Rainbow3fe

3 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Unless I’m missing something in your post, I’m a bit confused.  With this change O is going back to what you would seem to prefer, no drinks included and no forced excursions included??? 

No. There are many differences

1. On the original OLife passengers had a choice of X number of excursions Or the same $$ amount of Shipboard credits.

2. It appears that elite Oceania Club level members will be in effect losing their complementary gratuities. Theyll get $250 per cabin as a substitute  People who have cruises of over 10 days will lose hundreds of dollars.

3. Oceania always included air in the advertised prices. Passengers would get an air credit. An example we received a discount of $2100 pp for our Japan Riviera when we declined the "included Air".

23 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you’re at any O Club level that already receives gratuities coverage, the best you can hope for is the “in lieu” $250/cabin SBC.

And, since they’re not reducing the fares as an adjustment for the eliminated Simply More perks, O regulars who could/would have continued enjoying the basic booze and tours SBC are getting screwed. 

Gut reaction to that press release: Time to start looking at other options for a “vacation home.” 

        Awful news. We were looking forward to enjoying our newly achieved Silver Level Perks.

       If we are booked under OLife or SM do you think we'll still get the old Oceania Club benefits ? I can't find a new list of Oceania Club perks. 

   Thanks.

1 hour ago, elmsliebev said:

our first sea day is day 6 also. Are you on the Tokyo to Singapore cruise?

Sorry no

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments.  🎉🌊

Safe travels,

Felice 😎

3 hours ago, Harters said:

On our last two cruises, we havent gone to the Captain's actual party. 5.30 is still afternoon for us and we don't want to be in our smarter clothes so early simply to get a free drink. Not least as we wouldnt be dining till 8. Of course, we do take advantage of the free drink available in the bars. 

 

We've been to the "Returners" party once but not last time. Similar reasoning.  

We enjoy Captain’s Parties because we get a chance to dance.   We are normally back in pur stateroom by the time they play dance music up in Horizons.

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

The 1st sea day is on day 6. So I won't really know in advance which day the Captain's Party will be. That will be fine. We can play it by ear.😎

3 minutes ago, basor said:

The new level paraphernalia is not handed out at the O club party but will be left in your cabin.  The only thing recognized at the O club party is handing pins to those attaining the highest level of Diamond or Presidents. 

Oh. Thank you for letting me know.  We aren't getting those pins 😃

Felice 😎

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Captain’s Welcome event is usually the first sea day early on in a segment or, if none the first port day with early departure. There is a Captain’s Welcome for each segment and all are welcome.

The O Club Party is usually later in the segment and, depending on passenger load, may be split into two events. Over the past few years, an O Club “first time O cruisers” party has been added. (They’re not invited to the regular O Club Party.

Hi,

    I appreciate your kind reply. I was trying to decide on a plan for dinner reservations because the 1st leg is quite port intensive. We booked some wonderful private excursions and it's going to be exciting and exhausting.

    At the O Club party we'll be getting new level paraphernalia that we probably won't find useful, but it's still fun. 

Take care,

Felice 😎

Hi,

     Anyone know which day of the cruise the Captain's Party is usually held?

    If you cruise 2 legs, will there be 2 Captain's Parties?

      Thanks, 

Felice 😎

5 minutes ago, Sailnsurf said:

Does 2 for 1 during Happy Hour apply to all drinks or only cocktails? What time is Happy Hour?

Any drink.  You need to get 2 the same. Not sure if it's at 5 or 6. They post it every evening in your Currents. ( newspaper with schedule for the next day.)

1 hour ago, sd duderino said:

 

In March/April, we were on Viking Venus with a cruise director named Katy Syrett, from Edinburgh, and it as her first cruise on Venus. So if the same, she certainly is making the rounds on Viking - maybe trying to do the whole solar system in a year or something like that. ... I agree that she was terrific, although Viking Ocean, not as much.

 

I think having a fabulous CD on a not so great cruise wouldn't work for us. A good CD is a nice plus but it's not as important as the cruise itself. Thanks for posting. 

5 minutes ago, Pearl64 said:

Felice,

 

Thank you for your questions as I have similar ones. Our ship the Riviera does embark from Yokohama on April 1 but it disembarks from Tokyo International Cruise Port in Tokyo. Now that information may change. Your getting to Kyoto will be different from what pinotlover and Hank suggested. I do like the idea of shipping luggage from one hotel to another. We are in Ginza for several days before we go to Oceania’s free night offer. We don’t know what hotel they are using at this time. I will checkout Blacklane to get us to our hotel from Haneda. Is Blacklane suggested to go from a Ginza hotel to Haneda? I’ve checked Google maps for public transportation. It looks as though there are long walks with luggage and transfers.

 

thank you.

Hi,

    Glad you noted the different port for our disembarkation.  I will check before we make definite plans.

       It will be our first trip to Japan

  Looking forward to an awesome adventure. 

       Anyone have suggestions for Nagasaki that don't include bomb sites and history of the devastation? I don't mean to be crude but it's just too much for us to handle.

Thanks 

Felice 😎

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

On a previous thread, I have recommended the use of Blacklane , in Tokyo, for transportation from the airport to hotel and from hotel to cruise terminal. They provide wonderful services and their prices are competitive. I likewise choose the option of having them meet us as we exit the baggage area into the main terminal as opposed to meeting in other areas.

 

Since you will be in Tokyo for a week, a taxi from your hotel to port is another option. Upon arrival though, Blacklane is the best option.

 

As I pointed out, and Hank reiterated, upon disembarking ensure you tell the taxi driver you need the Shinkansen Yokohama train terminal. The taxi ride was between $20-$25 US ( I paid by credit card in Yen) to the train station. Taking a bus from the cruise terminal to the local station, then a subway to the Shin station, with luggage, isn’t worth the money savings for us. The Shin station in Yokohama isn’t very large and finding your Track will be easy. Kyoto is a large but the distances there in are still relatively short when compared to Tokyo Central.
 

Likewise, as discussed before, I believe flying into Haneda is far superior than Narita. The distance and transportation costs from Narita far exceeds that of Haneda.

Thanks so much for the additional advice.  We aren't looking to find the cheapest way but just most efficient within reason.

      We are flying into and out of Haneda. Will definitely contact Blacklane to pick us up.  Booking a car in advance is a great idea. We prefer that to looking for a taxi in an unfamiliar place.

Felice 😎

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Yes and no.  I all the stations we used (Tokyo area, Yokohama, Kyoto, etc) there was always escalators and elevators.  That being said, some of the stations are huge and it can be a long walk (sometimes blocks) to change trains, get to an elevator, etc.  But lets talk about going to Kyoto.  If you are doing it direct from Yokohama, you first need to get to the Shin Yokohama Station.  This is not the same as the main Yokohama station.  The Shin Yokohama is on the main line that has the high speed bullet trains (which do not go into Yokohama).  You can get to the Shin Yokohama Station from town by taking the metro/train, but this is a commuter line and can be very crowded (especially during rush hours).  Dragging luggage on/off these crowded commuter lines, and through crowded stations, can be a challenge to some folks (we did it and are in our 70s).  That being said, Japan is probably the safest nation on earth and folks do usually cut you some slack just because they see you as a visitor.  Perhaps the best answer to your question is that if you can handle the physical work of hauling you luggage (and perhaps needing to pick up the bags to get them on/off trains) you can do it.

 

Now lets talk about the so-called bullet trains (which do connect Tokyo/Yokohama to Kyoto.  You should have reservations on these trains and you can get assigned seats.  There are two classes with the First Class option known as "Green Cars."  The Green Cars cost more, but you do get more space (the normal class is also quite nice). The cars have overhead racks which can easily hold smaller bags.  Large bags are more of an issue and can sometimes be left at the end of a car.  But the best solution is to reserve the special Green Car seats that have extra luggage space.  These are very limited (there are only a few on each car) and are near the end of the cars.  These special seats have extra space (behind the seats) that have room for large pieces of luggage.  These special seats must be reserved (often well in advance) but do not cost any more than the regular Green Car seats (the seats are the same, but the extra storage is nice).  We reserved these seats when we took the bulltet train from Kyoto to Shin Yokohama.

 

And by the way, if you do not want to deal with changing trains (from the port to Kyoto) you can simply take a taxi direct from the port to the Shin Yokohama station.

 

If you are planning on going to Kyoto from Tokyo, you will need to deal with the huge stations (i.e. Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations are among the largest in the world).  Keep in mind that you would need to roll your luggage a long way.  Another option, especially if moving between two hotels) is having your hotel ship/forward your luggage to your next hotel (we have done it).  This is a fabulous option (we used it to ship our luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto).  You generally send out your luggage the day before you plan on checking-out, and it will be waiting for you when you arrive at your next hotel.  The cost is quite reasonable (we sent two large bags for about $50) and saves you the hassle of dragging your luggage through stations and on/off trains.

 

Hank

Hi Hank

     I appreciate your advice.  We are going from Tokyo Hotel to ship so either train to Yokohama and then a taxi or taxi all the way.  I need to compare costs. May as well take a taxi if it's not a fortune. 

     Then Riviera at Yokohama cruiseport to Kyoto Hotel means we can't send our bags ahead to the hotel. 

     Felice 🇮🇹

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Allow me to first back up the process with some tips. We arrived in Tokyo a few days pre cruise. I opted to find a Japan Rail office, at the nearest large subway station, and pre purchased our rail tickets. We went into the office, sat down with a helpful agent, and bought first class tickets with seat reservations for all of our planned Shinkansen travel. This primarily meant we didn’t have to figure out the kiosk system for each leg thus making travel easier. I would recommend you do the same. If not arriving first in Tokyo, one can do the same at any of the railway stations. Otherwise, go to the rail office at the Yokohama station. I had a question there and found the English speaking line short and efficient.

 

Yokohama actually has two distinct stations, one handles the local trains only and the other also does the Shinkansen trains. Catch a cab, at the port, and tell the driver “ the Yokohama Shinkansen Station “. Otherwise, you’ll be taking a short subway ride between the two.

 

We traveled with large suitcases. At the major Shinkansen stations, you will always find either ( or both) escalators or elevators to take you from one level or the other. One doesn’t have to haul luggage up stairs. Two other great works of engineering with the system now. First, your ticket will have a car and seat number. On the floor of the passenger tracks will be numbered areas/spaces that correspond to the car one is in. Find that space and wait. Unlike European or American rail, the Shinkansen trains always stop precisely aligned with the numbered spaces. There is no running to find your car. Second, the cars open at ground level. One can almost just roll their suitcases onto the cars. There isn’t the lugging and tugging of getting the suitcases up the stairs of the train.

 

Once aboard, at the rear of the car, there is space, between the rear seat and the wall, to place your large suitcases. One can pay for and reserve lockers, for the suitcases, but we never found that necessary. 
 

The train system is easy to use, as is the subway and street cars. Watch the screens as announcements are rotated both in Japanese and English.

 

Kyoto has several stations. Ensure you go to Kyoto Central or the main station and not get off early. Enjoy your travels.

Wow.😍

     I really appreciate your detailed explanation.  We will be in Tokyo for a week before  boarding Riviera in Yokohama. I will definitely follow your advice to book the train trips we need.

      2 more question please. 

      How do you recommend we go?

1. Airport to Tokyo hotel.

2. Hotel to Cruiseport in Yokohama 

    Thanks again,

Felice 😎

On 7/27/2024 at 4:44 AM, santrah said:

I recently booked our first Oceania cruise on SM basis, when I login to my account the Excursion Credit us showing however,  when I click on the drinks package tab it is offering to pay for the House Select upgrade along with the Prestige Select when I have the House Select included in our fare.  How do I upgrade to Prestige prior to departure ?  If upgraded onboard is there a Greece tax (Athens embarkation) and a  gratuity to pay?  Thank you.  

     Hi,

    I wouldn't upgrade until you're onboard.  Check out the offered selections, they're not bad, and then decide. As someone mentioned, you'll go to 2 parties and there will be 2 for 1 Happy Hours daily.  We usually don't drink during the day so it's our wine with appetizers on our Veranda before dinner and then wine with dinner. 

   Enjoy 😎

Following 

On 7/21/2024 at 11:57 PM, mauibabes said:

Really that is my point, every line has changed, especially since Covid. “Stuff Happens” when it comes to travel, airlines, flights and cruising and opinions and tastes only apply to the beholder. We can all be critical and we all have opinions. We have taken a few 5 Star trips before and after Covid, land and river and Ocean and I can honestly say that in my opinion their wonderful French Chefs and amazing cuisine did not compare to Oceania’s. When asked to rate dining, I stretched to a C+ and explained I was comparing to Oceania and no other cruise lines. FDR Trademarked the Finest Cuisine at Sea and drove that home. Fact or Fiction, it is a great tag line and the cuisine is outstanding, IMHO. 

My 2 cents and that is all it’s worth, blow off someone else’s negativism, their opinions and  look forward to “your” adventure and cruise and go with a positive attitude and have a fabulous trip and create your own opinions just for you. 
I will drop the mic,

Mahalo,

Mauibabes

Hi,

     So glad you wrote this and happy that I even found it. I appreciate your  comparisons of O and Viking. We love the food, ambience and service aboard Oceania.  Booked our 12th. We are always looking for an interesting itinerary.   

       For a " change of pace" or to "try something new" My DH wanted to look at a Viking cruise. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea.  We had already "experimented" with Princess and Celebrity.  No need for me to go into details about some awful experiences on those cruises. 

       I agree that whenever you leave home,  "Stuff Happens".  We've learned to roll with the punches and enjoy the adventures.

     Happy sailing.😎

On 7/5/2024 at 8:57 AM, pinotlover said:

To start, Tokyo is a huge City, so the question can’t be answered without knowing which part of Tokyo you plan to stay. Cab or limo fares can’t be quoted without precise information.
 

Easiest solution is to take a subway to the nearest train station and then take the train to Yokohama. Cab fare from Yokohama station to the port is around $25 max depending upon whether you arrive at the Shinkansen station or the regular station.

 

We took both the subway and Shinkansen system and both are easily navigated.

Is it difficult to use the trains with large suitcases? How do we get from street level to the platforms?

We have plans to go to Kyoko by train after the cruise and I appreciate your help.

Thanks,

Felice 😎

Following

On 2/25/2024 at 11:48 AM, pinotlover said:

We are doing an O cruise to Japan starting on 4/1. Doing private land tours on both sides of the cruise. Will report back experiences late April.

We are there as well.  Should be awesome 😎

13 hours ago, avw said:

You didn't start this discussion. I responded to the person who started this discussion. Her question was:

"I am looking to book a cruise to Japan in 2025.  I have narrowed my search to Oceania and Azamara.  Any feedback would be helpful." 

My comment provided feedback she was looking for.

 

As for the difference between Oceania and Azamara, each person values different things more than the other. I don't value "upscale" as much as "friendly and happy". 

I apologize.  I asked a sam

13 hours ago, avw said:

You didn't start this discussion. I responded to the person who started this discussion. Her question was:

"I am looking to book a cruise to Japan in 2025.  I have narrowed my search to Oceania and Azamara.  Any feedback would be helpful." 

My comment provided feedback she was looking for.

 

As for the difference between Oceania and Azamara, each person values different things more than the other. I don't value "upscale" as much as "friendly and happy". 

I apologize. I asked the same question somewhere in CC and incorrectly thought it was in response to my post.  

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

20/??

 

Absolutely a few of us would go, but your example testifies how few. On Az it’s nearly the entire ship. I’m just saying different cruise lines have different vibes and different clientele. That clientele often segregates because of those differences into the various lines. Trying to superimpose one culture onto another is difficult at best. 

I'm  sure it is different on each line. People gravitate to where they're comfortable. Since we dine later we rarely see a show. 

The Piano Bar is open after the show. Most people go to see the shows which run from 9:30-10:30. After a full day touring everyone must be tired. 

10 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Would never work on an O ship unless a promise was made to have everyone back to their cabins before 9:00 pm.

 

Different lines have different programs. Though interesting this won’t work on many O ships. The 9:15/9:30 show is well past the bedtime of many O cruisers.

Huh?? Not true. You want people to believe Oceania is for people who go bed at 9.  We booked our 12th Oceania cruise . We usually have dinner at 8:30 and at about 10 PM we enjoy the Piano Bar at Martinis with around 20 other passengers.  

8 hours ago, osandomir said:

The post that you were replying to pointed that the port for Kyoto is Kobe on the itinerary and Osaka on the accompanying map. One off many omissions on Oceania website. Actual port is probably Kobe that to be accurate not anywhere near Osaka.

Thanks for clarifying that. Port is Kobe and it docks there for excursions to Osaka and Kyoto.