AMHuntFerry

I dug out my shore excursion doc that is on the bed on embarkation day. The description says drive is ~45 minutes, self-guided visit to garden is ~2 hours, and drive back is ~45 minutes. So if 2 hours is satisfactory, you're good to go. I would feel rushed, but I tend to dawdle in gardens. If you want other options: https://www.butchartgardens.com/how-to-get-here/ The taxi fare is not horrible.

Still and/or sparkling Vero water is provided daily (still is the default, so ask your cabin steward if you want sparkling). If you want other bottled water, request it in advance for the best chance of getting it; you aren't guaranteed to get it, but it is possible if they can stock it.

I've been seeing some funky pricing (price does not end in 99 or 49) come and go recently on my favorite sites. If you like to play "guess which cruise is going on sale", the funky priced ones are a good bet. Hint: the ones on sale will not be the ones that are selling well 😉

With 4 courses at a shared table I assume we'll be seated about 90-120 minutes.

"Open seating" is probably an outdated term that should be avoided now that most people have not experienced old-school cruising where you had a set "early" (6:30) or "late" (8:00) dining time at the same table every night. So, just like a general term like "dynamic" means something very specific when it comes to airfares, "open seating" means something more specific to cruising than the general use of the term.

Currently gratuities are included if you have a drink package. If you buy drinks by the glass or bottle, then the gratuity is added (plus any local tax if applicable).

I've seen the official O page, but not the messy one. Now I want to seek out that page for my evening entertainment. Sounds fun!

I'm pretty sure that the ones that start or end in Cape Town are the longest (mid/upper 20s) itineraries that can't be broken down into shorter itineraries. I may be wrong...possibly a repositioning itinerary that snuck past me.

Yes, 2 of the same drink from the regular bar menu in Horizons and Martinis for the price of one from (usually) 5-6 pm (sometimes Horizons or Martinis will be closed for a function though). After the show ~10-11 pm (?) Horizons has 2-for-1 happy hour.

Since I am not on a ship with my built in tape measure (my fingers span a reliable 8"), I went to the O schematics to see how the Marina and Vista bathrooms compare. The perception of size may be due to the shape...Marina is more square than Vista, plus the tiny shower is probably perceived as wasted space (although my spouse and I found it handy to be able to shower at the same time); I was hoping the tiny shower would become a 2nd sink on Riviera. Marina is the top schematic and Vista is the bottom; the viewing angles aren't the same, but it gives a good idea of the bathroom sizes.

O's website does not meet modern expectations shopping-wise, so I avoid using it except for specialty reservations (but keep my email "receipts" as proof in case of glitches) and for pre-boarding check-in. If your TA hasn't sent a shorex pdf with descriptions, get one since it sometimes has shorex that don't show on the website. They update once in a while, so it doesn't hurt to ask for the current one every so often to see if there is anything new. I also just pay at the end of the cruise. At/near the beginning, your credits and booked shorex will show on your account as credits/debits. Gratuities show up a few days in, and daily charges for anything purchased onboard show up that day in my experience. I just check the TV every few days to see if the numbers match our spending. On the day before disembarkation I run all the numbers; mine have always matched O's, but there are people who have needed to get something fixed.

SM shorex credit can only be used for shorex; anything left over goes goes into the abyss. That's how it currently works, but change is always possible. If any of your tours have a spendier version "OE" that would be a way to eat up the remainder while taking the same but less crowded tour. One thing to note is that the SM shorex credit will be used first, so if your other shorex are being covered by OClub and TA OBC, then any remaining OClub/TA OBC is put toward grats (or other onboard spending).

If that's the Aug 28 sailing, you might want to check in with your O-person about a discount or upgrade. I'm seeing Inside for 1620 and OV for 1860 (verandas/suites are not discounted). These are not available directly online in my experience...need to talk with a real person.

The OV showers look like this (planar doors). Are the veranda doors curved? (or maybe Sirena is different than Regatta?)

No, it is the menu for all cabin levels. The different menus for A-cabins and above are GDR (A and up) and specialties (PH and up). Everyone has access to the hot breakfast menu too.

I don't think anyone has posted one since 2022, but here it is: Some tip, some don't so do what you'd normally do. It's appreciated but not expected.

We were on a 7-day June Alaska cruise in 2023; it had similar stats...I think about 90% new to O, and heavily USA-based. There were also some large groups of what appeared to be alumni groups.

I attributed some decent Indian food on our early-June Regatta cruise to the English chef, but now I'm wondering if they are working with better recipes/ingredients. I am hoping that this is a fleet wide change for the better.

Your observations are correct. Most of the differences are locations, but there are some that may be more desirable, so have a higher cost than others in the same location.

I believe they are saying that Wagyu no longer appears on some/all of the O menus. The last 2 sets of Preisman blog O-menus seem to confirm this. It is now Black Angus on the Waves and Polo menus (with a Kobe listed on Riviera under Polo Signatures, but not on Vista).

The airport hotels are definitely less expensive than downtown Vancouver. I was going to stay there, but we had plans to meet a friend downtown for dinner, so we stayed at Le Soleil (use the HOT promo code unless there is a better promo)...it is downtown pricing though (i.e., spendy). Our friend said the locals stay at the YMCA which was right next door to our hotel which I thought was odd, but they have regular (with bath) hotel rooms, so may be worth a look at reviews on tripadvisor/etc. If you are a public transportation lover, the Canada Line (local train) will take you from the airport to a couple of blocks from the Y. Then it's just a few blocks to the port.

You must need a vacation!

You'll find them on your rollcall:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/marina/suites-staterooms 3 bags per stateroom, 20 items per bag (pair of socks = 1 item). There is an up to 3 day turnaround, so can't do near end of trip.

Contact (or have TA contact) O special services for dietary needs at least 60 days before embarkation. They will work with you to make sure every meal accommodates your needs.