mb777

I was staying at AirBnB much closer to the cruise terminal (by design) but the email said ALL had to go to the hotel and not to go to the cruise port. Email stated that if we went directly to the cruise port we would have to still leave and go to the hotel. We got to the hotel at 1100 and were onboard by 1330. We were going to have the bellman call a taxi but the Uber was cheap and right around the corner. We were not going to ride the bus regardless of the wait, none of the 6 of us like sitting on a bus with 30 other people. The Uber dropped us off right in front of the cruise terminal entrance and it was only about a 15 min process to get screened and on the ship from there. I spoke to some people "in the know", and as Pearl said the snafu was the port booking too many ships at the same time. I would think this was a one-off snafu.

Forgot to mention, I believe the ship was full or close to full and never felt crowded. Also, we did see one child about 7-9 years old and she behaved beautifully. We spoke to her parents a few times who had been apprehensive about bringing her but in the end they were pleased. Also did not see many elderly people with mobility problems as has been posted so many times before. Only saw one scooter and one walker. Most everyone was moving about quite well and really didn't seem to be the age of passengers reported so many times by others. We had quite a mix of ages, probably from 50's to 80's as far as I could tell. The couple with the child may have been in their 40's.

No international cell service on a 10 day voyage could be frustrating so I completely understand. We have Verizon and it was very affordable for the month. I agree the shuttle arrangements were terrible. I asked the person in the front of the line how long they had been waiting and their answer convinced me to immediately take the Uber. Hindsight, but I wonder if the doorman could call you a taxi if something like this happens again? There were 2 of them not doing much of anything at all as far as I could see.

Hallelujah!

I too had an 1100 embarkation time but of course ended up in the hotel along with everyone else. I feel this was probably a port issue, not Oceania's. I'm quite certain this was the last thing Oceania would have needed. I saw the long line for the free shuttle and ordered an Uber for about 10 Euros, was on the ship at 1330 and luggage was waiting outside our cabin. After spending the amount of money we did for cruise and airfare I wasn't about to wait for a free shuttle when 10 Euros got me there in 20 min with no wait for the Uber.

Thanks Maui, we did put down $500 FCC before we disembarked so we will keep our eye out for some good bargains.

Not a problem that I can remember. I think you just have to go down the stairs to deck 9 and there are restrooms. We really did not spend much time in Horizon's at all. Just maybe during sail away once or twice.

Nautica 10 day Lisbon to Le Havre Just finished a 10 day trip, first time on Oceania. I had researched for approximately 9 months, reading and reading until I just couldn’t read any more reviews, tips, videos, etc. Some of the info about Oceania and Nautica in particular was spot on, and some not so much. Thanks to all who have written reviews, it helped my preparation. The cruise experience on Nautica was beyond my expectations and left me culturally immersed more than any land based tour could have accomplished. Despite many complaints about Oceania missed ports, we made them all and right on time! The ship is beautiful, easy to navigate after a day or two and the staff incredible. Our cabin was on deck 6 so there really was not much need for the elevator although it never looked busy. We felt completely pampered the entire time aboard and our cabin attendants never said no. We were greeted by them each and every time they saw us, always by our names. We are not huge tippers however the very first time we met them we tipped them generously. We do not like to tip at the end of cruises or hotel stays but prefer upfront, or at least along the way. We probably only had one request and that was for fresh ice every day.. We are pretty low maintenance. I had a little angst concerning the dress code as some had mentioned I would need dressy shoes for the evening dining venues. First night in Toscana (a free one), I wore khaki pants, shirt and new dressy shoes. I never put the dressy shoes on again until my flight home! I brought a pair of decent looking boat shoes (loafers) and wore them every night without socks. Not a word was said and I was comfortable and not out of place at all. As far as jackets for men I probably saw a total of 5 during the entire 10 day cruise including both specialty restaurants. I did not bring a jacket and never would, so this worked out nicely. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze since we docked at all ports and did not need tenders. There was really not much of a line to leave and I left about 0745-0845 every day. I had reserved private tours at each port well ahead of time and we had a group of 6 each day which was perfect number. One day we had another in our group join for a total of 7, still a workable number for the guide. Not having to ride a bus or spend time waiting for that always late straggler was quite refreshing. The food was much better than I had been reading although I have never cruised Oceania so have nothing to base this on. I would rate the food 5 stars with zero misses. Ate twice in Toscana and once in Polo, all 5 stars. Meals in any venue other than the buffet and waves take quite a long time by our standards so keep that in mind. Dinners ran 2-2.5 hours which for us is a long time, very subjective issue of course. The only downside for the entire cruise were the dining times. We prefer early dining and in a B2 verandah that was difficult to acquire. This topic has been beaten to death (including by me) in other threads so I’ll leave it alone here. We don’t gamble so cannot comment on the casino although it seemed busy toward the end of the cruise. We did go to the show every night at 2130 and found it enjoyable, especially since it only lasts 45 minutes. It was a nice way to end the evening. After early rising, touring all day, dinner and a show we were tired each night by the time the show ended. With such a port intensive itinerary there really wasn’t much sense trying to stay up late even if we were night owls, which we are not. I believe the majority on this cruise kept a similar schedule. The cabin was beautiful and well appointed. If you looked around enough you could find more storage than you probably need. There are cubbies and storage places everywhere and under the bed is also a great option. We fit 4 large suitcases under the bed with no issues. I was dreading the shower since so many had complained about it. I admit when I first peered into the bathroom I thought it looked very very small. By day 2 the shower was a non-issue and we never thought about it again. Yes it’s on the small side but realistically how much room does one need? We could turn around with our arms either at our sides or up in the air so again, how much more does a person need? It really was a non-issue and the water temp and pressure was outstanding. We were not in a concierge class so did laundry ourselves. One laundry room for 700 guests is not the best option but of course some of those 700 are suites or concierge with their complimentary laundry service. The days we did laundry we went promptly at 0700 when they opened and were able to find a washer/dryer although once there was only 1 left. We did NOT try to do laundry on sea days, you could see the line forming all day long and the place was quite noisy and busy. All in all a wonderful cruise, bordering on life changing due to all the local people we met and local sights we saw through our guides eyes. I’m sure we will be back on board an Oceania cruise in the future.

Not sure many of us expect dining to begin at 5, however 6 would certainly be a huge improvement and possibly open up some 6:30 slots. Happy hour 5-6, dinner 6-8 (yes, it took 2 hours each meal), Martini's after dinner, shopping at the boutique, maybe casino for some, then 9:30 show doesn't sound like a ghost ship to me.

Sounds like we are on the same schedule. Your post summed it up much better than mine, thank you.

We're thrilled to eat at 6:30 on board, just found it very difficult to secure that time with our B2 Verandah.

I should probably explain, by early dining I'm talking about 6:30 which is very difficult to obtain. We did go to happy hour which is 5-6, then the natural move for us would be heading to dinner at 6:30 after happy hour. Hope this makes sense.

We understand that Concierge level will get us 6:30 specialty dining but seems to be quite a jump in cost to an already expensive cruise in order to have dinner when we prefer. This cruise we were flexible with any day, any shared number of people, but we don't consider 6:30 early. We normally eat at home 5:30-6 and just because we are docked at a European port that doesn't change the time we prefer to eat or the time we get hungry. Also, we enjoy going to the 9:30 show and that is not possible with a 7:30 or later reservation. Our specialty meals were taking an average of 2+ hours unfortunately. About 90 minutes in the dining room. We did make friends with the Toscana restaurant manager while he was working the other meals in the dining room but he said we would need to go to the specialty dining desk to make any changes. Perhaps we didn't speak to the correct manager although he was the one standing at the podium every night in Toscana. It's just frustrating at this price point that Oceania doesn't do something to accommodate the obvious need for "early" diners. I don't buy the argument that the ship will become a ghost ship with the casino, shops, quartet, showroom all going strong in the evening. Thank you for your post, it was very nice.

Just returned from 10 day Lisbon to Le Havre in a B1 Verandah. Pounced on dining reservations the absolute second they opened. Had everything written in front of me with first choices, alternate dates, you name it. I didn't attempt 2-tops because friends on the same cruise were unable to get 2-tops at 6:30 even in concierge level and they kept trying over and over since their window opened earlier than mine. I got one 6:30 shared and one 7:30 shared. Tried all combinations/days at either restaurant and basically the 6:30 slots are almost all gone by the time the lowly non-concierge guests get to choose. Some have said be flexible and I don't know how more flexible to be than any restaurant, any day, 6:30 shared. This had been a big concern for me for the entire year leading up to the cruise. Obviously the 6:30 slots are the favorites because late dining seemed to be very easy. My concerns proved correct just as with many on this thread. After boarding I immediately (with my carry on luggage) went to the dining reservations desk and was told there are no 6:30 slots available for any restaurant, any day, shared or not, period. I stopped by the desk many times during the cruise and received the same answer. I did however snag an additional reservation at Toscana on embarkation day as a shared table but thankfully the other people never arrived. It would seem a relatively easy solution would be to start dining at all venues at 6pm. I believe other cruise lines start as early as 5pm. Why Oceania starts at 6:30 is frustrating and as we have seen in this discussion very stressful. For those who say to just relax and enjoy whatever comes along, I find this unacceptable at this level of expense. It's obvious that many, many Oceania guests are frustrated with the unavailability of 6:30 dining.

Just finished a 10 day Western Europe on the Nautica. Had 3 specialty dining meals (2-Toscana, 1-Polo) and would have been over the moon to receive the entree 35 minutes into the meal. All 3 meals took approximately 2.5 hours which for us is way too long for any meal. One was 6:30 2-top, one a 6:30 shared and one a 7:00 shared. If you want to see the 9:30 show, having a 7:00 reservation left us running out of the restaurant to catch the show. The lack of any earlier seating and the length of the meal service was really the only negative thing about the whole trip.

Yes I do, exactly the same rudeness and reflects the "all about me" attitude.

Thanks for the arithmetic lesson. however, I think you may be using fuzzy marh. 6:30 reservation plus :10 = 6:40 = late = rude, 100% of the time, no matter how you want to justify this behavior.

It seems to me that if you have a reservation at 6:30 and you show up at 6:40 you are 10 minutes late. I cannot wrap my head around how 10 minutes past any reservation time, for anything, is not late.

I had no clue which is why I asked. I find it tough to keep up with all the abbreviations used, and don't understand the point when there doesn't seem to be a character limit.

What is an OH?

I would absolute LOVE this! How difficult is it to figure out what time one would like to use the sunbed? Vacation or no vacation, deciding when to visit the subbed does not take anything away from the vacation, it actually enhances your relaxation knowing you won't have to deal with the chair hogs!

I'm desperately trying to understand why anyone would make a reservation, then show up late, seemingly from your post....planned in advance.

Thanks, no apology necessary. I was afraid I would have to buy yet another pair of fancy uncomfortable shoes in order to eat in the GDR.

They are the dreaded "Clarks".

You have got to be kidding "Clarks look fine for everything except the GDR and the specialty restaurants" Here is a pic of Clarks, who would tell me they are not dressy enough with a pair of black casual pressed pants? I don't get it.