ShopperfiendTO

For wines, they had a set of included choices (okay selection) and if you wanted something else there was an upcharge. For the upcharged wines, I think they only sold bottles, not individual glasses.

You probably already know this but you shouldn’t book an expedition cruise expecting to see or do something specifically other than the general “cross/ experience the Drake Passage”, “see icebergs” and “see penguins” (no specific species).

We did not see any Adelie penguin colonies, despite that species being quite common in Antarctica, even though we were on an 11 night cruise that had a longer stay in Antarctica proper.

That is, even if the colony is known to be in an area on your itinerary, you still have to have other stars align to actually see them, such as good weather, no ice and no other ships booked for that site.

1 minute ago, 1985rz1 said:

I would think that if you wanted the a specific cabin category on a cruise you really wanted to go on because of the price and itinerary, and it was only available as a guarantee and you didn't want to pay the price of available cabins, then it would make sense to book a guarantee as long as you didn't care about location.

Yes, but I understood OP’s question to be why would you book an outside guarantee if you could also choose your own outside cabin for the same price.

What you describe is my take on how Oceania views the guarantee cabin concept.

On 2/21/2024 at 11:27 AM, taiwan_girl said:

But why book guarantee vs. available.  It seems there is no price incentive, and you are not able to pick a cabin.  

Correct.  If the price is the same for choosing a cabin versus booking a guarantee for that cabin class, it doesn’t make sense to book the guarantee unless you want to play the upgrade lottery which may land you in the worst location of the guaranteed (lowest) cabin class.

On the bigger cruise lines, they usually have the option of a guarantee at a discounted price to choosing your specific cabin.  
 

I find that Oceania generally doesn’t engage in this practice.

Yes, they use other hotels.

EZE airport is a good half hour away from the city by taxi/shuttle which is generally the way most tourists get to/from there.

7 hours ago, Spudd said:

Did people dress up for dinner? 

On our Antarctica cruise, mostly no.  The best dressed people were the expedition crew on the gala and farewell dinner nights.  They looked very smart!

36 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Could you explain why you would be lugging your way through 4 different airports?  

Don’t you just check them in at your initial airport leg and not see them again until arriving at the final airport?

Oops, I think I understand what you wrote.  Please disregard my earlier post, it’s too late for me to delete it.

On 12/10/2023 at 1:16 PM, pmatawan said:

I tried luggagetoship and they can not provide service to port in Mumbai either. I know it's a customs issue, but shouldn't Oceania  have known about this? Shouldn't someone have advised me that an advertised amenity is not available? I'm resigned to the fact that I'll be lugging my bags though 4 different airports and paying excess baggage fees and extra fees for hiring vans instead of sedans for transfers. These costs well exceed what has been offered by Oceania.

Could you explain why you would be lugging your way through 4 different airports?  

Don’t you just check them in at your initial airport leg and not see them again until arriving at the final airport?

Well I guess I lost that bet. 😂

But I do think that for EZE-USH that it was always either 22 or 17 lbs and that the reference to 10 was in kgs.

This is what our email from Atlas states (our chartered flights are EZE-USH with Fly Bondi which is the discount airline):

"Due to strict airline and destination requirements, the maximum allowed weight for all checked bags is one 50 lb. bag and one carry-on bag of 17.6 lbs. per guest."

I am betting that the carryon limit is either 17.6lbs or 22lbs depending on if it's Fly Bondi or Aerolinas Argentina, assuming the airports are EZE-USH.

Are the openings of the boots fairly narrow enough so that most/all typical ski pants will comfortably go over them? I.e., bottom of ski pants would fit outside the boots instead of having to be stuffed inside the boots?

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Yes   up to a point

there is  now  a non refundable cancellation fee  of $150 PP 

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005306234-What-is-your-cancellation-and-refund-policy-

I wonder if that link is outdated.  I thought it was $250 pp cancellation fee.

The current rule is out of your cabin by 8, off the ship by 9.  When you actually can get off depends what you tell them in your debarkation questionnaire.

No point keeping checked luggage with you for the morning of debarkation because you’re then going to be lugging it all around the ship with everyone else’s carryons and backpacks.  Easier to meet your luggage in the terminal, especially as you’re not in a rush to get off the ship.

Hi OP,

After the cruise, did you fly from USH to EZE and then stay at the airport to catch your flight back to Canada later that day?

If you did, could you let us know how that worked logistically?  I assume that the USH-EZE leg was on a flight chartered by Atlas and the EZE-Canada flight was on your own separate booking, so there was no "linking" the two itineraries or checking through the luggage from the USH-EZE flight to the EZE-Canada flight?

If this was the case, then upon landing at EZE from USH, did you have to exit the secured area, pick up your luggage from the USH-EZE flight, and recheck-in for your EZE-Canada flight as if you were never in the airport and just coming in from the city? 

That sounds annoying and a waste time having to do 2 check-ins and security screenings even though the connection is in the same airport and you could have possibly remained in the secured area if they just checked the luggage to the EZE-Canada flight.

Did your USH-EZE flight land in the same terminal as where your EZE-Canada flight was departing from?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!   

There's also this which suggests that you just go through a security check and then board the flight from Montreal:

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g294266-i977-k13822839-o30-Air_Canada_to_Buenos_Aires-Argentina.html

These posts are hopeful but best to confirm:

https://www.ivisa.com/brazil/blog/brazil-visa-requirements-for-canadians#:~:text=Canadian citizens only need a,land or via another airport).

Do I need the Brazil eVisa to transit in the country?

Canadian citizens only need a Brazil Visa if they booked separate flights and are transiting at a Brazilian airport, or they'll transit through the territory of Brazil on their way to another destination (over land or via another airport).

Those with a connecting flight booked on a single reservation and not leaving the airport transit area to connect don't need a transit visa.

https://visaguide.world/south-america/brazil-visa/ 

Brazil Transit Visa

You need a Brazil transit visa if you will change planes in a Brazil airport, or you will transit through the territory of Brazil on your way to another destination.

If you have a connecting flight in a Brazil airport that’s booked on the same plane ticket, you do not need a transit visa. This does not apply for the following airports Curitiba (CWB), Florianopolis (FLN), Porto Alegre (POA), Porto Seguro (BPS), and Salvador (SSA).

You also do not need a transit visa if you don’t intend to leave the international area of the airport or clear immigration

You can be sure that there will always be some people who risk arriving at the departure only on the day of embarkation, even during hurricane season.  O will be scheduling airport shuttles for that day and there will be people on them.

10 hours ago, combine said:

I logged  into my account to get the reduced pricing details. The system picks  up my loyalty number and automatically worked  out the discount off the net price. Ive tried  it this morning and its factoring in the discounts to the exact £. Nice reduction! 

Where does the discount show up?

I logged into my account, my Explorer loyalty level is accurate and showing on my account, but there is no loyalty discount applied, let alone the "double loyalty".  I have gone all the way up to the filling out the passenger information page and it just shows Guest type as "REGULAR".

On 7/14/2023 at 2:53 AM, Riocca said:

The new system works by the Seaware system recognising you when you log in it then will automatically add the 20% when you go through the booking number. Unfortunately it looks like the Seaware system has not been updated from the Azamara system, possibly because you only logged in for the first time last week and it can take a little while to reconcile. Firstly you need to fill in one of the loyalty problem report forms, the link should be at the bottom of the account page.

As the promotion is about to expire it’s best to phone Azamara to get the price verified and book, phone wait times are no longer a problem, just make sure you have your loyalty numbers to hand. Our friends who were in a similar situation had no problem making a booking last week and getting a good saving on their booking. Alternatively a good travel agent could do this for you.

So I just checked my account and miraculously it looks accurate on the Seaware system now, at least close enough and not zero like it was back in July.  However, when I try to book a cruise eligible for the Quarterly Savings, the 10% discount still does not get applied.

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Deviation fees are only covering the process of making the reservation.  That does NOT mean that tickets have been purchased.   The two are unrelated.

 

 

It is still confusing and worrisome that according to Turkish Airlines that the tickets hadn’t been purchased at 25 days out.

If you paid deviation then it is confusing and worrisome why Turkish Airlines would say that the tickets hadn’t been purchased yet 25 days out.

Can you leave the ship after checking in at Vancouver port?  Wondering if special rules in place because there is pre-clearance of customs and immigration in Vancouver 

On 8/28/2023 at 3:15 PM, Emzyyx said:

And final question... Other than a base layer and the parker jacket, what other "top" should I wear? Would it be a normal long sleeved top, or a casual jumper, or a fleece, or a waterproof top? The Atlas website suggests wearing a "windbreaker" but I'm from the UK and not sure what this is or if in your experience it is required. 

 

Sorry for all the questions - I just want to get it right 🙂

A windbreaker is a jacket made from a fabric that blocks the wind from penetrating through to your body (It can get very windy sailing the Drake passage if you decide you want to venture outside for a look-see).  I would think that the included parka is also windproof and would work fine if you're okay with wearing it around the ship in addition to when going on an excursion.

You could also search "What to pack for Antarctica" on YouTube and your preferred search engine for some videos and ideas. 

We are thinking of taking the LA Metro's Rapid Bus "J" (Grey) Line from the World Cruise Center cruise port to Union Station to catch the Amtrak train to San Diego (we want to experience the Amtrak train ride experience).

This is the website for the route/line: https://www.metro.net/riding/schedules/?line=910-13168 and this is the current schedule: https://www.metro.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/910-TT-06-25-23-Revised.pdf

Could anyone familiar with this line/route advise how reliable it is in the morning on a weekday?  Since we will be taking it on a weekday, we figure that there will be commuter traffic and figure since it travels on a dedicated lane that it should be more reliable than Uber/Lyft once it gets to the pick-up stop?  We are trying to avoid Uber/Lyft unless absolutely necessary in part due to uncertainty on whether we are going to have data to use this service (and want to avoid the hassle of arranging for it just for one ride).

Assuming that it is reliable and a viable option, can anyone confirm where exactly is the nearest bus stop for this line/route from the cruise terminal?  We are not sure where the exit from the terminal is and how long it should take to walk to that stop hauling one checked piece of luggage each.  Is it the southeast corner of West Offarrel Street and North Beacon Street?: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Harbor+Beacon+Park+and+Ride/@33.7465971,-118.2804395,19.25z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1sHarbor+Beacon+Park+and+Ride+Stop+ID:+3124!3m5!1s0x80dd3639350e0ce9:0xbf07e7d27b3da8fb!8m2!3d33.745857!4d-118.280357!16s%2Fg%2F11g696jwdj?entry=ttu  

Once we get on, does the bus go all the way into Union Station and if not, what stop should we get off at for Union Station?

Thanks so much for any help/confirmation!

2 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

It is 2 days to sail from Ushuaia to Antarctica. The wording is weird.  Embarkation day is a sailing day.   On the return, scenic sailing is a second sea day.

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Definitely 2 days and can be longer with winds and high surf.  2 days is a minimum for any cruise line.

Thank you for your responses

If you look at the Viking website, it shows something like this:

Day 1: Buenos Aires (pre-cruise stay)

Day 2: Ushuaia (embark and sail late afternoon/early evening)

Day 3: Sail Drake Passage

Day 4: Explore Antarctica

On the other cruise lines, their Day 4 equivalent is still sailing the Drake Passage and exploration starts only on their Day 5 equivalent.

Is it that Viking is pushing the boundaries of truth in advertising and can still say that they are exploring Antarctica on Day 4 because they technically reached it on Day 4, albeit late near the end of that Day?

This the same in reverse as well, where there is only one “Sailing Drake Passage” day when the other cruise lines have two.

By showing the itinerary this way, Viking suggests that it completes the crossing more quickly resulting in more time in Antarctica for a given cruise duration.  I would just like to know if this is actually true.

Perhaps you could complete my example?:

Say there is a Viking sailing tomorrow (Wednesday) and the weather conditions are the same/typical as summer there (normal winds, normal surf, etc.), I am guessing it would leave Ushuaia at 5-7 pm, so when would it expect to reach Antarctica, Friday afternoon, late Friday night, or sometime Saturday?