pinotlover

I believe it’s all you want. I asked the same question to a lady that has done two ATW. She said after about the third month most people are tired of the Specialties and rarely go back. If you want a reservation, they are easy to get. Mostly only the Segmenters at that point.

I suppose I was lucky and only got the good seats! I found the seat rows to be further apart than on theO ships , so one didn’t have to stand to allow others to pass.

Well actually not! The Vista had an entire new line up of crew production shows that differed from the other ships. Gone was the ancient Brill Bldg & Peggy Lee shows along with some of the 1950 era shows. They were actually doing numbers of Billy Joel all the way up to Queen! I like the new layout of the Vista Lounge.It has more intimate spaces and doesn’t feel like a large auditorium. Good Food, Good Wine, and Good Company does make for a great Evening. Enjoyable entertainment thereafter is always welcome. Not expecting a Broadway production on a ship where so many passengers are in bed by 9:00. I’ve been on past cruises with incredible talent providing the nightly entertainment. Many passengers won’t stay up past 9:00 regardless of who’s performing. I ‘ve enjoyed the company of incredible entertainers aboard that say they won’t come back to Oceania because of the scant crowds at the shows. Perhaps the cause and effect of the entertainer’s abilities is more complicated than some want to admit.

Our SA cruise ran out also. One of our great fellow passengers was/is in the fish business, supplying all types of fish from around the world, to places around the world. All the Patagonian Tootfish we eat is farm raised and typically contracted for months in advance. A multitude of issues can occur in the production pods that can significantly affect supply at any given time. When that occurs supply is affected along with the market price of other available supplies. It was interesting sailing through the Chilean Fjords and seeing the miles and miles of salmon farms. Chile is the largest source of salmon in the world. If I remember correctly Chilean sea bass doesn’t actually come from Chile.

So we can assume you’ve dined in the staff quarters and personally know of the food quality and “ special ingredients “ used therein? I will say that I’ve heard staff members say they like their food better than guests food because our food is too bland. Most of us don’t consider most herbs and spices as “ special ingredients “, but I guess they could be. The prior discussion was on fish, sea bass in particular. It comes to the ship frozen and prior inspected. It is not like fresh veggies that could possibly spoil. Whether a ship has most any product is purely a function of (1) supply chain availability and; (2) a price, within the budget, they’re willing to pay for said product. Like any organization or individual, when prices and availability change, so do buying decisions.

The low price guarantee is good until sail date on Oceania published fares. Not sure about the second question in that regular cancellation fees apply after Final Payment Date.

Hopefully Oceania had finally sold through that stock of plonk! Here’s to something a lot better!! 🥂

Jacques is typically the most difficult extra reservation to get. Even on longer single segment cruises (20-20+ days), I’ve had our butler say one extra at Jacques is all you can get.

1. Depending upon the length of your cruise, an additional price discount; 2. Additional OBC added to your current cruise; 3. Low price quarantee on the purchased cruise; 4. A reduced cruise deposit. A Future Cruise Credit is a good investment. You get all the benefits of actually booking a cruise now, and can use it on a future cruise release. This is particularly the case with the new cruise cancellation penalty.

Not a new thing at all. Over the years, Oceania has used several approaches to this. At one time, PreCovid, everyone would make their requests, but final notification wasn’t given until after 2:00. This way people weren’t lining up at 7:00 expecting first come first. They took everyone’s request and acted accordingly. Likewise, there was a time when the Specialties would allow no walk ups. They all had a wait list, from the Reservation Desk, from which they worked. Point being, through the years, the ships have employed multiple different procedures that change regularly. What happens on one ship may be different on another. The only thing consistent is that Dining Reservation Desk is on every ship. People looking for “ one size fits all” procedures are on the wrong line.

On Deck 5, in the main foyer, there is a Dining Reservations Desk, that daily takes requests for additional reservations for that evening. Best place to go , if interested, before heading out to port.

Will it hit the dock with a clearly visible label/tag with both your name and cabin number on it? Is there paperwork required showing your actual receipt of goods?

Having everyone, or nearly everyone, set their controls at the lowest temperature actually makes the matters worse. I’m surprised the staff wasn’t directed to turn the settings back up to give the system a chance to catch up. In most situations the senior staff would have been making announcements to such. On Oceania, most all announcements are ignored so I guess they didn’t bother.

Absolutely Yes! When it is open for dining and while you are eating within the area.

Itinerary always wins.

Under the basic plan, included drinks are only served in the dining venues. If one wants drinks outside those venues, they must upgrade to the premium package or pay for the drinks individually. Fwiw, on the Vista now, there is a partition that officially separates Waves from the pool area. When we were on the Vista, you had to sit inside the partition area to get the included drinks.

I have no wise way of saying it. I have meet delightful fellow cruisers that never ( or rarely) get off the ship on extended cruises. They are there for the ship and the experiences aboard. Period. Stop. Fine. Doesn’t mean I dislike or disrespect them. Their money, their cruise. Just saying we don’t cruise for that reason. Not nearly as enamored with the food as some. Just saying we can choose Oceania for our purposes while they choose Oceania for theirs. I would never suggest that the Cruisers choose other lines, why should they tell we travelers that?

FDR, Senior, made it quite clear to new passengers on the Vista that the R ships are on the way out. Vista will do the ATW 26 cruise, not the Insignia. Come back in 5 years and there will be 3 A Class ships and two O Class ships. Lovers of the R Class, love them while they last. The clock is ticking. But hey, one can do a lot of R Class cruises in 5 years.

What a short sighted view! Grasp this, if possible. We are travelers, cruising for the ports. It’s the itinerary that is important to us. Period. Stop. We have had excellent meals on Oceania, mediocre meals, and only very occasionally poor meals. We don’t buy into the marketing hype of “ best cuisine at sea”, however the food is generally quite good. We find our greatest delights as being wonderful lunches, or occasional dinners on overnights, ashore. We’re long past cruising for marketing hype. To suggest we cruise elsewhere because we value itinerary over marketing hype is ludicrous. When the itineraries start to falter, we might take your suggestion. Until then, enjoy your cruise and we’ll enjoy ours.

I know people that refuse to use CC. They want to listen to their tv show, not read it. Some are just extremely rude and you have to deal with it. We once had an adjoining cabin where the people were up every morning 3:30-4:00 with the tv blaring. It took someone from guests services 30 minutes or so to come down, pound on the door, waking others up, to get them to turn it down. By then, you’re awake and probably not going back to sleep. Every morning! These people are just like those that can’t walk 50 yards, but sign up for ship tours far beyond their capabilities. Just rude. A question. When you see people hauling sound systems and speakers into their cabins to hook to the tv, what are your expectations as to what’s going to happen?

Typically, the procedure is about inventory control and monitoring sales. All wines are ordered by Miami. They know how wines are selling based upon what’s ran through the register. Hard to imagine the accounting gods will be happy if a ship register shows sales of 120 bottles while the ship m’s inventory shows 180 bottles gone. There will soon be a meeting between the rubber and the road.

Pizza is a funny thing. I love pizza. We were given a supposed margarita pizza on Vista. No tomatoes, no heaps of mozzarella cheese, and zero fresh basil leaves. Ours had some cheap indescribable cheese ( if it was actually cheese) and no herbs, no less fresh basil. Was told it was Oceania’s expression of margarita pizza! 🙄 Perhaps we have a difference in opinion of definition. I can love great lobster, while passing on overcooked rubbery lobster. Same with bizzare definitions of people. If they wanted to call it their cheese pizza, well OK. Margarita pizza, not a chance. Ike calling hamburger fillet mignon.

Talk to your Butler. He is the best to consult with for your specific cruise. You’ll find them informative, entertaining, and resourceful. They are best prepared to address your specific questions. 🥂

Your presumption is correct. Even gave the ship our hotel and guide information. Dubrovnik at night is enchanting.

We took a different option. We traveled inland from Split and saw some fabulous countryside, then ventured on to Dubrovnik and overnighted there. The cruise ships, and their crowds, had cleared out. We had an absolutely wonderful dinner in town, then strolling the streets, with the locals. After a great day of sightseeing in the area, we returned to the ship in time for sail away. Experiencing the town after the departure of the cruise ships was well worth the costs of a hotel room! 👌🍷