orchestrapal

5 minutes ago, roger b said:

 I Have $1470 credit for shore excursions on my next cruise, I have not paid in full yet.

As I am not interested in doing any of the tours offered do I just lose my credit ?

 

Yes that’s the way it is for now.

47 minutes ago, sps99a said:

New to Oceania, heading on first cruise next year. As a non-meat eater, does Polo Grill on Regatta have vegetarian/vegan friendly options for someone like me, other than prerequisite side dishes that can be made as such? Don’t know if we just need to pass on Polo reservations. 
 

Thanks!

Lots of great vegetables as well as salad and fish if you eat it.
Enjoy and don’t miss the experience.

Looks ominous for our November-December cruise but we have yet to hear a word. Chances are the will just add some more Caribbean Islands to replace what would have been interesting and new to us.😥

According to my husband, who was a huge cookie lover Oceana cookies were not worth eating. After many sailings on Oceana and Crystal, we sailed on Viking and he found the “best cookies at sea”

. He was not the only one we heard raving about the cookies.on Viking. The line has a lot to say for it besides the cookies. 

Currently on the Riviera and I assure you my daughter in her 50s is one of the youngest people on the ship. Walkers and scooters are the thing of the day. It is sad we began this journey with Oceana 20 years ago when they began. Looking around the ship, we have all grown older together.

There must be better lines out there for their 20s 30s and 40s crowd.

Perfume is like cigarette smoke, very offense to people in an enclosed environment.

the offices I worked in had neither of those. 
Please think of your neighbors.

On 5/5/2022 at 8:43 AM, bbtondo said:

I like hearing other opinions. 

 

I so appreciate the OP's point of view and have enjoyed her cruise review.  I get the impression that her diet is quite a bit different than mine . LOL  Most of the dishes she ate I would never order.  

 

Went on my first Viking cruise on the SEA to the Med last fall 2021.  Was not impressed by the food at all!  Also not impressed with the service.  Also realized that Viking is just not my cup of tea.  

 

Looking forward to my first O cruise in August on the Riviera. I'll let ya know how I like the food, etc!

 

 

Agree about Viking food in general. Fortunately we made friends with the chef of Manfredis and were treated to the very best he could turn out, yum! We ate there 15 out of 21 nights.👍😄

There is a very good copy of menu on YouTube!

On 5/9/2022 at 12:45 PM, bookbabe said:

I can confirm that the butlers do keep a file of notes on past passengers, either that or ours just has a great memory.  We boarded Encore yesterday and entered the Haven lounge to discover we had the same fabulous butler Rao as we did over New Years.  He not only remembered us when he saw us in the lounge, but when we told him the cabin number and he learned it was one of his, he insisted on grabbing our carryons to take to the cabin, and told DH that he'd go stock the fridge for him with his fav soda (ordered with every meal delivery last trip, even breakfast, they lose money for sure on DH's soda package).

If this was Rao the former head butler on Crystal he is a gem! He never heard the word no.👍

16 hours ago, Azulann said:

Check out Viking Ocean cruises Your husband might feel right at home . Plenty of activities and excursions for you to do too,

 

18 and over only on Viking.
Cunard is stuffy and overly formal and  over priced.

It is in no way a luxury experience.

We thought Viking was several steps below Crystal in service and food.

The ships are more modern but for us that was the only area where it beat Crystal. 
back to Luxury lines. If you expect Crystal you will be disappointed but if you lower

your expectations you will enjoy your cruise 

.

1 hour ago, Wonky said:

We were also on that cruise and overheard another couple complaining to the concierge about water in their cabin. They also were concerned about the lack of comms. Then another couple were complaining about works (grinding) above their balcony, once again no comms. Amazing what a short message about what was/is going to be done would have helped each situation. 
As we moved from PG to QG from the previous cruise we were very surprised by the lack of space between tables in QG. 

The lack of space in QG certainly does not add to the perceived luxury.

On 10/4/2021 at 1:01 PM, Larainerenee said:

Can anyone recommend a Jewish Tour in Amsterdam? We are doing the Anne Frank House on our own, so we are not looking for that to be included.

thanks!

Amsterdam is a great walking city and the Jewish Quarter plus the AFH can

easily be done alone  on foot which we did.

There is one Jewish tour agency “ Milk and Honey Tours.”

4 minutes ago, Elo Moreno said:

I believe it's almost mandatory to tip a hairdresser in the US - like a waiter in a restaurant, in the US.

4 minutes ago, Elo Moreno said:

I believe it's almost mandatory to tip a hairdresser in the US - like a waiter in a restaurant, in the US.

Tips are what they are and NOT mandatory!,

A tip is always appreciated and for most cruisers will not break the bank.

Skip loosing money at the casino and what you save will make many people happy when you tip them in any country.💰

My bad!
Thought they were speaking of Amsterdam and Rotterdam…

6 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Rotterdam and Copenhagen are in different countries and some distance apart. Do you mean Amsterdam? If so, they charged when I was there. In any case, I'd stay in Rotterdam, it is very nice.

They are in the SAME country The Netherlands !

Thanks for your comparisons.
We agree on every pro of Crystal and even with your cons which are PROS for us.  Love the quiet by the pool and the refined crowd with few children.

Once Crystalized we find no turning back even if our suite is not as large as we would like. For us that is the the only easily overlooked con. 

12 hours ago, RSLeesburg said:

Will look at these areas.  We are super flexible, and really just want to try something new.  Mayfair holds some great memories, but London has so much to see, it would be nice to see other parts of it.  

Love the Covent Garden, Leicester Square,Trafalgar Square areas. 42 long stays in London and walked to almost everything. Of course after the first touristy visit we had no interest in “the sights”  but rather theaters and museums and restaurants. 
 

Internet is included on Crystal👍and the non - luxury line Viking.

On 6/22/2021 at 12:18 AM, FoggyEthan said:

 

Nope, we're also aft. But we're on the left of the ship, which is doing a clockwise circuit around Iceland, so the view will always be from the other side while sailing. Doh!

Aft you will always be able to see both sides.Fantastic views! 
We were in an ES and there are no adjoining doors in the aft .

20 hours ago, duquephart said:

Spacious? Notice how he has to turn sideways to get past the bed.

OK for one!👍

5 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Leaving Queen Mary 2 aside, the last time I well recall it happening for us was in 2008 onboard Queen Victoria when we joined her at Civitavecchia. This very same butler, an excellent chap...

 

 

Maybe time for a little anecdote. In 2015 we sailed with Silversea across the Pacific in a butler attended suite. I wasn't over impressed with the butler service and on my 'end of cruise' comments I suggested they may wish to send their butlers to Cunard for training. Knowing what I know now I'd change the advice to read MSC Yacht Club. For pure attentiveness and 'additional' services, their butlers are hard to beat.

The worst butlers we have ever experienced were in Queens Grill for three weeks. 
They changed several times and went from fair to poor….Crystal has the best butlers we have had but of course it’s a LUXURY line.

Use UBER cheaper door to door and much more comfortable than a bus.

33 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Have you been on a Viking Ocean cruise?My criteria posted above is luxury to me. As this forum header state: Luxury is a state of mind .

which is your favorite cruise line that meets your standards ?

 

Yes we spent 22 days on Viking Ocean for the convince of coming and going from NY.

We find Viking more in the Oceania category but not up to O’s food.

Since we started to travel onLy on Crystal we have found what is true luxury to us.

On 4/15/2021 at 7:58 PM, Azulann said:

Viking Ocean Crusies are true luxury , both in aesthetics, food,  and in the type of passengers. 

Well educated,  love conversations and fun.

NOT if you have ever been on a true luxury ship!

The only thing that is similar to luxury are the Viking prices.