halfapair

During Covid governments started handing out free money to people, especially in the USA. We are pumping millions of dollars out to people and not asking them to work for it. This causes inflation. Costs of everything are going up, and will continue to go up for the next couple of years until we put the kibosh on the free money. So yes, all travel expenses: cruises, hotels, flights, etc. will also be rising. The companies aren't taking advantage of you, they are simply trying to keep up with the rising costs, the same way you are with your household budgets.

EJL2023 is correct. And if there is a tour that you really want and/or it looks like something that will sell out quickly, book it sooner rather than later.

Discover the joy of traveling with carry-on luggage only. No waiting to see if your bags show up, or not. No wrestling giant suitcases. No dropping heavy bags on your toes. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Too big. Pack the clothes you need for 6-7 days + toiletries, and do laundry on board. You'll want to be able to put your luggage in the closet or under the bed to keep it out of the way during your cruise.

Book an excursion through a private company, not Oceania. It will be cheaper.

Looking forward to your thoughts and impressions. Especially how much motion you feel on a Transatlantic cruise. I hope you have a wonderful time!

Driving is great, but can be scary (little windy roads and driving on the other side of the road, etc). You can get to many of the best sites by train, and then take specialty tours (eg. take the train from London to Bath, then do a tour to see Stonehenge). Or you could do a combo-trip: part cruise, part land tour. Do a British Isles cruise, then do a land tour on your own - the best of both worlds!

My opinion as an ice cream lover and aficionado: HS is a better quality ice cream than the standard offering, however some of the flavors are strange. So when they offer a good HS flavor, I eat as much as I can, and I don’t eat the standard Oceania ice cream at all.

I drank iced vanilla lattes on the Insignia. I visited Baristas twice a day: in the morning for cappuccinos, and in the afternoon for iced vanilla lattes. 😀

Very good to know!!

I was able to book 6 excursions for the two of us (12 total), and only pay an additional $120 after all my OBC was applied ($1250). That leaves no OBC to cover pre-paid gratuities, or drinks on board.

Neophyte question here: When do they serve brunch in the GDR? Is it on Saturdays and Sundays? Or only Sundays? Or just sea days? Inquiring minds want to know!

I recently booked 6 S/E for our upcoming cruise. When I tried to use the website to book the excursions it did not calculate the correct cost. I had to call Oceania to book them so the correct discount was applied, the total was added up correctly, and our credit was applied correctly. I did have to book 6 excursions to get the discount. I don't know if it was 5 excursions previously. But a warning for all trying to book Simply More excursions: DO NOT use the website to book. Figure out what excursions you'd like, then call Oceania. Their website is extremely messed up.

A particular insurance company that serves US Armed Forces and their families has a travel benefits division, and they sell Oceania Cruises. Whereas a particular warehouse box store does not (or at least they don't advertise O cruises on their travel app). We booked our first O cruise via the insurance company. I have my membership via my father who served in the USAF.

If you're doing the Panama Canal, then, yes, definitely. During the P/C transit, the best views are from the Spa Terrace. I love the Concierge cabin, but others disagree. So the answer is: it depends on what is important to you

100% Endorsed. The Spa Terrace is the place to be. If you sit in Horizons, you have to look through the blue glass, and if you take pictures everything will be blue. Up on the Spa Terrace they have loungers, you can get yourself water, and restrooms are nearby. And the commentary will come over the speakers on the Terrace. Also, if you climb up the steps where the hot tub is, you can see over the top of the glass, and get great pictures. Go early, grab a spot!

My favorite dessert in the GDR is the nightly souffle. I am so sad on the last night we eat there, because I know there will be no more souffles until I cruise with O again. We'll be on the Riviera next January, and I am already looking forward to the souffles.

Oh, yeah. I get it. I am wide, too (DH isn't a slim jim either). The cool thing is that there is a drain on the outside of the shower, so technically you can leave the doors open, if you need to. Yes, the bathroom (and shower) is small, but it's doable.

We sailed on the Insignia through the Panama Canal. DH is 6'3" and was OK in the shower. We were in a Concierge stateroom, and while it was small, it was OK. We were never bored on board😊

We also travel for the itinerary, and we like using Oceania for the comfortable experience while doing so. We were booked on the Vista, June 1, 2024, but we cancelled our cruise (and all the pre & post cruise arrangements we had made), and transferred our deposit to a cruise from Singapore in January 2025. We are gutted (to use a Britishism). I was soooo looking forward to visiting Israel prior to the cruise.😭

Note about small showers: they are small even in balcony rooms. If you cruise on the Marina, Riviera, Vista, or Allura, the bathrooms & showers will be a bit bigger. But on the other O ships, the showers are small. Unless you get a suite. Those will be bigger.🚿

My one concern about Regent is the dress code. My husband really enjoys the casual attire on Oceania. He is very comfortable in khakis & a polo shirt at dinner. Wearing a jacket will make him uncomfortable. I think he would do it to make me happy, or if the cruise itinerary were something we really wanted and it wasn't available on any other cruise line. But I don't want him feeling irritated at dinner.🪰🧴

Why I travel with a personal pharmacy in my suitcase. From corns to Covid, the solution is in my suitcase 😜

Good to know. We also have a cruise ending in Istanbul (other stops in Turkey, and then we plan to spend a couple of days in Ist on our own). I will see about doing the visa ourselves and maybe save $59x2.

Regarding Luggage Storage: Your very clever room steward/butler will hide those suitcases and you will not see them until you need to pack at the end of your cruise. Regarding water: You will be given two re-usable aluminum water bottles (one for each person in your stateroom), and your room steward will fill two glass water bottles in your room each time they make up your room. You can use the water in the glass bottles to fill your aluminum bottles for use around the ship and on excursions. They also have filling stations in the Lounge where people gather prior to taking shore excursions. Even if you're not on a ship excursion you can stop in and fill your bottles before you take off for the day.