pinotlover

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.

If Oceania follows this path, and still an if, for all you early boarders that revel in Boardamania, what time do you believe those lower cabins will then become available on Embarkment Day? 🤔 Half the staff to do all the work! Oceania might be forced to delay the start Boardamania until 2-3!

Mass Market- Premium-Luxury. If one can’t tell the difference between a Lincoln and a Ford, they soon stop paying for the Lincoln. I would doubt that Oceania would follow NCL’s path, BUT they have a lot of debt that speaks loudly.

Seems we had a completely different card, this past cruise, because we weren’t on any drinks package. Different colors, the entire deal. Our past bib cards, for the same class cabin , were entirely different.

Since I have a sales contract, with all the applicable fees and credits sitting in my desk, imo the increase will be for new bookings only.

Thank you for the wonderful and clear clarification! 🙏

Greed is a bit harsh. Oceania is Ala carte . Pay for it if you want, DIY if you don’t. Just like their shore tours, they charge very high prices for those that don’t want to exert the effort to arrange their own. They offer you an option with a price. Their wines are the same. You can bring your own and pay $25 corkage or utilize the convenience of drinking theirs at 3-5X retail. It’s the reason some people choose all inclusive lines, they’d rather not know the price of convenience.

Unless you are a dedicated DIYer, ask around the ship on who they use and recommend as a Travel Agent. A good Travel Agent, that is knowledgeable of the inter working of Oceania is a tremendous asset. Fellow cruisers will gladly share the information with you. After you have enlisted that TA’s services you’ll never again need to read a five (5) paragraph verbose DIY explanation on solving a problem. You’ll just quickly and efficiently hand the issue off to that knowledgeable TA and let them take care of the issue. That is benefit you get from Oceania paying their Agency the commission for helping you.

The gift was to make you feel better about your medical bills! 😇 Hope you’re feeling better! 🥂