pinotlover

Not for mentioned, but one of the things we love about the GDR is the open seating. The Specialties have reservation times which one must/should stay fairly compliant with. In the GDR, if we’re having drinks with friends that have later reservations, had a large lunch ashore, or just prefer to watch a magnificent sail away in Horizons; we can go to dinner when we please. The outside of the Terrace may not be open or desired because of weather. Additionally, the Terrace is mostly an early crowd. Go there at 7:30 and there may only be 6-10 people scattered around the entire restaurant. ( I realize this is preferable to some). Go to the GDR and you most likely can still share and meet new cruisers. Typically good food, good ambience, a dress code and a pleasant evening. Looking back, we have had fewer misses ( poorly done meals) in the GDR than in the Specialties.

Part of our routine, is that nightly, either after the show or dinner, upon returning to our cabin we read the Currents and the news extracts left on our beds. Therefore, Dottie’s reading of such is repetitive. However, to hear any of the CDs one must open their cabin door. Only the Captain’s announcements come into the cabin now. The far larger issue is that a significant number of passengers never read the Currents, never listen to the CD announcements, and are totally oblivious to anything reps from Destination Services or their tour guides say. A perfect example of this issue occurs when Destination Services is setting up the table to give out passes for the tours. A lady announces over and over and over again to please take a seat and they will call you up when ready. In walks Mr Oblivious, with everyone else seated, that goes to the table and hands out their coupon slip! This , of course, just after the rep has finished telling them to take a seat. I believe the other CDs realize nothing they do will ever reach the Oblivious, so therefore keep their sermons shorter. Dottie drones on.

Once aboard, just ask your fellow cruisers. Easy conversation at dinner. Most fellow cruisers will gladly make recommendations if they are satisfied with their Agent. Don’t be surprised when you start hearing the same names popping up . First, decide what is important to you with an Agent. That way you can address your questions more efficiently.

We don’t find our PH cabin, most particularly on the O ships, conducive to eating full meals for two, much less four. The table, at the foot of the bed, just isn’t large enough for two people with plates if steak/chops, lobster, or other large dishes along with wine glasses, water glasses and any other accompanying items. One of us would end up moving to the coffee table to have space. What we do enjoy en Suite, is ordering a couple of waves of appetizers ( finger food). The butler can then set up the table as a buffet of sorts. Then we can sit either on the veranda or inside, as we please, and graze from the shared selections at will. Since the PG and Toscana share a kitchen, and both menus can be used, this provides a large selection of finger foods to choose from. On the Sirena, with its varied mix, the choices can be eclectic! Plenty of room for the wine glasses!! 😜!

Remember that Santiago easily includes visiting Valparaiso which is much more attractive. Several day trips out of Santiago to completely different wine regions are available. Stay in one hotel in Santiago and hit all the area including Patagonia.

The discussion by the OP does bring up an interesting point, that being the significant portion of Oceania cruisers that either don’t drink alcohol or drink very little. On the Sirena it was often commented on how Horizons might only have 10–15 patrons during Happy Hour, with some being hanger ons from tea. Martinis was rarely full. To run a successful beverage program one must have a sufficient audience to make it viable. My question becomes “ is the current increases in both drinks and drink packages being partially driven by the need to distribute those total costs over a diminished number of cruisers?” A Premium line has to have a premium beverage package to compete imo. There’s a line there of costs versus availability that can be problematic. I’ll take notice on my cruise next month to see how utilized the bars are. Drinking coke or coffee during evening trivia won’t count.

Funny! I thought the sale was primarily on cruises that weren’t selling. Highly sought after! 😂 None of the cruises I’m currently booked on are included! 🤔

Amazing! Oceania is so flush with cash they don’t feel the need to advertise either Cooking Classes or Privee availablity. Our June 11 Vista cruise lists nothing for either. It appears I can contact my TA and inquire, but with NCLH so flush with cash will they even respond to her? They obviously don’t need our money. 🤔

While that is obviously the best place for such a question, I’ve read where some of the Roll Calls are so dead, some feel compelled to post on multiple forums.

I discussed the blandness of many dishes on our Oct Sirena cruise. Total absence of many herbs and spices. Things obviously haven’t changed. Problem is many people prefer bland and want bland. This conflict was regularly discussed by the passengers and crew. Many herbs and spices are not hot, but add exotic flavors to the dish. We had some great meals aboard and some very poor meals. Inconsistency was the issue.

We are on a June Vista cruise and haven’t found any cooking class listed. Maybe they aren’t ready to take the leap yet and offer that amenity.

Elevators go up and down. Elevators carry passengers up, they carry them down. How much cognitive ability is required to grasp that? Is it beyond some’s cognitive grasp? Oceania is the only cruise line I’ve sailed in the past decade where the above is an issue. The elevator will ding and certain , often geriatric, passengers will stand right in front of elevator door blocking those within from exiting. Additionally, they’ll try pushing their way in while others are trying to exit. How stupid is that? Attend a Captain’s Reception or Repeater Party, on a R ship, and instead of getting in line going down the hallway, people will block the forward elevator and stairwell and just stand there. Bizarre! So here comes Disembarkation Day, and people expect the same exact people with identifiable low cognitive abilities to not block the elevators and stairwell? Really? What should happen is that Oceania, IF they cared about an organized disembarkation, would station people at those points and force the flow out and around into organized lines to facilitate the disembarkation process. The above “ IF” is obviously not on Oceania’s radar and has never been so. Does anyone else realize how Stupid allowing some to block elevators and stairwells is?

“ I always thought “ that when the ship was at port, most everyone gets off the ship and goes ashore. Boy has that been proven a silly “ thought” on Oceania! In port, I’d have no way of knowing if the ship’s tv works or not.

We received our new port call schedule yesterday for our Feb 27 Marina cruise. Some ports got extensive haircuts! Some untouched. Hoping the one hour cut in the Falklands doesn’t ruin our Volunteer Point tour!

Industry average is 3 cruises booked for every one taken. Eighteen months out, chances are huge, you’ll get your cabin.

The humorous story line will undoubtedly be how the Internet stops working as they approach and dock in Sydney. You know, just in time to give all the applause and accolades on the cruise summary! 😇

We flew in on United, which arrived late evening. We had arranged with our hotel to have a cab/car waiting for us and the bill added to our account. We skipped what was a rather long line at the airport ATM for a very small hotel upcharge. Got money the next morning at a bank atm. We stayed over In Papeete a couple of days after the cruise. Had the hotel do the same thing back to the airport. Then, except for a modest tip, we used all the remaining local currency in paying the hotel bill with the remaining tab put in the credit card. Worked easily.

What were they? Suspense!

The offers often go out when PH and above, which were previously waitlisted, become available. It’s their way to notify you of availability. The math is rather bizarre.

Additionally; Our OCA left a strong impression those wine dinners in Privee would primarily be private, invite only, events. Otherwise, it would be the shared $300 reservation fee, plus the cost of the paired meal. If a paired wine dinner is chosen, all in the group must take the dinner and it would have to be pre ordered. This means a group couldn’t walk in at 7:00 and say “ we want the Odyssey meal.” This makes sense.

With X being the local retail price of a shore excursions 2-3X - 25% > X. Choosing Oceania tours is always the most expensive option. One may prefer spending additional monies to take O shorex, for any number of reasons, but saving money isn’t one of them.

Don’t feign shock if that port call is cancelled either before or during the cruise.

The same with “ Jacques “.

Fwiw, If the current advertised DP dinner is what is actually being served, it is the same as our 2019 DP dinner in Feb 2019 on the Marina. We found the food, wines, and pairings at that dinner to be excellent. Now, as routinely demonstrated on Oceania ships, two different cooks can take the exact same recipe and create different tasting dishes. Therefore, it is impossible for me to comment on Robjames’s observations on his meal. A couple of items about the Dom Perignon program. First, the meals/dishes and pairings are totally designed by the Executive Chef at Dom Perignon . Oceania is supposed to prepare the courses as instructed. They have no leeway in the meal’s design. Second, to participate in the program, Oceania had to agree upon bringing a certified Sommelier aboard ship for the program. This was a wonderful blessing for many of us to have a fellow trained Somm aboard in lieu of the typically poorly trained wine stewards. Improvements with the onboard service were striking. I anxiously await our 2nd DP Dinner in March. Hopefully, it stands up to its predecessor.

It’s not correct. Those pairings were done by a joint effort of Oceania Miami corporate chefs and Wine Spectator. Jacque had nothing to do with it.