sunlover12

15 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

No..... check in time must be done an hour before departure   Thats 0720     and it takes 20 min to get to the airport from the tine you get to the taxis       What you do is to get off in Moorea the day before. Take the 0600 ferry that gets in at 0645...  you get to the airport by  0700.    Thats what I did...   Stay over in Moorea the night before and ferry in....OR  go direct to Papeete and stay by the airport.    That is the only way Because Airfrance done not  go every day...  you will have to wait several days to catch the next one.     I did this several years ago...  Air france business  is the way to go....... You have to get off in Moorea the day before....the ship will let you if you ask in advance

I don't know what the OP's cruise itinerary is but Moorea was not our last port.  Raitea was and that's quite a bit further from Papeete. Getting off the ship that last night to ferry to Papeete before wasn't an option. 

I agree that staying in Moorea for a couple of day pre or post cruise is a great idea.  The Hilton is beautiful.  The ITC in Moorea is permanently closed. 

1 hour ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

The Regatta is scheduled to return to Papeete at 5:00am.  Would we be able to make an Air France 8:20am flight out of PPT?

Thanks for the help.

No. I was just off the Regatta last week in Papeete.  The port authorities cleared the paperwork at 8:30am so no one was allowed off the ship until then. 
There were some passengers flying Air France that were on the next day’s morning flight. 

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Are you referring to the area on the Port side as you go to the Terrace?

Yes

FWIW, I was just on Regatta on Deck 8.  Our cabin was directly below the covered sitting area next to the pool deck.  It was all quiet. We did not hear any movement of chairs. 

On 3/16/2022 at 9:32 AM, basor said:

That is something new as we had the cart on Sirena, Nautica and Regatta but this was pre-COVID....need to check with those on ATW and see if it is there now

When we ate in Toscana the 2nd time they brought the cart around. We never saw it the first time. 

On 3/15/2022 at 4:43 AM, Twiga said:

We were on the Marina last month.  Toscana was fabulous!  We ate there twice and everything was delicious.  Paolo, the extraordinary barista in Baristas, was in charge of the cart of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  He took time to explain each to us and make recommendations.

 The oil and vinegar cart is not on Regatta.  The waiter came around with one bottle of olive oil and one of balsamic vinegar. It seems to be only on the O class ships. That’s fine with me, I don’t need a lot of choices. Toscana is my favorite specialty restaurant. Looking forward to it one more time before we disembark. 

I like 10-12 day cruises. When I look at itineraries I focus on those. Everyone is different but that is what I prefer. 

We went to On Point in San Bruno.  Easy and quick. 

4 hours ago, Verokaren said:

Thank you for taking the time to post, Sunlover12!!  We really appreciate it and are excited to board on the 25th, but nervous about getting all the Covid testing done.    Can you share your experience with that?  

 

Thanks so much!

 

Karen

 

We got our Covid antigen tests near the airport in San Francisco. It was simple and fast. There are also testing sites at the airport. I don’t know about LAX but I believe there are testing sites at the airport. Make sure it’s not more than 24 hours before you board the plane. Also make sure your ETIS form is completed and paid for. We printed ours at home that shows the bar code. Your airline is required to look at it before you can board. 
 

Upon arrival in Papeete everyone receives a PCR test at the airport. We got our results via email about 36 hours later.  The Papeete airport is very efficient at handling the arrival of a large plane. The entire process of Covid testing, immigration and luggage collection was 45 minutes. 
 

When checking in at the Oceania dock, they paid a great deal of attention to the timing of the test to make sure it was not more than 3 days old. 
 

I was a little worried about it all too before we left home but it turned out to be easy.  Enjoy your cruise! 

I am on the Regatta now. Pleased to report that everything is going smoothly. The staff is wearing masks and  I have seen very few passengers wearing them. That is fine with me. Glad that they are optional. There are no Covid issues that I am aware of. The full team of singers and dancers have been performing, also the string quartet has been performing every day.  Nothing that I know of has been canceled. Julie James is the cruise director and she is wonderful.
 

There is a big improvement in wi-fi on the ship since my last O cruise in 2019. 

I am currently on the Regatta, halfway through the cruise.  There has been nothing in Currents about showing a movie either outdoors or in the Regatta lounge.  I don’t recall it on any O cruise I have been on. 

I am currently on the Regatta.  The library is open and has a large selection of books. There is a sign that says that 2 books can be checked out at a time under the honor system. 

I’m on it.  No Covid issues. Everyone is happy to be back to cruising. The ship is 80% full. Last night the GDR was full. Shore excursions were well attended today. I’ve noticed a few little kinks with some inexperienced crew but that’s to be expected in the first cruise in 2 years. The food is excellent as usual. 

11 minutes ago, Robjame said:

Did they cancel your cruise or just push everything back so your cruise was leaving at a later date?

 

It was pushed back.  This was in 2012 and as I recall, the original itinerary was rescheduled to a time we could not go so we chose another one with a similar itinerary 6 months later.

On 2/26/2022 at 3:43 PM, Robjame said:

Thanks for that - much appreciated

What is the "cruise before the inaugural" - VIP shakedown cruise?

Is this why the inaugural is still widely available as many will be on a cruise before?

 

IMO, some people avoid the maiden voyage. As exciting as it may be to be on it, things happen.

I was booked on Riviera's 2nd voyage.  The shipbuilding was delayed and the first 3 cruises were postponed. They did give us a 2-3 month notice so at least it wasn't a last minute thing. After that happened, the appeal of a maiden voyage was lost for me. I'd like to sail on Vista some day but I'll wait.

I just want to add that I haven't experienced any difficulties.  I haven't tried to do a new booking but I can log in to view and manage my current booking.  The website looks fine to me. 

This is an interesting thread. I’d just like to add that I have been on quite a few O shore excursions and have never seen anyone request to leave before it’s over.  At the end of the tour, the guide will usually say you’re free to stay and explore on your own and make your way back to the ship. But never before the end. I don’t know the legal aspects of it but it does seem reasonable to think there could  be liability issues involved if someone left the tour soon after it started. 

As has been mentioned, if possible you should find a tour that will only drop you off and pick you up. 

22 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The new boarding  process includes  registration  (online in your O account for that cruise), selection of an appointment embarkation time (during which you do pier-side Covid testing when required) and issuance of a boarding pass you print at home. Luggage tags still come by snail mail with the “blue book” weeks ahead and “final docs” (all but the boarding pass which is the new online step) arrive by email within a couple of weeks pre-Cruise.

My cruise is in two weeks and I have not received a “blue book” or luggage tags in the mail.  I’m not so sure they do that with every cruise now.  Everything is by email. 

21 hours ago, Funtravel66 said:

Why do you think O has not updated their travel and entry requirements on the website to include March 2022 French Polynesia cruises?  They also still show the majority of cabins as "waitlisted".    

That only refers to the February cruises so none of the March cruises on any ship is listed on there.

What Oceania should do, however, is send a revised letter from the one they sent me at the end of January that explains the new testing requirements in FP which went into effect last week.  A PCR test is no longer required. An antigen test will be enough.  If someone isn't monitoring it themselves, they wouldn't know. The only recent emails I've gotten from O lately is that it's time for check-in.

22 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Everyone need also realize that Oceania has a new policy of allowing one to get all onboard booking credits and privileges  starting 30 days before sailing. This is new so I don’t know all the details most importantly if it can be booked through one’s TA , or must be done directly with an O rep and then transferred to your TA. The other issue is how you find out what that cruise discount will be.

 

At thirty (30) days before your cruise one will get an email from Oceania pointing out this program. The email was long on hype and very short on details.

 

For those with an early March cruise you should be able to use this program to book a newly released cruise, with all the privileges, at month end. The very popular , or once per year cruises, will most likely be sold out if you wait until boarding. 
 

Anyone that knows the details from experience might chime in. Friends on our cruise attempted to book a future cruise using the program, but Oceania cancelled our cruise in the process of the booking and refused to honor the program for the new booking.

Interesting.  I'm less than 4 weeks from sailing and I didn't get that email.  I'm on the Regatta which at the moment I'm afraid is a big question mark if it will actually sail. 

Thanks for pointing this out. I was unaware of it.

19 hours ago, nursinadream said:

I've read several posts about the benefits and savings of booking on board.  What can be booked?  Is the whole catalog available, or just  your present shp?

Deb

You don't have to choose a cruise when you book onboard. You purchase a future credit with a lower deposit ($250/person) than the standard deposit and then you have a year to browse and book it. It can be whatever cruise has availability and it doesn't have to be the ship you're currently on.  You're also guaranteed of getting the lowest price of that particular cruise. 

This is how it was a couple of years ago when we did this. It may have changed since then.

We are booked on the March cruise on Oceania Regatta.  If it sails, it will be the first cruise on Regatta in 2 years. They cancelled the February cruises in FP.  We have never been to French Polynesia and it's been a dream trip of ours for a long time.  We were supposed to go in March 2021 but that didn't happen of course. We're not getting any younger so we feel it's time to take a chance and live life. 

Like others, we are concerned about testing positive and having to quarantine. We will take every possible precaution but it's a chance we're willing to take.  My main concern is that Oceania will cancel the March cruises. We haven't heard anything about that yet so I will assume it's a go. 

If the cruise is canceled, we'll take the refund from Oceania. (not interested in a FCC).  Our flight on United was paid for with miles and those can be redeposited. Our hotel reservations can be canceled and refunded. We didn't purchase travel insurance but we do have medical insurance that pays when traveling internationally. The only real financial risk we're taking is the hotel bill if we're quarantined. 

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Today 2/1/22 in Ensenada, Mexico. Crown Princess is there also. What's going on in Ensenada that Regatta would go there empty?

 

The Regatta has been going there weekly for awhile, then it goes back to Long Beach. I really don't know why but maybe it's to keep the ship's engines in good condition.

If anyone from Oceania is reading this board they must be entertained by all of us trying to figure out what the Regatta is doing.  Lol. 

27 minutes ago, ORV said:

As Lyn pointed out above, it's $39.95 a day, not $30. Where are you getting the $30 figure from? Is that the Olife price? 

Yes, $30 is the OLife price.  $300 for a 10-day cruise.  For some it's not a good deal. For me, it is. Everyone is different so you have to do the math to figure out what is best for you.

I'll drink 1 glass of wine with lunch and 2 with dinner.  Gratuities are included so it's an exceptional value for me. 

7 minutes ago, basor said:

With OLife you have 3 choices......OBC (which appears to be $300.00 per person) OR basic beverage package (which is $40.00 pp per day so value of $400.00 per person) OR shore excursions (which, generally, can be an excursion up to around $200.00 per person per excursion- so multiply the number of free excursions by $200.00 for per person value).

So the value of the OLife is different for each choice with the OBC being the least value.  Cruise only is the cost of Olife minus the value of the OBC 

Hope this helps with understanding

I understand all of that.  I am well aware of the 3 choices. 

The point I was trying to make is that the OLife beverage package which can be purchased for $30/day/person is a good value.