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Thanks. Nobody on trip tells you. Found it

I am on a Viking cruise tour now. . Flew on the Viking included air. Staying in a Viking cruise extension hotel. I went online to access “My Viking Journey”. I wanted to see the calendar. I was surprised to find message, “ you have no active Viking account.” The Viking hotel rep gave me maps, local info, restaurant recommendations , transfer bus tickets, My luggage tags are on my bags for pickup. Why do they make My Viking Journey inactive? Could it be inactive while we are in Viking hotels? Will it return once we embark? I had thought that I could see My Viking Journey calendar once I was on the ship. I was wrong. My spouse asked me what time we had booked a tour. Not being in our cabin, I pulled out my phone and tried to access My Viking Journey. No access. In our cabin, we had a printed list of tours and times. However, I don’t carry those printed lists with me. Before the trip, I had really thought that Viking website was very helpful. Now I am wondering what happened. Am I doing something wrong?

We have been on many cruise lines. While, years ago many men wore ties, jackets, or suits. On Oceania, it is seldom seen. Men usually wear collared shirt at night. That’s ok. Women tend to be more dressy. Most wear slacks or capris and a nice top. A cruise is a place to be comfortable and relax. Wear whatever you want. It’s your cruise. Last year, on Marina, I saw a man wearing shorts in the GDR. His party was seated next to us. Then he was told to change into longer pants. He left and came back wearing long pants.

The only thing that I have seen them ban was shorts in GDR at dinner. Sandals are worn everywhere. Jeans are also seen everywhere. Most guests dress neatly. During the day, anything is ok. At night, guests dress casually most nights. You may see dressy clothing for the Captains reception. Relax and enjoy.

I used to book gty. My experiences were good. I really didn’t care about location. I usually got the category cabin that I booked. I never got a bad location. I saved money. Times change. Now, I book a specific cabin. Since mobility has become an issue, location is important. I have never waitlisted a cruise. I have booked very late. It can be a way to save money. However, airfares may be high. Last year, we booked a cruise a few weeks before it sailed. Got a good deal. Couldn’t find good air at any price. We opted to let Oceania book the air. The price was good. The flights were crazy. Changing planes and flying in a crazy routing was bizarre. However, we got to the cruise and got home. We had a great time.

No survey. Offering a survey gives the appearance of being concerned. Even if they ignore the results, it makes guests opinions seem worthwhile. On past cruises, when I complete a survey I don’t just complain. Often guests have good ideas that cruise lines have implemented. While I don’t expect perfection, my experience with Oceania has been mostly good. I have experienced a few hiccups. However, considering the whole cruise experience, mine has been very good. Oceania fits my style.

If you have a cold or cough, avoid sharing tables.

With many dining venues on Vista, you usually don’t get the same table or server. If you ask in GDR, they will reserve a table. On longer cruises, we ask for a specific table. On shorter cruises, we don’t.

Cash out. Vouchers aren’t a good bet.

Bed near the bathroom is preferred. We have had some very rough seas on Star Breeze. One night, during rock and roll time, it was so rough that it was impossible to stand up. Luckily our bed was near the bathroom. My spouse rolled across the bed to reach the bathroom. There was no way that you could walk around the bed. Once on Windsurf, we had a very rough night. Fell down trying to get from the bed near the porthole to the bathroom.

Hope that you get relief soon.

We were in 9072, no vibration, no noise. It is midship. Last cruise on Vista, we chose a cabin very close to the aft elevators. We were concerned about noise. There wasn’t any. It was a great location. We liked it so much that we chose the same location for an upcoming cruise.

Sorry that you missed Bermuda. It is one of my favorite places. Nothing can compare to the pink sand beaches. Flying in to Bermuda is better than sailing in. Hope that you don’t miss other ports. You have many sea days. Relax and enjoy. After many cruises on Celebrity after our last X cruise, we said never again. It was our first post pandemic cruise from NJ to Bermuda and Charleston. The crowding was absurd. There were no Covid safety practices as advertised. My spouse got Covid. It was a miracle that I didn’t get it. We have sailed on Oceania before and after pandemic. We enjoy the comfortable atmosphere and lack of crowds. We sailed on Vista in January. Loved it. We will be on Marina in May. Marina is my favorite O ship. This will be my 6th cruise on Marina.

Sadly when cruises change itineraries or cancel a port call, you have no recourse. I have cruised many times. Often there are changes. Some are for safety. Nobody wants to visit a war zone. Some are weather related. Got stuck in Oporto for 3 days waiting out a bomb cyclone. Some just happen without any explanation. Stuck at sea in March 2020 when ports turned ships away was crazy. We didn’t get any info from cruise line about lockdowns. It can be very annoying. When you book a cruise, you should make the cruise your prime destination. Ports should be secondary. Usually, ships try do the advertised itinerary. They want to keep guests happy.

You can’t worry about things that you have no say. It is what it is. Expiring loyalty points can go 2 ways. It might encourage booking. It can also push people away. The people who develop loyalty programs don’t often see how changes will affect people.

I love WS laundry. I always send clothes to the laundry. However, I am careful not to send very delicate items. Now I also don’t send out clothing that I would miss if it were damaged. On my last WS cruise on the Breeze, a shirt was missing. We were visited by the laundry person who showed us that they had sliced the shirt. They took responsibility and gave us $60. That didn’t cover the cost of replacing the shirt. Their formula is 10 times their price to launder the item. Keep that in mind.

Sorry that you are in this situation. Hope that you get relief soon. I am surprised that the ship doc has no pain meds.

I got more enthusiastic when we were given flight info and were ticketed. We got great flights with reserved seats together. Now we hope that Marina sails ontime. see you onboard.

There are many places to get dinner. GDR is often crowded on the first few nights. After that, people want to try other venues. They are all good. On my most recent 10 night cruise on Vista, we ate in GDR 4 times. Food and service were good. Ate in specialty restaurants 5 nights. Ate in the buffet one night. On longer cruises, we eat at the buffet more. Buffet is a great place for dinner. It has all the choices on the GDR menu plus freshly grilled items, sushi, etc. On Vista, we ordered pizza from Waves at night. It is very good.

I like counting nights, not cruises. I have taken b2b cruises which were sold as Grand Cruises. Got one point for 2 cruises. It didn’t seem right. I am elite plus on Celebrity. I joined Celebrity Captains club many years ago when you paid $25 to join. The benefits were worth it. Later they counted cruises. You needed 10 cruises to reach the top level, elite. People who were close to 10, took a 3 day cruise to get to elite. When they converted to counting nights, those very short cruises seemed to be less popular. All loyalty programs have good and bad features. Basically it’s a gift. Anything is welcome. I prefer plans that include OBC, discounts on cruise fares, gratuities, and free laundry.

Everyone gets Simply More….drinks at meals, unlimited WiFi , and shore excursion credit. If you choose with air, you get cost of plane tickets included. That also includes transfers if you arrive on the day of embarkation or depart on day of disembarkation. Since ships may be far from airports, this could be a welcome feature. Also, if you book Oceania air, you can arrive or depart up to 3 days before or after your cruise without paying the extra deviation fee. If you do it, you must arrange your own transfers. I usually book my own air unless there is a good reason not to. Last June, we booked very late. We chose Oceania air because we couldn’t find a decently priced airfare. The arrangement got us to the cruise using a ridiculous routing. Going home was crazy. We also booked air for our next cruise in May. It’s the first cruise on Marina after being in dry dock. If the ship is delayed, I will be disappointed. However, Oceania will refund the cruise and air. This time we got very good air flights.

Yes. I loved Vista. I also like Marina and Riviera. The smaller ships are a nice size. However, the cabins are very small. On R ships, we book suites. On Vista, Marina, and Rivieta, a standard veranda is good. I also like the variety of dining venues.

What I prefer may not be your choice. Having been on R ships(Oceania and Azamara), I like the larger O ships more than R ships. I did enjoy cruises on R ships. Marina, Riviera, and Vista have bigger cabins, beautiful bathrooms with space, and more dining venues. I like small ship for some itineraries. Windstar is my choice overall.

Get the laundry package. Often you get same day service. The best part is you can send out laundry every day. On the last day, I pack clean clothes. Once home, the only laundry to be done ate the clothes we wore flying home.

Forward cabins are very quiet and don’t feel much vibration. Not much foot traffic in the hallway. You will have a longer walk to the GDR, Terrace Buffet, Waves, Library, or Baristas. You will be closer to the theater lounge. I have had cabins in many locations on a variety of ships. There are some cabin locations that I avoid: stern cabins have vibration, cabins above or below bars, casinos, pools, or restaurants, bow cabins may get noisy if they drop anchor, and some connecting cabins.