royal65

I have had the same problem; I get hung up on select your cabin. Even my IT guy cannot figure it out. I have no problems using Chrome, only Windows.

Thanks to all who responded. As soon as I saw the first response, I knew what my issue was. The problem I was encountering started about the same time I "upgraded" from Windows 8.1 to 10 and in the process automatically went to a different browser. Just tried Firefox and I'm back in business, but a little embarrassed I didn't figure this out on my own. Many thanks to all.

In the past I've had no difficulty doing dummy bookings. For the last few weeks, I have gotten stuck on the "select your own cabin" page -- it just won't take me to the page where you can see what's available. Never had this problem previously. I've tried at least half a dozen different cruises (including one 17 months out), so I don't think lack of availability is the issue. And I've tried it signed in and not. Any ideas?

Just booked the Oosterdam for a Mediterranean cruise this summer. We managed to get an aft cabin, which we really enjoy, but are now worried about our choice. There is lots of talk about soot from the stacks and that they have minimal shade. We are in 4174. Does anyone have any information they can share regarding these issues? Thank you!

We got off Oosterdam 4/3 and were in the port side Neptune (4180, I think). Soot definitely was an issue. Since this was Neptune, the cabin steward cleaned it regularly, but it was very noticeable first thing in the morning. We had planned to have dinner out there a few times and soot played in our decision not to, but we could have without it being too much of an issue. Also, they were having trouble with the port pod and it was noisy back there, but this cruise was immediately prior to her dry dock and presumably that was fixed. I realize this post sounds pretty negative re the ship and the cruise, but that was not the case. Overall, ship and cruise were terrific.

Thank you for your observations. We board her in October for 28 days and am now looking forward to it even more. I was especially glad to here your positive comments about the MDR, where we have been disappointed on recent HAL cruises. Just prior to Oosterdam's dry dock, I, too, had an uncutable steak in the Pinnacle. Do you know what will be done in her dry dock? I'm especially interested in whether the signature suites will be refurbished.

Knowing she was headed to dry dock immediately after this crossing, it was with some trepidation we booked Oosterdam's Atlantic crossing. But, it turned out to be a terrific cruise. The ship looked good and the weather was great. There were a few signs a refurbishment was in her near future: carpet wear on some step edges, a few carpet stains and nicks and bangs here and there, but nothing really bad. Most noticeable were workers aboard, especially the last sea day, preparing for the serious work to begin immediately after passengers disembarking -- I heard a few complaints about this, but didn't bother me.

Some random thoughts:

- For the last few HAL cruises, I've been disappointed with MDR food and this cruise was no different. Service excellent, but menu selection and food quality mediocre.

- Had dinner in PG twice. First time my Porterhouse was so tough I could barely cut. The waiter saw me struggling and brought me another knife commenting that it was sharper. Second night strip steak was perfect. Had breakfast there 3 times, food no better than Lido, but service was, of course, impeccable.

- Mixed feelings about the new salad process where the servers preparing them for you. I don't know whether the ingredients are fresher or what, but they taste better. The problem is it can be slower service when you get behind people who can't decide what they want. On balance, I think the new setup is a positive.

- On the other hand, the Lido change from custom made to prepared sandwiches is a negative.

- Dive in sandwiches were terrific and service fastest we've had.

- Entertainment was good.

- The captain was very visable around the ship and was communicative.

- The Neptune Lounge was terrific, as were the concierges Kathy and Nina.

All-in-all, a really nice cruise.

How does the priority embarkation boarding for Neptune Suites work? Is there a separate line for entry? thanx

I understand the route from the port to the train station has been changed. Are there directions anywhere I could read to help me decide whether I should train to Rome or hire a cab? Also, are the shuttle and bus difficult to manage with a regular 45 pound suitcase and a carry-on? (e.g. low hung steps like airport shuttles or the higher steps more typical of buses?) thanx

Dave, thanks for taking the time to share your journey with us. I found it especially interesting since we'll be boarding the Oosterdam in a little over a month. Very enjoyable!

I've seen here, and previously, comments about using Clorox wipes to disinfect surfaces in cabin. I know it's a good practice as it would kill other germs, if not the noro virus'. But does anyone know whether it does kill noro?

Dave, I'm curious about the condition of the ship. It appears she is scheduled for a 12 day dry dock in early April. We're considering a TA immediately prior to the dry dock, but if she is showing a lot of deferred maintenance, we may do something else. Thanks for your good reviews and it seems you're kicking off your retirement in excellent fashion.

What can/will the concierge in the lounge do for you? Will they make additional reservations in the specialty restaurants, and if so, when can they do that? thanx

We'll be driving to board the Riviera in Jan. at terminal J, POM. Is parking easily accessible to the terminal, how good is the directional signage and should we drop our 2 bags prior to parking? thanx

Does Oceania run better than usual promotions during "wave" season? thanx

We'll be taking our first Oceania cruise in Jan. and considering another one for next summer. What are the benefits, if any, of booking a future cruise while aboard? thanx

I did this with a Princess cruise about a year ago. There were several requirements, including having an executive of the old travel agency submit permission in writing. They didn't make it an easy do, but did get it done. My old TA was having a serious health issue and was not at all responsive to the needs of the booking. Don't know Oceania's policy.

For January we are considering 3 cruises on Oceania (would be our first), 3 on Princess and 2 on HAL. The cruises are all warm weather and somewhat similar. The Princess and HAL cruises are heavily booked in all of the categories in which we are interested. Yet, Oceania has lots of availability. This is making me wonder why the other two are so much more popular when there isn't much difference in pricing. I'd appreciate any thoughts on why the disparity in bookings.

How many laps to the mile on the Riveria jogging track? It doesn't look very big. Also, does the forward superstructure block much of the forward motion wind or does the wind make it a no fun experience? thanx

We're seriously considering our first Oceania cruise. I called O with some general questions and was met with vague nonresponsive answers and a "I can't wait to get off the phone attitude". On this site it seems as though most cruisers rave about the passenger service. I've probably had over a hundred customer service interactions with HAL and Princess and never a bad one. So, I'm having second thoughts about cruising with these folks. Anyone else experience shoddy treatment on the phone and is passenger service aboard O ships at least as good as Princess and Hal? Thanx for your responses.

Are eight hours adequate to do justice in touring both Pompeii and Herculaneum? Would it be better to have a guide and/or driver or could we do it ourselves by train? thanx

Do ship to shore, HAL air and pre and post cruise hotels count toward the spending credit?

When they use 2 dining rooms for early TD, are the dining times the same in both or is it earlier for the DR that will later become anytime dining? What are those times? I think I've seen conflicting information on this. thanx

We're considering taking the bus to Nelson's Dockyard and then hiring a taxi to take us on a short tour of the island including a stop at Shirley Heights for the view. Will it be difficult to catch a taxi at Dockyard to do this? Will a 2 hour tour with taxi be set rate or should it be bargained? thanx

It's been several years since we've sailed in the Caribbean with Princess. But it seems to me they had some kind of program that gave cruisers more assurance re quality/price on purchases. Does such a program exist and how does it work? We'll be on the Royal in St. Thomas on Valentine's Day and I'm considering diamond earrings for Valentine's gift to my wife. Comments about experiences with such a program will be appreciated as I'm a little wary of spending that kind of money with an unknown store. Thanx

Another suggestion re the ultimate ship tour: suggest you sign up as soon as you board. It may have changed since I did it about 5 years ago, but at that time, they limited the number of participants to 10 and several people on my cruise were disappointed they didn't make the cut.

I'm on a 28 day cruise on the Princendam 10 months from now. I have a complicated situation for which the simplest resolution may be to cancel the cruise and rebook it. My only reservation about doing that is that I was told when I booked it that early dining was tight. If I cancel and rebook, I will probably lose my early dining, which is important for us. Thus, the question: does Princendam have anytime dining, and if they do, how is it done since they appear to have only 1 MDR? thanx