PaulMCO

many of the Signature and Virtuoso TA's lost thousands of dollars and will still not support or promote NC on their web sites.

New Cruise line has plans for Odyssey... https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Insights/buying-Odyssey-Japanese-line-market-us

It's the Engineer in me that does this 🙂

Even sister line Regent does not does not go that expense. General brochure, luggage tag, final document (a page or two), luggage tags with cabin and a set of nice airline luggage tags in a faux leather holder. Some money -- but zero labor. These are also nice -- they work for HAL and Seabourn. Both of who give your tags via PDF and you print them. https://www.amazon.com/Holland-America-Luggage-Holders-Cruise/dp/B084JBQZQM/ref=sxts_rp_s_a_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4%3Aamzn1.sym.eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4&crid=31RK1EOW0294V&cv_ct_cx=cruise+luggage+tags&keywords=cruise+luggage+tags&pd_rd_i=B084JBQZQM&pd_rd_r=af33c806-15f0-4134-924d-6dd9ceac03b5&pd_rd_w=fXdNJ&pd_rd_wg=Tzw4P&pf_rd_p=eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4&pf_rd_r=D1E9Y344PS6QWJNFAPHC&qid=1681491987&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=cruise+lugg%2Caps%2C832&sr=1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e

Pretty much correct, single supplement discounts are rarely combinable with any special offers. O Life Ultimate is same cannot be combined -- it is its own special offer Olife is always an add on from cruise only prices and you can have Olife for the usual $100 per. Cruise air is always a credit so may be added or subtracted This savings is obviously targeted to slow selling an open cruises and probably is capacity controlled (certain number of cabins)

a lot of this stuff is directed through your TA. My old TA retired and switched to a new one who we've done only 1 cruise (Dec/Jan) with. Lots of travel, the big issue is to find a house sitter each time (with our mix of dog. cats, birds, mules, donkeys and horses)...

It is unfortunate you have to do same with every cruise. We did same with Crystal versus Marina for a 2018 Amazon Cruise PH for both and Crystal won Our upcoming Japan cruise Regent versus Nautical versus SS -- Regent came out ahead because they had a special on a 2 cabin free upgrade. Of course what I usually do (the Engineer in me) is to equalize each and get rid of the fluff. Because when comparing Oceania and Regent there is lots of "free" which is not really free. Get rid of the air, get rid of the "free one night", get rid of the excursions if you can (or use a value of $100 for each), free 3 day land tour on Regent -- there is a credit for this if you do not want it... Then you can compare... decide what you want to buy or use frequent points/miles for air or hotels.

By the way, you do not have to call a TA to find out the magical savings. Just go to one of the several TA's whose internet sites allow direct booking and the new prices are there. Surprised how light the near term bookings are.. Singapore to Dubai (10 May 23) has always been one that is near sold out on Nautica. Pretty much wide open (only OS and VS sold out) Some examples C1 was $6240pp now $3849pp B2 was $7599 now $4699pp A1 was $8549 now $5349pp Insides also similarly discounted No savings on PHs

Last Oceania Cruise - Marina Amazon Dec/Jan 2023 Next Oceania cruise -- none planned. Still have some FCC left through 2024. Still looking for another quality cruise line (sampling Seabourn, SS and Regent), especially since the Crystal bankruptcy. Next Cruises are (especially since officially retired): Seabourn Encore 30 April 2023 Greek Isles and Turkish Riviera Silver Shadow - November 2023 - Quebec to Fort Lauderdale RSSC Explorer - Japan March/April 2024 RSSC Mariner - Amsterdam to Barcelona - August 2024 Silver Moon - Lisbon to Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale - Nov 2024 RSSC Voyager - Sydney to Auckland to Papeete - Jan/Feb 2025

It is about cost period.. They split the book into two. One is general and the other was cruise specific. The General one had the usual dining, procedures and other general info, that can be printed on mass well in advance - presume split to save money. Other contained the cruise specific info as well as shore excursions. They had both books centrally printed by a New Jersey firm and mailed directly to save $$. My opinion it is about people creating the book more than the distribution costs. With shortage of workers that is the real cost. It takes alot of work to assemble the cruise specific, voyage specific and passenger specific data (cabin location, booked shore excursions, dining reservations etc.). Even sister "luxury" cruise line Regent does not do this. Brooke -- you know we have not received an O brochure in two years. Since we have done one Regent cruise recently (and have 3 more booked), we are bombarded with Regent mail -- maybe 2 per week. No rhyme or reason...

Since you are doing the Vibrant Tokyo tour you have two full days with only 1/2 day of tours. The tour IMO are NOT very exciting and are typical tourist sites which will likely be crowded during Sakura season. My suggestion would be a private or small group tour either using tours by locals guide or recommended trip advisor tour that leaves from Tokyo and has a Shinkansen as part of the transport. The best tour IMO would be to Hakone. Most amazing place, only issue depends on when you go as to the weather. Here is an example... https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g14133673-d15180540-Mt_Fuji_and_Hakone_1_Day_Bus_Tour_return_by_Bullet_Train_Shinkansen-Nishishinjuk.html

Starlink is an internet only provider -- no content. Legacy system has content and will continue to have same.. An interesting point about "port interference" Starlink is NOT immune from same -- requires a clear path to the north. If you do not have this = no internet. My view from house is clear.but you can see it requires a significant clear area.

Agree 100%. We did several cruises on both Symphony and Serenity post COVID, and we were surprised that the Bistro was closed in the evening. The first one in July was open but the later ones in November and Jan were closed. Thought it was more of a cost cutting issue at the end. I do hope they will reopen it in the relaunch. Yes the desert, the cheese and wine were a perfect night cap. I never had an issue with not getting a place, used to hang with my computer at the table for 2 by the pillar or at the coffee bar, usually catching up on some emails or work and satisfying my caffeine fix..

It is the best way to spend non refundable OBC. Yum... La Reserve is one of the few reasons we still cruise with O...

and you should avoid Oceania air also. The only way to book and be in the most control is to book direct with the airline. No 3rd party agencies either like Amex or Expedia (same thing).

If you have Seabourn source on your phone you can see in advance how much OBC you have. As noted generally OBC from your TA (not the TA group promotional) is refundable and will be returned to the credit card on file. Istanbul -- recommend the Bosporus cruise. The Souck/Grand Bazaar for the shopping and the experience. Also a tour of the Cisterns. You could try to book a tours by local guide for the day -- the guides in Turkey are quite reasonable. We arrive in Istanbul in 3 weeks (27th for the 30th April cruise).

$250 pp.. New bookings only... *Offer valid on new bookings made by May 8, 2023, for recipients of this email only. Guests will receive a $250 USD per-person As You Wish shipboard credit, based on double occupancy with a maximum of up to $500 USD per suite.

The issue with the legacy system is not just the uplink bandwidth but the satellite capacity. Just look at the Caribbean using cruise mapper and consider the bandwidth needed for ALL the ships under the satellites footprint. Good news is that NCL is rolling out Starlink, Regents Encore will get it during a 7 day drydock in May. It is fairly easy to install (having done several) and Musk now claims worldwide coverage of the Maritime Starlink service (then again it is Elon making the claim). Obviously the ship will maintain the EMC system as it likely will still handle the ships service data plus of course the TV/Entertainment downlinks and maybe the crew internet??

Cruise in November was 4 weeks -- but it was sent through our Travel Agent.. (that would be the first person to call)

Yes indeed -- she is house broken too. And yes we have a house broke pig named Kosher...

You really cannot fault Regent, it is the contracted provider which is the same for most cruise lines (our three cruises last year on Regent, Oceania and Seabourn all had issues) . With so many users not only is the ship at capacity but the satellites are at capacity in many parts of the world. I really hope the switch to Starlink will help.

I think it is targeted to past A&K customers -- offers $500 OBC We are delighted to introduce you to Crystal, which has recently relaunched as part of the A&K Travel Group. Crystal is beginning its inaugural cruising season this summer aboard newly renovated ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, and all 2023–24 voyages are now available for booking. These spacious ships feature larger suites updated with artisanal finishes, cutting-edge onboard wellness and world-class complimentary dining and entertainment. Personalized signature service and nearly one staff member per guest provide a true home-away-from-home ambience. Crystal’s new itineraries immerse you in incredible locations throughout the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Canada and New England, Alaska, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Backed by A&K’s unbeatable local know-how, Crystal takes you closer to the heart of each destination with outstanding insider access. SPECIAL OFFER: Book a 2023–24 Crystal cruise by May 8, 2023, and receive an exclusive As You Wish shipboard credit of up to $500.*

ADA (revised in 2010) allows Mini horses as a service animal trained for specific tasks (visual impairments) -- wonder if???

Yes correct. They prefer not to. My TA has done this back and forth before with Oceania for me and our friends on Regent, but he stated the back and forth needs to be handled in a single call. They do not want multiple calls. Of course I would think a conference call with the TA on the line is still an option. This requires homework on the part of the traveler.

We did a single filing and received it in full. We filed that way with the ABC assignee. For partial payments -- make sure none have to do with Endeavor sailings. Make sure that the claim does not have River cruises. They will only credit Serenity or Symphony sailings. I saw a FB post wondering what about our claim for an Endeavor booking. I hated to say that you missed the boat and that Silversea was giving 100% credit up to 1 November for claims there.