Mura

I'm crossing my fingers with you that this is a new pattern and not just for the new "big" ships!

Very reassuring.

(Although I shouldn't complain -- NCL's transatlantic had ZERO in the way of enrichment programs. Lots for the kids, though ... I don't begrudge the children's programs on a ship that caters to families! Just when they get stuff and I don't!)

Just a general comment about guest lecturers -- not necessarily bridge experts.

When we did our Panama Canal cruise back in early 2004 there were several excellent lecturers on board talking mainly about the cultural and historical aspects of the places we were going to see. One talked about the colonization of Latin America. Another discussed the native handicrafts we would encounter (on an island that he to be dispensed with due to bad sea conditions that didn't permit us to tender). And so on.

I have to say that I think this was the last Oceania cruise where we felt we had really excellent enrichment lectures.

We dined in Toscana one night with one of these lecturers and another woman (sailing alone, not with the lecturer!) and I wish I could remember exactly what he said. But it was along the lines of this being his last cruise on Oceania as a lecturer. It didn't sound as if this was by HIS choice. Not that he was being fired, but that Oceania didn't want to spend as much on such services.

I may well be remembering this all wrong, but given that we haven't had the excellent enrichment lectures on cruises since then, I wonder if it wasn't Oceania's decision to dispense with them ... or at least de-emphasize them. I was very surprised when we did a TA on Regatta in March 2009 that there really weren't interesting lectures to attend -- other than the cooking demos.

It certainly makes sense that you don't need the enrichment lectures on itineraries that are port intensive. But on itineraries with many sea days, they would be most welcome. At least to me!

As I said, don't quote me! I'm guessing based on something that was said to me 7 years ago in passing!

Wingit,

Even though there may not be bridge "hosts" on most cruises, it does seem to me that there are often many people inquiring here about bridge on cruises. Just because there aren't teachers doesn't mean you won't find people to play with.

I hope!

It's many years since I played bridge, but I really enjoyed it when I did -- strictly a rank beginner, of course.

I received an email from my TA only a few days ago announcing several cruises with experts to be on board. Unfortunately I didn't save this since we are not bridge people.

But I imagine I can get it if you don't have any other resources.

The problem, of course, is that these were only a few cruises.

A quibble:

It is my understanding that Australians did not qualify for the "free air" in the past. Might that not be what the Aussie was referring to? Not that "free air" is something "new"?

You always have a few jitters when you book with a new line. I am very mindful that these are the old R ships, and that half the ownership of this line is from Renaissance. Now that line failed because it deserved to. I never booked an R cruise because when I spoke with their reps, the company didn't pass the sniff test - and what they did to their passengers at the end was in fact rotten.

As someone who loved Ren and Oceania as well, I am wondering exactly what you mean about what Ren did "to its passengers at the end was in fact rotten."

If you mean the bankruptcy, that happened when it happened. And if 9/11 hadn't happened on the day before they were to meet with the bankers, maybe it wouldn't have happened at all. At least not THEN.

If you mean passengers who were sailing at the time of 9/11 (which occurred very shortly before the bankruptcy), I have spoken with passengers who were on board at that time and they told me that Ren treated them very well. These people may well have been on board a ship where the CAPTAIN made decisions, but they certainly weren't tossed off the ship even though their cruise had technically ended.

We were booked for a January '02 cruise but got our money back ... not that Ren had anything to do with that. Rather it was our credit card company.

But you certainly shouldn't blame Oceania for things that happened to Ren.