Just put a hold on our first Oceania cruise

[CruisinShips]

A basic Caribbean cruise on the Vista in early 2024 in a PH2.

 

We are seasoned cruisers in our early 60s who typically sail in suites...have been on Royal, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL and most recently Virgin.  We have been "warned" by some friends who recently sailed on Oceania that we may feel a bit too young relative to other passengers.  That part doesn't necessarily deter us...we felt that way on a Holland America Panama Canal cruise we took a few years ago, and more recently on a Tauck land tour we were on last year...met many nice people in spite of most being at least 10 years older.

 

What's interesting to me is that suites don't come with a (full) alcohol package...we do tend to imbibe more than usual when cruising (especially on Caribbean cruises where it's more about relaxing during the daytime).   I have seen it mentioned that you can bring alcohol on board?  Other lines allow you to bring a bottle of two of wine only...what is the story with Oceania in that regard?

 

Another question...are the specialty restaurants included or is their an upcharge?  I have seen it mentioned that there may be a limit to how many you can attend?  Is that the case?

 

Last question (for now ;-)) ... how is the Live TV on their ships?  I know that may be a strange question and some will question why that's important, but we like the background noise of a TV during our downtimes.  The Virgin ship we were on a couple of weeks ago literally had THREE channels of live tv (BBC, MSNBC and Espn 2).  Most cruise lines have bad choices, and they often show some version of a network that repeats some of the same shows in a loop throughout the week...curious if any TV people can fill us in on that.

 

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to following this board!

[MEFIowa]

6 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

... I have seen it mentioned that you can bring alcohol on board?  Other lines allow you to bring a bottle of two of wine only...what is the story with Oceania in that regard?

 

Another question...are the specialty restaurants included or is their an upcharge?  I have seen it mentioned that there may be a limit to how many you can attend?  Is that the case?

 

... how is the Live TV on their ships?... 

Yes, I bring my own alcohol on board. Bring beer, hard liquor and wine. They don't check or seemingly care. JUST as long as you drink your own beer & hard liquor in your cabin and PAY the $25 corkage fee in any restaurant. While on Sirena in the E. Caribbean 11/2022 I'd buy 2-4 bottles of beer at each port and any unique overproof Rum I could find. I still haven't opened my 169 proof (84.5% alcohol) Sunset rum from St. Vincents which I brought back with me along with some other rums.

 

Yes, the specialty restaurants are part of the fare. You only get so many initial reservations at each in advance based on length of cruise. So for our 10-night 12/2021 cruise on Riviera we made one specialty restaurant reservation at each of the 4 in advance. The higher-level cabins get to make their reservations earlier. BUT when you embark, you can stop by the dinner reservation desk to see about making more reservations. Wife and I love the Terrace Cafe so we've only done it once. Added another evening in the Tuscan Steak on Sirena.

 

Not much of an idea about live TV. Wife did watch live news (e.g., CNN, Fox) and I did watch some past lecture presentations off of the stored video library accessed thru it. But I don't watch much TV to begin with and not on vacation.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I’ve only sailed once on Oceania (last month Riviera).  My TA however has been with the company since they started and has given me great information.  She told me I could bring on what ever alcohol I wanted in any quantity I wanted. I was pleased to discover this to be true. For as wonderful as we found the food we were surprised by the lack luster quality of the bourbon, vermouth and wines. I was served martinis in margarita glasses….. in two different bars!  So wrong. We were happy that we could rectify this by bringing on our own supplies.
 

I noticed a lot of old and infirm passengers on our sailing. But the weird thing was that entertainment (theater shows, music…) didn’t start until 9:30!  I really wanted to stay up and see just who the folks were who stayed up that late to start the night. But way past my bedtime as I’m a (very)early riser. There was no other entertainment to speak of (unless you count trivia). Oh there was an occasional piano player in Martinis bar early evening but he really should have refrained from singing. 
 

Specialty restaurants are included. You can see your allotment on the website when you access Manage My Booking. We had 4 on a 10 night sailing. We especially enjoyed Red Ginger. 
 

We never turned the tv on so I can’t report on that. 
 

[LHT28]

You may not be ready for  the relaxed pace of Oceania or Luxury lines

We started  cruising with O in our mid 50's   & never looked back

 But  we seem to enjoy  meeting people of all ages (over 25)

We found some people  in their 80's that could  stay up much later than us  & we retire about 11pm

 

You might be better to wait   for a few more years before trying an upscale line

Stick with  one of the main stream lines  or ones like VV  that have a younger vibe & more  activities

YMMV

[schmerl]

You get one reservation at each of the specialty restaurants which you can book before your cruise. 

We were able to get four extra reservations. One on our own and three that our butler got for us. We were in a PH. 

[LHT28]

lots of good information in the FAQ

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

 

Dining reservations  depend on the length  of the cruise  & cabin category  you can always ask for more  once onboard depending on availability

If you want unlimited  drinks  you can purchase the Prestige beverage package

 

[LabMom57]

3 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

We have been "warned" by some friends who recently sailed on Oceania that we may feel a bit too young relative to other passengers.  That part doesn't necessarily deter us...we felt that way on a Holland America Panama Canal cruise we took a few years ago, and more recently on a Tauck land tour we were on last year...met many nice people in spite of most being at least 10 years older.

 

I am 62 and my DH is 68. We have cruised twice on Oceania and not felt too young but we don't go to the shows or anything. We go to be early and get up early for port excursions so have yet to go to a show as they are past our bedtime! 

 

Having said that, we befriended a couple on our first O cruise in 2018 who are in their 80s. We are still friends. We have also done excursions with a LOT of other folks our own age on our most recent Tahiti cruise. 

 

Have fun on your cruise! We are doing the Eastern Caribbean in December.

[AMHuntFerry]

4 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

A basic Caribbean cruise on the Vista in early 2024 in a PH2.

 

We are seasoned cruisers in our early 60s who typically sail in suites... "warned" by some friends who recently sailed on Oceania that we may feel a bit too young relative to other passengers.  That part doesn't necessarily deter us...

We are early/mid-50s but enjoy meeting people of all ages. We tried Riviera in the Caribbean in December 2021 in a concierge veranda and were surprised at how much we enjoyed hanging out on the ship (never cruised before, just using the ship to sleep and move port to port). O is very low-key and having conversations with other passengers is a huge part of the journey. The cruises out of Miami may run a bit older since Florida is a retirement destination and there are lot of people who are there for the ship, not the ports (I was surprised to find out some people never left the ship!). If you grew up in a multi-generational family/neighborhood or helped host your parents' parties (or something similar), you'll enjoy the other passengers.

 

4 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

I have seen it mentioned that you can bring alcohol on board?  Other lines allow you to bring a bottle of two of wine only...what is the story with Oceania in that regard?

Answered already, but I can't help myself 😉 Bring as much wine, beer, cider, and hard alcohol as you can consume in your cabin. You can even have a small party with munchies in a PH if you use the veranda. Some people bring a case of their favorite then buy more at ports as desired. If you are picky about your liquor O can be hit or miss (e.g., I usually drink cider, but O's is not to my liking so I drink cocktails...there is usually something decent to choose from🙂 ). As LHT28 said, just buy the all-day drink package if you want the all-inclusive feel. The non- or light-drinkers really appreciate that O has this as an option.

4 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

Another question...are the specialty restaurants included or is their an upcharge?  I have seen it mentioned that there may be a limit to how many you can attend?  Is that the case?

Already answered I think...no upcharge. See the FAQ above for how many you automatically get. PH can also get room service from any restaurant (when they are open) served by their butler. The butler may be able to get you more, but don't discount the GDR, Terrace, and Waves...they are way better than you probably expect.

4 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

Last question (for now ;-)) ... how is the Live TV on their ships?

Lots of channels. We watched movies...mostly classic since that's our thing, but there were recent releases available too. I can't remember what else though, but there was a variety similar to a subscription package (cable/satellite/Sling).

 

 

 

 

[AMHuntFerry]

Oops, I forgot...bring your own wine bottle(s) to dinner and pay a one time corkage fee per bottle. They will store unfinished bottles and bring it to any restaurant on request.

[CruisinShips]

3 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Oops, I forgot...bring your own wine bottle(s) to dinner and pay a one time corkage fee per bottle. They will store unfinished bottles and bring it to any restaurant on request.

Thanks for the responses!

[WayneLaR]

Since the OP inquired about TV programming, may I ask if there is any possibility of NFL games? 

[mauibabes]

@CruisinShips

IMHO it would be a GREAT mistake to walk away from a Vista cruise booking, especially since no one has any idea what the experience will be like. Years back we were like you only not nearly as many cruises under our belt but we had been thru Princess and RCL and X and even their best did not compare to our first Oceania experience in the Mediterranean. We told our cruising friends we have found a pearl in an oyster and they needed to “try it, you’ll like it”. We kept cruising O and they finally joined us on Marina and together WE have never gone back. 
We have met some fantastic people from all over the world over the years on Oceania and it is those guests that make up an integral part of our Oceania family. The staff is the other critical part of our O family. The staff really do understand customer service and will do virtually everything to ensure we have a fantastic cruise. We were able to sail on one of Marina’s Inaugural cruises and also Riviera’s early voyages. Vista is next and you can just blow off some negative commentaries because there is NO WAY anyone is going to do anything to make Frank Del Rio’s final nautical masterpiece anything but AMAZING. If you are fortunate enough to have a reservation on her, you are blessed. 
 

We have sailed with 30 something’s, 40 something’s and all the way up to guests in their 90’s. You will find a different mix of guests, not just people taking a cruise, or cruisers, but World Travelers. Believe me, you will fit in quite well and really enjoy yourselves.  O guests are not Pretentious, ok you might find a few, but those are often younger couples who are focused on “themselves”.  We have sailed with lots of first time cruisers, first time Oceania cruisers all the way up to guests with well over 1,000 days at sea on Oceania. Just great people and part of OUR Oceania family. 
 

Don’t miss your opportunity to be one of the first on Vista and in August, you might also be fortunate enough to book one of the Inaugural Allura sailings in 2025, JMHO. 

Enjoy your new, expanded family.

Mauibabes. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

13 hours ago, LHT28 said:

You may not be ready for  the relaxed pace of Oceania or Luxury lines

We started  cruising with O in our mid 50's   & never looked back

 But  we seem to enjoy  meeting people of all ages (over 25)

We found some people  in their 80's that could  stay up much later than us  & we retire about 11pm

 

You might be better to wait   for a few more years before trying an upscale line

Stick with  one of the main stream lines  or ones like VV  that have a younger vibe & more  activities

YMMV

It’s not clear who you are talking to here. Please clarify.  

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

It’s not clear who you are talking to here. Please clarify.  

to the OP

[CruisinShips]

8 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@CruisinShips

IMHO it would be a GREAT mistake to walk away from a Vista cruise booking, especially since no one has any idea what the experience will be like. Years back we were like you only not nearly as many cruises under our belt but we had been thru Princess and RCL and X and even their best did not compare to our first Oceania experience in the Mediterranean. We told our cruising friends we have found a pearl in an oyster and they needed to “try it, you’ll like it”. We kept cruising O and they finally joined us on Marina and together WE have never gone back. 
We have met some fantastic people from all over the world over the years on Oceania and it is those guests that make up an integral part of our Oceania family. The staff is the other critical part of our O family. The staff really do understand customer service and will do virtually everything to ensure we have a fantastic cruise. We were able to sail on one of Marina’s Inaugural cruises and also Riviera’s early voyages. Vista is next and you can just blow off some negative commentaries because there is NO WAY anyone is going to do anything to make Frank Del Rio’s final nautical masterpiece anything but AMAZING. If you are fortunate enough to have a reservation on her, you are blessed. 
 

We have sailed with 30 something’s, 40 something’s and all the way up to guests in their 90’s. You will find a different mix of guests, not just people taking a cruise, or cruisers, but World Travelers. Believe me, you will fit in quite well and really enjoy yourselves.  O guests are not Pretentious, ok you might find a few, but those are often younger couples who are focused on “themselves”.  We have sailed with lots of first time cruisers, first time Oceania cruisers all the way up to guests with well over 1,000 days at sea on Oceania. Just great people and part of OUR Oceania family. 
 

Don’t miss your opportunity to be one of the first on Vista and in August, you might also be fortunate enough to book one of the Inaugural Allura sailings in 2025, JMHO. 

Enjoy your new, expanded family.

Mauibabes. 

Great post, and thank you. FYI, we did put down the deposit for the Vista sailing and (as of now) we are completely on board and excited (although it's still a ways away).

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

 

[MEFIowa]

19 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

We are early/mid-50s but enjoy meeting people of all ages. We tried Riviera in the Caribbean in December 2021 in a concierge veranda and were surprised at how much we enjoyed hanging out on the ship (never cruised before, just using the ship to sleep and move port to port)....

Was that the W. Caribbean cruise on Riviera 12/13-23/21? That was our very first cruise. Back at that brief time O was doing the pre-board COVID testing free at the tent by the terminal. Such a great cruise weather and COVID-wise. But when we came back the COVID world turned upside down with the new variant. We had that brief window where it seemed like a pre-COVID cruise.

[AMHuntFerry]

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Was that the W. Caribbean cruise on Riviera 12/13-23/21? That was our very first cruise. Back at that brief time O was doing the pre-board COVID testing free at the tent by the terminal. Such a great cruise weather and COVID-wise. But when we came back the COVID world turned upside down with the new variant. We had that brief window where it seemed like a pre-COVID cruise.

Yep...very nice intro to cruising.