LaCroisiereS'amuse

I'm researching new cruise experiences; my late partner & I used to cruise with Oceania once or twice a year. Oceania are a great product but they are rarely adventurous with their itineraries & less suited to solo travellers. One thing I love about my cruise routine is a daily sweat in the steam room at the end of a days adventures & before cocktails/dinner, but I can't see one on the Atlas website. Can anyone confirm whether or not there is one on board? Thanks in advance! 😀

I came back from 2 weeks on Insignia in August & found the quality to be as good as before. The thing I didn't like was the abundance of vegetarian/vegan options - one evening half the main course options were non meat/fish severely limiting options for omnivores. I come on a cruise for a treat......I leave the health kick at home.

I have & I know what I like 🍸

Martinis do have it - I like my Gimlets with half Rose's half fresh lime juice.

Phones will frequently log on to Turkish networks in the Greek Islands near to the Turkish coast and Cyprus, so worth bearing in mind on an Eastern Med.

Got off Insignia 10 days ago......we had them.

The included beverage package will be for wine/beer with lunch & dinner only, but you can pay $20/day upgrade to the open bar package (with a small number of exceptions like sake in Red Ginger, Louis 16 cognac, a couple of malt whiskys), but I've always found the upgraded package to be better than the all inclusives I have sailed on. The wine by the glass selection is limited, but covers a broad spectrum & was way better than the paint stripper that Silversea served up at every meal 4 years ago (that cruise put me off South African wine for a long time!). There is nothing to sign when on the package the sommelier/bartender will just ask to swipe your card once in each venue & sometimes they don't even bother.

If I do go to afternoon tea I ask them to get me a pot of hot water from one of the coffee machines - its still not as hot as from a kettle, but much better than from the urn.

CityHopper are KLM's regional arm & operate new Embraer regional jets - they aren't a low cost & the legroom decent. Seats are 2 on each side of the aisle. Same on board service as KLM mainline, but the crew are younger & keener.

I regularly fly KLM between the UK & Schengen countries - you don't go through security again, just passport control. Last week it was quick & you can still use the e-gates so that side of it is not an issue. I did Glasgow - Amsterdam - Berlin & return last week, with 45 minutes in Amsterdam on the return and still had time for a quick Heineken pitstop in the KLM Crown Lounge.

On my UK Platinum I just have an NCL deal - spend £500 or more get £100 back, and Celebrity spend £1000 or more get £150 back. No cruise deals on the UK Gold credit card.

The PH makeover really hasn't grown on me....how could they mess up such a bland colour palette?? 🤔

It has been a $20/day upgrade since drinks packages were first introduced.

I find Blacklane expensive in the UK, but use them in the US & elsewhere and find them reasonably priced. I have a trip to Berlin coming up next week and was originally flying from Edinburgh as the ticket was significantly cheaper than the equivalent from Glasgow (15 mins away from me). Blacklane wanted £185 for the 48 mile trip to Edinburgh airport - even a black cab would have been cheaper at £120. I could have found a local cab company to take me for £80. I've since taken the hit & paid the supplement to fly from Glasgow for convenience's sake.

Thanks for your reply - very reassuring info!

I remember when Oceania bought Sirena from Princess/Carnival they had to double their refurbishment budget due to lack of basic maintenance on the two R ships & unless Princess have upped their game in the last few years I can only imagine that there are even more unforseen issues with Onward.

It will be to pick up passengers that left the ship on Oceania excursions from Bordeaux in the morning. Timings are cruicial on the Garonne river due to tides, particularly on Marina & Riviera, and the ship would probably have stayed in Bordeaux had the tides permitted.

Also, if you view this on YouTube you'll see that the poster has disabled comments, so maybe they realise that they haven't approached this the right way?? Thumbs down on YouTube from me.....

Shoreside customer service is often unrelated to the onboard experience - I've had issues with Oceania H.O. & yet still sailed with them 14 times. Silversea, here in the UK, are pretty bad too.

Officially, I don't know, but the stateroom attendants/butler have never said anything.

The only way I get a decent cup of tea on any ship is bringing my own travel kettle, tea bags & fresh milk, otherwise my caffeine fix comes from Baristas!