O Welcome Packet

We wrapped up our day with a wander to add to our steps for today … only 10,500 steps as compared to the steps we clocked on Wednesday and Thursday. Otherwise, nothing exciting to report … I will share a few photos, however,

Lest you think otherwise, there is a purpose to this footprint.

Since many of the followers of this “trip” are fellow passengers on RTW2023, I thought I’d share a bit of the “Welcome Packet” (a single sheet of info, really) that we received from the Oceania rep who was in the lobby today to greet us.

There is a caveat to this information. Since we are not boarding RTW2023 per se, the specific information will be different for those embarking in Miami or San Francisco (different hotels, for one thing). But the gist of it will likely be similar. I’ve added details from our RTW2017 experience where appropriate.

The rep was in the lobby today from 1:00p to 4:00p. And will be in the lobby again tomorrow from 9:00a to 2:00p. From what I gathered in talking to the rep, there are just 20 of us for the transfer to the ship tomorrow (Mui and I are the only RTWers in the group). That probably explains the limited hours. My recollection is that the Oceania ground reps had longer hours when we did RTW2017.

With so few passengers being transferred, I expect that there will be just one bus tomorrow — departure is scheduled for 11:15a … we’ve been asked to be in the lobby by 11:00a. On RTW2017, there were multiple transfer buses and the reps gave us our bus assignments when we checked in with them on arrival at the hotel.

When we first stopped to chat with the rep, he was waiting to hear back about the “bag pull,” which the welcome sheet did not specify … unlike in 2017. We stopped by later to get the answer … and yes, our bags, with Oceania luggage tags attached, will be collected from inside our room at 8:30a; we don’t have to be present. This was also the case for RTW2017.

With so few passengers being transferred, I expect the luggage will go with us in the belly of the bus. On RTW2017, the luggage was loaded into a truck and traveled to the ship separately. On that occasion, we were asked to identify our bags in the lobby before they were loaded on the truck. But the bellman who took our bags, delivered them directly to the truck, so we didn’t see them again until they were brought to us in the cabin.

The bus assignment/departure time and the handling of the luggage were the most important pieces of information we needed ... to our way of thinking. But here's some additional info you'll find on the printed sheet.

Breakfast ... when and where. There is no complimentary breakfast for us, but I recollect it was included for RTW2017. We received vouchers that we gave to the hostess at the designated restaurant.

Official check-in time (at the hotel). You may well be able to check in early … though you may not be able to access your room until later. You will be pre-registered by Oceania but will have to provide a credit card for incidentals as per normal check-in procedures.

Check-out time. In our case, it is after the transfer bus departs, so it's a moot point. That said, I don’t remember any extensions to this time based on bus departure times for RTW2017. You are asked to settle any incidentals prior to the check-out time. I distinctly remember that the lines to do so were long and the lobby seemed to be choc-a-bloc with RTWers and their carry-on bags,

Word to the wise … find a quiet corner and be patient!Weiterlesen