sunlover12

11 hours ago, osandomir said:

After many years for us Oceania specialty restaurants add very little value to the cruise experience. We actually often prefer the GDR because of the variety of choices. Some of our specialty reservations remain unused. But if you want them, especially on the longer cruises, you’ll have a good chance to get extra and it’s even more likely for the late dining which you prefer.

 

And by the way, to address your concerns, concierge level if not critical in some cases can be of little more help when you ask for additional reservation on board.

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.

14 hours ago, walkingsoon said:

Never been on Oceania, but I'm eyeing a fairly long cruise on an O-class for next year.

 

I notice prices seem pretty high compared to what I've paid over the last several decades, but that seems to be the case across all the lines. I guess it's a function of supply and demand and I'm a fan of the free market economy. I'm alright with paying the going rate, but I just don't want to be the guy foolishly paying an outlier price.

 

So what I'm looking at comes in at about $450 pp per day for a balcony and $600 pp per day for a penthouse suite, with concierge verandas in the middle.

Q1: How ordinary is this pricing? 

Q2: Without asking the unanswerable "Is it worth it?", can anyone speak to the 33% premium that one would pay to go from regular veranda to suite?

 

$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. 

40 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Classes, segregation, exist on airplanes because the airline creates it. Not all did or do. Have you flown on say a Southwest 737? Either now or back in the day?

 

And we know why airlines create the various classes. To maximize their profits. You pay a lot more to get a little more. They pocket the difference as profit.

 

And, no, I don't ever fly business class or 1st class. We're both in the same airplane going to the same place. In a relatively short period of time. I'd rather save the money for the destination.

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. 

1 hour ago, Harters said:

I shall lose all credibility with you as well, in agreeing that $11 is expensive.

 

Depending on location, that'd be anything from 50% to 100% more expensive than a glass of wine in the UK. The couple sound as though they are from South East England, where alcohol prices tend to be dearer than in other parts so probably 50% more expensive than they are used to whereas I'd reckon it's getting on for double my local prices. I have previously commented on the forum how expensive we find O's drinks prices (including, say, their alcohol free beer)- fortunately, I don't drink alcohol and my partner only very sparingly, so it is not an issue for us.   

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. 

3 hours ago, dock said:

Wow, even my OBC, won’t go far with those prices and then the tip and off course the hard sell for products! 
 

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

31 minutes ago, mb777 said:

Not sure many of us expect dining to begin at 5, however 6 would certainly be a huge improvement and possibly open up some 6:30 slots.  Happy hour 5-6, dinner 6-8 (yes, it took 2 hours each meal), Martini's after dinner, shopping at the boutique, maybe casino for some, then 9:30 show doesn't sound like a ghost ship to me.

+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. 

3 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Then you're not understanding the DENIAL of the cost-cutting and revenue enhancement efforts underway. Going from Jacques to Ember is cost cutting. Same for pizza station. SM is revenue enhancement. The list of cost-cutting efforts is seen in menus, cabin service reductions, and more. What is fascinating is how the Vista Cheerleader types, for example, can't understand that The Emperor Has No Clothes, the cost cutting measures. I hope that doesn't include the reported CABIN NOISE issues on Vista.

 

And the WHY is simple: They are drowning in debt and need to repay it.

I haven't been on Vista yet but I do not see eliminating Jacques and adding Ember as a form of cost-cutting.  I see it as appealing to a different demographic. Casual and younger. I'll be on Vista for the first time next year and look forward to dining in Ember. The menu looks good. 

I love good sushi so looking forward to the expanded offerings.

I'm like ORV - I've tried Indian food a couple of times and just do not care for it. So I will pass on that.

@babysteps  I'll be on Vista for the first time next year.  I'll be following your reports.  Thanks.

@vlthom  Thank you for reporting your dining experience.  Regarding the bread (or lack of), that seems to be a thing now with restaurants.  I've been to a couple of land restaurants recently that don't automatically bring bread to the table. They'll ask you if you want any and some restaurants will add an extra charge if you do. Must be an all-around cost-cutting measure in the restaurant business.

I have found the salmon in the GDR to be very bland. Unfortunately that sounds like more of the same in Ember.

Hmmm…MILs getting a bad rap in a couple of these posts. I’m here to say we’re not all like that.  

We have a group of 10 next year to Alaska on Quantum. 3 generations. 6 adults and 4 children. I am the MIL and mother/grandmother.  My husband and I have booked 3 cabins for our group. We booked early dining which we have all agreed to. We may or may not do 1 specialty restaurant. Other than eating dinner together each night, we have no expectations or requirements that we do everything else together. My husband and I booked a GS. The others are in a standard balcony stateroom. Ulterior motive on that is my husband and I want to eat alone in Coastal Kitchen for some lunches and all breakfasts! 
 

Bottom line is that we all have different interests. We are fine with everyone doing their own thing because our primary goal is for all 10 of us to have a memorable and fun cruise. 

@CaptainCook808  The menus on Oceania’s website are samples only.  As has been mentioned, it is going to change every day. If your cruise is less than 14 days, the menu in the GDR will be different every day. The menus will be posted outside the restaurant and will also be on the TV in your cabin. 
 

The Terrace Cafe has a made-to-order grill station in addition to a variety of entrees, pastas, salads and much more. The offerings also change daily. Look for the Chef’s Special which will be 2 nights in a row and feature dishes from the country you have just visited. 
 

When you board the ship, go to the dining reservation desk to request additional specialty dining reservations. 

There is one port (Saguenay) on my Nautica cruise in September/October that does not have any excursions available.  Several excursions are listed but they all state "this excursion is closed". When I called Oceania about it, he told me that they are all sold out.  It is hard to believe that every excursion in that port is sold out while all the other ports on that cruise show lots of availability. I don't know what it means.  They either cannot find tour operators for this port or it's possible this port is going to be eliminated.  

It's probably going to depend on how full the ship is going to be.  FWIW, I've been on 8 Oceania cruises and have never been offered an upgrade opportunity.  For reference, we have been in concierge veranda and PH.  We were on Sirena in 2022 in a PH.  About 2 weeks before the cruise, we were offered quite a bit of money to downgrade to a concierge veranda. 

I think it just depends on your particular cruise. Good luck.  

55 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

There is a big difference between giving a discount (you are correct that TA's are not allowed to discount fares) and providing a group rate which is what is being discussed.  The group rates are offered to TA's by Royal and are generally less than posted rates, refundable vs non refundable and come with additional OBC.

How big does the group have to be to get a group rate?

I have booked Royal Caribbean with a large national TA and have not gotten any kind of group rate.  It's the posted rate. 

TAs are contractually not allowed to give discounts off the fares.  A TA may give you OBC or some other perk like a bottle of wine. If booking a group, they may give you something like pre-paid gratuities. My TA did that for us last year when we booked a group of 10. It just depends on the TA and the cruise line you are booking with. 

I've booked directly with the cruise line and have used a TA.  

Apologies for hijacking this thread but continuing with pickpocketing experiences:  I've been pickpocketed twice.  Once in Pisa inside a church and once in San Francisco on a city bus.  Both happened 15+ years ago. I am much smarter now about how I carry my valuables. I limit what I carry when I go out, I use a cross body bag with my hand over the zipper compartment. 

These days, I am much more concerned about fraudulent online credit card purchases which has happened to me multiple times in the last couple of years even though the card(s) has never left my possession. 

52 minutes ago, Harters said:

That's interesting and actually surprised me. I would never have thought the law in the States would constrain how a company trades in that way. Is it only cruises that cannot be discounted, or are many other things "price fixed" by law?  Flights, escorted tours, cars, TVs, etc? 

My TA used the word "legalities" but it's probably contractual as njhorseman stated.

There is no "price fixing" on any of those things.  Prices are determined on the open market.  If I can recall correctly, airfares were controlled by the government back in the 1970's but that is long gone. Now it's whatever the market will bear.