pinotlover

As I posted way back in post #2, Barcelona announced a year back that in the near future only ships embarking would be docking in Barcelona proper. Other ships would be Docking elsewhere. There attempt at crowd control. We have a Barcelona port stop on our Allura cruise. Only a port stop and plainly say Tarragon. From the Barcelona announcement, the docking port is not determined by the number of ships coming in but there purpose in the stop.

Is the ship doing an Embarkment stop or merely a port visit?

Regatta has had on going maintenance issues over the years. Will Regatta be the first R ship out? Over/Under! 😎

For us, it’s like boarding a plane since we’ve never known hunger on a cruise ship. Allow those needing extra time to get in and seated first . Arriving at 7:00 is convenient for and gives extra time tothe more limited mobility ones.

Social Hostess said years ago that mgt doesn’t want earlier dining. They’re afraid it would turn the ships into “ ghost ships “ by 7:00, thus turning off a larger number of cruisers. Enough cruisers have disappeared for the night by 8-8:30 now, changing that to 7-7:30 would create a reputation O doesn’t want. There is always room service for those wanting an early dinner.

My brother in law goes to the exact few restaurants repeatedly ordering the exact same meals from menus that never change. That’s him and he’s happy. Our favorite restaurant change menus regularly, plus we eat at new locations. We’re a bit bored with the Polo Grill and Toscana, plus quality there can swing significantly. We eat a lot of fabulous meals ashore to get variety, but different lines can help provide that likewise. An example is Paul Gauguin! You’re in the FP, PG provides tasty food with a local flair. We don’t fly halfway around the world to eat Merican. We realize that’s all some people want, simple Merican. The Polo Grill and Toscana is actually a turn off for us when foreign local options are available. Did I say we love Champagne and caviar? That Champagne definitely isn’t Germain!!!

I believe an infamous Austrian Princess turned French Queen stated similarly: ” Let them eat cakes “ How did that turn out? 😂

Ditto; or be so polite if you refuse to get/wear them to just leave the tv sound off to benefit your fellow passengers. Be nice if there was a general kill switch for all TVs between say 22:00-06:00.

Define this more clearly please. We’re the stops for embarking and disembarking or merely port stops in transit.

I believe the answer is two part; 1. If the ship is Embarking/Disembarking then it’s done in Barcelona. 2. If it is merely a port stop it is done out of town elsewhere outside of town.

More cancelled ports and cut port times in three Post Covid cruises than in all my prior cruises combined. Weather was not the only issue. We boarded the Vista in June and were informed upon boarding port times in three of 12 ports had been cut. Hard to believe the Captain made those decisions only on Embarkment Day. Good luck. Enjoy your cruise.

That may be the case for large airlines and hotels. I can tell you for restaurants ( non chain) and small businesses it’s 7%. That’s why many won’t accept their cards, particularly European small businesses.

Some people want Mother Oceania to take care of them and hold their hands. They stay in Mother Oceania hotels pre or post cruise. They use Mother Oceania Air even for BC. They only take Mother Oceania shorexs. Yes, they also use VisaCentral at O’s recommendation. Some are capable of doing it themselves. Nothing new here!

Something we’ll never learn at our peon level, but what I’d love to know is what negotiated deal do the credit card companies have for points and/or OBC. We normally value frequent flyer miles at $0.0175-$0.02 per mile, but what does Visa actually pay per mile for them? Same with cruise line OBC, I’m pretty sure they aren’t paying $1 for each OBC $. Then the other side of the coin, many smaller businesses won’t accept AMEX cards because they charge 7-7.5% of sale. Visa/MC is 2.5% normally. What kind of a deal can NCLH negotiate and get those charges lowered? Just think, if O is paying top Travel Agencies 16% of fare and AMEX 4+%, that’s a 20% haircut off the top before any O perks! I doubt AMEX would go below 5%!

I don’t believe so. AMEX Travel becomes your TA and they get the commission. There are different options with different perks. 1. Book with whomever and pay with the Platinum card. 2. Book with AMEX Travel and pay with the card.

No. The rumor ( actually focus group discussions) is that 2024 marks two years of a full return to cruising for Oceania. The current program is a purely “ life time achievement “ one. Oceania is considering going the way of airlines and hotels. To keep your status, you must cruise. Whether that’s once every 18 or 24 months tbd, but you must cruise. Otherwise, you just revert to Blue. The open question is “ Will a branded credit card step in to protect your status as with the airlines and hotels?” Doubt Visa or MC would take that huge expense on. Maybe, or not, that specific AMEX card, or an even more expensive one. Guess we’ll find out in the next year.

I don’t currently have an AMEX card. Got rid of mine about 15 years ago. Rumor is next summer change could be coming to the O Club plan. That AMEX card may, or may not, be the saving grace.

I will admit that at as of that cruise I still hadn’t grasp the full measure of Oceania’s propensity to cancel ports or shorten port times, even though it had been happening frequently. We don’t turn our tv on first thing every day, and in fact rarely watch it. It was dark outside, and we’ll before our scheduled arrival. It was my mistaken belief that the ship’s Captain, or Destination Services, would have informed us of the port cancellation , especially as people piled into the Lounge. Destination Services continued to tell passengers we would be anchoring very soon and to just wait in the Lounge. So the learning experience, believe nothing Destination Services tells you; and check your tv monitor, before dressing, for actual ship locations because the Captain may refuse to be forthcoming. Lesson learned.

I have long come to the conclusion that the Survey is more about you and a marketing device than an actual useful tool. What do you believe Oceania gets out of that final Survey maybe filled out by thousands every couple of weeks? How many times have you ever gotten a response from O mgt. from a foal survey. Just look at this Board as an example. If they receive a thousand surveys telling them their food is always excellent, outstanding, Michelin Star quality; while maybe a hundred gives exceptions with them and post complaints, what respond is expected? The few told them what they thought, got it off their chest, and move on to most likely book another cruise. Surveys can be powerful improvement tools when looked at during snapshot time frames. A constant ongoing survey just becomes another task. It’s for the customer, not really the company. Statistically, for a 1000 passenger ship, a cross section of 50 survey respondents gives the line the same information as would a 750 response survey. So if some don’t get their surveys done, it’s not statistically relevant and something to spend money on. It’s just more of a PR event. I try to identify those outstanding performers on my handwritten mid cruise survey and bring up any items I feel important hen. Life goes on. If doing the final makes you feel better then keep at it. Maybe yours will be pulled out of the hat to be read.

Jazznruby; If the announcement that the port was being skipped was made at 6:30, the rest of us could have gone back to bed. The ship had long sailed past Chacabucco. I will agree with your one point, that having sailed with Peter the Shoe previously, I don’t give a lot of credibility to anything he says.

Specifics please. Is that best location and deck for an Owner’s Suite, a PH, B2, or steerage?

I suppose this original conversation goes back to a major complaint many of us had on our March Marina cruise. Cruisers vs Travelers. We had a 7:00 tendering going into a port , Chacabucco to be exact. Passengers started filling into the Lounge at 6:45 or so and waited to get our tendering tickets. We sat, while the Lounge continued to fill. Covid was rampant aboard ship , yet Destination Services kept giving excuses for not starting to hand out tendering tickets. Finally at 7:30, a passenger lit up his computer to report we were nowhere near Chacabucco and by ship speed had passed it 5 hours previously. Destination Services made a quick exit from the Lounge. At 08:00 the Captain announced we were skipping Chacabucco as if the decision had just been made. A lot of disgruntled Travelers that had been up for quite awhile, cramming in breakfast, and getting ready to go ashore. Peter the Shoe, the absolute worst CD in Oceania’s fleet, said the Captain doesn’t want to make early morning announcements that might disturb the Cruiser’s sleep. So there you have it. You have the OP’s side, that likes to sleep late, and my side that wants to visit the ports. Pick your team, there is no win-win or draws.

I’m quite sure the Concierge knew that when he told them. It did accomplish its purpose of placating the passenger while aboard though.

If Oceania actually cared about their passenger’s comments they’d make the process easier. Oceania does many things well, however anything to do with communications or IT isn’t on that list.

NO. End of cruise survey can only be done while aboard ship.