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and some people ignore staff's request to not go to their cabins until it is ready on embarkation day

Since neither of us are going...doesn't really matter

Correct, but do the specialty restaurants have enough capacity for every cabin onboard to have a reservation in each specialty restaurant on a 4 day cruise? If they offer that, it has to be available..1250 people divided by 4 is 312 people eating in each restaurant every night. Obviously, some will choose to eat in the GDR or TC but has to be by choice not because all of the tables in all of the specialties are booked (if the offer is 1 reservation in each restaurant for each cabin)

I would confirm with O that on a 4 day cruise, you will receive a reservation at each of the specialty restaurants... On a regular cruise ( 7 days plus), everyone is guaranteed a reservation in each specialty restaurant but there is not enough space for everyone to eat in every specialty restaurant on a 4 day cruise. I would expect everyone receives 1 reservation at 1 specialty restaurant but just guessing.....the food is also special in the GDR, Terrace, Waves, Aquamar that you should experience each different venue. One of the nice perks with O, you do not need to eat (nor pay for) in a specialty restaurant to enjoy wonderful food.

I can attest that the concierge verandahs on VISTA have them and I believe all rooms have them

Our close friends are boarding today to celebrate their anniversary. Our (and theirs) first O cruise was together many years ago to also celebrate their anniversary - Nautica - Venice to Barcelona.

If there is availability on the excursion and it is before the cancelation date of the excursion you want to cancel, you can cancel and book a different excursion and still maintain your 25% discount.

Those were the days!! We have been going to Argentina yearly for the last 25 years (have family that live in San Martin de los Andes) and, unfortunately, those days are gone now (especially with the new government putting the peso on par with the dollar).

Exactly - it you wish to sail with NO children than choose a line that does not allow children under 18 but don't complain you don't like those cruise lines and your preference is O and want them to be child free...not going to happen..

Dragging a lot of alcohol on board to avoid purchasing drinks in the public venues and then boasting about taking to your cabin after being asked specifically not to but complaining about others not following the rules - I guess it all depends upon if you are breaking the rules or others...

So one person commenting on children onboard on one cruise - a trend this does not make!

Please note that there is only one person making these comments while the rest of us are very happy with the few children we have been lucky to sail with.....O does not ban children from sailing but they provide no activities for them (except in Alaska on a few cruises they advertise as "family cruises" and no monetary incentive to bring them. Do not let one person's rant affect your opinion of the rest of us O cruisers!

Yes - just have your TA let O know you want your cabin set up as 2 beds instead of one. If, somehow, you arrive and it is 1 bed, just let your cabin steward know and they will take care of it prior to your first evening.

Yes - you can upgrade to Prestige package by either you or your TA calling O and requesting the upgrade...Also you can wait to upgrade once onboard either upon embarkation or you can wait a few days to see if it makes cost sense...

@Flatbush Flyer we agree to disagree...one of the things Ray was famous for were his Trivia sessions - they were legendary and always packed! We have sailed with both Julie and Ray and thought they were very, very different.

A sad day for many of us as it now announced that Ray Carr has said good by to Oceania and will now be on Explora Journeys - they got one of the best in the industry!!! In addition, Explora Journeys has welcomed new members to their leadership team with the additions of Ray Carr, Michael Langley and Keri Noble as entertainment managers. Travelers can expect one of these managers to lead the guest experience program on each journey this summer.

All non-alcoholic beverages are included.....if you want only wine with meals, you can purchase the "OLife" select beverage package which includes wine, beer and champagne during meal time at any of the dining venues and room service. Depending upon how much wine you consume, you might be better off just paying by the glass. You could try just buying your drinks the first day or two to see if the package makes more sense cost wise. Oceania allows you to purchase the package any day and you only pay from that day on...

We are boarding in Athens and taking a similar itinerary on Riviera mid Oct....hopefully the weather will be cooler and fewer crowds. Looking forward to your blog and appreciate all your insights. We sailed on Vista last Fall and it is beautiful!!!

It is published - when you go to look at shore excursions, you will find a question mark next to "selected tour". When you hover over the question mark, it will tell you how many excursions are necessary for the 25% discount on your specific cruise, The number varies depending upon length of cruise and number of ports..

Yes - all rooms have 2 large golf size umbrellas and also have some available at gangplank, if raining. They are large so we also bring a small fold up umbrella that fits in our backpack

The process is the same as under Olife.....there is one price if booked individually and a lower price (25% off) if you book the minimum number of excursions for your specific cruise. The number required for the SM Excursion price is noted on the shore excursion page SELECTED TOUR PACKAGE when you click on the question mark next to the words "Selected tour package" Once you have selected your excursions, your SM shore excursion credit will be deducted from the total cost owed. If you total cost is more than your SM shore excursion credit, you will pay the additional with other OBC or credit card.

Yes, you are receiving $500.00 and have no out of pocket expenses, that certainly is nice..... 1 port - $500 per port, 2 ports - $250.00 per port, 3 ports - $166.50 per port....if you did have non-refundable pre-paid private shore excursions, those cost are covered under a separate part of the policy.

I have not had to make a claim for any of my O cruises so can't comment. I assume you would need to have proof that the cruise missed the port. This is in addition to loss of pre-paid excursions. TRAVEL INCONVENIENCE BENEFITS The Company will make a one-time payment to the Insured for one occurrence of each of the following Unforeseen events, per Trip. The maximum limit payable for all Travel Inconvenience benefits combined will not exceed the Inconvenience Benefit maximum limit shown in the Schedule or Declarations Page. Cruise Diversion ($250) – the Insured’s cruise does not stop at a scheduled port of call due to Inclement Weather, a Terrorist Incident, a medical incident involving another passenger on the ship, or a Natural Disaster; This is per person so you would receive $500.00 per couple...

When I booked online, the updated pdf was sent to TA and she forwarded to me...

I have learned that you need to book all of the required excursions together in order for the discount to apply, If you book a few and then go back later and add a few more to reach the required discount, it does not work. When looking at the accounting online for excursions, it looks very wanky. I choose the excursions I want, write down the discounted price as shown on the webpage, add up the discounted price to come up with the correct total and then check that against the bottom line total and usually it matches. Calling O also is quick and easy and the accounting is correct - I still have my own calculations to verify...