Tips from O veterns

[Tomjadg]

We are going on our first O cruise on Regatta in March to W. Med. (7th cruise)

 

What insider tips can you vets tell us?

 

Thanks for the help!

[LHT28]

Do not expect big ship experiences EG shows, wet t shirt contests & the like :D

 

Just go & enjoy

Lyn

[Tomjadg]

Haha..had enough of the "big ship" experiences.

 

Looking forward to good food, comfort, relaxing, and NO KIDS!!

[LHT28]

Haha..had enough of the "big ship" experiences.

 

Looking forward to good food, comfort, relaxing, and NO KIDS!!

 

You will probably enjoy O then

Read through some of the other messages here & you will find all kinds of helpful info

 

We love the food, beds & the wonderful crew

Don't miss afternoon tea 4 pm in Horizons;)

[hondorner]

Here's a minor "inside" tip -- there are two computers in the library that are networked into the same system as the computers in the computer room. It's easy to set up your own account (use your oceania at sea address and make up a password), and you can check for emails from home (be sure to give folks your oceania at sea address) or send emails without incurring any internet minutes ($2 per email sent or received). You can also use Word and other desktop facilities without charge, and there is also a laser printer in the library. What makes this a "tip" is that at least one of these computers is almost always available.

[china addict]

I never sign up for computer packages because I like to escape from normal routine on vacation, but I always like to print my boarding passes 24 hours before return flight. Hondorner, does this mean I can slip into the Library on Regatta to check in on line the day before we return to Miami? That would be great.

 

My insider tip on O is that capuccino (sp?) is free and is a nice treat at breakfast or for an after dinner drink. Also, if you plan to use the self-service laundry on deck 7, pack some fabric softener sheets into your suitcase. Makes laundry smell better. Take wine to laundry room if there is a wait for machines (very important tip!). Buy masses of flowers at local markets and ask room steward for vase or extra ice bucket. There's a huge shower in the gym area if the shower in your cabin is too cramped. Don't stress over reservations in the specialty restaurants. If you ask politely in the Terrace at breakfast time and are willing to share a table, they can often accommodate you. House wine by the glass is not bad. Afternoon tea is great. Try the ice-cream. It's extraordinary. They also serve amazing top-rate cheeses. One tip for any cruise (and I always forget!) is to carry a yellow highlighter. When the next day's program is left in your room, highlight everything that interests you so you don't miss anything. O's shore excursions IMO are over-priced. It's more fun to pick up details about your destination from the local tourism rep who boards in each port and sets up a desk near the Concierge. You can then share a cab into town with fellow passengers to cut down on cost and make new friends. Don't expect the onboard shops to carry much in the way of affordable toiletries, meds or candy/nuts, etc. Hope this helps. Just relax and enjoy. It's hard not to have a good time on Oceania.

[hondorner]

Hondorner, does this mean I can slip into the Library on Regatta to check in on line the day before we return to Miami? That would be great.

Yes, you will be paying $0.95 per minute, but the library computers also connect to the internet. Just log in (you will have to create your desktop access account, if you haven't done so earlier) and click for internet access. They start charging you as soon as you gain access, My only problem with that is that it might take 15 minutes or more at Oceania speeds to get to your boarding pass and print it out.

 

I'm like you. I do take my small laptop to create a daily journal (otherwise I forget all the details and get the days mixed up) and download photos (I have plenty of room on the memory cards; I just download them so I have them in two places). But, I stay off the internet for the duration of the trip -- I spend enough time on it when I'm home.

 

...Take wine to laundry room if there is a wait for machines (very important tip!).

That works very well to stop the occasional disputes that break out in the laundry room.

 

...Try the ice-cream. It's extraordinary.

AND the sorbet -- I like it better than the ice cream -- it's all home made, intense and unusual flavors.

[Leonid]

Don- can one use the library computers(offline) to down load pictures to a flash drive? With my Nikon Coolpix point & shoot, I have to use a thumb drive as the interface between the MM/SD card & the computer. Wonder if there are two USB ports open, which would probably let me transfer the pictures from the SD card to the flash drive without having to load them onto the hard disk.

I ran this by DW and her eyes glazed over.:D

[joan24]

Don- can one use the library computers(offline) to down load pictures to a flash drive? With my Nikon Coolpix point & shoot, I have to use a thumb drive as the interface between the MM/SD card & the computer. Wonder if there are two USB ports open, which would probably let me transfer the pictures from the SD card to the flash drive without having to load them onto the hard disk.

I ran this by DW and her eyes glazed over.:D

 

Mine too!!

[Paulchili]

Wonder if there are two USB ports open, which would probably let me transfer the pictures from the SD card to the flash drive without having to load them onto the hard disk.

I ran this by DW and her eyes glazed over.:D

 

Unforfunately that is very unlikely (but anything is possible).

[rogfam]

We were on the Nautical Black Sea cruise last July and it was excellent.

The specialty restaurants do fill up quickly, so I suggest that you sign up as soon as you board. Also, they do have some last minute cancellations, so always check up to the hour you would like to dine.

Their land tours are overpriced. Try to book your own. We met some wonderful people on the cruise critic board and arranged private tours in the ports we visited. Not only were they less expensive, but our group of 10 was perfect.

I booked my air deviation with Oceania and it turned out to be less money if I would have booked on my own. Check it out for your cruise.

If you stay in a hotel either pre or post cruise as we did, in most cases, it is much less expensive to book on your own than using Oceania. This is true even if you add the cost of transfers.

I agree, don't miss the afternoon tea!!!!

[hondorner]

Don- can one use the library computers(offline) to down load pictures to a flash drive? With my Nikon Coolpix point & shoot, I have to use a thumb drive as the interface between the MM/SD card & the computer. Wonder if there are two USB ports open, which would probably let me transfer the pictures from the SD card to the flash drive without having to load them onto the hard disk.

I ran this by DW and her eyes glazed over.:D

That's the one question I was hoping no one would ask. I never checked for USB ports on the library computers, and since I use a cable to go direct to my laptop harddrive for the photos, I have not used a flash drive.

 

However, they are fairly recent desktop computers, so there ought to be at least one USB port on the front. The rest would likely be in the back and I can't remember if they are movable. When you log on in the offline mode, it puts you into a standard Windows desktop with icons for the internet, word, Outlook Express for email, etc. I don't know if there is software access to the ports.

 

One other alternative that might work is a small USB hub. I have a USB travel hub that has 1 into 4 USB ports. You might be able to use 2 of them to transfer stuff.

 

Remind me of all this when we get on board in December; I'm sure we'll find a few minutes to play together on the computers. If nothing else, my laptop has 3 USB ports and I always carry the USB expansion hub.

[PurpleCow]

I don't know about the computers in the library, but those in the computer lab are monitors, keyboards and mice only, no towers.

[LHT28]

They do have some laptops in the computer lab

Not sure if you can use a USB drive to upload/download your photos that way...I just take my own laptop.

Check the webcam for pictures of the lab

 

I have used the computer in the library to print off letter on the printer there.