spuds

The next day it rained but we walked the Ramblas, and then through the Born neighborhood checking out shops, cafes, etc. I bought 2 pair of espadrilles from a very famous store that makes them onsite to-order and very reasonably priced.

Hello 2FLtravelers,

Do you remember the name or the location of the store in which you had your espadrilles made - ?? We are in Barcelona in August and I think this is something I would be interested in.

Thanks!

We used Roberto Mirabile a few years ago and he was wonderful! Very personalized service! I would not hesitate to book with him again the next time we are in Sicily.

We will be in this port in August and at first I thought we would just spend the day walking around the town. But then I read there were a couple of charming villages (Pals and Peratallada) a short distance away that might be nice to visit. I checked public bus options and I think it would be fairly easy to get to Pals (not Peratallada) but maybe not so easy to get back to Palamos.

If needed would it be reasonable to get a taxi to take us from Palamos to one (or both) of these towns - ?? Or are taxis readily available in Pals so that if we took the bus there would we be able to take a taxi back - ??

Thanks!

We are in cabin 7009 in August and our friends are on the opposite side in 7008. We wanted the same cabin but opposite sides so we have a choice on which balcony to have drinks on during sail-away and sunsets :-). We prefer facing the aft due to the views and hopefully less wind. I will take some pictures from this balcony as I could not find any pictures from this balcony... I could only find pictures from 7111 and 7108 (at the aft of the ship). We were considering the PH suites at the aft of the ship with the very large wrap around balcony that faces aft but could not justify the price difference, especially with a port intensive Mediterranean cruise.

OK...this is the weirdest thing I could imagine happening!!! We are leaving in about 3 hours to fly to Lima to board Regatta tomorrow. We are, sorry, were, booked in a PH3. I was reading this thread to my wife when the phone rang. Our TA was calling to say she had an upsell offer to an Owner's Suite for $1,000 per person, and were we interested.

 

Talk about getting goose bumps!!!!!

 

At first I thought my wife was making a joke and the TA was just wishing us a good trip.

 

Nope, it was legit. The notice had come to the TA at 1:30 in the morning. She said this was the third notice on this cabin and it had gone from $2,000 to $1,500, and now to $1,000 with no takers.

 

Well, we took it.

 

Like I said ---weird and goosebump producing.

Good for you!! Have a wonderful cruise!!

This is great information! I had no idea that we were required to carry our passports in some European countries.

Have you considered Azamara - ?? I believe they are affiliated with Celebrity. We sailed with them in 2013 (Asia) and enjoyed the cruise and smaller size of ship.

We are also travelling with another couple this August and have booked a 2 bedroom apartment at Midtown Apartments. I thought the price for a 2 bedroom was reasonable... it appears to be in a good location and it has a rooftop pool. Since we have not stayed yet I cannot provide a review on the accommodation... but it looks nice and has good tripadvisor reviews.

Good Luck!

See post 15 above.

I saw that... and I agree there seems to be 3 options... my point is the website is not clear as on the 'Olife promo no air' option it says at the bottom of the page that prices reflect 'a Cruise Only' reservation.... and if you actually continue on and try to make a reservation it does not bring you to the promo options... like it does if you do select air.

I think Oceania needs to do some work on their website.

I think the Oceania site is quite confusing! I noticed this about 6 weeks ago.... on our cruise on the first page there is a Promo fare and a Cruise Only. The difference between these 2 fares is 1300.00. When you go into Plan a Cruise and say you do not want air the difference between the Promo fare on the 1st page and this page is only a 1000.00. It says on the top of the column that this is a Promotional Fare.. but at the bottom of the page it says 'above prices reflect cruise only reservations'.

I wonder why they have to change all of them - ?? Maybe leave some with the tub so it gives their customers options. When booking you could make your choice if both are available.

Hi Sabbycat,

Why are you looking for one way flights - ? How are you getting back home - ?? One way flights always come up more expensive on some of the major airlines out of Canada (AC, BA, etc)... but you can choose your return trip from a different city and get the return ticket cost.

We loved it. To compensate for the loss of room in the cabin, we asked that the chairs and table at the foot of the bed be removed (we found them rather silly anyway). I can't remember the closet situation, but it was more than adequate.

 

My question is this: Why do people love in-suite, course-by-course dining? We've been in PHs three times and haven't tried it, probably because we're outgoing and love to chat with tablemates. But I'd love to hear why others enjoy it.

Hi Debbers, so you have stayed in this suite... do you think a table for 4 would fit on the balcony - ? I actually also reached out to our Travel Agent to ask Oceania... and they said no. But it looks large enough so not sure if that is just a standard answer based on a normal size balcony... I did specify the specific suites but they maybe did not consider that.

Thanks!

Thank you all for your feedback! It is greatly appreciated!

spuds - I am not sure if you are aware, but thought I would point out before you spend a lot and are not happy. The two PH's you are looking at have less room than the average PH Suite does. The cabins are approx. 1.5 to 2' narrower.

Thanks for the information on the reduced size of the suite. I have done extensive research on these suites and was aware of the smaller interior size. We do not worry about the size of the suite or closet... washroom size is important to us but from what I can tell all washrooms (any suites) are a decent size... .unlike Azamara Journey were we felt like we were in a broom closet and ended up upgrading our room a day after we got on the cruise.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to get a great upsell deal on an OC suite on Riviera last year so we had lots of room for in-suite dining. That said, the only time we took advantage of it was to have breakfast on days when we had early shore excursions. As far as dinner goes, we much prefer the public dining rooms. That said, I can certainly see having in-suite dinner for 2 or 3 couples if you want to celebrate something or just enjoy a more intimate evening but unless it can be accommodated on the balcony I just don't see it being very practical in a PH suite. Having been in a "regular" PH suite I don't think the balcony would work for more than 2 people. We haven't had the pleasure of the extended PH balcony referenced by the OP so I can't comment on that. Ask me in a few months though and I'll be able to - we're booked on the Marina in one of the rear extended balcony PH cabins.

Were you on the Aft for the Oceania Suite - ?? It looks like the balconies might be the same size... the PH1 on Deck 7 maybe even a bit larger. If yes, do you think a dining table for 4 would fit out there - ??

This is a tough decision for us... as it is quite a significant cost increase... we LOVE LOVE LOVE the Aft of the ship and are a bit disappointed that Oceania's only public vantage point for this is the Terrace Restaurant... and we would not be guaranteed an outside table. Some nights we might just do Happy Hour and Appies on the balcony (for sail-away) and then go to a restaurant for the remaining courses.. but some nights we would love to enjoy a full meal with our friends on the balcony.

And of course if our Butler is going above and beyond and serving our friends as well as us then we would make sure that he/she is well recognized/compensated.

Once again, thanks for your feedback!

We are considering changing our reservation from a veranda (B3 extended) to the PH1 suite at the aft of the ship (suite 7130 or 7135) for an upcoming Med Cruise in August. It is a considerable $$ amount to change and a couple of things would be important to us.

1) is there a limit to how many times you can request to do in-suite course by course dining - ??

2) if you do in-suite dining can you invite friends to join - ?? we are travelling with another couple and they may not be in a PH suite.

3) for anyone that has stayed or seen the suite 7130/7135 balcony do you think that a table for 4 could fit on the balcony and if yes weather permitting do you think they would be able to serve us dinner on the balcony- ??

Many thanks for your input!

We visited Eze during a port day in Villefranche (10+ years ago). I agree 2-3 hours is enough time to explore the village. There is a cactus garden at the top of Eze that we really enjoyed (especially for the views). I think it was a small charge to enter (a few Euros - ??) but we thought it was worth it.

Thank you both for your input. I was just wondering if we would be docking closer to Toulon (and I assume tendering in)... or at La Seyne sur Mer which I understand can be 20-30 minutes away from Toulon either by boat (across the harbour) or bus.

We are considering renting a car and driving to Aix en Provence and possibly a winery (or two) so wondering what the best car rental location might be based on where we are docked.

Just curious - what if you wanted to use some of your OBC towards the shore excursions - ??

I am just planning some of our DIY shore excursions for our cruise next year (in August) One of our ports is Toulon, France. I read that there are now 2 ports there, one for larger ships (in La Seyne sur Mer) and one close to Toulon. Does anyone know where the Riviera might dock for this port - ?? From the itinerary it looks like we are tendering in.

Thanks!

Hi Susiesan,

We are on the August 22nd sailing that also includes Palamos. I have been looking into the options of Girona as well but think we will just spend our time in Palamos. I found this document of a touristic bus and/or walking routes that takes you around the area. Not sure if you have come across this in your research.

http://www.visitpalamos.cat/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Desplegable-BADIABUS-ang.pdf

Hi everyone

 

Just wondering if anyone has used this company, your comments about them. They are requesting a hefty 50% deposit. I am looking booking but have never ever paid that kind of a deposit. Just want to know if others have and the outcome.

 

Thanks!

Hi CrusingFamily,

I have started to look at some tours during our port stay in Chania next August. I have just sent a request to the company that you mentioned... the reviews seem good on Tripadvisor. Just wondering if you ended up using them and if yes what was your experience - ?? Or did you do something else - ??

Thanks!

When we went to SPB in 2006 we did both options. I did get our Russian Visas before we left as knew I wanted to experience SPB on our own as well as with a guide. The first day we had a private guide (DenRus) to take us to Peterhof Palace, the Hermitage, and some other sites and then also got some guidance on how to get around the city on our own. At the end of the first day the driver dropped us off at the Mariinsky theatre where we attended a concert. I had given both the driver and our guide a small gift from Canada and when they dropped us off the driver kindly offered to pick us up after the concert to take us back to the ship. I was not sure if he would be there... but sure enough he was and he did not expect anything when he drove us back to the ship... although I am sure we gave him something. He was just so kind and thoughtful!

The next day we went through passport control (no problems). We had to take a shuttle bus that the crew takes to the passport gates. I had also asked the crew what they did to get around SPB... they said they take the taxis into the city and advised what a good price was. After the gates there were some taxis so we negotiated a price to the Peter Paul Fortress. He was very nice as well... he spoke a little english but to ensure we were communicating he showed us pictures of places where we could meet and he would pick us up for the return to ship. Which we chose the Kazan Cathedral and he met us there as well at the time and price that we arranged. If memory serves me there was a bus that drives right by the gate that takes you into central SPB as well. This was Celebrity (a larger ship) so it was docked in the outskirts. I saw smaller ships right in the centre of SPB so those would be very convenient to get off and DIY.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day on on our own in SPB. We found a great place for lunch, walked around the canals, and just loved being able to do what we wanted when we wanted. To me it was the best of both worlds!

The cognacs which appear on the Bar menu are included, there are other more expensive ones, which aren't......Louis XIII type of stuff.

Perfect! I am happy with that - and that makes our decision easy!

That's a good question.

 

If it's on the bar menu or can be made from items on the bar menu it's covered.

 

There are quite a few things that are not covered including some champagnes, higher end single malts and ports, cognacs etc. Sometimes it doesn't make sense as they have some things that are cheaper than items that are on the menu, but my experience has been if it's not on the menu it's not covered.

 

Here is a fairly recent copy of the menu.

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/riviera16_menus.htm#main_bar

I wanted to thank you for the menu (and pictures) as well! You mentioned that not everything is covered but I do see some higher end cognacs on the bar menu (XO's for 25.00 a glass). Would those be included - ??

My DH enjoys a nice scotch (maybe even a double) before dinner and a nice cognac after dinner and Hennessy XO is one of his favorites. We are on a 10 day cruise next summer and are leaning towards using our OBC towards the Prestige package. Even though we may not add up to the 60.00/day/person (which I think we will with a pre-cocktail, couple of wines with dinner, and after dinner drink.. especially an "XO" cognac!!). Also, it's nice not to have to sign and keep track of the receipts. We were on an all-inclusive cruise a couple of years ago and that was a nice treat!

Hello,

We did this on our first Med Cruise in 2003. It's a full day but very doable. We got off the ship early and took a cab to the train station in Naples... we took the train to Pompeii and spent 2-3 hours there. It is wonderful first thing in the morning, not very many crowds. We then took the same train to Sorrento, had lunch there and then took the hydrofoil to Capri... we spent a couple of hours there and then took another boat back to Naples... it docks right by the cruise ships. I think our cruise left around 6:00 pm so you will have a couple of extra hours to work with.

Enjoy your trip!