Vineyard View

PaulMCO - we just completed the last itinerary that you posted on SB. It was our first SB experience. We were genuinely sold on the total product. The dress code for the MDR has recently changed to allow ‘dressy jeans’. I think the problem in that falls unto the interpretation. We dined most nights in the MDR, and enjoyed TK 2x. The one formal night, the majority of men wore jackets. Not many ties. But there were those who did not. On most nights, a large percentage of people dressed similar to what we found on multiple Viking cruises where they call it country club casual. Collared shirts - many long and some short sleeve. Few jackets. The piece that had me shake my head were the small percentage that decided to wear jeans that were a far cry from “dressy” along with a shirt matching that category. So in conclusion, we decided that we quite honestly enjoy stepping it up a bit when we go out to a nice dinner at home, we enjoy doing the same on our cruises, and we will continue to do both. We loved the smaller unique ports, ship, luxury of the cabins, and wonderful crew. We found value in cost per day over Viking, because we do not use Viking included excursions, and Viking has become very expensive.

This is all really helpful further information to have. Thank you. I really do appreciate your expertise

Yes, that is correct. Or if you have another one already booked.

We are not experienced with Oceania Cruises but seriously looking at a couple itineraries. We have sailed Viking several times. One of the things that we do not like about Viking are the ‘included’ excursions in the pricing. Add to that, their included excursions are either bus rides or walking tours. We do not enjoy ship excursions. They are the same with every cruise line. They are the same tour guides for the most part. Case in point, we just sailed Seabourn and booked two excursions to use OBC. It was a lesson in that no matter whom you sail, if you do not care for ship excursions, you will not care for them on any line. They were not the highlight of our trip, that is certain. We also did not enjoy the included wine with Viking and always upgraded our package, but at least it was at a reasonable cost. In reading through this thread, I do see Oceania changing their model to look more like Viking, and the per day cost of sailing Viking has ramped up to the point that we can sail on Seabourn for a similar price as Viking, or slightly less on Oceania per the current Oceania options. I think that the idea to allow one to choose their excursions to apply your credit to is a step up from Viking…..but only if that holds value to you. Which for us, it does not. So I guess we need to make a decision on the itineraries we are looking at fairly quickly but I appreciate all the input and expertise on this thread, and others, regarding Oceania.

We have sailed Viking several times. We very much enjoyed the experience, the ship design, and the crew. We started looking elsewhere because their Mediterranean itineraries are the basically the same they have been for many years and we cannot find one the provides us with more than one or two new places to visit. I do not like their full payment in advance requirement. Usually 12-18 months unless you have another cruise booked with them, and then you can ask for 6 months. They have a loyal following as do most lines. We just sailed Seabourn for the first time and really enjoyed our journey with them. We are looking at an itinerary with Seabourn or Oceania next year. We have yet to sail Oceania. would we sail Viking again, yes if the right itinerary and if we decide to pay a premium price 12-18 months in advance.

We have actually sailed in a Neptune on the old HAL Ryndam. We loved the experience. We’ve sailed in PV several times on Viking (not as large but lovely), and just completed a wonderful cruise on Seabourn which was top end at all levels. That bottle was actually a sparkling wine, PLO Clement. I just looked it up. I can get it for anywhere from $5.99- $14.97. A Prosecco could be a step up, but I still feel that finding this in a Neptune Suite is quite disappointing- - and yes, I would expect to pay for VC. That said, I agree that having this kind of space is a luxury and it is a great way to travel, which is why I looked at the possibility I just wasn’t sure how the layout of a wrap around would look like. Thank you for your input and thoughts. I sincerely appreciate it.

I remember that now about the R ships being from Renaissance. I couldn’t pull that from my brain! Thanks much!

Thank you Nancy. I don’t mind walking at all. I need all I can get on vacations! Ha! I appreciate this further clarification. Makes sense.

Thank you. When I looked last night I found something that seemed to say otherwise, but it makes sense given their history as are Azamara. I appreciate the clarification. It must have said Marina was the oldest of the large ships.

Thank you all for your feedback. We are traveling from north of SFO so a long ways to go for 10 day cruise, that is really only 8 full days on the ship. We often stay over on one end, but for us that’s just not quite enough ship time with the travel involved. I just found this itinerary last night, even though I have looked previously several times. I think I will discuss with our TA on Monday. I know that Marina is the oldest ship Oceania has, but I do not know when she was last in dry dock. I will research that a bit. My biggest hesitation is the size. If one of the smaller ships were offering an itinerary we were interested in, I would book a suite as the size of the rooms on those ships appears to be quite small. I have been following the board for some time. I realize changes are coming that are only speculation at this point, but I do hope that excursions included are not a reason to increase the fare. That was one part of the Viking cruises we have done that we did not participate in, whether we paid for it in the bundle or not. We also alway had to upgrade the drink package because included wine was not what we enjoy. So the choices of Oceania are actually a bonus in my opinion. Of course if they want to wrap all that into similar pricing not a big deal, but we all know that likely won’t happen.

If you have the house select drink package included in your itinerary, can you upgrade to the prestige package for the additional $20/day? There is an interesting itinerary on Marina next year. Initially i was looking at the Vista itineraries but they seem to mostly be in 10 day increments in the Mediterranean. That length is too short, and B2B is too long for pet sitters. We have never sailed Oceania and wondering how Marina is doing, and if you were sailing for the first time on Oceania of you would recommend? The smaller ships are not sailing the itineraries we are looking for at time of year we have next year. We do like smaller ships so hesitant on the 1200+. Thank you

Thank you. They do not completely look the same. The side balcony has no furniture on the Westerdam and it shows a tub/shower plus a small separate shower. Whereas the Zuiderdam shows loungers on the narrow side balcony and I am seeing only a tub/shower combo. The rest appears to be the same. So both of these reply’s are very helpful. Thank you

I just looked at a utube video from 2022 of this cabin. There was a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. She pulled it out. Never heard of it so googled it. Retail $15. Hmmmm, in a Neptune suite. That surprised me. Thanks for the tip on looking at this specific suite. The balcony was interesting but it answered my questions. Thanks again.

Thank you. That might be nice to have. Not sure if balcony would be larger and more useful Midship than L shape, but surely a good view from this one. I will Google it because it would be nice to see the cabin layout on this. BTW - - we loved our time in Aotearoa a number of years ago on a land trip. We hope to visit again someday.

We have not sailed on HAL for a good while since the smaller ships were sold. We are looking at possibilities to return to the Mediterranean next year and there is an itinerary on Oosterdam that is similar to another cruise that we have booked with a different, smaller ship. We sailed in a Neptune before and thoroughly enjoyed that experience. We have not sailed in a HAL signature suite. There are two Neptune cabins available aft. Both positioned the same with one deck difference. 7151 Is one of them. I cannot tell from the schematic if this location is a true aft balcony or a side balcony. I also am not sure what is located next to it with the empty space having a circle in it. If anyone could describe what this location is like I would appreciate it. There are also mid ship available, but an aft view is something we have not experienced if that is what this suite holds. Thank you

You are welcome! They are a very good publication imho.

I just booked insurance through insuremytrip.com again. Had a dialogue with a very knowledgeable agent via iChat. Screen shot all. There are a few companies who do not allow you to book deposit only, so important to ask. There are a few companies who allow you to insure for less than total trip cost if you choose without penalty - some people are in favor of this. The total cost of the policy is locked in if you book deposit only - Just type in what that total amount will be and you will know. I booked with an insurance company we have used previously. I read the entire contract to make sure. I booked with deposit only cash outlay, and have Pre-Existing medical. I will add to it when we put more money on our trip or make final payment. If we change our itinerary for some reason prior to sailing and penalties, I can transfer the policy as long as travel is within 730 days from when I booked it.

We just sailed Seabourn and added them to our go-to cruise lines. I wish Oceania offered 14 day in stead of almost exclusively 10 day segments. B2B is too long for dog sitters.

Thank you DTtravelers! I had not thought to do that. I appreciate this as well.

Thank you. That answers my question. I do not understand why it’s not on Seabourn’s website. I appreciate you finding that for me. Ashod is not on our bucket list so that is not an option. That area is a big focus for Seabourn next Spring. Up until June there is not much offered that does not include there or the Canary Islands early Spring in the Mediterranean. We are trying to find a plan B to the 14 day we booked while just on board. Further perusal of that one has me second guessing it, as we just now sailed that same area. 14-17 days, even though maybe a B2B is our sweet spot. 10 is too short, 20 too long for dog sitters.

Maybe take a look. They are inclusive of various amenities- all offer drinks )some just beer/wine with meals. Seabourn all day including alcohol, some offer excursions (although most of the included ones are pretty basic), some include daily room steward charges, etc. once we switched years back from main stream, we never looked back. You have to factor in all the daily expenses you expect on the lines you are considering, then compare the daily expenses included in these lines, and often time there is no big difference. If you have a good TA they can offer you incentive on these lines - as well as those you are currently looking at. Just some thoughts

If you are willing to pay for Retreat or Yacht club, have you looked at Azamara, Oceania, Viking, Seabourn? Much smaller ships, very good food and different itineraries than the the larger ships sometimes. Just a thought

I am trying to track the itinerary of Sojourn leading up to 6/5 next year Malta and French Riviera. When I drill down to May only for Sojourn nothing populates on the website. I must be doing something incorrect. Is anyone able to see the itinerary leading up to this one? Thank you

Afar Magazine yesterday had an article outlining strikes in multiple countries planned for this summer including Italy, LHR, Germany and possibly France. If you change your flight be sure to check that you aren’t trading problems. The actual dates were listed for LHR and Italy, but I do not have that available to post. ‘In addition to airport strikes, the article also discussed ‘all public transportation’ strikes occurring - I am not certain if they are scheduled on the same dates. We were in Venice 3 weeks ago and there was a 24 hr transportation strike.

That is pretty much what happens with cruises. There is no one itinerary that is perfect. The only real solution is multiple trips. We’ve taken a number of Mediterranean trips, land and sea, and we still have more boxes to check. If you have scoured all the cruise lines, and these are the same ones you keep coming back to, the really helpful feedback you have received is a great tool for you to use in making your decision. Maybe look also at 2025 itineraries and see if there is another one you could target for the following year to complete your initial list. I say ‘initial’ because once you get a taste of these countries, your list will likely keep expanding! And do take extra time if you can in Tuscany. It’s stamp to memory. Also, realize that the port for Rome is 70 miles from the city so be sure to secure transportation.