Vallesan

I couldn’t agree more. Most people seem to be most concerned with the ‘physical’ distance from the Israel-Hamas war, rather than the far more important ‘ideological’ distance. Just take a look at the number of demonstrations around the world. Ideological sympathies are way more important when considering the ‘safety’ of a country than just its physical distance from a war zone.

Lovely to hear that everything so far is good. Just to let you know you can ask for any coffee in GDR in the morning and they will bring it for you. You don’t have to drink the stuff they pour. I usually have a double expresso with a little warm milk on the side … never a problem. ENJOY!

Sorry! Hope this topic isn’t taking up too much precious space! Actually we are sailing on the Riviera from Singapore and just thought that as this is an ‘Oceania’ board, some of the 1200 people likely to be on board would be reading these threads too!

Hope you are staying for a good few days …. there’s so much to see!

The hotel does look interesting but I think I might just stick with the Shangri-La especially after Hambagahles’s reply. Maybe you should take a look at the Shangri-La??? We usually take a pool room and upgrade to the club …. not fussy on the club rooms.

Interesting! Yes our first trip in 1993 was to the Pan Pacific which I didn’t like. We’ve stayed in the Hyatt near to Tangs, The Swissotel on a stop over, meeh!, the Shangri-La in Sentosa which was OK but we do still love Orange Grove Rd! The first time we stayed they had the most amazing sculpture in the foyer … made from butter! Thinking that this will probably be our last trip to Singapore, last long haul even, and just thought maybe a change would be good. But the hotel is lovely and I guess if it ain’t broken …..

LOL. If Rudyard Kipling, or you were paying, I wouldn’t hesitate!

Just interested to know where people stay pre-cruise in Singapore? We usually stay in the Shangri-La in Orange Grove Road but thought a change might be good. Thank you in advance.

Can’t wait to see what you think of the ship!

Pinotlover. Not sure if you read Georgina’s posts about the food on Oceania but we exchanged several, good natured, posts earlier on this thread. I lightheartedly suggested Georgina find another cruise line if Oceania was no longer her cup of tea! Mexicobob was just agreeing. Please let’s not turn lighthearted banter into something less pleasant.

Or any dinner at all!

👍👍👍👍

Maybe our experience had just been different! I will take a more careful note when we sail again in January.

Oh dear! This thread seems to have turned into a ‘pizza’ thread. Sorry if I’ve helped to push it in that direction. Anyway …… Let’s just say we all enjoy pizza ‘Our Way’!

Maybe. We started sailing with Oceania in 2015. So if they started the ‘old ‘ system in 2012 it’s probably about time it changed!

Yes. We used to take the drinks package as our perk (not the prestige package). Have sailed 9 times with Oceania so far and have never been offered a ‘wine by the glass’ menu. Maybe it’s something new.

Oh dear! If you are going to eat pizza at least let it resemble the ‘real’ thing! Don’t think I’ll be trying it on the Marina next year.

Looks lovely! As luck would have it I’m on vacation in southern Europe at the moment and yesterday I had pizza , a very late lunch/early dinner! Whilst the pagliacci pizza looks lovely the base on our pizza was paper thin, amazing. You Paris lunch sounds far richer than my pizza!

In our experience, with the ‘old system’, we were always offered a red and a white but never a menu. If we didn’t fancy either wine we would asked for a Rioja or Albariño, for example, and they always came up with an acceptable wine.

I’ve travelled on both and I agree you need a PH on the R ships. When it comes to itinerary, then for me, the Fjords win hands down. The Canaries may be a disappointment. They are all quite similar, volcanic, with national parks etc. The fjords on the other hand are ‘spectacular. Sailing through the clear waters is completely different to ‘sea’ sailing. You will have to pick your timing very carefully to see the Northern lights.

Sounds like a good plant to me! Travel safely. Above all ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

We always like to say a personal ‘thank you’ by giving tips to those crew members who, in our opinion, have just done that little bit extra to make our trip even more memorable. It’s just a ‘token’, rather than megabucks, but I think the staff probably value really being appreciated.

Maybe I have led a sheltered life! But actually I adore cheese but am not fond of that terrible rubbery stuff they call ‘cheese’, which can be found on some cheap pizzas! Maybe it’s the cooked cheese element that also puts me off mac & cheese! Either way I can think of far nicer accompaniments to a good steak! As it so happens Silver Dawn (and I’m guessing other Ssea ships) has a pizzeria on board and the pizzas are great …. for lunch! Oceania also has a pizzeria now. In the evenings the Waves Grill on the Vista turns into a pizzeria. I also think I heard that the Marina will have a pizza oven in Waves after her refurbishment in May 24. Not sure about the Riviera. That pizza above looks amazing … but… still wouldn’t eat pizza for dinner!

I would say reassess. For me if I were on a ‘mass market’ ship and the food was bad I would probably just vote with my feet/wallet too! Other people’s reviews are so subjective. For example everybody raves about the miso glazed sea bass in Red Ginger but I really don’t like it because it’s far too sweet for me. I just choose other dishes. We also love the crispy duck and watermelon salad but on our last Riviera cruise October 22 it just wasn’t up to scratch. We mentioned it to the chef and he told us they were using different duck. Would that stop me going on another O cruise? No! I just eat other dishes. Not everybody enjoys the same food and I’m maybe as ‘picky’ as you but whilst I enjoy good food there are so many other aspects of cruising and I think O hits the brief for me. We have sailed 9 times with Oceania with several longer cruises of 19-22 days. We are on the Riviera in January, if she makes it through the Suez Canal!, and the Marina in May post refurbishment. I’m just happy to be waited on hand and foot and the odd dishes that don’t live up to my expectations I will just put down to experience! Unless 100% of the reviews are 100% bad don’t let other people’s expectations colour you own!

Sorry the food was generally poor on your last trip. Georgina I guess you know the answer!! If Oceania is no longer your cup of tea, or coffee, you need to try another line!