Redtravel

Good info. We ordered pizza. While waiting, we had sushi at Terrace Buffet. Sushi and pizza were both excellent.

We were on Vista last week. My spouse went to seethe loyalty concierge and asked for the caps. They sent one cap to our cabin.

On 10 night cruise on Vista, we only ate in GDR 4 nights and one lunch. Most meals were at Terrace Buffet. We ate twice at Ember and once at each of the other 3 restaurants. For lunches, ate at Waves a few times, Aquamar once, and frequently visited Baristas and the Bakery. Bakery is a nice addition to Baristas. Called room service once. Lots of choices All are ok.

Hoi An is fascinating

Just sailed on Vista. Nice trip.

We just sailed on Vista in a standard veranda. When we booked, we knew that we would probably have to share tables. While we prefer table for 2, we don’t mind sharing. When restaurant bookings open, I thought that I was able to get all 4 reservations at acceptable times. 1@6:30. 2@ 7:00 1@7:30 when we checked in, we were handed a card with the list of dining reservations. It had 3 reservations, not 4. Went to dining concierge, waited in a long line, and eventually had 4 reservations. I had a copy of my dining reservations screenshot. Day 3, we went to Ember. Raja, the maitr’d said we weren’t on his list. We told him what happened. He was very nice. He seated us. Next day, Raja, told us that he had checked on our other reservations. Our other reservations were at booked times. Even got an extra reservation at Ember. Problems can happen. It’s how they are resolved that matters. Raja was amazing.

Good luck. Hope it works out. Usually somebody cancels as you get close to the cruise. It happened to us last year. We were all packed, ready to fly the next day, my spouse took ill, and needed emergency surgery. We canceled 24 hours before cruise.

Just off Vista. Ate at most venues. Some good. Some less desirable. None were bad. We were eager to try the new additions. Liked Ember and Waves evening Pizzeria . Waves is open at night as an Italian bistro. Tablecloths and service similar to the Terrace Buffet. Not thrilled with Aquamar kitchen. Pizza at Waves was excellent. Ate there last night of cruise. We ate inside at the Terrace buffet. Waves delivered our pizza to us. It was really good. Terrace Buffet at dinner is a great choice. It has everything on GDR menu plus grilled item, freshly prepared sushi, and salads. Try the pizza.

At the repeaters party, there were no restrictions. Nice to order anything. They introduced the officers, announced the couple onboard who had sailed most, and left. Also, the doors to Horizon were closed until the 5:45 shown on the invitation. The line waiting was long.

Guarantee can be good or bad. I used to book them on Celebrity. Got some very nice upgrades. I am elite plus. My TA used to book gty and request certain locations. Never had a bad cabin. Oceania is not as generous. You can get undesirable cabins. Friends booked gty and got the last veranda cabin on Nautica. It has a partially blocked veranda. Oceania also overbooks. If you don’t get a cabin assignment, you may not sail. Be careful. Our most recent cruise, we were got email offer 4 days before sailing with an offer to move to a different cruise. It wasn’t the same itinerary. It was in March. Payoff wasn’t much. We sailed. Met several people who also got the offer. Watch out. Unless you like to live on the edge, don’t book gty on Oceania.

Do they really care? Oceania has a good product.However, they don’t listen to guests. This was my 3rd O cruise since pandemic. On previous 2 cruises, I made the same comment. Put signs in front of dessert items at the buffet. It would make selections easier. Each person asks the server what each item is. It’s crazy. I guess Oceania is take it or leave it. Had a nice cruise. However, there are issues that could be solved if they only listen. I will post a review when I unpack. Bags are still in my foyer.

Those surveys are ridiculous. Bigger ships get more votes. My favorite is Windstar.

You are right. Hard to find a chaise on pool deck in shade any day. Those big beds eat up too much space. This is the first time that I ever went to reception and complained on a port day. The deck has several small separated areas which hold a few chaises or chairs. The partitions might look interesting, but they eat up deck space. Poorly designed use of space. The GDR is also partitioned into small spaces. There it works. Not on pool deck.

Didn’t even hear the usual survey winner announcement. Is this another way to save O money?

Vista has real problems. Those big beds take too much space. Not enough shade. Last Vista cruise had many chair hogs even on port days. Sat on my own veranda more than I liked.

It depends upon your preferences. We were just on Vista. We were on deck 7 near aft elevators. 7095 category B3 We love it. My spouse has mobility issues. Being close to the aft elevators was convenient to reach most of the dining venues. Vista deck plan is very similar to Marina or Riviera. We have sailed on Marina/Riviera on decks 7,8,9, and 10. All were quiet. My favorite on those ships is deck 7 aft B3 extended verandas. Vista made those cabins concierge class. Still worth booking if you like a big veranda. Cabins with extended verandas book quickly. My least favorite location is forward of the forward elevators. There are some extended veranda cabins way forward. Felt too much vibration.

never got any info about the end of cruise survey. Looked on tv, read Currents and all disembarkation literature, bags packed, and we disembark this morning. NOTHING! if they really cared, they should’ve let guests know where to find it. If they told guests the online address form at a special event, they really don’t care about people like me who just relax onboard.

Comparing similar 10 night cruises to Eastern Caribbean on Vista. Prices are both from the onboard loyalty rep. Last year, when we booked, there wasn’t any simply more. We booked onboard as cruise only. When they started selling Simply More, I checked to see what the cost would be to add it onto our reservation. I was told $600 pp. Since we seldom drink and weren’t interested in excursions, we kept our original booking. We are on Vista now. Yesterday, we inquired what it would cost next winter for same category cabin. For both of us, the increase was approx. $3000 more than what we paid for our present cruise. That would include Simply More. So if you compare exact cruise with simply more, the increase would be about $1800 more. Prices are up. Up too high for Vista. For some of the older ships, you may find better rates. During the cruise we have had discussions with many people who like Oceania, but don’t like Simply More. For older people who take meds and don’t drink, the added cost for Simply More is Simply Wrong. On this cruise many people used scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, rollator, and canes. These people are excluded from most excursions because they have mobility restrictions. Even on port days, there was always lots of people onboard. We only got off in 2 ports. Some people never got off.

It’s the last full day of my cruise. There is no mention of the survey. Do they still do it? Or do they really not care?

Sea day today. Looked for a chaise on the pool deck after breakfast at 9 am . None! Walked the deck searching and found junk on most chairs. Not many humans on those chairs. Attendant told me that people were putting stuff on chairs as early as 5:30 am. Luckily my veranda is shady.

Concierge and standard veranda cabins are exactly the same. I only book concierge when regular veranda cabins aren’t available. Location can be a factor in which type of cabin you select. I don’t get much value out of extra amenities. The concierge lounge is place to get more food. Room service is a better option. The sparkling wine is nice. The laundry service is good if you don’t mind the 3 day turn around. I usually use the free launderette. Wash and dry everything in less than 2 hours. The spa pool is in the bow. Too windy when ship is sailing. The tote bag was missing on the most recent cruises when we were in concierge. There is some value in priority booking specialty restaurants. Concierge reservations opens 60 days before cruise. Standard veranda opens 45 days. Concierge gets a better selection of times. In either class, we have gotten suitable reservations. On some cruises we have requested additional reservations and gotten them.

Incentive changed during the cruise. Depending on length of cruise there is a discount off published price. It’s same as last year. The OBC was $250 per booking. Last night that was changed to $100 per booking. Spoke to loyalty hostess. Cruises are only sold with Simply More. You get a shore excursion amount. It can only be used for excursions. Don’t use it, you lose it. That makes it unattractive in places that I don’t do excursions. If Oceania offered cruise only, we would book another Caribbean cruise for next winter.

All of the ships are beautiful. They are well maintained. Things work. They are spotlessly clean. I can’t say that about some of the other cruise lines that I have sailed on. You will have a great time on any of the Oceania ships. The R ships(Insignia, Sirena, Nautical, and Regatta) are old. They were originally built for Renaissance Cruise line. Oceania refurbished these ships. They are smaller than Oceania other ships. They can get into ports that size restrictions. They have a cozy atmosphere. Cabins can be rather small. Suites are my preference on those ships. Riviera, Marina, and Vista are truly spectacular. They were built for Oceania. The furnishings are luxurious. Cabin size is big even in the standard categories. My choice is a veranda cabin. So how do I select which ship to book. It usually depends on itinerary, ease of transportation, time, and cabin availability. Add to that Simply More. Where and what type of excursions are available. If sailing on a cruise that have excursions that interest me, booking Oceania is attractive.

Not a contest. Enjoy whichever one is on the ship that you are sailing on. I have had the pleasure of enjoying both restaurants. The food is carefully prepared and presented. They both provide an experience that is unlike the usual cruise cuisine. Oceania prides itself on having “the best food at sea”. The food is good in all venues. Given the variety of dining venues, you can explore new cuisines or select items that are longtime favorites. We had a great time dining on Vista.

When I read this thread, I contacted my TA. She said that Oceania cannot be booked without Simply More. Thought maybe I had missed a change in things. We are on Vista now. Nice cruise. However, since we seldom drink and don’t do excursions in the Caribbean, we choose not to rebook as we have previously. Add to that the price increases for same 10 night cruise in 2025 (50% more than this year), we are not rebooking. Also, the onboard incentive isn’t as good as last time we booked onboard. We are booked on a European cruise for spring 2024 with SM. On that cruise we wanted excursions. Next winter we will not be on Oceania.