CintiPam

Hank, everyone has different tastes and priorities when they travel. And I travel very differently when on a cruise then when on a land trip, which I prefer DIY, as I did for three weeks in September 2019 in France and Germany. On a cruise, I spend little time in my cabin unless I am enjoying my veranda so I do not care if I am in a suite.I still am a major sightseer at port stops plus am a slow museum goer (less stops but more time to appreciate each is my preference) so by the time I return to the ship I am tired; I do not want to disembark again to find dinner.
 

My “O” ship meals IMO indeed surpass many I have eaten in Paris, but not a single ocean liner stops in Paris. When I drove to Honfleur on one of my land trips to France, I ate many lovely meals there but had dinner on the ship on my port stops there. Service is a big part of the foodie experience IMO, and I have been very content for the most part with that on my Oceania cruises. I cannot predict your experience on Oceania but those “0” ships with their four specialty restaurants and excellent service make me happy. I miss it.

Unless New Zealand plans to open its doors to a vaccinated me, where exactly am I going to be cruising in 2021? Apparently it will take a great portion of 2021 even to vaccinate enough people in the privileged countries with sufficient vaccine supplies anticipated to be on hand to resume cruising anywhere like we have known it. Cruising to nowhere or only to a cruiseline’s private island is not for me.

And I see no harm in writing “ Who Dey!” 😉

7 hours ago, Tak8 said:

Is it fairly easy to get a taxi from the Dublin pier to a downtown hotel?  I'm thinking of spending a few days post cruise in Dublin and the Oceania price seems extremely high.

Only a few miles distance. No reason at all to pay Oceania and wait for it to fill its bus.

I am very puzzled by your query because I really do not understand why your travel agent has turned its issue into your issue. When we booked the cruise through which we would become silver members, and thus prepaid gratuities were included by Oceania, it was our travel agent who changed her benefits from prepaid gratuities to additional OBC.
 

Also, IMO it is the travel agent’s job to handle all contact with Oceania. Why should you have to telephone O? 

11 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I still laugh about an experience on the way into a ship's buffet several years ago.  We asked where the hand sanitizing station was.  The reply from the greeter was that it wasn't cold and flu season.  SWMBO and I always carry our own little bottles of sanitizer with us anyway -and we use it frequently.

 

Stay well until we can get back out there.

I am certain that your experience regarding the hand sanitizing station did not occur on an Oceania ship. As someone who lost several cruise days a few years back due to Norovirus causing the ship’s early return to Miami per CDC guidelines, I assure you that there is not a single dining venue on an Oceania ship that does not have a hand sanitizing station at its entrance because I never pass one by without using it. I doubt that will disappear once Oceania starts sailing once more.

2 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thanks for the mention  that the self-service laundry rooms may not be open.  I hadn't thought of that, but it IS, after all, a pretty small room, so not a good place to have a lot of people congregating or even going in and out.  I was just asking because we made a deposit on a B4 cabin on n O ship, cabin number not specified.  We're usually fine with just about any cabin we get, but if I later have any choice, I'd prefer not to be across from the laundry in case the closing doors get mildly annoying.  But who knows what late summer will bring.

I believe the laundry room hours are limited to 7 am to 10 pm but I did not attempt to check my recollection. 

1 hour ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

Isn’t there a good summation of all the cabins on R Class ships somewhere on the Azamara board? If so, does anyone have the link? That would help the OP.

The thread is the second one right at the top of the Azamara board. 

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Not Jim but

NO

 It only kicks in when you agree on the flights & routing

You can ask for  different  flights  until you are satisfied  with the offering

 

I usually pick the flights I want get my TA to submit to Oceania  & see if they OK them without an upcharge

If there is any extra charges  I look for other flights  or ask what flights  Oceania  is offering for those routes

Once we agree  then the charge is made 

Thanks, Lyn, that is very useful information to know.  We usually use FF miles for all our overseas travels so I was not sure.

9 hours ago, StanandJim said:

To be clear, the Deviation Fee, itself,  is a one time non-refundable cost which enables each passenger to change the fly in and fly out dates associated with their cruise.

 

The per LEG costs which may increase as a result of a Deviation are any upcharges assessed by the Airline when Oceania buys the tickets for those newer (hopefully better) flights. Please note that there are times when the newer flight will NOT be more expensive, so these fees do not always apply.

 

These Airline upcharges are a part of the Deviation negotiations with Oceania, and must be approved by the Passenger before the non-refundable aspect of the Deviation kicks in.

 

In short, the Passenger knows exactly what they are buying before they agree to buy it, and nothing is at risk until the Passenger OK's the specific routing (including costs) of the "new" Airline Arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim, it is my understanding that the $175 per person deviation fee becomes non-refundable as soon as the cruiser opts to commence air flight negotiations with Oceania rather than after one agrees to the routing. 
 

Is this correct?

11 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

Here's a new one for me.  Two physicians on news channels said that the vaccine does not technically prevent one from getting the virus, only reduces the seriousness of the illness.  One can still have contract the virus and transmit it it to others. 

 

Has anyone else seen or heard about this?

I just copied this from this morning’s Harvard Gazette article regarding its T.J. Chan School of Public Health informative interview of Dr. Anthony Fauci by Dr. Sanjay Gupta that was broadcast and I heard on December 9:

“Another unanswered question is whether the vaccines, whose trials have shown that they prevent people from getting seriously ill and dying of COVID-19, also prevent people from becoming infected in the first place and, importantly, from passing the virus on to others. It could be the case, Fauci said, that even if the vaccines don’t prevent infection, they keep virus levels so low that they do prevent transmission. Those outstanding questions, however, are why masking, distancing, and other public health measures will be needed even by people who have been vaccinated until we know the answers.”

This “recovering attorney” advises that you forget HIPAA, which does not prohibit you from voluntarily disclosing any of your medical records.You are taking a cruise voluntarily hopefully. Why can’t a private entity such as a cruise line require vaccination for you to be permitted onboard its premises as long as it is not discriminating or breaking any other laws?

22 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Not Bill, but here is an answer. This Board is divided between cruisers and travelers. Put some of the people here on a ship going nowhere eating in the various restaurants and they’re happy. They are cruisers.

 

I cruise to augment travel. I cruise to see the lands, explore the countryside, eat the local cuisine, and meet the people. I’m a traveler. I’m still mentally capable enough to realize the time clock is ticking away. Oceania puts destiny before you very vividly with cruisers that can hardly leave the ship, or if so only for short controlled stints to controlled environments. Every year of missed travels equals a year of missed opportunities, missed experiences, and missed travel as I define it. The clock doesn’t stop ticking because of Covid.

Pinotlover, the OP requested our thoughts, and in response I provided mine. I was not asking a question but providing my answer at this time. 
 

In regard to your post, please note that cruise ship travel also can be limiting; a good introduction but many may prefer DIY travel in order to spend more than 10 hours in destinations other than ports of embarkation and disembarkation. 

Hi, Bill, I know we all are aging but why worry over cruising in 2021 when we hopefully have more years left to book and enjoy cruising without the added worry of final payments, itinerary changes, etc. JMO!

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

This I why I always avoid the " lunch at boarding" and the pandemonium you refer to. I can be a feeding frenzy that the Germans  call "Fressing"

  I realize you special situation as you have described prior and  well.    Do not lump you selves in with  those who are cut from a different  cloth.

AND....Merry Christmas and God Bless to you................. Dan

Dan, I heartily disagree with your association of Oceania cruisers with the German term “fressen.” Perhaps you are confused with a different cruise line.
 

Although I never board before 3 pm when starting a European cruise, always preferring to enjoy the delights of my embarkation city as long as I can, I often board earlier in Miami, and never have witnessed such behavior.

In my experience, many simply board early to commence changing gears into vacation mode, relax, enjoy the excellent service, explore the ship, etc.

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

This is true if you are taking their hotel package  

Because you need to deviate to use the hotel  pre or post cruise  package 😉 the  deviation fee is not extra

 

Note that you will more than make that up by paying at least twice the price for each hotel night! 😉

2 hours ago, edgee said:

So, thanks everyone for your input. Here is where we ended up. We decided to move up to Deck 11 PH1. A couple of forward cabins became available that were not across from the Exec. Lounge.. E mailed one of our favorite cruise directors and asked if we had made a good choice. Turns out our choice was good in that we are under Deck 12 cabins but we were across from a crew access door. So then we were able to move forward just one cabin to at least slightly alleviate that concern. I think we will be just fine.

So glad you found a cabin you like.  We love both Marina and Riviera.

3 hours ago, ORV said:

And here I was thinking the reason that we are generally seated rear and center is because the hostess liked my wife. Now I know it's an undesirable seat. LOL. Actually we generally have breakfast there and unless it's a port day the ship is docked. We rarely have dinner in the GDR. Either a Specialty or the Terrace. 

My husband fortunately has grown used to my restaurant seating foibles after 45 years and never even sits down until I indicate that I am fine with the table assigned! 

3 hours ago, GeorgesGal said:

I've been in PH2's and B3's on deck 7 several times and was never bothered by vibrations.  Except, of course, when docking, when vibrations run through almost the whole ship.

 

Also never experienced vibrations in the rear of the MDR.  Our chosen spot is aft by the windows.  CintiPam you must be more sensitive to the movements than I.

 

Donna

Donna, you are correct regarding my sensitivity to the vibrations.  Aft by the aft windows definitely is the primo spot in the GDR  but the only time we have sat there is when the ship has had a late evening departure. 
 

I also very much prefer that my cabin be located between the two sets of elevators as well. A bit more forward works fine but those aft cabins are not for me!

As Yogi Berra may have said: “It’s deja vu all over again.” (I just read this same new thread a minute ago.)

Happy Thanksgiving to Dan and all the rest of the Oceania board contributors.

In all my many times in cabins on Deck 7 of Marina and Riviera, I only have had a noise issue one night when, instead of just a piano player performing in Martinis on Deck 6, there was a jazz trio (quartet?) playing there. 
 

No obstruction issues because the lifeboats obstruct Deck 6 on the “O” ships, which is why the curtains always are closed between the fore and aft elevators on Deck 6.

7 minutes ago, CintiPam said:

Duplicate  posted in error.

I have a more positive view. Although I never even had taken a ship’s excursion before the introduction of OLife, preferring DIY or touring with two to six others on a private tour, if you (1) are on a 12-day cruise, and (2) both you and your cabin mate are taking excursions, you only are committing to three ship’s excursions.  
 

The only February cruises I have taken have been in the Caribbean, and there are some truly excellent snorkeling and sailing options that would not be easy to duplicate on your own, especially sailing opportunities unless one pays a much higher price. My husband and I chose separate excursions for two of the four included on our late February-March 2020 14-day cruise (he does not snorkel), and that turned out great.

You always can opt for OLife and change your mind if nothing suits your interest. just as you can change your mind about including airfare or booking your own flights.

JMO.

Deck 11 should be OK.  (I actually will not sit in the aft 2/3 of the Grand Dining Room on Deck 6 if the ship is moving because I think the vibration is dreadful there. By the second day onboard, the GDR hostess recognizes me!)

21 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

I just booked a cruise for 2022 and might actually book a hotel in Athens through Oceania even though it will be overpriced. Will need to compare the price of airfare plus transfers to what I am paying for the "free" airfare and $149 Premium Economy upgrade promotion. I checked 2021 pricing (since there are no hotels showing for my 2022 cruise yet), and they have a hotel for $349 per person per night. That particular hotel would be $400-500 including taxes, so it's possible that it could be worth paying a little more to avoid paying for transfers and getting the discounted PE.

 

We would probably only do one night. If we did more than that, the math is different obviously. And I could probably find a cheaper hotel. In any event, I have a year to decide.

The current cost of a taxi (not per person) from the airport to downtown is fixed by law at 38 Euros and from the airport to the port is 50 Euros. The taxi from central Athens to the port is around 15 Euros. 

4 hours ago, RJB said:

Key West can never be a home port so this answer makes no sense at all.  Key West is just another shopping street.  Like it a lot but if we miss it no big deal.  Better to stay a few days.  

RJB, I simply was responding to the last three postings regarding Barcelona becoming more of a home port.

Regarding Key West, I only have visited for one port day, but I am a history buff and found both the Truman White House snd Hemingway’s home fascinating places to visit. Not just another shopping street in my opinion. But certainly no Barcelona, where I have stayed for several weeks and not yet run out of places to visit! 😉