Mura

Thanks, doubledobles. We love Mussels and this helps with planning out which restaurant to book when! I am hoping we can get into Jacques a second time as well. ;)

I also vouch for the mussels. They are wonderful.

And I, too, couldn't get them a second time ... but that was towards the end of the cruise and so not surprising. I wasn't aware that the lifetime of their "availability" was as short as 4-5 days, however!

Both times I had them was on the first night of the cruise ...

Mura

Yorkiemom,

For me -- about half way! :D

Mura

OTOH, 10 minutes at a rock concert would make me homicidal ...

Orchestrapal and I have similar tastes, you guys obviously do not! ;)

Mura

I am going to differ a bit with the others ahead of me. Only because while "rules are rules", there are times when they should be set aside.

The rep you first spoke to SHOULD have told you that booking the way you did, with full payment due NOW, that you wouldn't be able to transfer the booking to your TA. You were told that you had 30 days to do so.

It seems to me that O can well make an exception in such a case because you were not given the full and correct information.

Whether you will get very far I have no idea. But in your place I would at least make the attempt.

Then again, if nothing can be done ... just enjoy the cruise.

Mura

Well, darn! Had read on another thread that people had no problems getting extra reservations. Oh well. We'll still try. Who knows maybe we'll get lucky.:rolleyes: on another note, Caviargirl, is there somewhere to check and see what the occupancy rate is for the cruise at this point?

It can depend on the cruise. Sometimes you have lots of passengers (like us) who aren't that interested in dining in the specialty restaurants. We go to them, we just tend not to go as much as we could. We were just on an 18 day cruise where we could have been in a specialty restaurant 12 times but we only used 5 of those reservations. (We did eat in our suite twice.)

Other times you have a passenger component where just about everyone wants to eat in the specialty restaurants.

So it's impossible to predict in advance if you can get extra reservations or not.

Mura

When I was younger I loved perfume -- although not just any perfume (back then Chanel was one of my favorites). I never cared for the smell of cigarette smoke.

But by the time I was in my late 40s or so, I could tolerate perfume less and less and so by now I dislike it as much as smoke. That doesn't mean no one is allowed to wear it in my presence, however ... but if I'm in a closed space (like a theater) and the person wearing it was liberal in its application, yes I have a problem as well.

I feel the same way about after shave ...

Mura

The guide we used in Nov '05 is Abdelhamid Idrissi Kaitouni.

Here is what Laura (who organized that tour) wrote to me:

I tried the website on his card but it brought me to a porn website so I looked up the following: http://www.privateguide.com/tangiertour/ and http://casablanca-privatetours.com/about-us.php. There are also facebook and other links but I don't do facebook or those things. Can't vouch for any of the e-mail addresses contained in the links!

Hope this helps!

Mura

I have found...over the years...that the more I sail the less I feel "that feeling"!!! Thank goodness! [sNIP]

 

I do think that "tolerance" does have something to do with building up that "immunity" ...as in the more you do it...the better it gets??? At least...for me...

I do think you have a point, LuAnn. I have found that while I've always been sensitive, I can be fine most of the time. Then, if we have one or more really bad days -- where I am lying down in bed because that's all I can do (preferably sleeping) -- then on the next cruise I am more susceptible to queasiness, even if it really isn't all that rough.

Given that I was fine on the Barcelona-Rio cruise we just took, and we did have a few roughish days and we were on Deck 11 at the absolute back end of MARINA, maybe I've built my tolerance back up.

We'll see when we return to MARINA in May for the NY-Dover North Atlantic crossing ... when we'll be bang in the front.

But at least I'll be very able to practice what Dan preaches! (Thanks, Dan, for reposting that. Now I have saved it so I know what to do in the future!)

Mura

P.S. Of course, as others have said -- when in doubt, book lower down and midships.

I have to say that while I, for one, am happy to see the cabanas go ...

I'm equally as unhappy with a putting green as I was with the cabanas!

I wonder if there are more people who want a putting green than there are those who want a cabana ... it doesn't seem likely to me but I haven't taken a survey. Then again, I haven't seen a survey put out by O either.

Mura

Very interesting! We had booked what I thought was a suite, but we only booked a month before sailing and so most likely the larger ones were gone. So I was disappointed in our "suite" which really wasn't. But I saw one of the real suites that was occupied by a friend of ours that we met on the cruise and that was easily twice the size of ours.

And she was traveling alone!

Our section of the ship was supposed to be non-smoking but someone in a nearby cabin definitely WAS smoking. Our cabin stewardess told us the smell was overwhelming inside the cabin. I got the feeling she didn't feel comfortable in reporting the occupant ... but somebody must have because it very suddenly stopped.

Mura

Oh dear, sorry for having gotten so off-topic. I will refrain henceforth ...

Oh my, Lyn, that would be awful! I agree!!

When did you do that cruise? We booked the DREAM after Ren went bust. It replaced what was supposed to have been a Hong Kong-Singapore cruise with a Buenos Aires-Valpo cruise.

We had lots of Ren survivors on the cruise. I just know that Howard and I kept saying "but Ren did it better". If I wanted to plug in my computer in our cabin I had to unplug the TV. And we had a mini-suite that was comparable to a PH on the "R" ships.

When we were at the buffet the crew would prepare a tray for you ... taking much longer than if you did it yourself.

The cruise itself in terms of ports and such was fine. But we weren't that happy with the ship itself ... and if we'd encountered your problems with walking to your cabin, oh dear.

So forget I made the suggestion! :)

Mura

We were on Regatta in August 2011 and Waves looked the same as it always did. Which, yes, is different from the "O" ships version.

Are they plans afoot on the upcoming renovations to make Waves look more like the "O" ship versions? Seems to me (as with other spaces) that there really isn't room to do so.

Seems to me that on the "O" ships there's a lot more space for the "salad bar" portion of the space than there is on the "R" ships.

Maybe the next re-do of the "R" ships can "stretch" them ... I remember that NCL's DREAM (no longer in their fleet) was a "stretched" version ... but I don't know how much space was added in the "stretching" process.

Besides, I always have visions of the ship collapsing just where it was stretched!

(Then again, if such a thing were possible I'd like to think they'd only be adding maybe 20 feet of space for Waves ...)

Mura

When I posted my first answer to the question I was also trying to deal with the realization that so much can depend upon the seas as well as the passenger. I've been on the "R" ships where seas were rough and I suffered -- going into Aruba one time on Regatta even the crew were suffering. On our first Marina cruise two years ago we had a couple of rough nights, although it wasn't bad. (We were in a Vista on Deck 10 but walking back to the room after dinner one night was quite an adventure, tacking from one wall to the other.)

But would it have been worse on one of the "R" ships? I have no idea.

I believe Hawaii Dan has suggested that standing at the front of the ship as you leave for 10-15 minutes will get you your sea legs. So far I haven't been able to try that one, but on our recent TA on MARINA we were on the opposite end of the ship and even though we had some rough seas (not many), for once I was never sick at all. I know from the motion we felt that in the past I would have been prone on the bed at least a few of those times. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe my body is finally used to rough seas after all our cruising in recent years.

But I won't bet on it!

HD, maybe you can repeat the instructions for this thread!

The only real way to compare the "R" ships to the "O" ships is for you (and not a stand-in) to be on BOTH ships in the SAME seas, and see how they compare!

True, Marina/Regatta are larger than Regatta/Insignia/Nautica, but they aren't exactly large as modern day ships go.

Mura

Cadiz and the Alhambra in the same day? Yikes, even if they were close together -- which as you now know they are not -- there's too much to see in each place. If you been to the Alhambra before (about an hour or 90 minutes just to get there from Malaga) Malaga itself is very interesting. They have a lovely Alcazar, as does Seville.

Our first time in Tangier was with Renaissance and we just did the "hire a cab" bit which worked out fine for us. Of course, you did end up at a typical shop but if you are firm enough you can convince the driver to forego that stop.

The second time we were there our group had a private tour with a guide who everyone said was fabulous, but I had torn my meniscus and chose to stay on board that day. I don't have a record of that guide's name but I'll contact the person who arranged the tour and see if she still has that info.

I do know a guide who we used in Alicante some years ago who can do Cartagena and Valencia (I think). He gave us a great day in Alicante. Drop me an email if you'd like his contact info.

Cadiz is a charming town (as others have said) and there is plenty to do with one day in port, or even two. But it's also close to Seville and Jerez which indeed have much to offer. In Jerez there is a lovely Clock Museum but when we were there (Nov '05) you had to be with a group in order to tour it. (We were 8 people.) That is also close to the Spanish Riding School.

Mura

I tend towards sea sickness myself but I can't say that I've noticed that much of a difference between the newer ships and the smaller ships. I've been sick on both and I've been fine on both!

As you say, though, it's hard to make a hard and fast rule between different people.

Mura

I find myself very surprised since our two different La Reserve menus (although both were on Marina, but two years apart) were so lovely.

As to Newbie's complaint about the standard of wines, a friend on the first cruise who was a La Reserve the same night we were did have a similar complaint. In her case one of the wines came from her neighborhood and while she considered it a pleasant wine, she didn't think it belonged on that menu.

I did relay this information to a neighbor of MINE who works for Wine Spectator as a manager and she sent it along to the big brass but I never heard anything further. After all, it's Wine Spectator that should be choosing the wines.

On both of our menus I adored the "big reds" that accompanied the main beef course but while I enjoyed the others, I didn't feel a need to rush out and acquire them for my non-existent cellar.

As to the saltiness of the food -- wow. A legitimate complaint to be sure. I am one who tends NOT to salt my food (while cooking and while eating) and I certainly didn't feel that way with our two menus. But certainly someone should have come over to find out why a good percentage of the diners were not finishing their plates, which generally are not large to begin with.

So sorry to hear that your experiences didn't parallel ours.

Mura

You can get lunch in the Terrace Cafe when you board. Cabins are usually not ready until after 1pm or so, and they open up to the most expensive cabins first. If you board after 4pm, it will be too late for lunch, however! I'm not sure if room service is available on boarding day -- usually it's 24/7.

Dinner will be in the restaurants starting at 6:30. It's often a good day to book a specialty restaurant which you can do online depending on what category of cabin you are in.

Mura

Renaissance Cruiselines built 8 ships called R1 through R8. After Ren's bankruptcy, Oceania eventually acquired R1, R2 and R5 -- now Insignia, Regatta and Nautica respectively. Azamara has (I believe) R7 and R8. Princess also had two of them as I recall.

So they are known as the "R" ships. It's helpful on this board to distinguish between the three original ships and the new creations, Marina and Riviera, which are called "O" ships.

Mura

I'm curious myself because I can't recall ever receiving such a call myself. My first question is if this person was from Oceania itself or not.

I could see where Oceania, noticing you are first time passenger, might want to hook you for more cruises! And if the caller is NOT from Oceania, how did she get your name and number?

Welcome to the group!

Mura

Sounds like a fair trade, Lyn!

Mura

Okay, I am one who finds herself torn between the big ships and the littler ships.

I understand why some prefer one or the other, I just find it hard to decide for myself.

But criticizing Laraine because she admits that she likes the cooking classes on Reviera that she cannot get on the "R" ships?

That's really NOT inconsistent!

Mura

Two answers ...

As to confiscated liquor, you really shouldn't have to worry on O. I've heard that people bring on a CASE of wine without a problem. (No, I never tried to do that.)

Karska, you might get an upsell (as has been said) but probably NOT an upgrade. The only time we had an upgrade (and it was significant) was when we were urged to change cruises.

But we took an upsell to an OS from a PH on Regatta in Nov '05 and it was well worth the price. Especially since I blew out my knee the day before we boarded and was using a wheel chair or crutches on the cruise. I could not have gotten around an ordinary cabin in that wheelchair whereas I could in the OS. But, of course, I had no idea I would really NEED that OS when we took the upsell!

That doesn't mean you should take any upsell that is offered because you might blow out your knee ... it just worked out well for us at the time!

And totally spoiled us for future cruises!

Mura

And we are usually in PH ... but on this cruise (5/22/13) we'll be in a VS. NOT our usual digs!

Karska, I'm always glad to clink glasses with a fellow passenger!

Mura

We will just come to your suite & help you drink what you have :D

 

We seem to drink less & less lately

DH has a load of scotch in the bar I have to remind him to drink it ;)

 

See you in May

 

Lyn

Well, then. You are invited to Sailaway. We should have a good view ... I'm pretty sure we're on the right side of the ship! Suite 9001 ...

Mura

No just being facetious :D

Aha! You succeeded!!!

Mura