Boarding / Embarkation Lunch / Cabin Availability

[Hawaiidan]

I don't favor "equity in boarding". Priority boarding is part of the system of perks ... pay more - get more.

 

 

 

If that's the case then me in an inside cabin for 45 days costing more than a Suite for 14, should have priority over them, using that logic . Correct?

And a person who has taken 10 cruises and spent $200,000 with the company should then reasonably get priority of a guy in the owners suite on his first cruise?

It works both ways... hence take it off the table and treat everyone, out side their cabin, as co-equals because there are too many ways to view the same situation.

[Travelcat2]

If that's the case then me in an inside cabin for 45 days costing more than a Suite for 14, should have priority over them, using that logic . Correct?

And a person who has taken 10 cruises and spent $200,000 with the company should then reasonably get priority of a guy in the owners suite on his first cruise?

It works both ways... hence take it off the table and treat everyone, out side their cabin, as co-equals because there are too many ways to view the same situation.

 

Could not agree more!

[qldtraveller]

In general, are cabins available at boarding, or is the embarkation lunch the place to go before cabins become available?

 

Hi

Just to let you know we have done many cruises with Oceania and are based in Australia

 

Boarding process is pretty standard and times for checkin & boarding are identified in your cruise tickets

 

Then photos are taken for security reasons, passports taken and then room card key provided

 

Always told to go to terrace and take hand luggage with you(we tend to have minimal due to weight restrictions on planes from OZ) and enjoy lunch.

As we are normally on deck 7 of "R" class ships we are then notified our cabins are ready(some 90 minutes after first boarding) and normally luggage is o/s cabin doors when we get there.

 

This process has operated even on Marina when we took it

 

It provides Oceania as with any large passenger embarkation the ability to allow people onto vessel in a steady stream and does not overcrowd terrace restaurant or poolside.

 

Patience is a virtue in these circumstances.

 

Also we even had an instance we arrived at the port at 2:00am in the morning after flight delays and we were checked in, security cleared and bags at our cabin door w/I 20 minutes on stepping aboard.

 

The system works as far as we are concerned.

 

It also is better than RSSC(we have sailed with them also) as everyone could board at the same time and the restaurant was so crowded. Love RSSC but boarding leaves a little to be desired.

 

However they are all a dream compared to Princess and those big boats boarding.

 

The Oceania disembarkation process is a little bit of free for all depending on the port. NYC is the pits. Dubai is quick and easy as is Civitecchia, Dover, Hong Kong. Even Valparasio is fairly efficient. Singapore is a bit messy if more than one(1) vessel and everyone is disembarking

 

Tried to be objective and indicate how we see the process for the 6 Oceania cruises we have done. It works and it is smooth.

 

Just remember if you arrive an airport early for your flight you have to sit and wait. The same applies to cruises except a lot of cruise terminals are not as people friendly(shops, coffee etc. not available).

 

Anyway hope that helps

[edgee]

If that's the case then me in an inside cabin for 45 days costing more than a Suite for 14, should have priority over them, using that logic . Correct?

And a person who has taken 10 cruises and spent $200,000 with the company should then reasonably get priority of a guy in the owners suite on his first cruise?

It works both ways... hence take it off the table and treat everyone, out side their cabin, as co-equals because there are too many ways to view the same situation.

 

Disagree strongly. By your rationale, a person with more cruises should get a better selection of stateroom food service options or better toiletries or whatever. Doesn't make sense. A customer who has taken ten cruises has other benefits (Oceania Club)compared to the Owners' Suite guy on a first cruise, but boarding by category is a perfectly appropriate addition to value for the additional fare paid for Concierge class and above. Also, it helps insure a smooth, less crowded boarding process.

[Hawaiidan]

Disagree strongly. By your rationale, a person with more cruises should get a better selection of stateroom food service options or better toiletries or whatever. Doesn't make sense. A customer who has taken ten cruises has other benefits (Oceania Club)compared to the Owners' Suite guy on a first cruise, but boarding by category is a perfectly appropriate addition to value for the additional fare paid for Concierge class and above. Also, it helps insure a smooth, less crowded boarding process.

 

A primary reason why I believe the way I do is that as a Regent passenger for years, there was no priority boarding and as I said outside the cabin there was no favor/treatment etc.

Since Regent ships are very close in size to Oceana I felt it a good fit and everything went smooth on and off, port or tender.

I would like to avoid the" what cabin are you in" one-up man ship I have seen on lesser lines as I feel that, or hope that, Oceana passengers are a different sort.

Too,I recall incidents , one comes to mind, of a father flashing a big wad of cash and waving his tickets as he pushed his way to the front of the line extoling to his children...."see this is what money can do".

 

I however, don't think you are of that behavior...

[Travelcat2]

Disagree strongly. By your rationale, a person with more cruises should get a better selection of stateroom food service options or better toiletries or whatever. Doesn't make sense. A customer who has taken ten cruises has other benefits (Oceania Club)compared to the Owners' Suite guy on a first cruise, but boarding by category is a perfectly appropriate addition to value for the additional fare paid for Concierge class and above. Also, it helps insure a smooth, less crowded boarding process.

 

I didn't take Hawaiidan's post that way at all. It sounded like he was using your rationale and taking it a bit further.

 

When you book an Owners' Suite, you automatically have additional benefits (much larger suite, a butler, bottles of alcohol in your suite, priority dining reservations, etc.) Does anyone really need to flaunt their status in front of other passengers? Are they attempting to prove how "important" they are or how much money they have? As said previously, this is how some passengers on "lesser" cruise lines think. And, since we typically sail on cruise lines where passengers are satisfied with the benefits they receive from booking an upper level suite and are the same as everyone else when they leave the suite, I will politely back out of this conversation.

[hypercafe]

In this world there are people who enjoy flaunting the fact that they can go to a lounge you can not or board the ship before you or get eggs from room service and you can not or go to the spa terrace. Oceania has used this to their benefit to sell the same room for lots more money. I look at it like this, I enjoy the same ship, eat the same food in the same rest.,get the same service and leave the ship with a fat wallet, they have a really nice Oceania tote bag. You pay your money and take your choice. I wonder what people would choose if it were put as you can board at 1or pay 200$ more and board at 12?

[edgee]

A primary reason why I believe the way I do is that as a Regent passenger for years, there was no priority boarding and as I said outside the cabin there was no favor/treatment etc.

Since Regent ships are very close in size to Oceana I felt it a good fit and everything went smooth on and off, port or tender.

I would like to avoid the" what cabin are you in" one-up man ship I have seen on lesser lines as I feel that, or hope that, Oceana passengers are a different sort.

Too,I recall incidents , one comes to mind, of a father flashing a big wad of cash and waving his tickets as he pushed his way to the front of the line extoling to his children...."see this is what money can do".

 

I however, don't think you are of that behavior...

 

Thanks for your respectful response. I think I will change my "strongly disagree" comment to "somewhat disagree." I do have to tell you that your comment about being a frequent inside cabin cruiser with many cruises on Oceania brought a smile to my face this afternoon. I am currently on Riviera and I thought of your point when Rosanna discussed future cruise benefits during her Oceania Club lecture and mentioned that there are no future cruise on board booking benefits for inside cabins due to their popularity. Also, as a Concierge cabin passenger, I received access to my cabin at exactly 1:30 p.m. on embarkation day. I did feel somewhat badly for the other passengers as I saw them sitting next to their luggage in the Terrace Restaurant for much of the afternoon until their cabins were made available finally at 3 p.m.

[Hawaiidan]

I feel some what amused when I read that ," once you have tried a Balcony or a suite you can never go back" and file it along side with the we can only stay at Four Seasons" hotels.

Ok, that's great. However I have stayed in all sorts of cabins, mostly on Regent from Penthouse on down.

Both my wife and I came to agree that for the most part we did not see the value to us in those types of cabins to us.

Gee, we like to board late, skip the welcome aboard lunch, like to go out for breakfast or other meals, are happy to carry our own bags and make our own reservations.

What we save in real money allows us to travel way more than to have a better address. In many cases we book insides because we find them more comfortable and restful and in truth a cabin as only a place to stow your gear, take a shower and sleep... a place to go from not go too.

With me having been in the navy and having owned a cruising sail boat, I find them luxurious. I mean you could want more but we don't need more.

[cpinstein]

Mura, when you boarded in Barcelona early, what cabin category were you in?

[Mura]

Well, ahem, we were up there ... in an Oceania Suite. I figured I wanted to be in one at least once to see what it's like.

 

We are in a Vista for the upcoming May 2014 NYC-Dover cruise, but the next cruise we've booked is also on Marina, April 2015, Lima to NYC. And for there we'll be back to our normal PH.

 

If we'd been in a PH on the Rio cruise I'm sure we would have had to wait somewhat.

 

Mura

[Silver Sweethearts]

I wonder what people would choose if it were put as you can board at 1 or pay 200$ more and board at 12?

 

You should ask Silversea, as they tried that idea for a while.

[YoHoHo]

I wonder what people would choose if it were put as you can board at 1or pay 200$ more and board at 12?

I recall reading on some other board a STFF (start the fun first) or such. Pay a fee and jump queue for many lines. As per a comment it costs the line virtually nothing but generates extra revenue. Just costs their fellow pax their valuable vacation time standing in a (secret) 2nd class line. If too many pax start buying the perq so the "me first" line becomes too long simply raise the price to thin out the herd, err line - a bean counters dream. A nightmare to those with long term thinking.

Edited February 17, 2014 by YoHoHo

[CTLeeA]

Could not agree more!

 

Nor can I. We're taking our first O cruise in 8 weeks. We selected O because of the ports and the smaller size. We're not really interested in being impressed by those who board first, or brag about their cabin size.

[LHT28]

Nor can I. We're taking our first O cruise in 8 weeks. We selected O because of the ports and the smaller size. We're not really interested in being impressed by those who board first, or brag about their cabin size.

We have not met many people onboard that brag about their cabin size...only here on the forums they seem to do that ;)

 

There are always a few people in life that are pretentious, once you know who they are they are easily avoided

 

enjoy your cruise

 

Lyn

[Travelcat2]

We have not met many people onboard that brag about their cabin size...only here on the forums they seem to do that ;)

 

There are always a few people in life that are pretentious, once you know who they are they are easily avoided

 

enjoy your cruise

 

Lyn

 

Just wanted to say that Cruise Critic is, IMO, the correct place to discuss cabin size since we are answering questions from posters that are looking at inside staterooms, staterooms with and without balconies, penthouse suites, etc. Onboard, it is not necessary to brag about cabin size as it is obvious in many ways.

[ronrick1943]

You know it doesn't matter what cabin you have--I don't think people brag because they have a suite, they get it for the comfort level they want-and just because someone has a suite that does mean they are pretentious.

Rick

[LHT28]

You know it doesn't matter what cabin you have--I don't think people brag because they have a suite, they get it for the comfort level they want-and just because someone has a suite that does mean they are pretentious.

Rick

You are reading more into my post than you need to

I did not mention anything about people in suites ..but ....

 

We have met people that are pretentious ...later saw then going into a C cabin

it is how they are not their cabin cat ;)

 

No matter where you go in life there are people like that ;)

 

Lyn

Edited February 17, 2014 by LHT28

[Travelcat2]

You know it doesn't matter what cabin you have--I don't think people brag because they have a suite, they get it for the comfort level they want-and just because someone has a suite that does mean they are pretentious.

Rick

 

Agree completely. We book a suite on Oceania because we are used to Regent-size suites. Staterooms on Oceania are a bit small. When we are onboard, we would not think of mentioning what size suite we are in. I don't even like going into the Executive Lounge and do not board early (I do understand that large ships need to board at separate times but Oceania does not have a large ship). Someone earlier posted that they did not like the way Regent boards (first come first served) but we have no problem with it. Sometimes we have to wait -- usually not. If you board early (noon) on Regent, the buffet restaurant and pool deck restaurant are empty. Regent provides a night at a hotel for most guests and transportation to the ship. It is when the bus arrives that things get crowded (we take a taxi to the ship to avoid the bus:-)

Edited February 17, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Hawaiidan]

We have not met many people onboard that brag about their cabin size...only here on the forums they seem to do that ;)

 

There are always a few people in life that are pretentious, once you know who they are they are easily avoided

 

enjoy your cruise

 

Lyn

 

That is a primary reason I sail Regent and Oceana, the manners and decorum of its demographics.

My experiences with other" main stream" lines Holland and Celebrity being the worst in terms of look at me folks festooned with all manner of buttons and ribbons and titles...So eager to go to their big atta-boy lunch to be seen and recognized in front of the multitudes.... And boy are they demanding...do you know who I am sort... I am a 50 star member of the Captains secret society, or some such BS.

It is sad in a way to see people so needy that this form of adulation was the biggest thing in their lives.. Its a cruise, an ocean adventure seems to slip aside from some.

 

Made me laugh and we regular threw away all the faux invitations to join the game....quoting Groucho Marx," I would never be a member of any group that would have me as a member"

[ronrick1943]

LHT28.

Sorry I didn't mean that, I wasn't making a commit about your post-I was making a general statement on how I feel about cabins and people. I agree you don't need to be in a suite to be pretentious or rude---that's open to any cabin. But most of the people aren't that way---when we cruise were on vacation, we want a good time, some fun--and sometimes we just want to lay back and take it easy (meaning sometimes we don't even get off a some of the ports, made for a nice and easy day).

Rick

[pinotlover]

I think Gold Traveller accurately summed up the Boarding Process.

 

I will add that one other kink does sometime occur. I believe that O could handle it better, just not sure how.

 

That is the early bird arrivals. This is often the case in Europe, when people get off an early flight from Stateside and show up at the ship at 7:00 a.m. As I said in a different post, for reasons unknown, O often docks in Timbuktu far from town and any services. They're not set up to, and can't, take on new baggage in that they are dealing with all the baggage from departing guests. They don't typically provide transportation into town for these early arrivals.

 

I believe that first boarding is typically around 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. Perhaps facilitating all these early arrivals would only increase the number of them, but it seems to me that a lot of grumpy passenger are being created. On our last cruise we were going to a O post hotel with O transportation and disembarked at 9:30. There were at least 250 people standing around waiting to get on the ship, some already having been there for 2+ hours. I know their boarding documents didn't tell them to get there that early.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[CintiPam]

That is the early bird arrivals. This is often the case in Europe, when people get off an early flight from Stateside and show up at the ship at 7:00 a.m. As I said in a different post, for reasons unknown, O often docks in Timbuktu far from town and any services. They're not set up to, and can't, take on new baggage in that they are dealing with all the baggage from departing guests. They don't typically provide transportation into town for these early arrivals.

 

I believe that first boarding is typically around 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. Perhaps facilitating all these early arrivals would only increase the number of them, but it seems to me that a lot of grumpy passenger are being created. On our last cruise we were going to a O post hotel with O transportation and disembarked at 9:30. There were at least 250 people standing around waiting to get on the ship, some already having been there for 2+ hours. I know their boarding documents didn't tell them to get there that early.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

Either arrive at least one day early and explore the city near the port of embarkation or arrange for pick-up at the airport that morning by a local tour company which will provide a couple of hours tour of that city before taking you to the ship.

 

I never have taken the chance of arriving in Europe on the day of sailing, and also never bother arriving at the ship before mid-afternoon. We check out of our local hotel in the AM, have them store our bags, and can have some very nice local explorations/sightseeing before returning to the hotel, getting our bags and then taking a taxi to the ship. It would be an extremely rare place that would not offer at least a couple of interesting hours to spend, even after an overnight flight. The experts always say to acclimate yourself to the new time as quickly as you can, so this provides another opportunity to adjust to the new time.

 

BTW, by arriving never earlier than 2:45 PM, we never have had to wait more than five minutes to board on any of our Oceania or Azamara cruises. Because lunch is served at the Terrace Cafe until 4 PM, you also need not feel deprived of a meal!:)

Edited February 17, 2014 by CintiPam

[LHT28]

 

I believe that first boarding is typically around 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. Perhaps facilitating all these early arrivals would only increase the number of them, but it seems to me that a lot of grumpy passenger are being created. On our last cruise we were going to a O post hotel with O transportation and disembarked at 9:30. There were at least 250 people standing around waiting to get on the ship, some already having been there for 2+ hours. I know their boarding documents didn't tell them to get there that early.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

Do not show up before your boarding time in your documents

Easy Peasy ;)

[orchestrapal]

Do not show up before your boarding time in your documents

Easy Peasy ;)

 

+1

Those are the folks that then complain that they were not given priority when arriving early. The booklet from O will clearly say when boarding time is.