Paulchili

On 8/15/2021 at 3:15 PM, mauibabes said:

If I lose the first segment credit then I go home with 2 credits.🤬

I guess it is an issue of ASSUME and READING THE FINE PRINT! 
Gerry

Gerry,

Please let us know how it was handled.

TIA.

Have a great cruise either way.

55 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Sorry, not sure where you heard that but not true...all segments Not just GV will be available..Sorry Flatbush Flyer..

Jancruz1

Good to know - thanks Jan

On 8/15/2021 at 11:07 AM, KS&JW said:

Someone should start a cheese thread.
 Until then my vote is for  https://www.cheese.com/delice-de-bourgogne/

On 8/15/2021 at 9:36 AM, cruisingxpert said:

I love Epoisses and Agur is a lovely blue but my new and hard to find is D"Affinois Blue

On 8/15/2021 at 11:07 AM, KS&JW said:

Someone should start a cheese thread.
 Until then my vote is for  https://www.cheese.com/delice-de-bourgogne/

On 8/15/2021 at 12:12 PM, avalong said:

I buy delice de bourgogne at Trader Joe's. Yum.

On 8/15/2021 at 1:42 PM, cruisingxpert said:

That is my second favorite after D"Affinois Blue  D'Affinois has the creamy texture of Delice- de -Bourgogne with the extra little zip that the blue offers.

 

I also like Livarot and Munster that I have only had on Oceania.  I thought they had misspelled Munster when I first saw it https://www.cheese.com/munster/

 

Sorry for going off topic to my cheese addiction😊

Thank you all for this info.

Time to search for and enjoy new pleasures 😀

59 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

And yes, we had to make this trip memorable so a 14 day Free cruise was only the beginning as we coupled the equivalent of 4 cruises totaling 46 days to make sure it was a fitting celebration of our long term relationship with our Oceania family and our 50th Anniversary. 

Is your first segment 14 days or longer and are you getting any cruise credits for days beyond 14?

The reason I ask this as we took our 20th few years ago on Nautica in Asia. It was a 21 day cruise but one we liked and prices are usually high for those itineraries. I understood that we had to pay for the extra 7 days (prorated) but disappointed that we did not get a cruise credit for the 7 days part. After all, there were many 7 day stand alone cruises that gave people 1 cruise credit and we paid "full" price for a 7 days cruise.

59 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

Someone should start a cheese thread.
 Until then my vote is for  https://www.cheese.com/delice-de-bourgogne/

As you seem to live somewhere near me can you recommend the place where you buy this cheese (or do you get it online)?

D’Affinois Blue sounds good as well

Apologies for a brief OT note about French cheeses. Some years ago on a trip in France we’ve discovered a new favorite cheese - Livarot. Shortly afterwards while visiting Tahiti we took a local bus tour with 5 or 6 strangers that included lunch. Straining for conversation with strangers I had asked an obviously French gentleman if he was familiar with Livarot. He said nothing but pulled out his French passport that indicated his place of birth as Livarot, France.

What are the odds?

On 8/13/2021 at 2:16 PM, fluffies said:

Jacques and its cheese cart introduced us to Epoisses on our first Marina cruise....now we can't get enough of the stinky stuff.

We love that cheese as well.

Have you tried St. Agur?

https://www.cheese.com/saint-agur/

Best served at room temp (not cold)

The safest choice for a quiet cabin is to have cabins both above a below your cabin.

I prefer aft as I am prone to sea sickness and prefer to be closer to dining venues.

1 hour ago, Jancruz said:

Jacques menu items will be available in the GDR

Jancruz1

I hope that will include some of my favorites from Jacques

I for one am not pleased at all as Jacques was by far my favorite restaurant  My first clue of this day coming was when they eliminated J from refurbished Sirena.

It actually may be a deal breaker for me. I would like to try Vista but after that I would only book O class ships when not sailing on Nautica (unless I am blown away by Vista - not likely).

On 8/11/2021 at 3:47 PM, ronrick1943 said:

This is correct- it’s the way we did I it.  We had the Owners Suite, they had a Penthouse and it used one of their spots each time they joined us.

I suspect that you are right but let's remember that inviting a guest by on OS occupant may not be the same as a concierge level occupant inviting an inside cabin. Right or wrong, OS cruisers do get special treatment,

Just sayin'  

9 hours ago, Rrehfe4969@aol.com said:

Have done these before and are really good but had our heart on cinque terre

Why don't you just DIY - with careful planning it can be done.

Or you may look for a local tour operator and maybe have others from your RC join you to make it more affordable.

6 minutes ago, Robjame said:

We Canadians always pre-tip the pilot

Are you saying that every time you get on a plane you pre-tip the pilot?

If so, how much does one tip for a flight from Vancouver to NYC vs Vancouver to Seattle and in what currency 😀

6 hours ago, Roccaforte said:

“While in their waters”.  Are you saying that even after the ship has left port but still close to shore, passengers are required to wear a mask onboard?  Seems like bureaucratic overreach to me.

Just remember that the borders of a country are NOT defined by its coastline -water and air space surrounding them belongs to them as well for a given distance.

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are seeing that as a trend with other lines.  For example, we will soon be off to Greece for a Seabourn cruise (and some post cruise island hopping).  Both Greece and Seabourn require us to be fully vaccinated and both require us to show proof (the CDC Vaccination Cards are adequate).  However, Seabourn will also do a pre-embarkation test at the port (done in a tent) and do further testing during our cruise.  We will also need to get an Antigen test before we can fly back to the USA.  Requirements in other places are even tougher.  For example, we have a cruise in the Fall that embarks from Barbados.   Barbados mandates a standard PCR test within 3 days prior to the trip.  They further mandate another PCR test upon arrival on the island.  The cruise line mandates vaccinations and also does testing onboard.  And, of course, we will need an antigen test to return to the USA.  

 

So as you can see, the world seems to be adopting various protocols requiring both vaccinations and testing.  For those not vaccinated there are many additional requirements (assuming they can even travel) such as quarantines, additional testing, etc.

 

There is no way I would be willing to pay for this particular cruising  experience - much less Seabourn type of money.

Of course, as always, YMMV - I'll wait 😀

12 hours ago, rln44 said:

We are on the 20 day South America cruise.  We had hoped we would be able to include our friends at our table without using any of their allotted reservations-apparently not.  But  we will ask anyway under the theory that it never hurts to  ask and if you find the right Oceania rep they will occasionally bend the rules.

Not a likely scenario but theoretically speaking anything is possible.

Depends on many factors but it cannot hurt to ask - good luck.

Just one request - please do not even consider “slipping” money to anyone to accomplish this.

3 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

Yes that is correct.  If the other folks have a lower cabin category, the lower category determines the window when they can be invited on line.  So, for example, a PH can't invite a Veranda until the Veranda booking period opens.

Except when the powers that be feel generous and the mysterious exemption rule is granted. 😀

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

My cruise is in April, Barcelona to Rome. I will cancel before FP if there is a mask requirement onboard imposed. I have a Celebrity cruise in December from Tampa booked which I will also cancel if masks are required on the ship.

What if the mask requirement changes AFTER you made your final payment on either cruise?

4 hours ago, Woofa said:

I think these look great, definitely adds a slightly modern and airy feel, at least in the pictures.  

I do have a question about the tubs.  It seems some people really love them in addition to a shower.  For us, I think we would probably not use it and prefer a larger shower and closet for the same space.  Can the tubs be used all the time?  Might they be dependent upon the seas that day?  Do any of the current ships have a choice (other than the larger handicap shower) to skip the tub and get more room elsewhere?  From what I have seen the bathrooms in the Veranda cabins look plenty big at least on the O ships.

Personally, using a "public" tub is a non-starter for me - I don't even use our tub at home and had the second one replaced with a large shower.

OK - I know that this is my personal opinion and choice and others have no such inhibitions. That said, it looks like one needs to poses the acrobatic skills of Simone Biles (or close to that) to get into and out of that tub. Her latest triple double should do it 😀 Just follow the moves in this video closely and you'll be fine. 😀

https://www.okayplayer.com/sports/simone-biles-what-is-a-triple-double-us-gymnastics-championships.html

O Life & air are entirely separate items independent of each other.

You can take the air w/o O Life or v.v.; take both or neither one.

3 hours ago, avalong said:

Google "Moscow subway stations" for a look-see. How do they compare to the SPB ones?

The Circular (Central?) line in Moscow is unmatched. The others are more or less like the ones in SPB.

7 hours ago, tropicalkerry2002 said:

Yes, I had arranged a group of 8, I think, on the roll call, and we did the whole 3 days together.

Believe me, WE missed Florida as well!

The subway was incredible! The trip down the escalator took 2 minutes, I think the guide said, and was incredibly steep. The stations are gorgeous. I have always loved to see what the local life is like in places I visit, and enjoy the local architecture of houses. Here is another photo of the trip down, and one taken at a subway station

 

While I agree that the subway in SPB will impress any visitor it truly does not compare to the oldest line of Moscow subway (Red Circle line?)

While not as well kept under the current regime, it's splendor does come through despite some minor vandalism (unimaginable under the previous Soviet Socialist system)..

Not to be missed if and when one is in Moscow.

On 7/7/2021 at 1:18 PM, Homerody said:

@Paulchili - don't you mean a bottle of "Shampanskoye"?  😲

LOL

Have no idea of how it tasted as we passed it on 😀

A Faberge Egg we would had kept 😀 😀

1 hour ago, PhD-iva said:

We can also highly recommend SPB tours. We used them on our Baltic cruise on Marina in June 2016. We used their tours in several cities and were also v happy!

Ditto here.

We had the good fortune of having the now owner and founder of SPB as a private guide when she still worked for Alla before opening her own Co SPB.

Since then we've used SPB twice to great satisfaction. The last time we were there she surprised us and greeted us at lunch with a bottle of Russian "champagne" 😀

That said. if Alla's works better for you scheduling wise you would be just fine.

5 hours ago, ORV said:

I think you're thinking of the PH suites at the back on Deck 7. I don't think they have the walkins, but I could be wrong. 

I think you may be right. Perhaps I was thinking of those PHs in the back and not OC suites.

55 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

The 2 Oceania Suites at the back are a bit smaller than the ones at the front on Deck 12.  Where you enter on Deck 12 suites there is a 3 PC bath.  11080 and 11083 have a powder room- no shower.  The media room is smaller as well.  The bedroom has a window rather than a walkout to deck like Deck 12 suites.  Master bath has a neat circular window- no window in Deck 12 suites.  Balcony is wraparound at the back and normal size for the Deck 12 suites.

Also there is no walk in closet in the 2 smaller units - just a wall closet like in a balcony cabins (if memory serves me right)