jazznruby

Gosh, didn't mean to ruffle your feathers, ORV. Yes, I know FF is a 'regular cruiser", and despite the fact that some on here don't always like his delivery, he's knowledgable about certain things O related. Just thought he and/or Jan might have some insight...or anybody else, for that matter.

We, too, are fans of the two-sided, extended balcony B3s on Marina and Riviera. My question, though, relates to Vista. Of course, I realize no one yet has first hand experience, but from the Vista schematic for deck 7, it appears there are the same beloved two-sided, extended balconies both forward and aft. They are now, however, Concierge A3s forward (7008 and 7009); and PH2s aft (7108 and 7109). Wondering if anyone has additional 'inside' information (looking at you FF and Jancruz) to confirm that these are, in fact, the same two-sided, extended balconies as on Marina and Riviera.

Guess what? We do both! Love bringing wine onboard...for stateroom consumption. Rarely pay corkage; but we always have before dinner cocktails and wine with dinner, and are happy to use our much afore mentioned OLife choice of OBC for those purchases. 😀

Not mutually exclusive.

Understanding and accepting that I'm in the minority here concerning this opinion, I have to add my $.02 yet again. We have always chosen the OBC and been happy to have done so. If you KNOW you're going to use the OBC,...for gratuities, La Reserve, bar bill, and yes, the occasional shorex, whatever; and if you're not interested in even the minimum number of O shorex or their booze package, and if, like us, you'd rather avoid sticker shock at the end of the cruise, then the OBC makes perfect sense. Yes, I understand that I'm paying in advance for this option, but again, for us, and I suspect some others, it works. So it's not always the 'worst' choice.

First of all, you should take your 'O Life without air' out of the equation. Air has nothing to do with O Life. As I've tried to explain, we like the OBC perk because we KNOW we're going to use it onboard; and we like knowing that while yes, they're just giving us back the money we paid up front, we won't have a huge final bill slipped under the door on the last night.😳 Would not be the case if we went a la carte all the way. Maybe we can just agree to disagree?

It's not a tangible advantage if you choose not to do O shorex and/or the booze package. We do the occasional shorex which we usually arrange independently. We drink, which we also arrange independently. 😉

OBC can be used to purchase shorex in advance.

Agreed, as I've pointed out many times. Yes, you're paying in advance, but if you know you'll be using the non-refundable OBC, it eliminates any costly surprises when you get that final bill. And, of course, OBC can be used for lots of things, in addition to your bar bill...gratuities, shorex, La Reserve, etc. We've always taken OBC and been happy to do so.

Yes, the O Life OBC is non-refundable, and yes, you're paying for it in advance, but if like us, you know you're going to use it onboard, it's nice to eliminate sticker shock at the end of the cruise for all the extras...bar bill, La Reserve, shorex, gratuities, shopping etc. (Obviously, the other two perks are of no interest.) Whatever floats your boat!😁

Yes, unfortunately, I learned the hard way that O will charge the $175/pp a second time if you change your mind, and decide to return on a different day from a different city than your original choices. Still, we saved $$$ by using their air. All depends on the particular situation, but has always been to our benefit, especially if it's just one domestic and one international flight, as for a transatlantic.