pinotlover

You’ll be lucky now to get one (1) round trip Biz Class ticket to OZ or Japan with only 300K miles.

As ORV said, we will be trying to use ff miles , but no guarantees. Last trip to OZ we could get ff tickets there, but not home. Then one way tickets back home were as expensive as a round trip ticket. Had to pay to put miles back in our bank, then buy a round trip ticket!

We are currently booked on the 2023 OZ circumnavigation on the Regatta. After our cruise ends Jan 25,2024 the ship goes on to NZ. What should be our expectations? Will we now have two sea days added to our cruise for de fouling? If this is a new known requirement, shouldn’t Oceania now tell us what our new itinerary will be? Will our 35 day cruise be cut to 33 to have this done in Sidney before our departure? What ports will be cut? Shouldn’t a new schedule be released well before final payment or any cancellation charges accrue? This task is no longer a secret. BC airfare to Sidney is extremely high, if I can’t use ff miles, not sure I want to spend the money if I don’t have answers.

I believe a RSSc ship is having the same issue per news reports.

I believe some are ignoring Captain Max’s comments that only 30% of the power generation goes to turning the screws. 70% goes to onboard ship operations such as a/c, hot water, laundry operations, kitchen operations, garbage compressor, electrical systems, water purification, etc. Sure, a bit can be saved by maximizing optimum operations of the screws, but the numbers are great. You should have heard the numbers he quoted for some of the ports for being docked per hour!!! One hour less in some of those ports is far more than any possible fuel savings in getting there.

How in the world would Oceania know if these changes will affect shore excursion operations? Oh! They mean their own! 🙄. Does this mean if we’re now signed up for an eight hour Oceania shore excursions it will either now be cancelled or just cut in time at the same price?

😂. In sincerity, I believe Room service will bring you the hamburger and up to two beers in that original delivery. Then you’ll have to call room service again for any further orders and go in the que for that order.

Deck 8 imo. You are on the same deck as most all of the OH and above. You are further away from the anchors and other noises. You’ll find on many Alaskan cruises the outdoors seating area of the Terrace is either closed or only lightly used because of inclement weather. Big difference from Carribe cruises.

It is effective at all dining venues. It is available for room service. However, I believe it is only available during normal dining hours.

Please let us know how it unfolds. Thanks! 🙏

Explain what happened with the Falklands, please. We have an all day tour to Volunteer Point booked.

Robjames; Part of the bartender story isn’t accurate. 1. All drinks come with the gratuity added. 2. All such gratuities are pooled. Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether one orders from a waiter or bartender. I do agree with the bartender on one issue and often repeated it. Cash tips on Oceania given to any employee are retained by that employee and not pooled. I also agree in essence with NJhorseman. All the funds, including gratuity, received by O are fungible. One shouldn’t compare how their favorite restaurant back homes operates to how Oceania does.

There are multiple destinations, including Embarkment ports, that are either wine or alcohol deserts, or the taxes so high they make Oceania prices look cheap. One is not going to a Baltic port and buy wine to bring aboard. The alcohol taxes plus VAT are outrageous! Same with other destinations. We bring wine abroad when we can. When we can’t, we pay the Oceania piper.

+1000!

I am a traveler, not a cruiser. I cruise for the ports, not to sit on a ship. If port times gets cut, on our upcoming cruise, and we are forced to eliminate tours or significantly shorten them, that will mean cancellation of three booking when we get home. Oceania can then truly become a fleet for those “ with the ship being the destination “ and those only wanting 2-4 hour shore visits. We’ll see how that works out for Oceania. FWIW, one sea day Captain Max gave a full rundown of ship operating costs. Fuel consumption drops only about 30% while the ship is in dock or anchorage. Most of the power generation goes to powering all ship functions not related to motoring. Time at dock is a huge cost. Shorter dock times = less costs. Per Cpt Max, for major ports, docking fees are higher than fuel costs if staying at sea. That reduction in fuel costs does not offset the port fees. Most every sea day is a bigger moneymaker over a port day.

I can’t speak for either Canada or Great Britain, but here in the States a significant portion of the patrons know whether the venue pools tips or not. Typically the information comes via reputation or from people they know working there. A couple current era observations. First, there are some wait staff that will only work where tips are pooled. Likewise, there are those that refuse to work in such establishments and demand what they earn. Second, in the current era, labor is extremely scarce. Some establishments have closed or are still on reduced schedules because of lack of labor. If a waiter quits at lunch, they can be employed elsewhere by dinner. That means that, unlike last decade, it’s very difficult for management to drag their hand in the tip “ till” much at all. If they do, management will find themselves being the waiters themselves. Supply and demand of labor has altered practices.

One wonders if damage actually occurred when the ship grounded? 🤔

The workers in the Casino, shops, and Spa are not Oceania contract employees. They work for the individual concessions. Don’t confuse what those workers do, with what O workers do.

Paul; Thanks for this. Interesting plan. If you buy the drinks package pre-cruise you get a discounted price. However, by doing so, you must buy it for the entire cruise, or first segment ( perhaps). If one waits, they pay more, but can delay the start based on situation.

I believe you touched on the essence of the problem. Oceania has been sailing a bunch of low passenger capacity ships. Lots of upcoming cruises still showing cabin availability. I’m shocked that our June Vista cruise went from waitlist to now having availability and we’re not yet to final payment! If Oceania, or any other entity, is to run a successful wine and spirits program, it has to be paid for. LGW59, and a host of others, don’t choose to participate in any adult beverage program. That leaves only we imbibers to not only cover the program costs, but also turn a profit for Oceania. While I might feign surprise at the number of ( near) Teatotallers above, the average age of Oceania’s clientele makes that feign look naive. This is coupled with Oceania’s very generous policy of allowing adult beverages to be brought aboard along with a modest $25 corkage fee. This singularly decreases the pool of those buying the package. As you decrease the number of those buying the various packages while the costs of said booze increases, someone must pay the delta. Oceania has several options ahead. Hopefully, this package increase takes care of the issue. If not, their generous policy of allowing alcohol being brought aboard could be in jeopardy. Or, the selection of included items decrease significantly. When multiple packages become Ala carte, those packages then not only have to pay for themselves, but also generate acceptable profits to be sustained.

Heeding instructions of senior Oceania staff or policy is not something a significant percentage of Oceania cruisers do. Many examples. Back in 16 or 17, on the Nautica, we were having continual plumbing issues. Seems someone thought they should flush their adult diapers down the toilet every day. They finally caught the guilty party when they didn’t make it past their cabin.

Google Day tours in Rhodes. We found many private tours offered to there and Linda’s for less than half Oceania’s price.

I don’t actually believe the bar has exact hours. If few are around the pool, they close at 4:00. If things stay busy, they stay open later to make money. No certain established hours.

The number of sea days matters to us a lot. If we are on a port extensive cruise, we are always off the ship at lunch. Always. Therefore, the beverage package at lunch has zero value for us. Only on sea days does the lunch inclusion have value. Then the value of the standard package is based solely on dinner consumption. All part of the calculation.

My TA has made the same comment. They’re all doing it in unison.