Trying something new .. but have a few questions

Hey all

We normally sail RCL , but we are going to be sailing on Oceania in October 2019 .. I know it's a long way out , but will be deciding one stateroom in the next few day , we are either booking a veranda or a concierge veranda .... my questions are as follows

1 is there alcohol in the mini bar and is it included

2 does the concierge lounge have cocktails and are they included

3 if the answer to #2 is yes ,are there limited hours for drinks

4 is the internet included with the concierge cabin

5 is the extra cost worth it ?

We will be sailing on the Marina

Any input would be appreciated

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1 no

2 no

4) if you take the O Life deal

5) depends on your wants & needs are

For us ...YES it is worth it

for you ?

What " olife"

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Sorry I have not looked at the new itineraries ...maybe they have discontinued the O Life deal

does your cruise not offer the Olife perks option?

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/olife-choice/

Actually the cruise is a chartered cruise for a company I deal with , just found out about the itinerary today , so I don't believe those perks would apply. So maybe the concierge option might not be worth the extra

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Which ship Funbobby68?

O-Life promotion may or may not be available (which would include Internet (amongst other things) so do check that out.

As for added value, recent threads here have been about some free laundry included at concierge level but I don't know if applies on your sailing so check that too

While there is no longer (pay for) liquor in the min-bar (thankfully) their carry-on policy is very liberal (run a search and you'll get lots of threads).

Actually the cruise is a chartered cruise for a company I deal with , just found out about the itinerary today , so I don't believe those perks would apply. So maybe the concierge option might not be worth the extra

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If it's a charter, woudn't that company that is the charter make give all perks or no perks?

Marina ship in October 2019 12 night Mediterranean.... are you saying maybe potential I could bring whiskey instead of wine

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For "free" liquor", you need to buy a package. The cheaper one currently is $40/day/pp but is only valid for drinks at meal times. The better one is $60 and includes liquor at any time. Don't quote me because we never take either one!

You will have free sodas and water in your minibar. Also free water when you leave the ship for a tour.

Is concierge worth it? There are lots of threads you can search that will give you many opinions. Many people seem to think that concierge is NOT worth it, because the benefits aren't that much. A hot breakfast in your room, but where do you put it?

We are usually in a suite but last summer we took a downsell to a B1 and didn't try to eat breakfast in the room, just because there wasn't room to put the food! In a PH or above, ordering a hot breakfast in is a nice perk. In an "A" category room you CAN order a hot breakfast, but as I said ... where to put it?

When we were in the B1 we had breakfast in the GDR on non-tour days (which is what we normally do anyway) OR went to Terrace on tour days.

You won't get more room in your cabin if you are concierge as opposed to the regular veranda, so that's something else to consider.

I just looked at the October 2019 itineraries and oLife still appears to be in play. I don't know if it has changed but currently you have an option of "free" ship's tours, internet or the liquor package. There is a surcharge for any of these, but so far it hasn't been excessive. You would have to decide which is more valuable to you. The liquor package given with oLife is the basic one; many people opt for that and then pay a surcharge of $20pp per day for the "anytime" package. It really depends on how much you think you will be drinking. People who take it say that it doesn't take much to get up to that amount per day given the regular per drink charge. Again, do a search. You will see many comments about this.

As a new passenger, I THINK the only way you could get free internet would be through oLife.

You have to do the calculations for yourself!

Worst case re internet: Pay $.99/minute (unless that has been changed) or buy a package, usually 200 minutes for whatever...

I'm sure others will chime in ...

full charters have different perks and rules

might even be more liberal than regular cruises

But with Oceania you can bring spirits for use in your cabin as well as wine

You would have to look at what the charter offers

we have done a charter cruise on HAL ..things were different than the regular cruises

you would need to find out what the company that chartered the ship is offering

We book concierge class because we want an aft room.

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The concierge room is the same dimensions as the verandah. If this is a charter, the charter company may have different benefits etc for each category of cabin. You can't assume that the current Oceania concierge pricing will include the same as amenities or protocols (i.e. allows you to bring spirits on board to drink in your cabin) as your charter. You really need to contact the company who is doing the charter.

Is this a full charter (1250 pax) or a group on the ship?

It makes a difference in the amenities you may get

We book concierge class because we want an aft room.

 

 

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Those are only available on the smaller "R" ships.

Is this a full charter (1250 pax) or a group on the ship?

It makes a difference in the amenities you may get

This is what I was thinking also. Big difference. If it's just a group on a regular cruise all the normal things come into play. If whole ship charter then the company that chartered it is calling the shots on many things.

We book concierge class because we want an aft room.

I thought the aft concierge cabins were only on the R class ships. O class don't have them back there.

To OP, rules for chartered cruises are completely different than a regular booking. On regular bookings, concierge R class cabins get double restaurant reservations. That doesn't happen on O class until you get to suites.

Is this a full charter (1250 pax) or a group on the ship?

It makes a difference in the amenities you may get

A charter is a full ship..otherwise they call it a group on board and a charters rules are what the chartering people want to make them..when you pay for a charter it is with or without amenities..that determines the price..

Jancruz1

A charter is a full ship..otherwise they call it a group on board and a charters rules are what the chartering people want to make them..when you pay for a charter it is with or without amenities..that determines the price..

Jancruz1

Yes

That is what I was trying to determine from the OP

Maybe when they find out what type of cruise they are on they will report back :halo:

Lyn

A charter is a full ship..otherwise they call it a group on board and a charters rules are what the chartering people want to make them..when you pay for a charter it is with or without amenities..that determines the price..

Jancruz1

Perhaps Oceania doesn't do this because its ships are relatively small, but partial charters of cruise ships are not unheard of . It's not the same as a group...normally a partial charter requires a much higher percentage of the ship being occupied by the chartering organization than a typical group booking. For example it might be 30, 40, 50 or 60% of the ship's being cabins held by the chartering organization with the remainder of the cabins being sold to the general public. There would be a (partial) charter contract signed by the chartering organization and the cruise line.

Perhaps Oceania doesn't do this because its ships are relatively small, but partial charters of cruise ships are not unheard of . It's not the same as a group...normally a partial charter requires a much higher percentage of the ship being occupied by the chartering organization than a typical group booking. For example it might be 30, 40, 50 or 60% of the ship's being cabins held by the chartering organization with the remainder of the cabins being sold to the general public. There would be a (partial) charter contract signed by the chartering organization and the cruise line.

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Perhaps Oceania doesn't do this because its ships are relatively small, but partial charters of cruise ships are not unheard of . It's not the same as a group...normally a partial charter requires a much higher percentage of the ship being occupied by the chartering organization than a typical group booking. For example it might be 30, 40, 50 or 60% of the ship's being cabins held by the chartering organization with the remainder of the cabins being sold to the general public. There would be a (partial) charter contract signed by the chartering organization and the cruise line.

I havent heard of a partial charter on Oceania..group taking over most of the ship yes

Jancruz1

If you look at the schedule (per Drib)-- there is gap in Marina Oct 25-Nov 4 2019 (Rome to Rome) which is the likely charter the OP is on.

If you look at the schedule (per Drib)-- there is gap in Marina Oct 25-Nov 4 2019 (Rome to Rome) which is the likely charter the OP is on.

Bingo

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To answer your question about bringing booze on board, my husband and I usually bring a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum onboard and place them in our larger suitcases surrounded in plastic bubble wrap and in between a bunch of clothes to cushion them. We usually pick up the bottles at the duty free, either at the airport or at the port, if available there. We have never had an issue with it.

To answer your question about bringing booze on board, my husband and I usually bring a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum onboard and place them in our larger suitcases surrounded in plastic bubble wrap and in between a bunch of clothes to cushion them. We usually pick up the bottles at the duty free, either at the airport or at the port, if available there. We have never had an issue with it.

But wannaberetired (and I do too:) we eventfully learned this is a (full) charter and so the official policy for bringing wine, and no liquor, might apply, ... or perhaps not. O might still look the other way but a charter could be managed differently such as considerations for revenue, responsible parties, etc. The OP should get definitive answers from whomever booked the charter for amenities, etc on their contract.