mauibabes

@clo So glad it is you and not me. I would be dead 🙏😇 Enjoy your land tour. Mauibabes

@Funbobby68 You will find guests do bring wine or alcohol aboard in their desired quantities. We travel with friends and we load their Wine suitcase (12 bottles) and then have some really good wines for those Specialty restaurant dinners. Our last cruise in October, we packed half the suitcase with Silver Trident Benevolent Dictator Pinot Noir. It is $125 on board but I got it at the winery for far less, even with the Corkage fee. Whether you haul the wine with you or buy it in the various ports of call, you are free to bring it aboard. If you open it in your room, no Corkage but please follow their rules to drink it there or pay the fee. This is a great “gift” from O so we definitely do not want to see them take this privilege away. If you have an unfinished bottle of wine, the Sommelier will put your name and room number on it and put it in their storage area and you can request it be brought to you in any restaurant. Yes there are the Happy Hours previously mentioned AND there are hours of Free drinks at the Captain’s Party and the GM/Club Ambassadors Party. If you are sailing under SM, you will have wine and beer at lunch and dinner included. You said you bought the drink package but not your wife. Please reconfirm this because we had always been told that both parties had to purchase the package, NOT one. You do not want a surprise when you get aboard. Bottom line, Have a great cruise. Mauibabes

@mb777 You are so correct, I hate getting off a plane here in Sacramento in July and August, that jetway is a stifling gauntlet. I am sure I could extend those dates to June thru September in Las Vegas for you but for some reason it always feels worse when the humidity is cranked up in the East and South. I guess that is why Air Conditioning is considered a NECESSITY of life. We just love green energy inflicted brown outs in the great state of California so we pray for electricity 🙏😇. Hope that was not considered a political message here on CC, only meant as government ineptitude with no party affiliation 🙏🤪 We were on Vista in May and then again in October and a lot of the key staff AND our great Butler Anand were on both. They definitely do rotate around and we noted some of the staff also had contracts extended to help staffing and training needs. The O staffing contractor/company really does an outstanding job identifying great staff, even those on first contracts. Bottom line, have a great cruise and”GO O”, a little sports lingo 😇👍 Mauibabes

We find the “sharing” option the best way to go when there are just the two of us sailing, especially when we are trying to get an additional seating in a Specialty Restaurant. I would much prefer sharing a table with our O family than not dining in RG or T. When we have been in a PH, our Butler has been able to get that two top when we just needed that quiet night but it can be harder to get due to availability. We have only had ONE experience in 15+ years on O when a shared table for 6 was a “bummer”. It seems our table mates considered themselves wine connoisseurs and had to celebrate their knowledge and experiences with the other couple. We happen to live an hour away from the Sonoma and Napa Valley and belonged to a number of fine wine clubs over the years so we let them talk on and finished our meal, sans desert, and departed. Boorish company, yes but our Lasagne was Wonderful. 🤪👍 Just enjoy your Oceania experiences, Mauibabes

Any chance that person now traveling alone might be able to find a person to join them? A child or sibling or … O room stewards will split the beds into two so that is not an issue. Just make sure to cancel any excursions for the no show. Enjoy your cruise. Mauibabes

First of all, book your Oceania cruise and worry about lounges and tables later. Not only are there lounges around the pool but if you are in a Concierge Veranda and above, you have free access to the Spa Deck area with even more lounges and far fewer people. If on Riviera, Marina or Vista, the Spa Deck is even more appealing. As for tables for two, of course there are many and they mostly line the windows in the various restaurants. Our experience on O has been the people are really enjoyable so we always were willing to share a table because there was greater availability. Enjoy, Mauibabes

@mb777 I am afraid I am an 85 degree max kinda guy and then when they piled on 90+ % humidity, I was toasted. We were traveling with friends from Phoenix too and like you and the Las Vegas heat, they were only mildly uncomfortable. so glad we all have different tolerance levels. We just have to keep toughing out these cruises. Mauibabes

@Gracie115 If I may, what room number on deck 11? We have been Forward in 11019 and then Aft in 11073 to take advantage of a PH with an Extended Balcony which was quite nice with two lounges and two chairs and table. Bummer was it was right across from a Staff Door thru which they moved all carts and supplies so it could be noisy in the early morning. The Staff were great about trying to be quiet however. IMHO, Aquamar is an outstanding addition so we all have the opportunity to cut back on the rich food we all get to consume. Healthy meals like those served there are welcomed. Of course, a little stop over after an Aquamar meal in Baristas and the Bakery can satisfy that “sweet” and caffeine craving. Now that is a wonderful addition. Already booked on two Allura cruises so let’s hope the shipyard keeps on schedule. Enjoy, Mauibabes

@Parrot Head1 Robert, normally the lounges are available in the staterooms which have an extended balcony but you can have your TA check with O, however I would expect not as the veranda might not be large enough to accommodate one. If I may suggest some thing else, if you are a light sleeper or easily bothered by ship noises, you might want to take along some ear plugs as you will have some automatic doors above you as well as a restroom. Above you on Deck 12 are the Terrace Cafe and Aquamar Kitchen entrances. We were in a similar room location on Riviera but on the Starboard side and we were under the entrances to the TC and Waves so there was door and food cart noise beginning very early in the a.m. We have been on Vista a couple times but did not hear complaints about the noise issues we experienced but just be aware. Mauibabes

@question221 You are starting to get some very good answers to your questions so I will add my 2 cents to the mix. You are probably new to Oceania but all Country Club Casual means is you are NOT on a mass market, mega ship with young families and kids in Denny’s, please do not take offense here, using it only as a description folks might visually understand. They would prefer to not see you in “holy” blue jeans and T shirts, nor do you need Sport Coats or Suits or a Tux. Might you see any of these on your trip, maybe. Ladies always know how to dress and look lovely, especially in the GDR and Specialty restaurants. I prefer khaki’s or slacks and a button down L/S shirt as I can be comfortable if the restaurant is a bit cool and maybe a second or third night in that shirt I just add a sweater, no more wrinkles 😇👍. After cocktail hour as people are heading for dinner, most golf shirts are replaced by SS or LS shirts or sweaters, but not always. The last night of any cruise, you will see anything worn as people have packed for their trip home. The Terrace Cafe is an excellent Buffet and will serve many of the same items you will find that evening in the GDR. The Aquamar Kitchen will be closed as will Waves but Waves will become a Pizzaria in the evening. That said, since it is adjacent to the TC, you can get items from the buffet and dress up your pizza dinner, lots of available deserts in TC. If we are coming off a long tour, the TC would be our restaurant of choice, especially if we just wanted food and not to shower/clean up for a longer dinner experience. You will be in Europe in June so it will be warming up so you make the call about where to go and what to wear. I saw a Q about Verandas and a Waitlisted PH asked. It’s all about real estate; location, location, location when it comes to the veranda staterooms, both the same size but different deck or possibly forward or farther aft. Concierge means more amenities and for the “light/lazy packer” you get three bags of laundry done for you for Free. The Concierge Lounge is nice as well for a little grab and go close by your room and you can get assistance from the assigned Concierge. There are laundry rooms available on each deck and they too are Free. If interested in a PH but not currently available, book the Veranda of choice and get on the Waitlist for any of the PH levels. A PH is 50% larger than a Veranda stateroom and does come with an additional list of amenities including a Butler AND at a cost. You decide what you want or need but for us it has evolved into, “Happy wife, happy life” so you can decide what works for you. Yes they are nice and my DW now balks at Veranda rooms, so I created a monster 😇🤪🤬👍. As I recall, the pools are open until 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. and the Concierge level gives you access to the Spa Deck facilities and pool without charge. Have a fantastic cruise and you will enjoy Vista. Mauibabes

@SthrngaryJust a guess based on no inside info but Vista is under warranty and she will need to get back to Italy to have her “Punch List” repairs/issues resolved. After a couple cruises on her I am aware there are still some electrical, plumbing and HVAC as well as noise abatement issues that will require time in a shipyard. I have no idea if this is the “shipyard” window but it’s as good a guess as any. Mauibabes

PH and above with Butlers = Specialty en suite dining. Verandas, GDR Room Service. you are right, a wonderful PERK and your Butler can fit you in as often as you like or possible. Enjoy, Mauibabes

@Pandazoo We were on Vista in May on the Founders Cruise as a first paying customer and then again for a Panama Canal trip in October and I will say you are in for a REAL treat. We have some friends who own a travel agency and had never been on Oceania until they got an invitation to sail on Vista’s christening voyage, and yes, for them it was FREE. They were amazed🤪👍❤️ with Oceania. Now, Seven months later, they are FULL PRICE paying customers to sail on Vista again over the holidays. IMHO, that is the greatest testimony I know of to suggest you can expect an AMAZING EXPERIENCE. In October, most of the original key staff were back on board; the F and B Director, Restaurant Manager and the Maitre d’s. Definitely head for Red Ginger and try the Watermelon and Duck Salad, Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass or the Rack of Lamb or …. Toscana and DW’s favorite Lasagne and … Polo and even the new kid on the block Ember had great meals. You have to start your mornings in Baristas or the Aquamar Kitchen, all fantastic. Just ENJOY, and share your comments along the way. Mauibabes

I will take it a step farther, you don’t have to be 60+ to be a traveler who buys trip insurance. Our son was booked on a Vista Inaugural cruise with us. His fiancé who is 43 had driven his daughter to Oregon for the start of college and he ate some bad food enroute and got food poisoning. Not only sick in his digestive tract, but also developed a viral blood infection and spent three weeks in the hospital just two months prior to sailing. He had 30 days of home administered IV treatments and a myriad of other treatments to regain his strength but it left him too week to travel. They made every effort to be able to sail but on Friday prior to a Monday embarkation, they had to Cancel their cruise. So happy they were covered by insurance or else it was $14,000 down the drain. We are all healthy until we are not. To add insult to injury on our recent Vista trip, 4 of our traveling companions got sick and Medical Center fees ranged from $1,000 to $2,000 to over $9,000. We were out of the country and therefore Medicare does not pay so Insurance saved them too. Yes, I buy insurance 😇👍🙏, you roll the dice. Mauibabes

Go prepared and you will be ready for anything. We did a May cruise on Vista, Rome to Trieste and it was great, weather was not HOT. We just did the Panama CAnal trip on Vista and the weather for me was 85-90 degrees and similar humidity level so it was miserable because I hate humidity. That said, Horizons was often an icebox, all day and night. Restaurants were comfortable but DW had a shawl with her just in case. It must be something about taking blood thinners 😇🤙. We traveled with friends who were in shirt sleeve golf shirts the whole time and others who had polo shirts during the day and a LS shirt (me) in the restaurants. No jackets taken or worn. To me, Horizons was the only place that was very cool, other public rooms or bars were fine. The automatic doors constantly opening and allowing the hot/humid air inside was the real issue. Not sure how to resolve that. We had no problem keeping our stateroom balanced yet we visited others who liked their room like a meat locker and were still trying to cool it further. I would guess the HVAC system will continue to be a work in progress and some will never be happy. IMHO, AND this is MY 2 cents Mauibabes

I am sure there will be more Press Releases coming long before May. IMHO, I can not imagine Marina will not mirror all the changes made on Riviera. After all, they ARE sister ships. 😇👍 We have not been aboard to see the Riviera changes so will have to keep looking for that NEXT Oceania cruise on either of the O Class ships in 24 and beyond. Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving and we are especially thankful for Oceania, thank you FDR, and our Oceania family. Mauibabes

@Sthrngary Welcome to the O FAMILY of happy travelers. It has been great following your adventure, your planning is amazing and it lead to great success 🙏😇👍 We found Oceania in 2007 and have never looked back. We keep dragging our friends along with “Try it you’ll like it” and lo and behold, they did and they have not left the “family”. Since you booked Vista, let me suggest you use the 45 day post sailing Oceania discount offer that will come to book a trip on Allura. She will include all the Vista goodies and enhancements and SIMPLY MORE, to steal a line. There are refinements coming for Allura so you might as well ENJOY the latest and greatest. If you want another great trip idea, book a January or February 2025 cruise on Marina down thru Antarctica. She gets her Update in May so would be all spiffy for you. It’s an AMAZING trip, DW’s #1. I know a lot of first timers were and are interested in your experience and as an O lover ❤️, we are so glad the staff on Riviera did not let you down. She is definitely a favorite in the fleet for us. Now the Loyalty Club is in play, next milestone, Silver and Free Gratuities! Then Platinum and a Free 14 day cruise 🤪🙏👍🛳️🥂🍷🥃❤️ Next smart move and I am NOT giving investment advice, acquire 100 shares of NCLH, just for the $100-250 SBC you will get on every future NCLH line cruise. 😇 Mauibabes

I agree it is noisy but people we have dined with on two Vista cruises really liked their meals. In fact one lady said her Ember Filet Mignon was the best she had over her 16 day cruise and she ate filets in several restaurants and all were very good. We all enjoy what we enjoy. 👍😇🙏 Enjoy, Mauibabes

For us it is not a lack of desire to learn about the End of Cruise Survey, it has been the inability to access it. There were server issues on both Vista cruises and after about 4 attempts, I said enough. I could not imagine there was not notice about the surveys availability on every ship and sailing as it is O’s desire to have one submitted by all the guests. Currents is not necessarily a “Must Read” for all guests. While easily tech frustrated,Yes, I did stop by for assistance and directions but on our last cruises I opted out. I do wonder what the success rate is for the final survey submission, under 50% I am sure. Since the Mid cruise is on paper, I always submit it so staff can address any issues. There were many people we wanted to recognize for their exceptional service but alas, it did not happen so we opted for a handwritten note and some cash for all of them. When technology fails, there is always pen and paper 😇. Enjoy, Mauibabes

IMHO you can swap your current cruise for the one a week prior and not incur the $150 Fee. Definitely talk to Oceania because you always get one “free” swap with any on board booking. You may want to confirm that any change has combineable discount features before actually exercising your swap. Mauibabes

@edgee My understanding as well. It is definitely an excellent program, SHHHH, don’t tell O. The new fee just 🤬 people off, especially those of us within the O demographic. Mauibabes

@tunaman2011 Too simple a Q. If you are on board, just chat with the Club Ambassador because it is not a set amount for every booking. We have received from $100-500. Prior to O adding a Cancellation Fee of $150 like other lines, we would ALWAYS book one or more future cruises, some we knew we wanted to take and others were a Maybe. If a Maybe, I booked as far out as possible so I could use the one time swap feature if another cruise fit best with our plans. Good luck with your planning and bookings. Mauibabes

@Pandazoo We just got off Vista and I can assure you the staff if VERY hard working and committed to delivering a great product and service to the guests. We had a wonderful time, just wish I handled humidity better. I don’t know how you Floridians and other East coasters handle it 🤬🙏🤪🤙 I think the CD Ray Carr may be off by then but other key management team members have just returned on a new contract. Do not be concerned with Negativity, go and expect to have a GREAT trip. Perfect, probably not but GREAT anyway because you ARE ON OCEANIA. JMHO Mauibabes

@Sthrngary Absolute BUMMER on the Polo meal. Let’s hope it is an aberration. We know nothing is perfect as you have said but you need a little chat with the Polo Maitre d. He/She needs to know that their team really dropped the ball. If not the Maitre d, then mention it to your Outstanding Butler, the message must and will be shared. We have had an unacceptable experience in the past and shared it in our mid cruise survey. The day after I submitted it, I had a call from the Sr. executive chef and we were invited back and this time it was the Polo Chef who ensured we were not disappointed as well as the Maitre d. That Maine Lobster is usually very good so they need to know there are issues. When you go to the O Club Party, I am sure the Restaurant Manager and Food and Beverage Director will be in the Receiving Line. Share your experience and give them a chance to do better. We just got off Vista and ate in the Waves/Pizzaria one evening and while the pizza was OK, Chicken pineapple Hawaiian, the chicken was tasteless. Bad choice of toppings on our part. IMHO you might just be compounding your experience. Glad to read you elected to bring some good wines aboard for some special meals. On our last trip we brought 6 bottles of Silver Trident, Benevolent Dictator, Pinot Noir on board. It should be available on Riviera as well and they sell it it for $125. I bought it at the Silver Trident Tasting Room in Younteville CA and even paying the $25 Corkage, we probably saved $30-50 a bottle. I mention this wine because it is Excellent and the Silver Trident owner/partner is Bob Binder, one of the CEO’s who helped FDR start Oceania Cruises over 20 years ago. Should you have time and the availability to try Privee as I mentioned awhile back, you could really give them an opportunity to “Make it Right”. Maybe in mentioning your experience to the F and B or RM, you could ask about booking Privee. You never know, they might even take you up on a dinner invitation and Comp it as well 😇🙏. Believe me, they want you to leave Riviera having had a FANTASTIC cruise experience. Just some thoughts, Mauibabes

Not Laurence, she is definitely French. Late 2021 or early 2022 two ladies were promoted to GM’s and have been great successes so you have Laurence’s colleague but I have not met her yet. Any additional insights for O and Riviera, shoot me an email. gerryesker@gmail.com Enjoy, Mauibabes