AMHuntFerry

I would be ecstatic if the QM2 (or similar) would do 5-day each way NYC-UK TAs regularly (i.e., no other routes) from spring to fall (with a few in the off-season). I think the QM2 can go even faster but it might be bumpy and/or suck down fuel. I don't think O's ships can go fast enough to be used in lieu of flying (5 days being ~max), but I may be wrong (O's TAs are usually about 2 weeks long). With the QM2 7 day run, I'm only interested in using it west to east, then flying home after land travels.

The usual show time is 9:30 pm, but occasionally it will vary slightly. Specialty restaurant reservations are usually 6:30 to 9, but sometimes they will have 6 available too. Having a suite means you get first pick at reservations (and you can have specialties for room service). Even a Concierge Veranda gives you better choices of times (but you may need to share depending on cruise length and other factors). If you are willing to share, you are more likely to get earlier times. Sea days are the most popular (so hardest to get). Log-on to your account right at midnight (or 12:01 am ET) on the day reservations open, and have a plan ready (1st choice, 2nd choice, etc). This is especially important if you are in a B-G cabin. You can also tell your server and table-mates that you want to go to the show. I think it's fine if one couple wants to skip dessert and go to the show while the other couple stays to finish.

So it looks like the Summer Sale is $2100 (6499-4399 for B) less per person than the Memorial Day Sale (note that the $8499 is the current full price, not the Summer Sale price which can't be seen on the O website). Figuring out your new shorex costs should be straight-forward with SM (not sure why your TA couldn't do it); shorex are either full cost or 75% of full cost if you've booked the minimum; subtract the SM shorex-credit from the total and that is how much you owe for shorex. I would be surprised if the Summer Sale didn't save you tons of money. As for the House Beverage package, the price shows up when you are logged on even if you already have the package via SM or OLife. It will probably continue to show up until all of the non-SM bookings have been completed (or they may get rid of it sooner since they seem to be giving everyone wine/beer with dinner after Oct. 1st). Just chalk it up to good ol' O IT.

It also depends on your sensitivity. We are lucky not to be affected by motion at any location on the ship (except for feeling like we were going to roll out of bed one night on Riviera deck 7). On our June Regatta cruise there were many sick people on 2 nights/mornings as evidenced by the sick-bags set out by the elevators (and other evidence). The motion on our September Regatta cruise was even more pronounced. If you are not subject to queasy tummy or balance issues, the motion is really fun.

Did you mean Extraordinary (not Memorial Day) Sale? Or was there an upgrade sale I'm forgetting? The only January 2024 Regatta cruise with the Summer Sale that I see is the 14 day....with no air (air add $1700), Inside $2799 (vs $5799), OV $3149 (vs 6349), B $4399 (vs. $8499), suites are not on sale at $11,899. Does this sound about right? Nice sale!

Baristas is on deck 5 (entry to GDR) on the R-ships. It has the same types of goodies as the lounge from early morning to late afternoon. If you just want espresso drinks or tea, there are machines in Horizons and Terrace Cafe. It's not as convenient, but at least there is something.

Hi, Thanks for doing a wonderful, thorough review. I think a lot of people will find it informative. I noticed a couple of nitpicky corrections in addition to the already mentioned edits (you ate at Waves Grill and browsed Terrace Cafe)...not sure if you can edit or not. Your cabin review is listed as Deluxe Ocean View (this is C1 or C2); you were in Concierge Veranda (A-category) according to your main review The HOHO bus in Victoria covers only the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The full island is massive! Like I said, nitpicky stuff. I'm glad you had calm seas; on our June cruise we had 2 nights where susceptible people turned green. If you have the option, we always take the last disembarkation time available; the crush seems to be mostly gone by then (I've seen the massive crowding while going from a Terrace breakfast to Baristas...ugh!), or if there are lines, people don't seem as anxious. Enjoy your next cruise on Vista!

The Spa Terrace is available to everyone...it's included for Concierge and above, and there is a fee ($25/day?) for B-G cabins. The only place exclusively for suite occupants is the Executive Lounge.

Just an FYI...People often ask about sharing vs. 2-top availability, so I thought I'd share my recent experience. My next cruise is 13 days on a full R-ship with Toscana and Polo; my specialty reservations were available 45 days before embarkation (B-G cabins), and I logged on right when reservations opened (first reservation at 12:02 am ET). We like to share, but just for information I checked the availability of 2-tops; the only time available every day was 9 pm. When sharing, the availability varied. On port days, almost every time had availability (7 pm was missing at a couple of ports). Sea-days had availability for 7:30 and later (with one Toscana at 7). My previous (June 2023) cruise was 7 days on a full R-ship with Toscana and Polo; same 45 days out and logged on promptly. There were no 2-tops available any day (even embarkation), and no shared reservations on sea days. On port days there were no shared reservations before 7:30, and only one or two days had reservations before 8. Luckily, our favorite restaurants are GDR, Red Ginger, and Jacques, so I'm fine with cancelling a specialty reservation if we want to eat earlier (which we did on the 7 day cruise). Trying to re-book onboard is also an option.

So, given these words, the natural questions are: Can dressy sandals be worn to dinner? Yes, while the grammar is ambiguous, dressy sandals are fine and athletic sandals (Teva, Chaco, Keen) are not even if they cost 3x as much. Similar for tank tops: Sleeveless blouses that are cut like tank tops are fine, athletic tank tops are not. Dressy vs. casual jeans are relatively new and not well received by some. If you are a high fashion person who wears classy jeans, you can probably pull it off. My spouse in black jeans cut similar to Levi's 501s needs to find somewhere else to eat (he actually has no problem putting on the proper clothing and even tidying his unruly hair). I'm sure there are more questions that the "code" evokes, and I think there is more info on the site (something about no swim suits at tea?), but I'm sure someone will pipe in with references.

I could take a photo, but it wouldn't be searchable, so here goes... From the booklet ("blue book") for a fall 2023 cruise on an R-ship (2 specialties): "ONBOARD DRESS For your comfort and convenience, the ambiance is casual yet elegant throughout the cruise. Country Club and resort-style attire are appropriate for both men and women. In all evening dining venues, we request that guests adhere to the appropriate country club casual dress code - shorts, casual jeans, t-shirts, athletic footwear or sandals are not permitted in the Grand Dining Room, Toscana, or Polo Grill. However, as Terrace Cafe exudes a resort-casual ambiance, dressy shorts and casual shirts may be worn in the evenings. Tank tops and swimsuits are not appropriate attire for any of our onboard restaurants at any time. Attire ashore ... (I think we can all figure out what to wear 🙂 )"

There is a section in the booklet that US/Canada passengers receive before sailing. It is more extensive that the FAQ (which is not easy to find...way at the bottom of O's page). Here's the FAQ wher O talks about this (although it's not complete...I'll type more): https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005474533-Is-there-a-dress-code-

I thought it just randomly showed more (including repeat numbers). I vaguely remember keeping track of the room numbers and refreshing until I was confident that I had all of the available cabins...tedious. There is at least one public site where you can see all of the cabins available (by deck) for each category (e.g., B2).

You can call your TA or O-rep, do a mock booking on the O website (although it only shows ~7 cabins at a time), or do a mock booking on one of the large cruise seller sites (can't say which one I use to check cabin availability due to CC rules).

There is no tip added to drinks covered by the drink package (it is included with the package price). If you buy drinks off-package, a tip will be added.

You can find your roll call in a different section. Enjoy your cruise!

@Flatbush Flyer, she's looking at you! @CarrieAP, your story reminded me of when my mom broke her foot the day before their flight to Fiji. Being a family of optimists (or are we just cheap?), mom got her cast and crutches and tackled hobbling through sand. They loved that trip! Enjoy your cruise and let yourself be pampered while watching the fjords. 🛳️🥂

Now I have the "...and my name is Carmelita" song in my head...gaaahhhh!

Your Guest Ticket Contract pdf may be useful to you. See number 8; I copied the first paragraph here with the relevant words in bold: "8. CANCELLATION POLICY You are not entitled to any refund, payment, compensation of any kind or credit for cancellation except as provided in this section or as otherwise provided by law. Cancellation penalties will apply when the entire Cruise booking is cancelled and applies to all travel, products and/or services purchased, including Cruise, airfare and land arrangements. Cancellation charges are imposed regardless of resale of the Cruise, hotel or air components. We highly recommend that Guests purchase vacation protection insurance." If you are before the penalty phase, you should get a 100% refund.

Hi Gismoiv, I see that you are new to CC and may not be aware of some of the features. You can join your roll call for this cruise where you can talk to other passengers: You can also find port specific advice for Europe: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/8-europe/

@sophia thomas Sometimes people have an email in their signature, otherwise a Google search using "Oceania" and CC name is sometimes useful.

Weird...I just logged on again no problem.

I don't get up early either, but I made it to Terrace or Waves by 10 or 10:30 "food away" times on our last cruise. Vista also has Aquamar Kitchen that is open for breakfast and lunch (sorry, don't know times). Baristas on Vista has a large selection of sweet and savory compared to the other ships; if I need a snack this is my favorite place, especially for the ~1 hour between breakfast/lunch and 1-1.5 hour between Tea and Dinner. The room service menu is better than I expected; the Mezze platter (hummus, etc.) makes a good sharing large snack or small meal. Sidenote: If you haven't checked out steamboats photos, they are wonderful https://www.cruisediary.de/vista-restaurants-an-bord/

IT must be on a dinner break since I am able to access my booking. There is no direct way to view the itinerary via the booking (Manage this Booking section). However, you can shop for shore excursions and see which port is on which day (the only thing that may be missing is special At Sea days like glaciers or fjords with no port stop). Without logging on you can search for the cruise on the website and see the full itinerary there.

They gave the original air credit as $1500 per person.