I could use some advice from Oceania regulars please

[John117]

We have never cruised with Oceania. We have cruised many times with Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn and I guess we have got used to everything (or most things) being included. Since covid restrictions eased last year we have been on 4 cruises (Viking, Silversea and 2 on Seabourn) but our last cruise on Seabourn has persuaded us we need to look elsewhere.

We find the Oceania website confusing. I am sure the information we are looking for is on there but where?

So here are the questions i have

1. when you book flights with Oceania do they include transfers to and from the airport? If not can you book these with Oceania or do you have to book privately

2. Are all the speciality restaurants included or at extra cost? Do you have to have a reservation for all of them?

3. Is the MDR open dining or allocated times?

4. If you have a drinks package do you need to give your name and room number every time you order a drink? Can these packages be booked before departure?

5. If we chose a cruise with O life choice or ultimate which includes some excursions is the number of excursions per suite or per person?

 

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give us.

 

[Sthrngary]

Funny, I had the same question because it is my first time on Oceania.  I will share what I was told and found out.  This in no way makes me an expert since I have never cruised with them.  I am just glad other are wanting similar information as I did.

 

10 minutes ago, John117 said:

1. when you book flights with Oceania do they include transfers to and from the airport? If not can you book these with Oceania or do you have to book privately

I just booked the Oceania Riveara for Nov 2023.  It you take the air from Oceania, the transfers are included.  If you do your own air, they are not unless you are doing a Pre/Post cruise Hotel. 

 

12 minutes ago, John117 said:

2. Are all the speciality restaurants included or at extra cost? Do you have to have a reservation for all of them?

This situation is similar to other Premium, Premium Plus and Luxury brands.  All the Specialty Restaurants are included.  Depending on your stateroom category, you have priority in day/time for a certain number.  When you get on the ship, you can make more reservation if they are not fully booked. 

 

14 minutes ago, John117 said:

3. Is the MDR open dining or allocated times?

All indications are you go when you want.  I know some other luxury brands have specific sitting like the old days.

 

15 minutes ago, John117 said:

5. If we chose a cruise with O life choice or ultimate which includes some excursions is the number of excursions per suite or per person?

We have 6 excursions which means, I get three and my wife get 3 for a total of 6.  They are the standard excursions which have a retail value of about $100.00 each.  Notice your other options is $600.00 OBC.  Or standard drink package for both passengers.  Each come out to be about $600.00 in value.

 

Again, I am NO expert however I did some deep diving before I booked.  My last thought is I envy you for your past trips on Regent.  It was always a goal but I gave it up due to expense.  Love to hear your feedback after this cruise to the comparison. Good luck.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, John117 said:

We have never cruised with Oceania. We have cruised many times with Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn and I guess we have got used to everything (or most things) being included. Since covid restrictions eased last year we have been on 4 cruises (Viking, Silversea and 2 on Seabourn) but our last cruise on Seabourn has persuaded us we need to look elsewhere.

We find the Oceania website confusing. I am sure the information we are looking for is on there but where?

So here are the questions i have

1. when you book flights with Oceania do they include transfers to and from the airport? If not can you book these with Oceania or do you have to book privately

2. Are all the speciality restaurants included or at extra cost? Do you have to have a reservation for all of them?

3. Is the MDR open dining or allocated times?

4. If you have a drinks package do you need to give your name and room number every time you order a drink? Can these packages be booked before departure?

5. If we chose a cruise with O life choice or ultimate which includes some excursions is the number of excursions per suite or per person?

 

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give us.

 

The easiest thing would be to search here on the O forums. Your questions are not unusual but, particularly as regards O Life, can be complicated.

That said, beyond your allocated pre-Cruise specialty dining reservations, you can add additional reservations (also at no cost) daily on a space available basis.

Everything O Life is per cabin. Most folks agree that the allowable tours option has the best value (search here for strategies that also result in 25% YWYW discount on the $200+ pp tours).

Booze packages require your room key card when purchases are made. Note that you can bring your own unlimited wine and spirits though spirits must stay in the cabin and wine can be taken to meals or elsewhere at a $25/bottle corkage.

As for air, take the credit and DIY - especially for bizclass. If not, O includes transfers with their air.

FWIW: you may balk at the pre-cruise menu of purchase options but, because everyone gets a choice, there’s far more value in the fare if you don’t use everything.

Finally, get an O savvy TA who will share commissions and/or provide added perks.

[pinotlover]

A correction to post #2.

 

Transfers from and to the ship are included, if using O Air, on the Day of Embarkment and Disembarkment. Even if you pay the deviation fee to come in early or leave later, transfers are not included.

 

Exception being, as pointed out if you pay and stay in an Oceania hotel or land tour.

Edited September 3, 2022 by pinotlover

[MEFIowa]

32 minutes ago, John117 said:

...2. Are all the speciality restaurants included or at extra cost? Do you have to have a reservation for all of them?

3. Is the MDR open dining or allocated times?...

The ships have different "specialty restaurants", with the bigger ships (Vista, Riviera, Marina) having more than the smaller R class ships. You can make your reservations for them in advance, with some cabin classes getting to make reservations earlier. These are included.

 

BUT there are ADDITIONAL PAID eating opportunities on the larger ships: La Reserve ("Open for dinner on board Marina & Riviera only. Reservations required. Wine or Champagne experience surcharge applies.") and Privee (Host a private party for up to 10 privileged guests in our most exclusive onboard dining venue, Privée. Available on board Marina & Riviera only. Reservations required. A room reservation surcharge applies.")

 

The GDR and Terrace Cafe and Waves Cafe are open dining. While on our 12/13-23/21 cruise on Riviera we NEVER ate at the GDR. We feel in love eating under the stars in the Terrace Cafe aft, the buffet. And I'd start the day at a table next to the waves at Waves (7 or 10), with a sun salutation smoothie. And Baristas served some light food in the evening. Always laughed seeing potato chips in small bowls, for example, as I'd walk by.

[Carol From California]

With the OLife, if you choose the excursions you can choose excursions priced under $200 pp. 

[Kate-AHF]

A few other thoughts:

(the learning curve on O is steep, much steeper than on the all-inclusive lines.  As mentioned, the "options/flexibility of things included" allow the ships to cater to many different pax needs. Non-drinkers in particular are thrilled not to feel like they are subsidizing those who drink)

 

On Marina and Riviera, on some nights La Reserve will offer "wine and tapas".  Most, if not all the wines poured are included in the Premium Beverage Package.  The tapas is free.  We very much enjoyed these evenings, though they were sparsely attended.

 

Baristas on Oceania is trying to come off like Seabourn Square or the Arts Cafe on Silversea.  It's not. The coffee is good, but the food offerings morning, noon and night are most definitely not.  The early evening canapes offered in the butler suits can be quite good.

 

We are former Seabourn sailors ourselves.  We've been able to make Oceania work for us.  The itineraries are outstanding, and the ability to piece together extended voyages by adding on segments.  For the most part, Oceania does not just sail a never-ending roundrobin circuit, they move those ships around.

 

By sticking to a PH on all the O ships, we've been able to get cabins very similar(and in some cases better than) Silversea and Seabourn.

 

One more thought:  We've been surprised and pleased with the service received.  But if something out of the ordinary is requested, "Yes" is not necessarily the default answer. The facial recognition software O installed means they will know who you are by name as quickly as Seabourn used to. No, you are not going to get the anticipatory service, but we haven't had that since the triplets were sold anyway. 

 

Oceania does, for the most part, treat their guests like adults.  Which is nice. We keep trying to get back on Silversea (which we love) but O just trumps the itins offered every time, we can't seem to break away.  We were set to do Silversea or Explora Journeys in 2024, then O came out of a grand voyage (2 different ships + overland trip) that has us star-struck.

[LHT28]

Most of the answers  can be found at

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/promotion-terms/

 

If you still cannot find the answers  just ask

 It will not be like Seabourn, Silversea, crystal  or Regent

Might be similar to Viking but with some exceptions

 

Enjoy

 

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, John117 said:

4. If you have a drinks package do you need to give your name and room number every time you order a drink? Can these packages be booked before departure?
 

You will need to show your room key  when the waiter asks

near the end of the meal just put your card on the table  near the edge   the waiter will take it  & deal with the chit

if no package  they will ask you to sign

The card will be programed to what ever drink package you have

 

YES you can PURCHASE  the package prior to boarding

 If you take the O Life option it is the House select  which is wine by the glass as per the menu selections /Beer   for Lunch & Dinner only

 Once onboard  you can upgrade to the Prestige package  for $20 PP PD

scroll down

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/value

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Carol From California said:

With the OLife, if you choose the excursions you can choose excursions priced under $200 pp. 

....which, if you choose the $199 ones that interest you, basically doubles the perk value from $100 to $199! Plus your O Life allocation counts toward the minimum tours needed (in your cruise) to get 25% off any paid ones you choose.

[wcGma]

I cannot speak to comparisons with Seabourn or Regent. My experience with Oceania has not included air booking. I prefer to do that independently as well as pre post cruise stays. You can book transfers which I did once on board for the end of the cruise and regretted. Had to wait for bus to fill and think taxi would not have cost much more. I think that should be evaluated based on port, distance to airport, availability of taxi or Uber/Lyft and of course, ease of having luggage handling service. Specialty restaurant reservations allotment is based on cabin class and as noted previously depends on ship as far as number of restaurants. There is no extra charge (except as previously mentioned for the unique dining)and every cabin is guaranteed at least one reservation per restaurant which you can do before boarding when the booking window time opens.   Depending on the length of the cruise, our ability to book more than our allotment once on board has been good but surprisingly, not as easy as on our recent Viking cruise, even though Viking only has 2 specialty restaurants.  There are so many choices on Oceania that it is often abit hard deciding where to for lunch and even for dinner  if you don’t have a specialty reservation.  You can always get fresh grilled steak, salmon, shrimp, lamb chop at the buffet.  I would rate the food on Oceania excellent (pre Covid travel) and overall  better than Viking which was very good.  There are more choices and more variety on Oceania. I was particularly disappointed in the breads, salads and pastries on Viking though the wafffles, soups and open face sandwiches at  Mamsens were a delight. A consideration re alcohol is that you can buy a wine bottle package once on board. There will be a list of wines and you can mix whites and reds. We have travelled with another couple so each of us have usually purchased one 6 bottle pkg which means 12 bottles total. Depending on the length of the cruise and how much we feel like having, we have purchased maybe 2 additional bottles. Your bottle is labeled and your server can access it at any of the restaurants. The only time we had any difficulty was once when we decided we wanted wine at lunch at our table at the buffet when it took a very long time. You can bring on spirits or wine so we have had our own cocktails in our staterooms  or weather permitting on the veranda pre dinner with an occasional purchased drink if we wanted to enjoy the delightful jazz pianist at the bar. Compare the prices of the packages and your drinking preferences. Having just returned from our first Viking cruise, while the generous refilling of your glass at lunch and dinner started off quite nice, for us, after a few days we found it abit too much and had to develop a modicum of control and moderate. In regards to the Olife options. We prefer the onboard credit which we apply to the basic gratuities and our wine purchases. Traveling with another couple, we have found booking shore excursions independently more rewarding and less costly. We have even done a small group tour connecting with others here on cruisecritic. I think it also may depend on the itinerary and what can be arranged. On our recent Viking cruise ( first post Covid), we only booked through Viking as we were not traveling with our friends and most of the independent tour operators had some cancellation penalties. With the uncertainty of potential Covid, we felt more comfortable staying with the cruise excursions even the ones with additional cost. Hope this a helpful. 

 

[AMHuntFerry]

7 hours ago, John117 said:

5. If we chose a cruise with O life choice or ultimate which includes some excursions is the number of excursions per suite or per person?

 

For those of us who enjoy running spreadsheets, the Ultimate shorex package rarely pays for itself.

 

If I may offer another suggestion that I think is just as easy, look at the "Your World Collection" option for shorex (a.k.a YWC or YWYW). When you purchase a certain number of excursions (it varies, but for shorter cruises is often 1, maybe 2, more per person than the O-Life allotment) you receive a 25% discount off all shorex. This leaves you the flexibility to choose whichever shorex you like the best without having to check whether they qualify for O-Life.

 

Once you have chosen your preferred shorex, you have the option to see if using the O-Life benefit would save you more money (i.e., did you choose enough O-Life qualifying shorex averaging > $133 to make it worth the time and bother?). I do it, but I have strange ideas of fun 😉

 

While I value getting my money's worth, I also value flexibility and paying more to get something I really want; I am willing to comparison shop, but at some point saving a bit more money becomes not-fun. If you want simplicity and flexibility combined with comfort, book a penthouse or above, buy the Premium beverage package, and book enough shorex to get the YWC 25% discount. Easy peasy and you're ready to sail! You can always change tactics on your next O-cruise (not that you'll get hooked...nooooo).

[Kate-AHF]

11 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

For those of us who enjoy running spreadsheets, the Ultimate shorex package rarely pays for itself.

 

If I may offer another suggestion that I think is just as easy, look at the "Your World Collection" option for shorex (a.k.a YWC or YWYW). When you purchase a certain number of excursions (it varies, but for shorter cruises is often 1, maybe 2, more per person than the O-Life allotment) you receive a 25% discount off all shorex. This leaves you the flexibility to choose whichever shorex you like the best without having to check whether they qualify for O-Life.

 

Once you have chosen your preferred shorex, you have the option to see if using the O-Life benefit would save you more money (i.e., did you choose enough O-Life qualifying shorex averaging > $133 to make it worth the time and bother?). I do it, but I have strange ideas of fun 😉

 

While I value getting my money's worth, I also value flexibility and paying more to get something I really want; I am willing to comparison shop, but at some point saving a bit more money becomes not-fun. If you want simplicity and flexibility combined with comfort, book a penthouse or above, buy the Premium beverage package, and book enough shorex to get the YWC 25% discount. Easy peasy and you're ready to sail! You can always change tactics on your next O-cruise (not that you'll get hooked...nooooo).

 

This is such a great post.  Thank you.

[AMHuntFerry]

9 minutes ago, Kate-AHF said:

 

This is such a great post.  Thank you.

By the way, I do not get any drink package since we are cider (O does not do cider well) and spirit drinkers, but we don't drink enough to justify a package. I recommended it here to get the all-inclusive experience of the luxury lines.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

By the way, I do not get any drink package since we are cider (O does not do cider well) and spirit drinkers, but we don't drink enough to justify a package. I recommended it here to get the all-inclusive experience of the luxury lines.

Fortunately I like Strongbow

You could always pack your  own cider 😉

[AMHuntFerry]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Fortunately I like Strongbow

You could always pack your  own cider 😉

Canada probably has more UK-like Strongbow (one of my pub drinks!). I believe they add sugar for the US market 🤮 Where is the Strongbow hiding from me on the ship? I've only seen Angry Orchard (again, the sugar). I do like trying different cocktails...very vacationy!

[LHT28]

18 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Canada probably has more UK-like Strongbow (one of my pub drinks!). I believe they add sugar for the US market 🤮 Where is the Strongbow hiding from me on the ship? I've only seen Angry Orchard (again, the sugar). I do like trying different cocktails...very vacationy!

Yeah  I think you are right

They switched from Strongbow  a few years ago

 

DH looked at our can ..made in Amsterdam no sugar

[Ski Mom 2]

10 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

On Marina and Riviera, on some nights La Reserve will offer "wine and tapas".  Most, if not all the wines poured are included in the Premium Beverage Package.  The tapas is free.  We very much enjoyed these evenings, though they were sparsely attended.

How do you go about finding out about these Wine and Tapas evenings? We are cruising SA in January and this sounds like a nice option. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

How do you go about finding out about these Wine and Tapas evenings? We are cruising SA in January and this sounds like a nice option. 

When offered, these events are listed in the daily Currents onboard.

[mauibabes]

Ski Mom2,

When in January are you going to be in SA?  We are doing a Pre Cruise Tour to Iguazzu Falls and then board Marina on the 18th, heading for Santiago on Feb 7? 
We were on Riviera last October and on Marina in May and the Tapas and Wine offering is like a Pre dinner session up by La Reserve using in doors and out door tables.  We always had other dinner reservations the nights it was being offered but it definitely seemed like people were having a good time and a great additional venue. Baristas also offers wine and appetizers from about 6:00 p.m. into the evening. 
it will be a wonderful sailing, 3+ months and counting down. 
Mauibabes 

[John117]

Many thank to all of you for the helpful replies and advice. It has given me something to think about.

[LHT28]

10 hours ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

How do you go about finding out about these Wine and Tapas evenings? We are cruising SA in January and this sounds like a nice option. 

They should be in the CURRENTS

Or walk by La reserve about 6 pm  it will have the signs up 😉

 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

They should be in the CURRENTS

Or walk by La reserve about 6 pm  it will have the signs up 😉

 

@LHT28 I want to complement you on your responsiveness, posts and comments.  They are very helpful.  On every brands blog, there is on Brand Advocate that stands out.  I have found this true on NCL, Celebrity, Regent, Crystal and Holland America.  You are the Advocate here on Oceania and it is much appreciated.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Ski Mom 2]

21 hours ago, mauibabes said:

Ski Mom2,

When in January are you going to be in SA?  We are doing a Pre Cruise Tour to Iguazzu Falls and then board Marina on the 18th, heading for Santiago on Feb 7? 
We were on Riviera last October and on Marina in May and the Tapas and Wine offering is like a Pre dinner session up by La Reserve using in doors and out door tables.  We always had other dinner reservations the nights it was being offered but it definitely seemed like people were having a good time and a great additional venue. Baristas also offers wine and appetizers from about 6:00 p.m. into the evening. 
it will be a wonderful sailing, 3+ months and counting down. 
Mauibabes 

Mauibabes-

We are on the same cruise! We will be arriving in Rio to tour the falls amd Buenos Aires prior to boarding. Following the cruise we will be touring to Machu Picchu and the Amazon to make a 42 day trip! This will be our first cruise on Oceania. We are huge fans of Windstar and are looking forward to this trip and to Oceania!

[Sthrngary]

I have a question.  Both my wife and I will want to have the Prestige Drink Program. Our cruise is a 10 Day Mediterranean Cruise out of Athens, Greece.  It is on the Riviera, November 2023.  As all you regular Oceania Guest know, I can choose One of Three Perks.  I normally would choose the $600.00 OBC.  

   

Since we will both be purchasing the Prestige Drink Program which is $600.00 per person, $1200 for the couple.  My understanding is if we change to the Drink Program instead of the OBC and upgrade to the Prestige Drink Program for $200.00.  That seems to be the best approach.  

 

Please tell me if my logic is correct? 

 

Can you upgrade pre-cruise or do you have to do it when you get on the ship?

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.