forshping

On 9/3/2023 at 9:47 PM, KS&JW said:

https://www-cruisediary-de.translate.goog/vista-concierge-level-veranda-kabine-9040/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Looks like the bottom shelf of the upper cabinet

Thanks so much for this info and for the link to the photos. Appreciate it.

We’re sailing on Vista in a few weeks. We’re in a B1 cabin. Where is the safe located? On Marina they were near top of closet and difficult for us to reach. Thanks. 

Thanks so much for the feedback on Carmel and Dial 7........

We'll be arriving at JFK around 7:30/8:00 pm on a Friday night in early September. Has anyone had any recent issues with either Carmel Limo or Dial 7 being on time for pick up at JFK? A few months ago, several folks reported that their reserved car service was 45-60 minutes behind for pickup. They therefore cancelled and took Uber instead.  Thanks, in advance........

10 hours ago, MrCoolChile said:

Regarding walls and magnets

 

We too were on this cruise and disembarked in Athens (which, by the way, was the fastest we have ever experienced – 15 minutes from cabin to exit!).

 

We were also in a PH and, finally, at the end of the cruise (an how was that helpful 🙄?), I tested the walls with some magnets.  All the walls accepted magnets, except the wall with the mirror, desk and fridge.  As well, the wall above the bed is covered with a lattice and also won't accept magnets.

 

Regarding Veranda stateroom walls on Vista---were you able to use magnetic hooks on the walls? We usually bring a few with us when on Marina or Riviera so that we can hang up items that won't fit in the closet (i.e. backpacks, tote bags, jackets). Thanks.

Thanks so much for the recommendations.

We'll be flying into JFK several days prior to boarding Vista in September and would like to book a car service to take us to our hotel in Manhattan. Please let me know your recommendation(s) for a car service you've previously booked. Thanks.

Thanks for clarifying. Appreciate it.

16 hours ago, TommyC said:

Overnight, I received an email from my TA who advised that Marina has been chartered from 10/6/19. So all is OK. No drydock at that time. Phew! Thanks to all for their responses!

Please explain. If Marina is chartered from 10/6/19, will the entire ship be chartered to a private entity? If so, does that mean that those of us who are booked on this cruise are about to have our cruise cancelled?  Thanks.........

Lou, both Jerry and I are saddened to hear about Marsha's passing. We sailed on the Marina with you and Marsha in 2014 on a TA from NY to Dover. We so enjoyed the various tours we shared with you both on that cruise. And I enjoyed planning those various tours with Marsha via email before our sailing. We send you our deepest sympathy.........Arlene and Jerry

My husband and I were on the Insignia July 1-19 for the Northern Crossing trip from Miami to Reykjavik. Overall, what a wonderful cruise; we really enjoyed the ship, several sea days, the ports and, most especially, staying in Reykjavik for a few days after disembarking.

 

But this is about the ship. We had sailed previously on the Marina (three weeks around South America in 2013). We also have sailed on Regent's Voyager three times and previous to that on Holland America and Costa a few times. The Insignia was very well maintained; I didn't see any torn or stained carpet in the public areas; the ship gleamed every day from continuous thorough cleanings. Staff we encountered were not only unfailingly polite but, in most instances, also very warm and genuine in wanted to assure your positive experience and providing you a great trip.

 

We stayed in a Vista Suite, Cabin 7004, at the front of the ship. We were directly below the bridge so heard almost nothing except an occasional footstep. The suite has 1 and 1/2 baths which is a particular reason why we chose it--no fighting in the morning for space! The bedroom did not have a walk in closet; instead it had wall units around two walls which provided more than adequate space both hanging and drawers. There was also a desk in the bedroom and two small bedside tables (just enough to hold our cell phones at night). The living room had a large piece of furniture which was a bar and storage space for glasses, napkins, menus and a small refrigerator. There was also a small dining table with four chairs, a sofabed, two chairs, two side tables and a coffee table. More than enough room! Our balcony extended across the front and had enough room for two loungers and a table with four chairs. We really liked this suite.

 

We had wonderful room attendants. Victoria and Nilesh provided superb service promptly and efficiently. They were never too busy to stop and chat for a few minutes. I think they had eyes in the back of their heads because when we left the cabin in the morning for breakfast the room would be thoroughly cleaned by the time we got back. They were just amazing. Mishra, our butler, was also incredibly service oriented. He never failed to give us more information about what was going on in the ship than I would have imagined he would know. He knew about the laundry routine for cleaning our clothes, he knew the weather forecast and would recommend how to dress when we were going out for excursions, he would tell us about the menus in the dining room, the specials that evening in the Terrace--he was just incredible and so very, very kind.

 

We used the balcony quite a bit in spite of getting the headwinds and a bit of "jostling" on afternoon on our way out of Halifax. There were several days/nights when the furniture on the balcony was tied down due to wind. However, there were other times when we could stand/sit on the balcony despite the wind and feel perfectly safe that we weren't going to get blown overboard.

 

Dining on board was delightful. We found the food very good to excellent (with one exception which I will get to shortly). There was plenty of choice regardless of the venue and we felt all dining rooms were well staffed and service was of very high caliber as well. Our favorite dining room was the Grand Dining Room. I know this flies in the face of many Oceania regulars but our experience was that there was plenty of choice every day we ate there, the service was excellent, the ambiance was elegant and classy and the overall experience was truly one of grand dining. My husband defines me as high maintenance as I usually ask for some change to my meal from how it is described on the menu. For example, at lunch one day, I asked for the Nicoise salad if I could have it with grilled chicken instead of tuna or salmon (which were the choices listed). No problem. Many times I would ask to have the starch deleted and add a second vegetable--no problem. Mercy, the hostess in the GDR, did an outstanding job. I think she remembered everyone's name by day three of the cruise! Walter, the waiter we had most frequently, remembered our desires after only the second time. The food was always well prepared, hot when it was supposed to be hot, room temperature if it was supposed to be so and my, did it taste good!

 

I do not enjoy the Terrace Dining Room at all. The food is usually not at the appropriate temperature, the choices to me were uninteresting and uninspiring in general, the grill which many rave about provided about the toughest steak I have ever had and the most dried out lobster tail I ever experienced. I hated the experience of trying to find a table. I found numerous other guests pushy and demanding from the staff unlike any other bar or restaurant on the ship, and the overall experience for me in the Terrace was very "Golden Corral" level of dining and I do not mean that as a compliment. Give me the level of service and food preparation in the GDR; I think we ate only three times in the Terrace Dining Room during the entire trip.

 

My criticism of the Terrace does not extend to the Waves Grill. We loved their sandwiches when that was our mood and the warmth and courtesies delivered by all of the staff whose daily job was the Waves Grill.

 

We ate twice at Toscana and twice at Polo. We actually had reservations for one additional time at each (because we were in a suite and due to the length of the cruise we had the opportunity for three reservations in each specialty restaurant). We ended up cancelling the last two reservations of the six because we enjoyed the GDR so much. There was nothing wrong with either Toscana or Polo; we thought the quality of the food was very, very good. However, we received the same level of attention and quality of food with more choice in the GDR.

 

We both really love sea days because the opportunity to enjoy the ship is so special on sea days. By the way, once we got north of New York City (July 6 onto July 19) the weather became much cooler (it was heat indexes of over 100 degrees in Cape Canaveral, Charleston and New York). From Bar Harbor on we wore sweaters and slacks every day for excursions or on sea days; it was quite refreshing!

 

Anyway, back to the sea days. Oceania doesn't offer a lot of activities and the schedule doesn't vary much on the sea days. Having said that, we did Bingo every sea day and I actually won $80 one day. Then my husband always went to the Blackjack and Texas Hold 'Em Tournaments every day; he didn't play he just enjoyed watching and talking with the folks. I went to some of the enrichment lectures--Joseph Campbell did an outstanding job and we both had massages and haircuts on the ship. We were pleased with the quality of the spa services. I am a voracious reader so I found the library quickly and loved the room. There was plenty of choice among the books offered. We also attended a couple of cooking demonstrations and really enjoyed the humor of the executive chef (and, of course, the recipes).

 

So what didn't we like about the ship? Having sailed first on Marina, we missed the cooking classes and the greater choice of specialty restaurants that one has on the larger ships. We were in an Oceania suite on the Marina and liked that size and décor much better than the décor on Insignia; the décor on Insignia was too fussy for me. Given the weather on this cruise, we couldn't enjoy the decks very much. We did know that was likely going into this cruise so this is certainly not a fault of Oceania or the ship, just an observation. On the days when we could use the decks it was hard to find loungers.

 

We also were supposed to have a dedicated tablet (IPad like electronic) in our cabin for our use. Although the equipment was there we were unable to use it because Oceania had not updated the software to make them usable--this we got from the Computer Room guru on the ship. I thought this was very tawdry and cheap of Oceania to use in their marketing when they knew the tablets were unusable! How can they be so elegant in the classiness of their ships, the quality of the food, the outstanding training they provide to staff and be so cheap as to pretend they are offering this great advantage to us and then just refuse to update it to make it usable--unbelievable! I should mention here that Internet was not available many days due to the lack of satellite access-not an Oceania problem or responsibility. Contrast this with how they handled a cancelled excursion which we received "free" due to the OLife offer of five "free" excursions. When it was cancelled, Oceania made an adjustment in our shipboard account to add back $100 credit. Now that was classy!

 

We had the Prestige Drink Package and I disliked having to show my card every time I wanted a drink. I get why Oceania does this--I just don't like it and find it cumbersome.

 

You can see that my dislikes are far smaller than my likes. I still really enjoy Oceania and would choose it again for another cruise. I loved the itinerary and enjoyed all of the Canadian ports as well as the three Greenland ports and Iceland. Who knew I would find Greenland so charming and Iceland so spectacular?! I loved the cool weather.

 

If you have finally read this far I am amazed as this is probably way too much detail. Thanks to all of you who provided me with such fun reading over the last three years and helped me plan a great trip on Oceania.

Thanks so much for your detailed and very helpful review. We recently booked this itinerary for July, 2017. I'd like your input on a few specific questions please. My email address is: forshping@astound.net. Please email me if you do not wish to post your email address on Cruise Critic and I will then contact you. Many thanks, in advance.

when arriving a auckland airport - everyone passes through the same immigration and customs queues - however, if you are in business class you will be first off the plane and should be at the immigration queues before those traveling in economy.

 

The majority of passengers entering auckland airport will be traveling on nz or australian passports which enable them to process themselves using self-service kiosks. Hence the queues at immigration are typically not very long.

 

If you have priority luggage, you should find your bags on the carousels by the time you get to the baggage collection area - or very shortly thereafter.

 

The big hold up at auckland airport can be the customs declaration area, where everybody (irrespective of where they have flown from, or the class of travel) must queue to declare what is being brought into the country. In particular the customs officials will want to examine any food being brought into the country. (don't try and hide any food, as the beagles /x-ray are very effective)

 

the hot-spots tends to be around midnight when all the flights leaving australia (eg sydney, brisbane, melbourne etc) in late afternoon descend on auckland at about the same time.

 

Here is a link to the flight arriving at akl.

 

https://www.aucklandairport.co.nz/flightinformation/arrivalsanddepartures.aspx

thanks so very much for this helpful information and website. Appreciate it.

auckland is a very efficient airport, as are the customs and immigration officers.

If you are arriving early morning (5 - 6:30 am) there can be a bit of a queue at the non electronic passport section, but immigration seem to have enough officers to cater for that.

 

Once you are off the aircraft and have collected your bags everyone is in the same line for quarantine.

If you have any items to declare it really helps if these can be quickly shown to the quarantine officer.

 

This will help them decide if you can exit straight away or secondary screening is required.

 

Once you are off the aircraft an hour should be fine.

 

Enjoy your time in nz.

thank you everyone for your helpful advice. Much appreciated......

Approximately how much time should we allow to claim baggage and clear customs/immigration in Auckland? Is an hour adequate time? Our hotel provides shuttle service from the airport and we will need to reserve before our arrival in Auckland. Thanks.

We are interested in this itinerary for 2016. We'd appreciate any feedback regarding ports of call from those of you who just completed this itinerary in May of 2014. It appears that the ports are the same for 2016 since none of the port names are listed in bold. We'd like to see Machu-Pichu pre-cruise. How many days are recommended? If any of you took Oceania's pre-cruise trip to Machu-Pichu, we are interested in your feedback.

Or, if you booked privately for Machu-Pichu or any of the other ports, please contact Arlene at: forshping@astound.net. Many thanks.

NO

 

One of the perks of having the card is being a member of Lounge Pass. You have to have the Lounge Pass card. Call Chase and ask. You can use no matter which airline you fly.

Thanks so much for the tip. We called Chase and they are sending us both a Lounge Pass.

Exactly our approach

 

Since we BOTH have the United Explorer card, there is no fee for either of us to use the lounges that are part of the Lounge Club Program. Many of those lounges are the same ones in the Priority Pass program.

Thank you all for your input. We both have a United Explorer credit card; will these cards get us into the airport lounges even if we are not flying United or one of their partners? Thanks for clarifying.........

Has anyone purchased and used the Priority Pass to gain access to the airport lounges in either Lima, Peru or Buenos Aires, Argentina? We will be flying coach on LAN airlines and not eligible to use their lounges. If we purchase Priority Pass, we should have access, but we'd like to know if others have used it successfully. Thanks.

Thanks, everyone, for your very helpful suggestions and responses.

How much time is needed for check in and security at the international airport in Buenos Aires? Our flight back to the US departs at 8pm. What are the airport amenities like (food, restrooms, seating)? Many thanks.

interesting sites

http://cwsi.net/

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/3801394/deciphering-airline-fare-codes/

http://www.air-ticket.us/info/airline-ticket-abbreviation.php

http://www.ehow.com/how_4780589_read-airline-ticket.html

Thanks so much for the helpful info and tips. Appreciate it.

There are many ways and strange fare codes that a person can uncover.

 

Here is one.... Flying back from my next cruise from NY/EWR To Hawaii,

a one way coach seat was being for $1620 pp However if you selected to fly first class, in a lie flat seat for the route... it was also $1620 for the 11hr trip. or 40,000miles

 

Other tactics for say a east coast to Asia is to fly on one of the many discount fares (Z) on Hawaiian or UAL, to Hawaii for 20,000 miles coach or 40,000 first. Take a day or so break and for only 32,000 to 37,000 miles get a business or First class seat to Tokyo, Hong Kong or Beijing !!!

 

If one were to use miles from the east coast to say Hong Kong it would be 150,000 miles... one way !

 

Doing the Hawaii break and getting First Class, going the get you there from Hawaii ( a 9 hour flight to HKG) for 72 to 77,000 miles.... that's a savings of about 50% on miles by making it 2 flights.

Or even cheaper buy a coach seat for under $700, and use miles for the long haul in a lie flat bed, while rested in Hawaii....

 

As paul mentioned there are lots of options if you think out of the box

What are the various codes (other than Z) for purchasing tickets and what do the letters stand for? What is the best way (or web site) to compare prices for these tickets? Thanks.

On a side note - we did this flight (albeit from Orlando) last December. We flew overnight to Rio (via Houston) then left BA in the morning (again through Houston). It wasn't too bad. A word of caution. Get to the airport in BA 3 hours early.... We "lucked out" and there were 4 UA international flights all leaving with a few hours so the checkin line was at least 1 1/2 hours. And you MUST checkin in person regardless if you have a ticket in hand or not for passport verification. Your milage my vary but we were glad we got there early.

Thanks so much for the heads up on the airport in B.A..

Yes you can. Indeed we have done so out of SFO. We did AA via Dallas to BA and home on US Air out of GIG/Rio via Charlotte. US Air was actually quite nice... we were pleasantly surprised. None of the UA schedules worked for us....

Thanks so much for confirming that this is possible.