PirateShark

I'm sure the food is up to snuff for Oceania. Well prepared, good ingredients etc. I'll be able to taste for myself shortly but I think as you alluded to, it maybe a concept that is better suited to no reservations/walk-in/extended hours. Time will tell. As for rich foods (which we love) O is pretty good at offering items in the GDR and TC that you can mix and match to get healthier options for dinner. And now Aquamar too for breakfast and lunch which is where we generally go light anyway. That part of mixing it up I can say I personally do more often than not and leave the specialties as "special". Being on 30 days this upcoming trip, I will be mixing it up a lot and indulging sporadically. Wish me luck 😁

I don't disagree with this assessment that Ember would be attractive to others for a multitude of reasons. As food is subjective, we each have our own palates. I'm just expressing mine as mine alone and contrasting what I have available here at home vs my desire to have different on vacation. In any case, our cruises will be enjoyable as neither of us has to cook and do the dishes 😁

I guess my personal disappointment is that the Ember concept just seems like someone didn't even try to come up with something more interesting for us North Americans. We can get this menu just about anywhere in these parts. I mean, off the top of my head, why not a Spanish tapas type concept. Maybe another bistro type French restaurant instead of Jacques if licensing is a problem. Or a high end Indian experience. I'll definitely try it of course but the lack of imagination is perplexing.

Germain about $21 per 750 ml retail and Monopole about $40 per 750 ml retail. Pure economics. You can get a nice Roederer Brut (CA) for $24 retail in high tax Oregon if you buy 6+. I mean aren't we worth spending an extra buck or two especially with O's buying power 🙃

Sounds like the German is good only for Mimosas. As someone who likes a glass of the bubbly pre-dinner, this is disappointing.

Those look scrumptious. Thanks for posting.

If they are adventurous and not afraid of some sticker shock,the helicopter and glacier trek on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is a must. Definitely the highlight of our trip and a bucket list item for us.

Welcome to the Oceania Board! I'll attempt some answers in the order asked: * all specialties are included but only one reservation each restaurant. that being said you may be able to ask for extras once on board but no guarantee and you may need to share. No extra charge. * specialty coffees and soft drinks included * concierge cabins and above get free access to spa plungers and pools but I believe lower cabin categories can purchase access * You get run of the ship no matter what category you book 😊. * entertainment is not O's strong suit. there are a string quartet, piano player in Martinis and I believe a band/DJ in Horizons after dinner. I'm sure others will chime in. * basic internet is included. if you need higher streaming speed, you will pay extra. * we like the cooking classes - very hands on but cost is $89 pp. we like them and think the price is worth it. Hope this helps.

We're disembarking at the Manhattan cruise terminal. We have 3 previous stops in US ports (Bar Harbor, Boston and Newport). Is my assumption correct we would already do the US Customs stuff before we hit NYC and if that's the case, what should our expectations then be for self disembark action after docking at 8:00am? We'd like to get off ASAP. Thanks for any info.

Hank, while I understand your dilemma, give O a shot. Much more flexible pricing for extras, included specialties and all non-alcholic drinks. There is a "rumor" that alcoholic drinks will be included at lunch/dinner (beer and wine) in the fare with a chance to upgrade for all inclusive drinks sometime in the future. Entertainment is not O's strong suit but my cruises have all been very port intensive so staying up until 1:00am will be rare unless there are a couple of sea days thrown in which case we've been known to close down Martinis way past HALs bedtime. We've never been bored but we're not show/entertainment people so only you can decide. Lots of sea day activities including cooking classes, tastings and other. I would kindly suggest you try O or go with another line that makes you comfortable and are familiar with 😊 Lori

Thank you for your kind response @steamboats we can't wait to be on Vista in a few months.

That would make sense since I must have missed that fine point about the special cruise.

Maybe I should reframe the question: are the Founders cocktails included in the Prestige package or all extra? I know the $50 bourbon would not be Included obviously but since the posted menu had no specific pricing for the specialty cocktails, I thought I would ask. Or is this a bar space for invitees/ high day sailed patrons. If Oceania would put this info on their website, I wouldn't be asking here 😉

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your pictures of this beautiful ship. I hope you had a wonderful time. Just curious as to the prices of cocktails in the Founders Bar as they don't appear to be included.

I'm Team Cod! Looking forward to getting the real stuff in the UK come August. If I have to do Haddock, I won't complain either.

😯. You were at least given a refund for this land tour they "cancelled" I hope? We're up for final payment next month that has a land tour included and I'd want a refund if they try and pull this stunt.

Wow! The third one down reminds me of Painted Hills in OR. Thanks for taking us along.

Maybe O is finally updating the tender port info for the cruises (one can hope).

It appears to be fixed.

I doubt they are working on the ship but just checked and the 8/30 cruise we're on shows up. May want to try again.

We could only book an A3 gty for our August 2023 Vista cruise when bookings opened. We just got our cabin assignment in an A3 in a nice location. Since the cruise is port intensive, we're happy. I'm sure there are a lot of variables as to when the cabin is assigned for guarantees. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

While this makes sense, the fact they call this a "specialty" restaurant that we must use as one of our precious reservations for is a little irksome. I may be in a minority apparently but taking time at dinner over food and conversation (with a good bottle of wine) is a luxury to us. I just feel like this is a dumbing down of their dining. The pizzeria/trattoria sounds much better for a quick meal and no reservations. It will be interesting to see how this plays out but will try it once to be fair.

Thank you for posting the Ember menu. You can put me in the disappointed camp as the items on offer we can get anywhere at a dozen restaurants daily in Salem. I mean, Cheeseburgers and French Dips? 😒

Actually, we're on from 8/18 to 9/17 😁. My retirement present from DH and after this, it will be tent camping LOL.

Yeah, we did see that but as we all know, there are still some things that are not quite clear or finalized for Vista regarding the culinary. We did already sign up for culinary classes so that sounds like "business as usual" at least for that.