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amusea

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  • Location
    Tucson AZ
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Seabourn, Regent
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Norway
  • If you have a personal or hobby CRUISE or TRAVEL BLOG, include the url here:
    http://exotic-sojourn.blogspot.com/

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  1. I asked my travel agent to contact Oceania about the lack of the ability to make reservation for Red Ginger before my 16 day Vista cruise in November. I am very disheartened and angry with their answer since of all the specialty restaurants it is my favorite. Here is the answer: I called Oceania, and they advised the only way to pre book Red Ginger is to book a cooking class. He checked and there are none available right now, but you can keep checking in your reservation to see when those open to reservation. I realize that I can try to book once onboard but it will make the process much more difficult since the cruise is sold out. I don't consider that a satisfactory option. If I cannot eat at Red Ginger when I am cruising for 16 days that will probably be the end of my Oceania bookings. I still do not know if Embers will require a reservation although for me it is much less appetizing than Jacques according to the publicity. Why would Red Ginger have different reservation rules than Polo or Toscana?
  2. What happened to Red Ginger? I just checked my 16 day Vista cruise on the Oceania website and this is what it states for my dining reservation: Veranda (B5) offers you 1 reservation per restaurant in Polo Grill and Toscana I am also assuming that EMBERS which has replaced Jacques does not require a reservation but that is also unclear.
  3. Hello Mark, Our profiles are similar and we have encountered many of the same situations and preferences. Last September on Regatta we failed to make any specialty reservations before boarding the ship. There was a splendid concierge gentleman at a special desk who handled requests and complaints. Since we also like to dine early we just left our requests with him and he was able to work it out to our satisfaction as the cruise proceeded. We gave him as many possibilities for time and date as possible. We have just booked the Vista and were fortunate to get one of the last accommodations still available for the Panama Canal cruise from L.A. to Miami on November 3rd. Since the only reservation available was a French Veranda guarantee we are in the very lowest category and thus have concerns about getting a table for two at an early hour but we will try to make changes once onboard if what is available doesn't meet our needs.
  4. We also were confronted with the mysterious Pier 50. Our car's driver was not familiar with the pier and there were no signs on the road coming into the main port from the freeway. Unfortunately, we drove into the main port area and then were in a traffic jam for about 30 minutes while we circled the main port and then exited to where we had begun. It turns out that pier 50 is farther down the main road that adjoins the pier area but again no signs. The clue is to look for the ship with the X on the smokestack and head in that direction but don't go in the main fenced area. However, that was not the end of the escapade. We finally were alongside the ship and as we got out of the car we were told NO. This is not where you start the embarkation. Nearby there was a large tent and that was the first stop for embarkation. So that was another detour for us and the poor driver. Finally we exited at the tent, checked in and then stood in line for checking our bags. THEN we boarded a bus back to where the ship was docked. It was not a pleasant experience and you would think that at least someone could put up a few road signs but for our late October cruise on the Solstice there were none. Luckily for disembarkation we were at pier 93 in the main port area. Perhaps someone else can give more explicit instructions since it was several months ago and I have tried to wipe it out of my memory. Good luck.
  5. I totally agree about inconsistency and some poor meals. Our sailing on Regatta last September was not up to Oceania standards. Not being able to get some of the usual supplies should not affect the dishes that are prepared if the chef is clever. We felt that the food on our Seabourn cruise last month was far superior in creativity and taste. And the buffet luncheons were among the best we have ever experienced. The upcoming Vista Panama Canal cruise will help us decide if we continue to look towards Oceania for the best cuisine at sea.
  6. Realizing that food opinions are very subjective, my recent experiences show that all lines are having a harder time maintaining a uniform standard. The head chef of any ship can make a marked difference in the food that is presented. My last (9th) cruise on Regatta in September was comparatively disappointing from a cuisine standpoint whereas the food on my October cruise on Celebrity Solstice in the main dining room was among the best that I have experienced on that line (27 Celebrity cruises). Likewise, Regent has been mostly wonderful but there was one cruise on Voyager where the food was not at all up to par but other recent cruises on Explorer were excellent. The less said about my November cruise on Discovery Princess the better. The Vista will be my 114th cruise so I do speak with some historical perspective.
  7. I agree about Port of Miami. We disembarked Seabourn Sojourn from Terminal D on January 6th and the passport control was very rapid and casual. The passport official just glanced at the passport but Miami does not yet have facial recognition (however for our November Celebrity disembarkation at Los Angeles San Pedro the facial recognition was operational). Our small ship had only 400 passengers and Seabourn didn't even announce numbers or colors. It was all on the honor system and you just disembarked on or about the pre-determined time. There was no line so it was a breeze.
  8. Thanks for this verification of the sliding door that opens. We have sailed the Panama Canal itinerary seven times which inlcudes the first time in 1970 on the old P&O Oriana and recently twice in 2022 on the Seabourn Ovation. We have always been curious about how we would enjoy a French Balcony so we are giving it a try. In November there is a good chance that the weather will be cool enough to enjoy some fresh air at times. I don't find the balcony furniture particularly comfortable on Oceania so hopefully the stateroom's love seat will be more inviting and sometimes the noise from adjoining open balconies can be aggravating. Having just booked the stateroom last week the only option was a guarantee. If we are on the starboard side, the continual sun would make the real balcony only partially useful in any case. Jay in Tucson
  9. I have not been able to find any information regarding the fresh air access on the French Balcony cabins on Vista. Usually that designation means that the door/window can open to let in outside air. That is not the case with the Oceanviews on Marina and Riviera as far as I know. Can anyone confirm that the door on the Vista French Balcony rooms will actually open?
  10. We have been on two Seabourn Ovation cruises recently - December/January and March/April. Our recent Silver Muse cruise was a B2B Alaska cruise in June/July. The Seabourn Holiday cruise in December did not start off well in the Restaurant. I spoke to the Maitre D' and expressed my disappointment about the entrees and others did also. Within a few days the food was much better and Seabourn had dispatched the head of food and beverage from Miami to oversee the kitchen problem. From then on food and service on both Seabourn cruises was very good, even though it was obvious that Covid had caused some staffing problems. The Maitre D' continually thanked me for my criticism which seemed to help in replacing the Chef. Our first meal on Silver Muse was also a big disappointment. We decided to dine in what is the nearest thing to a main restaurant which is called Atlantide. Service was very slow and the food was barely acceptable. Since we were sailing for 14 days we decided to try all the other dining venues and were much happier with IndoChine and the Italian restaurant which is created from the Buffet Restaurant in the evenings. But our best meals were at the tiny intimate night club room called Silver Note where reservations are hard to come by. As a comparison, for my second dinner in Atlantide I had ordered Duckling a l'Orange. What was presented was half a of tough, dry duck which had no taste and was complete with large bone. In Silver Note the duckling was served with slices of medium rare duck (as requested) and it was as tender as filet mignon. No skin or bones. The sauce was its equal. Service on the Silver Muse was fantastic and the ship has many very nice cocktail lounges, all of which have very pleasant ambiance. On the Seabourn small ships there are only two inside lounges that serve drinks before dinner and the larger two ships add a lounge adjoining the Thomas Keller restaurant. But we preferred the greater choice of Silversea public lounges and the very personal service. However, even though the Seabourn caviar is not as good as it was formerly, it was still way better than that offered by Silversea. The Silversea caviar had absolutely no taste and the little eggs were actually crunchy. On Seabourn you could put a serving in your mouth and you could enjoy the flavor as it dissolved. So each line had its ups and downs. We found the Seabourn passengers a little more friendly, Perhaps the more strict dress code on Silversea tended to make folks a little more aloof.
  11. We used the 2 day rapid NAAT test and had no trouble when boarding our Silversea cruise two weeks ago. I had checked with Silversea in advance and they said that it was acceptable. But interestingly, the official at the check-in desk couldn't determine whether it was a PCR or Antigen test. However, it was accepted without any problem. We are planning to use the 2 day drive-in Walgreens NAAT rapid test again for our August Oceania cruise. The Walgreens is only two blocks from our house.
  12. One of the problems with many cruise lines is that there is no one person who takes responsibility for rules and regulations. I specifically asked my TA not to call the general telephone line since the reservation agents are prone to giving conflicting and often incorrect information. My travel agent complied but I do not know who her source of information was regarding the disembarkation testing. Here is the part of the information received by myself from Silversea and it the same information was also sent to me by my TA. Nowhere does it mention that Silversea will provide testing for those people who required a negative test in order to fly home after the cruise. In fact they suggest that you purchase the Abbott Bimax test kit. That certainly does not sound like they are providing any service. Here is what was written by SS: DISEMBARKATION DAY AND RETURN HOME To enable the suite cleaning and sanitisation processes to be completed, you will be required to leave your suite at 8am on the day of disembarkation. Before disembarking the ship by 10am, you are invited to enjoy breakfast. For your return journey, you are responsible for complying with all local health and safety requirements — those of your country and the countries through which you are transiting, which may include additional COVID-19 testing. RE-ENTRY TESTING REQUIREMENTS It is each guest's responsibility to know and understand their home country's re-entry requirements before disembarking the vessel.For your convenience, we offer the following optional service: Monitored Self-Test Kit – Abbott Binaxnow™ COVID-19 AG Card. The Optum COVID-19 Ag Card Home test allows you to complete your post-cruise testing onboard, or any place of your choosing, with the help of live video supervision by a Certified Testing Guide. We recommend that you order the kit/s at least one full week in advance of your sailing. Your results are typically ready in about 15 minutes. To order, please click here. If you develop COVID-19 symptoms after disembarking the ship, you should self-isolate and seek immediate medical care, sharing your travel history with the health care provider and a Silversea representative.
  13. Today, Thursday, June 9th, Silver Muse arrived in Vancouver. Perhaps there is someone who will join this discussion with first hand information.
  14. All the information about testing and vaccinations came to me yesterday from Silversea along with my tickets for the 7 day northbound and 7 day southbound return - June 23rd to July 7. My TA got the info at the same time and I noticed that there was no mention of onboard testing before disembarkation so she checked with SS and confirmed that it was no go. And yet, "in transit" passengers will be tested so that means in Seward I will undergo another test. The hotel "upstairs ' from the Canada Place cruise terminal is the Pan Pacific - not the Fairmont . There is a very close testing site in the Convention Center which is just adjacent to Canada Place and their prices are much less expensive than than the Empower Clinic. It is called CVM Medical and the Antigen test is $79. Appointments are required but you can cancel up to a few hours before the test for a refund. My flight is at 1:40 PM so I hope that I can get tested and still arrive at YVR in time to cope with the long lines. I am sure that some passengers will not notice the omission of the test onboard at the end of the cruise since SS does not specifically mention it and that could cause some problems for folks flying to the USA. It is these little extra courtesies that separate the luxury cruise lines from the premium and mass lines. However, I just read a blog from someone who tested positive before disembarking a HAL ship in Amsterdam. He was provided with 5 days of free quarantine hotel and meals in Rotterdam courtesy of Holland America. I don't know if Silversea has consistent rules for foreign ports other than Vancouver but It is disheartening to see these personal services being chipped away.
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