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vistaman

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Everything posted by vistaman

  1. last year there was an IT man handling the "automatic " piano's and he did ask : do you like Mozart and i said yes , he put in some IT figures and there was half an hour Mozart music ...
  2. vistaman

    Osteria

    that was usually served during embarkation lunch 😃
  3. so then I have bad luck ...😁
  4. I find it useful ... and yes I do avoid one hotel director !
  5. C really should add the senior officers ( captain hotel director ) , cruise director and restaurant manager !
  6. vistaman

    Osteria

    that really is depending on which country in Europe exception for weekend , we always had the largest meal in the evening ... and pastries were for the weekend unless there was a celebration , but in Germany during the week a lot of pastries are consumed . and in France in some area's 2 hot meals a day and in summer daily salad and in Italy cakes and tarts for breakfast ... the pastries we eat as desserts
  7. vistaman

    changes?

    You have to ask for Pommery !
  8. vistaman

    changes?

    around Christmas you can find DL Champagne 3 bottles for 50€ twice a year a promotion in an upmarket supermarket chain ( most expensive chain in Belgium ) maybe this year it will be 60 prices of bubbles went up
  9. 8 months after my cruise no single contact about my complaints and comments ...
  10. I like the Regent Splendor as well , i will join her on 24 th October - discovered het last year as there were low single sup. You can take alcohol on board if you want to have a drink on your balcony , the first day : do not forget to ask your room steward to provide ice twice a day as this is not automatically done on Europa 2. In any case you will receive half a bottle of real Champagne as well. During the pool party , 3 fancy cocktails are offered as well and Hapag Lloyd never was avaricious with the drinks during parties .
  11. i said farewell to SS as well with many thanks to RCI and I do not like Duval Leroy bubbles at all ! Is the luxury segment still luxurious ?
  12. I forgot to mention there is a small part of the Yacht Club restaurant and the Sansibar bar - outside where smoking is permitted very easy to avoid !
  13. the second day there is a party for non German speaking guests with complimentary Champagne 😁 the international hostess will contact you you will receive the daily programm in English and in the restaurants the menu's are available in English just ask for it in the buffet restaurant the English menu's are in another colour. ( i think green, German is light bleu ) Everybody working on the ship does speak English - most suite attendants do speak better English as German as most of them are from Philipinnes and some from Indonesia even some waiters from Tunisia ( they asked me to speak French what was not a problem as Belgian🤩 ) imho only the 4 most expensive suites owners and grand penthouses are able to book before the other guests . also those can book speciality resto's prior to other guests so when you do receive the info , book asap !! I think smoking is only permitted in the Collins bar where expensive cigars are available and in a small part on the open deck - since last year it is not permitted anymore to smoke at the counter of the pool bar - you cannot smoke in your suite no smoking in the restaurants for sure i do not like smoking at all ... never endured problems.
  14. to stghrgary : I remember you did like Crystal . I did + 100 cruises vast majority on luxury lines - Hapag Lloyd , Crystal , Regent , Silversea , Seabourn - I did Oceania in PH and Celebrity in Retreat and MSC in Yacht Club I made one Explora and never again ! Please read my review " failure of luxury" I did cancel my 2nd booked cruise during the second day on the ship - despite it is a beautiful ship with some mistakes - like a very small bathroom in a penthouse what is just a very big suite as real "penthouse" items are for residences on EJ F&B operations on EJ are far inferior as on Crystal ... unless bread and pastries are the most important item and the same menu every day in the restaurants unless you want to go to the buffet for diner on a daily base. EJ is doing a lot to encourage TA to promote the brand , diner presentations on land and free cruises with functions on board ... sorry but that is the truth The complimentary wines are so poor that vast majority of the guests is drinking Champagne.
  15. In another topic " EJ sets sights on luxury dominance" , I wrote down 12 items going wrong on EJ Signor Vago should consider to go on a cruise - a few days - on a Hapag Lloyd , A Ritz C , a Regent and despite my last Silversea was bad a SS as well so he eventually can see the wine list of SS. 😁 and the non usury prices of the special wines...contrarely to those on EJ and a Crystal as well for the great choice in the bars and the great knowledge of the C bartenders !! Instead of starting from the point " we do know everything" I am not going on a cruise to eat better breads , croissants and pastries only and to drink a lot of Champagne because the complimentary wines are bad ...
  16. even in a big penthouse you do not receive anything more , not even an apple or some grapes
  17. in Belgium completely the opposite ... around Christmas the Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top was 22,5 eur with Duval Leroy you never know : there is Brut , Brut reserve and Brut Fleur de Champagne the Rosé of Duval Leroy is not so bad at all ...
  18. of course but I prefer the finesse by Anthony Van Dyck above Rubens and I like Magritte 😊 another great artist was Paul Delvaux i will join the Crystal Symphony in Toulon , but I will go to Bandol the morning of the embarkation by train 12 min - there is a wine store having nearly all the Bandol wines . "Oenotheque de Bandol"
  19. yes , I am very into white wines as well and in summer the better Provence rosé I learnt a lot of German and Austrian white wines aboard Hapag Lloyd cruises they have a rather expensive Austrian Riesling "Singerrieder" I like the white Burgundies by Louis Latour - ranging from the Macon Lugny to the Corton Charlemagne (1 every year with Christmas ) and the white Far Niente and the far too expensive whites by Gaja
  20. I am a Champagne freak - sorry and I like to discover unknown houses as well Hapag Lloyd did replace Duval by Jacquart Mosaique and sometimes for the half bottles in the "basic" suites Piper Heidsieck My favourite brands are Deutz , Gosset and Ruinart and Roederer 😊 Duval Leroy is available in Belgium in the most expensive supermarket chain -
  21. one of the 3 "better " sommeliers on board told me that when starting the cruise the stock of some better wines was very low they had 3 bottles of Tignanello left - a family from a particular Asian country did order all of those the first night at La Terrazza ... imho at an attractive price and sailing in the Medit , demand for that wine can be "serious" it is a very decent good wine and not too expensive !
  22. I was on the Dawn last month. The cruise experience was of such a kind I decided to cancel my next cruise and not going back to SS. SS is not buying local at all , despite SALT. I was on the food markets in Sète , St Tropez and Monaco ( both open air markets ) and the giant market in Livorno with an overwhelming choice of fresh fish . I never saw somebody from the ship , nor deliveries by a local . So no speciality French or Italian cheeses or fresh fish. If something is missing - ashame they are waiting until the next container ... RCI policies !
  23. Duval Leroy lost the deliveries of" house Champagne" to Hapag Lloyd cruises some 2 years ago - so obviously the company was searching for another cruise company. IMHO somewhat better as that Heidsieck Monopole , but I am afraid Pommery will be withdrawn on SS.
  24. the foie gras by Rougié is removed from the menu in Atlantide !
  25. because she is old - and she is not having all the luxury of the recent ships it seems despite there is a bathtub in the lower categories ....
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