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!

2 minutes ago, clo said:

I don't know how OP feels about driving but we've done England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales by driving. It was fantastic. Just a thought.

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. 

On 3/7/2024 at 9:10 PM, growlers said:

Tagging on these questions, do they have iced coffee at the Cafe?   I don't mean the "frozen" Italian style, more "starbucks" style....

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. 😀

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

The number of required excursions for the discount is dependent upon the total number of port days on your cruise. For example, it’s a different number if you’re on a 7 day cruise as opposed to a 15 day cruise.

 

I always have my TA book my ship excursions.

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

On 1/2/2024 at 7:06 AM, Snaefell3 said:

I don't know about Insignia, but on the Regatta last March, the Spa Terrace (Deck 9 foredeck) was open to all -- the cardkey reader on the door from the gym was long gone.

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!

On 11/11/2023 at 11:35 AM, Sthrngary said:

Istanbul Turkey:

 

Wow, just wow. I got really lucky.  This whole cruise I choose not to do any Oceania Excursions.  Lots of reasons for this.  One was I hate being restricted by time to leave, time to get back or time in an specific place.  This strategy can backfire or be great.  We got off the Riviera at the port with easy and no delay.  I was a little nervous because of some of what I learned online about scams.  I took my group to the Taxi Stand and was given a flat price of $60.00 to take us to a few places including the Grand Bazar.  The Taxi Driver stayed with us, gave us advice and took us back when we were done. I gave him $100.00, a giant box of Turkish Delights for his kids.  This man was so kind and helpful.  He used his translator on his phone to communicate with us.  It was a perfect way to approach the city for four Not So Young folks their for the first time.

 

We skipped Breakfast and when the lunch was being served, we did that in stead.  Skipping a meal on a Cruise with really good food is the way to go sometimes.  Lunch for me was a Burger and fries and surprisingly good. 

 

When we came back from Istanbul, we went to Martini's for a couple of drinks. Our butler has some snacks waiting for us in our suite which were taste.  Just a taste, nothing to heavy.  We went to the Grand Dining Room for dinner.  I was not expecting much and told my guest just that.  Most of the meal was really good.  Some folks went outside their box to order things they normally did not order.  That was an epic fail be we all laughed it off.  The main course were all really good.  My test was the Sirloin Strip Steak Medium Rare. It was cooked perfectly and I liked it.  My wife loved her chicken, my friend had salmon and his wife had veal.  Everyone enjoyed the food.  The desert was hit or miss.  The cheese cake was excellent. 

 

The piano player in Martini's is just what the doctor ordered.  Make Martini's a special place. 

 

Tomorrow with an over night and early start, we will focus on the Blue M and some more shopping.  This city is something special and we are all really enjoying it.  This is defiantly not St. Thomas, LOL.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

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.

20 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

::whispers::  It's not the tall folks that have the worst issues in those showers.

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.😭

23 hours ago, taiwan_girl said:

We (as a family) had been on a couple of "mass market" cruises in the past, but wanted a smaller shop, so last summer booked with Oceania on an Alaska cruise.  Have to admit that I had never heard of them, but got an unsolicited brochure in the mail, expressed an interest after looking on line, and literally within minutes, got a phone call.

 

(So, I guess this was one case where the hard copy brochures actually lead to a sale).

 

For some background, the cruises we have been on typically are three generations - 4 kids (late teen to early 20's), two middle age adults, and two seniors.

 

Went in with relatively low expectation, but to a person, we absolutely 100% loved the Oceania cruise on Regatta.  So much of an upgrade from our previous cruises.  Loved the food, loved the size of the ship, loved the coffee shop, loved the staff, loved the lack of crowds, etc.  It helped that the weather was perfect the whole time.  I guess there was one complaint.  We were in the non-balcony window rooms, and the showers were quite small.  I know the two seniors in the group had a few problems.  

 

We liked it so much, that we decided to try and find an Oceania cruise over this coming Xmas holiday.  Unfortunately, we pretty late in starting our search, and their only availability was Caribbean, which we weren't really interested in. So, we ended up booking a Mediterranean cruise with Viking.  Same 3 generation family, so it will be interesting to see how the two lines compare. We hope that it will be at least equivalent to our Oceania cruise and are keeping our fingers crossed.

 

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.🚿

On 10/8/2023 at 5:43 PM, PhD-iva said:

ToxM, Oceania is my favorite cruiseline; I have been on 3 O cruises and have 3 more booked. Last November I went on my first Regent cruise on Mariner. WOW! Over the top FABULOUS! So, better than O, but also more expensive (you get what you pay for).

You’ll love Regent! I still prefer O’s pricing model…….but my next cruise is on Regent’s Voyager….

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.🪰🧴

6 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Yeah, instead a referral to the ship’s medical center. YIPES!

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.