First time Oceania cruisers - any hints?

[eroller]

The only advice I would give is go with an open mind. Each person has a different point of view on the cruise, so it is best to go without preconceptions.:D

 

 

Absolutely and great advice. I've never had a bad cruise, just some better than others.

 

I think the only preconception I have is that the cuisine will be superb. This seems to be the #1 attribute of Oceania Cruises and what they focus on. I'm not too picky so even if it's just ok I'll be happy, but I'm hoping for much better!

[LHT28]

That is awesome! My agent is in Canada and I'm in South Florida, so hopefully that doesn't derail it.

Funny my TA is in the USA & I am in Canada my books seem to get here OK :D

[eroller]

Funny my TA is in the USA & I am in Canada my books seem to get here OK :D

 

 

Good to hear! Hopefully it works the other way around as well.

[LHT28]

Good to hear! Hopefully it works the other way around as well.

I hope so

I think the books are sent from Oceania but I would ask your TA to have it sent direct to you & not them them first

 

You may want to ask your TA about it as i said I got my booklet today & we sail April 2nd

Edited January 26, 2016 by LHT28

[eroller]

I hope so

I think the books are sent from Oceania but I would ask your TA to have it sent direct to you & not them them first

 

You may want to ask your TA about it as i said I got my booklet today & we sail April 2nd

 

 

Good advice. I just sent my agent an email. Hopefully they haven't already thrown it away.

[PSULion]

If you want to get into a speciality restaurant, hang out at the bar in the restaurant (assuming they have one). The matire'd (not sure how to spell that LOL) will see you are there and as soon something is available, you will likely get a table, even if you have to share.

 

John

[eroller]

If you want to get into a speciality restaurant, hang out at the bar in the restaurant (assuming they have one). The matire'd (not sure how to spell that LOL) will see you are there and as soon something is available, you will likely get a table, even if you have to share.

 

 

 

John

 

 

Thanks for that hint!

 

I did book a reservation at each one online. Do you know if it's ever possible to go twice during a cruise? Also would you say the quality is just as good in the main dining room or are the specialty restaurants a step up?

[LHT28]

Thanks for that hint!

 

I did book a reservation at each one online. Do you know if it's ever possible to go twice during a cruise? Also would you say the quality is just as good in the main dining room or are the specialty restaurants a step up?

 

The only one with a bar is Polo ..not sure that trick works without a reservation

 

If you want extra reservations you can ask your Butler to see if he can get them or go to the restaurant reservation desk on deck 5 & ask if they have any for that night

you may have to do this daily

If you have PH or above you can enjoy food from the the specialties in suite course by course served by your butler ...just ask

 

The specialty menus do not change the GDR does

[eroller]

If you have PH or above you can enjoy food from the the specialties in suite course by course served by your butler ...just ask

 

 

 

 

Generally speaking eating in my cabin is not really my thing, although I have to admit I did enjoy the experience on Silversea. Like Oceania they will serve dinner from the menu course by course. I'm in a PH1 on Oceania so I might just take advantage of it one night. It's great they allow you to order from the various specialty restaurant menus.

[Goldmann]

Riviera does not have separate bars in any of the specialty restaurants. Your butler may be able to obtain extra reservations but there is no guarantee. Alternatively there is a reservation desk on deck 5 where you may enquire. Some have reported success by visiting the specific dining venue and asking of the maitre d'. You will read on the various threads it's luck of the draw by cruise.

 

John

[LHT28]

Generally speaking eating in my cabin is not really my thing, although I have to admit I did enjoy the experience on Silversea. Like Oceania they will serve dinner from the menu course by course. I'm in a PH1 on Oceania so I might just take advantage of it one night. It's great they allow you to order from the various specialty restaurant menus.

I am not one to eat the cabin either I have only ordered room service twice in over a dozen or more cruises

Some people enjoy the in suite dining though ...just an option if you cannot secure extra reservations

[maggie.1008]

eroller, you have the same cruising history as me. We are trying the Rivera in March. Deck 11 PH. It will be my first time on O. Have been mainly doing X for the last 10 years. My main concern will be not to gain weight with all the great dining choices on board.

[eroller]

eroller, you have the same cruising history as me. We are trying the Rivera in March. Deck 11 PH. It will be my first time on O. Have been mainly doing X for the last 10 years. My main concern will be not to gain weight with all the great dining choices on board.

 

 

That is great and I hope we both really enjoy the new experience! I always love trying new cruise lines but it's getting more challenging as my cruise history piles up.

 

The Oceania cruise will actually be sort of a honeymoon for my partner and I. He knows nothing about it, just that we are going away for a week. We are getting married on the DISNEY DREAM next month, on our 20th anniversary. We both love Disney and ships so the perfect combination for us.

 

So two very different experiences to look forward to. One very special but also very busy with lots of friends and activities, and the other just the two of us, much more sedate and relaxing. I think both will be amazing.

[Mura]

I've already booked all the specialty restaurants along with a cooking class and shore excursion, so hopefully they will all be included.

 

The Oceania brochures are some of the most beautiful in the cruise industry, so if this booklet is anything like them what a nice treat!

 

 

Even if they are not included in your booklet, you will have letters in your cabin confirming all your appointments.

 

I don't see why you should be concerned that your living in the U.S. and your TA being Canadian could derail receipt of the booklet. But it's a good idea to keep an eye out for it in the mail because once or twice we've had to ask them to be sent again.

 

Have fun!

 

Mura

[LHT28]

The Oceania cruise will actually be sort of a honeymoon for my partner and I. He knows nothing about it, just that we are going away for a week. We are getting married on the DISNEY DREAM next month, on our 20th anniversary. We both love Disney and ships so the perfect combination for us.

 

Congratulation on your upcoming wedding & honeymoon

 

[eroller]

 

I don't see why you should be concerned that your living in the U.S. and your TA being Canadian could derail receipt of the booklet. But it's a good idea to keep an eye out for it in the mail because once or twice we've had to ask them to be sent again.

 

Have fun!

 

Mura

 

 

Well for a couple reasons actually. It has to be mailed I assume from Oceania's office here in South Florida to Western Canada then back to South Florida. My experience in the past has been that mail between the US and Canada is not exactly the pony express. Second my agency is a large volume agency. I'm guessing the booklet never sees my agent, and instead is processed by a separate mail room. Another reason it might get derailed. It's a shame really since I live only about 30 minutes from the NCL/Oceania/Regent head offices.

 

I know there is nothing in the booklet I truly need and I can get everything online, but it would make a nice keepsake and I save these things and have from cruises over the past 30 years. I still have ticket booklets from the 70's and love them! Also very few cruise lines actually mail tickets anymore, so it's sort of a novelty as well.

[eroller]

Congratulation on your upcoming wedding & honeymoon

 

 

 

Thank you! Can't wait for both!!

[LHT28]

Well for a couple reasons actually. It has to be mailed I assume from Oceania's office here in South Florida to Western Canada then back to South Florida. My experience in the past has been that mail between the US and Canada is not exactly the pony express. Second my agency is a large volume agency. I'm guessing the booklet never sees my agent, and instead is processed by a separate mail room. Another reason it might get derailed. It's a shame really since I live only about 30 minutes from the NCL/Oceania/Regent head offices.

 

Your TA can request the booklet be sent direct to your home address

it does not need to go to the agency

[eroller]

Your TA can request the booklet be sent direct to your home address

it does not need to go to the agency

 

 

I did send him an email and suggested that, but it might be too late. You mentioned you sail in April and have already received yours. I sail in March and have received nothing.

[StanandJim]

I did send him an email and suggested that, but it might be too late. You mentioned you sail in April and have already received yours. I sail in March and have received nothing.

 

The Brochures don't go out until eight weeks before sailing at the earliest, which, as far as I can figure would have meant that yours would have been set to go at the height of the Holiday Rush.

 

You are still well within the "normal" time-frame to receive it whether it went to the Agent or to you direct.

 

Believe me, these Brochures are not the kind of thing which ANY Agent tosses.

 

I'm a Cruise ephemera collector myself, and they are something special

You are going to be thrilled!

Edited January 27, 2016 by StanandJim

[eroller]

Believe me, these Brochures are not the kind of thing which ANY Agent tosses.

 

I'm a Cruise ephemera collector myself, and they are something special

You are going to be thrilled!

 

 

Wow now you have me even more excited to receive it! Thanks for the info. If my agent has discarded it I won't be happy. I believe they do a lot of business with Oceania so I'm sure they are used to getting them.

 

So far the most impressive document package I've received is from Silversea. The custom documents actually arrive in a silver box. Anyway I'm just excited to receive anything so few lines do that anymore.

[no fuss travel]

If you have not received it yet, contact your TA and have them have Oceania send the brochure to you directly. This past year, it took 4 tries for the brochure to actually get to us. We got it the day before we left on our trip. Our TA had the three others when we got back a month later. They had all just arrived at her office the week before and we were gone for 6 weeks. It obviously was not Oceania, but the postal system that managed to lose all the other copies. Our TA had let Oceania know that we may be turning up without tickets or booklets, but she had given us our airline tickets and proof that we had paid for the trip.

[PSULion]

Thanks for that hint!

 

I did book a reservation at each one online. Do you know if it's ever possible to go twice during a cruise? Also would you say the quality is just as good in the main dining room or are the specialty restaurants a step up?

 

I was on Regatta, and yes only Polo has a bar, but I told the Toscana host that I was at the Polo bar. It worked each time and I ate 3 times at Polo and 2 times at Toscana (only was able to reserve once as I was in steerage) on a 10 night cruise. A few times we filled in at a shared table where there were no shows.

 

I have not traveled on the other ships where there is aparently no bar in the resturants so YMMV.

 

I enjoyed the food in the speciality resturants, and I felt as thought the food was a step up, and the service several steps up from the MDR. MDR is also very good, but just not as good IMHO.

 

John

[eroller]

I enjoyed the food in the speciality resturants, and I felt as thought the food was a step up, and the service several steps up from the MDR. MDR is also very good, but just not as good IMHO.

 

 

 

John

 

 

 

Thanks John!

[Iamthesea]

That is great and I hope we both really enjoy the new experience! I always love trying new cruise lines but it's getting more challenging as my cruise history piles up.

 

The Oceania cruise will actually be sort of a honeymoon for my partner and I. He knows nothing about it, just that we are going away for a week. We are getting married on the DISNEY DREAM next month, on our 20th anniversary. We both love Disney and ships so the perfect combination for us.

 

So two very different experiences to look forward to. One very special but also very busy with lots of friends and activities, and the other just the two of us, much more sedate and relaxing. I think both will be amazing.

 

:) Congratulations!

 

We are first timers and received our packet by DHL about a month ago. Booked with a TA, but packet came directly from Oceania in a white envelope with blue writing. Cruise is in 2 weeks. ;)

Edited January 27, 2016 by Iamthesea