ak1004

Are you saying that if a price for a specific sailing is low, then you should expect less quality on this specific sailing? Then the next cruise price is back to normal, and the quality improves as well? A lot of reasons can cause a reduced price for a specific sailing. Maybe it's a low season (which might be not really important for you), itinerary less in demand, etc. We usually get great deals in the first half of December (our last SS sailing was around $350 USD pp), I don't think it was any less enjoyable.

This is actually pretty good for a cruise ship. On our last SS cruise I got less than 1 mbps..

It's hard for some people to understand, but maybe some people need to stay in touch with the family?? We have elderly parents who are alone, and staying in touch with them is critical for us. Also have a new grandson and a daughter who really needs our support. Also, I know that most O guests are in their 70s and 80s, but some of us are still working or having their own business?? So maybe Oceania should start listening to those guests if they want to attract and retain a new generation of cruisers. Everyone is different. Don't judge people if you don't know their situation.

I agree, for us O is still the best value for money, especially considering we don't drink. That said, there are some occasional good deals on "luxury" line. SS prices are very good for Port2Port sailings (the caveat is that 15% deposit is non refundable).

Interesting. Our cruise from Barcelona to London docks in Le Verdon, but the next one docks in Bordeaux. Same ship (Riviera). Go figure..

It almost seems like the more luxury the cruise line, the worse is the internet. We had our best internet on Princess and RCI in 2015-2018. Just returned from SS and the internet was probably the worst we had in our 20 cruises. Oceania was probably second worst. This is really unacceptable, but as many mentioned, for many O guests it's really a very low priority.

So Riviera/Marina ever dock at Bordeaux? I thought they are too big to go on the river.

The email we got from Oceania was to our TA with cc to me.

It's not only weekend lol.. Selecting the dates on their website is challenging.. but this should not be a show stopper. I just select month by month every time.

Exactly. We are very low maintenance and have a pretty good idea what we want, so it would be nice to have some combination of good service and nice rebates..

Check out Seabourn. Not formal at all, and some itineraries are pretty close in price to Oceania, especially if you drink.

Very timely and relevant topic. We base our cruises on itinerary and price. Probably won't go back to the big ships, but would consider any of the luxury/premium lines. Currently booked on 3 Oceania cruises, one SB and one SS. Checked Regent, but they always came out way too expensive. We liked Azamara, but would probably book a suite only if the itinerary is really good and price is reasonable. Same for Oceania R class ships. So far from what I checked, PH prices on R ships don't make sense, can book SS or SB for a similar price. Oceania reducing time in ports is a concern, the question is if the trend continues. We probably won't book a cruise where all or most ports are 9am-5pm. 6-7pm still fine.

In my signature.

An update: our TA is still waiting for SS to fix this. On related note, we just switched to a new TA a few months ago, and while she is providing generous rebates, I'm not completely happy with her services. For example, in this case, wasn't it her job to point out that the admin fee should reduce the fare and not be applied as OBC? Also, it has been almost 3 weeks since I asked her to switch the reservations, and it is still not done. I had to follow up every few days, she was not really proactive or on top of things. Am I expecting too much from our new TA?

I would love to have your assistance.. unfortunately I don't know how to contact you.

4 months ago we booked a private tour in Lisbon for $170 CAD. Now the same tour is $210. it’s called inflation.

Exactly! And people who want to buy from the shops will find the time to do it even if the shops were open just one hour.

This is pretty similar to complaining about missed ports due to bad weather.. Somethings are just beyond their control, but I guess some people are just looking for reasons to complain.

But now it’s going to be refurbished, but you are still not happy..

so you are suggesting they don’t do the refit? Or they keep sailing while doing the refit? Not sure what’s your solution. Do you have any, or it’s just pure whining?

People were complaining that Marina is fired and needs a refit. now people complain that cruises are cancelled during the dry dock. My understanding is that a ship cannot sail and be in a dry dock at the same time. Am I missing something? Really cannot please everyone..

Same for us. This is why time in ports is critical for us.

But according to this contrast, if you are a cruiser, why to take an European port intensive cruise at all? Might as well take TA - usually cheaper, and can save on flights too. Same for Caribbean cruises.

We received a similar letter. Apparently Oceania considers their customers morons if this is the excuse they are using. If the trend continues, we will have to look for replacements for the 4 cruises we are currently booked with them.

This is brilliant! Couldn't agree more!