Lighthouse68

Thank you everyone for your help. I wasn’t looking for the name of the port of Valparaiso but rather for the dates of those cruises. I will look up my Oceania club account to get the dates.

This is perhaps an odd question but I am looking for dates of 2 past cruises. First the Regatta cruise from LA through the Panama Canal to Miami in January/February 2010 and then the Insignia cruise from São Paulo to Santiago in January/February 2012...I realize the ship docks in a coastal port beginning with V but the exact name escapes me!! Thank you for any help you can give me either with the info or a steer in the direction to find it.

That makes me so cross!! Avoid all cruise ship travel highlighted in red on the government website and that’s not enough to trigger your insurance??? How could it be worded any more strongly? It seems the insurance companies will go to any lengths to avoid paying out. One wonders why bother buying cancellation insurance.

I believe that the formal advisory is now on the website. I am planning to wait until after March break to make my final decision. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html#cruise

I have just been chatting with my TA and she informs me that unless the travel advisory ie ”do not go on any cruise ship ”is on the government of Canada’s website your cancellation insurance would not apply. As my cruise is not until April 11 I am content to wait and see for a while as things are changing from minute to minute. Ever the optimist I am hoping things will have settled somewhat by then😁

My cruise leaves on April 11. 5 weeks tomorrow. I agree, a very personal decision . In light of Oceania’s recent announcement regarding the 48 hr cancellation, it certainly takes the pressure off and allows one to be flexible and monitor an ever changing situation.

I’m a Canadian and I have thought more than twice about my upcoming TA on Sirena. Unless the cruise is cancelled by Oceania I am going. I am a solo traveller and plan to take lots of sewing and knitting also load up my IPad with books. I will take extra medication with me in case of “delays”. I am a healthy 77 yr old and am looking forward to my 11th cruise on Oceania.

The best lecturer we have ever had on Oceania was for our 2013 Beijing to Bangkok cruise. Harry Chittick was amazing....not only did he give informative practical lectures about the Far East and its culture but he gave a great lecture on travel photography. His lectures were always “standing room only” and there were no snores to be heard😁

Thank you everyone for your input. I have booked my cabin and look forward to a great cruise next April

Sorry...should have said Concierge A1

To me the big advantage of Concierge cabins is their position amidships. As a former sailor I really want to be in the middle of the ship in rough weather (it does happen!!). Another perk is a hot room service breakfast for those early shore excursion starts

Good Morning, I am thinking about returning to cruising after a 3 year hiatus. I have done many cruises with Oceania and a couple on other lines. I am looking at a transatlantic April 2020 on Sirena ( she is the only O ship I haven’t sailed on) so in doing my homework I started reading some reviews. To say I was shocked was an understatement! What shocked and disappointed me most was report of rudeness, poor attitudes , and general unhappiness of the staff. I understand that Sirena has just been refurbished and she is beautiful. On past cruises I have found the staff friendly and helpful, but some more reserved than others. I appreciate they often have difficult passenger situations to deal with. They are all hard working but usually cheerful.

Are these reviews written by people who have had an isolated bad experience or have the formerly excellent service levels slipped. The transatlantic voyage entails a lot of sea days....something I was looking forward to but not with an unhappy crew!

I will be staying at the Marriott in Miami not Miami beach so don't know how convenient that would be. I think I will talk to my TA and see what she can do for me with Oceania. This is more of a "nice to have" than a "must have". I'm sure I can find plenty of non alcoholic beverages on board which will be fine.

Thank you to all for your suggestions

Paula

Thank you Mura for that info. It looks like a brilliant solution. Unfortunately I am in Canada and the shipping charges make it very expensive. I will do a search and see if I can find a similar item in Canada.

Paula

Thanks to all for your responses. I am not too keen to carry wine in my checked luggage. With my luck one of the bottles will break and I will have a real mess to deal with. I am flying into Miami the day before the cruise so may get an opportunity to buy some there. I will also get my TA to request that they accommodate me. Looking forward to my January cruise

Paula

I will be flying in from Toronto so will not be able to bring a supply with me. I was hoping it would be available on board

Paula

Thank you for your reply

I will be traveling on Riviera in January. I am hoping that non alcoholic wine is available on board. I did a search for this info but the threads were very old(2007). Does anyone know if they carry these drinks?

We were on an Oceania excursion in Shanghai last March/April...as part of our cruise Beijing to Bangkok when a fellow passenger had his card "swallowed " by an ATM machine. Our guide called the local authorities but no one seemed to have any authority to open the machine (which was outside a bank.) We carried on with the excursion and the passenger joined us later but still didn't have his card. Supposedly he was to get it later in the day but also the ship was sailing that evening. We never did find out if he got the card back but after that we were afraid to use an ATM especially in countries where one doesn't speak the language.

We have always managed fine with credit cards and a little US cash for non credit card purchases. If we need extra US cash we get it from reception....yes it is expensive but hassle free .