SophieM

This thread has been like watching a train wreck for me. I know I should look away, but I just can’t help myself. So much speculation and cynicism. We weren’t crazy about the whole idea of SM to begin with, but I have to say we have partaken rather enthusiastically of the included lunch and dinner beverages, though quite reluctantly of the excursions. I can safely say we’ve been underwhelmed by all we’ve taken. I would also agree with ORV that SM may have impacted bar purchases. I know it did for us, although I asked that question recently at lunch with the GM, and he said it hadn’t. Who knows?? So, we will probably book one or two more cruises this week and reevaluate after October 1. I am over any more hand wringing and teeth gnashing.

38 minutes ago, bob brown said:

So far, I have only sailed aboard the Insignia, but aren’t all the Oceania ‘R class’ ships pretty much the same, if not identical?🤔

Yep! Except the Sirena has Red Ginger and a combined Polo/Toscana. 

On 8/31/2024 at 9:41 PM, love to cruz said:

We always use National Express Coach out of Victoria Coach Station in London. Very reasonable, new buses. Extra suit cases (after the first two) are only $10.00

We just did that from Southampton to London. Worked great! Just a short cab ride from the ship to the coach station. 

7 minutes ago, Rainbow3fe said:

I have a feeling Oceania management is watching to see how many customers book SM during the small window. They'll get a better handle on what we want for the future.

I’m sure they’ll be watching and probably hoping for a rush of bookings. I’m not so sure it will give them useful metrics going forward, as why wouldn’t you go ahead and book by 9/30 before the benefits disappear, if you had a cruise you were planning on anyway?

40 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yes, on the table and on the wall. I’ll try to take a picture later. 

No worries! For some reason, I got cornfused and was thinking it was Terrace. I get it now, except where do you order if you want to sit somewhere other than Waves?

7 minutes ago, ORV said:

Just another little thing. Waves grill now takes your order at the table. This has been in effect pretty much since the Evening pizza went in and the menu changed more or less to reflect the same as Vista. 

Interesting. I guess there is a menu then. Not having been on the Vista, how does that work?

9 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@durberville

Here is a little tid bit for an O Newby. IMHO you will love your cruise and have a wonderful time. sM has value with the Wine and Beer and Excursions included and probably more value than waiting until after October 1 for the Free Gratuities Program. Here is a plan, you are eligible to book a future cruise on any O ship up to 30 days prior to sailing and it is considered an On Board booking and you are within that window right now. Your Deposit is only $250 pp. You would receive at least $100 in SBC to use on your upcoming October 4 cruise or on your future cruise. You will also be able to get a Discount of at least $100 pp when booking a Veranda level stateroom, more the higher up the room chain you go. You will also be able to change your mind one time and use that On Board Booking discount on a totally different cruise. 
 

If you have seen a cruise that interests you and you want to take advantage of the SM value and it works for you, this is how you do it. 
Good luck and enjoy your cruise and know that Oceania newby’s rarely ever walk away from O because it is quite superior to any mass market line and is also superior to others in the Premium and Ultra Premium categories. Again, JMHO and I say this with 15+ years of experience sailing on Oceania. 
Mauibabes

Excellent suggestion Maui! Just to clarify— the booking needs to be made within 30 days of the sail date. Also, if you make that booking directly with Oceania, you have 14 days to assign the cruise to an outside travel agent to get those additional perks that others have mentioned. If booking on board, you hav 14 days from the end of f your cruise to assign it. 

1 hour ago, ORV said:

So sometimes I have to laugh at myself when I realize something I’ve never put together. For years I’ve talked to one of the maitre d’s that works in Terrace, Polo or Toscano. I’ve seen him on almost every cruise I’ve been on with Oceania for the past 15 years and thought he must be the hardest working guy they have. So a couple of days ago I find out there is 2 of them, identical twins, Ernesto and Jaime. They are both on this cruise. I’m sure many of you long timers knew this, but somehow I’ve missed this. That certainly explains how I could have seen him so often over the years. I guess I should look at a name tag every once in a while. 

Looking forward to seeing if we remember them, too. 

On 8/27/2024 at 6:19 PM, SophieM said:

I’m taking Nautica notes, Orv. We’ll be on Oct. 6. 

Will Steve still be the CD on the 10/6 sailing? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂 Also, who is the GM?

I’m taking Nautica notes, Orv. We’ll be on Oct. 6. 

4 minutes ago, ORV said:

We’re stuck in the lock because of a technical issue with the lock. Hope that doesn’t effect free drinks from the Captain. 

I’m going to say that might work in your favor. 

Just now, ORV said:

Is your cruise about over?

 

We’re gone until 9/12. Hopefully it’ll cool off by then. 

Over the 28th, and then we’re spending a few days in London. Fingers crossed the weather will act right when we get home. 

On 8/24/2024 at 11:56 AM, fruitmachine said:

Sirena has been booked for Rosyth (and Nautica for Leith) since at least 7th January 2024 and, from the numbering that I can see, Nautica was boked first..

 

You should also know that buses to Dunfermline are normally funded locally to promote Dunfermline, not by the cruise lines.  I'm not sure if any cruise line provides a free shuttle from Edinburgh to Rosyth.

I just found our notification on the port change also dated in January. 

4 hours ago, ORV said:

We took a tour to St Andrew’s today. Enjoying the walk around town. I think it’s going to be in the 90s all week at home. 

Have to say I am not looking forward to that. 

12 minutes ago, ORV said:

Jan are you up late or up early? 
 

Meanwhile it’s a beautiful day in Edinburgh. A little cloudy ⛅️ but with some sun. Should be around 60 f today. 

Enjoy your cruise!!

23 hours ago, cdfev said:

About two months ago, Sirena was forced to change ports from Leith to Rosyth due to the presence of Nautica (another Oceania ship) already in Leith. We are 30 minutes outside of the city by car and no shuttle to Edinburgh will be provided by the cruise line. I can't say that I blame them as the traffic into Edinburgh will be horrible during the Military Tattoo and The Fringe Festival. The solution given by the cruise line has been to provide a shuttle to Drumferline (the opposite direction from Edinburgh) where one can jump onto a train for 7 pounds per person to Edinburgh. Ubers from the port entrance to Edinburgh are bare minimum 28 pounds. This is not the way to run a cruise line in my opinion.

Actually, we knew as far back as March. 

Welp, I can’t help but chime in. We are currently on the Sirena docked in Rosyth. While it’s certainly not my first choice of ports, and we were disappointed in the change, we had several months to make our plans to get into Edinburgh. The free shuttle dropped us at the nearest train station where we bought £7 round trip tickets into Edinburgh. After the early Tattoo, we caught the train back and shared a short, inexpensive cab ride back to the ship. The train was packed, but it wasn’t a terribly long ride. And seeing Tattoo was so worth the relatively minor inconveniences. 

T

3 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

Use a Fife-based taxi to come and pick you up.  Much cheaper, plus you're spreading around the money that's usually concentrated in Edinburgh during the Festival: https://www.cruiseforth.com/content/getting-around-rosyth/

Thanks!

40 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

This is a trickier question to answer  than you might have expected it to be, even for locals.

 

Edinburgh Council has been declaring war on motorists for many years now, and there are obstacles to parking and even to pulling in kerbside.  The latter as there have been a number of cycle lanes constructed and these are separated from general traffic by poles which prevent kerbside stops.  And the new LEZ (Low Emission Zone) kicked in on June 1st.  As taxis and private car hires are not exempt, should you pre-arrange one, you would need to check the vehicle your driver would be driving would be compliant and can enter this zone which covers much of Central Edinburgh. To further complicate matters, many coaches bring groups to the Tattoo from out of town and these park up during the event. They used to park on George IV Bridge but that is no longer possible as it is now reduced to only two lanes, one for each direction. They also used to park on Chambers St which may still be possible, also on Johnston Terrace which I think is also still possible.  This means that these areas will be extra busy as audience members will be making their way to their coaches.

 

Should you pre-arrange a taxi or private hire, ask the driver where he/she would suggest.  My personal suggestion would be either Castle Terrace or King's Stable Road next to it. a few minutes walk to both but all downhill with some of it on even ground, and that would put you  on the west side of the central area in position to head westward to Rosyth so the getaway should be a little faster. 

 

To get there, once you walk the short distance down Castlehill, take a sharp right at the little mini roundabout and walk all the way down Johnston Terrace until you reach the foot of the hill.  Castle Terrace and King's Stable Road are both 2 minutes walk from there, but that is only a suggestion as I do not know for certain due to restrictions, route changes and any ongoing roadworks.. Taxi drivers should definitely know.

Thanks, Edinburgher!! Would you happen to have a taxi or car service you would recommend?

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

A pub or hotel is definitely a good idea - if there's a delay with Uber, then you have somewhere to wait.  You might find that pre-booking a Rosyth/Dunfermline taxi is cheaper as Uber will likely be on surge pricing.  Just ask a driver at the taxi queue when you get off the ship.

 

If you're happy with a 10-15 minute (0.7 mile) walk, Ten Hill Place is a good option.  It's far enough away to be clear of the crowd (but not too far) and the walk there is on the flat.

 

If you're happy with a downhill and then small uphill walk, InterContinental Edinburgh The George is a little closer at 0.5 miles

Thanks!

We will be in Edinburgh for the 9:30 p.m. performance of Tattoo (so excited, by the way) on Aug. 24 and need to find our way back to our ship docked in Rosyth. Could either of you Edinburgh folks give me a suggestion on where to have an Uber (or other car service) pick us up after the performance? We don’t mind walking a bit to get away from the crowd. I’d like to pre-book. I was thinking perhaps a pub or hotel, but I’m very open to suggestions. 
 

Thanks much!

On 6/26/2024 at 2:56 PM, olocin1478 said:

While we are onboard, we will be our 10-year anniversary and I looking to know what type of photo packages Oceania have onboard? Please help! 

As others have said, no photographer, but I’m sure you’ll find willing crew members to take your pic(s). You might ask the concierge, too. He or she may be able to arrange for someone to take your photos. Which sailing are you on?

45 minutes ago, MomC said:

Anyone have advice on money matters on the Norway cruise?  I’m thinking of tipping excursion guides and drivers but what currency should I use?  Any purchases and food can be put on credit card, but I would love to hear from those who have sailed in Norway.

 

Thank you.

 

Mom C

I’m curious, too. Thanks for asking the question. 

3 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@Woofa,

Amen. November we will be on Riviera and the Marina TA so we too will test the cuisine. The changes sound great and we were excited to read this Press Release.
Mauibabes 

See you on the Marina TA!

On 6/16/2024 at 5:43 PM, CaptainCook808 said:

Hi all;

 

We are considering Oceania because they focus on having the best food of any line and the food is a big deal to us. But I went and looked at the menus on the Sirena which has:

• The Grand Dining Room - lunch
• The Grand Dining Room - dinner
• The Terrace Cafe - lunch
• The Terrace Cafe - dinner
• The Waves Grill - lunch only

 

So The Grand Dining Room has nothing that appeals to us. The Terrace Cafe has some things that are ok (pasta, burgers) but nothing great. And we'll get very tired of that over time. The Waves Grill looks great - but lunch only and not that many choices so for anything over a week long cruise, way too repetitive. (Tuscan Steak we would happily hit every night, but it's a one night only restaurant.)

 

Are the menus in the above links accurate? I assumed a focus on food would deliver a much wider selection. The Regent has an incredibly wide selection (all good to great) and Viking has a pretty wide selection (2 - 3 times the number of choices on Oceania). So if it's this limited, I'm very surprised. Hopefully these menus are inaccurate and there are additional choices.

 

thanks - dave

The short answer to the question in your title is a pretty hard no.