Redtravel

I always knew that I wasn’t “average.” Don’t assume that what you like is what everyone likes. I am not interested in alcoholic drinks. I may or may not select excursions. In new ports, I always often excursions . In Caribbean, I just relax. Some ports, I may go shopping. Some, I may not get off the ship. Find a local cafe and enjoy tasting the local cuisine. Group excursions aren’t my thing. I am not happy playing follow the leader. They seldom go at my pace.

Allowing guests to arrive early or depart later alleviates crowding. Last June we used O air. We didn’t realize that we could fly in early. We flew in the day of the cruise. With the crazy flights and long bus transfer, we arrived at the port 2 hours before the ship sailed. Never want to experience that again.

You sound like me. We liked Ember. We weren’t thrilled with Aquamar Kitchen. We were on Vista in January. We are on Marina in May. Looking forward to Jacques.

Essential cruising would be the answer to my winter Caribbean cruising. While I enjoy shore excursions in many ports, I prefer not to take them in the Caribbean. After many years of doing excursions on Caribbean cruises, I have done the ones that are of interest to me. Now, I prefer just relaxing. I also don’t care about alcoholic drinks at meals. Give me a glass of water or Coke Zero. It would be very attractive if Oceania followed Silverseas by offering a cruise only option. Usually we rebook a Caribbean cruise onboard from one year to the next. This year, we did not book. We are exploring lots of good options on land and sea for winter 2025. I will give Silverseas a look.

Jacques Pépin was the original reason that we booked on Oceania. It did not disappoint. The sole in Jacques was the best thing that I have ever tasted on any ship. We had watched his cooking shows on PBS. His food looked beautiful. Jacques still remains my favorite cruise ship dining venue. I hope that Jacques remains the same on Marina and Riviera. We were on Vista in January. Ship is beautiful. Ember was nice. We enjoyed our 2 dining experiences at Ember. However, I missed Jacques. Next cruise is on Marina.

Our first O cruise was around the British Isles. It was fabulous. Got to see many interesting ports. It was a good way to experience the variety of ports. We have also stayed in some of the big cities before and after. They are all interesting. A land tour may also be a good way to get to many places. I used to do land tours. However, I prefer picking my hotels, restaurants and venues. Land tours have a set itinerary which may not fit you. On a cruise, you can select excursions from a variety of interests. Cruise made me realize that there were places in the UK that are more interesting than I had previously thought. Liverpool was amazing. Need to go back there. Cruise can be an interesting way to go. You may also choose to stay a few days before or after the cruise. Oceania is marvelous if you book air. No deviation fee to arrive up to 3 days early or stay after up to 3 days. Whichever you choose, have a great time.

With more new ships being built for Oceania, there are more choices. Riviera, Marina, and Vista are preferred.

Since the pandemic, we haven’t received the blue book. Not a big deal. Two out of our 3 post pandemic cruises, we didn’t get luggage tags. At the ship, we got tags. Again, not a big deal. Blue books were classy, but not essential.

As soon as I got the air flights, I told my TA to have O ticket the flights. According to my TA, they requested ticketing.

Got air flights. Acceptable arrangement . got seats on return flight. cannot get seats on departure flights. I was told that Oceania hasn't paid for the tickets. Last week, Oceania said that they would ticket today. Now Oceania says ticketing is next week. The agents keep telling me different info.

13+

Oceania long delay returning complimentary laundry is ridiculous. 3 days is bad. 5 days is awful. Makes using the service too risky. Could run out of clean clothes before you get laundry returned. On other cruise lines that offer free laundry, the turn around time is next day or better. Windstar usually returns same day, ironed on hangers. Viking suites get free laundry next day. When you know this, you can pack less clothing. On Oceania, it might be wise to use the onboard laundry facilities.

Relax. Once onboard, you can see the dining concierge. There are reservation slots that are not open to online booking.

No sweet n low.

Dress is casual during the day. Dress at night is business casual in all restaurants except Waves and the Terrace Buffet. GDR and specialty restaurants, long pants and a collared shirt for men. Women wear long pants, capris, blouses and dresses. Waves and Terrace are casual at all times. You can wear shorts at night. At night, the tables are set with linen clothes. The food selection is amazing. They have everything on the GDR menu plus grilled items and sushi. Pizza at Waves is very good. As the cruise progresses, more people choose the Terrace at night. On most ships, I hate the buffet. Oceania buffet is the exception. Some days, I eat all 3 meals there. It is that good.

On some lines, one person in cabin can buy a beverage package. My husband has done it. I don’t drink anything alcoholic. I prefer tea, coffee, soda, and water. On Viking, they insisted that both of us had to buy. We chose to not buy it. My husband paid by the drink. In reality, he didn’t spend that much. Itinerary was port intensive.

Supply and demand will adjust prices. People are not stupid. Just because the prices increase, people don’t jump to book. There is competition for vacation spending. You can find deals. Waiting closer to embarkation could save you money. Be flexible.

The 3 day return for complimentary laundry is a deal breaker. Cannot send out last 3 days. If you pay for laundry, it is returned next day.

Booking Viking with air is usually a good value. Viking Air has been good for us. The flights that we have been assigned have been good choices. You may not get your first choice. Viking has contracts with several airlines. If you want specific routes, wait to see what Viking gives you. If it isn’t good, ask for custom air. Only once did we balk when we got the air. We were flying out of Bergen to Philadelphia. Our first flight left at 6 am to FRA. Next we were on Nonstop to PHL arriving same day. We looked at 6 am and couldn’t believe it. At first glance it looked terrible. However, it was the best arrangement to get us home the same day. We like using Viking Air. They will tell you the air flights shortly after you book. That way, you can get seat assignments early if you book early. When we cruise on other lines, we usually book our own air. That way you have control. However, the down side is if the cruise line cancels the cruise, you will get stuck with an air credit. since resuming travel during the pandemic, we have booked most cruises with air. Since some have been cancelled, it becomes easier to get a refund. Good luck with air. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you get a crazy arrangement. It’s like playing air roulette.

Dressing up is a personal choice. Having been on many cruises, the days of dressing up have become very scarce. When we first cruised, every night was dress up. It was delightful. As time passed, more people became casual. Since the pandemic, casual has become very accepted everywhere. On Vista in January, not many dressed up guests. Never saw a tie. A few men wore jackets. Saw a few women in glitzy clothing. There were several people in jeans at dinner. As long as it isn’t torn, jeans are acceptable. I did see men in shorts turned away from the GDR. It’s your cruise, dress your way.

Haven’t gotten our air flights yet. Starting to wonder if it will really sail. We don’t usually book cruises on ships that are just coming out of dry dock. However, the itinerary was good, and the price was right. The itinerary is very much like a cruise that we were booked on in August 2021. That was canceled. Hope we sail.

Still no air flights. Booked cruise last July for a cruise in May 2024. Everything has been paid in full. I called O a few weeks ago and was told that our air would be available on March 3. That’s today. Called O and was told it was too soon. Also, told that O would inform my TA soon. The rep said that they only contact TA. All info must go through TA. I usually book my own air. Since we are booked on the first cruise after Marina leaves dry dock, we didn’t want to get stuck with plane tickets if Marina doesn’t sail. Starting to wonder if it will really sail. Like many people we had pandemic cruises cancelled. This cruise is very similar to one that we booked for August 2021. Since the pandemic, I have become calmer making plans. If it happens, great. If it gets canned, oh well.

I was on Vista in January. Never heard anything from the adjacent cabins. Ship is beautiful. Comparing Oceania to Celebrity is a joke. I am elite plus on Celebrity. Oceania is much better than Celebrity. Oceania costs more and it’s worth it.

My spouse has mobility issues. The slope at Ephesus is mild. We had no trouble accessing most of the venues. Go and enjoy.

Oceania claimed that they didn’t pay port charges. Of course, we know that is false. We got refunds on port charges on other cruise lines. It was a small amount. Not really enough to get excited about. In January, we skipped St. Barts. Reason given was impending winds. Seas looked flat. Instead we were told that we got an extra day at sea to relax. I had intended to shop and eat at a French cafe. Shopping is excellent. Saved $