susiesan

I looked at the itinerary for my Sept. 2 Sirena sailing, how long the ship is in port. I compared what shows online and what shows on my invoice. So far nothing has changed. It looks like O waits until people have already paid before they dump the bad news on them, O already has their money. If this is going to be O's new policy they should start readjusting all itineraries now and notifying all booked passengers in time for us to cancel without penalty if we don't like the changes.

See the press release: https://www.nclhltd.com/sustainability/our-strategy https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/nclhltd/files/pages/nclhltd/db/1149/description/factsheets/NCLH_2021_ESG_Report_Fact_Sheets_ReducingEnvironmentalImpact.pdf One of the ways to reduce the carbon footprint is to go slower.The current Marina sailing is experiencing changes to the times of arrival and departure, dumped on people mid cruise. Riviera is doing it too, see this thread

Depending on the port, sometimes the R ships being smaller can have them docking closer in to a city center leaving more time on shore to explore. But if O is starting a new policy of shortening time docked as has been stated by NCLH then this advantage for the small R ships may go away.

A good reason to book cruise only and pay as you go for drinks.

Pinotlover, I am surprised that you and I are in agreement on something 😉 My cruise on Sirena Sept. 2 was chosen for the extended time in ports, there are 6 counting the last port, Lisbon, which is an overnight. The main destination is the Canary Islands, a place I have never been. All of the other ports will be first time for me too. if O is going to shorten the in port times then I will be cancelling this cruise and taking a similar one I have booked on Celebrity. If this is going to be the new way Oceania does business then I want to see notices of inter changes going out now, before final payments are due and we have an opportunity to cancel without penalties.

This is BS. Shortening the time in port isn't going to do anything to reduce the carbon footprint. It's more likely a move to generate more onboard spending by keeping people on the ship longer. I try not to do business with woke companies, I never thought Oceania was one. I'm going to have to reevaluate taking my Sept. Sirena cruise if O starts tinkering with the in port times. Doesn't O advertise longer times in ports as a benefit to cruising with them?

Yes, but you still have to wait in the line to get to a check in clerk to have the World Card handed to you. So even if you have a boarding pass printed, your credit card info entered and your picture taken, you have to wait your turn in a line. The day I checked in it took an hour and a half to get to the check in clerk from the time I got in the line at 12:00, my check in time. If you are in a suite you probably get to stroll to the front of the line or have a separate line. As I was in an outside cabin, my line was for general boarding and was very long and disorganized.

Agree with you from the same Dec. 4 Marina sailing. Myprior O cruise was Jan. 2020 and my memory of the food overall was that it was much better in the past. But as compared to my last 2 cruises on other lines, NCL in Aug. 2022 and Celebrity in Dec. 2021, O food is way better than on those 2 lines IMO.

Whether you check in online or at the terminal you still have to wait in a line to see a clerk to get your boarding card. Picking a check in time in advance doesn't mean anything when the ship is full. I had a check in time of noon for Marina on Dec. 4 and did not get to the check in clerk until 1:30. I had not checked in online.

Well it's too late to go back and edit. We are all nitpicking here. Besides, almost everyone posting regularly here has been on O before and knows what is what. And few posters here book veranda cabins anyways so this issue won't concern or affect them.

Typo. I meant to say B4 are the cheapest, not B2. The color difference between the B's is very hard to discern on the O web site. I'm sure you know what I was trying to say. Sheesh.

Miami- Barcelona April 6, 2023 on Marina B4 veranda $3499 B3 veranda $3549 Tromso -Reykjavik Aug. 7, 2023 on Marina B4 $6199 B3 $6299 The B3 extended balcony cabins cost $100 more than the cheapest balcony cabin, a B4.

The extended balcony cabins on deck 7 are a B3 and that tend to run$100 more than a B2, the cheapest deck 7 balcony cabins, depending on sail date.

Drink the vitamin water and then refill the plastic bottle with the Vero water in your cabin pitcher.

Moral of the story: use you non refundable OBC and get a massage every day.

I have a cruise booked for Sept. 2, 2023 on Sirena. My TA invoice says penalties start at 5/5/2023 which is 120 days before the sailing. The invoice also says final payment is due 4/24/2023. I made this reservation 6/1/2022. If the admin fee can no longer be applied a future cruise then O will see a slew of cancellations well before the 121 day mark.

But they do cost more than a standard deck 7 veranda.

That's what I thought they would do with the space the old shower was in. Can you take a picture, maybe a shot of the whole bathroom from the doorway that shows the new layout? Inquiring minds want to know.☺️

What is in the remodeled bathroom where the shower stall was? Is it just an open space? I can't tell from your photos.

If you are a coffee drinker, before going to breakfast in the GDR or terrace go to Barristas and get a REAL coffee or cappuccino and take it with you to breakfast. The coffee served in the dining rooms is horrid compared to Barristas coffee. Same goes for the smoothies/juices. Stop by Waves on your way to breakfast and get a fresh made smoothie or juice and take it with you. Every morning I went to breakfast with each hand full, one cappuccino and one juice.

That's unusual. I find I get much better deals by using a TA.

On Marina now, I'll bet 75% of us on the sold out cruise are here solely to use up the credits we all had. It's the only reason I took this cruise. I hope we are all helping the Oceania bottom line.

I'm in an outside cabin and my bathroom is fine. Plenty big, lots of storage, everything works. I only use the tub for the clothesline to dry my swimsuit.

I'm on Marina now and I think she looks great. I have seen no shabby or worn areas and don't know why people think the ship needs a big update. But I don't pay much attention to carpet and upholstery colors when I cruise.

Not sure. Because we are in port so long I'm just using the data on my cell. I have T Mobile so data and texting are free and included in my plan. I'll let you know from the 2 sea days at the end of the cruise.