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Thanks for posting. Since I have 40 days booked on unremodeled Mariner in the next year and a half, I am sure Oceania will still charge me the old lower prices to go with the old decor on the ship.🤣

Dottie’s husband Tom Drake now has a very funny and informative daily podcast which contains news about the cruise and travel industry. I enjoy it very much… actually better than his comedy shows. Tom Drake’s Best at Sea podcasts are available on all the usual podcast platforms.

HAL seems to be consistently inconsistent on this issue.

Oh good grief! Volume with my TA is irrelevant to the service/ rebates I get. My TA always moves mountains for me when re pricing is possible and I have done varying amounts of business with them over the years. Sometimes I have given them zero business for a few years and then I will book three or four cruises within a year. Always a good rebate...always great service.

Absolutely.

Always use a TA. Mine rebates between 8 and 11% of the cost of the cruise either in the form of a check sent 2 weeks before the cruise or prepaid gratuities. Cannot see paying a significantly higher price for my cruise by not using my travel agent.

HAL does not always update their website with the latest info when they change their policies. HAL executives put out word that following Covid they would permanently ban smoking in all casinos. Did not happen. The current policy of allowing smoking on some ship casinos, but not othersn makes little sense IMHO.

They are on Paramount + I believe. Not Amazon Prime.

Eclipse is sorely in need of renovation. We were on her in July. We were in a Royal Suite and the couch reminded me of beat up 2nd hand furniture from an apartment I had in college. Also a fair amount if smelly mildewed carpet in public areas such as the gym and casino. With no hope of any renovations in next couple of years, she will continue to look more and more outdated and worn. On the plus side, we found the service and upbeat staff attitude best we have encountered in more than ten Celebrity cruises.

Our only experience with Vero so far has been on a Mexican Baja Regent cruise (identical Vero setup as Oceania) where we did not take any tours. Our next Oceania cruise will be a very port intensive Greek Island cruise. I cannot imagine schlepping those aluminum containers day after day on long tours. One option we have tried just hiking around home is collapsible reusable plastic drinking water bottles..Vapur brand. Will probably cruise with them in the future. Here is link, but also available on Amazon. Vapur | Reusable Water Bottle | Flexible Water Bottle

Yes, I am referring to the aluminum bottles they expect you to carry around.

What they provide is that rather heavy container which is somewhat unwieldy and heavy IMHO....but as you can see from above comments, some folks are fine with it.

In nearly 50 cruises the ONLY time I encountered a noro virus problem on the ship was on Oceania where the buffet food is all staff served!

I despise the Vero system. I do not like the taste of the water. The least Oceania could do is provide drinking water glasses in the gym for use with the Vero machine. If I do not want to drag the heavy container with me to the gym, I have to go to the spa area and get a glass, then walk to the Vero machine in the gym in order to drink water. There are other ways to avoid the plastic pollution problem. I much prefer Celebrity's idea of using recyclable aluminum bottles for water.

Refrigerator in fitness center only has flavored vitamin drinks in plastic bottles. Are you referring to pouring them out and using empty bottles for water?

DC area residents have many other options than those you mention. Seems you choose to limit your options by sticking with Dulles and United and not DCA and other carriers.

Shhh...those negative Nellies love to say no! Don't remind them that they let it slip by! 😏

IMHO doing analysis on paper/on line and comparing value of specific cabin categories across cruise lines has very limited value unless/until one actually tries the product.

Instead of speculating with a "guess" and getting everyone worked up with more speculation, it is best to check with your TA or Oceania.

Then there are us NY residents whose state insurance regulators do not allow annual policies such as Geo Blue or cancel for any reason policies😒

Are you referring to air credit Regent gives you if you do not use their air? We are booked on Auckland to Syndney Regent Explorer in January 2024 and air credit is $7000 per person. Hard to find Business Class air for less than $10,000 per person on our own.

Remember that since you go through U.S. Customs and Immigration preclearance in Aruba you should be at the airport at least 3 hours before flight time. Suggest workout, massage and lunch at beautiful Tierra del Sol country club near Palm Beach area...then off to the airport. Can also enjoy the pool and time for some final sunshine.

Medjet is great, but two things to keep in mind: 1. You must be admitted to a hospital more than 150 miles from home and after admission they will only transfer you to another hospital willing to admit you. 2. If you are over age 75, enrollment in Medjet is subject to health screening and you may have certain pre existing conditions excluded from coverage. Evacuations are limited to one a year if over 75 and two per year otherwise.

Main problem with credit card insurance is that medical claims resulting from pre existing medical conditions are often not covered.