JoePDX

See you on board! We will take good care of Riviera until you embark. Joe

We are traveling with dear friends on this trip. Their first Oceania cruise, fun to experience through their eyes. Our friend Lisa, like me, loves the Grand Dining Room for meals and daily Tea in Horizons. With this port intensive itinerary squeezing in Tea has been hard but we have made it twice. The BLT finger sandwich is a fav for both of us. 😊 Dinner tonight in GDR - I had swordfish which I liked a lot. Husband had rotisserie chicken and friends both had the BBQ pork chop. I had the Limoncello Soufflé for dessert and it was so bad I ate it all. Every last bit. We have met many lovely people through the roll call. We had about 50 or so at the meet and greet on day one. Join and participate on your roll calls folks it can really enhance your cruise experience. Tomorrow is Antalya, Turkey. I leave you with a couple pictures of the Terrace Houses at Ephesus. Excavation started in 1967, opened to the public in 2013. Joe

Hi - Had a nice dinner in Red Ginger last night. Miso Sea Bass did not disappoint. Service excellent. Today was Kusadasi - returned to Ephesus after 21 years (last 2001). Saw the Terrace Houses which are amazing. Great private guide for three of us. He shared do much information with us. Joe

Sailing into Volos, Greece. We went to the monasteries at Meteroa. Amazing!

All is fine on Riviera. Embarkation in Istanbul was a mess. 2 1/2 hours to get onboard with us arriving at 12 for our 12-12:30 boarding time. New terminal is very nice but none of the taxi drivers seem to know how to get into the drop off area which is underground. We got dropped off in the parking garage and had to navigate elevators. 1035 passengers on board. Paul Baya is Cruise Director. Dined in Red Ginger first night. They have the Miso Sea Bass. Excellent meal. Going again tonight. Everyone I have talked to has raved about their meals there. Had husband’s birthday celebration in Privee - Degustation Menu. Fine service but a lot of food. 😊 La Reserve last night Bourgeois Menu. Excellent in every way! Doing the Odyssey Menu later in the cruise. Happy to answer questions. Joe

We always move the lifejackets to under the bed, regardless of the ship. And definitely works on Nautica. Joe

We did Buenos Aires to Santiago back in 2009 on Princess. Cruise experience sucked…but trip was incredible. Our one and done Princess cruise…too bad my Dad was along with us for his only cruise trip. Some highlights: We spent a week pre cruise in Buenos Aires. Rented an apartment in Recoleta. Evita Museum is really nice. Take in the Antique Market in San Telmo neighborhood. Revoleta Cemetery. Great food everywhere…especially empanadas and of course beef. Falkland Islands - trip out to Volunteer Point to see the Penguins. You get so close. Yet well marked where you can go so Penguins are protected. Puerto Montt we went zip lining. Great fun and great scenery. Way out in the forest near Mt. Osorno. Ushuaia we did a hike in Tierra del Fuego. We experienced all four seasons on the four hour hike. So beautiful! And a cool experience to walk across the peat bogs…which ripple/roll as you walk. Also did cruise up the Beagle Channel…unfortunately it poured the whole trip white low clouds/fog so didn’t see much. ☹️ Montevideo - very walkable city from the pier. Nearby the pier is a food hall. Find a stall where all the locals are crowded in and order a meat sampler….amazing food. Punta Arenas did cruise out to Penguin Island - if you can’t do Volunteer Point this is a good option….but Volunteer Point is much bettter! Would happily do a similar itinerary again…. Joe

Patrick is great. And a hero of the Falklands War. Volunteer Point is excellent too. A highlight being in a 4x4 with a local resident who by trade is not a tour guide. Enjoy! Joe

Patrick is great. And a hero of the Falklands War. Volunteer Point is excellent too. A highlight being in a 4x4 with a local resident who by trade is not a tour guide. Enjoy! Joe

Thank you for the update on your experience. I have Privee booked for my husband’s birthday on 9/15 on Riviera. Very much looking forward to this special evening. 😊 Joe

Interesting. I did post specifics for our last two cruises and you didn’t acknowledge. We also do our own excursions and don’t purchase drink packages. Joe

Just pulled up details from my previous Oceania cruise in 2017. Total cost category F on a 20 night cruise $6580 Agent provided prepaid gratuities ($640) plus $800 OBC for a total benefit of $1440 or 21.9%. This is the best I have ever done with an agent. Over the past 20 years I would estimate average is around 10%. Thousands of dollars over the years…. Joe

Specific details of my current cruise booking. Category F 19 night cruise. Total cruise cost $8,398 Cruise agency rebate check - not OBC. $740.22 or 8.8%. And excellent very responsive service. Joe

I often feel like shedding a tear too. It always just feels like coming home. And as soon as you step aboard, the stresses just melt away..... Joe

We board on 9/14 in Istanbul. So ready! Joe

My $250 OBC Shareholder Benefit does not show up in my on line account either, but I do have the updated Oceania invoice showing the amount. The amount was split evenly between my husband and I as we are joint holders on the Fidelity account. Joe

I just did our on-line check in for our September 14 cruise on Riviera. You have to attest to understanding the embarkation requirements (for us fully vaccinated) but you do not actually upload an image of your vaccine card or anything like that. I expect to have to show it to embark, so I always carry the card with my passport. Joe

Got a confirmation email this morning that my shareholder credit had been added to the booking. Joe

I sent my request back on July 5 - no response. Just resent, so fingers crossed. Joe

And your passports and potentially your belongings will be left with the Port Agent in the first city. Always ask. Has never been a problem for us. We did an overnight off the ship in Egypt and Israel (the ship was also overnighting in both ports). In both cases our passports were given back to us so we could travel with them. You should request the same thing. We saw so much we couldn't have seen traveling back and forth each day. I disagree with others who have stated "take a land trip".... One night off the ship is not negating why you cruise. We cruise to see the world and to identify places we want to return to for more in depth exploration with the cruise experience being important too. Enjoy! Rome and Florence are both incredible places. Joe

I work for a Medical University with a Health System and also get care there. I am not a health professional, but an IT professional. And yes, my Doctor is a really good one. That said - he did quote the protocol from the health system as well as our State's health department regarding Paxlovid prescribing. I also asked about the Monkey Pox vaccine, his response only for the high risk at this time, until more vaccine is available. Joe

After I saw your post that you and Stu had received prescriptions to Paxlovid, I emailed my Doctor asking for a prescription for our upcoming trip and got a firm No in response. I tried. 😊 Joe

Turkey has no entry requirements as of 6-1-2022, you don't need to show that you are vaccinated and you don't need a negative COVID test. https://tr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/ Greece also changed their masking requirements on 6-1-2022. https://greekreporter.com/2022/06/01/face-masks-greece-coronavirus/ BTW - we get on Riviera when you get off. Take good care of her for us! 😀 Joe

Hi Jack - I just did a quick search in the Sirena Roll Call threads and do not see a roll call for your cruise. You can start a roll call here. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/763-sirena-roll-calls/ Joe

Hi Deb - I love Barcelona. I would suggest looking near the Placa Catalunya. This will put you within walking distance of The Ramblas, the Gothic Quarter and the Gaudi houses. From Placa Catalunya you have access to the hop on hop off buses, the Metro and Aerobus. I really like the El Avenida Palace Hotel. We will be there in October at the end of our cruise and staying in this hotel for the third time. Have fun! Joe