Vineyard View

Thank you for this info. Do you recall what the charge was to choose the seats, and were you able to do that via Flight ease?

Has anyone booked British Air BC recently? I am hearing from TA that there have been some issues this year - probably better to book directly with them on Flight ease vs code share AA? I was also told that BA is not letting seats be picked? Wish we could book direct, but to most places to Europe - out of SFO - that isn’t possible, so I am entering max 1 stop.

That is very sad. Unfortunately I have seen this behavior on multiple ships/lines. People can be so incredibly ignorant of others with their behavior. I’ve seen it on itineraries that have not changed one bit, so it’s a statement to ‘privileged’ people regardless of what sailing. So unacceptable. That said, Oceania did rescind offers and promises to passengers, so let’s not get that confused with the general statements on behaviors.

This. I totally agree. Smaller ships vs large. The service, food, cabins, treatment of customers in difficult situations, etc among the smaller ships/lines that have these up to 1200 pax ships are the comparisons for us. If the OP did not find the food and service on Oceania to be of higher consistency than a large ship, then that is a valid statement from their perspective. I would expect to experience better when I am paying the premium to sail on a smaller ship. It apparently was a miss for them. I also totally agree with those who avoid self serve buffets. They do not work for us on any size ship.

Not so sure it is impressive. I think the detail that is missing as to whether it is a great deal on such an empty ship…..the original booked category. For Instance if you were in an OV and received a $1,000 upgrade for PV that might be. If you were in a CV, not so much. I would hope that Oceania is stepping up and this analogy is Oceania actually doing the right thing.

If that is the case, it is a prudent decision. I believe that most cruise lines are readjusting itineraries from that part of the world, and are still in the planning stages. There are a lot of ships needing to be rerouted, without added ports to accommodate them. I can understand the disappointment, but if this is the fact, it’s a wise change.

While I respect and appreciate that you will take her to your suite if she is crying, your cabin neighbors, if they are enjoying some time in their suites, may not appreciate that. Walls on most any ship are not highly insulated from noise. Many 9 month old babies also wake during the night, which you would clearly attend to….but in turn, again, your cabin neighbors will likely also be woken. From your current status until then, predicting that is pretty impossible with respect to sleep patterns. The fact that you are asking and responding to these questions is a sign of very respectful and conscientious parents, so that is impressive. But the truth is that babies can be very fussy and noisy no matter how hard you try.

You all know Oceania better than me. I honestly don’t know what to expect other than what they published

I completely agree ORV! Three threads. One topic. Marina Refurbishment - threads #35 & #37 were the ones I was referring to. Who knows. There may be others!

The article posted on the other thread did specify cabins. Anything below PH will not have bathrooms touched, only fabric upgrades in the cabins. I realize I do not have vast Oceania experience, but both the article posted and the TA response posted on the other thread stated this, so maybe there is some truth in it? Idk. The article, published 11/21, was one day past penalty phase (under old booking rules) which started 11/20 for the first cruise on 5/18 post refurbishment. That could absolutely be purely coincidental and maybe there was an earlier announcement that was missed. I tend to agree with posts on the other thread that it’s all likely boiling down to decisions based on dollars. The lack of bathroom retrofit in the majority of cabins may not mean much to some, maybe even many people. However, some who booked based on the planned refurbishment same as Riviera, who are disappointed, I believe have a voice that has reason as well.

I received an email from SB today advertising Alaska cruises next year. It spoke to the use of kayaks and zodiacs on excursions. Based on that, if we were to book a SB trip next year in Alaska, we would expect to be able to utilize these. In 2024 we are sailing in a different part of the world, so it does not impact us next year, but another Alaska trip is on the radar in the future. Hopefully this is more clearly defined in the near future.

I will start by saying I am not an experienced O cruiser. I have followed these occurrences you reference for several months. I do not know when Oceania first made public this ‘revised’ dry dock that MarkWiltonM posted of the article outlining the changes. Vallesan then confirmed through their TA the accuracy of the revision so it seems reasonable to believe the article and the TA. Maybe that will change, as has been suggested The article posted was dated 11/21/23. The last date to cancel for the first post dry dock cruise of 5/18 was 11/19 with penalties starting on 11/20.

I agree with you m1k2s3. We feel the same. From a design standpoint, the bathrooms were our biggest concern. The date of this article is November 21st. I wonder when Oceania actually released this update publicly.

No flipping idea. Just mentioned what the article stated.

Good to know. We are about ready to book ours. We’ve only used a cruise line to book air once before as many air depart,ents do not have good reputations. Our TA also gave SB high scores on FlightEase

Unlike Riviera, from this article, it sounds like only the “upper suites” will receive refurbishment.

So…you four are all traveling again in 2025? I remember your comments on friends traveling together, and the back and forth we had with that. If the answer is yes, then that is outstanding. I really appreciated your review and riding along with you. Cheers to your great adventure!

I doubt those who had their FCC would be broken hearted. No disrespect meant, but you’ve spent a lot of time on this thread……and yet unfortunately there is truth in that, because clearly now, at the end of the day, regardless of how disgusting the act was by Oceania, they are still not doing right by those who had the promised FCC. That is quite eye opening.

Thank you. I sincerely appreciate your response Jancruz1. If Harry Sommer is the one who made the decision to rescind the offered FCC, then, IMO, he has questionable ethical standards. As CEO, displaying low ethics, is a sad statement. Maybe he too will be replaced one of these days.

I think my point was that if you were booked on this journey, that is now nine sea days in an area of concern, and you were offered a FCC that was rescinded, who do you recommend that they write to? How and who do you recommend?

Thank you! Great info to have.

What is your recommendation on what these travelers should do? Who do you recommend that they contact?

Do you remember the name of the private tour guide information, and the length of this? It sounds like a great option on our next visit to Kotor.

If you have not been, both Rhodes and Anatalya are great places to explore. We booked a full day tour or Rhodes with a private guide a number of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the island. It had quite a bit to offer. We also enjoyed DIY in Anatalya - in doing that we may have missed some things but we enjoy those days.

Agree. Will be interesting to see if that holds as they expand. Selfishly, I actually hope that it does not!