1985rz1

I think you need to be more specific about which ship (O or R) and clarify whether you are asking about the Vista suites when referring to bow staterooms or some other set of staterooms.

It should appear on the invoice from your TA. I don't think it is explicitly stated on online accounts. But, you should ask your TA if you want to confirm.

Actually, exchanging email addresses specifically for this purpose is also forbidden by the CC rules.

Have your TA contact them on your behalf.

Beat by seconds, again. I need to up my game 😄

Our TA sends us the pdf.

I haven't done a TA myself, but I've experienced other places where the internet was flaky. But from posts by others, it could be spotty, but not totally nonexistent. You may have to find times of the day (or night) when fewer of your fellow pax are not on line, so the bandwidth is not completely clogged. I'd guess that when there are a lot of sea days, many folks are on line, overwhelming the bandwidth even if satellites are plenty.

Just to clarify, the slowness of the connection is most probably due to poor internet speed...not unusual in the middle of the Atlantic where satellites are sparse. The WiFi speed shouldn't vary with the ship's location, as it is fixed by the WiFi routers and their bandwidth and that can vary because of the number of simultaneous users on-board.

Countries who follow the 6 month rule frequently state "Must have six months validity at entry" (taken from the State Dept's travel information for visiting the French West Indies). That type of requirement might the the basis of the passport wording. In the case of a cruise, entry into a country that is later in the cruise departure could be a problem if the 6 month's deadline occurs after boarding but before entry into the country. The safest approach for a cruise line to cover this situation might be simply requiring 6 months after return. Just speculating.

Perhaps it's bit more accurate to say "when on the ship outside a cellular network the ships wifi is your only affordable option for data." If you don’t turn off your cell service (i.e. turn on airplane mode) to access the ship's WiFi, your phone may default to the ship's Cellular @ Sea cell service, which has outrageous charges for calls and data.

If you're been on the O forum for a while, you know there is a history of previous rants.

Do you mean a higher space to passenger ratio?

Yes, it's the Riviera that is undergoing refurbishment this year.

That's right. I've never tried it, but at time of low passenger load, it might be marginally acceptable. Still, it's a roll of the dice. And the more the folks stream, the more congested it becomes. Maybe if you are OK with audio only, as FlyerTalker and pinotlover suggest, it might suit your needs.

No, the speed is the same, regardless of the package or total usage. There are no hotspot channels on-board. Everyone, regardless of package, competes for the same bandwidth...for a slice of the same pie. There is no upper limit to total usage, like you might have on a phone, where your speed is throttled. Bandwidth is not the same as total number of MB downloaded. Everyone is in the same boat (literally and figuratively), and shares the total bandwidth available to the ship. So speed of an individual connection depends on how many are competing for the same bandwidth. And the ship's total bandwidth isn't great. There is no advantage to the upgrade except for access to streaming channels. We all hope for WiFi upgrades on all of O's ships, but are not holding our breath.

That's the whole point of a guarantee: equal or better cabin. Who in management were you in touch with? And you got a PH, right? Seems like O lived up to the promise, so I think your projecting your anxiety.

Be aware that the paid upgrade only opens the streaming channels, which are not available on the standard WiFi. There is no increase in speed or bandwidth.

I think $10 is the right estimate for spirits and cocktails, but plus the automatic 20% gratuity to be safe.

I came across an article by the Points Guy on passport requirements, and it provided some information about which Caribbean ports are not participating in the WHTI. It's not complete, but the key paragraph says: "Yes. Even if you're on a closed-loop sailing, certain islands in the Caribbean – Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, Barbados and others -- require a passport for entry. It’s your responsibility (not your cruise line’s) to learn the requirements of each of the destinations you're visiting before you go." St Bart's is on our closed loop itinerary in February, so a passport is required with 6-month validity upon departure. (Neither Barbados nor Guadaloupe nor Martinique have the 6- month's requirement.) Since O sails to many of the the smaller ports in the Eastern Caribbean, and since the itineraries are often quite different from itinerary, to me, it makes sense that O should have a blanket 6-month policy for all their cruises. It would be a nightmare to fashion different requirements on a cruise by cruise basis, and a risk for an accidental screwup which could negatively impact passengers on the cruises. It's safer with the blanket requirement, especially since there can be mid-cruise port changes. I don't know for sure, but I would bet that the big lines such as NCL avoid those ports that have the passport requirement (6 months or not). And it's never a good idea to think that a major corporation could be flexible on it's requirements because some other company has different requirements since one exception could open the flood gates of troubles. Different Oars for Different Ships. Here's the Point's Guy's article: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/need-passport-cruise/

Thanks.

I haven't found any evidence of this, no matter what government sites I visit.

I think that option is problematic, since it involves moving walls.

Depends on ports being visited. Not all follow the NHTI.

You're from the Bay area. Did you know Paulchili?

It's called a business model. I think it's the TA that provides the reduced OBC. You don't lose, you just don't get double, just one free grat plus ana modest OBC. I used the amount of $250, but that was a place holder...it could be more. It's just not as much as the free grats...AFAIK Maybe someone who has actual experience can provide the real numbers...and maybe I'm totally off base. It's just what I remember from previous posts, but then my memory....