Redtravel

We usually avoid cabins under the pool deck or above a bar. It can be very noisy. We were under pool deck on a Royal Caribbean ship. The noise was terrible. However, on Oceania, we like deck 8. Oceania guests aren’t late night pool party people.

We usually prefer tables for 2. However, we enjoy sharing sometimes. It can be fun. We have met people at shared tables that have become close friends. That was before the pandemic. When we resumed sailing during the pandemic, I was very cautious about getting too close to people. That included on a ship or at home. We limited our social meetings. For that reason, we opted to book cabins in categories that got early bookings in specialty dining. That was how we got tables for 2 at good times. On our most recent Oceania cruise on Marina, we got tables for 2 except at Polo. At Polo, we shared a table. We had a great time. Upcoming cruise we chose sharing tables.

About 20% of the crew changes after every cruise. Crew leave and often return to a different ship. Last year we went to Marina twice. The crew was completely different. Both cruises were great.

Big ships often get large affinity groups. We were once part of a group of 200 on the galaxy. We had private events in areas of the ship. We also were all seated in a closed off section of the MDR. If you were on a small ship, a large group could be a problem.Relax and enjoy .

Formal attire is not usually found on Oceania. If you like getting dressed up, do it.

Dress up if you like. However, don’t be upset when you see the people who are casual every night. Celebrity calls it chic night. Most people do their own thing. On my last X cruise, many people wore tees and shorts every night. Since X doesn’t turn guests away when they dress in shorts, they are now acceptable dress. Your cruise, wear anything you like.

I like both Oceania and Windstar. They each have good and not so good features. Food and service is good on both lines. If you like a big pool, lots of activities, a nightly shows, like SM, Oceania is best. Windstar is best for relaxation. Food is excellent on both. Given that we seldom drink and often prefer doing our own thing in the Caribbean, we will be on Windstar winter 2025. We are hopeful that Oceania will review SM and bring back cruise only fares.

5 of the original ports have been changed. Of course, ports can get changed for many reasons. I have had it happen. Reasons were safety, weather, port not accessible, construction, and the lockdown. Yes. I was on Sirena’s last cruise before the Covid lockdown. Of course itineraries change due to war. This cruise has changed due to unrest and war. However, this is not the cruise that people bought. Refund should be automatic if guests request it. Disappointed in Oceania.

Cruise lines are saving money by not sending out luggage tags. Don’t print your own. Just ask the porters at the pier to attack tags. They use tags that are strong.

We are not interline. However, we got a nice discount. We booked very late…2 weeks prior. WS had changed an itinerary close to the sail date. The cruise had less than half the capacity. If you look at WS specials, short dated cruises are heavily discounted. The Star Legend changed location due to the war in Middle East. Instead it will sail in the Med. Med in the winter is not great. Weather can be wet and cold. We sailed in the Med in October, not WS. It was cool. The ports in the Med are popular in the spring and summer. By October, most tourists are gone. We found lots of closed cafes and shops. Historic sites were open.

That’s interesting. I am at 89 points. If I cruise on WS, can I get free WiFi after the first day?

Forget printing luggage tags. When you get to the ship, ask the porters to tag your luggage. Tell them your cabin number.

You may never get a response.

When we have done multiple segments, I made reservations for the first segment. I was annoyed that I couldn’t make reservations for future segments. I spoke to the concierge. Concierge has a block of reservations that can only be booked on the ship. At the embarkation of each segment, I was able to reserve for the following segment. This worked better than booking before you embark. You can make dinner reservations before you embark for each segment. You have to log in on the date that reservations open for your cruise and cabin designation. On longer segments, it is easy to get additional reservations. Depending upon your preferences, you may or may not want to eat in specialty restaurants multiple times. On some cruises, we gave up reservations. Prefer the Terrace grill. Buffet has everything from the GDR plus sushi and freshly prepared grilled items. Regardless of where you dine, the food is very good.

Thanks. The tote isn’t the issue. When you advertise that you get something, do it. On our last Oceania cruise, we went to a higher loyalty level. One day during the cruise, we got a letter congratulating us. In the letter, it said that we would get some gifts. One of the gifts listed , a cap, wasn’t there. We went to see the loyalty rep. She gave us another letter that said something about supply issues. Asked if we would get it latter in the trip. Her answer was no. Our response was, “what?” She said that there were no caps.

Sounds like Viking is competing with Oceania. Oceania simply more gives you a dollar amount to be used to book excursions. There are many choices. I just did this for an upcoming trip. On Viking, the included excursion is usually ok for a person with no previous experience in a port. For that reason, I only book Viking to see new places. Now that Viking is including choices, I may reconsider Viking on some routes.

If cruise lines were smart, they would give every passenger a nice tote bag with the cruise line name on it. It’s a great advertisement. Many years ago, I went on Holland America once. Got a nice canvas tote. That tote was carried by me around the world. When it wore out, I carried another cruise’s tote. Recently, no totes were supposedly due to supply problems. It may be true. It may also be a way to save money. Don’t expect the tote. Bring your own tote. I prefer bringing a tote from another cruise line. If everyone did it, those guys who didn’t give you the tote might get the message. If you see me with a Windstar tote, you’ll get the message. By the way, I have sailed on Windstar 11 times. Got a new tote on every cruise.

I had same concerns on my most recent Marina cruise in 2023. Got nothing in the mail. No personalized brochure, no luggage tags, etc. When I questioned it, I was told that Oceania stopped sending them. I got an email that said we had done the online checkin. When we got on the O transfer bus, there were people with O luggage tags. When we arrived at the pier, we had to identify our luggage. Tags were attached. Bags arrived in our cabin before we got there. Some people who had preprinted tags did not wait to identify their luggage. Some of those bags never were unloaded from the bus. If you take a transfer, make sure your luggage is taken off the bus.

Regatta and all R ships have small cabins. A suite is about 50% larger. Suite bathroom is ok. The veranda cabin bathrooms give new meaning to compact.

May to October is dry and sunny. Not much variation in temperatures. It’s perfect. Avoid November to April. Those months get more rain.

I played my usual mahjong online using RealMahjong. Ship was at sea in the Baltic. The other 3 players were in Arizona, California, and Massachusetts. Worked perfectly. We could play and chat. Game started at 1 pm Pacific time. For me it was 9 pm.

Is Waves included in SM beverages?

We have sailed on O ships and R ships. I like both. I prefer Marina and Riviera. My spouse refuses to go on R ships. The cabins, even suites, are small. Bathrooms rooms are tiny. The shower is a joke.

We had the same thing happen. We booked a 2 week Med cruise. We were unaware that it was a b2b. It was designated as a grand cruise. We had to pay double deposits. We were told that longer cruises had bigger deposits. It wasn’t until I tried to get restaurant reservations that I realized something was strange. I could only get dinner reservations for the first week. When we were onboard, I asked for dinner reservations during the second week. We were told that we had to wait until the first week cruise was done. On the change over day, the concierge got us 4 more dinner reservations. We only got one cruise credit. I would prefer a loyalty program that counted nights, not the number of cruises.

Checkin times are a joke. Go anytime. I prefer going late. After 3 pm, there are no lines.