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@Stelkp First I am very excited for you. I will answer your question. You will have three decks. The big one is just outside the living room. When the ship is cruising it can get windy however it if it warm, it is delightful. On the side there is a wind door and another deck that will shield you from the wind. Out the Master Bedroom, there is a private deck. Below is a you tube video that might help more. On what you wrote, this is the only stateroom on your ship that has water, mixers and soda's replenished upon consumption. The butler will also bring you three bottles of spirits or wine of your choice. The second bedroom ask for a mattress pad and the pull out couch is also comfortable. I had five folks in my family with me and it was quite comfortable. I hope that help. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@osandomir I wish this was the case. That someone, anyone from any cruise brand would at least acknowledge me or anyone that writes on CruiseCritic.com. I have never had that happen to be before it that is the case. My purpose for doing this post was to show my surprise at this action. I hope as one other poster suggested, that they are taking the same approach that the NCL Haven does Pre-Cruise. A Haven Guest gets a letter with a number and/or a call. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Stelkp I have personally traveled in the (H2) Haven Deluxe Owners Suite. You can ask me anything. Happy to support or assist you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It is a mystery. Never asked or needed special food items. Good point though.

@NeedToChill I am booked in a Penthouse (PH3) Guarantee. I would not think that would warrant that call but happy to have gotten it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@schmerl I assure everyone, I am NOT special in anyway. Just ask my family, they can confirm this. I was pleased by the call though. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@pinotlover I am the OP and I booked with my Personal Cruise Travel Agent who books all brands. Not directly with Oceania. In the past, the only time this kind of phone call ever happened was with the NCL Haven and not every time. I really think this is a new thing that is happening that has to do with recent complaints about not having specific foods needed for special diets. That was the sense I got. Anyway, I just wanted to report this because it was very nice and done professionally. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My first Oceania Cruise is 10-days in the Mediterranean on November 9, 2023 on the Riviera. Yesterday, 8 months prior to the cruise, Oceania Special Services Coordinator-Riviera called me. The topic of the conversation was: Did I have any questions? Did I have special needs like food issues? It seems Oceania is attempting to have the special needs especially food on their ordering list well prior to upcoming cruises. That impressed me even though my party has no special needs. During my conversation I made mention of some issue I had with another brand and the representative sent me specific information on those topic. A very impressive showing of Personalized Service. Not sure this is normal. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MNcruisingcouple I am sorry to say I have no clue. Please consider calling NCL directly to ask. Sometimes, even with me, we give advice that worked for us then folks go on a cruise and it did not work for them. I want your vacation to be all it can be. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I completely agree with everything you said. Completely. Unfortunately, social media sometimes does not allow for all the details and on this it was my fault. In my case, I would do the strategy you spoke of. Let me say that differently, I have done the strategy you spoke of. My example is for my friends that don't travel much, have not traveled much. They wanted the Oceania Airfare because they did not have to pay for it now. They can wait for final payment. Not because it was the right thing to do. I could have booked them hundreds of dollars less however I booked and paid for it for them. If they don't go, which has happened before, I wanted my full refund. My situation is unique, I know. My fault for not being clear. If a person can leverage the airline credit and use it effectively, your strategy works great. However sometime, it is simply best to pay a little more and have a fully refundable ticket. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The question is Odds of Success. How can a cruise guest increase the odds of success with their air travel for a cruise far away from their home base. That is the question on the table. Not who might be to blame or not. That only happens when we have a bad experience. What can we all do in todays day and age to put the odds in our favor. We all know the answer to that question. Never before in travel has it been this important to really think through the decisions we make. Know the consequences both positive and negative. Then make a decision right for you personal needs. It is a cruise. Nothing every goes perfectly on a cruise. It is the nature of the vacation. Just make good choices based on lowering your odds of failure. I just spent a difficult few weeks looking at every brand of airfare that goes to Athens, Greece with a return from Barcelona. I looked at dates, time, itineraries, class of service and of course cost. Because I like other have lived through lots of cruise cancelations during covid, having a fully refundable airfare was a must if I did not use the cruise lines air option. We wrote out the pro's and con's which did not take more then 10 minutes and the result was the best odds for success. No guarantee but best odds. We booked 11 months prior to the cruise directly with Delta Airlines with a fully refundable ticket for our friends. The cost was $345.00 more total because we booked it so far in advance. We are going the day before the cruise to increase our odds of success. Again, no guarantees, just odds. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Focus on odds and live with the results.

@Robjame Thank you for your post and the research you did. Please elaborate on your "+$3 for Grey Goose". It would seem you are saying, if you have the full Prestige Beer, Wine and Spirits Package, and you want a Grey Goose Martini it will cost an additional $3.00. OR you might mean, if you purchase a martini, and want Grey Goose Vodka, it will cost $3.00 more then Smirnoff. Up to this this point my understanding was if one purchased the Prestige Drink Program, Grey Goose premium spirits were part of the plan. I understand if something like Tequila 1942 is extra. If you could clarify, It would be appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Drink packages in general are some of the most asked questions on CruiseCritic.com for any brand. As a guest new to Oceania, it was very important to me to have a working understanding of the options provided by Oceania. This education of sorts is a hobby of mine prior to going on a new cruise brand. Not just research on drink packages. Also what other difference makes a brand over another. If anything is true today it is, nothing stays the same. All cruise brands are making adjustments with their policies of the past. Rarely does that cruise brand openly and easily share those policy changes. Whether it is an increase in gratuities or how much it cost to upgrade your drink package when you board the ship. I see the policy of having three perks and choosing one of the three somewhat complicated at first as a new guest. I thought I had my selection correct with the House Select package and upgrading when I got on the ship. The issue is that strategy would have worked until January 2023 when the upgrade amount went up. I immediately changed my perk to the On-Board-Credit for $600.00 which I used to purchase the Premier Drink Package pre-cruise. Once I started to learn and read more from many contributors on this blog, it helped me make a decision. What I needed was "Why" does Oceania make this so complicated. I needed that answer for my own self. It came to me. It seems their research showed that the demographic of their brand like to drink but limit their drinking. Why charge those folks who have an occasional drink all that money. Money that can be spent on Spa Services, Excursions and the list goes on. So give the client the choice of: Wine and Beer At Dinner and Lunch: If you chose this option, then understand what it means. Read the fine print if you will. If it is before dinner or lunch, it is not at lunch. That is what I call a realistic expectation. When I read questions on how to go outside of the intent of the package, I realize that someone might say it was no issue on the ship and then when someone is turned down, they are disappointed. Premier Wine, Beer and Spirits: Want a a drink anytime, buy this package instead of looking for loop holes in the system. This is all of our vacations, we simply need to purchase a plan that suits or lifestyle. Happy Hour: I thought this idea was perfect for the right guest. Two for one with drink that are reasonably priced compared to many of my Mainstream Cruise Bar experience. Yet another well thought out option. Why post this comment? Because Oceania where I thought was initially confusing is actually quite smart. They are attempting to cater to their guests by giving them what they want vs. charging them for a completely all inclusive experience. A menu if you will vs. a pre-determined five course dinner event. The best of both worlds at an investment that does not break the bank. That is my take and I hope my thoughts are in some way helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DCGuy64 Thank you for the kind words. This upcoming cruise for me I am learning so much from this Oceania Board and its members. When you are used to one brand, in my case NCL specifically in the Haven; you need to kind of start over to find out the ins/outs of your new brands (Oceania) way of doing things. I find the entire process educational and interesting. Whether it is the Oceania Drink Program, Excursions, Airfare or Specialty Restaurants. I am learning and making changes to my approach alone the way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

How CruiseCritic.com helps those who are member? With threads like this one. At first I booked two suites on the Riviera for November 9, 2023. I booked my own airfare for my wife and me. However, my friends joining us fought me on booking their own airfare. I read every post on Oceania Airfare which by the way was not that different from other cruise brands. Most comments were complaints or nightmares. I then went on the Delta Airlines Website and booked my friends round trip airfare which is fully refundable and changeable. It was basically the same price/fare as the $1,000.00 per guest Oceania will discount your full fare. The Delta Tickets were $1,200.00 per round trip, one check bag of 50 lbs or less was complementary. Our friends will be on the same flights as my wife and me. Instead of traveling to Atlanta, GA for flights which is 2.5 hours away, we all go out of our home base airport. That is a savings in parking, ground transportation and hassle. We picked our seats months in advance. When you figure the Oceania Deviation fee, the hassles outlined in this stream by clients, picking your own seats months before flight and our friends get the airline miles and points, it was a no brainer. I have not told my friend because he would have said no. Purchasing the tickets early would have had a charge on his credit card which he would not do. So I purchased it since it was fully refundable to the card used, mine. I will share what I did with him just before full payment is needed. My point in writing this is that everyone should do their due diligence on airfare. Sometimes it is a wash or you can even save some money by doing it yourself when you cruise is far enough in advance. I hope my experience can be helpful to this stream. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@oskidunker I got an email from Crystal this morning also. I went on Crystal mid-2021 when they first started cruise out of Miami. My hopes were to become what the loyal Crystal Guest call crystalized. I did not get Crystalized. The ship was nice but in need of drydock, the Penthouse Suite was nice, but in need of repair. I found the food great with no exception. I found the service great and the butler the best I have ever had. The entertainment was below average. The real issue was the entitlement of "SOME" not all of the frequent guest that made going on this brand very uncomfortable. The Head Office were not on the same page as the Ship Crew. The Crew would do almost anything to make you happy. The Head office did not communicate well. I would let this brand a few months and read the reviews before considering. Just my two cents. Cruse well and enjoy every moment.

Interesting thread. Especially for a new Oceania Cruiser. Most items poster mentioned were soda. When you are usually cruising on a Mainstream brand, the Mini-fridge is for sale items. On Oceania, the soda's and waters are complementary and refreshed daily upon request. That is a simple yet very nice amenity that we are not used to receiving. I consider Oceania to be a Premium-Plus/Luxury brand. Unlike other brands like Regent and Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection as Ultra-Luxury. We would be foolish to think a Premium-Plus/Luxury Brand would provide the same amenities as a Ultra-Luxury Brand. You get what you pay for in our world. What is a significate plus is to see how much more you gain by moving up from Mainstream. The ability to call and make special requests is only something that can be done if you are in the special VIP area's of Mainstream Cruises with a few exceptions. Nice to know it exists even I we have no cause to utilize them. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@sofietucker Thank you so much. Side story. I traveled for 40 plus years. Not occasionally, every week with three weeks off per year. I went to Europe every other year for business where my airfare, hotel and food were all paid for by my clients. On the short weekends, they would take me to interesting places like Amsterdam, Brussels, Germany and Paris. I made a agreement with myself that I would go back to Europe to do an "All Inclusive" 10-day, Mediterranean Cruise. When I finally retired, it was time to look at those cruises. My first choice was Regent and Ritz-Carlton. As you can see from my excel, I drill down deep. I delete Ritz-Carton because at the time (Three Years Ago), they did not have their act together. I knew one day they would be a force in the Ultra-Luxury Category. My research on Regent was much more positive. It became my first choice with the exception of the Facebook group for Regent which was extremely disrespectful to potential new guests with serious inquiries. Then my best friends wanted to do the same itinerary with us. We knew we wanted to go with them because these kinds of cruises seem to be much better with friends and family. However they could not budget the much higher amount for Regent. That led to the expansion of the excel. Oceania checked all the boxes by giving options for things like drink packages, air fare and excursions. When you do the math, knowing you get what you pay for. Oceania got the nod. The spreadsheet clearly showed that especially since our friends could not even consider the higher cost options. That is the history of this spread sheet. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@loriva I also did a Excel. I am going to attach it here. I looked at lots of brands including Mainstream. In Mainstream I did the better suites and the VIP sections. My Excel has two pages. The First is the financial page. On that page Regent is last and it is the category below the Penthouse. Note that does include the pre-hotel stay but does not include the butler. The second page is the amenities. I hope my work helps anyone that wants the same information. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Regent_Excel_01252023.xlsx

Agreed, my fault sorry. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@molemaui That status was a lot of weeks in Marriott's in Torrence, CA. Years in fact. At the time I hated being away from home. Then I retired and would love to do it a week or two a month. We are a dying breed for sure. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@molemaui Confusing is an understatement. You have to be a rocket scientist. As you could probably understand, I drilled down hard on the drink package options. I originally did the Perk which the hope to upgrade for $20.00 per day once on the ship. When I found out that is was now $30.00 per day, I changed my perk to $600.00 On-Board-Credit. I also booked using my American Express Card which gave my cabin another $300.00 of On-Board-Credit. So I just purchased two Premier drink packages upfront. I booked the hotel through Oceania and YES the Grande Bretagne was the choice they gave us. This is a Marriott property and I am the highest level of Marriott Guest. Decades of being on the road. So we are both on the same page and that is something I am looking forward to. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PhD-iva Please clarify how Oceania is struggling? I know they changed some times at port but was wondering where else there is a issue. Thank you for your post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@joyous What you are doing is taking your time to explain yourself on the NCL dining issue. For that and the time it takes to write well, everyone on this stream owes you a thank you. I have not posted much here lately because I have felt that NCL has not found the balance as of yet to reduce costs while increasing prices. Everyone that loves cruising knows all the Mainstream cruise brands need to make adjustments to pay back the huge loans they all did during covid. To do this they have to increase guest count, increase upselling (Free At Sea PLUS), decrease costs (Drink Program Changes and lack of top tier spirits on the PLUS program/dining), and increase costs to guests. I also felt the food and dining took a huge hit in quality on my last cruise. The main dining room was average at best to below average; the specialty restaurants were lack luster as well as disappointing; the buffets has less quality hot meat items and the list goes on. The baked goods were flat out awful. The Haven seems to be just that, a Haven to an enhanced cruising experience. The issue here is where pre-covid, you could find Haven Suites for $2100 per guest, now the same suites are $3,400 per guest. The Haven is again sold out prior to having to upgrade with the bid program so from NCL's standpoint, their pricing is correct. From my personal standpoint, when this happens where the experience on the rest of the ship becomes less than acceptable, the entire cruise goes down a notch. This is why I have stopped booking NCL and gone on to other brands where the entire ship treats every guest the same way. In the past, it would cost a lot more to have this kind of experience. Now, it is the same or less than the Haven. The future is easy to figure. The majority of cruise guest will begin to complain in the form of not using a respective brand; reviews that are not top scores; and guest counts will go down. Supply and demand will take over and adjustments will have to be made. I understand what is happening and feel for NCL and all cruise brands. From a consumer standpoint, we have to make decisions on what experience we want and the budget we are willing to pay for that experience. If the NCL Haven is the only solutions to an enhanced experience, with extremely inflated pricing, than instead of one cruise every 18 months, maybe we might consider one cruise every two or two 1/2 years. I which when prices go up that quality would stay the same however that seems to not make much sense in the cruising world. Now it is time to make decisions on how we spend our money. Those decisions are personal. Social Media allows us to gain outside perspective to allow better decisions. Opinions are just that, my personal thoughts based on my personal experience. Now everyone does what is best for them. That is a lovely thing. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@FlyerTalker Allow me to explain. I am a lifetime Platinum with Delta. I have traveled close to 5 mill miles in my career. When doing so, my clients paid for all my air travel and I got to keep my points/miles. Since I paid for the airfare with my American Express, I also got AMX points still having my clients reimburse my expenses. The points I saved was for this very specific purpose. A Mediterranean Cruise. I booked ticket at 12:01 AM the night they became available to get the lowest point total. I was missing about 100,000 points which I transferred from my American Express Points. To add to this story, I rebooked the air tickets yesterday allowing me to leave from my local airport, Birmingham, AL instead of having to drive to Atlanta, GA. The number of points for this trip was slightly more then when I booked the same trip two years ago which was cancelled by covid. I hope that helps you with your reference in your comment. I have no Airline Credit Cards, only American Express which over the years has had the best plan. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.