Ground Transportation, Attractions, Websites for online tickets, and where to get some delightful foods. Included is a section on the Culture of each country being visited and how to be careful of scams. If there was special reservations needed for the Specialty Restaurants on the ship, they have been booked. Everything from special request of the butler have been sent and confirmed. Transfers Booked, Flights Booked, Hotels Booked, and pre-cruise dining reservation booked. Now, I am depressed. There is nothing left to do. I am bored and every time I watch another YouTube Video, I realize I have already watched it. I got so bored today, I went out looking for a new car. Just the way it is for a crazy planner I guess. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I know, I am a broken record. I simply can't help myself. Anyone who has cruised often especially in the Haven, has gotten some benefit out side of policy. Over the past five years of this topic, this trend of thought has come up with the same debate. Different screen names, same debate. Please consider that if we all want to be happy with our upcoming cruises, whether in the Haven or not, we always have to promote "Realistic Expectations". The policy is, guest with prior approval for Haven type dining is at a cost. If you are a Solo Traveler in the Haven, you have paid for double occupancy, you can have two folks at Breakfast or Lunch (yourself and one other) on the smaller ships and on the bigger ships all meals at the Haven Restaurant. Anything else is against policy. Does it happen, yes. Can it disappoint new folks to the Haven when they think it is policy because some of us shared we got this nicety, yes. Please be careful with what you share and make sure you are clear it was outside of the policy and you got lucky. Here is an example. I was in a non-Haven Balcony Suite doing my "Haven Lite" approach. I had a week pass at the Vibe Beach Club. The Manager of the Vibe asked if I wanted a Haven Cheese Burger. Policy, NO. Will it happen for everyone, NO. Did it happen to me, YES. Realistic Expectations. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My pleasure. Love the screen name. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.