hedy7813

Anyone take the tour with the Indian River rowboats near Portsmouth?

We have been on the Windsurf before and will also be on the 12/9 cruise. We needed cash for the tips on the ship....the taxis...tips for guides (if you are taking excursions)...cash for items bought at local market kiosks. Everywhere else...we were able to use credit cards. We never changed our money to euros....just used dollars.

Thanks for information. Does anyone know if the tenders will still go to Bitter End the evening we anchor?

We will be on the Windsurf using a tender to get to shore. We always try to find the local beach bars at each port....and we're only on Barbuda for a short period of time. Is there a beach bar near the dock? Are there cabs available on Barbuda?

Saw in one of the posts that Daddy was back on the ship. He was wonderful and remembered us after 2 years between cruises. We'll be on the Windsurf on a b2b starting Dec 9th out of St Maarten. Would be great if he was on the ship! And....not just Daddy.....every crew member remembers your name and is most friendly and helpful. It's a pleasure to sail on the Windsurf!

If you have the time....take a cab over to Marigot on the French side of the island. Wonderful bakeries (Serafina) and little boutique shops. Grand Case is a little further away but it has great restaurants. Can't remember the name of the Italian restaurant we went to....but I'm sure they are all good.

The laundry package seems quite reasonable. Does anyone know what a "per piece" charge would be if we chose not to take the package? Also, will they honor a request that certain items not be placed in driers but returned damp? We're on a back to back and surely don't want to pack for 15 days!

Thanks for info.

We are on back to back Windsurf cruises out of St Maarten in December. We've been on Windsurf before and I remember that the Windsurf did have the beach BBQ on Pigeon Island in St Lucia. Assume they'll have it on Pigeon Island again. The 1st leg of our cruise goes to St Barts, Tortola, Jost van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Antigua. Does anyone know when Windsurf has the beach BBQ on that trip? Trying to plan excursions or at least trips to the local beach bars!

I've seen plans of the Veranda cabin bathrooms and the placement of the toilet seems to be sitting at an angle and seems a little "tight" and awkward. Can't remember the cruise line but we had to do contortions to (excuse the visual) sit on the toilet. The rest of the ship and the cabins on the Konigsdam look wonderful!

I have never considered myself an "old person" nor do I "whine". My purpose in starting this thread was to point out service issues and incidents that occurred on what is rated as a 5 star ship and cruise line. I have sailed many times on Windstar, Holland American, Princess, Royal Carribbean and Celebrity. We wanted to try Oceania because everyone just raved about the ship and the cruises. Yes....it was more expensive. Yes...the ship was beautiful. Yes....the food was excellent. BUT and it is a big but....we did expect 5 star service and we did not get it. I too hope it's a one-off situation and the training and the staff improves.

And for those of you who don't want tote bags....fine. It was not that I needed another tote bag...to me it was an example of being a little cheap.

And so I close. I hope everyone who sails on Oceania and the Riviera in the future have a wonderful 5 star experience. I hope any problems that I and others experienced on this cruise are an anomaly and have been or will be corrected. It is a beautiful ship and one should have 5 star service whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin.

I was on an excursion to Chacchoben out of Costa Maya. You can walk up the steps...with a choice of a 12 step area or a 30 step area. It was a difficult walk and I chose to just watch everyone else. No banisters...deep steps. Some were able to use a wall to hold on to as they climbed. And I did see someone come down on their rump!

An add on to the excursions on our recent Oceania cruise in Cozumel was a Dolphin Encounter and/or swim. We were shuttled to "Dolphinaris"....right on the water not too far from our dock. Our excursion included beverages, buffet lunch and, of course, the swim or encounter. We were fortunate to only have 3 people in our group working with 2 dolphins. You stand in about 3 feet of water on a ledge. You are shown how to tell the dolphins what to do. We got to stroke them, "shake" their flippers, have them jump up out of the water and, of course, get kissed. We were in the water for about 40 minutes. Those on the "swim" got to swim out to the middle of the area (everyone wears a life vest), wait for the dolphin and then be pulled back to the edge by the dolphin. I was most happy with just the encounter! Pictures and movies are taken that you can buy if you wish. I had a smile on my face the entire time!!!

In response to Mura's comments....perception is when one talks about something such as food quality. Reality is when specific incidents are stated that occurred on the 12/12 trip. Others on our cruise also mentioned disappointment with the service in the Terrace Cafe and the fact that items were removed from the cabins prior to disembarkation. And yet so many others have truly enjoyed Oceania and the Riviera. I too would hope that this is a "one off" with the training of the crew and people will be able to enjoy Riviera when they cruise.

Just returned from the Mayan Mystique on the Riviera. The ship is beautiful and well maintained. However, the service in the Terrace Cafe was spotty at best. We had to clear our own tables, orders for drinks weren't delivered, etc. It was as if the entire crew was new! The service did get better by the end of the trip. The staff in the specialty restaurants was much better and more attentive.

When have you not received a tote bag??? We did not receive one and found out that you only received one if you were on concierge service or higher. Now that's cheap!! But you do still get chocolates at night!

Our glasses were removed on the last day before arriving in Miami. Our friends in concierge service received plastic glasses....we received nothing. I solved the problem by calling room service for a bottle of water AND 2 glasses.

I ordered 2 bathrobes and slippers at the boutique and they were to be delivered to the room. I was packing and no bathrobes. I called and they delivered 2 bathrobes on hangers...the kind you find in the closet when you get on the ship. I asked if they were new? A few minutes later someone in reception called to say they had made a mistake and they had our packaged NEW robes and would deliver them. We waited almost an hour and my husband finally took the 2 robes on hangers to reception and picked up our robes.

I had such high expectations for the Oceania line and was so disappointed. The highlight was the food. It was excellent and you could have lobster any time you wanted.

Has anyone taken the carriage tour mentioned in a few posts? They said you picked it up right outside the gates of the dock. How long was the ride? How much did it cost? And, was it worth it?

Motion can be quite subjective. We have been on the small Windstar (128 passengers) and twice on the Windsurf. I am very prone to seasickness and have everything with me from Bonine to a natural oil, Motion-Eze and sea-bands. I chew ginger gum and drink ginger-ale. But I do that on all cruises...regardless of the size of the ship!

The small Windstar cruise was very rocky. But it was an unusual time and the Captain commented on it. He couldn't tender in one day because of the rough seas. The crew was most attentive. On the bad day....I sat on deck. The Windsurf is a larger ship and both cruises were just fine. I had maybe one or two uncomfortable days. The ships do have stabilizers but they are not as stable as the Royal Carribbean Oasis....but then again you're with 300 of your "friends"....not 5000 of your "friends"!

As some of the posters said....it truly depends on the weather and the ocean at the time you are traveling. My Windstar small ship cruise was unusual. The Windsurf cruises were more typical. The Captain does stay as close to shore as possible and for the most part the Caribbean, for example, is most calm. I personally will not go back on the WindStar....but even being prone to seasickness... I would go on the Windsurf. We liked the Windsurf better.

We just returned from the full transit of the Panama Canal sailing from Costa Rica to Miami. We did experience some problems BUT we will sail Azamara again.

Yes, our toilets did have problems. There was a suction problem on some of the main lines and individual sections of the ship. The engineers were right on it and fixed them. A slight inconvenience for us....but it was fixed. The last day was a problem in that it seemed as if most of the ship was having problems. When you have 600+ people planning to get off the ship and wanting to use a bathroom....that's a problem. It's a shame that the incident was the last thing that people remember. The Journey was leaving the day we docked in Miami for an 18 day trip to Athens. It'll be interesting to hear whether the engineering problems were fixed during their brief stay in Miami. You certainly can't send out for a part when you're 10 days at sea!

And yes, the buffet did run out of some food. There was always something else available to eat. For example, I think everyone on the ship must have been drinking prune juice...because they ran out a few days before docking. It also took a little time to replenish some items on the buffet line during sea days breakfasts. It must be very difficult to provision a ship properly and guess what people will want.

The crew was very nice and helpful. Our housekeepers were there to make up our room even if we didn't leave until late morning. They must have come back after their shift. The crew always said hello and were there to try to help in the buffet. When it was a full house....it did take a little time to get something from them....but no problem. On sea days the "management" was at the buffet to help out.

The ship does need upgrading...but we found it comfortable and will sail again. There were plenty of places to sit and be happy. I understand that it is going in for refurbishing next winter.

We are thinking of taking the hop on hop off bus....but just hopping on for one of the complete circuits. Is there a local bar/restaurant near the tender dock at Fuerte Amador we can stop in before getting back to the ship? We are on an Azamara cruise arriving Monday, March 23rd at 6am.

Does anyone know where the Journey docks on it's March 29/30 overnight in New Orleans?

Read a few reviews that talked about a "white night party". I'll be on the Journey on March 21st. Do they have a "white night party" and if so....what is it?

We flew in to Miami International from Barbados after a cruise in Barbados. It is a long walk from most gates to Passport Control. There is a Sky Train but our arrival gate was at the far end of terminal D and we still had to walk to get to the Sky Train. Once you get to Passport Control you have to stand in line to check in at a kiosk. You get a slip of paper that you then take to a person who checks it and the passport. Then to pick up the baggage and make your way to another person before you can leave the terminal. We were lucky in that Miami was our home airport and we did not need to make a connection. American required their passengers to go through the Passport Control process and then take their luggage to a transfer area to connect to their next flight. A number of people on our plane (it was a 1/2 hour late) missed their connections. We arrived at 8PM and did not leave the airport until close to 9:30PM. So, plan your connections well!

We just returned from the Windstar cruise out of Barbados to the Grenadines. We couldn't have the beach bbq in Mayreau because the swells were too big for the zodiacs or tenders to go to shore. The Captain sailed to a lovely sheltered cove with a beach at Union Island. It was beautiful and those that went ashore were most pleased.

We had room 105 which did have a slight taper and made it seem smaller with it difficult to move around the bed. I believe that 101 and 103 are smaller yet.

If you have problem with steps you will definitely have problems on the WindStar. My husband counted - there are 50 steps from deck 1 to deck 4 where the buffet and pool are located. No elevator on this ship.

The motion on this cruise was quite noticeable. I and others were quite queasy with the swells and the rocking motion. No problem in the ports but problems every evening when sailing. Not everyone, of course, is bothered by the motion. We have had Caribbean cruises that sailed in calm waters. I was affected by motion and missed some very good food.

We had a wonderful deck BBQ in Grenada and stayed in port long enough to thoroughly enjoy the food before the swells started again. And my husband ate in Candles one night and said the veal chop was fantastic.

And the best plus.....the crew was great. They knew your names, they were most attentive and always wanted to make sure you were comfortable. They are what make the cruise so special. You also get to meet some very interesting people with the guest base so small.

We are flying from Miami International and returning to the Miami cruise port. We do not plan to stay overnight at a park-sleep-fly hotel since we have an afternoon flight. Does anyone have a recommendation as to where to park so that we can shuttle to the airport AND shuttle or taxi from the cruise port when we return?

Has anyone taken the Oceania sponsored excursion to Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman? What size boat to they use to transport you to the sandbar?

How long is the boat ride to Stingray City? Are there different size boats? I'm concerned about the choppiness of the water since I get seasick.