MEFIowa

Since there is no Concierge Lounge in the smaller R-class ships, the issue is really mainly for Marina & Riviera. And only you can decide if the price difference is worth it for what you get (e.g., access to the concierge lounge, a bottle of champagne, access to the outside spa deck with therapy pool). We stayed in an A4 Concierge on Riviera in 12/21 but we booked it on the Presidents' Day sale 2021 for only $2099. There was little price difference so that made it a simple "Yes". But since then have booked Sirena twice (in 2022 & 2024, so a No there) and Riviera twice (2023, a No now as the price differential wasn't worth it for us). I'd rather stay in a B veranda and use the savings for other things. But that's just me.

I don't think we can make your assumption. Those who scream tend to be ones with very negative situations. And they'll tend to get upset at the cause of the situation. So, if it an airline or airport, then that is the source, not the cruise line. The smart traveler knows that if their cruise ship leaves on Monday, they might plan to arrive on Saturday. Or no later than Sunday. Those who push things to the limit of timing often get burned.

I flew from Des Moines, IA to Asuncion, Paraguay and back (via Chicago and Sao Paulo, on United & GOL) from April 18-May 4, 2022. And I still had to do all the pre-testing to get into Paraguay and back into the USA. And guess what.... IT ALL WENT WELL! But I paid close attention to what I had to do and made sure I did it. My luggage and I made it exactly as were supposed to. No flight delays or cancellation. I was on a flight to Chicago, mid-air, when they lifted the interior masking requirement and the passengers rejoiced as we took our masks off. I didn't get COVID. I spent 2 magical weeks driving 2000+ KM to heck & back from deep in the Chaco desert (Filadelfia) to the Argentina border at Encarnacion (along the Parana River). I'd get up at 0500 and wander around Asuncion or Filadelfia or Paraguari or Santa Maria de Fe or Humaita or Pilar or Bella Vista. Never robbed or mugged or threatened. The people were friendly. And I had the vacation experience of a lifetime.

Wife and I drove to Miami for our 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean voyage on Riviera. We parked in the O parking garage across the street. We brought our luggage out of the trunk and took it out to the curb where the porters took it to put on the ship. Our luggage was at our room later that afternoon. We went to the tent next to the terminal where O was doing the complimentary COVID testing then. Waited for our neg results and then walked into the terminal and went upstairs for the paperwork processing. Took only a few minutes. Then walked onto the ship. Thinking we parked around 1030 and were onboard by 1145. When the cruise was nearing an end, we put our luggage out in the hallway where it was picked up the night before. Then it met us at the customs area in the terminal underground where we picked it up. Went thru customs and I pulled the car up out of the garage to the curb in front of the O terminal where my wife was. We had NO problems with embarkation or disembarkation. Leaving the ship was real easy and took mere minutes. But we left in the first group.

Read your daily Currents. While on Riviera (12/13-23/21) the daily drink specials were on the bottom of the last page. So, for example, for Day 10 (12/22/21): "HAPPY HOUR 5-6 pm/Martinis, Grand Bar & Horizons 10:30-11:30 pm/Horizons exclusions apply COCKTAIL OF THE DAY Rob Roy Scotch, Sweet Vermouth $6.50 +20% GRATUITY"

For me, I'd rather SPEND the money I SAVED on something more important, so on Riviera in 12/21 in the W. Caribbean I bought a beautiful RAF Red Arrows Citizen Eco-Drive watch and a purse & wallet for my wife from the Boutique on board. And I BOUGHT beer, hard liquor and wine on the local economies (Guatemala, Honduras, & Mexico), along with a nice lunch with beer in Belize City, bringing the alcohol on board for consumption on my veranda at night enjoying the waves, including bringing some of it back home, too. Money is fungible. What I don't spend on overpriced alcohol on board (all for O's profit at my expense!), I can spend elsewhere, which I did.

We were on Riviera 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean with only 719 passengers. I only went once. Think it was Day 2, a sea day. Horizons was quite full that day. IIRC my wife did it 3 times. I had hoped for bigger selection of teas (e.g., I love Russian Caravan), but it was pretty limited to only a few of the major standards (e.g., Earl Grey). Wife is actually more of a coffee drinker so the tea was kind of "exceptional" for her, out of her norm. Thinking it was Twinings in bags. The food on smallish carts was mainly carbs and I stayed away from them on the trip, so I just sipped my tea with her the one time. Saving up for dinner at 6:30 PM. We never did the tea on any of the days we did excursions and we did excursions every day we could in port.

Pulled out the Currents from our 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean on Riviera. There was a "Captain's Cocktail Celebration" on Day 2 at Horizons at 5:45 PM with "Complimentary Cocktails 5:45 PM -8 PM at Horizons & 6-8 PM at Martinis & Grand Bar. The repeat passenger's reception was on a different night and not in the Currents since it was by non-public invitation.

Here is the published Alcohol Policy (8/25/20) which only discusses wine. So, this is the "contractual language" they can choose to enforce or not. While on our 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean cruise on Riviera I brought my 6 bottles of wine on board at embarkation. And later brought on board beer, hard liquor and wine from day excursions. I could hear them talking about what they saw from their scanner in the bag I brought back on, though I made sure it was wrapped up and in a carry-on container so you couldn't visually see it. But they never did anything. Just let me walk on board. I didn't drink anything outside of my room. What is your alcohol policy for bringing bottles on board? – Oceania Cruises (zendesk.com)

Not unlike how we deal with the flu, colds, and a plethora of other communicable things that are endemic. BUT...the new reality: 1. Vaccines and boosters keep the vast majority out of hospitals and alive. 2. The vaccines and boosters can't prevent transmission. 3. Those with pre-existing conditions that are problematic with COVID should know who they are and NOT be travelling. SO as long as NCL/O maintains a vaccine/booster mandate with real verification of said vaccination, that is essentially as good as it gets anyway for such travel by airplane, bus, cruise ship, etc. Political leaders are just realizing that all the testing is pretty much meaningless when transmission is like the cold or flu. SO get vaccinated and remain boosted/vaccinated over time.

Though it was funny one evening on Riviera on the 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean cruise that they had the comic do his first of two evenings, on Day 4, at 1730. I stood outside the doors at 1830 that night to watch the stampede run down the halls to the specialty restaurants for their 1830 reservations! Wife and I watched his 2nd evening, on Day 8, being performed at 2130. [This was our only time we did anything after dinner during this trip, as we were usually in bed by 2200 for the vigorous excursions we'd planned for the days.] Most nights there was a "Tonight" something at 2130 and then a "Late Night" something else at 2230. NOTE: I saved all my Currents.

Wife and I had a similar magnificent 1st O cruise on Riviera on 12/13-23/21. So much so that we, too, booked another cruise while on her (Sirena, 11/18-28/22) and have later booked cruises in 2023 (Med, Riviera) and 2024 (Baltic, Sirena). We had such an enjoyable time on and off the ship. We wanted to do excursions at every port (and used the sea days and NCL islands for recharging during the voyage). Fell in love with the Terrace Cafe, eating under the stars aft. And got to know the boutique staff quite well. Did you meet a tall Belorussian in the clothing boutique? Or a lovely South African woman in jewelry? And the Kenyan in watches? (Enjoyed his class on time and time pieces.)

Though I've found that by watching the periodic sales, I can book a C, F or G early and then upgrade for free or nearly nothing to a B veranda. I wonder if those in the Cs book later and never saw the upgrade sales? What they don't know and when they don't know it...

You are absolutely correct! When I flew to Paraguay in April 2022 I had to make 2 appointments in March, weeks in advance, to ensure I'd have results to meet either a 24-hour antigen or a 48-hour PCR requirement. And that was from the flight from Sao Paulo to Asuncion (at 1000 on Tuesday), since the minutia of the entry testing requirements was quite specific. So I'm having to ensure at least one test result when they couldn't guarantee either 12- or 24- hour turnaround. It all worked out ($90 PCR test on Sunday at 1500 that came back at 0700 on the day of the flight out, Monday), so I cancelled the noon Monday antigen test (which would've been $65). And thankfully I found out the Paraguayan testing turnaround was measured in hours in early May, so no problem getting that 24-hour pre-departure test (for $28) or test result, using the Embassy's list of test sites.

Only you know what is valuable to you. That $3100 could be spent elsewhere in addition to having a very nice A3 experience. Having done 10 days on Riviera in an A4 12/13-23/21 and having fallen in love eating out under the stars aft in the Terrace Cafe, not having to wear anything fancy, I found the specialty restaurants didn't matter that much to us. And we bought some nice things in the boutiques. I love my RAF Red Arrows Citizen Eco-Drive wristwatch that I'm wearing right now, for example. And my wife enjoys her fancy handbag and purse. But that's just us.

I've booked a couple but every time I saw the cruise on one of the holiday sales (e.g., Presidents' or Memorial Day) and I upgraded to a veranda for free (paying the same price for Riviera's B4 as for the Oceanview I had booked). So, I'd be watching the sales for any specific cruise you're interested it. I've booked a G and an F early to then wait & watch for the upgrade sale. Went from a F to a B4 on another recent sale. Right now I've got one F booked on a 2023 cruise that I'm hoping will eventually go on sale, too, for the upgrade to the veranda.

It is the Cruise Industry asking the CDC: Cruise Industry Calls for CDC Review of Pre-Cruise Covid Testing Rule - TheStreet

Having flown from Des Moines Chicago, O'Hare to Sao Paulo, Brazil to Asuncion, Paraguay and back recently, the whole thing was a joke then, and then they started dropping the entry and exit testing requirements, both Paraguay and the USA! Mask up in only some planes to disembark in crowded airports with thousands of unmasked passengers. A haphazard review, if any, of any vaccination documents. I do NOT remember ANYONE anywhere seriously studying mine! Ministry of Health forms that no one reads and which you can just fill in with "fantasy" (said the German national who didn't know he had to fill one out before GOL would let him get on the 737 in Sao Paulo, so he filled it out in a few rushed minutes to be allowed on the plane, but when we land in Paraguay no Paraguayan even looks at!). So why is cruising treated differently on June 21st? Vaccination is as good as it gets now that COVID is endemic, like the flu. IF you're at serious risk, don't TRAVEL. Whether by airplane, bus, train or cruise ship.

Yes, so if you are on board NOW or in the very near future, BOOK... I booked a 2024 Baltic cruise the moment that opened up recently. And then changed rooms with a Memorial Day sale upgrade. I did NOT wait until my Sirena cruise in 11/22 to book.

What you're saying makes no sense in an inflationary period, where prices are rising over time, not falling. I did NOT wait. So, the list price of my room on that 11/22 Sirena cruise was $2599. I paid $2399 while on board Riviera in December 2021. With only $500 down. I won't pay any more than that. IF there is a sale price, I'll get the sale price. Didn't go on sale for the first 2 public sales of 2022. But I keep my eye open. IIRC the list price rose to $2699 at the end of December 2021 and then rose another $100 to $2799 around April 1st, 2022. So not only did I save $200 by booking when I did, but now the price increases have added $200 to those trying to book today. SO, waiting likely means losing money. Future prices will be higher than current prices which are higher than past prices.

What, I booked a specific cruise while on Riviera in 12/21--on Sirena, 11-18-28/22-- and got the contractual paperwork, for my specific room, so NO price increases. My price is locked in unless they offer some sale price that is lower. This cruise was NOT put on sale either with the Presidents' Day or Memorial Day sales. But I will keep my eye out

Which 12/21 Riviera cruise were you on? I read that the Riviera cruise after ours had serious COVID issues, which our 12/13-23/21 cruise did not have. The cruising world got really weird in late Dec & Jan.

I was on Riviera 12/13-23/21 (W. Caribbean). Have to STRONGLY disagree here about Paul Baya. For example, he was at our Veterans Get Together early on the cruise. I think we had about 30 veterans. By the end of the meeting, he personally addressed us each by name by memorization, in the exact order of our own presentations to the group. Every time I saw him during the cruise he'd personally acknowledge me. I even talked with him once about getting our two oldest veterans together, since one of the sons wondered who the other oldest one was. I believe he did get them together. And during the mid-cruise survey I mentioned that we didn't have any presentations on the ports or areas we visited. That night he personally called me. I wasn't in but he left a detailed message about accessing the library of related presentations that were in the video library accessible on the TV. The only time I used the phone was to listen to his voice mail! Of course, I thanked him in person the next day after I watched 2 of the videos. Now we only had 719 passengers. But Paul was out and about and accessible. Always friendly. And always looking out for the passengers.

Wife and I are back in 11/22 as well (Sirena). But as I did in 12/21 (Riviera), I'd more likely book on board. To get the discount, reduced deposit, etc. That will come with the contractual paperwork the O agents on board will hand you.

I saw that, too, and kept in mind the recent price increases I've seen on various cruises. I booked a B2 Veranda on an 11/22 Sirena cruise to the E. Caribbean while on Riviera in 12/21. Saved the $200, lower deposit, etc. But IIRC on 1/1/22 the published fare went up $100 and then around 4/12/22 it rose another $100. So that $2599 B2 which I booked at $2399 is now showing a published fare of $2799. It didn't go on sale for either the Presidents' Day or Memorial Day sales.