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edgee
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Everything posted by edgee
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Perfect example of what happens when things go well. Does not always happen, so your decision relates to level of risk of missing your flight you are willing to accept. I would guess your chances of things going fine are about 85 percent. About 10 percent chance of things going okay but with stress involved due to frustrating delays and just barely making it. About 5 percent chance you miss your flight. Some may quibble that my last scenario is rated too high.
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Taxis should be easily available, but may have to line up and wait a bit. Chances are you will just make it with no time to spare. If you have TSA per check that will help but Miami airport can be prone to traffic issues. Personally, I would not be comfortable taking a flight that leaves before noon.
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Sounds like your TA is making you a routine offering she makes for all cruise bookings, perhaps not understanding how O dining operates. If you want a decent chance for tables for 2 non sharing that are not too late only you can make them at 12:01 a.m.on line on date bookings open for you. By the time ether you or your TA make a call during business hours most good slots will be gone unless you are willing to share. Also a request for your preferred dining times in Terrace or Grand Dining Room is not relevant as these venues operate with strictly open seating.
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Will likely not ever sail on Vista again after two cruises with neighbor's TV, even with volume turned low, keeping me awake at night. Dealt with it for 27 nights...two different cabins on different decks. Has nothing to do with cabin location. Has to do with luck of whether your neighbors watch tv and/or speak to each other in anything but very muted tones. If you are booked on Vista, plan to bring earplugs and use white noise app on your phone...helps some.
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Pretty outrageous. Hopefully a one off poorly trained employee. I would have brought to the attention of hotel mgr.
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NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites
edgee replied to Sthrngary's topic in Oceania Cruises
Any way you look at it they are cheapening the Waves menu. For example, no longer a grilled fish option. Replacement of Jacque with Ember is another example. Yes, the addition of the new Aquamor restaurant on Vista, Marina and Allura is popular, not so much for the menu (IMHO) but because people like the option of wait staff served breakfast and lunch in a casual outdoor setting..so kudos to O for that. -
NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites
edgee replied to Sthrngary's topic in Oceania Cruises
Yes..supposedly.but it is still burger. -
NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites
edgee replied to Sthrngary's topic in Oceania Cruises
Agree, but Oceania markets its food as being best at sea implying that while it's overall market niche is premium, it's food is more equivalent to luxury lines (I guess even with hamburger replacing filet on the "with lobster" sandwiches.)🤔 -
NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites
edgee replied to Sthrngary's topic in Oceania Cruises
Trivial example, but maybe indicative of beginning to no longer have "the best cuisine at sea" when Wave's Filet and lobster sandwiches become hamburger and lobster sandwiches. -
I believe by another passenger with O's cooperation. The Vista GM and other key staff attended and interacted quite a bit with passengers.
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Not sure where you got that information/experienced the "stopping." We had a terrific M and G on Vista just a couple of months ago.
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NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites
edgee replied to Sthrngary's topic in Oceania Cruises
I am not a "glass is half empty" kind of guy, but I really do not see Oceania coming out of the starting gate well in their effort to meet NCLH expense cutting mandates. I see cuts which many be "necessary" and they are what they are, but some seem to be implemented in an almost mean spirited and sometimes inept way. Examples are cuts in availability of food items at Waves (new menu, so far only on Vista and now Marina that I know of), availability of some grilled meats/lobster in Terrace, changes not in the customer's favor in the terms of future cruise bookings, financial penalties for North Americans cancelling cruise reservations even if years out from booking date, promising complete renovation of Marina and then not following through, policy which requires loss of SM excursion credits if tours are cancelled and there is no chance to rebook....With apologies to the great Jerry Stiller,,,sounds like I am airing my Festivus grievances,,,😀... With all that being said, we still like Oceania and are looking forward to our 25 nights on Marina beginning in July...during which we will cross the ten cruise threshold and enjoy the silver benefits. Then we will decide whether we will continue to cruise with O and to what extent. Also, I think we are maybe down too much on Oceania due to spending 30 days on Vista in the last six months. We had real problems with the noise transference between cabins issue on Vista, did not like the new Ember specialty restaurant and thought the architect who designed the theatre and the limitations on the aft elevators should be run out of the industry for malpractice. We tried a comparatively low per diem Transatlantic cruise on Regent Splendor in April and have found it very much to our liking...did not see examples of the cost cutting... so have two more cruises booked with them. Keep reminding myself how these are first world "problems" and many of us are damn fortunate to have these kinds of choices and agree whole heartedly with Sthrngary about cruising well and enjoying every moment.- 18 replies
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Oceania does not refund port taxes for skipped ports
edgee replied to Sdancer's topic in Oceania Cruises
California's new honest pricing law effective in a few weeks will require all cruise lines to include port charges and taxes in advertised pricing. I understand that major cruise lines will begin conforming with that law nationwide. Not sure if that will affect refunds for missed ports by other cruise lines, as they still can be broken out on the invoice. Time will tell. -
O's insincere ( or inept) efforts to survey guests
edgee replied to edgee's topic in Oceania Cruises
I have found them very proactive in responding to mid cruise survey. Issue is that their process for allowing post cruise survey input is not at all user friendly given limited time window and less than convenient process for customers to fill it out. Gives impression that they are not that interested in feedback. Also adds to image of, at least corporate wise, being poor communicators with their customers. -
Piece of paper tops every other documentation with Oceania. Their consumer focused technology is years behind other cruise lines..indeed most customer oriented businesses.
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Thank you for telling your story. Hope it is widely read. The lack of even basic decency and customer service attitude on the part of O toward especially its customers who utilize O air is remarkably horrible. Some wonderful folks on the ships but their shoreline operation has so much room for improvement.
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Problem is in many situations by the time you get the O flight info, if you want to turn it down and book on your own, you may be looking at no reasonably priced seats being available.
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Met a couple on cruise which embarked Miami in January. Said they were starting their first O cruise on a bad note... rather angry due to their treatment by Oceania air dept. They live in Washington DC area so they figured it was fine for Oceania to pick their flights on morning of embarkation since there are numerous NS flights to Miami from both DC airports. On the day they received their itinerary they found that Oceania had routed then on United connecting through Newark, one of the most delay prone airports on the morning of the cruise. Oceania refused to correct the situation. They bought their own nonstop tickets and lost the money they had paid in their cruise fare for air..Oceania would not refund. I believe lesson here is that it is best to book your own flights, but if you do find it advantageous to use Oceania air, pay the fee to deviate and pick your own flights.
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I always believe in an honest answer. Just say they are generally available up to capacity limits.
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Agree it is a pretty minimal problem. However when I am told something cannot be done by someone in the service business and then the company surprises me by doing it, I am happy my request was honored, but less respectful of the company for its incompetent inaccurate messaging.
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Regent should say they "cannot supply" when they often can and do? Cannot supply is a complete falsehood. Can supply up to some capacity limits is an accurate, positive customer focused answer.
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Perfect example of the inexcusable poor communication on the part of this company. We had zero problems getting one on Splendor. One would think shoreside employees have never been on a ship.
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Many of us find Oceania's (same as Regent's) method of collecting guest input through the end of cruise survey quite frustrating. Surveys can only be done on line while still on the ship..no way to do it after disembarkation. On recent cruises, the end of cruise survey was not even mentioned in writing or in announcements. I actually had to ask how to pull it up on line. Today I received an email from Oceania in advance of my upcoming cruise asking me to click on a link to complete a brief survey regarding the reservation process. When I clicked on the link I immediately got a 404 error indicating an invalid link. Can't make this up. Has this happened to anyone else?
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Regent has a very very large list of always available items in their main dining room, called Compass Rose. I believe it is much higher quality and better service than Grand Dining Room on Oceania. Lack of an informal dining option in the evenings is a downside to Regent, although in their yet to come newbuilds they are rectifying that.