larry_s_taco

Does anyone have any updates on the Vista? I know they canceled the cruise for this week. Where are they working on her? 

43 minutes ago, flviking said:

To browse a menu in advance to consider if this is the evening for a specialty then check available reservation times for the specialties saves me time and effort while enhancing my vacation. YMMV. The option to use technology is a benefit 

I enjoy technology. I use it daily. If it is not available I adapt. Every cruiseline that I've sailed has posted menus on boards outside the dining rooms, so I just swing by and check it out there. I haven't been on every line so I don't know if they all do it across the board.

On 8/11/2024 at 6:33 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We will be taking our first Oceania cruise in about 1 month.   As such most of the information I'm gathering is from details I've accumulated and some of which I've read on CruiseCritics and FB groups.

 

First of all I wanted to say I understand that Oceania and Celebrity are totally different but that is the main reason we have booked this cruise.   We also understand that Regatta is the smallest and oldest ships in the Oceania fleet.   We actually booked Vista in an Owner's Suite for next year but wanted to try out Oceania -

 

For those that don't know us, we are Jim and Iain (Scottish version of Ian).  We are a male couple from the heart of Silicon Valley, CA.  We have been together for 38 years and are addicted to cruising.   For the past 24 years we have sailed exclusively in Upper Suites on Celebrity.   Times have changed and we have decided to explore other cruise lines.  This year we have booked 2 Oceania, 1 SilverSea, 1 Regent Silver Seas and 2 Cunard cruises.  

 

The purpose of this tread is share my per-cruise knowledge of Oceania.   Of course, my perception could be totally off base and opened  to correction and advice.

 

 

 

 

 

I always look forward to your reviews. You guys always provide great details.

Is the steakhouse worth the money?

Does anyone have any experience with an all inclusive beach day in Aruba? If so would you mind sharing your experience and the pricing? 

TIA

Has anyone eaten recently in the steakhouse? What is the charge, and do you think it is worth it? Is the quality better than the main dining room?

TIA

Has anyone read anything about what the dry dock will entail?

Thanks to everyone. Good info.

11 hours ago, 0106 said:

@larry_s_taco My experience on the South America & Antarctica cruise this year was extraordinary.  I did a TA her in 2022 and will be doing the TA again with you in 2025 so obviously, I love the ship.  
 

Crows Nest has a bar.  She will be in dry dock prior to the TA in 2025.  What other type of current info do you need?

Thanks for the info. How do you feel about the entertainment in the theater?

We booked a TA for Nov. 2025. Does anyone know if the Oosterdam is scheduled for a dry dock before then? Has anyone been on her lately? If so, how did you find the condition of the ship? I heard they brought back the Crow's Nest as a bar again. Is that true? I always thought it was a bad idea when they made the Crow's Nest into the Exploration/Shore excursions area. Any other current info would be much appreciated. 

Thanks

Will Celebrity be building any more midsized ships? We and many others love the Solstice class and would really like to see similar sized ships being built in the future. Thank you for all you're doing for Celebrity. It is a great line.

How many days should I plan to explore what I can from the downtown area? I have no idea what is there to explore but I was thinking of staying maybe 2-3 days. 

Thank for everyone's input. I've been sailing for many years (my 1st was in 1983) and have become quite use to the multiple changes that occur line to line. There were changes happening long before covid. This has happened across the cruise industry, it's not specific to HAL. I was just wondering if what I heard was true or not as some people that I travel with enjoyed the lobster. 

I just read on another site that HAL no longer has lobster on formal nights. For those of you with recent experiences is that true? They were specifically addressing the Oosterdam. 

On 6/17/2024 at 6:03 PM, audcc77 said:

Try Cocoa Beach Shuttle.  Our flight came in at 2:10 and we used them.  I think they run til 9 pm.
 

 $28 pp each way or $25 pp for round trip. 
 

Whomever you use, they will work with you.

Thanks. I'll give them a try.

Thanks for the heads up.

Our flight arrives after all of the routine MCO bus transfers to Cape Canaveral stops. The latest bus transfer I could find was around 12:30pm. We arrive much later. Do you think we will have trouble finding an Uber or other means of transport to the port? Does anyone have any experience with this or any suggestions? 

TIA

2 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Every night they will have some form of entertainment in the main theater, yes. Most nights it is a show but some nights it may be a variety performer or comedian or an audience-led game show. If you've never seen them before, I'd say they are worth seeing.

 

There are two shows each night so you can make the show no matter when you eat supper.

 

If you have not seen it yet, you can find daily activities sheets here to give you an idea of the activities you may find on your cruise. https://www.saintgregtravel.com/fun-times/

Thanks

Do they have shows in the theater every night? Why type of shows do they have, and do you think they are worth seeing? 

TIA

Does Curacao have any good all-inclusive beaches? We are looking for one not provided by the cruise ship and fairly reasonably priced. 

Thanks

Does Aruba have any all-inclusive beaches? We are looking for one not provided by the ship that would be fairly reasonable in price. 

I have 2 quick questions: Have you been to any of the shows? Are they still having a show every night? 

We are just starting to investigate visiting Vancouver. We have a cruise ending in Vancouver in May. We plan to stay several days to see the city. Is there an area in the city that is better to stay in if we want to spend most of our time walking to see the city? Are there any hotels that you could recommend that would allow our walking tours? 

Thanks

On 5/24/2024 at 9:16 PM, GTO-Girl said:

Uber is a popular option but here is a list of the most popular shuttles in the area….

 

Thanks.

We are flying into MCO, but our flight is after the times the routine airport to port shuttles run. Has anyone had any experience using Uber to get from the airport to the Port Canaveral. We are flying in the day before so there really is no time pressure. We are staying at a hotel that is walkable to the port. 

Thanks for any personal input you can give.