sammiedawg

We did four days of private tours which I highly recommend.  Check out the Cuba board or TA for recommendations.  

I heard quite a few complaints about the Oceania tour to Trinidad.  

Very sad stories.  Kudos to the crew members who had to carry on like it was a regular day.  

We have had things go wrong on Oceania Cruises that we’re not the fault of the cruise line or crew.   The communication was adequate and crew members were professional and kind to passengers, even the ones who were nasty and over the top with complaints.  

Our dealings with staff, crew, officers has been very positive and professional.  

A few passengers think they are de facto crew members and they are irate if every little detail is not communicated to their satisfaction. 

I remember reading one live transatlantic blog a few years ago in which an Oceania newbie OP tore the Riviera crew to pieces.  Complaints went on and on in the most bitter fashion.  It was an imperfect cruise with noro and missed ports.  A couple weeks later we were onboard and met two couples who had been on the same transatlantic.   They took everything in stride and had a good time.  They disagreed completely with the blogger’s extreme negativity and said they were embarrassed for the OP.   

I never recommend Veendam.  

Cuba is fascinating but I would find a 10-11 day cruise on another line that has docking rights and spends four or five days there.  

3 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I thought I had remembered reading that amount - it must have been your post 🙂

Yes, that nine dollars changed my life.  

We have received port fee refunds from a couple cruise  lines and the pp amount was very small each time.  One time it was nine dollars,  which might buy a glass of house wine.  For some reason I remember that dollar amount. 

I’m struggling to believe a single Caribbean port fee was $300 per couple.  

1 hour ago, OlsSalt said:

Our next cruise this way is offering a shore excursion to St Barts (ferry) from this port.  Any word about how or if St Barts also got hit?  

 

Very tragic report.  Thanks for sharing the sobering facts. France is hardly in any shape right now to bail this out today.

We were told St Bart’s had significant damage that has mostly been cleaned up.  I haven’t been there since the hurricane so my info is third party.  

This is a very wealthy enclave.  Fabulous yacht harbor. Recently saw photos of many celebs  there for the holidays.  

Many tourists pass through St Marten to get to St Bart’s, via the airport or ferry.   

It was shocking and depressing to see the damage.  I followed this story closely for a while,  recovery will take decades.  It is not the US where lots of government assistance kicks in for coastal communities to rebuild.  

We were told  property owners cannot afford insurance deductibles to rebuild and France is unlikely to kick in zillions. Many resorts and tourist operations were unprofitable before the storm and they will never be rebuilt. 

Going in for a day off a cruise ship is OK,  tours are running, beaches mostly open.   The French side sustained catastrophic damage, resorts and other tourist facilities badly damaged or  flattened.  Minimal to no mold remediation was done,  many buildings not habitable. Owners awaiting insurance payouts but will not rebuild.  Lots of submerged boats remain in the water.  

Really sad. 

Not sure of your flight times but we boarded Marina a little before 11 am. We had taken a ferry from Moorea, which docked a few slips away.  Check in was on board the ship in the lounge. 

Taxis from airport to pier are about thirty dollars.  

A few days prior we killed time at an open air eatery next to the ferry.  No one cared how long  we stayed. 

20 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Oceania does have one very good cruise in their latest packet - Norway on around to Solovetsky Islands (location of the gorgeous monastary and the infamous Gulag Archipelago) and Archangel, Russia - Prinsendam used to do this from time to time and it remains a very unique itinerary.

 

For anyone missing the Prinsendam and wants something totally different and off the beaten track, this is a very good itinerary. Starts in Ireland ends in Copenhagen.  Called "Northern Glow" -  July 5-23, 2019. 18 days. Why do I think all their "loss leader" lower priced cabins are already gone? Oceania's tried and true operating principle. On the Nautica.

Oceania regulars book up inside cabins  within days of release, they don’t have many to sell.  Nautica itineraries sell out very fast.  It is a terrific R ship, well worth paying the price for whatever cabin is available.  C1 OV cabins are good as are B1 or B2 verandas.  

45 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

The US situation is not universal.  In Canada, for example, Sudafed and Advil Cold and Sinus both contain Pseudoephedrine. Sudafed also contains Pseudoephedrine in the UK and Australia, the only other two countries I checked.

Real Sudafed sold anywhere in the world has pseudoephedrine as the primary ingredient.   For the last fifteen years or so it has been a controlled substance in many countries, including Canada per google.    You can still buy it behind the counter but purchases are monitored.  At some point pharmacies will stop selling it altogether, much like they stopped selling Codeine based cough syrup.  A handful of states and cities have banned it altogether. 

The majority of decongestants sold OTC now have Phenylephrine as the active ingredient.  This product is sold as Sudafed PE.  Most consumers do not realize the active ingredient has changed but I think New Zealand officials will know this. 

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Sudafed, Advil Cold and Sinus and some other similar cold medications contain Pseudoephedrine, a controlled drug that cannot be personally imported into New Zealand.

 

Like travel document requirements, determining what you can take into a foreign country is just one more item that should be on any international traveller's check list.

Most Sudafed, Advil cold meds no longer contain Pseudoephedrine, which is a controlled substance in most states.  Meth labs reconstitute Pseudoephedrine. 

Real Sudafed is now sold behind the pharmacist counter and any customer purchase is logged into a registry.  Eventually, most pharmacies will stop selling it altogether. 

The substitute ingredient in cold meds is Phenylephrine HCL and the new label name is Sudafed PE or Suphedrine PE (Walmart version).   Phenylephrine efficacy is surprisingly good, without the stimulant effect.  

The only time I’ve heard of this was on a back to back 17 day, port intensive  cruise, people on the seven day segment had limited choice of times.  Just too many people looking for early times.  Every sailing is different, passenger preferences vary.  We’ve always had good luck with early times, especially if we choose port days. 

Go to the restaurant deck the day you board.  They hold back a few reservations and will likely accommodate your need.  

2 hours ago, martylouie said:

What no Hairy Chest contests???

Princess had that on one cruise, which is one of the reasons we are migrating to Hal after being platinum on Princess.  They too are cutting back.   I want my fettuccine Alfredo in a parmesan basket!  

I have seen hairy leg and belly flop contests on Holland America, depends on the ship.  It didn’t bother me all that much.

We have traveled extensively,  stayed in high end hotel properties and have taken luxury and luxury light cruises.  Room service has never interested us.  We had it for the first time on a cruise last year due to extenuating circumstances and all we wanted was a continental breakfast (which we packed up and took with us).  

We travel to get out of the house, break up the monotony of life and jobs.  No interest whatsoever in en suite dining.  And agree about food smells and messy plates. 

8 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

We have yet to sail O but have lurked several of their cruises.  A question: any issue with kids onboard?  That has been our only gripe with SeaDream is kids with nothing to do.  Thanks.

 I rarely see kids on Oceania.  Oceania does not offer children’s programs.  But they designate a handful of Alaskan cruises as family friendly and we hope to take extended family sometime.  

We liked a lot about Viking ocean.  Their two specialty restaurants were excellent.  We even liked Chef Table, West Indies menu.  Ships are beautiful, cabins spacious and lovely.  Nice service throughout the ship. But Marina/Riviera are the very best ships and overall, Oceania ambience just clicked with us.  

Oceania Riviera/Marina are the best ships ever and we have been on eight cruise lines. Visually stunning interiors, great food and service.  Four specialty restaurants blow us away every time.  Compared to Viking,  Riviera food venues are much better.  We love terrace grill where food is served by staff and often cooked to order. Also there is a very  large shaded al fresco area. Didn’t care for Viking self service buffet. Waves is better than the Viking pool grill because of the shaded open air seating.  Viking has no where to sit other than pool area. 

Oceania pool area is superior with the most comfortable cushioned chairs and lots of shade. We like fresh air. Viking seems to keep the retractable roof closed and there was little ventilation.  Also Viking loungers were uncomfortable and there was limited shade. 

It will be cold in most ports and there will be abbreviated tourist activities in some. 

We have visited Maine for years. Ollie’s trolley will have a couple tours running. They do a great job. Call or check web site closer to departure to see what they will run.  

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

some of the ports in Norway are easy to DIY  as long as you do your homework ahead of time

Have you checked your roll call to see if anyone has any tours set up ?

When we did the North Cape I pre arranged  a taxi  for  a group of us  from Honningsvaag 

we had a couple of stops on the way  & you pay the entrance fee yourself

it was about 3 hrs 

 

Agree with this.  Norway is perfect DIY but we didn’t hear much about private tours.  Norway is quite pricey.  

Some DIY things we did with a roll call group or on our own 

Honnigsvag- we shared a rental van to the north cape and stopped at a bird sanctuary on the way.  Some cruisers took a city bus up there

Trondheim- we visited a royal palace, historical sites on our own

Alesund- train ride to the top of the mountain, some people booked another train ride

Flam- booked the train as an independent group then we rode around the region  on a sightseeing train. 

Stavanger- we booked our own sightseeing boat to Pulpit Rock. 

Geiranger- we booked our own sightseeing bus that took us to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba(sp) 

Bergen- independent trip up the funicular, then bought tickets to see a couple museums, visited the fish market.  Some people booked another fiord boat trip.

iceland is loaded with private tour operators and we joined roll call groups. 

Not sure of your itinerary but i loved these destinations. 

Bergen

Holland America has very weak Cuban itineraries plus using Veendam.  No way would I use HAL for this itinerary.  Look around.  Other cruise lines have docking rights and many itineraries that visit three Cuban ports, with overnights in one or two cities. 

Definitely recommend visiting Cuba to experience the the unique history and the time warp of the culture.  I highly recommend independent touring to see the most possible sites and to savor the real Cuba. 

I still cannot get over a ship captain threatening independent travelers.  If I heard a statement like that I would be done with whatever cruise line he worked for.  And I would make a formal complaint to the home office.    IMO,  this is an outrageous way to treat customers.  

I don’t think elevator issues are new.  We sailed Prinsendam 2014 and various elevators were often down, along with the cabin AC and HVAC in common areas.  Common areas reeked of smoke and there was a visible smoke haze in areas adjacent to the casino.  

I would book another cruise line for Cuba that actually docks in the ports and offers more days in Cuba.

Also, Holland America takes things too far against independent travelers.  Other cruise lines do not treat independents like second class citizens.  I would never sail with any cruise line telling me I might not get a seat on a tender back to the ship.  

So I say look around at other cruise lines, 

We spent four days in Cuba. Did not think about or hear a single word about vaccines. Not needed IMO.  Typhoid especially.  

The lines are not long.  

We exchanged dollars for euro before the trip but we were still assessed the 13 % surcharge in Cuba.  Exchange policies and rates are hit and miss.  

A knowledgeable TA told me Oceania does not fire sale cabins.  They do offer cabins here and there to employees or travel agents.  

I haven’t had luck watching for last minute pricing.  So we book when we know we want something.   

The OP mentioned Viking, they definitely fire sale cabins and we’ve gotten a couple deals with them. 

1 hour ago, DeltaBreeze said:

I've spent months on the Pacific Princess. It has 200+ less passengers than the Prinsendam, so almost no lines and problems tendering. It has a cabaret lounge and no main stage, but the entertainment is good and varied. The buffet only offered a rotating dinner menu on some sea days. The PP is the world cruise ship and the staff is the best.

 

The only issue I had with the PP was no open seating.

Fixed dining was the big reason we didn’t do PP in Alaska or anywhere.  Cannot do the old fashioned regimentation.