SellaVee

I think that's a really good idea, but from my own point of view, in 5 cruises I haven't found a shore excursion that a) I wanted to do AND b) it was available. Post pandemic we're just not booking far in advance, so booking excursions becomes a problem. There is also the question of the value of Oceania's excursions compared to private tours. Forcing us to spend money on excursions we don't want does mean we'll cast the net wider in looking for cruises. We've just returned to Oceania after a long break and were actually looking at Windstar when the Extraordinary Sales brochure landed. Apart from the savings the itinerary was very interesting, which is what always brings us to Oceania.

I would be much happier with that than excursions, but of course excursions is where there's money to be made. If there's a lack of availability on shore excursions, what then? You can bet the money won't be refundable.

That's interesting. We're doing the fjords on Marina soon, and I did wonder if people would be wearing more casual clothes in the evening.

Me neither.

@Sujormik Who is the cruise director with the irritating laugh?

I have a nut allergy, and a few others, and on previous cruises I've had the menu delivered to my stateroom the night before so that I can select the dishes I want. It's not ideal but better to be safe. Sometimes things can be made without the problematic ingredients, other times I can choose something else. I've never gone hungry.

Have you managed to contact them at that email address? I ask because I tried a test post and it bounced right back.

I too can do without the cookies, but I'm curious to know who the artist in residence is, and whether they will still be on board in July and August. Those toiletries do look a bit 'medicinal', so perhaps they are meant for an allergy sufferer. Bon voyage.

I don't think MargateKev could have made it any clearer.

I was quoting Frank Del Rio Jr! Since he's the guy in charge, I doubt that this is a rumour. Also, according to Jancruz, who is a reliable source, there will be no cruise only. PS What's a FUD?

I went back and read this on the first post for this topic. Let me paraphrase. You will have no choice, you're just gonna pay for it all.

It's all about the value, value, value, and getting "free" credit for excursions I won't or can't use will make this a poor value choice for me. I can see them wanting to make it simpler for people who are happy to let O organise everything for them, but I've been into my travel agent today and picked up a Windstar brochure. I don't see O running out of drinks, but I do see them running out of excursion places. What then for the free excursion credit? It seems shortsighted to no longer allow cruise only.

I think people forget how far north Scotland goes. Growing up on the Aberdeenshire coast, my husband was much nearer Norway than London. It does depend on what you are used to. We did a Baltic cruise in July/August, pre pandemic, and some of Oceania's American passengers were wearing down jackets, hats and scarves, and the cruise director was complaining about how cold it was. Many of the locals were in shirt sleeves and we just thought there was a fresh breeze. If it turns wet and windy you will be cold. If you are lucky it will be gloriously sunny. It's really hot in the UK right now, but June is often the best month for weather.

I'm concerned about the compulsory spend on shore excursions for three reasons. 1. They will have to be paid for when we pay for the cruise. 2, We prefer private tours to shore excursions 3. On our upcoming cruise we thought we might try the shore excursions, only to find that there was no availability on the tours we wanted. In that case, would we just lose the money? Based on the published excursion credit we would be looking at $2 000. Will excursion credit be refundEd?

I was born and brought up in Scotland, and Edinburgh is my alma mater. My advice would be to take a properly waterproof raincoat, not jacket, and a packable down jacket for warmth. You can expect to be thoroughly drenched at some point on your itinerary. Now, you may be lucky and have sunshine all they way, you just can't count on it. When we go back to Scotland we pack for all 4 seasons, even in the height of summer. Now with your packable waterproof coat, and your packable down jacket, you can wear a T shirt or shirt, and shorts or Capris underneath, so that you can dry your legs with your microfibre towel, and take off your waterproof coat and your down jacket when the sun comes out! Put the towel, coat, and jacket into your tote or backpack and you're good to go. Don't forget your sunglasses and sun hat. Now, none of these weighs that much. And remember on Oceania you don't need formal wear. A couple of pairs of crinkle or linen pants and a selection of pretty tops and fashion jewellery and you'll hold your own with the best of them. Alternatively a dress or two, if that's your thing. I find a few scarves, and a pashmina for air conditioned spaces on board, can be handy. Camisoles can add an extra layer of warmth while taking up only a small amount of room. A word about umbrellas. In coastal Britain I wouldn’t bother. When it's wet it can be windy. Bon voyage.

😂😂. What really confused me was I've heard Americans refer to a 5 ounce pour. 8lbs is 128oz, since lbs is the abbreviation for pounds avoirdupois, as opposed to pounds sterling. It's your thread ORV, and you can use what you like. I'm just easily confused.

I like the way you're taking your whisky. At first I was confused by the "only 8lbs" then I read it out loud. Did you mean £8? Or is that glass absolutely massive? 8lbs is weight, £8 is money, and they sound exactly the same.

Looking forward to reading more, ORV.

The first ATW on Insignia had an "Artists Loft". We were told when we could sign up, and everything we needed was provided. I expect they kept this up on subsequent world cruises. We did a segment.

I chose Shorex for our upcoming cruise, then discovered that most of the excursions were fully booked. Even though our cruise was paid in full (we booked fairly late on), I was able to get my TA to change to the drinks package which was the next best option.

Forgive me if I haven't made myself clear. 1. I never thought for one moment that a refund in the form of air credit was a "gift" to me from Oceania. I always thought it was indeed a refund of what they were planning to charge. I'm not sure why you think they're being overly generous because I have the ability to source flights and taxis within that budget. It’s called being a savvy traveller. And if I pay less than someone who does just pay the airfare component, I deserve it for the work I put in. 2. I've always asked for the air credit before I book the cruise. Why would I not, when I book the flights myself as a matter of course? And, BTW, I never said the air credit was too generous. You did. I prefer to know where and when I'm travelling and I prefer direct flights. Heathrow is not my airport of choice. 3. I've never taken a group transfer from Oceania, and have no plans to do so. I prefer a taxi, or even a bus, since local bus travel in England is free for us, so going to Southampton airport to the ship costs me zero pounds sterling. And the service bus has room for luggage! I've also never been on an Oceania excursion. We were going to try some on our next trip but they were booked up. So we've taken the drinks package since our per diem cost for that works out at less than the cost of 2 glasses of wine at Oceania's prices. I'd have been daft to ask for our "free" OBC to be removed. Don't you just love maths!

The artist in residence on the ATW segment we did spent a lot of time, ahead of the first class, hanging her work. This let people see her style before her lessons began. The artworks were priced, but there was no sales pressure at all, and certainly no silent auction. Interestingly, on a Cunard transatlantic the art class had a shoe at the end of the week and someone bought work from one of the students. The work wasn’t, advertised as for sale, but someone asked nicely. Not everyone who paints on board Cunard is a beginner. That may also be true of Oceania.

Not necessarily. I think it’s fair to assume Oceania sells very many more flights in the US than it does in the UK, therefore it won't have the same "purchasing power" with the European airlines, so Oceania Air isn't such a bargain as it seems to be for some posters in the US. If, pro rata, they have to pay more, so they must charge more, hence more air credit.

Air credit does indeed vary, quite considerably. I'm in the UK so for European embarkation ports I usually find the air credit covers the flights, and the taxis, no problem. On a short flight I don’t mind travelling in economy, which gives me a wider choice of carriers.

We booked a segment on the first ATW cruise. Because there was a delay to the start of the cruise, our segment from Singapore ended up being the first leg. I'd joined the roll call and there was a good camaraderie among the cruisers, so when we embarked I felt we "knew" some of the others. We managed to join several private tours, via the roll call, one of which involved an overnight stay in Hanoi. It was unusual as a lot of people had cancelled but we found no awkwardness at all with the other passengers.