njhorseman

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant

The Simply More model that is being eliminated, although different in how the shore excursion inclusion was handled is what was intended to compete with VO. VO includes wine and beer at lunch and dinner, which is what Oceania's Simply More does.

You're using the wrong cruise lines to make your comparison. Oceania was never a luxury cruise line nor was it trying to be with SM. NCLH doesn't want or need another luxury line. Regent Seven Seas is the luxury cruise line of the NCLH corporate family. Oceania is supposed to occupy the premium niche in the corporation, between mass market line NCL and luxury line Regent. SM was an attempt to match the offerings of other premium lines such as Viking Ocean.

And it may not be permissible to ship luggage to or from certain countries due to customs regulations. This issue was discussed recently on the Oceania board.

Yes, FDR retired a bit over a year ago, but he had been CEO of NCLH for almost 8 1/2 years starting in January 2015, shortly after Oceania (Prestige Cruise Holdings) became part of NCLH, so the parent corporation was being led by the founder of Oceania, not someone from the NCL side of the house for all that time. Further, Harry Sommer, who was head of NCL and is the current NCLH CEO who succeeded FDR also came from the Oceania/Prestige Cruise Holdings side of the house. Obviously Frank A. Del Rio, Oceania's current president, came from the Oceania/Prestige Cruise Holdings side of the house. The point is that neither Oceania nor parent company NCLH has been under the leadership of someone from NCL for over 9 1/2 years, so the posters on this board who think that Oceania may have gone downhill because the company was being led by NCL executives since the merger into NCLH are just plain wrong. There's not one iota of factual support for that. It just didn't happen. Perhaps you don't like where Harry Sommer or Frank A. Del Rio have taken Oceania or NCLH, and you're certainly entitled to that opinion, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the reasons or foundations for my comments, which are strictly based on the facts of where the NCLH's and Oceania's most senior executives were employed prior to assuming their roles in the merged corporation.

I would like to know what I've said that was incorrect. If I'm wrong I want to learn from my errors and I can only do so if I'm told what the errors are.

Obviously, because he's president and CEO of the holding company, NCLH. Prior to succeeding FDR in that position Sommer was president of NCL.

Interesting that you say you want to keep this thread on track but the only part of my first reply that you comment on is the aside on some lines giving cash refunds. I suspect that's because you know that what I said as the main thrust of my comments is true...that you will get your points back when you make $1500 in purchases on the credit card...$1500 in goods or services that you won't have to lay out one thin dime for . Of course acknowledging that fact blows up the basis of your argument.

I suspect the poster mistakenly believes that Oceania has been run by "NCL people " since it became part of NCLH a few years ago. Of course nothing could be further from the truth as "Oceania people " have run NCLH virtually from the start of Oceania becoming part of NCLH. FDR was CEO of NCLH until his recent retirement, and his hand-picked trusted assistants installed as senior management of NCL, Oceania and NCLH, with his son taking over as CEO of Oceania and FDR's right hand man Harry Sommer taking over as CEO of NCLH. If anyone has the right to complain about how their cruise line has changed because of new management it's NCL cruisers, because former Oceania managers have been running NCL ever since the merger. I also suspect the poster doesn't fully comprehend the damage done by the COVID shutdown to corporate balance sheets, which is what has caused many if not most cruise lines to make very visible cuts to their product. You see complaints on virtually every Cruise Critic board about reductions in product quality. It's very noticeable how many former Celebrity cruisers are now trying Oceania because of cutbacks at their former favorite cruise line.

That is my understanding of how it works.

You're going to get the points back when you spend the $1500 credit by charging $1500 of goods or services to the card...$1500 of goods and services that you won't have to pay for because you have the credit on your account. BTW, I know of two cruise lines that will refund your unspent refundable OBC in cash...Oceania and NCL. Perhaps others do the same. Admittedly I've never had that much money due back to me...although I do recall Oceania refunding a few hundred dollars to me in cash.

Try something more upscale . Oceania, Azamara, Viking, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea.

Your leaving the ship early creates a change in the passenger manifest. NCL is required to report it to USCBP even if you're the only person doing it.

Correct: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/drugs "Cannabis It is illegal to take cannabis across the Canadian border, whether you are entering or leaving the country. This includes products containing cannabis, such as edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals, and all products containing CBD."

No, the first port in the US requires clearing immigration, not customs. Clearing immigration involves checking passports and visas to ensure passengers will be permitted to enter the USA. Clearing customs occurs when you permanently disembark the ship at the end of the cruise and involves clearing the baggage that's in your possession to ensure you're not bringing contraband into the US and that you don't have to pay any duty on what you're bringing into the country. While this process is usually perfunctory and in almost all cases no longer requires filling out a customs declaration, USCBP still has the right to take you aside and conduct a search of your baggage. So...to disembark the cruise early in it's first US port requires NCL to notify USCBP that you are doing so because USCBP will not just be doing the standard immigration check on you as you will not be continuing on to the cruise's final port.

The poster won't be able to message you any more than you were able to message them. As you already discovered the PM function on Cruise Critic is disabled.

Per this article, at a hearing on Friday the judge overseeing the case suspended the deadline and sent the case to be mediated by a federal magistrate: https://6abc.com/post/hearing-could-chart-new-course-ss-united-states-amid-latest-legal-battle-historic-ocean-liners-future/15298213/

While marijuana is legal in Canada it is not legal to bring it into the country unless you have a valid prescription for a drug authorized by Health Canada. Even if you have a valid and authorized drug you have to declare it. (Source: Canada Border Services Agency)

The best person to contact is Katty Byrd, senior VP for guest services. I believe her email is Kbyrd@ncl.com .

Correct. A call at any foreign port is required for any closed loop cruise such as this LA to LA itinerary to satisfy the PVSA requirements .

FYI, the Jones Act governs the transportation of cargo. The law that governs the transportation of passengers is the Passenger Vessel Services Act. I don't care if everyone at Oceania corporate headquarters calls it the Jones Act, because they're wrong if they do.

I don't know what happened when you posted, but I wasn't the one who said "...has anyone else experienced this".

Never. Not on Oceania, nor on the 10 or 11 other cruise lines we've sailed on.

First, as the previous poster said, MSC sails from Brooklyn, so you can just drive from wherever you're staying to the cruise terminal and park there. There are no ferries or other ways to get your car from your lodging to the cruise terminal. Second, please permit me to disabuse you of the idea that NY City is "very unsafe". In fact per this recent study NY City is the safest big US city for gun violence: https://engineering.nyu.edu/news/nyc-ranks-safest-among-big-us-cities-gun-violence-new-research-nyu-tandon-school-engineering#:~:text=New York City ranks in,efforts to mitigate homicides there. Other measures of violent crime also consistently show NY City to be one of our country's safest cities. Obviously you'll be in a big city and crime rates vary by neighborhood, but someone driving from one location in Brooklyn to another should have no concerns...and your car will be in a secure parking lot at the cruise terminal.

I don't see anything about Connecticut in the post. The title says Bayonne CT...again CT meaning "cruise terminal"