Cliff-FLL

Actually, there is a distinct difference between a service animal and a support animal. A service animal provides a specific service, such as alerting the deaf or blind of an issue/threat, a diabetic that their blood sugar is dropping, or other similar issues. A support animal gives psychological comfort to a person, such as when dealing with social interactions, PTSD, or other circumstances when an individual may be in an anxiety-producing situation. Under the US ADA, prior to allowing someone to enter an establishment, businesses are allowed to ask about the training provided to these animals to determine if they are, indeed, "service" animals. Service animals are, for the most part, allowed everywhere, whereas "support' animals are restricted from many places, including grocery stores, restaurants, and other places where they would be considered "unsanitary".

If we were capable of explaining Oceania's excursion prices, we wouldn't have to worry about them. If we were that intelligent, we'd have our own yachts and would be stopping wherever we wanted.

Well, an OS is definitely outside! 😁

You can't go wrong with an Owner's Suite (OS), although they're a bit small compared to the OS on Marina and Riviera.

Lisa, if I were you I wouldn't worry about getting from airport to hotel and, later, from the hotel to the pier. From the airport to the hotel, a taxi will get you there with a minimal amount of trouble. As long as you can say the name of your hotel, the cab driver can get you there. If you're not feeling comfortable that you can pronounce it correctly, have the name & address written down in advance and hand it to the driver. Going from the hotel to the pier, the same applies. Most hotels are happy to call a cab on your behalf and staff can explain to the driver where you're going. Best bet is to let the front desk know the night before where you're going and that you'll need a cab. Once again, it's safest to have the name of the cruise line & ship (and the terminal, if you know it) written down, in case there is a question. There are, of course, other options available - car or limo service, Uber, Lyft, hotel shuttles, etc. - but, for minimal fuss and effort, just use taxis until you're more-comfortably returned to a traveling state of mind.

If your particular sailing has an instructor and classes, just be prepared that some of the people who sign up for the "beginner" sessions are far from it. I was looking forward to learning to play but was unable to attend the first session. When I showed up the next day, thinking I could catch up, there was a contingent that insisted on comparing the benefits of the Inverse Flippinoid Strategy (or whatever it was called). When the instructor actively joined the discussion and ignored those of us who were there to learn how to play, I gave up and left.

Actually, the most recent O policy on dress (dated 25 July 22) states: "We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, sandals, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM." So, as long as the jeans do not appear to be "casual", you can wear them. Yes, I know there are those who say all jeans are casual or that there's no such thing as dressy jeans. However, apparently O disagrees with their personal fashion sense, as do many other people and establishments. Just because it's not one's personal norm, or because it wasn't acceptable in the past, or grandma said that young ladies don't wear certain things in public, doesn't mean that everyone else should comply - especially when it is specifically allowed by a restaurant or cruise line. For better or worse, fashion changes. (Remember when girls weren't allowed to wear pants to school or church?!)

As a child of the '60s & '70s, jeans became de rigueur for every situation, much to the dismay of our parents and other elders. I was living in San Francisco at the time; ergo, I was doomed and never stood a chance. It is now 50+ years later and there are still people who are clutching their pearls when they see a pair of jeans anywhere. Over the decades, I've watched restaurants around the world slowly adapt to changing sensibilities and fashion - once again to the dismay of those who were raised differently - and allowing various styles of jeans in various states of disrepair. These days, when I go to a Michelin-starred restaurant, I am still somewhat amazed that jeans - completely taboo for years in any version - appear to be the go-to fashion for most diners, male, female, & otherwise. In short, as tacitly acknowledged by Oceania & other cruise lines, jeans have become a fixture on the dining landscape and nothing is going to change that. Jeans are omnipresent and it's time to accept them - just as we do polyester. 😱

Yikes! US$199.99 is, at the moment, only CA$272. They seem to be padding it a bit. Perhaps they're anticipating a further imbalance and planning ahead? I remember back in the late 60's, when I was living outside of Detroit - of course, I was but a child at the time - we used to use US & Canadian currency interchangeably. Oh, and gas was 28 cents a gallon. 😁

Don't do it. Period.

Why is Aruba concerned about ED?!

Going back to the OP's original question, we normally have 2-3 courses; starter, entrée, and (sometimes) dessert. On the rare occasions that we decide to exceed that, we try to order smaller items, such as a side salad, a half-order of lasagna, a 6 oz. filet (rather than a 32 oz. prime rib), and a split dessert. Sometimes, we'll even throw in a shared cheese plate. The basic rule of thumb is, "the more courses, the smaller the portions." Vis-à-vis the staff being annoyed, I've never given it a thought. If someone who works in a restaurant is annoyed because people are ordering food, perhaps they need to find a new place to work.

Disembarked in Miami in December but I didn't notice the names of the baristas. Max, unfortunately, was not on the other side of the bar.

Yes, but not to the point where the entire site becomes unusable. In such a case, the business normally posts a notice, in advance and during the times affected, that some functions/pages may not be available. Oceania never posts a notice and its clients only find out about this through word of mouth. Also, Oceania seems to do maintenance every week-end and different functions go out at different times (or simultaneously), making the site unusable for all intents and purposes until Monday.

Given my druthers, I'd take shoestring fries over anything they currently offer. With LOTS of salt. Oh, don't mess them up with artificial truffle flavoring. We're Oceania passengers. We know the difference. And don't forget to bring them out with a side of mayonnaise.

Rather than the GM, it might have been the director of hotel services.

Our first Oceania cruise was a trans-Atlantic on Regatta, about 14 years ago, and was my first-ever trans-Atlantic. The seas were incredibly rough and, occasionally, it was fun to watch the waves hit the windows in Horizons. Stacks of sea-sickness bags were on every horizontal surface and the ship pitched and yawed a good part of the time. People walking down the hallways looked like drunken sailors. Some of the staff were adversely affected so everyone was understanding when food and housekeeping services were a bit slower than usual. Personally, I took a tumble stepping out of the bathtub/shower (we got hit with a huge wave) and landed painfully on my side/ribs. The ship's doctor was quite attentive as we sailed to Madeira to be seen at the Clinica da Sé, as arranged by Oceania. As a side note, the ship's safety officer actually burst into the doctor's exam room, without knocking, while taking pictures so he could show I didn't have any visible injuries. After that, the doctor locked the door. The ship's GM, when I complained, just shrugged and said he was young and overzealous. The rough seas didn't last the entire time but they were extraordinarily evident while they were present.

If I were you, I'd go shoe shopping just to be on the safe side. If they aren't necessary for the cruise after all, well...I'm sure they won't go to waste. Just sayin'...🙄

At the end of the day, it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Hey, Mark. Getting back on topic, I wouldn't let any of our allocated reservations go by the wayside. We always book to the max and, after we get on board, we provide our list of requested changes to the butler - who then deals with F&B on our behalf. If you already have a reservation, you're simply asking to swap for another restaurant. If you're requesting new reservation, you're Oliver Twist asking, "Please, sir, may I have more?" Bargaining from a position of strength is always better. Vis-à-vis the gay thing, folks on Oceania are pretty laissez-faire about it. In all of the years of cruising on Oceania, we've only had one issue. Sitting with a lovely couple, chatting, and I could suddenly see this look of comprehension come across his face. For the rest of the dinner, he didn't say another word and they left the moment they finished their entrees. She, on the other hand, continued to chat but spent the entire meal looking quite baffled. Considering the number of people we've met or simply encountered without a problem, I don't think there's any need for concern.

Actually, on our first Oceania cruise, the folks that started the roll call also initiated a cabin crawl. It was so popular, they had to split it into 2 groups. Never having been on Oceania, we thought this was the norm, albeit a strange one. Going through Marina, I was able to identify many cabin categories that I would never consider - as well as a couple that I might. Not sure that I'd ever consider doing one again, though. Worst "cabin crawl" ever was on the same sailing, when Oceania boarded "supervised" groups of TA's to tour their new ship, Marina. We returned from touring that day and found that every toiletry, in both bathrooms, had been stolen.

If it's non-alcoholic wine, it's called grape juice. 😊

This is very good to know. Our usual accommodations normally sell out a year or more in advance and we wondered how we could get our preferred suite. When it comes time for our 20th - not too far off - we'll be sure to reserve it using this method. Thank you!

We were on a Marina TA in November/December 2022. In addition to selections from Toscana and Polo, we were offered 2-1/2 new menus. One was Degustation, the other was Best of Oceania, and the third was Degustation with a wine pairing. (On the other hand, maybe it was the Best of Oceania that offered the wine pairing. 🤷‍♂️) Gratuity was not added to the room-rental cost. It's expected that the host will tip the waiter, assistant waiter, & sommelier appropriately. Bottles of wine that are ordered in Privée, however, will have a gratuity added. Bottles of wine that are brought to Privée may or may not have a corkage fee added, depending on the sommelier.

Bottom line is, if it gets hot - other than your spouse - you're not allowed to bring it on board with you.😁