pinotlover

If you’d merely page down you’ll find another complete thread on this topic. No need to start a new one.

Years ago, the mods had some excellent “ Stickies “ posted on this thread. They clearly answered many of the commonly asked questions. Besides being a very helpful tool for newbies, it prevented the current twice monthly “ Can I bring wine and alcohol aboard “ threads. Right there as a Sticky for all to see. I have no idea, for the life of me, why they stopped doing them.

If one has a TA, O Air will require you to go through your TA. If one doesn’t want a TA to represent on contractual matters, and prefers DIY, then don’t specify a TA. That’s easy to do, but can come with consequences. Appointing and declaring someone as your AGENT has a meaning!

The best way to kill a program is to price it beyond reason. As part of the agreement with DP on sponsoring the Event, Oceania is required to have an actual certified Sommelier on board to run the program. A certified Sommelier is entirely different from the wine stewards pouring wine and beer running around the ships. The wine stewards are easy to spot because even when Oceania has them doing paid tastings to oftentimes make blunders in the presentations. Another difference, relevant to this, is that hiring a certified Sommelier in a competitive market comes at a large multiple higher cost than someone to just pour wine trying to fake it. Having a certified Sommelier aboard the ship to run its wine program, oversee its wine pairing classes, etc., has lots of benefits for both Oceania and the guests aboard. Its major drawback for Oceania is cost. They are paying that salary not only when he does that DP dinner, for which he must be hired, but every day aboard ship. Higher cost is not something Oceania currently needs. One therefore wonders if the huge bump in dinner costs reflects a decision by O to make those participants pay the lion’s share of that Sommelier’s cost. Not selling enough tickets, thus cancelling dinners, then becomes a convenient excuse to tell DP they are cancelling the program.

Sthrngary; I agree with most all you have said. Air, hotels, excursions are all very significant profit centers for companies like Oceania. They won’t exit those markets anytime soon as long as each remains profitable for them. Especially for Oceania, and some similar lines, there is a significant percentage of customers that are no longer cognitively able to figure out flight schedules, arrangements, and costs thereof. Will they book that flight through NYC, not noticing that have to change from EWR or LGA to JFK for example? Booking a hotel, manhandling their luggage, getting a cab to said hotel is beyond some’s mental and physical limitations. For a profit, Oceania takes care of all of that for them. Mother Oceania is there for them. Others take the route for pure convenience, they don’t want to think. It’s the cruise line’s job. Even exploring often excellent shorex options on a Roll Call is more effort than they want to expend. Another option is a professional Travel Agent. Some here are horrified of the concept their TA may make a buck, but that TA may well be able to arrange and make early air and hotel bookings for less than O’s fares, even including their fees. A huge backstop to all of this is that 3 to 1 bookings to cancellation rates. Our final payment for our upcoming Vista cruise was 90 days pre trip. I was amazed at the number of cancellations and the suddenly available cabins on day 89. If people are wanting to travel to Europe during summer high tourist season and want to wait until last minute to commit to a cruise and air arrangements, Your choices are going to be reduced. I believe quite a number use O’s Air to have the flexibility of cancelling at 91 days with relatively small cancellation cost. Much lower than if they bought the airline tickets themselves. A lot of cogs in the wheel. Lots of combinations on how the dice may roll. Sometimes it’s loaded dice.

If one was on a shorter cruise and was considering the Premium Drinks package, it is easily conceivable that instead of taking the OLife upgrade that buying the package outright and getting the La Reserve discount could be attractive. Combine this with the possibility of waiting until a couple days pre DP dinner, getting the discount, and then enjoying the Premium Package the remainder of the cruise/segment. 🤗

People are not considering an important portion of the discounted bulk rate ticket system, that being demand. There are only a certain number of tickets in the pool for the markets. Therefore, if Citivecchia (Rome) has two 5000-6000 behemoths sitting there along side an I embarking on the same day, the demand for those limited discount bulk rate tickets will be entirely different than if only O is there. Moving a day earlier may make a huge difference in what’s available in the ticket pool. Some airports are severely overloaded. Amsterdam is a perfect example with government mandated flight reductions. Getting in and out are disasters. Unfortunately, cruise schedules are made 2+ years in advance, but I pity anyone having to embark or disembark there. Direct flights are the least of your issues. Even those believing they have great flights into, out of , or through some of those airports can be in for a rude awakening. People roll the dice on airlines. In today’s market, waiting until 45-90 days preflight to see what O can find available in the discounted bulk rate market may often come up shooting craps.

Although relatively insignificant, hasn’t this saga of sticky buns demonstrated the huge inconsistency of foods offered? This inconsistency is witnessed not only on individual dishes, but in the restaurant s themselves from day to day.

We have done the DP dinner twice. Fortunately, both before the price increase. Food wise, it is by far the best and most delicious meal prepared anywhere on Oceania. Just an outstanding meal. The pairings are done by the Executive Chef at Dom P and are perfect for each of the courses. The wines are Dom P and of a very good quality. The pours are very generous and the wine stewards will give you refills on anything you desire. There is no shortage of wine offered. 😜🥂

If the OP has a TA, then they could easily obtain the answer.

We have some communities that are only getting a priest every other week or once a month! How many you planning on taking for the cruise industry? Which communities are you telling “ tough luck “ to?

I have never met a chaplain aboard that was either an active or retired catholic priest. So no Catholic mass. As stated above, a non denominational service.

I believe we all are!! Probably an impossible question for any of you IT guys, but here goes: When in port, We’re mostly off the ship. Otherwise, during waking hours we’re there. What would it actually take to significantly and noticeably improve internet service during regular high usage times? Would doubling or even tripling the bandwidth do much? A ship’s system running twice as fast as normal would still be painfully slow!! To get a system TonicTraveler might be happy with, what would it require system wise?

A quick search of this forum will provide unlimited information on this subject. Let me add that the greatest issue to your question revolves around how long ago the ship was restocked with said whisky. Our bar menu listed multiple whiskies and bourbons, however very few were actually in stock including most all of the premium brands. Jack Daniels Black was in good supply however! 🙄 My recommendation is to actually go to Martinis and Horizons and ask ( or look) to see what is actually available for your cruise before deciding on buying the upgraded premium package or not.

I wonder if we will be able to have a new option when making Specialty reservations? Sharing with phones; or Sharing without phones? 🤔

The Privee is indeed wonderful and it works so well because it is a private enclave with out all the surrounding noise. Even the eight tops are to large, imo, to be able to hear and enjoy the conversation of all table occupants.

Great news for Vista cruisers, if it’s ready by sailing time next month . People must remember that Musk doesn’t yet have the world covered by satellites. Some areas will be fine, others blank.

For those listening to the OCA at the repeater party, a lot of information is often given out. They don’t always say the same thing at every event but those listening can pick up quite a bit. I’ve had people ask, how do know the % of repeaters on the ship?” Well, the OCA said there were X, and elsewhere we were told there are Y cruisers on the ship! 🙄. They also quite of give a detailed breakdown of the % of at least the top 3-4 Nationalities aboard, and sometimes even the breakdown by age. For those listening. I find it interesting, some just go for the free drinks and never quit talking the entire time. Of course they never comment on how many are 65 that look 85! 😂🥂Or vise versus. 😇

Probably Not! As I posted up thread the median age of passengers on our Sirena cruise in October was 80+. That’s half the passengers! So the 50’s aren’t dead to them. However, very few of those upper median age cruisers appeared to stay up until 9:15-9:30 for the shows. Mostly tucked away in bed. So the majority of actual cruisers that were attending the shows were far younger than the median age of the cruisers. Those actually in attendance predominantly did think the 50s dead, thus the negative comments on Peggy Lee and the Brill Bldg are accurate. To me, the question becomes: should Oceania be developing its shows around those that actually attend and show interest in doing so; or around the demographics of the ship, whether those demographics show up or not? We attend the shows and would live to hear CCR and the Eagles., but I’m not 80 something .

Same as the OCA in Marina told everyone. That’s still two years before sailing!! Perhaps some of the confusion centers around the announcement that the 2025 itinerary for the new Allura is supposed to come out this month or next.

We have a service call center locally that represents about 20 different brands and products. Any one Rep may work on 5-6 of the brands/lines. The Reps know by the incoming line which product you’re calling about, plus with the information gathered. Different companies, different policies, different outcomes, same rep working them. NCL/Regent/Oceania Air Department is the same. They don’t have to have identical policies for the same umbrella organization to function.

The Air Departments were one of the first groups consolidated.

Joe; Miami and Lisbon are two examples of major restocking ports, but not non exclusive obviously. Buenos Aires is the major restocking port for SA. It’s why when certain commodities weren’t restocked there in our cruise, the staff said the ship would probably be out until Miami, 40 days later. I willing to bet your ship did a major restocking in Miami shortly before it sailed on to Aruba for your TA.

Actually this case is so flimsy, if winnable, there probably won’t be any punitive damages. How many hours do believe a lawyer would dedicate to get 1/3 of the possible award based on Cruise costs? Attorney fees could easily outpace any potential judgment, and that’s if you win.

Each of the restaurants have a couple tables for eight and several for six. The tables for eight are horrible in that you can’t easily hear people talking across the table from you. This sometimes leads some to feel the necessity of shouting which disturbs those at surrounding tables. No tables for ten. Break them up into 6&4 and rotate.