KT Freeman

We were on deck 11 under Terrace Cafe on the Riviera this past April and didn't hear anything. I also liked the covered deck because when you have fair skin and burn easily, the shade is much better.

Yes

We just returned from a trip on the Riviera. My husband is a diabetic, and one of the reasons we stick with Oceania are the no sugar added desserts which are very good. You have to request the no sugar added dessert menu in the GDR and the specialty restaurants. There is always a no sugar added ice cream option in all the dining venues, and no sugar added cookies in Terrace Cafe. The flavors change every day.

We just returned from a transatlantic on the Riviera in 11068 which is a Penthouse Suite more aft than than the cabins you are looking at. Yes, it was under the Terrace Cafe, but we were never awakened by noise up there (and I'm a really light sleeper).

We're going to be in a Penthouse for the first time on our next cruise, so thank you for the photo of your reconfiguration. We will definitely ask for the coffee table and chair to be removed.

I'm curious what type of Transatlantic flight seat upgrade you can get for $39 pp? Sounds like Preferred seating, which basically is farther toward the front of the plane, but has no extra legroom.

It was preferred seating with extra legroom. I was surprised at how cheap it was. As of now, the flight isn't very full. It doesn't have Premium Economy. American only has it on select transatlantic flights. I'm just happy we have a direct flight to Philly and then a 15-minute taxi ride home from the airport.

Our TA contacted O's air department, and our tickets were paid to American. I was able to change our seats from the back of the plane to seats closer to the front on our Barcelona to Philly flight (our Philly to Miami seats were fine). Yeah! We chose not to take the air credit precisely for the reason Sopwith indicated - a one-way, non-stop ticket to Philly from Barcelona was almost 4 times the air credit, so it was a no-brainer. Anyway, we are no longer in row 30 and are now in a row with extra leg room (for which I gladly paid the additional $39/each).

 

We're not interested in a bulkhead (not enough leg room) or an exit row. We just don't want to be in the back or close to a bathroom. Our TA is calling on Monday since the O air office is closed this weekend.

 

Thanks again for all the thoughts from everyone.

Is the transatlantic flight actually on AA metal or merely a codeshare? If not on AA metal, you can’t select seats on AA’s website. If on BA, you’ll have to pay extra to select seats early.

 

Still must have tickets paid for to do anything further.

Yes, it's on AA. We paid the deviation fee to have a direct flight on AA from Barcelona to Philadelphia (were we live) rather than having to change planes in Paris or London.

Long story short, when you make final payment you'll have the option of getting your airline tickets purchased immediately.

We have made final payment. I'll ask our TA to ask O get the tickets purchased.

Thanks, everyone. I was able to find our flights under "search for a flight" in my AAdvantage account. However, it says that the tickets are pending payment, so I can't do anything such as select/change seats. I can see that seats have been selected for the Miami flight, but not the Barcelona to Philly flight. This is for the March 28 Miami to Barcelona cruise, so maybe O doesn't make payment until it's closer to departure? I'd like to select the return seats before there are only crappy seats left.

This is the first time we've used Oceania air. Our TA sent us confirmation that our flights have been ticketed, and we have the record locator number. We are on American Airlines. I went on the American website, and I can't figure out how to add these flights to my account. Can anyone help?

In Barcelona - Hotel Midmost or Hotel Murmuri

In Rome - Hotel Villa Duse; it's in a residential neighborhood near LUISS University and within walking distance of the Borghese gardens. It's in a great location if you want to be away the noise and tourists of the city center and all the attractions. A bus that goes to the city center is at the corner. It's in a former villa and includes breakfast in a lovely room.

That's disappointing. I'll still sign up and will see how it goes. Thanks.

Just saw that Noel Suarez will be in the Artist Loft on our next cruise. I really enjoyed the experience I had with W. Andre Allen in the Artist Loft earlier this year. Is Noel Suarez a new artist in the Artist Loft? I researched him and found that he is a painter, so expect that he will be doing some sort of painting experience. If he isn't new to the Artist Loft, can anyone tell me what they kind of painting they did with him?

The other advantages are the Conciege Lounge and hot room service breakfast. You have to decide if these are worth the extra money because the rooms are exactly the same.

We had our first concierge cabin last year. We liked the option of a hot room service breakfast. The concierge lounge has coffee, soda, water, sandwiches and pastries, daily newspapers and a host who was pretty useless (in my opinion). That being said, the veranda and ocean view cabins are the same size as concierge cabins, and you can get the same sandwiches and pastries in Baristas, so the only advantages to concierge level are the hot breakfast, newspapers (as long as no one has taken them), and earlier embarkation (I've probably missed some). You have to decide if this is worth the extra cost. We aren't so sure.

I made the cardinal sin of not searching the threads. Thanks!

We're going to be in a penthouse for the first time and are curious about the difference between the executive lounge and the concierge lounge.

I've had two shellac manicures (one on Insignia and one on Riviera) and both were bad. With the first one, I didn't notice that the shellac coat didn't cover all the base (color) coat and had big bumps until I got back to our cabin. The second one wasn't much better. I don't do shellac manicures anymore because they are very harmful to your nail bed, plus I have good luck with the Essie no UV gel top coat and bring them with me to touch up.

OBC will appear as a credit on your statement. You can use it for excursions, Canyon Ranch Spa, any of the shops and bars - anything that requires a payment. You can use it in the casino at the slot machines through your cabin card by "withdrawing" an amount for fee; your "withdrawal" and the fee

will appear on your statement.

Yes, there is a two-sided mirror on the desk that is perfect for applying make-up.

Thank you for the heads up on the sugar free dessert menu. Now I know to ask for it!

It's not sugar-free, but no-sugar-added. There's always a no-sugar-added ice cream option in Terrace and Waves. They have stopped including Sweet-and-Low and Equal in the sugar jars, and only have Splenda and Truvia which is a good step. Sugar-free desserts would be a great next step.

There was a fantastic chickpea salad on the Riviera on the cruise we just completed. Is there any way to get the recipe?

Just got off the Riviera on Monday after another great cruise. This time, there was a "mid-cruise survey" in our cabin after the 3rd or 4th day. I don't remember seeing one of these before. I filled one out and in it I asked why the no sugar-added desserts were no longer listed on the menus in the GDR and Terrace Cafe. My husband is diabetic, and one of the reasons we love Oceania is because they offer these desserts. I also said the towels seemed to be very rough. The day after I submitted the survey, I got a call from someone (can't remember the name), telling me that yes, there are no sugar-added desserts available, but we had to request the menu. The next day, I noticed how soft the towels were. I was pleased to know that the surveys were actually read and concerns were addressed.