Redtravel

2 bookings or a grand voyage( b2b booked as one cruise with one booking number) get you double reservations.  Each segment has its own date when reservations open.  We found this out after we booked a grand voyage.  When I got online to reserve, I could only book times during the first half of my cruise.  I booked. After I was on the ship, I visited the maitr’d to rearrange reservations. Then I was told that we were entitled to additional reservations. However, we had to wait until the next cruise began to book more reservations.  Everything worked out. It would’ve been nice of Oceania explained the system before embarkation. The down side of booking a grand voyage is that you think you are on a longer uninterrupted cruise. You are actually on 2 shorter cruises.  For loyalty points, you only get one point.  Hope that someday Oceania will could count nights instead of sailings.  

Most reputable companies understand if a cruise itinerary changes.  We have booked and have never had a company keep our money if the ship is late or doesn’t make the stop. We had a delay reaching Naples. We contacted the tour company. They waited for us and gave us the full tour. 

Everything changed with the pandemic.  Sadly, on many cruise lines there are cutbacks.  Often supply problems dictate what foods cruise lines can get. It may just be a cutback to maintain food costs.  Old deck bbq had more offerings including lobster tails, lamp chops, and jumbo shrimp.  You don’t see all of those on the bbq now. On most recent cruise, the bbq didn’t have lamb chops or lobster tails. There are still lots of excellent choices.  Lobster tails did appear on another night.   
Thoughts about food on other lines post pandemic.  I have also sailed on Viking, Oceania, and Celebrity.  Food quality has declined.  It’s still good. It’s not great.  While Oceania claims the best food at sea, Windstar quality is better. 
 

On my first cruise many years ago in 1988, you had an assigned teak deck chair.  Your name was on it.  You picked your chair location as you checked in.  Every afternoon, they served tea on the deck. We dressed up every night. In the dining room, we were assigned to a table. You could eat all 3 meals at your table. You could also come for the midnight buffet in the dining room.  Your waiter knew what drinks you liked and had them on the table when you arrived. It was very elegant. Those were the good old days. 

Still waiting for return call.   Customer service doesn’t respond.  I gave up a long time ago.  Either solve your problem onboard or let it go. 

Oslo has a tourist card.  It includes all public transportation and admission to many venues.

Viking Mississippi has an interesting itinerary. I was attracted to Memphis to New Orleans with added stays on both ends. It sounded ideal.  Prices were higher than most Viking cruises. I chalked that up to employing American . Cruise not great.

Jim,  elite plus on X.  X got too boring and crowded.  In 2022 we sailed on Summit. It was my favorite X ship. The crowding was awful. We stopped booking X. We prefer Oceania.  We like the variety of ships.  We sailed on Oceania before and after pandemic.  With the exception of our March 2020 cruise stuck at sea, we enjoy the cruises.  Hope to meet you onboard.

We did it from Rouen.  We were doing an overnight in Rouen.  Trains are usually reliable in France.  We were off the ship soon after docking. Took transfer bus to train station.  Bought ticket and went to Paris. We had a full day. Took the 8 pm train back to Rouen.  For a 5 pm sail time, you can get in a 4-5 hour time in Paris. Know what you are going to do.  We went to Muse d’Orsay for a special exhibit.  We had skip the line tickets.  For a first trip to Paris, the hop on off bus is good.  

Ural guy,

I wrote my experience. This wasn’t my first Viking trip. Other trips in Europe were excellent. While I don’t expect perfection, I was shocked by many things that happened on this trip. 
 

The bus ride from Memphis to Rosedale, Ms started at 9 am. We were not given any indication what was to happen that day.  All we knew was that we were on a bus to the ship. Nobody told us the plan of the day. There was no daily sheet until we were on the ship. We got to the ship after 4 pm.  The ride on Rt. 61 was dull and boring. You could see huge empty fields that had been plowed, nothing growing. 

TA service is worth $.  Usually I do the research and call my TA to book. She usually adds value. That doesn’t take much time. However, when problems happen, your TA works to rectify the situation. That may be very time consuming.   Find a TA that will work for you.  

The ship is beautiful.  Our suite was spacious. Teresita was our cabin attendant. She was fabulous. Same day laundry service was nice when they followed instructions and returned the clothes to the correct cabin. Sadly not everyone working on the ship does their job well.  Often in the restaurant, the service was slow, food was cold, orders got mixed up, and nobody seems to care. Some of the wait staff spends too much time socializing. The cafe was a hit or miss affair. We had wait staff tell us that they were short handed. Some wait staff told us to go the coffee station if we wanted refill.  Often dirty dishes were left on table. If you asked some wait staff to clear dirty dishes, they just ignored us.  Food was interesting. Food choices were limited.  They did attempt to include local dishes.  None were memorable.  The best items were the melitta coffee, cookies, and waffles.  The excursions were good and bad. Best one was Vicksburg.  The hotel stays before and after the cruise left much to be desired. At the Peabody, we were given a tiny room supposedly with a queen bed.  It was a double.  At the Westin in Nola, we waited hours until we got a room. At both hotels the included breakfasts was minimal. It was in a private room.  We were disappointed. When we did hotel extensions in Europe, breakfasts were in the regular dining room.  The worst part was the long bus ride from Memphis to Rosedale, MS. I thought that I booked a cruise from Memphis.  The bus ride was very long and boring.  Stopping in Cleveland, MS to buy your own lunch was annoying.  We left Memphis at 9 am and got to ship after 4 pm.  On map, that ride should take 2 hours. We lost a full day.  We also lost day in St. Francisville due to a storm. We were told that St. Francisville tours would operate from Baton Rouge. That didn’t happen. We were told that the cost of the excursion would be refunded.  Didn’t happen. Instead we were told that we could relax. At the price that Viking charges for the cruise, we expected more. I wouldn’t recommend this cruise.

On some cruises, there is no slow walkers.  Just off Viking Mississippi. The various excursions listed the activity level. There were very mild to extremely active. Most included excursions were slow.  There were lots of slow walkers using canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.  Viking did a good job of being accessible.  

Just back. Riverboats are very casual. No dress code.  Wear whatever you want….shorts, jeans, sandals, etc.  When you do excursions in afternoon, people go to dinner  without changing.  Relax and enjoy.  

Just now, Redtravel said:

Good food on Viking.  Most is ok, nothing special.  Maybe the waffles are memorable. 

Food on Oceania is amazing.  Oceania dining venues are all good.  I especially like that the Terrace buffet doesn’t let you place the food on your plate. Sharing the same serving utensil with other guests on Viking is really unsanitary.  

Ship design on Viking is very modern.  I like it.  The space for our cabin was excellent. We had a Penthouse jr. suite. Complimentary laundry is excellent.

Oceania R ships are not my thing. Even suites are not big.   I prefer Marina, Riviera, or Vista.  I like the furnishings.  It is classy. Oceania has better bedding and linens.

54 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I'd be curious what you thought was better. Food? Shorex? Ship design? service? Really, no judgement or push back from me on whatever your reasoning is.

Good food on Viking.  Most is ok, nothing special.  Maybe the waffles are memorable. 

Food on Oceania is amazing.  Oceania dining venues are all good.  I especially like that the Terrace buffet doesn’t let you place the food on your plate. Sharing the same serving utensil with other guests on Viking is really unsanitary.  

Having a butler can be nice.  Best butler got our suitcase fixed, carried my laundry back and forth to the laundry room, and got us dinner reservations at some specialty restaurants.  Some butlers never do anything. On one cruise, we saw the butler on the last day. He was looking for an extra tip. $0. I don’t book a suite for the butler. I book it for location and space.  On R ships, only book suites.  The regular cabins are very small. On O ships, Marina, Riviera, or Vista, regular cabins are ok.  They have adequate space and nice bathrooms.  

Just off Viking.  In January, we were on Vista.  
While both do a nice cruise, I would prefer Oceania.
 

September can be good or really bad.  It is the middle of hurricane season. I have been to Bermuda many times on cruises and by flying in. My favorite time is spring. May is perfect.  Summer can be very hot and humid.  On my most recent Bermuda cruise in June 2022, we left Bermuda 2 days early because of an impending hurricane.  Hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30.  

Miami has changed. Last year, we had no problem getting Ubers. This year, waits for Ubers was long.  Uber has fewer drivers. Many former drivers have found better jobs.  

When I stopped in Ravenna, the port had a free shuttle bus into the city. It was very close to the cathedral and old part of town. We enjoyed the cathedral. The mosaic designs are beautiful.  We also walked in old town. Shopping was good.  Enjoyed Ravenna.

You cannot compare prices for a November cruise to a January cruise.  I like cruising in the Caribbean in January.  I wouldn’t cruise there in November. It’s still hurricane season.  November weather is often very wet.  January is usually sunny.

The included wines run from ok to terrible.  Reds are better than whites. Soda and beer are better choices. If you really like good wine, bring it.  

I wish that I had known this before I sailed.  I am on Viking Mississippi now.  Cruise is good. However, there is definitely a lack of info. We never know what the time frame will be until the evening before we dock. 

I enjoyed Ember. Of course, I missed Jacques. I like that there are differences among the fleet of ships. Our favorite ship is Marina.  I will be on Marina in May.  Looking forward to Jacques. Perhaps onboard I will miss Ember.  I enjoy all of the dining venues.  Food on Oceania is superb.  I am on Viking now.  Viking has good food.  However, Viking food offerings aren’t as good as Oceania.