proton-excitement

Then thank you for mentioning something to them! I've only been on the Vista with Oceania and have only seen this version of it. If I was served something different than what I posted, I too would have been unhappy.

Agreed. I can only assume they haven't been to an Applebee's. By that logic: Ember = Applebee's Toscana = Olive Garden Polo = Outback Steakhouse Red Ginger = PF Chang's They might be in a similar category, but not at all close to the same level. How was it in no way a Philly cheesesteak? I lived in Philadelphia for several years and have had plenty of real ones. Personally, I always go for white american or provolone, rather than yellow American or cheese wiz. But I'll let the pictures speak for me. One is a Philly cheesesteak from Philly, and the other is one I ordered today on Vista.

It's a bit more than normal waste though, right? Ordering something, and then telling them to throw it out and make something else without ever taking a single bite, simply because they brought it promptly and fresh (as they should have), is cartoonishly entitled. Granted I'm probably 3 decades younger than the average Oceania passenger, but this behavior and attitude is jaw dropping to me.

I must be misunderstanding: So you ordered an appetizer and a main, and once you finished your appetizer they brought the main, but you refused what you originally ordered?

If they were all in San Juan, that does look about right. The sales tax is high there, 11.5% I think. It's possible that the $1.XX charges were tax on a single drink, and $2.XX were if they used one card to charge two drinks at once. For example, 2x $11 drinks would have a combined tax of $2.53. Maybe a varying combo of drinks charged at once explains the varying tax amount?

I sail next week and the promo popped up for me a couple of days ago, so I added $1000 SBC to my upcoming sailing. Anything unused is refundable and can be refunded like any other onboard balance. Just don't refund it back to the same Amex card and bring the total spent below $1000. It's an easy way to get $200 back, even if you're past your payment date.

The May 8th one should currently have availability in every category. I'm on that sailing and have been tracking prices and inventory habitually. I think it's down to one balcony, but every other category has quite a bit of availability. I'm really hoping for a <90% full sailing, given the quantity of available inside and oceanview staterooms remaining.

Yes, there are some extended verandas on decks 9 and 10 for A1, and some on deck 8 for A2. We were in an extended A2 on the Vista and loved the extra room. I sadly don't have a good photo highlighting the full depth, but here's a picture I took of the veranda while standing out there, and there's still quite a bit of space.

On a recent Alaska cruise we went to the excursion desk first thing after boarding to get on the waitlist for an excursion we missed online. We ended up getting a call to our cabin the night before, asking us if we were still interested, as space had opened up due to a cancellation. So it can happen, but I don't think you can rely on it.

The railing wraps around and is open facing forward. And yes, it gets very windy while sailing because of that. It's an amazing view, but does have that one downside. It's also a little less private, if you care about that. I don't have any pictures myself, but I clipped this image from another source to hopefully give you some idea.

So when I boarded from Terminal J in Miami (Vista, Dec 2023), the time selected during check-in was not checked, or enforced, by anyone. They let everyone into the building and then did check-in by cabin type. I hope they do enforce that now, since it was very disorganized without any sort of staggered entry.

Yes, the Grand Dining Room and Terrace Café menus change daily. I don't have any pictures or copies of the Terrace Café menus from our last sailing, but here's a great review of the Vista that includes a bunch of GDR menus: Vista 23 Menus (thepreismans.com)

Unless I'm mistaken, wouldn't the Terrace Café only have those pastries because they get them from the bakery? Yes, some things are available in both places when Terrace Café is open (during their limited hours), but the bakery has many items available all day, which is a great option if you want something between dining times. I never saw beignets that were in the bakery, available in Terrace during my sailing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We also had the Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut in our concierge veranda a couple months ago.

I still have the art class schedule from a few weeks ago, when Kris Smith was the artist in residence. I'll list the classes that were offered on our itinerary below. If you want to register for a class, I recommend going there early on to sign up for a spot, as most classes filled up quickly. However, there were usually a few no-shows or last minute cancellations, and you had the option to stop by at the beginning of a class and see if there were any openings. Form & Shadow: Learn how to draw a simple shape with charcoal and transform it into a dimensional shape. Watercolor Pencil Techniques: Using dry as well as wet application we will create a masterpiece influenced by our colorful surroundings. Secrets of Portrait Painting: Follow Kris in a fun and informative lecture format while she discusses techniques of portrait painting current and historical. Bring your cocktail and relax. Acrylic 101 - Mixing Colors: Step by step approach to learn about technique of mixing and blending acrylic paint for optimum results.