ronrick1943

2 hours ago, ORV said:

The only people I ever publicly correct are those at Terrace that try to serve themselves. I always tell them, "They'll get that for you". Fortunately my wife is generally not with me as she would crawl under the table when I do stuff like this. 

Good for you😄In actually saw someone put their finger in the salad dressing to taste it and see which one they liked.  I pointed it out to an "O" person--right away she closed down and talked to the person.

4 hours ago, Jancruz said:

The worst breaking of the rules I have seen is someone that brings vodka in a water bottle to dinner so they dont have to buy a drink,,VERY tacky in my opinion..

Jancruz1

Hi, hope all is well.

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Yet it does not say that drink provided during lunch and dinner cannot be taken from the room. The crew seems just as happy to provide drink near the end of the mean as at the beginning.  So apparently Oceania does not care. If they thought it was abuse one would think that they would stop providing drinks at the end of the meal. 

 

 

Have they stopped the lounge hogs yet?😁  You really cares, some people are just cheap and that will never change---it's just like gratuities are included.

39 minutes ago, judi666 said:

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t care what people do.  It’s not my issue and up to the staff to deal with. 
Whatever “rules” may be in place, I have seen zero enforcement of clothing or anything else.

May be partly because of the very casual clothing needed on this itinerary.  It has been very hot and humid most of the time. Even the nicest thing would look like a wet rag after wearing.  
 

Oddly, there is one person wearing the same thing, no matter by the pool, on a tour, or at dinner. It is sort of a stand out piece of clothing, so have noticed. They must have packed very lightly.  Do I care, absolutely not! 

 

I really don't care either, but when people abuse a policy that involves money - it won't belong until a company takes away that benefit -then everyone losses.

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Really no one should even care about this issue. It is the cruise lines program if they wanted they could easily add language that meal time drinks must be consumed in the dining venue. They apparently do not seem to share your concerns about others behaviors.

 

We do not drink so we have no dogs in this hunt, but it is a bit funny for someone to get so worked up about an issue when the cruise line does not seem to worry about it.

 

Maybe they should assign drink police at each venue door and check anyone carrying a drink out to make sure that they have a package and not trying to cheat the system.

 

On Regatta have not seen any signs of wide spread abuse, even though we have seen people carrying drinks from one venue to another.

No one is really concerned, but if you read the program it does state for lunch and dinner.  I don't drink either.  But I do hate it when people abuse a policy and then complain about pricing, etc....

Really it just shows the character of the person.

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

You're confusing and conflating things.

 

My POINT was the O is DIFFERENT in that it allows you to bring on board unlimited amounts of alcohol. NOT that we could drink our own alcohol all over the ship. People who break the rules on drinking their own alcohol endanger the policy. I like and respect the policy. I drink mine responsibly in my cabin.

 

BUT I do enjoy the Captain's Party (and Repeater Party) and then drink their alcohol all over the ship that night.

Couldn't agree more with you, I understand exactly.  

55 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

Ok that helps clarify. It isn’t the walking around with a drink that you object to…it’s how the drink was paid for. I guess I’ve gotten used to drink packages where it doesn’t matter when/where you acquire the drink, 

Exactly....I'm just talking about people trying to beat the system....anything else no one should care.

40 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

I still don’t understand the problem with someone ordering a glass of wine just before getting up from dinner and walking away with it. One of the cool things imho about being on a ship is the freedom to walk around with a drink if I want to…something I sure can’t do on land. What if I want to stand out on the deck after dinner and watch the ocean with a glass of wine in hand? Who am I hurting?

I don't disagree with you, I'm just saving if you buy the glass of wine, or your on the drink package-not wrong.  However if your on the package that includes wine at lunch or dinner then sit at the table and finish it.  Otherwise wait until you get to a bar to buy it.  Just an opinion........

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Keep in mind that O allows you to bring on board unlimited amounts of beer, hard liquor and wine at embarkation and in ports.

Yes they do (Which is generous of "O"), but the rules state that purchase is for consumption in your suite (unless on wine you pay the corkage charge.

4 hours ago, basor said:

Not at all - we often will have a glass of port after dinner and take what is left with us to the show

If it's not part of your drink package, and you purchased the bottle off ship.  Yes it is..........

5 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

 

Wow, I’m not really understanding the problem with this? Sometimes you haven’t finished your drink when it is time to go to the show. It doesn’t mean the drink came from your own stock. It could have been from dinner or from one of the bars. It’s not unusual to see this on other cruise lines (Princess, Celebrity for example).

WE aren't talking about people playing by the rules--It's the people that want to take advantage of the situation.  Those that order a glass of wine just before getting up---or those that purchased a bottle off ship and pour a glass of wine or cocktail to take outside of the suite.  Sorry but it happens probably more than we think.

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Keep in mind that O allows you to bring on board unlimited amounts of beer, hard liquor and wine at embarkation and in ports.

Yes, but it's for in suite use only, not to be taken outside.........

1 hour ago, SATaxman said:

I posted this because I read on CC that some people have been doing this. 

I know, I've seem it too...it's just plain being cheap.  Then they wonder why prices go up.

52 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

I think with SM people may be getting a glass of wine or beer at the end of a meal to take to the show. 

It really shouldn't be allowed, if you're cruising you should be able to follow the rules.  Taking a glass of wine into dinner is wrong--as well as taking one out of a restaurant.  Why be petty to save a few dollars.  If you want to drink around the ship, buy the drink package.

On 4/11/2024 at 11:54 PM, judi666 said:

Bad news tonite in Toscana.  The bigger wine list by the glass ( about 20) in the dining venues, is about half gone. I’m sorry I haven’t posted that list.  We were informed that all the Italian and French wines are gone, along with my beloved Alberino and a Wente red are gone.  They don’t plan to restock until San Pedro.  So 9 more days. I wonder how much smaller the list will be by the time we get there. So much for Simply More.  I though it sounded ok and payed about 1.5 k more.  This was mostly for the included wine and beer and

a big issue for us was needing WiFi for 2 devices.  At the time we booked it was $600 more.  Shortly after they changed policy to include two devices for everyone.  I thought, ok, we do get some excursions added in, to make it a good value. ( we usually do a mix of ship and private tours).  The included excursions so far have been fine.  But I may have gone for something different, without  the usual merchant stop, that I have little interest in.

Oh well live and learn…. We do have some wine we brought on board, so will pay the corkage and go from there

We usually just did the cruise only, so sorry that option is gone.  There was nothing I read that indicated the basic package was only on the WBG menu.  That’s probably on me. I would not do it again, unless something changed. 

 

On another note the cruise had been really great and enjoyable.  We did have an issue with our room being very cold, but it was so hot out, it was ok.  Last night we mentioned for the third time the thermostat was not working.  Some one did come by and fix it.

Im sort of thinking I might be getting too old to enjoy cruising as much as I used to. 

Thank you for your posting, enjoying reading.  The corkage charge I really don't understand.  If you don't drink "O's" wine and drink your own--they are saving money.  I could understand if you we're paying for a glass of wine.

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Moving on with our live from the Vista reports.  Yesterday we were in Livorno with absolutely gorgeous weather with temps in around 70f.  Livorno is a port with many terrific options (for both DIY and excursions) and opted for a very pricy wine tasting/gourmet lunch excursion.  We thought the excursion was quite good (and we normally dislike excursions) and we enjoyed our small group of fellow passengers.  The only negative was that the excursion cost about $300 per person which we (and some others) thought was a bit steep.   

 

Last evening it was dinner in the GDR (DW and I both had an excellent strip steak au poivre).  My NY Cheesecake was somewhat disappointing because it lacked enough cream cheese.  

 

Today was another gorgeous day and we were docked in La Spezia.  This port is most convenient for visiting the villages of Cinque Terre, so DW and I decided to visit a few villages DIY.  We have been to this part of Italy, many times, but we usually access Cinque Terre with a rental car.  Today we took the train (an all day Cinque Terre Pass was about 27 Euros).  This pass gives unlimited use of the regional train, access to the hiking trails etc.

 

Folks that have often visited this over touristed destination generally have their favorite village.  For us, it is Vernazza, which is where we got off the train as for our first village.  I should mention that this port has a free shuttle to the port terminal building, and from that location it is a 1 mile walk to the La Spezia Centrale train station.   At Vernazza we did a lot of walking and eventually had an excellent lunch at an outdoor restaurant with a decent view of the crowds and water.  Cinque Terre is a popular place, so crowds are the norm.

 

After lunch we took another train over to Corniglia.  This is probably the least visited of the 5 villages because it is somewhat difficult to access (you need a bus from the train) and the village is full of slopes and steps.  After spending 1 1/2 hours in Corniglia (and having some terrific local gelato) we decided to make our way back to La Spezia and the ship.  The trains were running late (not unusual) and it actually took us about 2 hours until we were back aboard.

 

A word about our cabin (a normal veranda).  The Vista has a night light (which can be operated from either side of the bed).  It is a blue bulb located on the ceiling near the bathroom.  There is also a white light under the sink in the bathroom.  The problem is that the night light is a little bright for our taste (and others with whom we chatted).  We found a great solution is to simply leave on the light that surrounds the bathroom mirror.  With the bathroom door closed, enough light bleeds under the door to give us a nearly perfect night light 🙂

 

Hank

Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write, I'm enjoying read your post--looks like a fun cruise.  Looking forward to when we board again.

8 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Wow. That is not impressive at all. Like you, we are not shore excursion people, but if a perk is pulled by the cruise line, and we have used up that financial part of the offered product that can not be used in any other manner prior to sailing, it seems as if it should be transferred into OBC rather than totally lost. I have read of this occurring on more than one thread since Simply More. It’s truly not okay. I hope Oceania acknowledges this soon, and hopefully before you disembark, but I wouldn’t count on it based on reading multiple occurrences on different sailings. 

They should make it OBC, it's the right thing to do--period.

I think it depends on staffing, but being late-that would mess up the timing they planned to turn that table. Also if you're going to be late for a very good reason, call and explain I'm sure they would try to make it work-but if they can't-hope you understand and move on........

On the last Alaska cruise we took, I was sitting on the balcony and a Bald Eagle flew and landed on the railing of my balcony.  They are big, I thought after landing and seeing me he'd take off.  That wasn't the case, he stayed for about 30 minutes - and yes I didn't move until he was on his way.

That actually makes sense - Wonder why it took so long........

You're on vacation or holiday - you like a flavor or you don't, life is to short, enjoy what you like and leave the rest for someone that enjoys what you don't.

I wonder once one gets off the ship how long you wait for a blood test that was scheduled the week you got home----after all you don't want your doctor to know how your eat and dessert while away😂😜do you?

If you already booked the cruise I wouldn't think they can add charges at this time.  I'd think your TA should be looking after you as a customer.  We always book are own flights and hotel so we have full control of what we want.......that said we always leave a few days early before the cruise and stay a few extra days after the cruise.

I believe I saw that named suite get one printed newspaper.  So I would bet if they can get it you'd be able to order one (at a cost).

8 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Better chances than July.  🙂 

 

https://www.spaceweather.gov/ has Aurora forecasts -- but be aware the green only marks less than 50:50 chance, what you want to see is red.

Thanks, didn't think about looking at that site.  It's not like I have to see it, but it would it would be nice.  I enjoy cruising, everything else that happens during a cruise is a bonus.

14 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Psst!  To see the Northern Lights, you need night -- which is in short supply during Alaskan summers  😉 

We'll be on a late September/October cruise-should have longer nights--after Alaskan we head for Tokyo.