O. My. (A few misc. Questions.)

[Shawnino]

We are booked on O for the first time this november (Venice--Miami). We aer pretty excited as we are upgrading from NCL where the food has really dipped in quality in recent years. (I know, I know... is the solution really to give NCLH more money? I guess so...)

 

Questions I can't find the answers to on this board:

 

1) Do they have restaurant menus in Russian?

 

2) O-Life drinks package with lunch and dinner: is that strictly beer/wine included or does it include things like Bailey's, port, etc.? Is there an partial-add-on fee if you want something not in the package, or is it 100% of the price?

 

3) Tenders: I understand the big variable is the receiving vessel, but in general, how easy is it to physically get on tenders from Riviera? Can I bring my small travel wheelchair, even if I am not sitting in it to get on/off the tender? (I can sit on it; I thought they'd prefer I walk or scramble on all fours...)

 

4) What's the latest rough rule-of-thumb as to when they start taking reservations in La Reserve?

 

5) How easy is it to get extra reservations aboard in the specialty restaurants on Riviera? We are category A3.

 

6) Does the Concierge try to help with whatever you need on O as on NCL, or is Concierge Class mostly about lounge access aboard?

 

Thanks very much.

[Yorkshirewanderers]

Hi, I can answer some of the questions.

 

I didn't see any Russian menus on Riviera but there may be. However, try downloading the Google Translate app to your mobile and selecting English and Russian as downloaded/offline dictionaries. You can then photograph the menu and get the translation without needing a WiFi connection. There will also be some Russian staff around if you need help in the restaurant.

 

Getting onto the tender from Riviera was pretty easy. My wife hates getting onto boats but the staff are very helpful. Not sure about wheelchairs but people with limited mobility are given loads of help. My wife was very impressed.

 

La Reserve bookings are allowed from very early on. The main challenge is that they don't always open them up to online bookings fully. For example, on the cruise we go on in 5 weeks two of the menus Odyssey and Connoisseur were available whilst Connoisseur appeared to be fully booked. The new French menu that we wanted to book didn't appear at all. If you phone Oceania, they will sort it for you. I think that we booked around 120 days out. A tip - if you are not sure about a booking, you can put it in your basket and it appears to stay there for a while (I think that is why some dates appear to be fully booked as people have not released them). I also think they put extra days on depending on how busy La Reserve gets. Don't forget that you get 20% discount if you have a drinks package.

 

You should be OK with port if you have the standard drinks package but I think that Baileys will be fully chargeable. If you upgrade to the full package (I know it is expensive) but a glass of champagne by the pool and a couple of Big 'O' martinis in the Martini bar will soon prove to be value for money (remember, you avoid the 18% gratuity with a package which makes a big difference if you pay as you go).

 

If you buy a drinks package and leave your card face up on the table in front of you, the waiters will usually refill your glasses quickly without you having to ask. We also got the impression that you got bigger measures in Martinis but that may just be perception.

 

Getting extra reservations in the speciality restaurants was easy although we were PH category. The challenge was whether we could get the times that we wanted. Also, if you are willing to share (which I recommend as you will meet really interesting people) will get you in much more easily. On a 10 day cruise, we got 4 extra reservations over and above our allowance.

 

We got priority in PH and you will in Concierge. Note that it is better to sort the reservations yourself than to use the Concierge. If you have PH the butler will sort it ... if you are suite category you book in one place (La Reserve), concierge in another (Red Ginger) and all other categories on deck 5 - I believe that this is so that the prioritisation is more discreet.

 

You can also just drop by the restaurant on the night and speak nicely to the Maitre D' and you may well be lucky.

 

You will like the Riviera, she is a beautiful ship. If you enjoy the cruise and decide to go for a higher grade next time, book PH2 on Deck 10 instead of PH1 on Deck 11. In my opinion, PH2 is better because you don't suffer from the overhang on the balcony if you are one deck lower. Deck 10 is also quieter than Deck 11 which has public areas above some of the staterooms.

[Belfastman]

The Olife drinks package with lunch and dinner only includes unlimited wine, beer and champagne. To get port or Baileys you would need to upgrade your package.

[JimandStan]

Isn't Port a wine?

[PaulMCO]

Isn't Port a wine?

It is.. and port should be included

[ORV]

There are Ports, Late Harvest and Fortified wines on the Wine by The Glass Menu, therefore it should be covered on the basic package during the allowed times.

[Yorkshirewanderers]

That is correct. Port is indeed a wine and it is a mistake that many people make. As I said in my original posting, port should be included but Baileys will not be.

[Shawnino]

Useful stuff, thanks everybody.