sunlover12

I’ll wait until the prices are released in October but for now I’ll assume they will not be going down. Same price, fewer inclusions. SM was a good match for me because I drink wine with meals and I go on ship excursions. O Life was a good deal too. Now the customers who want cruise only fare have gotten their way. For anyone looking for an alternative cruise line or perhaps land based travel, haha, good luck with that. Everything is expensive because the demand is there.

I did the online check-in process today and almost had a similar experience. I skipped the photo because it's not necessary. They always take a photo at the terminal anyway. I watched the video and got down to "save or print boarding pass". It wouldn't let me do it. I called Oceania and she told me I have to wait 24 hours, then I can print the boarding pass. I questioned that because that has never been a requirement but she insisted it has always been that way. ?? When my husband checked in a little later, we were then able to print both boarding passes. So if you're traveling with someone both have to check in before you can get the boarding passes. It's always interesting when you call Oceania. You never know who you're going to talk to. The stuff they come up with and then insist it's true......

Some cruises will have a guest band as well. A few years ago, my cruise on Marina had a guest band that did a Beatles tribute in Horizons at 10:30. There were at least 200 people up there with many on the dance floor.

The band plays in Horizons at 10:30. There is a dance floor. They may also play on the pool deck in the afternoon, weather permitting. They have not played in the lounge pre-show on my recent cruises. That may depend on the ship however.

I rarely write checks anymore. People here don't use them for everyday purchases. Target no longer accepts checks. It's getting more common now to see "cards only" in restaurant windows. In the last couple of months I've been to two restaurants who have brought hand-held payment terminals to the table. As has been mentioned already, it would be a huge project to change out all the payment systems in every retail establishment in the largest economy in the world. For reference, I live in a mid-size state in the U.S. in the Great Lakes Region.

My upcoming 11 day cruise doesn't have any sea days. The Captain's Party will be on Day 2 which is an early departure from port at 3pm so it won't conflict. It's at 5:30 and lasts about an hour.

It's what @njhorseman has already replied to. When requesting at the dining reservation desk, you'll have a better chance if you're willing to share a table. You are limited but remember that an advantage to being in a Suite is that you can order from the Specialty restaurants and have it delivered to your cabin by your butler. Just let him know that morning.

The number of specialty restaurant reservations are not unlimited. It varies by category of cabin and length of cruise. When you board the ship, go to the dining reservation desk to request additional reservations. According to Oceania's website: Insignia, Nautica, Regatta and Sirena Concierge Level Veranda and above Cruises 7 days or less: 1 reservation at each restaurant Cruises 8-17 days: 2 reservations at each restaurant Cruises 18 days or more: 3 reservations at each restaurant Also to clarify the complimentary bags of laundry will be 3. 20 items in each bag.

Thank you for saying this. I know there are some very good O phone reps but unfortunately the last time I called to ask about a shore excursion, I got one of the not-so-helpful ones. Not only could he not answer my question, it sounded like he was eating and there was a barking dog in the background. Is it too much to ask Oceania to train their employees to be professional phone reps? It shouldn't be on the customer to have to call back in hopes of getting a knowledgeable and helpful customer service agent.

Your sons will be happy to know that there is a good chance there will be other guests their age on the ship. I was on a Mediterranean cruise on Nautica last summer and there were a lot of 40-somethings and some 30-somethings. I'm in my late 60's and was way north of the median age. Of course each cruise is different but you may be surprised. It depends on the itinerary but the Med attracts younger guests. We had a large group and the specialty restaurants were very accommodating in sitting us at 2 tables next to each other.

Anytime I am with my children and grandchildren is a holiday. We are scattered across the country and it is rare when we are all together. We will all be on a RCI cruise next year and very much looking forward to it. We'll be eating dinners in the main dining room. You don't have to settle for the buffet. Cherish the time with your family all together and don't form a preconceived notion that it won't be a holiday.

It's good to know someone else is thinking the same thing. The specialty restaurants are nice but we don't want to eat there 4 nights out of 11. We like the GDR and Terrace because of the variety. On our upcoming cruise in September we only booked 1 night each at Polo and Toscana. 2 more nights wouldn't add value for us. We'll use all of our allotted reservations on Vista next year as it will be our first cruise on it.

$600/person/day for a PH is a very good price. I'm very surprised to see it that low. Go for it if you like the itinerary. Most of my Oceania cruises have been on R ships and I don't recall the fare ever being that low. The 42-day cruise that you mentioned could be a factor. Maybe longer cruises are priced lower than shorter cruises, I don't know. Someone might be able to comment on that. Itinerary and ports are a factor too. My cruises are generally in the 10-12 day range. I'm on an 11-day New England/Canada cruise on Nautica this year. We've booked a PH at close to $900/person/day. PH on the R ships are a little smaller than the O ships. When deciding to book a veranda stateroom vs. PH, it's all personal choice depending on what you value. We book PH because we like the extra space. Veranda staterooms are too small for us but, again, it all depends on what you value. Enjoy your cruise if you do decide to book it.

A "ship within a ship" can be a very good thing. I'll use my example. We haven't been on NCL Haven but we've been on Royal Caribbean in an upper suite. They sound similar. There is a suites lounge, restaurant and sun deck and pool. It is quiet. It's a nice way to spend some time away from the crowds and noise of the rest of the ship. Next year we are going on an Alaska cruise on Royal Caribbean with our adult children, their spouses and 4 grandchildren, ages 7-13. There is something for everyone on that ship. We, the grandparents, will spend some time in the quiet suites lounge, etc and the adult children and young grandchildren can go and have fun with all the activities. We'll probably join them on the bumper cars. The entertainment on the big ships is excellent and it's something we'll all enjoy. There is no way we'd be able to do all that on an Oceania ship.

Southwest is the poster child for no classes on an airplane. Yes I have flown them and never will again. Just to save a couple of bucks, no thank you! Their IT department has serious flaws but I won't get into that here. It's a personal decision on how someone wants to spend their money and sometimes that decision is to fly business class.

I agree that it depends on where you are from and what you are used to. I live in a medium size city in the Great Lakes area. $11 for a glass of wine is not expensive and in many restaurants you will find a lot of wines that are more than that. When comparing Oceania's drink prices to other cruise lines, Oceania is not at all out of line.

They lost all credibility with me when they said a $11 glass of wine is “very expensive”.

Your daughter won't feel out of place. You don't say the length of your cruise but I was on a 7-day Mediterranean cruise last year and there were many 40-somethings on the ship. I'm in my late 60's and felt like one of the old ones, which I was. A shorter cruise will attract younger passengers while a TA, longer cruise will attract older. In any case, your daughter will feel welcomed. Enjoy your cruise with your family.

Regarding the hard sell of products, I think it just depends on the ship, the spa manager and the staff. I haven't been on Vista but I can speak about Nautica and Sirena. I've gotten the Fire and Ice Manicure and Pedicure on both of those ships and there was no mention about any products.

Prices are high but there has been no hard sell for products. It wasn't even mentioned.

+1 My experience has been that the ship doesn't start quieting down until 10:30 when the show is over. Especially if there is a guest performer that night, it is packed. On my last O cruise which was summer 2023, the casino and Martinis was standing room only after the show. I left at 11:00 and it was still going strong. Depends on the demographics of the cruise.

We prefer 6:30 reservations. A couple of reasons why we like dining earlier: *We don't go to afternoon tea although occasionally we'll order canapes that arrive at 5:00. So on most days we are hungry at 6:30 because we haven't eaten since lunch. *We go to the evening show at 9:30 and with a later dining time we'd be rushing through the meal. *Going to bed at 10:30-11:00 on a big meal that hasn't been fully digested because I ate a late dinner is not a good feeling. I would choose GDR, Terrace Cafe or room service if I couldn't get the early reservation in one of the specialty restaurants. It's just my preference but everyone is different. I agree with @mauibabes that opening the restaurants before 6:30 isn't practical because of staffing issues.

Travel prices are up significantly regardless of what type of vacation it is. Cruising and land-based. Hotel and restaurant prices are up dramatically from just a few years ago. We all know that. Road trips aren't going to be cheap. As an example, we were recently on a road trip and stopped at Arby's along the interstate for lunch. 2 roast beef sandwiches, one order of fries and one soft drink that we shared was $20.50. No matter what type of vacation you are planning, be prepared to shell out a bunch of money. Just My Opinion.

My September cruise on Nautica is waitlisted in every category except inside staterooms. PH and veranda staterooms have been waitlisted for several months. There sure aren't many looky-loos for this cruise. Final payment is tomorrow but I'm not expecting any cabins to become available. This cruise has never been included in any of the sales. Not only that, but the price per day is the highest of any cruise I've ever been on. Demand remains high.

@MEFIowa Keep in mind that not everyone who is in a PH and above wants extra specialty dining reservations. We book PH and have never asked for extra reservations. We take our allotted reservations and that's all. We like dining in all the restaurants. It's hard for me to believe that they're holding a bunch of slots open to PH and above just in case they ask for more.