sammiedawg

Princess Cruise tours are one of the great travel bargains in the world.  Absolutely worth the money.  The seamless, efficient organization amazed us each and every day. We would have tried the connoisseur experience but it didn’t match our dates.   We would love to do it in the future.  

PP is one of the R ships from Renaissance cruise lines. Haven’t sailed it but we’ve done multiple trips on the R ships other cruise lines sail.  The overall layout is far superior to the Prinsendam. Cabins and bathrooms will be smaller on the R ships. 

I would expect lots of wear and tear on PP as Carnival is milking revenue while trying to sell it. Oceania purchased the Ocean Princess a few years ago and expected to spend forty million to bring it up to standards of that line. They spent fifty five plus.  

I would not choose either Prinsendam or PP.   Instead, check out Viking, Oceania or Azamara. . 

POM immigration is a wave through and a welcome back.  We’ve never encountered delays. 

Miami airport is always busy, especially the AA terminal.  We always have TSA precheck and breeze through security but the regular line is massive.   AA has 60 gates and the walk can be long, depending on your gate assignment.  

We’ve made 11:30 flights, via taxi.  Always anxious to get home so we book noonish flights. 

1 hour ago, ebslcc said:

The cruise staff have a lot of misinformation on Cuba travel.  They read off a script during the muster drill regarding OFAC people to people travel and how individual people to people travel is no longer available.  All true but it is really a cruise line marketing tactic to sell their excursions discouraging people to go out and enjoy Cuba on our own which is entirely legal under the Supporting the Cuban People OFAC category. It is a good thing Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor are such great resources for travelers so that at least some of us are well informed what’s possible.  

 

Regarding Ng the CD someone asked him how much rum and cigar we can bring back. He gave the wrong information saying a liter and $800 which is absolutely wrong. When I corrected him he just threw up his hands.  

 

There was was a comment about the on board lecturer. He is well spoken. He has some good information but he didn’t make any attempt to tailor his lecture to the ports we are visiting i.e. NOT just Havana!!!  It sounded like he was reluctant to share or is not up to date on OFAC regulation when people ask him if it is legal for people to walk around. 

 

Laurence

 

 

 

 

 

All cruise ships visiting Cuba are required to read the OFAC scripts, designate OFAC officers and set up OFAC information tables.  Per regulation, the CD is supposed to refer questions to the OFAC person.

Just ignore the information as red tape propaganda.   I did not interpret it as push to sell ship excursions. 

13 hours ago, victory2020 said:

If you can get Canadian $ or Euros the exchange rate is better. They charge a 10% penalty for US money.

We had exchanged US $ into Euros but we were still assessed the ten per cent penalty.  It is hit and miss at the currency booth.  

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are booked on a Viking Ocean cruise in 2020 that goes from Venice to Athens. We looked at a similar cruise on the Veendam with a Vista Suite. The VO cost for a Penthouse Verandah cabin was only $600pp more and taking the age of the Veendam into consideration we chose VO because it included so much more and the Viking Sea is only 3 years old. After reading this post and confirmed by others on your cruise, I am glad we choose VO. Since the Veendam is showing up in HAL 2020 cruises. it doesn't look like HAL will be selling her anytime soon.

You made a great decision. Viking is a very, very nice line.  The Viking Sea is a palace compared to Veendam, or as some crew members say, the Veendoom.   We have been on both, our Veendam mistake was 2012 when I saw a desirable South America sailing that fit perfectly into a tight vacation window of time.  Reviews back then were bad and the mistake was on me.  I read reviews but wanted that trip to squeeze around our crazy busy schedule.   Elevators were out of service, even back then, non working HVAC on one entire side of our passenger deck,  smoke haze everywhere as the ventilation system did not work.  We saw leaking ceilings with buckets in hallways and public areas.   

It has been the most hated ship in the fleet for as long as I can remember, hard Core loyalists excepted. 

It has been for sale for many years. No takers.  Carnival Corp is raking every last dime out of this dud.  

Princess pizza is the best.  People stand in line to get it.  Fresh pies come out every few minutes.

Oceania has Cuban expert Sandy Cares contracted through 2020.  She is phenomenal.  Her presentations were outstanding and really prepared us for the four days we recently spent in Cuban ports.  Too bad she was not on the OPs trip. 

We’ve traveled extensively with kids of all sizes but not on Oceania.  There will be no amenities for infants.  The only infants I’ve seen have belonged to ship officers, or the captain.  

We look forward to an Oceania family designated Alaska cruise but we have to wait a while.  Kids must be five years old to participate in the programming.  

Agree with previous comments- if you haven’t booked it go no further.  If it is too late to change your plans, good luck.   

We don’t love Disney but we’ve taken Disney cruises with our little ones.  They supply pack and plays, high chairs,  diaper Jeanis,  drinking cups with lids, child care centers.  

I email specialservices@oceania before every sailing to request caffeine free diet drinks.  I list the names of  sodas- caffeine free  Diet Coke or Pepsi,  Sprite Zero, diet Sierra Mist.  Coke Zero is not caffeine free per the label but onboard staff may think it is. 

I have  always been accommodated and the room stewards replenish as needed. 

On one occasion in Polo I asked for diet, caffeine free soda.  Someone went to the storeroom to find it, which embarrassed me.   Lately I’ve noted the GDR and specialties generally have Sprite Zero. 

Most new hotels, refurbished hotels,  new cruise ships and refurbished ships no longer have tubs.  Regardless of price point, tubs are passé.  Especially bubble tubs. The yuck factor of following other people....

For a number of years,  designers have been advising homeowners to switch tubs out for walk in showers.  New homes seldom have master suite tubs anymore but most still have a hall bath tub for little kids. But some new homes have no tubs at all.   

Consumers no longer trust that the cleaning process was thorough.  Regardless of written procedures.  Things fall through the cracks all the time.  Housekeeping is often rushed, corners may be cut.  

Oceania has tables of varying size. 2,4,6,8 and even larger if you are with a big group.   We’ve always gotten what we wanted in GDR.  They often sit you with another party who came in just before or after.  I doubt age matters. 

In the specialties we usually want a two top.  It depends on when your reservation window is and what is available.  We generally get two tops for 6:30.  

22 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

The   online  form  is  slow to get replies

I would call  since you have tried via your TA without success  or just make your own arrangements (probably a lot cheaper  than O)

 

JMO

Yes.

Definitely cancel the transfer (always overpriced IMO ) and make your own arrangements.  We have heard and read multiple complaints about the facilities Oceania takes you to.  

Spend the money to get a hotel room, try the Intercontinental.  Doubt they will give you a “day room”  but you can ask.  Book a regular hotel room and take a taxi there from the ship.  Worst case scenario you relax at their pool, have lunch then get into your room mid day to rest and relax.  Then taxi to the airport.  Make sure you have dinner at the hotel before you leave.   Airport eateries are poor, there is no AC and the terminal is very small.  

IMO Mexico ports are even less appealing than Caribbean ones.  Mazatlan was dicey fifteen years ago when we did a west coast cruise.  However, seven day cruises are the bread  and butter of mass market lines.  They have to park the ships somewhere.  California departures are accessible to millions and typically,  Mexican cruises are very cheap.  

Americans are assigned by their state of residence to a specific Brazilian embassy.   Not everyone lives in or near that city.  Using an intermediary saved us a 2014 wintertime trip to Washington DC,  an inconvenient location for us.  We actually live closer to another one but you cannot choose where to go. 

We’ve used CIBT for visa services and felt their fee was well worth it.  Their web site is well organized and detailed on how to meet visa  requirements, what to send and how to do it.  

I have read the Brazilian process has been simplified to allow e filings but haven’t researched it. 

We paid for yellow fever vaccinations but not a single official asked about it. 

Visa rules change all the time.  Never rely on a message board for guidance. 

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

seems  the people new to Oceania  dress  in suits or fancy dress

they do not do their research ahead of time

then there  are those that feel a suit is the "proper" way to dress

If they want to dress up  that is ok  but do not grumble when others  do not

JMO

This rings true, we’ve sat with a few newbie O cruisers wearing sport coats.  Seasoned O cruisers are less likely to wear them.   I see maybe a quarter of the men in sport coats in the specialties.  It is perfectly fine to wear nice shirts, nice polo shirts.  

I have never seen a tux on O.  I have seen a couple Scottish kilts. I’ve seen a handful of men in suits and ties and they looked over dressed.  

Women do not wear prom dresses. 

We liked Oceania immediately because of the country club casual dress.  We’ve ruled out trying a few cruise lines that have  the old fashioned, “ you must dress up”  rule. 

Yes, it was like the forums were hiccuping.  Yesterday was worse.  Impossible to read anything on I pad, a little easier with IPhone. Tonight it is improved. 

Passenger space ratios became important numbers to us based on a couple sailing experiences.

We had very pleasant experiences on Princess Grand class ships.  Space ration of 41.  2600 passengers.  Then we tried the Super Grand class Caribbean Princess, for which they added an additional passenger deck but kept  everything else the same.  Now there were 3100 passengers for a space ratio of not quite 36.  We hated it from start to finish as there were people everywhere.  

We were not bowled over by the Disney fantasy class, which, per the brochures, has a terrific space ratio with standard double occupancy capacity of  2500.  Then we sailed and passenger count was 4000 because so many cabins had third, fourth and fifth passengers.  We spent the week pushing baby strollers and figuring out how to hide from the masses.  

I know that several thousand travel agents are currently onboard Edge for a preview cruise.  Anxious to hear what my agent friend thinks.  And we are not big Celebrity fans.  

1 hour ago, ronbe65 said:

This is how marketing tricks and insufficient statistics are sold to us innocent.

Of course, space per passenger is more important than generalizing whether a ship is big or small. But we need to fully realize what "space per passenger" really is.

There are better HAL ship for comparisons.

The more important:

1. Open deck space is not included in tonnage. The Edge is lacking promenade deck. An important part if the ship is cut off in favor of the Suite Class, "leaving 86% of passengers behind".

2. Balconies on the Edge are covered, so, unlike on other ships, this space is now included in tonnage.

 

We cannot judge by tricky numbers only. Sometimes it's misleading.

 

Roughly consider real space pp on the Edge about 20% less than  the Niew Amsterdam, and 5% less or equal vs Koningsdam.

 

Happy cruising!

So if Edge counts balcony covered space in tonnage,  wouldn’t that mean their space per passenger number is actually deflated?   

1 hour ago, iancal said:

I believe that RCI,  Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Azamara, have left all of the Carnival Corp cruise lines in the dust when it comes to cruise ship design and innovation.  We have not sailed on the big RCI ships.  They are not our preference.  Clearly others do like them.   I believe that RCI is differentiating themselves from others in marketplace through innovative design and on board offerings.  They always seem to be headed where the puck is going, not where it was in the last play.

 

It seems to me that they are continuing this lead.  Not certain if we will end up sailing on the new platform or not.  We are not hung up on what cruise line we sail on.  However after our first sailing on Equinox, a Solstice class ship, the first thing DW asks me when we have our choice narrowed down to two or three ships is if one of them is a Solstice class ship  (as opposed to asking if the cruise line is Celebrity).

Pretty much agree.  We are not celebrity cheerleaders but have sailed  them previously.  

The decor of Edge is pretty gorgeous and reminds me of Viking Ocean. Layout of the atrium levels reminds me of Viking Ocean which has a stunning look. 

Edge space per passenger is very good for mass market at 44.  Kdam (dumb name that I cannot spell ) is 37.   Space per passenger is more important than generalizing whether a ship is big or small. 

I totally get the price Edge commands and will consider trying it out. 

We rarely take ship tours as we consider them to be a poor value, plus the irritation of loading and unloading the bus.  

In my experience, the best tour guides, whether on private or ship tours,  clearly outline and periodically review  the plans for the day and timing requirements all guest must follow.   

5 hours ago, le chat said:

Hello Jamieandsam

We went on our first ever cruise this year - Oceania Riviera Athen to Athens. The week before our cruise, they had flooding in Athens and a friend travelling the Greek islands got stuck on Mykonos due to inclement stormy weather. We were fortunate to sail through a balmy few days, until a huge weather system off the coast of Italy and Malta. The captain (wisely, we felt) travelled to Messina instead of Malta & Taormina. We overnighted in Messina (an unscheduled stop)and those on tours to Taormina still managed to do the tours. So yes, there was a cancelled port - however, given the size of the weather system, I would much rather have the unscheduled stop than have the captain plough through huge seas and a storm. As it was, we were able to go ashore each and every day of the cruise.

With regards to accommodation - we were in a concierge veranda room smack bang in the centre of the ship and on the right side to view the shoreline at each and every sail away and entry to port. Absolutely magical memories. The bathroom was much larger than we expected, having both a stand alone shower with glass doors (and fantastic water pressure) and a full sized bath with shower and glassed section. The handbasin had plenty of cabinet space (more than we both needed).

We were able to store both our large suitcases out of sight (one in the wardrobe and one under the bed). There was a sitting area with sofa and large coffee table and the balcony had a comfortable small table and chairs.

The ship is advertised as a foodie paradise and caters very much for American tastes. We were rather bemused by some of the offerings and there was so much lobster on offer, we wondered if how many had to die to fulfil the appetites of the passengers...

We found the main dining room pretentious and did not like the menu, however others did not. What we thought were outstanding were the specialty restaurants (all free), both in the quality of food offered and the decor and service - which was outstanding.

There is almost one staff member per passenger and the staff in general took pride in their jobs. It was interesting to see how many different nationalities they represented.

I do hope this review assists you. I know that before our cruise, we relied on the advice of our roll call passengers. Our experience was so positive, we have booked another cruise this year. Sadly, we could not afford Oceania to Scandinavia, so have booked Azamara ( much smaller ship). I realise we were thoroughly spoiled on Riviera, as the bathrooms on Azamara are much smaller and specialty restaurants not free. However, we have booked this one for the overnight stays in ports.

So - I would say - book for the food or the destinations or the experience and tread your own path!

 

Excellent post.  

We definitely fall into the category of people who find our own paths.  We’ve sailed on eight cruise lines.  I’m fairly sure we will try a ninth or tenth line.

We have been pleased and occasionally  blown away by Oceania.  We’ve been on all ships in the fleet,  more than once on most.  We prefer the O ships but our most interesting trips have been on the R ships.  We do not expect perfection, I don’t think it exists.  I am OK if someone writes they were unimpressed with Oceania.  But if someone pushes  too hard in repetitive fashion, I may tune out.  

In contrast, we have been occasionally unimpressed with other cruise line experiences that others rave about.   

Regarding mattresses, we were just on Sirena and heard they had hundreds of new mattresses on board, awaiting installation.  

The R ship English country decor is dated, but IMO it is remarkably well done and in very good to excellent condition.  

We’ve missed ports on multiple cruise lines.  There is no profit motive behind a captains decisions not to port.   Shore excursions are a major profit driver with price markups of 50, 100, perhaps 200 % over cost.  Why do people keep saying Oceania makes more money by skipping ports?  This is a flawed argument being repeated over and over by a few. 

We have received port charge refunds from mass market lines,  one refund was nine dollars.  

1 hour ago, mamaofami said:

If I am on a tour, would you think I would not be able to get out of the van? I use a cane and a scooter. Thanks. There are 8 of us so I might just stay on board.

???

Ask your tour guide.  Depending on your itinerary??   Buildings, sidewalks, streets are not handicapped accessible.  As able bodied people, we walked with our eyes downcast and were on high alert to dodge obstacles.  

Are you guaranteed to be in a van?  I didn’t see a lot of them.   Lots of  Cuban guides transport groups in classic car caravans.  We were told a van costs $120,000 to purchase because the government sets the price.  

There will be a sidewalk, then it disappears.  Pavements are broken, literally there will be gaping holes in sidewalks and streets, pipes sticking up in sidewalks.  The worst cobblestone I’ve ever seen.  

There are a few areas that would probably be OK.  We visited two Art districts in Havana with reasonably flat streets.  Some scenic overlooks might be OK. You should be able get out to see some of the Hemingway grounds but I’m pretty sure there were lots of steps close to the house.  

I don’t remember if the cruise terminal had elevators but it was a modern building for Cuba. 

You can exit the cruise terminal, cross the street and be in one of the historical squares.   However,  alleys, streets off the square were not good.  

Check out cruise ship excursions, do they take scooters?  Are they accessible?  If so, the tour buses are new,  and supposed to be nice.  

Crossing my fingers you can see some sights.  Definitely research further.  

We didn’t enjoy Trinidad all that much.  The most hazardous pavement imaginable, intense heat, no shade and a long ride in a classic car.  In retrospect,  we are glad we did it as we saw the countryside with primitive lifestyles and farming  methods.  We saw another colonial city.   It was a totally different experience within a totally unique country. 

We had a brief  tour of central Cienfuegos, the beautiful plaza and a few other sites. 

16 minutes ago, mamaofami said:

Going to Cuba this January on RCL. Thank you for the description of the streets and potholes since I do use a scooter. We have arranged a private tour for 8 people and I will just have to be very careful.

You may want to rethink this trip.  We are able bodied but struggled to navigate horrendous pavement,  broken and non existent sidewalks,  the worst cobblestone imaginable.  Vehicles are mostly classic cars from the fifties, no seatbelts and few have AC.  Terrible restrooms, steps everywhere.  American style parking lots?? No way.  Lots and lots of walking. ADA accessible- no way. 

The navigation difficulties are part of the experience.  The lack of tourist amenities are part of the experience.  But if you are handicapped....

Cannot imagine navigating with a scooter. We didn’t see so much as a cane anywhere.  We had four days in Cuba and toured all day each day with a guide. 

I wish your cruise spent more time in Cuba.  At the very least I would cancel the ship tours and look for a private tour guide.  Check your cruise roll call, check the Cuban port section for ideas.  

If you go again, find a cruise line that spends minimum four days in Cuba with an overnight in Havana.