Marisha115

We spent 2 nights pre-cruise at a price line purchased Executive Pacific hotel in downtown Seattle without a car; took the 35 minute Link ride from the airport. Downtown is very walk-able and the Space Needle area attractions are only a short monorail ride away.

We got the City Pass and did the Aquarium and Argosy harbor tour on day 1 and the Space Needle (day and night), EMP museum, and Chihuly Gardens on day 2. We could have spent a full day at the EMP museum, but both of us are into that kind of stuff. Last morning before boarding our cruise ship (at pier 66) we spent eating our way through Pike Place Market. We ended up there every day we were in Seattle and loved it!

Post-cruise we rented a car downtown early in the morning, grabbed a few munchies at Pike Place, and spent the rest of the day visiting a bunch of breweries and the Ballard Locks before returning the car to the airport and jumping on our flight home.

As an alternative, you can rent a car in downtown Seattle. They'll pick you up at Pier 66.

Relax, all will be well. You are outside the final payment date and changes like these can be accommodated pretty easily. Just call your TA when they open and they'll take care of the rest.

Nowadays you can buy a portable hard drive with a built in SD slot just for this reason. No need to bring a laptop or find a computer with active USB inputs.

I got for the Xmas ornaments as well. It's great remembering all the good times and fun places while decorating the tree.

I'd need a few more details before recommending something for you. What sort of vacation are you looking for? Beach? Active? Which of the departure ports is more convenient for you? Are the prices comparable?

For me, I would pick option #3. I would have to fly in to both ports, but have family in Tampa that makes it easier. I love visiting Cozumel. I have also never sailed on the Star, unlike the Spirit. Then again, those are all the reasons I would choose option #3 and not the reasons that you should.

We stayed there in April of 2013 and thought it was absolutely wonderful! We booked it on our own for a much better rate than Oceania was offering. The food there is expensive though.

I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

+1 for the bar hop

Wow, 70 pages later I am finally done reading this epic thread. Below is contribution. It's not the craziest on here, but funny in a cute sort of way. At the time that it happened I was rolling in tears.

On my first very first cruise on the Norwegian Crown from NYC to Bermuda, my mom and I we went to see Sharkbait, who are a great comedic juggling duo. They asked for a volunteer and a little girl chosen. They did the usual questions, "What's your name?" (don't remember) "How old are you?" (5-ish) and "Where are you from?" to which the girl says NYC. Then next thing they do is ask the little girl to hold up a finger, guess which one she held up? That's right! The middle one. Sharkbait quipped about how they should have been more specific with their request and that the little girl did warn them she was from NYC.

Thanks for posting the email! I also did not receive it and found out through multiple facebook posts last night. I try to remain optimistic considering NCL is my go-to "cheap" cruise line. I just hope they don't introduce the "nickel and dime"ing that comes along with the lower rate on NCL to Oceania. I definitely enjoyed having the specialty restaurants already included in my cruise fare. As others have said, I guess time will tell.

*Speaking of The Grand, after our salmon fishing expedition in Sitka (great fun, by the way, and we caught a lot of fish) the chef there cooked it for us, and prepared special plates to match the fish – in this case king salmon served simply with boiled potatoes, butter sauce, and asparagus, just yum.

Carolyn,

Are you saying that the chef in the GDR cooked the salmon you caught? :eek: Because that is awesome! Did you make special arrangements ahead of time?

And thanks for all the updates and the FB albums. :D

The food on Oceania is hands down great, even in GDR and buffet. Fresh croissants baked daily are simply wonderful. Oh and tea time! Unfortunately, my expectations were set too high for La Reserve, but even then, the wines were fantastic.

DH and I have only sailed on an O-class ship, so I can't help with a comparison to the R-class. We liked the size of the ship, it wasn't too big or small. It didn't feel crowded at all. There was always a spot to sit by the pool. We did book an R-class for August of next year (Vancouver to NYC).

Itinerary is more of a personal preference/choice kind of thing. How long long do you want the cruise to be? What part of the world do you want to visit? I would agree with limiting the number of tender ports of call, but wouldn't rule a trip out just based on that. My best suggestion is to use the advanced search on Oceania's site.

It does sound like the PH would give you a good amount of room. We stayed in a Concierge cabin and mainly used the lounge part of the benefits. I don't think it was worth it, in hindsight.

Another vote for Bermuda.

Getting off was very organized ... we went up to the Haven and the concierge whisked us "backstage" and took us down a service elevator and right off the ship!

That's one of the best perks of Haven I've read yet!

Thank you for the great review. I've been wondering how the two compare. I also didn't know the tie between NCL and Oceania. I learn something new every day :)

No price drop for me, but onboard perks instead. Email sent to TA.

Is this the thread you were looking for?

ABDance, thanks for the photo of the Regatta in the dry dock. I just showed it to my DH and his reaction was "It's so small" LOL

I look forward to reading your impressions of the refurbishments and seeing some photos of the ship.

Caffeine free Diet Coke, although I no longer drink it, will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first of those chemical laden pseudo-sodas about which my Doctor advised me that I'd be better off drinking alcohol-

Hmm...I wonder if I could use that as an excuse :p

You will not starve. LOL

This I am quite certain of! Food was one of the many things we enjoyed about our first Oceania cruise.

We had the wonderful Miso Glazed Sea Bass while on the Regatta last month. So delicious! It was at the Asian buffet as well as on the MDR menu one night.

 

 

We are also looking forward to photos of the redo and our second O cruise; but we will be on the Nautica.

You give me hope MVPinBoynton :) I'll make sure to not miss the Asian buffet, if/when there is one on our cruise.

I remember them having Coke, Diet Coke (or Coke Light), Sprite, club soda and tonic.

If you choose a concierge level cabin on the Marina (or Riviera), the concierge room will have a mini cooler fridge stocked with all different kinds too.

Thanks! I'm sure the MDR food will be great. I will still miss my the miso glazed sea bass.