Mareblu

24 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

For those who don't already know, Lyle has been red carded so he'll be taking a sabatical.

That’s awful.  It’s a delicate time for him now.  If you’re reading this, Lyle, we’re thinking of you and Lynn.

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Interesting Mareblu. I do not doubt that occurred with the food, but I will say on the voyages we had (our last one was late 2019), we did not have an overly salted cuisine. It was never brought up by others nor between us. That isn’t to say that your chef on board did not do this. I also haven’t read of this problem in an amount that I remember on V threads. Too bad that happened. 
I thoroughly agree with your assessment of their MDR. If that occurred with our cruise, I would likely feel as you do. 

Ours was Sept 2019.  Were you on Orion?  If so, and your cruise was after ours, then maybe they reduced the salt😂

52 minutes ago, osandomir said:

We haven’t ever cruised on Viking, so I can’t comment there. But I’m curious why had you suffer from that salty food for so long. Did you try to talk to the chef? If so, did it make a difference or there was no chance for improvement.

Yes, we spoke to the CD (who was previously CD on a previous O Nautica cruise), reception, and our butler.  Many others had also complained.  You can guess the general response:  “your concerns will be noted but no-one else has complained”, or as reception said, “there is no record of other complaints”.  I think that angered me more than the below-par cuisine.

32 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you again. I still receive at lot of VO promotion emails. I have done side quite a few side by side. Adding in all costs to arrive at a total cost pp/pd. It was pretty eye opening. Again, I will admit that of having an included excursion in every port is utilized and important, that is not calculated in my totals, as we do not value ship excursions. That said, analyzing total costs between the three lines was rather eye opening for me. We always upgrade during package so not everyone does that, and we always book balconies, whereas some people are good with OV. So my total may be different from other totals based on preferences. 
I looked earlier after reading your previous post at the British isles between the three. Based on our preferences SB won on Pp/pd, but that does not include what private excursion costs vs our DIY days that we may incur. I did another in the Mediterranean. Viking was most expensive, and SB was a little over $50 pp/pd over O before the $300 excursion credit. So it is indeed interesting. It honestly often can come down to the best itinerary.  I do thank you for all of your VO tips. I would happily sail on them again if it aligned up. 

We have only sailed with Viking once, in 2019, just before Planet Covid.  It was, like our Seabourn cruise I mentioned, a b2b, from Vancouver to Hong Kong.  Wonderful itinerary, including Alaska, the Russian Far East, which is, sadly, no longer available to cruisers, and an extensive Japanese exploration.  The vessel, Orion, was magnificent.  We love the simplistic elegance and functionality of Scandinavian design, and the staff were wonderful.  Our only problem, and it was a large problem, was the food.  The cuisine was constantly over salted, and not at all well presented.   I season all our food, so it wasn't that we don't like salt.  Sometimes it was so salty, it was inedible.  Five weeks of that cuisine was enough for us.  We and every fellow passenger we chatted to had swollen feet.  The only offerings I really enjoyed were the steak (really delicious) and the Alaskan king crab served every evening in the buffet.  We're usually not buffet dwellers, preferring to sit down in the dining venues, but we soon found ourselves heading regularly to the buffet.  Unlike Oceania, Seabourn, Cunard, Silversea, etc., the main dining room on Viking is not what I'd describe as elegant, so not especially enticing, even forgetting the food.  It's more like a glorified cafe.  It's such a shame, because there was so much we did like about Viking, but I can't see us returning.

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

How about Mousehole in Cornwall? I believe it's pronounced Mowsel or something like that.

Hi Julie,

When we were last in Cornwall it was “Mohsel” from memory.  Let’s not go to some of our local names😕

Colorado Springs?

It does indeed look like sections of the river between Aspen and Vail

I've just responded on another O thread that morphed to this very topic.  In a nutshell, without a long-winded repeat of that post, we've missed a few ports with O over the years, all for what we considered valid reasons, and we were happy the Captain made what we considered wise choices in each instance:  hurricane, strong storm, and the latest is a change to Turkish stops on our forthcoming Vista med cruise.  The reason (reading between O's lines in the email) is unrest in the Middle East.  Okay, Turkey is not that close to the awful conflict there, but there have been mass gatherings in Istanbul and the US and its allies (count us as Australians) are not friends of the month. 

We are happy to cruise for the destination, the experience, the ambience, and the excitement of exploring other cultures.  We have fortunately travelled extensively in Turkey, so are happy to sail to wherever (more Greek Islands in this case).  I know many fellow passengers on our roll call are not happy, but life goes on. I

'm not a cheerleader for Oceania.  We've sailed with Seabourn (probably our favourite), Silversea, Cunard and NCL.  But we do return often to O, which, despite not being perfect, offers a relaxing and enjoyable product.  The furthest thing from our minds would be demanding a refund of port charges.  I'm not even interested in how much they are in value.

It's interesting that of all the lines on which we've sailed, Oceania is the only one that has made itinerary changes over the years.  This has never concerned us, as there haven't been many, and there was always, in our view, a valid reason for the Captain's decision. 

One was a hurricane (we say cyclone in Australia) that was raging in the North Sea after causing havoc in the US (it was widely reported on the news and clearly visible on weather radar), a similar situation (strong storm causing rough seas in the Bay of Biscay) and lately, a switch on our April 24 (next month) Med cruise on Vista.  Santorini, Crete and Kotor have been substituted for Kusadasi and an overnight in Istanbul.   Oceania has stated this is due to Middle East unrest.  We are fortunate in that we have travelled extensively in Turkey, but I know this will be a disappointment for many, including our friends who are travelling with us.  They are, however, looking forward to all the Greek Island stops, as they've never been there either.

At the end of the day, we know changes may be made at any time, and we're happy to "go with the flow" (pun intended) and simply enjoy our cruising experience.

7 minutes ago, tigerfan75 said:

Very interesting.  So, to make sure that I understand, you were able to add the Concierge room to your PH Specialty reservations before the Concierge booking window opening date?

 

Did you do this online, or via directly with O, or through your TA?

 

Thanks!

Yes, correct.  When reservations for our PH1 opened, I made bookings online for my husband, myself, and our two friends who are in a Concierge stateroom.  My TA had already checked with Oceania that this was possible.  It simply meant that by the time our friends' window opened, they were already booked in the specialty restaurants.  They are entitled to four bookings, and we are able to make eight.  I made four bookings for two couples, and four for one couple (us).  The one drawback for them, of course, is that they had company each time they dined in the specialties.  They opted to do that, and were delighted I was able to make the reservations for them.

1 hour ago, thebsinmiss said:

 

 

I also understand that the higher level cabins get access to the reservation system slightly earlier and cannot book a lower level cabin guest to join them until that cabins reservation time opens.

 

 

 

 

This is actually incorrect.  When reservations open for higher level suites or staterooms, those guests may also make  reservations for guests in other categories, providing they are sharing a table. We have just done this very thing for our forthcoming Vista cruise.  We are in PH1, and our friends are in Concierge level.  Each reservation we made for them used one of their allocated allowed bookings.

16 hours ago, Vallesan said:

It will be interesting to see how the two cruises compare especially as they are so close together. 
 

Apart from the size of the Cunard ships, I have never fancied the ‘two class’ or is it three, that Cunard operate. I love the fact that once you leave your cabin on an Oceania ship everyone gets the same service. Although that’s true of the ‘luxury’ lines too.

Yes, that's a valid point, and another reason we have enjoyed sailing Oceania since 2007.  NCL's Haven is a similar product, in a fashion, to Queens Grill on Cunard.  The bottom line is truly the bottom line:  you pay an awful lot extra for special treatment, like most things in life.  We have also sailed Seabourn and Silversea, and absolutely loved both.  Probably our most enjoyable cruise was a Seabourn b2b a few years ago.  After a month, I thought I'd need to be dragged off, but disembarked obediently.  Our Silversea experience was a very close second.  We had avoided Cunard for years for the very reasons you mention, but after enjoying our Queen Elizabeth voyage immensely last year, won't hesitate to book again if we enjoy the looming Queen Anne experience as much.  I understand the point about Queen Anne's design, but wouldn't dream of commenting until I've personally sailed on her.  For us, it's the destination, the experience, the service, and the ambience.  

8 hours ago, don731 said:

Just off Vista after 17 nights.  Not as great as our last cruise on Riviera in fall 2022.  Wonderful ship, uneven service in most dining venues.  No where close to Cunard Grill class for about the same price a few months ago, and makes a $200 per night premium for Seabourn look like a bargain.  As always, everyone’s experience is different.  Not a great value for us at a net of $750 per night in V1 verandah.  

We'll be on Hlitner's Vista cruise, followed a few weeks later by a Cunard Queen Anne voyage around the British Isles.  It will be truly interesting comparing two new vessels of different cruise lines.  We've enjoyed many O cruises, but only one previous Cunard, in Queens Grill, just over a year ago.  It was indeed a marvellous experience, and the dining in QG was exceptional.  We did not enjoy the extra $ for everything outside the Grills Lounge, though, even coffee was charged, as was bottled water and everything else you could think of.  Internet access also comes at a hefty price.  Naturally, we expected to be charged for alcoholic beverages.  Coffee, tea, chocolate, etc. was included in Grills Lounge, otherwise you signed for it.  I really felt terrible for the folk in other levels of accommodation, when I realised that was the situation.  The wonderful thing about an O cruise is that extras are covered.  We have upgraded to the higher drinks package for the Vista cruise, as we have done before with O voyages, because we both enjoy the experience  of not having to think about ordering and signing for pre and after dinner drinks.  I know there's a valid argument (and a good one) for not needing to go to that extra expense, but when it's done, it's done.  It's a nice feeling.  We're looking forward to both cruises.

Dear Lynn and Lyle,

Mario joins me in sending deepest condolences.  You often mentioned your mum (we say mum here, like in England) so I know you were very close, and that's a special way to share a life.  It seems from what you write today that your mum passed peacefully, and with you both by her side, she would have felt extremely loved.  Our SIL's dad passed three weeks ago, after his mum only six months ago.  Today he and our daughter are in Queensland for his cousin's funeral.  He was only fifty, and passed in his sleep with no warning at all.  We need to treasure every living day we share with our loved ones, and book that cruise when we can.  Our warmest wishes,

Linda and Mario

Posting here instead of writing to Lyle and Lynn, because we've all been following and commenting.  Just spoke to Veronica, our knowledgeable and efficient Pharmacist.  She confirms that Lynn will need a prescription issued here for insulin obtained here.  A word of caution is that it will not be inexpensive, because as she is not an Australian citizen, the insulin will not be subsidised.  She suggests that for economical reasons, bringing your own supply would be advantageous.  I'll write to you separately, Lyle, with info on seeing our GP here.

16 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

She might have to see a local GP to get an insulin script filled here. If that's the case I suggest she gets a letter from her GP that she can give to a Sydney GP. 

Yes, Julie, that sounds sensible and reasonable.  I’ll  check with our local Pharmacist tomorrow morning.  She’s very switched on, and I’m sure will know the necessary steps.  I know our local GP would see Lynn too, if necessary, but as Lynn and Lyle are starting their journey in Sydney, they will need to know before they arrive, as you suggest.

48 minutes ago, qbay46 said:

was is a hotel

Sorry, meant to answer this.  Cameron House was guessed before I could reply.  Of course, the answer is in the affirmative.

9 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

Menzies castle, Perthshire? 

No, but it was once a grand manor house.  Cruiser3775 has it.

18 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Cameron House, Loch Lomond

Spot on.  I took that photo in 2018 while we were waiting to board a little seaplane from Cameron House jetty. Terrible fire virtually destroyed it in December 2017.  The great tragedy was the death of two people.  We stayed there on a Tauck land tour in 2014;  it was a truly marvellous experience.  Tariff now it’s restored is prohibitive.

 Clue 2:  is sits resplendent on some bonnie banks.

Just now, qbay46 said:

it looks like it has had a fire through it

Correct. It has since been fully restored, hence the Phoenix clue (risen from the ashes).

6 minutes ago, qbay46 said:

are we in Scotland

“Aye” above, is “Yes” 

4 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Lynn says thankyou, you are so kind. I have to believe it will be easier to refill the prescription there than try to keep that much insulin cold for that long.

It’s a pleasure, Lynn, and no trouble.  I’ll email you as soon as I speak to Veronica.  

Hint:  this beautiful establishment is a Phoenix.

17 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

Or England?

 

Or anywhere in UK? 

Yes