Impressions on our 1st O trip in post Pandemic world

[AlexCherie]

Things you think you know, but you really don’t. This is for people that have never sailed on a luxury/near luxe line. We sailed on the much discussed January 4 sailing of Riviera in to the Caribbean from Miami. I don’t mean to be definitive and everyone has their own truth. These were my observations. 
 

• Size Matters: OK, so ships all over are sailing with less people. But we stepped on to the ship, and knew where we were in relation to every single POI immediately. More important than you think. Until you’ve experienced it, I don’t think you can know it.
  
  It helps ease your mind
• Numbers Matter: We sailed with 690 out of 1250 possible souls. That had to be part of it (and increasingly every ship), but there was no point at which we needed anything or waited in any way. In port, getting on or off. A cooked to order burger at Waves (which, btw, exceeds every dining experience you don’t pay for on Celebrity. And some that you do.) Getting a seat in the theater. Speaking to any staff member, at all. This was confirmed by other veteran guests about more full sailings.
  
  It puts your mind to ease, not having to fight anyone to get your experience.
• EZ to overlook: Check the size of the menus at any restaurant and compare the sheer number of choices. I think this adequately reflects the line’s desire to simply overwhelm you at every turn. Honestly, on HAL or X there is a single night where lobster is offered in the MDR. You can enjoy as much lobster and shrimp as you can eat, every single night, under the stars. It is more than just the quality it is the quantity they successfully deliver.
  
  And it’s all included. Again, your mind rests and enables you to simply consume the good salt air.
• When numbers fail to relate: It is not that the average age is older on this line. If you are familiar with a distribution curve, the tail is long and thickly distributed to the right. I suppose each cruise could be different, but I honestly think this is a fair representation of the truth. Some people consume this well. My best friends do not, and the close proximity of people that are older and not physically beautiful wears them. You need to own this if it is you, and actually look forward to what it means.
  
  Nobody on these ships is parading around their glorious bodies. There is freedom there.
• What you read here accurately reflects: the fierce loyalty of your fellow guests. Our cruise would have given any group of cruisers a reason to gripe. Out of six ports, we made one original stop and were harassed at every turn about masks. Everyone was pleased as punch, and couldn’t say enough about their experience. And they’ve been on an awful lot of O trips.
  
   
• Nobody cares how much you make or your life circumstance: The democratization of lowered dress standards aides in reducing pretension. We met the most lovely guests, really, from all over the world. I guess that happens on other ships. But I think the entry price (combined with the number of repeat guests) means you all have been successful in some manner. The defining currency that stood out to me was how many O trips you’ve made. 
  
  Wearing khaki’s and a polo everywhere at night just feels so great. Again, something I think you underestimate if you’ve never been on a ship completely without a formal night - put this way: “Is tonight the one where I need to dress? No. That’s tomorrow”. Wipe that out from your memory banks.
• Sedate: You might be bored in the evening if food isn’t at least proximate to the center of your experience. I think this is something you think you know, but if you’ve sailed the Pinnacle experience on HAL, this will feel an awful lot like a high end nursing facility.
  
  Stop the boos, you O life freaks. This is the truth, and it’s something most of you don’t remember or just can’t admit. A single quartet and a piano player do not nightlife make.
  
   

You are going to love it, a lot more than you are going to be able to admit. No matter which line you sail when you exit you miss that morning croissant delivered to your cabin, or great bed/rocking motion/sound of waves. But I’m telling you that Oceania will create sensations that will take you someplace you can’t replicate.

I’ll give you just one restaurant example. I don’t drink tea. Hate it really. But in Red Ginger, the combination of Orchid Vanilla hot tea with the Bounty Cake is going to send your palate reeling. This happens time and again (Crispy Duck with Watermelon salad; Pancetta Wrapped Veal with Lobster, Oscar Style; there was a special on Ravioli where, when you sliced into it a stream of perfect yellow egg yolk streamed out). 

And it today’s world getting a reservation isn’t that hard. 

If you are worried about health there is nothing I can say to take away your fear, but the staff are on you like white on rice. Nobody stirs from their chair lest they have a mask. Frequent reminders from the PA. Besides our own administered test at home, we were tested twice and up to 3 times at the expense of the firm. They just can’t do more. No way of knowing for sure (nobody is saying how many staff got COVID), but I would say the number getting infected onboard wasn’t anything like onboard.

Your ports will change. The likelihood of you hitting smaller locations, where the infrastructure to handle COVID doesn’t exist is going to go down. Too bad. Be flexible or don’t do this vacation. It is entirely possible your entire vacation could get wiped out and you will be put into quarantine. If that threat is too much, don’t go. 

 

You can certainly cruise on a dime and have a good, different experience. Our walls and my wife’s fingers/chest are loaded with great memories of other trips. On the other hand,  the amount we spent on our Concierge level cabin was more than the combined costs of all cabins we’ve sailed, on over 80 nights at sea together. Yet the total cost of every single trip was more than what we spent with Oceania. Good for you; I know you are thinking well, we aren’t that kind of guest. And you can continue to enjoy those lines. They are good, and often it’s as much about itineraries and timing.

I think we’ve sailed our last main-line experience, and the $200 for HAL and the $100 deposit at NCL will go fallow. At least for now. In my mind it will be good after bad, a sunk cost I need to absorb. We will start the saving for the next trip, someplace in the Western Mediterranean or similar, on Oceania. I could have saved some onboard, but I needed the time and the perspective to know what I know now.

Things I’d do differently next time - maybe, be more involved in self-improvement, wellness and the whole life experience. My wife is seriously pissed at us for not making an effort to get O-life points (whatever those are. I’m not a joiner, really.)

Things you might choose do to differently: take a more leisurely approach to boarding initially. Don’t get there at the starting gun, arrive a touch later when you aren’t fighting for attention. We were allowed to board at 11:30 and got to the docks at 12:30 due to circumstances beyond our control and it seemed very empty at that time. It just reduced implied pressure and the whole cattle call feel. We go on quickly, were almost immediately granted access to our room and everything was open (including the buffet). Clothing appeared right after we got a quick bite. 


Cheers, and remember - be a potter, not a steelworker.
 

[YoPhilly]

Lovely report!

[HiFi43]

AlexCherie, Thoughtful and honest write up about your first Oceania Experience. We came to the same realization many years ago after sailing on many different cruise lines of all types. We especially like the Oceania passenger mix because there seem to be so many interesting backgrounds, most of whom develop a loyalty to Oceania and “roll with the punches” well.
 

 

We chose Oceania because they are a destination cruise line as opposed to many cruise lines where the ship becomes the destination. We switched to Oceania exclusively when we were both working in careers that allowed us time to travel. Now we are both retired and fit in well. Yes, the initial cost may seem to be a bit more expensive than some lines but the no charge inclusions, superior service and 5 star food are absolutely a great deal. And, we are not the type to judge a cruise line by its flashy entertainment.

 

We are retired after high pressure careers. We now love starting every day with nothing to do and finishing the day with only half of it done. My wife and I have been fortunate to be able, now that we’ve retired, to  have visited in our 21 year marriage almost 150 countries mostly on Oceania. 

[jazznruby]

We now love starting every day with nothing to do and finishing the day with only half of it done.

 

Oh, I like that!

[ToxM]

Alex, I think you summed up how I feel about Oceania. It’s not perfect, but it’s oh so close. 

[PhD-iva]

1 hour ago, jazznruby said:

We now love starting every day with nothing to do and finishing the day with only half of it done.

 

Oh, I like that!

++1!

[PhD-iva]

Thank you so much for your insightful review. I’m not sure what you do for a living, but I suspect you are underpaid. Tell your boss I said you deserve a raise!

[gardenbunny]

Thanks for your review.  Very well written.

We are doing our first Oceania Feb 11 from Miami to Caribbean.  We primarily sail Cunard and Princess.

We were to be on small ship Sirena, but got a pleasant surprise, to the unfortunate disappointment of cruisers on Marina, after So America closed down - to be changed to Marina.

And Oceania is putting all passengers in staterooms and Suites with verandas.

We had booked interior (we are not balcony people) so we are excited.

We have friends who travel on Oceania and really love it.  And since we decided to pause our foreign overseas crusies until April of 2023, it has given us time to try some other cruise lines to Caribbean from US ports.

 

Quick question - I read the O health protocols but still a but confused on pre-testing before boarding.  We did Enchanted Princess over New Years Eve and they required we provide a negative test taken 2 days prior to boarding. It was a 10 day cruise and never tested us again.

Does Oceania require our own test, or do they test us before boarding? I read they will provide testing on board for certain ports.

Thanks 

 

 

[ORV]

Thanks for your perspective. It's great to see someone that gets it. As I've said many times it's hard to put a dollar value on a spreadsheet for the indefinable experience of being on an Oceania ship. Not everyone appreciates it. You summed it up pretty well. 

 

Edit; Oops, make more sense now. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by ORV

[jazznruby]

It's recommended but not required that you get tested no more than 72 hrs prior to boarding. O tests pier side prior to boarding.

 

[AlexCherie]

55 minutes ago, susiesan said:

So AlexCherie, are you still planning to take April 4 Riviera Spain & Canary Islands cruise? For the extra cost and time of flying to Europe, more expensive rate per day for Europe cruise vs Caribbean, are you willing to risk missing many ports on a port intensive cruise in Europe? Or are you going to wait for that Oceania experience. in another year when covid is not an issue, assuming things will ever return to normal.

At the end of the day, coming up with nearly $20,000 - basically non-refundable, and to be paid in full immediately - put a wrench in that plan. 

If I knew then what I know now, I would have never replaced that April 4 cruise with the January 4 cruise. But it made sense at the time - dipping my toe in the O water before making a large commitment - and it makes sense now.

But your question would seem to be this: would I risk a lot of sea days? That particular cruise is so port intensive, I’d run that risk. Enjoying a couple of days at sea would be really, really enjoyable on that ship. And I really, really liked the crew.

[susiesan]

2 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

At the end of the day, coming up with nearly $20,000 - basically non-refundable, and to be paid in full immediately - put a wrench in that plan. 

 

As lightly booked as that April 4  sailing is, why do you have to spend $20,000? Final payment is Feb. 4, you have 2 weeks to decide to go or not. If I go, it is not costing me anywhere near $20K. But then I am in a lowly veranda cabin, upgraded from outside during the Black Friday sail. Riviera is a very nice ship, this would be my first time in a veranda on one of the O ships as most of my other O cruises have been on R ships.

[AlexCherie]

14 minutes ago, ORV said:

Thanks for your perspective. It's great to see someone that gets it. As I've said many times it's hard to put a dollar value on a spreadsheet for the indefinable experience of being on an Oceania ship. Not everyone appreciates it. You summed it up pretty well. 

 

Edit; Oops, make more sense now. 

There was this really nice guy in the hot tub next to us, said he had done the work in a spreadsheet and for him the PH just made sense. We couldn’t get there with the amount spent but I had to know what I was missing in the world. 

You know I have a spouse who has never heard me say no. So we go on a trip and she knows I spent $1600 to do Montreal B2B, the bill is going to magically expand someplace else. 

Thankfully there was nothing she liked in the limited shopping world of Riviera, other than a rather inexpensive dress. 🙂

 

[AlexCherie]

9 minutes ago, susiesan said:

As lightly booked as that April 4  sailing is, why do you have to spend $20,000? Final payment is Feb. 4, you have 2 weeks to decide to go or not. If I go, it is not costing me anywhere near $20K. But then I am in a lowly veranda cabin, upgraded from outside during the Black Friday sail. Riviera is a very nice ship, this would be my first time in a veranda on one of the O ships as most of my other O cruises have been on R ships.

Well, you don’t need the $20K down. On the ship we could have finagled a $12.5K. But eventually, we’d need a flight. Then there would be (a lot!) of additional excursion expenses. 

That is a $20K cruise, I think. Maybe you can do it for less, even have airline credits or something. We like to have our trips paid before we leave, so one way or the other the math didn’t work.

Enjoy the heck out of it. Perfect itinerary, great weather, and I’m telling you a great ship. Tell Dorian in the Polo Grill you want Mohammed to take care of you. Tell Mohammed the lady with the white horse sent you, and ask him about Dubai.

Cheers,

Alex

 

[gardenbunny]

But your question would seem to be this: would I risk a lot of sea days? That particular cruise is so port intensive, I’d run that risk. Enjoying a couple of days at sea would be really, really enjoyable on that ship. And I really, really liked the crew.

 

Having done 2 World Cruises (2017,2019) 100 days each - sea days are  very very welcome!  We had one stretch of 7 ports in a row, and we were all counting down the days to sea days.

To take a quote from another ..a great time to do nothing and only get half of it done 😄

[AlexCherie]

34 minutes ago, gardenbunny said:

Thanks for your review.  Very well written.

We are doing our first Oceania Feb 11 from Miami to Caribbean.  We primarily sail Cunard and Princess.

We were to be on small ship Sirena, but got a pleasant surprise, to the unfortunate disappointment of cruisers on Marina, after So America closed down - to be changed to Marina.

And Oceania is putting all passengers in staterooms and Suites with verandas.

We had booked interior (we are not balcony people) so we are excited.

We have friends who travel on Oceania and really love it.  And since we decided to pause our foreign overseas crusies until April of 2023, it has given us time to try some other cruise lines to Caribbean from US ports.

 

Quick question - I read the O health protocols but still a but confused on pre-testing before boarding.  We did Enchanted Princess over New Years Eve and they required we provide a negative test taken 2 days prior to boarding. It was a 10 day cruise and never tested us again.

Does Oceania require our own test, or do they test us before boarding? I read they will provide testing on board for certain ports.

Thanks 

 

 

So here’s the thing: 

You want to be tested before you get to the dock, within the parameters required. Here is why: if you fail at the dock, they’ll test you a second time to get you onboard. You fail the second time, and you can’t substantiate a passing grade at home, they aren’t covering you for the cost of your cruise. Period, full stop.

You tested at home, you fail twice at the dock my understanding is that O will cover you. Also, you fail at home you can just save yourself the entire PITA trip. 

You couldn’t have it any worse than us - we were getting tested on a holiday weekend, on a Saturday (January 1!!!) for a flight on January 3. Which, btw, never left town and forced us to drive 22 hours to get to Miami, but that’s another story. 

 

[AlexCherie]

40 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Thank you so much for your insightful review. I’m not sure what you do for a living, but I suspect you are underpaid. Tell your boss I said you deserve a raise!

Very kind of you, in all respects. 

Like many O folks, I’m self employed. My boss is royal PITA, always talking about giving back or whatever. Jacka$$. 

But as a wealth manager, I actually take my pay in lifestyle enhancements. I haven’t been to the office since Barack Obama was elected the first time. Pretty good, right?

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, AlexCherie said:

Things you think you know, but you really don’t. This is for people that have never sailed on a luxury/near luxe line. We sailed on the much discussed January 4 sailing of Riviera in to the Caribbean from Miami. I don’t mean to be definitive and everyone has their own truth. These were my observations. 
 

• Size Matters: OK, so ships all over are sailing with less people. But we stepped on to the ship, and knew where we were in relation to every single POI immediately. More important than you think. Until you’ve experienced it, I don’t think you can know it.
  
  It helps ease your mind
• Numbers Matter: We sailed with 690 out of 1250 possible souls. That had to be part of it (and increasingly every ship), but there was no point at which we needed anything or waited in any way. In port, getting on or off. A cooked to order burger at Waves (which, btw, exceeds every dining experience you don’t pay for on Celebrity. And some that you do.) Getting a seat in the theater. Speaking to any staff member, at all. This was confirmed by other veteran guests about more full sailings.
  
  It puts your mind to ease, not having to fight anyone to get your experience.
• EZ to overlook: Check the size of the menus at any restaurant and compare the sheer number of choices. I think this adequately reflects the line’s desire to simply overwhelm you at every turn. Honestly, on HAL or X there is a single night where lobster is offered in the MDR. You can enjoy as much lobster and shrimp as you can eat, every single night, under the stars. It is more than just the quality it is the quantity they successfully deliver.
  
  And it’s all included. Again, your mind rests and enables you to simply consume the good salt air.
• When numbers fail to relate: It is not that the average age is older on this line. If you are familiar with a distribution curve, the tail is long and thickly distributed to the right. I suppose each cruise could be different, but I honestly think this is a fair representation of the truth. Some people consume this well. My best friends do not, and the close proximity of people that are older and not physically beautiful wears them. You need to own this if it is you, and actually look forward to what it means.
  
  Nobody on these ships is parading around their glorious bodies. There is freedom there.
• What you read here accurately reflects: the fierce loyalty of your fellow guests. Our cruise would have given any group of cruisers a reason to gripe. Out of six ports, we made one original stop and were harassed at every turn about masks. Everyone was pleased as punch, and couldn’t say enough about their experience. And they’ve been on an awful lot of O trips.
  
   
• Nobody cares how much you make or your life circumstance: The democratization of lowered dress standards aides in reducing pretension. We met the most lovely guests, really, from all over the world. I guess that happens on other ships. But I think the entry price (combined with the number of repeat guests) means you all have been successful in some manner. The defining currency that stood out to me was how many O trips you’ve made. 
  
  Wearing khaki’s and a polo everywhere at night just feels so great. Again, something I think you underestimate if you’ve never been on a ship completely without a formal night - put this way: “Is tonight the one where I need to dress? No. That’s tomorrow”. Wipe that out from your memory banks.
• Sedate: You might be bored in the evening if food isn’t at least proximate to the center of your experience. I think this is something you think you know, but if you’ve sailed the Pinnacle experience on HAL, this will feel an awful lot like a high end nursing facility.
  
  Stop the boos, you O life freaks. This is the truth, and it’s something most of you don’t remember or just can’t admit. A single quartet and a piano player do not nightlife make.
  
   

You are going to love it, a lot more than you are going to be able to admit. No matter which line you sail when you exit you miss that morning croissant delivered to your cabin, or great bed/rocking motion/sound of waves. But I’m telling you that Oceania will create sensations that will take you someplace you can’t replicate.

I’ll give you just one restaurant example. I don’t drink tea. Hate it really. But in Red Ginger, the combination of Orchid Vanilla hot tea with the Bounty Cake is going to send your palate reeling. This happens time and again (Crispy Duck with Watermelon salad; Pancetta Wrapped Veal with Lobster, Oscar Style; there was a special on Ravioli where, when you sliced into it a stream of perfect yellow egg yolk streamed out). 

And it today’s world getting a reservation isn’t that hard. 

If you are worried about health there is nothing I can say to take away your fear, but the staff are on you like white on rice. Nobody stirs from their chair lest they have a mask. Frequent reminders from the PA. Besides our own administered test at home, we were tested twice and up to 3 times at the expense of the firm. They just can’t do more. No way of knowing for sure (nobody is saying how many staff got COVID), but I would say the number getting infected onboard wasn’t anything like onboard.

Your ports will change. The likelihood of you hitting smaller locations, where the infrastructure to handle COVID doesn’t exist is going to go down. Too bad. Be flexible or don’t do this vacation. It is entirely possible your entire vacation could get wiped out and you will be put into quarantine. If that threat is too much, don’t go. 

 

You can certainly cruise on a dime and have a good, different experience. Our walls and my wife’s fingers/chest are loaded with great memories of other trips. On the other hand,  the amount we spent on our Concierge level cabin was more than the combined costs of all cabins we’ve sailed, on over 80 nights at sea together. Yet the total cost of every single trip was more than what we spent with Oceania. Good for you; I know you are thinking well, we aren’t that kind of guest. And you can continue to enjoy those lines. They are good, and often it’s as much about itineraries and timing.

I think we’ve sailed our last main-line experience, and the $200 for HAL and the $100 deposit at NCL will go fallow. At least for now. In my mind it will be good after bad, a sunk cost I need to absorb. We will start the saving for the next trip, someplace in the Western Mediterranean or similar, on Oceania. I could have saved some onboard, but I needed the time and the perspective to know what I know now.

Things I’d do differently next time - maybe, be more involved in self-improvement, wellness and the whole life experience. My wife is seriously pissed at us for not making an effort to get O-life points (whatever those are. I’m not a joiner, really.)

Things you might choose do to differently: take a more leisurely approach to boarding initially. Don’t get there at the starting gun, arrive a touch later when you aren’t fighting for attention. We were allowed to board at 11:30 and got to the docks at 12:30 due to circumstances beyond our control and it seemed very empty at that time. It just reduced implied pressure and the whole cattle call feel. We go on quickly, were almost immediately granted access to our room and everything was open (including the buffet). Clothing appeared right after we got a quick bite. 


Cheers, and remember - be a potter, not a steelworker.
 

Eloquent and right on the money amigo....

[AlexCherie]

3 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Eloquent and right on the money amigo....

They say, “know the room”. After sailing on the Riviera, I learned pretty quickly who was eating dinner at our table. 

So TBH, I elevated my game when I wrote the post and brought my best SAT-work. 
 

[AlexCherie]

19 minutes ago, gardenbunny said:

But your question would seem to be this: would I risk a lot of sea days? That particular cruise is so port intensive, I’d run that risk. Enjoying a couple of days at sea would be really, really enjoyable on that ship. And I really, really liked the crew.

 

Having done 2 World Cruises (2017,2019) 100 days each - sea days are  very very welcome!  We had one stretch of 7 ports in a row, and we were all counting down the days to sea days.

To take a quote from another ..a great time to do nothing and only get half of it done 😄

When I grow up I want to be you.

[Hawaiidan]

You hammer home the intrinsic and inherent beauty of the Oceania experience.    I discovered this some 9 years ago and also discovered that the ship experience , over the years soon exceed  that of the ports. 

 Simply said,  today, I  really don't care where the ship is going or not.   Id be totally  content it they just sailed 100 miles off shore in a big circle so I could settle in with out distraction to the mood and the subtle pleasures that abound  on Oceania at sea...

By the way at 70, I am still trying to figure out what to do what I grow up !

Edited January 16, 2022 by Hawaiidan

[mauibabes]

AlexCherie,

Welcome again to the O Family. We knew you would enjoy the experience. You mentioned not booking on board, we all make mistakes but you will get a bit of a “Do Over” as you will be receiving a $200 or so discount offer from Oceania in the mail. Oceania SOP. When it comes time for cruise #2, Book on Board! The $250 deposit, the $100 or more SBC gift and the On Board Booking Discount should never be passed up. Perhaps you did not sit thru the O Club Ambassadors presentation but we recently sat thru 4 and each time we found exciting itineraries to consider booking. We always book a trip or two and they are all as far out as possible, 18-24 months. Since Oceania allows you to make one “swap” of your booked itinerary, book something and move it as you desire but don’t leave discounts on the table. 
 

We agree with your wife on the Big O points. It is just fun meeting other guests and making new friends. In the end I picked up a couple of great O polo shirts and a wind/rain hooded jacket that are excellent quality, especially for Free. 
 

We have spoken to many Princess, HAL and Celebrity cruisers and to a one, after that first Oceania cruise, they adopt a new family. And yes, the staff/crew are really fantastic. 
 

Again, welcome.😷🙏🤪👍

Mauibabes

[gardenbunny]

8 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

So here’s the thing: 

You want to be tested before you get to the dock, within the parameters required. Here is why: if you fail at the dock, they’ll test you a second time to get you onboard. You fail the second time, and you can’t substantiate a passing grade at home, they aren’t covering you for the cost of your cruise. Period, full stop.

You tested at home, you fail twice at the dock my understanding is that O will cover you. Also, you fail at home you can just save yourself the entire PITA trip. 

You couldn’t have it any worse than us - we were getting tested on a holiday weekend, on a Saturday (January 1!!!) for a flight on January 3. Which, btw, never left town and forced us to drive 22 hours to get to Miami, but that’s another story. 

 

Good advice to pre test at home.  Thanks. Maybe I will try that new .gov site opening 1/19 to order free tests and see how that works!!!  

 

You definitely had a really really bad pre-cruise experience - the perfect storm all came together.  You couldn’t see it at the time, but it will be a great memory to look back on and you will never forget that trip!  And bonus, you had a great ship to recover on 😁

 

We had 4 flights canceled on us in January 2020 trying to get to Rio from Atlanta.  We were delayed in Atlanta, finally got to Miami - where the fun began -  had to spend the night in the airport (after 30 years of travel our first time!) and finally got to Rio 2 days late to join our tour to Iguazu Falls!  But if you travel you have to be  flexible and go with the flow.  I took a picture of the pile of unused boarding passes we were given for those 4 flights that never took off….

[Hawaiidan]

36 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

There was this really nice guy in the hot tub next to us, said he had done the work in a spreadsheet and for him the PH just made sense. We couldn’t get there with the amount spent but I had to know what I was missing in the world. 

You know I have a spouse who has never heard me say no. So we go on a trip and she knows I spent $1600 to do Montreal B2B, the bill is going to magically expand someplace else. 

Thankfully there was nothing she liked in the limited shopping world of Riviera, other than a rather inexpensive dress. 🙂

 

In the scheme of things remember as to evaluate life decisions....   YOU CAN ALWAYS GET MORE MONEY, YOU CAN NOT GET MORE TIME.       Spend both wisely.

[ORV]

13 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

We agree with your wife on the Big O points. It is just fun meeting other guests and making new friends. In the end I picked up a couple of great O polo shirts and a wind/rain hooded jacket that are excellent quality, especially for Free. 

Over the years we've accumulated a pile of stuff from Big O points, mainly from playing Team Trivia. But truly, even if there were no points or prizes we'd be playing trivia anyway. We've met some great people on our teams, and had a lot of fun. We've enjoyed cocktails and dinners with many team members over the years. Oddly enough when we were on our 20th cruise, the other 3 couples we randomly paired with to form a team were also all on their 20th. It was a perfect itinerary for the free cruise, exactly 14 nights and pretty pricey. Norway itinerary.