daydreamer62

Last night we ate at the GDR. I ordered the beef carpaccio which was perfect. A very small serving which was all I needed. I followed that with herb crusted lamb rack. It was cooked medium rare as I requested. I cook lamb rack almost daily as part of my job and it's hard to beat. I can't day this one was better than mine but it obviously wasn't New Zealand lamb either. It was still great. It came with daphenois potato and ratatouille both if which were tasty. Then I finished with the souffle which was green apple . It was light and nice but not a wow dessert. 

All in all an excellent meal though 

We had found Baristas great for a light lunch yesterday. The bakery offerings were delightful.. light as air custard filled doughnuts quiche eclairs and lovely little filled rolls which is what I chose with a doughnut for a light lunch along with a good coffee

8 hours ago, Harters said:

We found Martini's to be consistently very cold. Too cold to sit and enjoy a drink or two. It was the only public room on the ship that was like that.

I haven't found it cold anywhere so maybe they have balanced the aircon better

8 hours ago, fdnycruiser said:

Nice to know. On our Vista voyage in April, we were too busy trying to get a seat in Martinis. Now I’ll know better and check it out.

We were in martinis last night. Plenty of space there but definitely busier than Baristas 

Last night we had the first timers cocktail party. There are 679 out of 1189 on board who are new to Oceania so something is clearly working to bring in new customers . 

We have met a lot of people due to the meet and greet we set up. Most have had a similar experience to us in that it's been hard to fault and they not only want to come back.. they don't want to get off!!

I've heard of a few issues from a couple of people .. Nothing is perfect. But for us so far it's been excellent 

We decided to eat in the Terrace Cafe outside. I have be be honest and say I'm not a buffet person for dinner. I don't mind for breakfast or even lunch but I like a served and plated dinner. 

I had a BIG plate of sushi that was excellent and a couple of plate individual salads . Then a couple of little desserts. I would have had something from the grill but it was quite busy there. 

My opinion of buffets stands. Even though this is MUCH better than a standard buffet. I just prefer the relaxation of a standard plated meal. 

We had an early night and didn't go to the comedian who we found only mildly amusing and  had seen a few nights ago 

Well originally we had communicated with us and we asked if we could start earlier and  add some sightseeing in Bari to the itinerary.. which he agreed to. Only clearly he wasn't inclined to do that today. One of our 4 couples wanted to be dropped back to the ship and he refused . The entire tour really was unacceptable !! He pulled "facts" from thin air . Some of them totally ridiculous. 

3 hours ago, cruiserchuck said:

Sorry to hear about your tour experience.  We learned from previous experiences that in Italy, a driver is one profession, and a licensed guide is another profession.  So if you only have a driver on a tour, that person is not a guide and will not be able to provide the same experience as a licensed guide.  From our experience, some companies are better at explaining this before you book, and those companies offer to make arrangements for a licensed guide to join the tour at places where a guide will be beneficial.  

 

 

 

 

We've had great experiences with single driver/guide tours in Italy in the past over the years . I believe they can't enter museums but can still provide a great experience. Romeinlimo is a good one and we used another great one in lake Como among others. They can't enter museums but still give excellent tours 

I can't believe they're were no other poor reviews on this guy. He honestly was dreadful! But at least he got us to both places and back to Bari ( though not back to the ship,.. we walked back from the old town)

37 minutes ago, ORV said:

These were on another cruise line?

Yes Princess 

Today we did a private excursion from Bari that took in Matera and Alberobello as the cruise line didn't have one that did both. We booked it through Viator and even with 8 of us it was more expensive than most of the ship tours. On the positive side. He got us to both Matera and Alberobello.. I know I'm normally a pretty positive person but that's about the only positive thing I can say. If he actually knew what he was talking about then he clearly had no interest in imparting the truth. I research a lot about the places I am visiting so maybe I know more than most of his clients but when he did talk he pretty much told a lot of poppycock. He certainly wasn't  a charismatic person. In fact I think he should find a job where he doesn't interact with people!! And the driving...... All 8 of us plus him were squeezed 3 across an old rickety van. He would not run the air conditioning all the time so it was stifling in the back and he drove at speeds typical of Enzo Ferrari. This I wouldn't mind but the suspension in the back was non existent meaning I probably need spinal work done when I get home!!  ( Ok that's an exaggeration) 

Put it this way . None of us felt the need to tip him .

After our Apero at Baristas we moved to Waves for pizza (around 7:45) again it was very quiet. The burrata starters are great . I had the one with prosciutto. Then we shared a pizza between us. Half chicken and half meat   it was an excellent pizza with not too many toppings for the thin base.  We then moved to the Terrace Cafe and got a table in the stern for a quick dessert and a pot of peppermint tea . It had obviously been busy there but by the time we got there, there were plenty of tables available. 

Today we are in Bari Italy and we have a private excursion booked to Matera and Alberobello. 

We also have the 1st timers cocktail party 

I got the upgraded drink package. (Husband did not)

You really only need to purchase 2 cocktails to break even. But the drinks are strong. They aren't like what I remember from the previous 2 cruises  I was on where they tasted very watered down. Every one I've had has definitely been full strength. 

If I had a similar port intensive itinerary again I may not buy it but I like not having to have 2 the same as required by the 2 for 1 happy hours so it's been good to have it so far . 

Liking the Hugo.. light and pretty to drink . I think I said earlier there is definitely no watering down of cocktails here . Some are really strong.

We are currently sitting in Baristas which is an Italian themed bar on the evening . I think we are the only ones here.. We are about to try out waves pizza . I need a night off the big meals 

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Being a feline fancier, I remember all the CATS that were everywhere. So many just near the start of the path.

 

We got to the path right early, unfortunately as the ticket taker had just opened (if you get there earlier you don't pay). Thankfully it was nice and cloudy as we climbed up. When we came back down around 11 am it was hot and sunny. Those poor bastards climbing up didn't realize how many steps up it is! Better to do it when it is cooler, rather than hotter.

There weren't as many visible cats as I expected today. Maybe it was too hot for them 

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Did you see the of people streaming up and down the hill to get to and from the St. John's Fortress overlooking Kotor? We did that off Riviera 11/2023. Absolutely amazing views, but a very strenuous hike indeed.

Our friends travelling with us actually did it.. too hot and strenuous for me!! 

Today's excursion was Budva and historic Kotor. It was a relatively inexpensive one today I added on order to meet the minimum excursions required for this discount which saved us several hundred dollars. 

It was slightly modified from the original description and we were informed of this several times- on embarkation and by letter yesterday. The  alteration was the removal of the rug making stop which for us was a good thing!! We had a very informative guide for our group of 33 . There was a short bus ride to Budva which is a tiny historic walled village sorrounded by what is clearly a beach resort town. We were there fairly early so it wasn't as busy as it was likely to be later. We then returned to Kotor by bus and had a 30 minute walking tour of the town and then we were free to do what we wanted. We are docked right beside the city walls. There is one other ship in port that is tendering passengers in. Coming in to Kotor is beautiful. It looks a like a fiord but it's not actually created by glaciers, but by erosion and earthquakes. It's worth getting up early for the sail in. 

Both Kotor and Budva are very touristic but quaint. Kotor, is very busy with people , like the 2 previous ports we have visited. The downside of cruising of course is you are visiting at the busiest time of the day. 

We began the day with breakfast outside at the terrace cafe again. 

I'll try somewhere else tomorrow!

Last night's dinner was at Polo grill and again due to what I'd read here I didn't have high expectations. The food was excellent. Everyone loved their meal. 

I chose the collosal shrimp, surf and turf (fillet mignon and lobster) and  baked Alaska). They were all perfectly cooked to my requested preference.

Last night was also the captain's cocktail party and I can  attest that the drinks were certainly not watered down varieties!!

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

That is very good.  Is that regular or streaming. 

Just regular 

We had breakfast at the terrace cafe again. It was a lot busier than yesterday when we ate so early due to our tour leaving so early. But the food was great. Loving the variety of fresh fruit.. doesn't appear to be budget cuts in this area .. every type of fruit you can imagine . I also had some French toast which was delicious.. Very light very thick cut brioche .

Dubrovnik: we chose not to do an excursion here. We caught the shuttle bus to Pile gate and bought the Dubrovnik pass which gives entry to walk the walls and most of the churches and museums+ the public buses if you are inclined to go further than the old town. €35 which is the same price just to walk the walls. The day started grey miserable and raining when we left the ship but stopped raining about the time we arrived at the old town. It was marvellous but very crowded as you have expect. We made good use of the pass and visited many places and walked 3/4 of the way around the walls . 

I thought I'd update on Google photos backing up to the cloud via the ships wifi. It appears there must be a block on this as even individual photos won't back up . Not a huge deal in the scheme of things but annoying if you are editing photos on a second device.. It's no problem to swap from one device to the other on the portal but no good when you can't access the photos on both devices. I shall just have to do my editing on the phone and not the more screen spacious tablet

I just had a good look and it appears we havent received one.. not that I've needed it and I doubt will need it . But I'm happy to take a photograph of it if I get one 

2 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

The breakfast menu isn’t on the tv it comes in ‘paper’ version each night with ‘currents’ etc.

Thanks I'll look in the currents for it. I thought I did look but I must have been doing a poor job!

On 6/1/2024 at 1:38 AM, FetaCheese said:

I think the OP would like a currently onboard pax to snap a photo of room service menu, and post it here.

I can't find a paper copy to photograph for you. It's on the tv but you need to scroll through to see so can't photograph that either 

There are 5 appetizers, 4 soups, cheese plate, 3 salads, 2 pastas and a pizza, 3 burgers, 3 sandwiches, 5 main courses, 5 desserts + icecream 

I couldn't find the breakfast menu though

Last night we ate at Ember . After really comments here I didn't have high hopes but we were very happy with our meals. I like the open kitchen layout. I was watching the chefs cook and they looked a happy bunch and certainly produced good food. I had the burrata with lemon confit and carrots and it was delicious and not a combination I had had before.

Others in our party had the breaded jumbo shrimp and were also very happy. For a main I had scallops with a corn mousse. Perfectly cooked. My husband had the tenderloin which came exactly to his preference. We also shared the lobster Mac and cheese which was interesting but not my favourite. I had the key lime cheesecake which was light and nice but not very limey . Everything was plated beautifully and the meal took just under 2 hours for 6 of us .(Some had 4 courses) 

It wasn't as noisy in Ember as it was in the grand dining room the night before so I couldn't say that was a problem either.

7 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Wonder if you could run a speed test https://www.speedtest.net/  and report the speeds you are seeing. 

Pretty fast 107.39

So it must be viewing the uploading of images as some kind of streaming 

Highly recommend Founders bar . 

Oh one more thing about the internet. While it's fast for browsing, it won't upload photos to the cloud which is not annoying as I like to edit on the go with a tablet but use a phone and a DSLR. I guess it's understandable as they are decent sized files but I thought they would eventually upload slowly but it seems like they just don't go at all