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Which ship or itinerary for newbies?


muggo11
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We are Platinum on Carnival, now Elite on Princess. We have enjoyed MSC and trying Cunard for first time next Feb and exploring world cruise options for 2021. So Oceania is in the consideration set for WC but we want to do a test sail. Pricey for us but seems like a good value given all the included options.

I am looking at 2020 itineraries. Papeete to SF (where we live) on Regatta looks intriguing. What other 2-week itineraries or ships are winners?

And would you book direct with Oceania or are better deals to be had with a travel agent?

 

 

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If you are interested in the World Cruise (or segments thereof) you should book a cruise on Insignia, Regatta or Nautica as they are the same ship as the one that will do the world cruise (Insignia).

Otherwise Marina and Riviera are a little newer, larger and have more specialty restaurants (4 vs 2).

Itinerary is your choice.

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Our first cruise was on the Riviera and we were simply wowed with the B1 balcony cabin! Previously, we had sailed with HAL, Princess and Celebrity. What wowed us the most about the Riviera was the GREAT food as well as a variety of things to do on sea days from lectures and free art classes to playing putt-putt golf, croquet, tennis and ping pong. Also, since there are very few children, if any, the entertainment is more in tune IMO with folks between 50-70.

 

As far as booking the cruise, we use an Oceania PCC to get the cabin we want and our questions answered. Then we transfer our booking to our TA within 30 days to reap any additional benefits our TA offers which is usually free gratuities and some refundable OBC. But as you probably know, those benefits can vary widely depending on which TA you use.

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We are Platinum on Carnival, now Elite on Princess. We have enjoyed MSC and trying Cunard for first time next Feb and exploring world cruise options for 2021. So Oceania is in the consideration set for WC but we want to do a test sail. Pricey for us but seems like a good value given all the included options.

I am looking at 2020 itineraries. Papeete to SF (where we live) on Regatta looks intriguing. What other 2-week itineraries or ships are winners?

And would you book direct with Oceania or are better deals to be had with a travel agent?

My friend and I are both Platinum on Princess (almost Elite), but were curious about Oceania. We really liked the all-Cuba itinerary on Insignia and were considering the 2019 world cruise...also on Insignia. We took the Cuba cruise in Dec, 2017 and really enjoyed the ship. We were in a B1 veranda, but the bathroom (esp the shower) was way too small for us to enjoy for a world cruise. We had already booked the world cruise, so were glad we "test drove" the Insignia. We were able to switch our cabin to a PH suite on the world cruise. Very glad we took that first cruise on Insignia.

 

As far as choosing a cruiseline for a world cruise, we did lots of research on about 10 lines. They varied greatly in price and included amenities. As you would expect, the cheaper the cruise fare, the fewer amenities that were included and the more sea days as compared to port days. We decided which amenities we needed/wanted, then compared. Oceania came out ahead....it is "nearly" all-inclusive. We actually didn't want a totally all-inclusive because we don't drink alcohol and felt the extra cost would be a waste of our money. I suggest you go over to the World Cruise board and check out the threads....lots of info about many cruiselines.

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We are Platinum on Carnival, now Elite on Princess. We have enjoyed MSC and trying Cunard for first time next Feb and exploring world cruise options for 2021. So Oceania is in the consideration set for WC but we want to do a test sail. Pricey for us but seems like a good value given all the included options.

I am looking at 2020 itineraries. Papeete to SF (where we live) on Regatta looks intriguing. What other 2-week itineraries or ships are winners?

And would you book direct with Oceania or are better deals to be had with a travel agent?

635976028551082256-image1.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=crop

I want to reiterate that if you're test driving Oceania for the World Cruise, then you'll want to stick with a voyage on one of their for smaller ships, i.e. Insignia, Nautica, Regatta and Sirena, which are collectively known as the "R" Ships.

REG200414.jpg

That Regatta Voyage in April of '20 would be perfect, because you will get a taste of what it is like to be on the smaller ship without a different port every day to distract you.

In addition you will get a chance to build camaraderie with your fellow passengers during the long sail back to San Franciso which is one of the best elements of the World Voyage. Enjoy! :D

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635976028551082256-image1.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=crop

 

I want to reiterate that if you're test driving Oceania for the World Cruise, then you'll want to stick with a voyage on one of their for smaller ships, i.e. Insignia, Nautica, Regatta and Sirena, which are collectively known as the "R" Ships.

 

REG200414.jpg

 

That Regatta Voyage in April of '20 would be perfect, because you will get a taste of what it is like to be on the smaller ship without a different port every day to distract you.

 

In addition you will get a chance to build camaraderie with your fellow passengers during the long sail back to San Franciso which is one of the best elements of the World Voyage. Enjoy! :D

 

 

 

Thanks. That is exactly the cruise we are considering. New itinerary for us, good price and easy since we are in the Bay Area.

And, yes, I am on the WC thread on CC with others exploring 2021 WC. Now my only question is timing as this 2020 cruise will be well into the booking window for the 2021 WC.

 

 

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The most foolish thing you can possibly do is to book with the cruise line direct.

 

Thats throwing a lot of money away.

Many agents, top producers for O will give you 8-10% discounts or rebates off the fare plus many other goodies too. The cruise line will not nor will they match price. For a huge ticket purchase like a world Cruise your talking many thousands of dollars !!!

Go agent shopping tell prospective agents what you expect not what they will offer. Go with the ones ( and there are many) which work for you, give you a substantial discount and or rebate and other extras. If you present agent balks, tell him to pack sand... He is working for himself, not you !

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Having watched how quickly WC fills up, I would suggest you make your reservation right away (big deposit) ,and then wait to confirm after your "trial" cruise

 

+1 the WC is typically fully Deposited after the first few days as there are only 349 cabins total.

INS200108I.jpg

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the WC is typically fully Deposited after the first few days as there are only 349 cabins total.

That's what happened to us in 2017....we told our travel agent to book the cruise on the first day it opened (3/1/17). We got our desired cabin and put down the deposit. Within a few days it was sold out. A few cabins opened up along the way, but not many. Now that we're at final payment, a few more are opening. But a poster who has just returned from the Insignia said that they have about 300 people booked for the entire RTW cruise, which they said is more than usual.

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Thanks. That is exactly the cruise we are considering. New itinerary for us, good price and easy since we are in the Bay Area.

 

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All that is true except there is nothing easy about flying to Papeete :)

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we are trying out Oceania on the Marina in November--to compare it to Viking Ocean. We too are elite on Princess but thought we would try a little smaller. We loved Viking Ocean--especially no casino, no art shows, great entertainment, good to very good food, included shore excursion at every port. You may want to try it out too.

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All that is true except there is nothing easy about flying to Papeete :)

 

Fly to Honolulu the week before your cruise, hang out there for a while if you want and then catch Hawaiian's weekly non-stop to Papeete (flies every Saturday). Rest and recreate in Papeete on Sunday and Monday and catch the ship completely rested on Tuesday.

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Will they do that for people who only want to take a cruise once every few years and who don't have friends who cruise (read: no one to recommend the agent to)?

 

Well yes they will... mine will and when I came to him I had 0 history with him. The point is that when your laying out 5 figures for a trip, its like buying a house or car.. 99.9% dont pay full price.. they negotiate

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Look, the agent makes the same commission on a 1st time cruiser as a 25th time cruiser. Its all money to him. Why would they not? Bad business not to.

 

Would not a savy agent want to cement a relation with a new client for the future.

Mind you I would not hold this rule for cruises on the bottom of the mass market ships and lines ( carnival, MSC, Rccl, princess) However, , case in point a world cruise is going to run around 50K+ An agent booking a client who can write a 50K check is one you want to retain...!

 

On the otherhand some agents are going to go for the short term and make as much as they can off an unsuspecting client. W/.C. Fields put it " never give a sucker an even break"

If you dont demand things you wont get squat.

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Did Papeete to LAX nearly the same itinerary on Sirena last June. Liked it so much also doing Papeete-SF 4/20/20. You'll love it.

 

The best route, Having done this 4-5 times is fly to Tahiti first PPT-LAX The flight can be set up to arrive 3 hours prior to the cruise,

The return trip PPT to LAX leaves at midnight, with only Air France offering a morning 0800 am departure to lax

I would avoid a cruise ending in SFO... lots of problems and go for a LAX ending..

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Fly to Honolulu the week before your cruise, hang out there for a while if you want and then catch Hawaiian's weekly non-stop to Papeete (flies every Saturday). Rest and recreate in Papeete on Sunday and Monday and catch the ship completely rested on Tuesday.

 

The Hawaiian flight is all coach, well their first class is what many call economy plus. Having lived in Hawaii I would not not put a dog on Hawaiian. SouthWest will begin serving Hawaii next year, inter island by years end.

 

When I lived in Hawaii O, knowing HI rep, routed me HNL-LAX-PPT for a reason. Its a far better choice to go LAX to PPT. OR.... you can sail LAX to PPT, stop at all the Hawaiian islands not just Honolulu ( LA with pineapples) but see Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Hawaii !!! and then sail down to Tahiti !!!

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Have sailed four cruises that debarked in SF and all went perfectly well. Have done similar with LA and no problems. Makes quite a splash at cruise's end to sail under the Golden Gate bridge. Have also done several Tahiti cruises- doing a 17 day Windstar in November. And they were all fabulous. Muggo, you are going to love this.

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The Hawaiian flight is all coach, well their first class is what many call economy plus. Having lived in Hawaii I would not not put a dog on Hawaiian. SouthWest will begin serving Hawaii next year, inter island by years end.

 

When I lived in Hawaii O, knowing HI rep, routed me HNL-LAX-PPT for a reason. Its a far better choice to go LAX to PPT. OR.... you can sail LAX to PPT, stop at all the Hawaiian islands not just Honolulu ( LA with pineapples) but see Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Hawaii !!! and then sail down to Tahiti !!!

 

In all of our travels to and from the mainland to Hawaii and beyond, we can't say we like any airline better than another, but Hawaiian works on a HNL-PPT run. Six hours and you are there - period. Go as you did from the Big Island to HNL to LAX to PPT and it is fourteen to fifteen hours of flying alone - not to mention time wasted laying over between flights.

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In all of our travels to and from the mainland to Hawaii and beyond, we can't say we like any airline better than another, but Hawaiian works on a HNL-PPT run. Six hours and you are there - period. Go as you did from the Big Island to HNL to LAX to PPT and it is fourteen to fifteen hours of flying alone - not to mention time wasted laying over between flights.

 

Well itis 4.75 hours SFO Or LAX to HNL and then 6 to PPT 10.75 hours plus ground expense hotels, cabs, meals

LAX to PPT is around 7,5-8 hours Did it once in winter at 6.9 hours. In over 3 million flying miles, LOT, UAL, LUF,AA, TWA, PA, SW, BA, AF, My Hawaiian experiences inter island and mainland to Hawaii were the worst, Terrible service, cramped seating Rip off rates. They are a Hawaiian monopoly and operate accordingly , ( I found the hard way. I booked the HNL-PPT flight and had to change... they charged me 50% of the ticket price !) BUT...if you love it go for it....not me. You pay your money and take your chances.

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