martyinmpls

On 3/30/2024 at 10:22 AM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

One thing I forgot to mention was the new Whitney Houston entertainment offering.  It is basically a hologram of her in the middle of the back of the stage, singing songs that she did in a concert or several concerts.  The band was there, and they used two of the ship’s singers live on the forward portion of the stage.  We saw their first attempt at it, so there are some wrinkles to get out of it.  Our general consensus between the four of us, is that her projection was too small and sometimes blurry.  And there were times the band outplayed her voice, and they said they had some technology issues. 

 

People we talked to had lots of varied opinions, as to be expected.  One woman said she felt it was ghoulish, profiting from her tragic death.  She said she walked out.  I was personally lukewarm about it.  Overall, it made me sad.  She was such a talent and it’s such a waste of that magnificent voice.

 

My further reaction is that this is a way to cut costs, and may affect the future of shipboard entertainment and the singers and dancers.  This is not a big loss for us, because we don’t generally love the production shows.  But for others, this may be an ominous trend.  Time will tell.

Thanks for your post.

were cruising in June on Vista with a group of 9.  I can’t seem to make any dining for a group over 8 people.  I spoke to Oceania on the phone, and they said that I had to wait until we were on the ship . ☹️  Dining room pictures, at least in the Grand Dining, and private dining, seem to show tables for 10.  Any thoughts???

thanks…

On 3/24/2024 at 3:07 PM, lolawpb said:

We just came off of our first Oceania cruise about two weeks ago. I'm still trying to form an opinion as there were good and not-so-good things that occurred. The Vista was beautiful and our Penthouse suite was immaculate thanks to a great butler and housekeeping team. Food was a real mixed bag with Red Ginger as the star and Polo and Toscana as just okay. Our steaks were overcooked and maybe we just ordered the wrong things in Toscana but both of us found the food lackluster. The main dining room we found sort of strange in the fact that it was nearly empty by 8 pm and the food seemed a bit overcomplicated compared to normal fine-dining restaurants or other more premium lines. The big surprise for us was the buffet which was not only very good for an outside lunch but was really nice at night. It wasn't crowded, the tables were set beautifully, and the chef did a few specialty meals. One was a Mexican theme since we were in the area and another was a sushi night. Burgers at Waves were very good. This is a problem on a few lines like Celebrity so I'm happy to report this. We liked Aquamar Kitchen and had most of our breakfasts there. 

Here are the things that fell apart for us: Upon embarkation we received a note that one of our shore excursions had been cancelled and we should go to the desk to rebook. When I went to the desk I was told there was nothing available and I could get on a wait list. So there was one day with no excursions that were "non-refundable". We skipped our last port due to weather and guess what...another day of "non-refundable" shore excursions cancelled. It seems that they need something in place to at least give us a shipboard credit to use at the spa or on drinks, etc. since both of those were on their end. We only got to go on one excursion during the 7 day cruise. I understand they are calling this a "free" credit but that was part of the deal we paid for so it just seems wrong. The other thing that was bothersome for us was the lack of service at the pool areas including the spa deck. Knowing that sea days are very busy it seems they need more staff cleaning up dirty drink glasses etc. around the pools and the sun loungers at the main had towel covers which people sat on and were not changed frequently by staff so it was hard to find a clean lounger at times. There was virtually no service at all on the spa deck. it would have been nice to have someone with cold water, drinks, towels like other lines do.

I still have questions as it was a nice cruise and staff were great but I'm comparing to our previous Silversea cruises and a few Celebrity Retreat that we tried last year. I'm considering going back to Silversea but I'm worried that it might not still be the same as the last time we cruised with them as it has been about 5 years. I'm still looking at Oceania along with other high-luxury lines so if anyone has a recent comparison  experience I would welcome the information.

Question about Vista dining … we have a group of 9 going on a cruise in June.  I cannot seem to make any reservations for more than 8 people…. Pictures, at least in the Grand dining room, and the private dining room,

seem to show tables for 10.   Any thoughts?

On 7/18/2022 at 8:56 AM, LHT28 said:

JMO  on La Reserve

I know many people rave about  it BUT

 We are not into  fancy rich food   & 1 glass of wine for me  is plenty  more  & I may not make  it to dessert

Looking at the menus   I would  see maybe one or 2 dishes that I would eat   so for us it is not worth the expense

Everyone  has their likes & dislikes 

I dislike when others say "Oh you will love xxx"   well  maybe they would but maybe they will not

Let people make their own choice

 

YMMV

Fortunately they have the menus available for La reserve.  There are three different ones. If you like a menu, then pick an evening they will be serving that menu.  
I cannot wait.  They sound delicious to us!  But they may not to everyone.

We would like to do a few things on our own after our tour ends.

two different maps show almost an hour walk from where it seems the large ships dock to 

the main gate. 
 

anyone have experience with this port?

Johnthesailor is correct - here is a link to Roll Call https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=559 .. You'll need to start a new thread as I do not believe that one has been started (at least I couldn't find one).

I did try.... I must be an idiot because I couldn't figure it out. (apparently I'm not the only one though;)) I thought I followed the instructions.... It just shouldn't be that hard!!!

I booked a 3-day pre-cruise excursion (to the Veneto/Padua/Verona) prior to August 4th cruise to the Adriatic Coast and just found out that the excursion was cancelled.

 

First of all, I guess I am surprised that it was cancelled since I was assuming it was a small (4 person max?) tour.

 

But wondering now what my options are. (Already paid for the excursion.) At least on the Regent web site/My Account, there are no alternative pre-cruise excursions for this particular cruise. My flight is already booked so I have three days already scheduled prior to boarding.

 

TIA!

 

RK

I've found the rates through the cruise line for hotels and tours are very expensive. You could get a better rate on your own. We frequently do Oceania cruises because I like book a few of our own private tours. For the same price of two people on a bus load of 40 people two people can get a private car and for about 1/2 the price the cruise line charges.

Anyone Else Sailing? Tips for Croatia or Albania?

We are looking to book a river cruise this early summer. I can't seem to find any kind of ranking of the river cruise lines. Only for the ocean cruises. We have enjoyed cruising Oceania in the Mediterranean a number of times as well as the Baltic row years ago. We do enjoy a more intimate experience with Good service and food. We enjoy casinos too. (Is that allowed on European river cruises?)

We are in our mid 50s and very fit and active. We would like to see some smaller towns not accessible from the ocean. Maybe. French vineyard tour. I don't know anything about the difference in the different cruise lines. Can anyone help me? Are some more luxurious? To some have higher rankings for their food? Are some more geared towards younger active adults? Usually an ocean cruises I book my own tears. I'm concerned about being on tour with lots of people .

We are used to going out her own speed and seeing what we want to see.

Someone I know I compared the Viking line to the carnival cruise line of River cruises but I don't know why. Is there any truth to that? I need to make a decision quickly. As we are looking at June. Please respond ASAP Thanks! I'm so confused!!!!😲

I realized that there are so many different currencies on this itinerary. We have plenty of Euro's! Our private guides quoted in Euro's so I assumed they are used. But now I'm not sure. Will small shops, cafe's & bars take the euro's or will I need to get a different currency for each port?:eek:

We Leave Thursday for Olso. Cruising on Oceania Nautica on the 8th of August.

Thanks!