sunlover12

You will need to go to the lounge where the shore excursion staff will give you a number.  You then get off the ship when your number is called. 

We ordered a bottle of white wine in the MDR on Wonder. Someone poured our first glass, then set the bottle in an ice bucket off to the side, out of reach.  No one ever came back to pour during the rest of the dinner.  You either have to get their attention or get up and pour it yourself. A good waiter or wine steward would never let this happen. 

It was never clear to me whose duty it was to take the wine order. On some of the other cruise lines, the wine steward wears a different color vest. I agree with Jasukkie that drinks service in the MDR has a lot to be desired.  

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

If you purchase a FCC you have no idea what specific cruise, if any, you make take in the future. There might not even be one you want. Or you might be forced to take one you don't want to take in order not to lose it.

 

Second, booking an actual cruise from an actual cabin-upgrade sale means you'll likely get the lowest cost for your cabin for an actual cruise you want to take.

 

Thus, we only book actual cruises we know we want to take and try to book them when they are included in an actual sale that reduces the cabin fare.

You have one year from date of purchase of FCC to choose a cruise.  The selected cruise can commence outside of one year. Thus the choice of cruises will be vast. We've never been forced to take a cruise we didn't want just to use a FCC.

Keep in mind that not all cruises qualify for the cabin upgrade sale or any sale. In fact many of them don't and when they do, there are limitations. I'm not going to choose a cruise just because I can get a cabin upgrade. As Woofa said, cost is not always the single biggest factor for some cruisers. 

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Seems like so many get burned on "future cruise credit". No idea why anyone would go down what seems more "pig in a poke"/"two in the bush" future hope than actually booking a real cruise on a actual sale.

 

My upcoming August cruise was booked using a future cruise certificate.  When we purchased it in March of last year we hadn't planned what our next cruise was going to be.  As pinotlover explained, we don't want to book a placeholder cruise and tie up a cabin someone else may want.  The OBC of the current cruise and reduced deposit on the next cruise is a very good benefit. We don't feel like we were "burned".

Not all cruises are included in the ESS or cabin upgrade sale. My August cruise isn't included in any of these sales but I am getting the benefit of the future cruise certificate. 

Moorea - the spinner dolphin watching expedition.  One of the best excursions I've been on anywhere.

Bora Bora - the snorkel safari that includes lunch at Bloody Mary's.  

If you are interested in any of the Bora Bora sunset sails, book early because they sell out.  We weren't able to get on any of them.

My take on all of this is that Oceania will not hesitate to sell that accessible cabin if that is the only one available in that cabin category. The cruise industry is a business and that’s just how it is. If a non-handicap person doesn’t want to be in that cabin, book another category. 

We once rented an apartment for a one year lease in the downtown area of a large US city where the housing market was tight. The only apartment they had available was an accessible one. We would have preferred not to be in that one but we took it and the apartment complex did not hesitate to rent it to us. 

1 hour ago, azbirdmom said:

18 hours ago, Rainbow3fe said:

I hear you if you lare comfortable with so many people. But were the pool decks noisy? Did the buffet look like a Cafeteria? 

There is a suites only sun deck with a bar and small pool that is quiet and comfortable. We didn't go down to the main pool. The buffet has been redesigned to multiple stations instead of one long line.  We ate there twice and it didn't feel crowded or cafeteria-like. 

I think the mainstream lines have evolved over time. I was on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas in January.  It's their newest ship and the fares were high as some here have mentioned. This was Wonder's first winter in the Caribbean. The fares will be going down after it gets past its first year.

We didn't encounter any pushy photographers.  They used to come by your table each evening at dinner. They don't do that anymore.  I think there were art auctions listed on the calendar but it wasn't overt. You had to look for it if you were interested in attending. No more port shopping lectures on this cruise as has been done in the past. As for formal nights, they technically do exist but the vast majority of passengers dress smart casual. The number of tuxedos and ball gowns I saw I could count on one hand. There is a piano bar on the ship with quiet entertainment. No string quartet though. 

So I just wanted to put in my two cents worth in defense of the big ships. The biggest negative, IMO,  with the mega ships is that they're very limited in what ports they can go to. 

@cswhistler The brunches must be limited to select sailings.  I haven't been on a lot of Oceania cruises (6) but I've never seen buffet sites in GDR or ice sculptures. Maybe it's in my future. 

24 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Not all countries celebrate Mother’s Day and those that do (about 50) don’t all do it on the same day.

Yes I'm aware of that.  However there were many Americans onboard and we were sailing off the coast of California at the time, if that matters.  I've never been on a cruise on Thanksgiving Day but I recall reading posts here that there is a special brunch or menu for that. Not all countries celebrate Thanksgiving.

3 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

We will be on the ship for Sunday,mothers day. Hopefully they will have a nice brunch.Does anyone know what time the Sunday Brunch is ? 

I was on Regatta a few years ago on Mother's Day and it was also a sea day.  There was no special brunch or menu which I found quite disappointing. They didn't do anything to celebrate other than the CD coming on the PA briefly to wish all the mothers aboard a happy day.  Maybe Riviera will do something. 

3 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

 

-  The kids became adults, financial situation improved, and we graduated to the two story Grand Loft Suites in a couple of RCL megaships.  That's when cruising really changed for us.  An amazing stateroom.  The Oasis/Allure with their suites only lounge and restaurant was also an absolute game changer.  We took cruises where we never visited the main dining room (a very good thing to be able to do on RCL lol), and maybe visited the buffet once if at all.  At that point, being a Diamond on Royal, we probably stayed with them for too long...as we realized we were typically on ships where most amenities were geared towards kids (waterslides, flowriders, rock climbing walls, etc.), but we were two people in our 50s cruising without kids who avoided those very things;

 

Our first cruise was on RC and we still cruise with them.  The only cruise lines we have been on are RCL and Oceania.  They are two completely different experiences and very different demographics. 

When RC added Grand Loft Suites to their Oasis class ships it was a game-changer for us too.  We probably wouldn't cruise with them anymore if not for that. They are beautiful cabins.  With that the Coastal Kitchen and suites only lounge is included. The food and atmosphere in there is excellent.  We haven't had many meals in their main dining room because it's mediocre at best but have had some excellent meals in their specialty restaurants. The entertainment is outstanding. 

We like Oceania because of the itineraries that are offered and a more laid-back and quiet atmosphere.  The point is that we like to mix it up with our cruise travel.  We enjoy both cruise lines for different reasons. 

26 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though those shore excursions thru O have to be compared to what you can book yourself, both cost and actual excursion. O's price is retail off of wholesale, so quite inflated compared to booking direct with a provider. And O's offerings seem to cater to the "we sit in a bus and drive around" or "we go to the same old boring spots & drop you off so you can walk around".

 

For our 2 10-night cruises so far (12/2021 & 11/2022) we did all our own. Glad we did. Never saw a single O excursion that compared favorably in price or activity to what we did ourself. And we're doing it again for our 20 nights in the Med in Oct-Nov. Booking all of our own.

There is a misconception with some that O's excursions are big-bus, drive around all day, and boring.  Sure some of them are but many are not. We've done O excursions and private tours. Good and bad with both. The best excursion I have ever been on was last year on Regatta in Moorea on an Oceania excursion.  It was not on a big bus and it was definitely not boring. Ironically we chose it because our first choice had been sold out and now we are glad it was. 

O's pricing can be reasonable if you choose O Life or YWYW. We just booked some O excursions a few days ago for our August cruise using O Life.  We were satisfied with the total price. 

2 hours ago, DoulaAnn said:

Our O person that we book through has told us the O Life regular (without airfare) is marked up the amount of the on-board credit, so it's really a wash. We look at the cost of the shore excursions we want to do and if the whatever $ is more than the cost of the excursions, we opt for OBC. Otherwise, we choose whatever number of free excursions. Never take the beverage package since I don't drink much and my DH prefers wines that aren't covered by the package.  Just personal preference there.

I don't see it as a wash.  Choosing the O Life with shore excursions can be very beneficial.  You're paying $100 per excursion that can have a value of up to $199. I've also taken the O Life beverage package and gotten my money's worth but it does depend on the individual and the cruise.  As others have stated, choosing the O Life OBC has no benefit.  Not that I am aware of anyway.  

JMO

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Starboard side, under the Terrace Cafe, can be quite noisy at night due to the rolling carts going overhead. Doesn’t happen on port side. The back 2-3 PH-3 cabins aren’t as bad. Forward of that can get noisy.

Yes, it was the port side we were on.  Thanks for clarifying that. 

We’ve been under Terrace Cafe and did not experience any noise problems.  It was quiet. 

Last O cruise:  October 2022 on Sirena

Next up:  August 2023 on Nautica

We also have a future cruise certificate that we plan on using in 2024. Probably will be a New England-Canada cruise. 

4 hours ago, JoePDX said:

 

4.  I do similar steps for Hotel and car rental.   For hotels I will book a refundable reservation as a placeholder at the property I want.   Then watch rates and when I know we are definitely going and the rate is good then I will book the non refundable option, which is usually less and cancel the refundable reservation.  Booking directly with the Hotel may get you included breakfast, which can be expensive in Europe.  But it is not always less on the hotels website, so check Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, etc. too.

 

I agree about watching rates after you book it because many times they will go down. We always stay at Hilton hotels if possible. They guarantee the price will be lowest if you book directly with them. There is no benefit that I know of for booking with Orbitz, etc.  

Staying loyal to Hilton has given us status not only for complimentary breakfasts but also access to their executive lounge for free drinks and appetizers at happy hour. 

If you can get it printed for your return flight home that's great. If not, I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it.  JMO

I used to be adamant about having a printed boarding pass before I arrived at the airport but in the last several years I use United's app (or whatever airline you are flying) on my phone.  Everything I need to know about the flight is there including the boarding pass. It hasn't failed me yet.  As LHT28 said you can always get a printed boarding pass at the airline check in desk.

I agree that it all depends on when the port authorities clear the ship for disembarkation. I would choose a flight that was a little later in the afternoon if possible but that's me because I prefer not to stress over it. 

I'm on a cruise in August that is still showing quite a bit of availability.   OLife Ultimate has not been added to it and the price is higher than when I booked it last year.  Port times have been slightly reduced since I booked it. I have no idea how they decide which cruises will have benefits attached to it if it's not selling well. 

We always ask the hotel concierge or front desk to arrange a pick up at the hotel to the port. Our preferred choice of hotel is Hilton and it has been very easy. The front desk staff at just about every hotel will be fluent in English so don't worry about the language barrier. My suggestion is to not use whatever Oceania transportation might provide because it will be quite a bit more expensive than what you can arrange on your own.  Airports will have ground transportation via taxi or Uber to the hotel without having to arrange it ahead of time. 

This has been our experience. 

14 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

"Reviews" of Sirena were pretty tough in mid-2022. But we cruised on her 11/18-28/2022 and had a great time. I wish reviewers here would say what cabin-level they were in when writing. I wonder if the "princess and the pea" problem afflicts so many in the PH and above cabin levels. Their expectations seem off the charts, to be treated like royalty. We were in an A4 on Riviera 12/13-23/2021 and B2 on Sirena. No complaints for us. 

I don’t understand why you keep bashing people who are in a PH. We cruise in a PH for one reason only. More space. 
 

We certainly don’t expect to be treated like royalty and never met anyone else who expected it. I don’t know where you’re getting that from.  We were on Sirena in October 2022  in a PH2 and Regatta in March 2022 in a PH2 and they were wonderful cruises. The food was excellent. 

10 hours ago, Sujormik said:

Yikes! I wear very expensive “flip flop” type sandals with orthotics everywhere. Am I going to offend someone by wearing them with a dress?  

My feet swell when I travel which makes my shoe selection for dinner very limited. It’s been a long-standing problem for me to find the right shoes when I go to dinner. I save my flip flops for the beach and pool. I recently found the perfect sandal for me. The brand is Dolce Vita. They are super comfortable and dressier than flip flops.  Most importantly I can still put them on when my feet are swollen.