Mura

Okay, in the days before Oceania instituted "free" tours we always had plenty of people -- maybe I should say ENOUGH people -- who were interested in private tours. We haven't traveled at all since Covid hit Even after the free tour system came into being we didn't have a problem setting up private tours for 6-8 people BUT I have no idea what it will be like when I try to set up tours in 2023 for our TA (Southampton to NYC). Maybe we won't get any takers, maybe we will. I will have to wait and see. But I do agree that roll calls have a lot less traffic than they used to have. There might be more interest for longer cruises ... just asking. I have no idea if that would be the case. Mura

There are reasons why we almost always (99 times out of 100) go in early and leave late. Unless it's a port we really have NO interest in ... which has almost never happened. You can spend at least a night in town, visit the port and schedule your flight accordingly without worrying about getting there on time etc.. Having said this, I do realize that not everyone has plenty of time to spend this way ...and if you have to get back the next day, you do. But Amsterdam is a great city and well worth a visit ... Again, perhaps you've been there a number of times and there are other reasons why you want to get home ASAP

When arriving at Southampton (or departing from it) we have always booked time on shore before the cruise. We have used several car services in the past (but NOT recently) so 'm not recommending anyone now since I don't know if the services we used are still in existence. I would suggest googling car services. we are currently booked for the August 30, 2023 sailing from Southampton on VISTA. We usually spend time in London because we have friends there, but I'm considering staying in the Southampton area pre-cruise. Some years ago we had a tour from London to Stonehenge and Bath and we always thought we'd like to spend a couple of days in Bath. So we may do that for this cruise ... if Mary Jane will let us!

This seems strange to me. There are tables for 6 or 8 people, although clearly fewer of them than tables for 2 or 4 people. But to say that you can't get a table for 6 in a PH does seem odd. They may be reserving some larger tables for later arrivals. Such as at boarding time. I think since you are in a PH using your butler is the best way to go. We've never had problems when the butler handles matters, but then we're usually only 2-4 people. In fact, I remember one cruise -- pre-Covid -- when the butler booked specialties for every night when we had NOT asked him to do so. We ended up cancelling several of those. Good luck! Mura

Just to muddy the waters ... We usually check in early since we like to have lunch on the ship. But fairly often there are things we want to do in the port before boarding. In that case paying for a lunch (or snack) on shore isn't much of a burden. We've rarely had long lines at boarding. Well, there was the one time that the port didn't have someone at the check-in desk (before you get to the Oceania people taking your information and your photo) ... then we had to wait maybe 10 minutes before someone showed up. These days we are usually in a suite (usually a lower level suite) and since there are fewer people checking in at that level, that might make our waiting time less. YES, getting there at 3pm rather than noon does generally make for a faster check-in. Mura BUT when we're in a port where there are things we want to do before boarding, we board late.

Have not done this long a cruise ourselves but I would assume you want as many pages as you can get! Recently (say the past 10 years or so) I have requested extra pages -- although I never tried to specify the number of pages. Just because we were doing a lot of traveling and came close to running out. Better to have too many rather than too few. Have you asked the passport bureau for their recommendation for this long of a cruise? Mura

We aren't planning on travel to Europe until August 2023 but I'm filing away this information in our memory banks. We have been using FF miles in the past for biz air ... and have a good amount on Delta and AA. So far.

Perhaps Taragona changed between 2007 and 2015? I'd be willing to try it these days. Not that I expect to be in Spain anytime soon ...but we always love Barcelona and are willing to get on a train to another destination there.

I for one am not knowing for adoring children but I would have NO problem at all with a well behaved 14 year old at the table. And I have to assume he would be well behaved. Agree with Lyn about this.

YES But I think NOT only in the PH suites. And if someone is in the upper suites (OS, VS and Owners) I think the king bed remains a king. Mura

Good points. I'll try to remember that!

In addition, remember that the "R" ships are older and smaller than the "O" ships. I imagine the same will be with the upcoming VISTA ships. I don't know, are we going to call them "V" ships??? Also remember that there are some who complain about everything just as there are some who love everything. I have learned to try to judge the quality of the post whether it is "pro" or "con". I tend to discount those posts that are entirely in one direction or the other. This isn't easy when you don't know the people who are posting! But I give more credit to those people who say I loved this but I didn't like this. We are big fans of Oceania but I won't say that ANY of the 17 cruises we have taken have been PERFECT. But they are awfully good ... Mura

If you think you'll be back later than 9pm, then you should make other plans. Of course, there's always room service 24/7 and there are plenty of nice dinner options. No charge, other than if you choose to tip. And people in a suite can order in to the room, although you would be governed by the restaurant working times. There have been times (when we were in a suite) where after a long day of touring we were too tired to contemplate going to a restaurant and were happy to either order in from one of the restaurants OR just use room service. Sorry if I've been repetitious -- I tuned in to this thread after many posts had already been made and I skimmed through without reading every word ... This should NOT be a problem for the OP in my opinion. Mura

Yep We've had a favorite TA for many years, since Renaissance days. She's not doing many personal bookings these days but her old company is. So while we are in NYC we had a TA in her company based in Florida, and these days and when he had to retire due to illness we began to use someone else in her company who is based in California. If people can work remotely these days, using a TA in another location is NOT a problem. Mura

Yes, there is a wine list! We usually order a bottle or two from the list. Once when we had a ton of OBC we went to the high end (impressing the wine steward no end) but usually I go for the middle of the list. Yes, the wines are more expensive than you would pay at your local liquor store! Bear in mind that the liquor packages give you wine BY THE GLASS, with a limited choice (I'm not saying the choices are bad because we've never taken a package) and of course liquor at the bars is also by the glass. Don't forget there are frequent 2/1 offers at the bars during Happy Hours. But this is why we've never taken a package. DH drinks very little, I drink more. So I will bring on a bottle or two for consumption in the room, and if we are in a suite will take advantage of the 6 bottle offer. I rarely order wine by the glass, I prefer to buy a bottle and stretch it over 2-3 meals. But that's me! As Lyn said, non-alcoholic drinks are no charge.

Interesting reading ... which is reinforcing our decision NOT to cruise for a while. We are wait listed on Vista's August 2023 London-NYC cruise but are doubtful we'll get a room since we are far down on the list. My sympathies to all who were affected. I remember being on a norovirus cruise several years ago -- while we weren't confined to jail, all the washing down of surfaces was a real downer! We were okay but not everyone was. Mura

I am late to the game here, but you are asking people what THEIR favorites are ... and they may not be what YOUR favorites are. My favorites are the big prime rib in Polo, also the shrimp cocktail, several favorites in Jacques ... Or just go to Terrace (or the GDR) and take a daily favorite. We have not been disappointed over the years. Mura