pinotlover

Your Travel Agent can give you all the specific availabilities on cruises of interest fairly quickly. Best source of information without awakening the beasts in Miami.

Seating is always the luck of the draw. One consideration, you must reflect on, is that some table mates make me look like a Teatotaller. Their indulgence can sometimes appear excessive, plus they may be well snockered by the time they get to the table. As the parent, you are deciding the atmosphere in which you are placing your child. You can’t insist that tablemates don’t, or stop , drinking at the table unless their actions become vulgar or crude. Luck of the draw!

Why does Cruise Critic and Jazzbeau refuse to make this question a sticky? Not like it isn’t asked continually.

😂😂 We do get generous revenue sharing and perks from our TA. Just because we don’t continually brag and gloat about it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Rarely does the guy at the table bragging how much he makes actually have the highest income, I don’t consider her services handholding. I rarely go to McDonalds , but don’t insist upon cooking my own burgers and fries when I do. Doubt you eat out much, but do you demand to wash your own dishes for a rebate when you do? Maybe the chef will give you a rebate!!!! Tell me, do you ask your room steward for a rebate if you’ll make your own bed? Service expectations and wishes. We are both happy with the highly professional service our Travel Agent provides and the generous services she provides. I believe cruisers have multiple levels of service vs costs expectations from their Travel Agents. You personally choose to minimize service expectations so to hopefully maximize kickbacks. I only attempted to let other cruisers realize that other options exists to balance of the two. There are multiple options. Your multiple step explanation vs my utilization of my TA., Plus options in between, just demonstrates that.

In these circumstances, I merely send my TA an email of the ship tours we want and she handles it all for us. No brain damage or lengthy explanation, as above, required for us . I don’t have control anxiety . Young 2nd Lts quickly learned delegation of responsibility and authority as a matter of survival. Served me well my lifetime. She works the options and savings optimizations and provides me with options if necessary. Professional services are included in the commissions she received. I don’t need a manual.

Hmmm! So you’re suggesting to wait to book aboard? After multiple cruise cancellations, my next O cruise isn’t until October. Therefore it was foolish of me to book those late 2023 and 2024 cruises when they were released instead of waiting until October. The cruises that are now nearly sold out now! Most of us believe getting the cruise and cabins there on is more important than the extra $100 OBC and an ensured O invoice. We all have our priorities. We’d rather be on the ship! 🤪 Waiting to book until onboard is not practical for the vast majority of cruisers that care about itinerary. Only when the ship is the destination does it normally work out.

I have a highly professional Travel Agent and know how to use her. I never begrudge her earnings, nor plot how to minimize them. She’s both highly knowledgeable and generous. But then again, I don’t bid her services every cruise and go elsewhere to save $50 so to pay exorbitant shore excursion prices to Oceania.

Horse been beaten unmercifully. Oceania compensates their in-house sales staff by means not even the Influencer here knows. The various Travel Agencies compensate their individual Travel Agents by multiple means. Even our verbose Influencer apparently doesn’t knows the true details. I’m not a bored retiree wanting to squeeze every dime out of the system, nor spend hours trying to ascertain my Travel Agents income. I’d rather be playing golf with my buddies at the Club. I have a great Travel Agent and know how to use her. She performs miracles. I don’t begrudge her a dime. Pleasantry is never calling 1-800- Dial a Clerk at Oceania. The bored or the control obsessed see it differently . Done beating the beast.

Reasonable position. This topic has been discussed on various CC cruise line boards, all with the same conclusion. This entire issue could be put to rest, if Oceania laid out its detailed planned route for this itinerary. Full Transparency would be a good thing.

You are actually on an extended cruise comprised of two 7 day cruises. You have to pay double down payments. Menus in the GDR normally cycle every 14 days, so there you are mostly in luck, however you will still see multiple repeats on the menu. While outside contract entertainment might be different, it is possible you might see repeat performances by the Oceania group. No guarantees either way, mostly because no one knows how many contractor entertainment will be brought aboard. That is a variable and can change.

It wasn’t my intention to be rude. The new rules went into effect 1 Jan 22. What occurred before then doesn’t matter. Oceania ships can’t cross the 60 degree South latitude. Just suggesting one look at their globe to understand what that means in Antarctica. The rules are also in effect for 60 degrees north. This puts Greenland and far north Alaska off limits likewise. I don’t believe any of Regent’s ship can now go there.

You really need to get out your globe. Maritime laws have changed recently and none of Oceania’s ships are allowed into Antarctica. In fact they are not allowed below 60 degrees South. To go further South requires specialty exploration ships meeting hull and other construction requirements none of the O ships have. Viking has a new ship now especially built for that itinerary, as do some of the other lines. At 60 degrees South, you can’t even do the South Orkneys. With Oceania, you basically get additional sea days where land may not even be sighted, no less touched, in an area of the ocean fabled for violent seas. With the newish restrictions, I believe Oceania needs to be totally transparent as to what the expected route is in that area.

The butler gets $8/day extra in tips.

Why would you bring bottles of wine from the US to the UK? I have been able to find great wine shops in the UK, with an excellent selection of wines ( primarily European) at good prices. Buy a case, pre Embarkment, bring aboard, and go from there. There are multiple places on this earth that if you want wine ( or any alcohol for that matter) you’d better bring it yourself from afar. The UK isn’t one of those.🥂

Retiredandtravel; Likewise remember you’ll be sailing from Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. All produce some excellent wines, both white and reds, to pick up on your port calls. I personally wouldn’t consider any of the Package Wines or even a bin end on your cruise unless it’s truly an exceptional deal. Try out those local wines! Do winery tours. Bring what you find you like back to the ship to enjoy with your meals or at leisure in your cabin. It’s the purpose of travel! We don’t go to South America to explore and drink wines from OZ or the US, or vise versus.

1. Depends upon the services rendered by the particular Butler. Varies. 2. I would first fully participate in your Roll Call where you’ll often find better, and less expensive, shore tours than those offered by O. You should go ahead and book the catamaran to the glacier early if it suits you. It’s your only way off the ship for the day and the tour is capacity limited. Ship Excursions are fully paid for when booked. 3. The ships sails far from land, so side of ship rarely matters. In the fjords, the sail in and back out, so both sides get the same view. a. 7 bottle package of every changing wines. b. Wines “ by the glass “ are delivered by the glass. Even with the Premium package those wines are delivered one at a time.

Don’t think so. After you have designated that TA, everything you do goes back through that TA. It’s all on the invoice, and to the TA’s account, whether from the TA, O rep, or online. The industry average is about 3 bookings per every sailing. Means 2 out of 3 cancellations. During the past two years, our TAs busted their bottoms, on both ends, often for no compensation. Here we have an Influencer telling people how to cut what future pay, they might get, even more! 🤬🤬

I’m the wine geek. At dinner, we sometimes only want a 375 of really nice Champagne to start out with appetizers. Then on to something else. Being itb, I don’t always like the way some bubblies are kept over. Would rather drink what we want and have an empty bottle than their preservation of my leftovers. I typically buy my great ports and stickies in 375s. Couple 2-3 ounces at a time is all we typically drink. I only open 750s for larger groups. I can always guzzle to finish, but prefer to drink as we like. Some nights a port, maybe another night a Chateau Yquem or other delightful Sauternes. So a 375 last a couple different meals.

Very true! If your Butler is already slammed with 10 En-suite dinners for an evening, you probably don’t want to be #11. Nor does he need the additional burden. The rule is actually no mix and match from different kitchens. In that on both R&O ships the PG and Toscana share a kitchen, those menus can be m&m. On the O ships, RG and Jacques menus can’t be mixed and matched. Totally different kitchens.

Kate; While your points about VP are spot on, Oceania’s shorex to those other locations are likewise grossly expensive, and can likewise be taken with private companies for half the cost. Both options are available on our Roll Call. Here’s some simple math many don’t grasp, even he that claims never to pay retail. 2(x) - 25% is always greater than X. Let x be the price of the corresponding price tour, with 2X often being Oceania’s upcharge.

For the OP. Buying wine ashore in the Carribean is often not a good practice. Most available wines in the stores are very inexpensive South American wines. They have been transported and stored on shelves in excessive heat for often long periods of time. I don’t recommend local procurement of wine. Rum, if you like it, is a different story. For wine, on your cruise, the best option is to shop in Miami before departure. I haven’t yet sailed Oceania since their restart. Keep getting cruises cancelled. I have heard various remarks about then current wines on the bin end list. Several revolving around the conclusion that they were purchased long before the pandemic shutdown, had been stored in unknown conditions during the shutdown, with some being well beyond their prime. Since my upcoming next cruise is on a ship back in operation for less than a year, I have doubts of finding any actual deals with the bin ends. Maybe by 2024, when everything can recycle . For short 7 day cruises, such as yours, which are typically port intensive, one must realize they may largely be off the ship during lunch. That means the basic package is only applicable at dinner. Depending upon dining venue, ( read Jazzcruz’s comments on his January cruise) sometimes getting more than one glass of wine at dinner can be challenging. This is especially true at the Buffet where even getting one can be tough. Oceania’s shorex are grossly overpriced and I only recommend them for ports with limited supporting infrastructure. In the Carribean, we’d be doing all Roll Call or DIY shore tours. On your cruise, not necessarily for all cruises because of the multitude variables, I’d recommend the cruise only fare.

Doing it with Patrick Watts! 🥂

Check out your Roll Call. We are doing BA-Lima this coming year. Our private all day tours are rarely costing more $150/day/pp., most far less. I can list several examples for savings, like the Falklands where we’re paying $190 each and the ship is changing $365 each for the same tour. I’ll likewise share plenty of tour information with you.

Your experience was very typical, imo. However, I’m a wine guy not a weather expert, nor soothsayer. The greatest recommendation is “ consult a weather site that contains historical data”!! +10,000! 🤪 Why people come here to ask for ancedotal single weather experiences when large amounts of historical data exist, easily searchable elsewhere, always amazes me.

Edinburgh will be a bit crowded. If your visit is before 1Aug, the Queen probably won’t be there yet, so you can see her palace. Best bet is to buy timed entry tickets on line before going for both the palace and castle up on the hill. You don’t want to stand in those lines for day tickets. Don’t know your physical condition, but the Palace is in lower town and the castle is over a kilometer uphill. We enjoy the walk with all the shops. For some the hill is too much. You didn’t say which ship your on. The R ships can enter the locks and dock at the port. The O ships must anchor in the Bay. Near everyone goes ashore, so plan on lengthy waits for the tenders both ways if on an O. The Gaint Causeway is just lovely. Expect crowds, but not bad. There is a shuttle down and back up if you need one. It fills quickly. Expect cloudy and perhaps misty weather. Been to both several times and clear sunny days are the rarity. I never let it bother me. The scenery is beautiful. In the major cities, we pre planned and DIY. In the other ports, we did small group private tours with Roll Call members. Never a need to do overpriced ship bus tours in either country. Enjoy your cruise.