JoePDX

Good morning from our third sea day.   We are currently traveling at 18.5 knots.   Temperature 74.5F with 85% humidity.   Moderate waves at 8.2 feet and wind at 14.1 knots.  Sirena continues to handle these seas well.   Rain a couple time yesterday, but only for brief periods.  

Today was Sunday Brunch in the GDR.   A nice layout.    

The Officer’s Challenge was today but be have lingered too long at Brunch.   So no Big O points for us.   
 

Our trivia team tied for first yesterday.   We have a great international team which has been very handy.

The show last night was Debonaire with e production cast.  Excellent even though they had technical difficulties with the sound and had to restart the show twice.  Real pros.

Guest lecturer is photographer Benedict Brain.   His topic yesterday was taking better pictures with your smart phone.   I learned several great tips!   He is a very charming guy from Bath.   I had had the opportunity to chat with him a couple times and he joined our trivia team one day too.   He just published a book if you want to look him up.

Because of the Brunch I didn’t make it up to the Terrace Cafe so no report on Stucky Bun quality.   😊

Life continues to be very good on Sirena.

Joe

10 hours ago, SSFrance69 said:

I'm enjoying your live posts. Thank you for sharing. Question about Sirena. Do the staterooms have a mini-fridge? I don't see it listed in the amenities. Also it looks like this ship has Toscana and Red Ginger but no Polo Grill. Is that correct? Is it easy or difficult to get tables for two? Also, is there the new pizza for dinner at Waves, like they have on Riviera? I think it's a new concept they were trying out and it was the best pizza I've had on any ship or land. It had burrata, prosciutto and arugula on it. 

Red Ginger and Tuscan Steak are the specialty  restaurants on board.   The later is a mash up of Toscana and Polo Grill.

Yes there is a mini fridge in the staterooms.  
 

We have had no problem getting a table for two in the GDR.   We usually arrive around 7 pm.   
 

No special pizza oven like they installed on Riviera.   
 

Very special crew on Sirena.  We are having a great time.
 

Joe

10 hours ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

Is the Jennie you refer to Jennifer Faust? If so, she really is the best of the Ambassadors.

Yes, one and the same.   Went to her itinerary talk yesterday.    Very enthusiastic.  I hope to match her 115 visited countries someday.   Jeff and I are currently at about 50.   😊
 

Joe

Important update.

The Sticky Buns were fairly sticky today.   Not ooey gooey but definitely better than the past few days.    🎉

Joe

3 hours ago, ToxM said:

The sticky buns are approaching abomination stage. 

 

it is time for an intervention with the executive chef!

 

So a serious question. The pizza man in The Terrace is a magician of the highest order, and I told him this - I hope he is still performing his beautiful spells at lunchtime? 

 

I am jealous for your sea days and jealous you are on Sirena, but happy for you (apart from the sticky bun situation).

 

Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Thank you @ToxM.   Sirena is beautiful filled with an amazing crew.   ❤️

We have not done buffet for lunch yet, but I will take a closer look at the pizza station today.

Enjoying every minute of these sea days.   They are so special to us.

Joe

2 hours ago, LuAnn said:

JoePDX  How did you fly to Aruba? Sorry searched to see if you had mentioned that but came up empty. Thanks!! 

Hi @LuAnn
 

We flew on Delta - Seattle to Atlanta to Oranjestad.

Joe

Our trivia team the “Universals” got a perfect score of 18 this afternoon.   
 

🏆🏆🏆

So far we have two 2nd Place finishes and two 1st Place finishes.

Joe

49 minutes ago, jackdeb said:

Joe you are so right, those sticky buns are definitely not sticky enough 🥲

What are those foreign red and orange things on the plate? OMG😂

@jackdeb

That is fruit…it makes the Sticky Buns heathy.   Even when the Sticky Buns are not sticky and ooey gooey!

😂😂😂

Current on board booking benefits.

Jennie is the Oceania Club Ambassador.

Joe

Good morning from our first sea day.  Currently 79 degrees with light clouds, winds at 35 knots, wave height 8.2 feet.  Currently traveling at 17.7 knots.  Sirena is handling these conditions well.

Last night was dinner in Tuscan Steak.   A good meal with nice service.  We had one of the two tops overlooking the aft.   I had the Dover Sole and Jeff had the Ribeye.   I ordered Key Lime Pie for Jeff and Tiramisu for me.   Since Jeff doesn’t eat dessert that meant I enjoyed both.   😂

Yesterday was first Trivia with Gary.   Our group came in second.   Our stats between Cruise Director trivia and Entertainment Staff trivia is one 1st Place and two 2nd Place finishes.   🏆

We slept in a little, then breakfast in Terrace Cafe.   Not many folks out and about today so far.   Suspect many are recovering from our recent port days.  Very few by the pool and I didn’t see any evidence of chair hogs.   😀

Sticky bun situation continues to give me concern.   Today pan was completely dry underneath the rolls, not one bit of syrupy goodness.   😢😢.  The couple at the table next to us said they were not worth the calories and that they will wait until the bottom of the pan is dripping with the good stuff.   
 

Picked up the current cruise brochures and pouring over them for our next adventure.   I am really considering a South Pacific sailing from Australia to the west coast.   Sounds completely leisurely!  And only one long flight to endure.

On our first cruise back in 2001 I really didn’t like that we had a sea day on the itinerary.   Oh how that has changed in my requirements.  Sea days are the best.  Such a luxury.

Now off to the cooking demonstration in Sirena Lounge, then first Enrichment lecture.

Attaching a couple photos that may be of interest.

Wishing you all a great day.   Happy to answer questions.

Joe with Jeff in tow 
 

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

Thanks for the photos!

 

Where is the extra space compared to regular OV? Probably between the sofa and the window?

 

Is the shower manageable? We sailed on R ship on Azamara in OV and it was tight.

yes between desk and sofa and window:   Plus the window itself could almost be used as a window seat with a few pillows.

For me shower is manageable.   I am 6’2” and 240lbs.   It is tight for sure, but the glass doors are a really nice change.

Joe

WTC stands for World Trade Center.   It is a terminal that only the smaller ships can use.   
 

Joe

I forgot to give an update on a very important topic.

Sticky Buns.

Getting fluffier and stickier but still not an A+.   

I will soldier on trying them each morning.

Joe

Here are a couple pictures of stateroom 7006.   C1 Deluxe Oceanview

It is Thursday, so this must be Barbados.   😊 There is a point in every cruise where you forget the hustle of embarkation day and unpacking and the ahh moment takes over.  That happened to me as I was getting ready for the day.   We have 18 more nights on board.   And are about to start the crossing with six days at sea.   🛳️.  I love the feeling that there are so many more days to enjoy shipboard life and the ports we will visit.   We have met so many delightful people onboard.   A great experience so far.

Dinner last night in the GDR.   Expert service again and the food meeting all expectations.   The zucchini wrapped jumbo shrimp was just as good as I remembered.  For dessert I was forced to have the Limoncello Soufflé along with some Humphry Slocum Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Ice Cream.   Thanks to those on Cruise Critic who sang its praises..it really is that good. 😊 OK I will fess up, I had it at lunch too.   

Last nights show, Broadway Bound, used the cabaret style Sirena Lounge expertly.   The talent of the singers, which are all new to Sirena this voyage, is impressive.   Truly a memorable show.

I will end with some thoughts on the crew.   We are being pampered in every way.   Is everything totally perfect no, but pretty darn close.   And I would be an absolute nitpicker to mention the couple of “less than” experiences we have had.

Gary is the cruise director and handles those duties well.   There are just over 400 on this cruise so no where near capacity, but in no way does the ship feel empty.    Again last night the GDR was hopping full of happy diners.

Happy to answer questions.

Joe (with Jeff in tow)

In April 2017 when we sailed through the Gulf of Aden on Nautica we had a team of mercenaries on board.  They ate in the dining room and had access to all public areas, but were obviously not in the Oceania demographic. Captain would not confirm there were arms aboard, but we did see wooden crates being offloaded onto a zodiac once we were safely in the Red Sea.   The well

muscled gentlemen disappeared shortly afterward.

Joe

1 hour ago, osandomir said:

Following with a great interest. We’ll be boarding in Barcelona on April 10 when you disembark. Can you please post about the temperature around the ship. Our last cruise, also Sirena, was in December and the temperature in all venues was very pleasant. Then, it was the Caribbean and can be much cooler elsewhere. Would like to hear your “live” opinion that can help me with packing right.

 

Thanks.

I have found the temperatures in all venues to be very pleasant.   That said I do prefer on the cooler side, but I definitely wouldn’t say any place has been uncomfortable either in the warm or cold direction.

Public spaces were rather warm on embarkation day as they had the doors on deck 4 open all day…

I will try and comment again on this once we get out of the hot and humid Caribbean. 

Joe

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Curious about 7006 room - only the room is bigger or the bathroom too? 

Just the room.   Bathroom is the same petite size.   😊

Joe

We are currently on Sirena.   When we left Aruba on Monday, there was no muster.   After we checked in at the Sirena Lounge, on the way out someone looked at our cards and told us that the Sirena Lounge was also our muster station.   
 

About 5 pm, there was a general announcement on the overhead speakers with muster instructions along with a demonstration of the general alarm whistle.   Took 5 minutes or less.   
 

Joe

25 minutes ago, YoPhilly said:

I love the look of those "R" ships....THAT'S what a cruise ship should look like!

We love the R-Class ships…. They are home for us.

Joe

We had about twenty show up for the Meet and Greet.   Cruise Director, General Manager, Executive Concierge and Restaurant Manager all showed up.   Great conversations with very interesting people.    One of the joys of Cruise Critic in my opinion.   We had to break up just before 4:00 pm as they were setting up for Tea.

Captains Welcome Party at 5:45.   Was held in Sirena lounge with the Captain and Senior Officers all present to be introduced.   Complimentary drinks in all lounges between 6pm and 8pm.

Dinner last night in MDR, restaurant was hopping.   Food excellent and well presented.  I was forced to have the nightly Soufflé.  😀 Malibu Coconut.  You might see a trend here…   Jeff had the Oceania 20th Anniversary dessert which was a macron with lime cream filling and raspberries.   Yum.   Crew happy and engaged and professional.   A lovely meal.   As Jeff said this is part of why we cruise.   
 

We are enroute to St. George’s, Grenada docking at 2:00 pm.   Just poured down rain 

on the pool deck while still sunny.   Now back to sun.   
 

All is good on Sirena.   
 

Joe

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

Have a great cruise! 

 

I agree about the sticky buns, not sure what has happened to them but had 3 O cruises since the restart and the sticky bun of yore is gone sadly it would seem 😞

We had great ones on Riviera in Sept/Oct 2022.   This morning they were stickier but not ooey gooey as I think they should be.  But I will keep trying them.   😀

Joe

2 hours ago, Toze said:

 

@JoePDX We were on deck 7 as well.  If Patricia is your room steward you will be very pleased.  She is on top of everything.

Our steward is Cheryl.  Also excellent.   

No shortages evident for us so far.    We have 19 more days to investigate.   😀

Joe

4 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Looked into 7006 while on Sirena 11/2022 in a B2 6012, because we've got it booked on Sirena in the Baltic in 9/2024. Great room for the price!

It really is a great room.   Enjoy!

Joe

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

@JoePDX  were you the person that asked about boarding later in the day?

 What time did you arrive at the port  ?

 

 

We arrived about 11:15 for our 11-11:30 time slot.    The actual check in portion was quick and efficient.

Joe

Great to be back on an R-Class ship.   We were last on Riviera in September/October 2022.  Our other Oceania Cruises have all

 been on Nautica-our favorite ship.   

We have been cruising since 2001 primarily on Oceania and Celebrity.   This is our fourth transatlantic cruise, and we have two more booked.   Yes, we love sea days.   
 

Jeff retired on Friday and we left on Saturday.  So a celebration voyage too.   🍾 

Embarkation:   Not the best.   For some reason no porters, guests expected to handle luggage from the cab, through a passport check, to a shuttle bus and then schlepped into the terminal.  Not sure why the luggage wasn’t taken from the port gate directly to the ship.  
 

Kudos:   My husband Jeff left his phone in the cab.   Right before the shuttle left the port gate the cab diver called me.   So I jumped off the shuttle to wait for him to bring the phone.   Jeff proceeded to the terminal.   While in the terminal Jeff was met by Executive Concierge Juan Carlos.   When he heard what was happening Juan Carlos walked over to the port gate to meet me and make sure I had gotten the phone.   This was an act of kindness and concern that makes us really love Oceania and their amazing crew all the more.  😊

First time we have been on a ship that has gone through OceaniaNEXT updates.   Sirena looks great and we love the new stateroom colors and glass door on the shower.   We are in 7006 - C1 Deluxe Oceanview.   Room is huge as what should be the balcony is added to the room.   Would book this room again in a heartbeat.  Although I should keep this a secret as there are only four of these staterooms on each R-Class ship.     I was able to stow our 3 weeks of must haves easily with a couple drawers to spare and no crowding.   It also got the Jeff seal of approval for no clutter.   🏆

Only OceaniaNEXT change we don’t like are the elevators. Not sure who decided they needed to be glaringly bright white?   I feel like I am off to an interrogation every time the doors open.   😎

Crew - uniformly excellent in every way.   So kind and so wanting to please.

Ate in Red Ginger last night.   Love that Sirena has Red Ginger.   Watermelon Duck salad!!!  Miso Glazed Sea Bass!!!   A great dinner.   A+

Welcome show was great.   Some real talent onboard.
 

Breakfast in the Terrace Cafe today.  All good except unsticky sticky buns!   What???    Is that even a thing?  Please I hope someone is listening…we need sticky sticky buns!    
 

Today was Curaçao.   Short call from 6am to 1pm.   I wanted into town and visited the Synagogue.   Well worth a visit, oldest in the Americas that is still in use.   Also a small museum that is  dry well curated.   Cantor spoke about the history of the synagogue at 11:00 am.   I spent all my time there before I needed to get back to the ship.   

Lunch in the MDR.   Excellent service again and the food excellent just as we expect from Oceania.  Jeff is really liking the Power Bowls.   I had a salade nicoise.   

Meet and Greet today at 2:30.   Our roll call was pretty quiet.   We will see who shows up.

I will do my best to keep up with this thread.  I tried on Riviera but that cruise was just too port intensive.

Happy to answer questions.

Joe