MEFIowa

Back in 12/21 on Riviera I wore a suit and tie. My wife wore a dress. To all 4 of the specialty restaurants. BUT we drove to Miami and could over pack. We are flying this time in 11/22 so no suit jacket for me or tie this time for the 2 specialty restaurants. Inclement weather disrupted 1 evening outdoors aft IIRC, so we ate inside by a window that one night at the Terrace Cafe. We had only 719 passengers. AND we tend to eat right at 1830. Get there a bit early to be early birds. BUT if it were too crowded, we'd just adjust our time eating to suit. Not a big deal.

Though what makes no sense to me is that we CAN be quite casual at the Waves and Terrace Cafes. My wife and I did NOT even eat once in the GDR on our 10-day cruise on Riviera 12/21 and we do NOT plan to eat at the GDR for our upcoming Sirena voyage 11/22. I much prefer eating under the stars aft wearing casual clothes to any more formal dress in the waitered GDR. BUT we did dress nicely for the specialty restaurants. And will do so again.

Needed the laugh. The entirely NOT so normal or usual or customary "real-world analysis" for the masses. Rather atypical as a percentage of cruises where your TA happens to be on your specific cruise? Of course, the TA (who may be part wizard, part magician; the TA behind the curtain) remains anonymous. BUT, IF your TA travels with you on every or just many cruises and IF you spend what, say $10,000-$100,000 (and up!) annually with your TA, YMMV from mine! But I'm still waiting for the example that starts with, "Called a TA for my 1st time cruise. She gave me the O Presidents' Sale price in December, months before O put the cruise on sale in February." Now that would be a powerful TA indeed. Or would be in the real world if they existed and could make such things happen. Which they can't.

Did you contact O to see if you could change to a different A3 farther away, either forward or aft, from the elevator/stairwell opening to the hallway?

If the floor plan is accurate, Marina 9106 is pretty well forward of the actual opening from the hallway where the elevators and stairwells converge, at 9110/9112. We stayed in 9136 well aft on Riviera 12/21. But I never heard anyone complain about elevator or stairwell noise issues. And you are pretty far aft of the Concierge Lounge, which opens directly across from 9026/9024. A nice walk forward to the lounge, right past the laundry on Deck 9 at 9032/9030

We had a Veterans M&G on Riviera 12/21 in the Western Caribbean. There were about 35 of us. Was nice to meet the other veterans. Who I then interacted with later on the cruise. I hope Sirena does the same for my upcoming 11/22 cruise in the Eastern Caribbean.

No surprise: "the $300 OBC was a temporary promotion." O has lots of temporary promotions.

Odd, you don't have a document, if this is "just the rule". When their own official current document doesn't show that: "Receive $100* Shipboard Credit per booking to enjoy on your current cruise, certain restrictions apply" I HAVE documented what O is currently saying. pre-cruise savings-USD.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

Or as Woofa said above: "After much research here and on the web in general, we decided to find a TA. Maybe we are fortunate to live in the Dallas area but it was pretty obvious pretty quickly which ones in our area specialized in luxury cruising." Those magical mystical TAs (are they unicorns or dragons?) who can't be named! I contacted a supposedly O-experienced TA, one from S. CA. I watched their videos online showing all the cabins. He's a tall guy. Maybe you can guess who they are? BUT when I tried to make serious arrangements, I didn't get offered anything special. And I doubt here in little old Des Moines, IA, we get the type "luxury cruising" specialists you might find in the massive D-FW area or greater LA or Chicago or NYC or Miami/FTL. BUT I did book my own A4 on Riviera 12/21 for $2099 per from the Presidents' Day Sale in 2021. That identical ship, room, and itinerary (W. Caribbean) for early 2023 went up to $3999 per. And since then I've used their periodic sales to book other cruises. The TAs don't create the O sale prices that anyone can access without a TA.

Please link us to a published O document discussing that $300 per cabin. That document would give the details. If it was part of some special promotion. This Oceania document is from 10/22. Current. And it says: "Receive $100* Shipboard Credit per booking to enjoy on your current cruise, certain restrictions apply" pre-cruise savings-USD.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

That $100 OBC is what was included when I booked a cruise on Riviera in 12/21 and that information from Oceania discussing the $100 OBC is from 10/22. It would not surprise me if there is some promotion or something else at various times, esp. if tied to your O Club level, that some may be able to access. I'm only at the Blue Level.

The full details per O: pre-cruise savings-USD.pdf (oceaniacruises.com) The big 3: - Save up to $1,500* per stateroom - Enjoy Reduced Deposits* as low as $250 per person - Receive $100* Shipboard Credit per booking to enjoy on your current cruise, certain restrictions apply

Though it is odd that those pushing TAs here NEVER say how much they spend annually thru their TA or have spent in toto over the years thru their TA. In the real world, TANSTASFL. So I am SURE that if you spend many thousands of dollars annually and tens of thousands of dollars total over time with the same TA, that TA will "give" you something. BUT, if all I do is one cruise a year that I book at the discounted sale price (and mainly in less expensive G-B cabins) and make my own excursions and travel arrangements, there is NOT TA on the planet who would do anything seriously special for me.

Wife and I parked there for our 12/21 cruise on Riviera. When she pulled out for the cruise we could see the garage was full. There were cars double parked on the top exposed deck. I think there are 3 covered garage floors. We got there early and parked on the first floor. So when we disembarked we just jumped in and drove back 1250 miles to Iowa. It was worth it for us for security and knowing how easy it was to get our stuff to the ship. But for our upcoming 11/22 Sirena cruise, we're flying to Miami. 🙂

From the Cruise Vacation Guide: General Travel and Onboard Information, p. 15: SPECIAL OCCASIONS: Please advise Oceania Cruises at least 60 days prior to departure of any special occasions that you will be celebrating while aboard. It is also recommended that you reconfirm your request with the Concierge upon embarkation.

While I'm not a fan of that genre, having survived it by way of the punks, I will listen to Disco Inferno by The Trammps all day long, but it has to be the LONG version: ""Disco Inferno" gained much greater recognition when the nearly 11 minute album version was included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. Re-released by Atlantic Records, the track peaked at number 11 in the U.S. during the spring of 1978, becoming the Trammps' biggest and most-recognized single." And I have a dream... I'd hear "Holiday in Cambodia" (1980) by the DKs some day on one of the O ships!

Though we did our first O cruise on Riviera in 12/21 and we booked the upcoming Caribbean Sirena cruise while on her. Then booked 2 cruises in the Med for 2023. And a Baltic for 2024. So that puts me to age 61. Who knows, by the time 2025 rolls around the ship band will be playing all of AC/DC's Back in Back album some night? And I'll have a lighter out held high. Or at least I can hope. (I was blessed to see the Rolling Stones play in 1981 and The Who in 1982. Still have my ticket stubs. The Who sponsored by Schlitz. $16.50 GA plus 50 cents tax. Plus so many more bands back in that era from Cheap Trick to The Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac.)

READ your Ticket Contract. There is no contractual right or legal obligation. It is clearly stated in no uncertain terms. So feel or think what you want about it, but your contract is legally controlling.

Thanks. Depending upon what you want, you may get what you pay for. BUT in this case the $2849 per C1 just fine for us, esp. since this 10-day is port intensive so lots of excursions for us when O would charge us $3799 per for a B2 or $4099 per for an A3.

Per the Ticket Contract for my upcoming 11/22 cruise on Sirena: 4. Carrier's Discretion: As the Carrier, We reserve the right at any time, without notice or liability for refund, payment or compensation of any kind or credit credit (sic) except as otherwise required by law, to cancel any Cruise or CruiseTour, change or postpone the date or time of sailing or arrival, change the port of embarkation or final destination, shorten the Cruise or substitute the Ship, change or substitute any component of the CruiseTour....

Thanks. Was the view out the window decent to see ports? We're on Sirena deck 6 in a B2 Veranda next month. Did an A4 Concierge on Riviera 12/21. Since there is NO Concierge Lounge on Sirena, the concierge part is mostly superfluous for my wife and I. What "perks" you get not worth the price. We did the A4 off the Presidents' Day Sale price in Feb. 21. Only $2099 per! The same ship and identical cruise in Mar. 23 for that A4 is $3999. Even booking the B2 while on Riviera and avoiding the two $100 prices increases afterwards, still $2399 per. Going up to an A1/A2 hardly gets me much I find really valuable on Sirena.

Though suddenly I'm picturing myself next month on Sirena in the E. Caribbean by the pool listening to a medley of songs that includes Nobody's Fault but Mine, Back in Black, Enter Sandman & Come Out & Play/Keep 'Em Separated! Being 59 I'm definitely a child of hard rock & roll.

I laughed last year on Riviera (12/22) to find potato chips served at night at Baristas. Only time I ever saw them. In small bowls along with the finger foods. I never had any, so no idea if they were salted or not. Did seem to be just plain potato chips, no cheese, bbq, or sour cream flavors, for example.

There was a thread on this back on January 13, 2022. With pictures inside and out. But it seemed like the inside-looking out photos had a large square window but the outside view of Sirena showed a smaller porthole. Was all academic to me until yesterday when I booked 7006 for a September 2024 Baltic cruise. Now...I'm wondering about the window. These two unique C1s on Deck 7 and their counterparts on Deck 6 (6004/6005) have the additional interior space that would be balconies as in the Veranda rooms just next to them aft. Anyone have a picture from 7006 looking out with the curtains open?

We've 29 days until our Sirena cruise in the E. Caribbean. Will be interesting to see how many passengers and crew will be aboard her.