pinotlover

The pairings and the menu, along with its preparation style, for the Dom meal was created by the people at Dom. Jacques has nothing to do with it. In 2019 we had four different Dom P, with only one being used twice. Even with the current world wide supply issues for Champagne, it’s depressing that O couldn’t get a full complement of wine for this event. We are signed up for it again on Marina in March. Hopefully they get a new shipment 🥂

FF; Will our in lieu of PPG OBC perk still be a perk going forward? Have you heard anything official?

ORV; Do you believe that international crew made markedly less income on all those 50% and less filled cruises than on full cruises? Do you believe the guys working the engine room income is dependent upon gratuities paid? I believe most Americans have a very narrow view of tips and gratuities that aren’t consistent with how they are treated worldwide.

Rob; I never realized your occurrence was an option. When we upgraded, in the past, it was always for the remainder of our cruise. I never knew that only upgrading to the end of somebody else’s segment was an option. So upgrading for possibly only two days, in the middle of your cruise, losing the upgrade for a few days because some segment ends, and then upgrading again is a possibility? Never explained to us that way! Always learning!!

Drink package questions vary depending upon the cruise. Our last cruise was a combo of a 7 & 10 day cruise. That meant two Captain Parties and two repeater parties in 17 days. Few sea days. We had one overnight in a port, and thus ate ashore, plus most importantly we were in a tremendous wine production area. No drinks package required. The bin end list was the worst and most unreasonably priced I’ve ever seen on an O cruise. Next cruise is a 20 day single segment cruise. One captain’s party and one repeater party. No overnights and not even a late departure, with six sea days. The math changes. Add to that, we’re social people. We enjoy meeting people and talking with fellow cruisers. We are not in that crowd that only wants to eat alone in restaurants and drink alone in their cabins. That affects the math also. Additionally, there are wine and booze deserts. Places you can’t pick up something ashore to bring back to the cabin. That affects the math. A lot to go into the formula, and we’ve never found the same math on any cruise. There are multiple variables for different people to consider.

Perhaps Robjames, or someone else currently aboard an O ship, could ask their Cruise Director this question and report back. Eliminate speculation.

Getting to regularly see the price increases my customers are seeing on a host of adult beverages, it doesn’t surprise me that a line with massive debt is passing along those increases. On many of its lower tiered wines by the glass NCLH can still use its massive buying power to somewhat control prices there so no increase with the standard package. All sparkling wines ( champagne) are an exception to this and considerable price increases have been seen there, along with supply shortages. ”Hard” liquor is a different story. Not even NCLH’s size is going to blunt those increases in cost. Therefore, for hard liquor and the Premium Package a $10/day increase is not outrageous. Wish it wasn’t so, but!!!

There are a few ports or cruise line terminals that won’t allow entrance until one’s assigned boarding time as designated on their boarding documents. In practice, there are very few of these. I have never found requesting a 14:00-15:00 boarding time to be problematic at all. After an enjoyable lunch of local cuisine, we arrive to find virtually no check in line and our cabin ready for occupancy.

Do you still pay gratuities, or do you get PPG which means no gratuities are actually paid? I wish people would stop confusing a cruise ship with a restaurant. On a cruise ship employee compensation is set by rank and years of service. Their pay is not determined by how many are cruising or how many are paying the add on gratuity. From my understanding, the general gratuities paid goes into a general welfare fund that Oceania doles out, as it sees fit, for employee recognition awards and type functions. Unlike a restaurant, gratuities paid are not part of their established compensation. I have been told by two different butlers, Any tips given directly to employees , for exceptional service, are retained by those employees on Oceania. This is not the case on all cruise lines.

We have given cash tips directly to a number of the waitstaff over the years. This includes not only our room attendants and butler, but also bartenders and certain waiters that all went above and beyond on a repeated basis. We don’t leave the tip at the table nor add it to the bill. We find the waitstaff later and individually give them cash. The only exception to this is Privee. Our groups will normally leave cash for that group of waiters to split up amongst themselves in the privacy of the room. We tip what we want to whom we want directly to the individuals.

Redtravel; I believe your comments echo what myself and others have been saying. Inconsistency is the primary issue today, more so than last decade! We had some great meals, a couple poor meals, and many just OK meals. Didn’t go hungry, but that’s not the issue.

Pre Covid is SO last decade! Full ship during Boardamania (12:00) current era. Pretty well sums it up.

Yes. Watched people doing it. You’re not excluded for being computer illiterate! 🤫 Just as a convenience to others, if you don’t pre register, I’d do your fellow cruisers a favor and not do Boardamania. Wait until 2:00 or so to board, the lines will be gone, and the clerical staff will have plenty of time to assist you. Enjoy your cruise!

In that Tuscan Steak appeared to be regularly overbooked on our cruise, I’m to the opinion that the issue is no longer a computer glitch, but a determined new policy of Oceania. Those sitting at the reservation desk obviously know how many are booked at each time slot. Does Oceania believe that allowing more customers into a Specialty , at the expense of service , represents a positive for customer satisfaction? I’m sure the answer is highly variable for passengers. Some appear to want a Specialty every night regardless of service. Others of us would rather have fewer but more exceptional experiences.

PH and above normally sell out quickly. No recognizable reason to change.

It’s the primary reason some troll and bid every cruise. Different consortiums get PPG on different cruise. Therefore, they shop for OCAPP. They aren’t shopping TA, they are shopping Consortiums. If Oceania were to eliminate “ double dipping “ ( or OBC in lieu of), they would eliminate the need to shop the TA each cruise.

OCAPP is what shows up on one’s Oceania invoice . Travel Agents have united in alliances called Consortiums. Oceania, on a rotating bases for specific cruises, offers the different Consortiums PPG for their customers as additional enticement for booking cruises. Your TA may say “ this cruise comes with Consortium X PPG”. In actuality, it’s not from the Consortium, but merely a pass through from Oceania. Therefore, OCAPP is pass through PPG from Oceania. What happens when one receives both OCAPP and PPG as a benefit of their Oceania Club status? Ah! That is a different story.

I’ll have to wait until she gets back home. Not an emergency issue. She’s on ( the Nautica, I think) Oceania ship with very spotty wifi. Having trouble just getting emails. Imagine that, an Oceania ship with spotty wifi!! 🤫

Based on cruise length and cabin category you’ll be allocated a certain number of reservations per venue. The reservation system will force you to spread those reservations out over the entire cruise. If you attempt to exceed a time frame it will give you an error saying “ you have exceeded your allotment for this time period “.

We were given free metal bottles, for daily refill, aboard ship. They work just fine.

I distinctly remember the huge uproar when , early Covid, some of the cruise lines announced they would require the passengers to provide medical clearances before boarding. Numerous cruisers long past the time they should have stopped doing so. My friend, the longtime ship’s medical officer, now retired, can tell stories for hours about the walking dead boarding his ships. IMO, everyone would have been better off if the cruise lines had stuck to their guns and implemented the procedures. Well, maybe not everyone! 🙄

It’s great you only book cruises to warm exotic places. Try that star gazing Terrace meal on the north side of Iceland or going up the Norway coast! 😂. Oops, you’ll find that part of the Terrace closed and shut off. It was even shutoff all day late October off the Spanish coast.

The passengers can’t walk to the end of the pier and break up the bottle necks??

Not since our cruise. She was specifically talking about the new Allure ship when she gave that date. I’m betting that ship is now delayed until 2026 or probably 2027. If Oceania stays to form with its release schedule, they are normally in the March and October timeframe. So expect them mid March, or a little bit earlier ifO wants a new cash infusion from reservation money.

Trying to get a verification, but just heard that those of us with O Club PPG benefits will no longer be eligible to additionally receive OCAPP PPG benefits. No more OBC in lieu of. Awaiting details.