Sthrngary

It is clear, fares are based on a lot of factors. Does SimplyMore effect prices, yes of course. But that is just the way it is until it is not. Does popularity of a specific cruise or agenda effect prices, logic tells us again yes. Does time of the year when traveling make a difference, yes again. There are so many things that can both effect fares and create/stimulate a sale for any brand. In my opinion and that is all it is, my opinion. What we were fortunate to gain in the past, does not make it so or even relevant for the future. How ever someone choices a cruise, itinerary, timing and the list goes on, is unique to the individual. The goal then is to keep their eyes and ears open to sales as they crop up on the cruise they have either chosen or would now consider. The past does not necessarily equal the future. Things have changed. A short story. I went on the NCL Joy with my family just after covid ended. We all had a GREAT time. I was looking at cruise rates a few months later and say I could cruise the Joy again, as a Solo, for $800.00 for seven days in a suite. I had never done solo before so I did it. Worst cruise experience I had in a while. Price was right though. Not saying if the price was higher or lower it would have made a difference experience. Just saying, fare price alone does not make the cruise. So many other factors. That was a tough lesson for me but also a valuable one. Brand, Ship, Accommodations, Itinerary, issue with all those things that we research and of course investment will all have some part in our over all satisfaction. Everyone is different all that maters is we want to simply enjoy ourselves. Life is way to short to waste time at my age. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mamaclark All you are trying to do is make a good business decision. You never have to apologize for that. Reviews are tough to evaluate. Was the person a loyal guest of the brand prior to Covid. Was the person new to the brand like I was. Does this person have a bone to pick with this brand. Does the review come across as the brand can do no wrong. At the price of the fare, it is a very difficult decision. I was new to Oceania. I was on a ship that was recently refurbished, the Riviera. I am used to the VIP sections of the Main Stream Cruise Brands like NCL, Celebrity and MSC. My personal evaluation is was my trip better then my past experiences. So was my experience improved. My evaluation was my experience was improved. The question is how. Food: It was not the Finest Food on the sea. Just before Crystal went out of business, they had that honor. Was it better then let's say, the NCL Haven. Yes and no. I really liked the Haven Restaurant which would be the Grand Dining Room on the Riviera. For me, the Grand Dining Room was GREAT for Breakfast, not good at all at lunch, Average to below Average at dinner. All other Specialty Restaurants were GREAT except for my experience in Polo Grill. The food was good but below warm, the service was awful. I attribute this to a staffing issue that night at Polo and would never hesitate to try again. The buffet was all about your selection and the instruction you have the grill cook for Steak or Lobster. So, Finest Food on the Sea, not so much. Yet a better over all then my past experiences so a Positive Mark. Realistic Expectations is the key here. Suites/Staterooms: Loved them and no complaints that would matter. I could go into great detail here about my Deck Furniture in Vista Suite being tied down every night, but I understood the situation. Personalized Service: For me, it was excellent however I work at it. My strategy is to get to know the key people in the crew and make friends upfront. I did that. I always attempt to use the notion of Look for things that people are doing right, and complement them on it. It makes when an issue happen, if it happens much easier to resolve. On my cruise, we had no issues and made great associations with the crew and leadership on the ship. Conclusion: Oceania to me is a middle ground. Better experience especially in Europe than NCL Haven, MSC Yacht Club or Celebrity Retreat. Not as good of an experience from the New Regent Seven Seas Ship, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, Seabourn, Silver Seas and the list of Ultra Luxury Brands go on. Yet when you compare Oceania to most (I did say most so I know you can catch a deal on some of these brands) of the Ultra Luxury Brand. I have an really hard time justifying the cost difference for the level of improvement gain by Ultra Luxury. I shared this with you to give you yet another perspective form a long time vacation cruiser. Many will agree, many will disagree and some will just give you their perspective. Take everyone with a grain of salt as you should also take me. This is social media and CruiseCritic.com should be a safe environment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa It does not make a difference how you got there (to the eventual desired result). Whether you were thinking B2B first or it simply became a really great option. The point and purpose of this discussion to me seems to be, look at all the angles, stay a bit flexible, look at perks/amenities given and do the math. When you shared how your journey took you the the Riviera Cruise we met on transitioned, it should have been a case study of what to look for and keeping your eyes and mind open. Now you and I look at certain aspects of cruising differently. We both like some different things. In this topic, be both agree. Look at all the possibilities and be just a little bit flexible. Who knows what might come from that. Either way we get to cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I find the last few comments very interesting and appreciate the contributors. I have never done a B2B cruise. That is not to say one or more are in my future. It seems, if I do consider a B2B, I should look at booking them separately and together. Part of my evaluation will be amenities and cruise loyalty points. That is good information. I normally would not have commented on this topic. However, something some what similar just happened to me. Not on a Cruise, instead on Airfare. I am going to take my Adult Daughter to Europe. Delta Airlines upgraded my status to Life Time Diamond. This gave me four elusive Global Upgrades. They were going to expire so I book Business Class on Delta One round trip to Paris, France. Out of the blue, my daughter said, I want to see the Tulips in Amsterdam. So I went back to see what it would cost to fly into Amsterdam and out of Paris. By doing so, I got a discount on my tickets of close to $600.00 each. Tie this recent experience with what I learned here. When not if, I do a B2B Cruise, I will look at all possible options, amenities, prices to find the best approach for me. The key to my airfare and I am sure a cruise booking is a certain level of flexibility. Thank you to the author of this topic and everyone that contributed. Very helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DebandBrian Have a grand trip and my pleasure. I will be flying into Amsterdam for 8 days in April with my adult daughter. We will fly out of Paris. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Europeantraveler1 It is a PDF and should work. I know no secrets to downloading on an iPad. So sorry. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mwf7501 My pleasure. Below is something else you might like to have. Oceania_Cruises_FAQ.pdf Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I know, it is a flaw in my personality. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@stevesol6718 Issue resolution is an art form. Anyone that has ever cruised has had an issue here and there. Some major, some minor. It happens on all kinds of travel. I just had one happen to me for a High Speed Train company in Italy. It is upsetting and frustrating. I have made the comment I am about to make you you several times. Yet, I am no expert but for my own personal situations, each and everyone what handled to my satisfaction. The one thing that was clear from the onset was my travel agent who is a VERY successful agent with a GREAT reputation simply could not do what I can do. Why, I won't ever give up, my agent has lots of other things to do beside me. Here is an approach to consider to gain a resolution after the fact. Nothing we can do about what happened on the ship at this late date. First, emails, text and telephone calls don't get the results needed from my perspective. An extremely well written, professionally worded letter that is sent certified mail is the best approach I have found. The secret to the letter is never threaten, or make claims like "I will never cruise your brand again". All is lost with that approach from the onset. Instead, explain fairly the circumstances, how it made you feel and what you feel would be a fair resolution. Demand nothing. If you have ever read the Cruise Contract, the cruise line owes you nothing legally. Morally is another story. Admit that you know that they don't have to do anything for you. Follow this up with you would appreciate a professional courtesy. Send the letter certified to the top four executives at the brand in Florida. If you don't gain a response in a week, do it again. I have only had to send a letter like this twice. There is something magical to a well written letter that uses logic and does not threaten the vendor. No one and I mean no one can fight for your rights better then you can. Now I have shared this approach before. Some folks love it, some think I am out of line and condescending in the way I explain it. When I am feeling wronged, I don't care what other think. My approach has worked for me very well over 30 plus cruises, lots of brands and 44 years. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@stevesol6718 Chill, this is a safe environment which does not mean folks can't disagree or have a different opinion. There is NO guest that would not be upset with their stateroom environment being not right in anyway. Myself included. This and other cruise brand blogs get a lot of upset guest venting. Just the way blogs go. This brand blog as with other cruise brands have the over the top loyalists and the folks that think the brand is awful. Again, welcome to social media. The ship is a floating hotel with no great access to all parts needed when something breaks down. This should have been an easy fix by engineering but it obviously was not. At the time, no staterooms were available. As time went out and guest came on and off the ship, one seemed to become available towards the end of the journey. To little, to late. To coin a phase, "That ship has sailed." I think when this happens, the guest should receive some level of compensation. It should have been offered without the guest asking but that is not the way our world works. Stay on Oceania with Certified Mail to the Executives until they response and accommodate you in some way. It is the principle of the thing. All that said, this is social media. People have differing opinions. Don't take it personally. Just take everyone's comments with a grain of salt. I hope Oceania Compensates in some way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@EJL2023 Like with any disagreement, there is two sides to every story. Each side thinks they are telling the truth. The actual truth, if ever surfaces is somewhere in the middle. When we as humans want to gain support for our views, we sometimes selectively leave out some information. Not always on purpose but still it was not available initially. Those evaluating the situation can only do so with the information provided. When folks have an issue with any brand, they are more likely to speak up then when someone is happy with a brand. Just the way things work out. The line, I have cruise this brand this many times means nothing to me. The brand owes you nothing more then someone who cruised that same brand once. There is right and wrong. Other then a few amenities for loyalty, everyone should be treated the same. If my AC did not work on a long cruise, I would be very upset. If I asked for another stateroom and it was only given at the end of a long cruise, I would be upset. If the reason that this stateroom was made available is because up to that point, the staterooms were sold out, that is just the way it is. Long cruises are often smaller cruises added together. This situation with its details changing over may posts is not a good look for sure. However, still a negative situation seemed to have happened. This couple had a dream cruise that was effected by mechanical issues that should have been resolved quickly. My solution if I could control it would have been to have a company representative from the corporate office contact the guests, look for a resolution that exceeded the guest expectation, and done it early. That type of guest resolution approach seems to have been lost over the last few decades. Problems for brands can be instantly turned it to a great and positive story if the brand handles it correctly. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Treasure Hunter Crystal WAS a fine product and it seems they have come back with a fine product after they were purchases. Here is the relevance of the Crystal Brand and how it relates to the NCL Haven. The Haven was created to provide ALL the benefits of a huge mega ship and an exclusive VIP area. They did coin the phrase, Ship-Within-A-Ship. So we can do a giant water slide followed by a relaxing lunch by a private pool in a private area. The best of both worlds, truly. Yet there is a completely different experience when you do a brand like Crystal, Regents, Oceania, Ritz Carlton and other luxury/ultra luxury brands. With brands like Crystal, the entire ship becomes the Haven. I call it Haven on Steroids. Once you leave your Stateroom, everyone is treated basically the same. The Personalized service is consistent across the ship not just in a specific area. Although there is a guest class system, it is very minor which on the NCL ships, it is major. The nickel and dime is reduced but not eliminated which is a pleasant surprise. Yet the Chair Hogs are alive and well. The Luxury and Ultra Luxury Brands have much smaller ships and a higher crew to guest ratio. The Butlers are better trained and the focus more on the guest needs. The food is usually better across the board. For this, you pay a premium. A Luxury/Ultra luxury ship seems to be better suited for a port intensive cruise especially if the port need smaller ships. They also seem to attract an older demographic. If I go to Mexico or the Caribbean, my personal preference is the NCL Haven, Celebrity Retreat or MSC Yacht Club. If I go to Europe of Asia, it is a Crystal, Regent or Oceania type Cruise level. The cost between NCL Haven and Luxury/Ultra Luxury brands are closer then one knows until the do some real research. My point is both work, both scratch an itch for different vacation needs. This and other threads have focused on some of the cut backs like lobster tails being limited in the Haven Restaurant. This is what happens when guest enjoy what they receive and the brand cannot improve on the theme. Folks love the Amenities until they are reduced or eliminated with no substitute. That is when Social Media has a topic which now seems to be Lobsters tails. Third world problems but fun to write about. Hope that makes sense. All cruise opinions work for the specific type of vacations we want to achieve. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vinotinto No I don't but they will most likely say to give them a heads up at breakfast. Just let them know day one your intentions. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vinotinto and @benel204 24 hours in advance, tell the staff in the Haven Restaurant what you want from the Main dining room. When you get the Haven Pre-Cruise information packet about 30 days prior to cruise, call or email the Haven shore Concierge and ask for a special accommodation for the first night if you are not going to a specialty restaurant. The key is a kind heads up. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JGander You are paying a lot of money just to get off the ship quickly. You have every right to utilize or not utilize all the Haven Benefits. Everyone one does. However, as the author of this stream, I would like to humbly suggest another approach. As I stated in an earlier post, no one likes to be nickel and dimed. It happens a lot on all Main Stream Cruise brands. At the price you are paying for a Haven Suite, consider other luxury and ultra luxury brands. My personal experiences is the nickel and dime approach happens rarely on those brands. The ships tend to be smaller reducing the issue of getting off quickly. The Personalized service, food in general whether you eat it or not, and port intensive itineraries seem to be much better on those ships as well. All that said, be open to all the benefits and amenities of the Haven. I must say I totally agree with your thoughts on food in ports. I recently did a 10 day Mediterranean cruise. I was blown away buy the food at the ports. No ship can come close. That plus the wine at ports were outstanding. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Niffernay Just social media. A place to vent, a place to connect with those that may be like minded. Take everyone's comments including mine with a grain of salt. I say, just enjoy life and if you can't deal with a few issues, cruising is not for you. Heck, we are in water, deal with weather and living on a floating hotel/restaurant. A sure fire way to have issues. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MadisonBay Please share your review with all of us. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Treasure Hunter Please share your review after your trip. Crystal seems to be coming back stronger then they were. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Conclusion of this situation for those still reading. The company in question name is HighSpeedTrains.com also part of Rail Ninja. I put in a dispute with my Chase Visa. I spoke to a Chase Visa dispute expert and was told I have no case. The fees show on the website to be non-refundable. I missed this and it ended up being a $88.00 lesson which is more or an embarrassment then financial loss. Be careful when you book train/excursions online. Read the fine print before you buy. Use a credit care that really protects you like an American Express Platinum card. I should have know it was an issue when the site did not take AMX. I am not in anyway upset with HighSpeedTrains.com also part of Rail Ninja. I should send them a thank you note for educating me. Best $88.00 I ever spent on education. Learn from my mistake. If I thought I was wronged instead of realizing I was lazy not to read carefully, I would have fought to the end. In this case, I was WRONG. Humbling but true. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Ticatraveler Of course I agree with you. My words and actions are based on literally decades of cruising. When Brands start doing things like this, I used to get SO upset. I would ask myself, why are they doing this to us. We are paying a premium. How much, in this situation does it cost to give me a few extra items. It was so frustrating and disappointing. I quickly realized, "this too shall pass". If it bothers me, I simply don't cruise with the brand any more and look for an alternative to my vacations. My point is, in many ways it was MY fault that this and other things have happened. This thread and others, comments and suggestion from thousands of postings share who to leverage all the value and benefits of the Haven. Please blame me. Yet it was fun while it lasted. Hence my comment to look for more glitches and squeeze all the value we can gain. Allow me to add. My last NCL Haven Cruise was 2021, the Joy, H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with my family. My cruising now is more in Europe and I have found other brands that provide me with a different approach to my cruising needs. Not better or worse, different. Will I personally cruise the Haven again, SURE. Only when the investment is more in line with the value in MY mind. My money, my choice, my vacation. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Ok folks, lets all be fair here. There was a time when cruise guest exclusive reason to cruise was to order everything on the menu. That was the cruise. My sister used to order triple cut prime rib. Cruising evolved and places like the Haven, Retreat, and Yacht Club were designed. The cost was three times a normal rate but these area's were sold out first. I loved the concept and attempted to learn every way to create value for staying in these areas. That is the whole reason for this huge, long and detailed thread. So it is clear, folks over did the request for lobster tails for a while. The point is, when we find a way to leverage value from the Haven or the Premium Plus Beverage package. Sooner or later NCL will catch on and change the policy. Just the way things work. Everyone is different so what I am about to say is simply my opinion. The older I get, the smaller amounts of food I want. A two lobster tail limit is more then fair for me. But if you will be making your decision to stay or not stay in one of these VIP area's due to a limit on lobster tails, that is your right to make that decision. Disappointing yes, surprising no. Fixed the glitch. Lets find some other glitch's, this one is gone. LOL Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@kstrittm My most recent Oceania Cruise was on the Marina's sister ship the Riviera. I also did not have the SM program. I was in a Vista Suite and my friends joining us were in a Penthouse (PH2). You opened up the can of worms with the reference to adult beverages. Get ready, lots of opinions and all right from the posters perspective. Take everything with a grain of salt even my comments on the topic below. My wife and I both got the Prestige Unlimited drink package. It was $60.00 a day per person and $600.00 per week. My guests got one Prestige package and the other had no adult drink package because he did not drink. I loved this package but also know you never really get your money's worth and I never drink extra to get a value. I like just not getting the bill at the end of the cruise and know I am over spending. My choice and not everyone feels the same. I loved the mini-fridge was stocked with non-alcoholic drinks all of which was complementary. I also loved the barista coffee bar which is excellent and complementary. In the front of the ship is a small, quiet sundeck with thermal spa which is complementary to Concierge Level and above. You have a nice but under utilized executive lounge when in a Penthouse. I hope I was helpful. I know you will get a lot of information. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@kstrittm I kind of know how you feel about wanting some information. Also, I loved when I did my first Crystal Cruise, one of the best and most loyal Crystal Clients did a great topic for new Crystal Guest. I always remember how helpful it was. I did this FAQ document and never posted it. I will give you a copy below and hope it will assist in some way. Remember, I am not perfect but if others say something I go wrong or not complete they will let us know. Also, @MEFIowa makes a very valid point that your stateroom can make a difference. Never to hesitate to ask any question. This is a safe environment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Oceania_Cruises_FAQ.pdf

@Tranquility Base I should have used Italo, italian high-speed train | Book no service fee | italotreno.it . My mistake. I am humbled. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Those that read my post know, I do excessive research prior to purchasing almost anything. Even with that, mistakes can be made. I am taking my Adult Daughter to Europe end of April 2024. We are no cruising. I thought because our recent Oceania Riviera Mediterranean Cruise went so well, I was somewhat of an expert on doing your own excursions. I was wrong. So I will share an experience I just had with you and maybe it will avoid what happened to me. The last thing I had to book was a High Speed Bullet train from Rome to Venice. I did my normal Google search and found a site called HighSpeedTrains.com also part of Rail Ninja. The website looked and worked normally. I booked the train, realized a day later that the train was 260 Euros or $265 US, with a $120 service fee. I could have just booked with the train brand for the $265. I attempted to cancel and the service fee was non-refundable. This was my fault, I got lazy. My advise is don't get lazy. It is not a lot of money but I feel silly. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.