Hlitner

Thanks to your post, we learned about the ability to dim that mirror light :). Hank

We are thinking about booking one of the Santorini wine excursions, but have no clue if it will even be available. That would use up most of our remaining credit. Our visit to Santorini, on the next segment, will be along with 3 or 4 other ships and over 6000 cruise passengers. Dealing with the cable car, when you have that many cruisers, can be a royal pain so an excursion might be helpful (at least in the morning). Getting down, from Fira, in the afternoon will not be fun. Hank

Moving on with our live from the Vista reports. Yesterday we were in Livorno with absolutely gorgeous weather with temps in around 70f. Livorno is a port with many terrific options (for both DIY and excursions) and opted for a very pricy wine tasting/gourmet lunch excursion. We thought the excursion was quite good (and we normally dislike excursions) and we enjoyed our small group of fellow passengers. The only negative was that the excursion cost about $300 per person which we (and some others) thought was a bit steep. Last evening it was dinner in the GDR (DW and I both had an excellent strip steak au poivre). My NY Cheesecake was somewhat disappointing because it lacked enough cream cheese. Today was another gorgeous day and we were docked in La Spezia. This port is most convenient for visiting the villages of Cinque Terre, so DW and I decided to visit a few villages DIY. We have been to this part of Italy, many times, but we usually access Cinque Terre with a rental car. Today we took the train (an all day Cinque Terre Pass was about 27 Euros). This pass gives unlimited use of the regional train, access to the hiking trails etc. Folks that have often visited this over touristed destination generally have their favorite village. For us, it is Vernazza, which is where we got off the train as for our first village. I should mention that this port has a free shuttle to the port terminal building, and from that location it is a 1 mile walk to the La Spezia Centrale train station. At Vernazza we did a lot of walking and eventually had an excellent lunch at an outdoor restaurant with a decent view of the crowds and water. Cinque Terre is a popular place, so crowds are the norm. After lunch we took another train over to Corniglia. This is probably the least visited of the 5 villages because it is somewhat difficult to access (you need a bus from the train) and the village is full of slopes and steps. After spending 1 1/2 hours in Corniglia (and having some terrific local gelato) we decided to make our way back to La Spezia and the ship. The trains were running late (not unusual) and it actually took us about 2 hours until we were back aboard. A word about our cabin (a normal veranda). The Vista has a night light (which can be operated from either side of the bed). It is a blue bulb located on the ceiling near the bathroom. There is also a white light under the sink in the bathroom. The problem is that the night light is a little bright for our taste (and others with whom we chatted). We found a great solution is to simply leave on the light that surrounds the bathroom mirror. With the bathroom door closed, enough light bleeds under the door to give us a nearly perfect night light 🙂 Hank

There was no reference. However, 2 days after I posted my comment, we did receive a letter from the shore excursion folks explaining that the excursion was cancelled for "operational" reasons. At this point we have had 3 cancelled excursions (all by the Vista) and have over $370 pp shore excursion credit. An excursion that we might have considered for this segment is no longer available and we are not permitted to book anything for the following segment until last day of this cruise. In fact, we cannot even find out what, if anything, is available on the next segment since the onboard Destination Office folks tell us they cannot access any info on the next segment until the last day of this segment. Hank

Definitely a good step in the right direction. Given the HAL track record we will wait to see if, and when, these shows exist on all the ships.

We later noticed that some of the trains were running, despite claims to the contrary on various Internet sites including warnings on the Trenitalia site. Having, in the past, being left standing at various Italian train stations during strikes (both announced and quite sudden) we opted to play it safe and not risk having to pay a taxi to get us back to Civitavecchia from Rome. We were only planning on going into Rome for lunch at a restaurant in Trastevere, so it was not a big deal to give up a meal :). It also gave us an opportunity to do some laundry (there were a few others with the same idea). One amusing related tale happened to us many years ago when we got blindsided by a sudden Trenitalia strike that was on a single line for half a day. We waited on the platform at Certaldo (a station not to far from San Gimignano) to go into Florence for a Saturday evening dinner. The train did not come. Along with quite a few locals we patiently waited for the next train which also did not come. Everyone just shrugged and we all left the station (we had a car). A few days later we were flying out of FCO and had enough time to stop at the Trenitalia office that is located in the airport. We wanted our money back (for the unused tickets). The station manager told us about the 1/2-day strike that shut down our trains. He further explained that if we were Italians, he could issue us a refund, but foreign nationals had to fill out a form and the refund would be mailed. He helped us fill out the form and we never received the small refund. But even if we had gotten the check, it would have been in Euros (not easy to cash in the USA). Hank

This morning, we stopped at Horizons around 11am to get a morning drink :). Since it is a turn-around day, the ship was mostly empty and one of our favorite bar tenders was working at the bar. DW asked him if he had any fresh squeezed OJ to make a decent mimosa. He said they did not have the good OJ. but he had a few oranges and would sqeeze one to make her mimosa 🙂 That is the kind of service we expect on luxury lines. Hank

I believe that some hotel and hotel chains pay commissions to TAs. I should add that over many years (and lots of cruises/international travel) we have generally found that cruise line hotel packages (pre/post cruise) generally cost about twice the price of simply booking the same or even better hotels on one's own. There are sometimes when included transfers might make it worthwhile to book a cruise line hotel package, but that is rare. Hank

TAs are paid a commission, overrides and bonuses from cruise lines. But they do not get anything from air bookings which is why most agencies do not encourage air bookings. We are in the digital age where many of us handle our own air/ hotels via the Internet, Apps, etc. Many cruise lines do have decent online booking sites for cruise air. Sometimes they have good deals for Business, First and Premium Econmy. Dealing direct with consolidators (discounters) for air is a tricky business and many experts do not favor using air consolidators. Hank

On the Vista now and we get a 4 page US news summary every evening. It is day old news. Most folks get their news via the Internet or from several news stations on the cabin TV. Hank

We are often at the bar in Martinis, before dinner. But I should warn you that on the voyage, just ended, Martini's was a very popular venue and was usually packed pre-dinner. Hank

I can tell you that when we embarked from Miami, we had both Perrier and Pelligrino waters on the ship. After a few days, all the good mineral waters were out of stock and the only products were common Seltzer water such as from Canada Dry. Aquamar and Waves do make various "smoothies" which are generally a mixture of fruits although Aquamar also has a few smoothies which use vegetables...such as spinach. We are not aware of other fresh squeezed juices other than OJ, although the longer we are on the Vista the more we realize that some things may be possible by simply asking. Hank

Good Morning from Civtavecchia, Tis a bright sunny day (temps will be in the 60s) as we end our first (of three) cruise segment. Rumor has it that there are only about 300 of us staying on for the next segment (which ends in Malta). Tis a sad moment for us, as we had to say "goodbye" to quite a few new friends that are leaving the ship. Now for my first RANT! This morning, as many were disembarking, I happened to chat with a crew member who is from Italy. We were talking about his home town when he mentioned that there is a train strike, at 9am, in the Rome sector (which includes all the trains from Civitavecchia to Rome). The trains are not running and there will also be various local strikes in Rome including their public buses. This is going to strand quite a few O passengers at the train station, because O has seen fit not to mention a word about the strike. Nothing in Currents, nothing in the announcements. In fact, DW and I were planning to take a morning train into Rome (to have lunch) but now we will simply stay in Civitavecchia. A few minutes ago, we decided to do some laundry. In the laundry room we met a couple finishing their laundry. They are disembarking today and had planned on taking the train into Rome! They were very unhappy when we told them there are no trains, but they might start to run again after 1pm. We referred this couple to our Italian crew member friend who might be able to give them some advice (they are certainly not getting any help or info from O). Speaking of the onboard laundromats, there are decent English instructions on the wall with 3 sets of washers/dryers in each laundry room. This morning, DW and I finally decided to try the GDR for breakfast. Like up in the Terrace Cafe, if you request "fresh sqeezed OJ" you will get it! If not, you generally will get the really awful regular OJ. Speaking of OJ, if you order a Mimosa they use the bar OJ which is similar to the awful stuff in the Terrace. Nothing ruins decent Champagne faster than bad OJ. Reading the posts about the Beef Wellington with a smile. I do think the recipe has changed over the years where it is now very common to use a mushroom duxelle, and that is what is done here on the Vista. I had Beef Wellington in the GDR, and thought it was excellent. Speaking of English recopies, I still recall the days when "Carveries" were popular in London. My own feeling was that the English would cook roast beef until it was well-done, and then cook it again! Tastes and preparation have changed (for the better). But several of our English friends still prefer very well-done beef. In fact, both DW and I continue to think that our best dinners have been in the MDR....not the other 4 venues (we have tried them all). Another RANT, this time about Destination Services (also known as the tour desk). Last evening they delivered our excursion tickets for this segment. DW quickly realized that we were missing tour tickets for our Barcelona Culinary excursion. A careful look at the latest tour printout showed that our previously confirmed excursion is no longer on the list. Our assumption is that it has been cancelled, but since NOBODY from O ever informed us of a cancellation, how are we to know? That excursion was booked online and twice confirmed by O (we still have the e-mails). Apparently, O has their own definition of "Confirmed." In fairness to O, we have found that the Excursion operations on most cruise lines leave a lot to be desired. I will end this post on a high note. DW and I feel very comfortable, and at home, here on the Vista. The crew is fantastic as have been nearly all our fellow passengers. And our cabin (8104) has proven to be among the quietest cabins we have ever experienced in 50 years of cruising. Hank

Not really a train “trip” but we did take a few bullet trains. All nice, spotless, and you can set your watch by the schedule.

No Promanade deck. The Vista carries up to 1250 passengers. Yesterday, which was a sea day, the classical quartet performed a special afternoon show where they played all kinds of music from the Hungarian Dance #5 to the Beatles Yellow Submarine.

We will still be aboard. I would suggest the sandwiches in Waves over the lunch in the Terrace. I think Terrace is too typical of cruise line Lidos Hank

As you are probably aware, with HAL, much depends on which ship. But we have always loved the BB King concept, and groups. Whether the Rolling Stone change will maintain the quality is still a question. Hank

Yep and I suspect they are even better (as a quartet) now than in February. With one exception, they had not worked together until they all were brought aboard the Vista. It takes some time for musicians to gel as a group and they have now had 2 months to work together. Many of us who have cruised, in the past, on HAL, looked forward to the fine classical groups found on that line. HAL recently discontinued their classical music program (i.e. Lincoln Center Stage) and I would imagine that some HAL regulars will find their way to O because of the classical music offered by the line. Hank

Todo beay we cruise on a northeasterly heading on our way to Monte Carlo. We are experiencing some 3-4 meter swells along with a strong 30+ knot wind. This makes it likely we will dock a few minutes late tomorrow even though we are making a top speed of 20 knots. This is our last sea day before we have 10 ports in 10 days! ARGH. The wind over the decks is so strong that the Captain ordered the closure of all the upper decks (above 12). Dinner last evening, in the GDR, was a mixed bag. We managed to get a 4-top with our favorite waiter and were soon joined by another American couple who were terrific dinner partners. Dinner had a promising start as the escargot was perfect and my creole gumbo very tasty. But the main (which all 4 of us had ordered) of scallops were disappointing as the dish lacked flavor. The truth is that the scallops we buy at home (from Costco) are far superior to what was served on the Vista. Bottom line continues to be that some dishes are excellent while others are just OK. I went up, early this morning, to Baristas (my normal morning hang-out) to enjoy some cappuccino and a fresh croissant. While that venue is normally a self-service place, this morning the staff were very active in taking coffee orders at the tables. By 9 there was not an empty table in Baristas and the queue at the coffee bar was quite long. DW arrived and waited over 10 minutes to get her tea. She suggested that it would help the queue situation if they put out a large urn of hot water and the box of tea bags. There is no good reason for tea drinkers to stand in a queue of mostly coffee/espresso drinkers to simply get a cup of hot water. Something for her to drop in the suggestion box. Entertainment continues to be quite good. Last evening we listened to a new guest entertainer, Becky Porter, who hails from Wales, and performed an Adele show. At times she sounded as good or better than Adele (that is no easy feat) and the most of the audience seemed to enjoy the show. That being said, we met some folks (at the bars) who did not even know anything about Adele or her music. We are a pretty old group of cruisers (typical of long crossings) and some are completely out of touch with contemporary music. This afternoon there was a special 45-minute concert in the Vista Lounge which was presented by the string quartet. I thought the ladies were brilliant, they performed a variety of music from Classical to some show tunes (i.e. Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom, etc). The audience was small (about 50) and I think many folks missed a really good performance. These young ladies are all very talented and the Vista Lounge was a place for them to truly shine. I hope that O continues their support of classical performers. Hank

We are not fans of the Sky Princess itinerary for a few reasons. Bermuda is an iffy port in November because of potential weather issues. And it is more of a colder weather itinerary. The Sun would be our favorite itinerary of the three because we really like the itinerary. By the way, we are just finishing a TA cruise (on Oceania Vista) where we did end up in Madeira after having both Bermuda and Horta (Azores) cancelled due to bad weather. Just in Malaga, yesterday, and it remains one of our favorite ports. Hank

Our T-Mobile plan (just the normal Senior Plan) gives us 5 Gigs (per month) of high speed (usually LTE or 5G) at no extra charge. That 5G is per month (based on one's billing date). If you exceed that 5G limit than the speed drops to 256 K. We live in Mexico for 10 weeks a year and we have few issues. T-Mobile plans will generally use Telcel, but Movistar is also usable for T-Mobile accounts. Hank

Just wondering about “fresh and local” in the middle of the Atlantic, Pacific, etc. ROFL Speaking of burgers, the various one’s served at Waves are excellent. I imagine the staff can rustle-up some “fresh international gruel” on demand to satisfy the request of a certain poster 🥹 Hank

Hola from Malaga, Docked in Malaga, today, which is another favorite port of ours. The weather was relatively clear and breezy with temps in the low to mid 70s. O did provide a free shuttle bus (every 30 minutes) to get folks to the Plaza de la Marina, which is a good location for folks who want to get into the center of town and the major shopping area. DW and I decided to skip the shuttle and walk into town, but then deviated to visit the Alcazabra. Malaga gives cruisers access to a wonderful part of Spain that includes places such as Marbella, Ronda, and even Granada (with the amazing Alhambra). We have previously spent a lot of time in this part of Spain which is why we decided to have an easy day not too far from the ship. The 4:30 all aboard discouraged us from renting a car and having a DIY driving day. We managed to walk a little over 5 miles, and stopped for lunch at a local restaurant where we enjoyed paella. Food (always a big topic on O) has been mostly very good, and last night was no exception. DW and I managed to get a 2-top with our favorite GDR waiter, and have a very nice dinner. Based on our waiter's suggestion, I ordered the Pork Chop which was served in a BBQ sauce. The meat was perfectly cooked, very tender, and the BBQ sauce really worked with the pork. I also tried ordering a side of pasta with the Bolognaise sauce, since a fellow cruiser had told me this sauce was amazing. I also found the sauce outstanding. Entertainment last night was Duo Esencias, a couple that we have previously seen on a HAL cruise in these same waters. The male, of that duo, is a world-class violinist and always excellent. His wife is an excellent Flamenco dancer and she seemed to captivate much of the audience. The Guest Entertainers on this cruise (we have had 3...so far) have all been quite good. Hank

There are many reasons that cruise ships delay their departure from an embarkation port. It is often a simple issue that they need more time to load all the supplies. There are also times when they may be waiting for 1 or more passengers who mahy be on delayed flights (often booked through the cruise line). We have also been on a few cruises that were delayed because of a medical emergency (onboard) and it can take some time to arrange for a patient to be moved ashore. And there are also cases of port congestion, weather, tides, the delay of a harbor pilot boarding the ship, etc. Over our 50 years of extensive cruising we have experienced all of the above with some Captains sharing the reason for a delay and others not only offering veiled hints. Hank

Greetings from Cadiz, Eleven days after departing Miami, we have finally arrived at our first port on the European continent. DW and I have always enjoyed Cadiz, which is a fine port for DIYers or tour lovers. The weather started out somewhat overcast, but gradually cleared into a nice spring day with temps about 68. DW and I took our first O Excursion (we need to take some excursions because of our Simply More credit) which was a Tapas cooking and eating tour to an old home/hotel in Jerez. Last evening we had our first dinner in Ember. To be very blunt, of all the dining venues onboard this is our least favorite. Some have called it "Applebee's at Sea" and with this we do agree. No tablecloths, a very unimpressive menu, slow service, etc. I had the blackened crab cake starter and was really disappointed. As one who loves good crab cakes, what was presented at Ember was very sad. Not enough crab (too much filler), so-so flavor, small size. I followed with the Lobster Mac and Cheese main, and this was somewhat different than I expected, but quite good. Unlike most Lobster Mac and Cheese this had almost a broth-type sauce. We sat down about 7:30 (at a 4 top) and did not get our dessert menus until 9:10. All of us simply walked out (no dessert) since we wanted to see the new O show featuring a hologram and music of Whitney Houston. The show was full, it was the kind of thing I expect at a Carnival, and we will not return when they do it again later in our cruise. We are talking about watching a Hologram of Whitney (who looked very white) and listening to her recordings. Getting back to the restaurant service, we had mistakenly assumed that one could dine at 7:30 and still make the 9:30 shows! However, service in several of the venues has been somewhat slow, so folks wanting to go to the shows (and get a decent seat) should probably consider dining by 7 or perhaps 7:15. Should it take more than 1 1/2 hours to serve three courses! You be the judge. While we like to dine slow in upscale venues, we do not expect to spend over 2 hours in Applebee's....oops, I mean Ember. Hank