AMHuntFerry

There is one difference though...the first goes to Eureka (spendy shorex) while the second goes to Catalina (cheap shorex). The first one's YWC min is 5 shorex (if I remember ORV's previous post); so with 4 ports (overnight in SFO) you would have to do a shorex every port day to get the 25% discount.

@Host Jazzbeau Oh eek! I completely forgot that Cruise Critic is not covered by fair use. I did a "how to" series of screenshot images in another topic. If you can delete my images while keeping the text in the Free Shore Excursions? topic (and then delete this), I'd sure appreciate it (it's too late to edit). Sorry!!

Don't get in line for an agent. Have a way to get online or call you travel insurance concierge or TA. Those alternative flights will be handy, but not if you have to wait in line for 3 hours (real story when spouse was stuck in Dulles and spent the night on the floor with 3000 of his closest friends...arrived in St P 23 hours late).

Plus bigger under seat space! Backpack carry-ons are your friend, especially if you can hook them onto your rolling checked bags.

Agree @mauibabes my typical MO is DIY...love travel planning; I can spend days just figuring out how to get around a single place using public transportation and walking (had to go find that one special winery to bring back ice wine for a friend from Trier!! We were almost attacked by hungry cows but we survived.). However, there are times when life leaves me just too exhausted to lift a finger. That's when paying someone else to do the heavy lifting is a welcome blessing. Currently I use my local brick and mortar TA (love her) but I have to teach her about O; using Google, it took me less than 10 seconds to discover one of the frequent posters who is an O Connoisseur (or whatever the fancy name is).

The Preismans' blog has the Waves breakfast menu right above the Polo Grill menu https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_21_menus.htm#waves (might give an idea of the GDR "smoothie specials")

Jinx! Aren't I supposed to punch your arm or something? 😄

There are a lot of acronyms used for shore excursions OS is Oceania Select OE is Oceania Exclusive YWYW is actually YWC Your World Collection https://www.oceaniacruises.com/shore-excursions

Here is my comparison chart if you find it useful: Cost if not included B A PH Sq. ft. N/A 291 (240 w/o balcony) 291 (240 w/o balcony) 440 (~363? w/o balcony) Room service N/A Room service menu +GDR menu +specialty menus Lounge (O and A only) N/A Concierge lounge Executive lounge Spa Terrace $25/day Spa Terrace access Spa Terrace access Laundry Varies Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait) Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait) Butler N/A Butler Embarkation N/A 1 pm embarkation (N/A currently) Noon embarkation (N/A currently) Noon embarkation (N/A currently) +priority baggage delivery Champagne $$ for something better Welcome champagne (low end, not actually champagne if I recall) Welcome champagne (quality?) Specialty res at (# varies by cruise length and ship) N/A 45 days 60 days 75 days Misc iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board++ Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary pressing of garment upon embarkation++ Complimentary shoeshine service iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary shoeshine service Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation++ Walk in closet (Tote bag not on website but it's there!) We took a low-cost Carribean cruise in December 2021 to try out cruising (never been), Oceania, and the A-cat perks. I really though we'd spend a lot of time on the spa deck since we are introverts, but we got there once and only on an unplanned sea day (couldn't tender). You can always pay the $25 for each day you want to use it. I was surprised to find the Concierge Lounge so useful. We could pop down for a quick drink/snack for our room or when doing laundry. I hate taking electronics on vacation (phones go in the safe first thing and stay there!), so using the computer was handy for the not quite daily checks on the house/petsitter for emergencies. The Concierge was also helpful with getting an extra Red Ginger reservation in advance, plus he answered all of my silly questions about sailing on O and some unexpected events (ship circling around near Cuba to check a boat, stairs closed for plumbing issues, medical evacuation detour to near Key West, etc.). We only had room service once during non meal time (spouse claims twice), so ordering from the GDR menu is not a huge perk to us. However, if you like to eat in the room the GDR menu (when they are open) will have more selection. Most of the other topics have been covered so I'll leave my opinions for the next time this topic shows up 😉

Investing in a soft sided backpack-style carry-on bag is probably a good investment for those that don't have them yet. They fit under the seat even on the commuter-size plane I sometimes use between SEA and BLI. Squish it down and shove the personal bag in there too...makes a good footrest for long flights if your legs aren't long. My husband has often been allowed to keep his bag when others with wheels had to check. If he packs light it will sometimes squish into an otherwise "full" overhead.

My rule of thumb for determining likely O-Life tours is to look at the price in the "Unlimited" column. If the price is $0 (or N/A), then there is a good chance that the tour is included as an O-Life tour. CAVEAT - there are always exceptions!

I agree double checking is a good idea (and get it in writing!). The ultimate offer expired on the website, but (at least) one of the TA consortiums still has select (not as many as before) itineraries with the ultimate O-Life offer.

@57eric , As LHT28 said, don't click the Request a Quote box. To see how much the airfare-credit is using the online booking (simpler way listed at end of this note), click any of the choices in the Availability column (far right): Choose "NO" for air travel and Click on Next Step (bottom right): Click on Continue as Guest (bottom of pop up): Compare the Promo Fare column with the fares (e.g. C1 $2749 vs $2249) to determine the airfare credit ($500 for this one) Choose a category: Choose a room number Choose your O-Life Option: This is where the online booking stops being useful since it will not let you book a cruise-only (no air no O-Life) fare. Use a TA or book via phone to book cruise-only fares. The other way to estimate the air credit is to look at the cruise only fare, add half of the O-Life OBC; the difference is the likely (may not be exact) air credit.

Or as I like to say, "I could bring everything I wanted, but Daddy made me carry everything I wanted" (literally). Too many things get heavy after half a mile 😉

Lots of accessories for basic switchable separates and lots of layers worn onto the plane (Canadians know all about layers, right? 😉 ); wear you bulky shoes and bring small slippers...it can be done! No formal nights make it easier. We do 3 carry-ons (1 checked) and 2 personal items which is traveling heavy for us (no cruise = no checked bags).

Not on Sirena, but bore da! I'm afraid my Welsh is limited to "Yma O Hyd" (full lyrics one day?) and "Aberystwyth" (fun camera obscura above town).