twochromic

I'm on this cruise also. I have in fact talked to the lady. She is from Paris. (Of course!) She is at times a bit confused, but then again, so are half of us.

However, today the little dog took a dump right outside the elevator. Madame reached into her bag, used a paper towel to pick it up, said "that should be enough" and went about her activity!

I like dogs, but,.......meh.

Update from Sojourn:

Still no MDR for lunch, and according to the supervisory staff, no plans to open during this T/A.

They are using the old "Covid" excuse. Claiming that galley is still significantly understaffed as crew cannot "get back to the ship". Galley staff cannot run Colonnade, Square, Deck, and Roomservice at once and still run MDR lunch. Who knows what the reality is.

Having done a prior T/A on Seabourn, though food quality and service is still very good, they are a long way from being the cruise line they were prior to the shutdowns. 

No reason to be discussing star ratings yet.

I know you all have hashed this "MDR for lunch" topic possibly to death. However....

Just for information, we are currently on Sojourn, 6 days into the transatlantic. So far, Zero days when MDR has been open for lunch. Sadly. Will see what the next 8 days offers!

 

Colonnade food is actually quite good, but the feeding frenzy at lunch time puts me a bit off.

I know you all have hashed this "MDR for lunch" topic possibly to death. However....

Just for information, we are currently on Sojourn, 6 days into the transatlantic. So far, Zero days when MDR has been open for lunch. Sadly. Will see what the next 8 days offers!

 

Colonnade food is actually quite good, but the feeding frenzy at lunch time puts me a bit off.

On 10/29/2022 at 5:10 PM, Mr Luxury said:

Why not

We see a lot of branded cruise ship logos from all lines.

My Titanic bag is a bit worn but you can still see the White Star logo.😀

Water damage?

3 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

You don't really need your phone and can do almost anything on the ship by other means.

I have the app but don't bother to use it on board.

I like to leave my phone in the safe unless I am going ashore.

Of course. We use the iPads and laptop. But as we wander around, a huge % are hanging onto their phones. Looks like a high school hallway!

Well, currently on Sojourn, 2 days into the T/A.

The app? Not yet ready for prime time. It cra**ed out several times at embarkation day in Lisbon, so the painfully added boarding passes were not always available. But I had a printed copy for that eventuality, mistrusting sob that I am. However nobody actually looked at them. Just the passports.

However, now 90% of the guests wander round with their cellphones in hand -- just like a bunch of teenagers. I had hoped to get away from that by booking a SB cruise, but, alas....

Quick question for you, RafinMD: It seems there are several cruise ports in Basel. Which one did Crystal dock at?

 

We'll be on that trip in May, planning to stay an extra couple of days in Basel, trying to figure out where to stay.

As for TA's and ships, we have done TA on Crystal and on Seabourn, the latter in a ship smaller than the R's. Smooth as glass the whole way both times. I would not hesitate to book in O's R ships if it worked out schedule wise.

I'm with OP here. Having just finished a cruise with 29 other family members, I have to say that NCL's web site is among the worst designed I've seen. It took ages to get everyone registered and signed on to the site. At least half the group wound up calling their service to get it cleared up.

Entering your information is fussier than other cruise sites.

Once finished, finding the place to download the boarding documents and luggage tags is not clear for those of us less savvy in such things.

It could do with an overhaul.

There are things on Viking's dining plan that are really great. For me, I think the buffet is the best we've had, and usually was just about as good as what was served in the MDR. In addition, since it is a buffet, you pick and choose what you like best. Unlimited king crab legs. Divine!

 

MDR food was good, but not IMHO on a par with Oceania. And the included wine selections were severely limited there. Service, however, was very good in the MDR, and as noted, they have a lot of 2-tops, and no problem getting in almost any time you like.

 

Specialty restaurants were my big disappointment. Never could get a reservation in the Italian place, and the guy in charge of the bookings couldn't have cared less about accommodating people. I didn;t hear good things about the Chef Table, so we canceled that one.

 

Mamsens had some really interesting things, though it is of limited selection.

 

Pool bar was odd. Burgers were not very good, and their steak and cheese sandwich was an exercise in jaw workout. On the other hand, Mrs TC enjoyed her Reuben there.

 

Overall: good food. Not spectacular.

I'm sure the answer is simply "it depends on the weather".

 

On a recent transatlantic on Seabourn, it was smooth as glass practically the whole way, with just a few swells a couple of nights. Captain said he actually anticipated rougher seas between Madeira and Lisbon, but that was also smooth.

We are doing just such a stay after this week's Viking from Barcelona.

I'm using a VRBO right near the Vatican, at $107 a night. They are booking transfer from the port for me, and back to the airport at the end. I've booked private tours to the places we want to see, and they all have been great to deal with.

We don't anticipate a problem finding something to eat there!

S we were transiting through Charles de Gaulle. After a long hike to customs, they only had two clerks handling EU passengers. Non-EU passengers were just waiting.

Mura

I try NEVER to transit through CDG. It is invariably a mess, and in my opinion the worst airport in the world. Certainly I would not trust a cruise line to book me through there. If there was no choice, I might, but require at least 4 hours transit time there.

I'm with you, GolfGuy. Recently back from our first experience in Butler-land. Poor fellow was always trying to do stuff, but there really wasn't anything for him. His favorite: "I'll bring canapes at 4pm". Now that's what I needed -- more food!

 

Still, Oceania tacks on the butler gratuity, whether you use them or not, so that's just the way it is -- goes with the bigger room.

Sounds like Stugeron's no different than any other drug, then!

Good restaurants do NOT put a salt shaker on the table!

That would be fine, but there's the inconsistency problem. Sometimes McD's puts lots on the fries, other times they're really lacking.

I haven't found it necessary on a cruise, as the baggage is handled pretty well by the staff.

 

However I've done 5 weeks in Europe with carryon, in which most of the space was used by cameras and recording equipment. You just need a plan for the laundry, and not to worry about wearing only 2 outfits for 5 weeks.

 

Despite the weight rules in Euro airlines I've never had them mess with me over carry-ons. I just don't let the agent spend a lot of time looking at the bags. (And certainly when you see what gets carried on in Africa and South America, there's no reason to worry!)

I think dancing should be banned.

 

Once you allow that, who knows what sort of debauchery might follow?

 

Note to readers: It's just a bit of sick humor!

Well, the original topic is not "what food do we like best", but has O's cuisine declined. IMHO, definitely it has.

 

Not long ago I posted here and elsewhere that we found O's food the best of any line we've been with: including all the mainstreams, Regent, and Crystal. It stood out because of menu selection, quality of the varied courses, and the presentation.

 

Now I think all three factors on O are good, but do not stand out from other lines. Perhaps it is a sign of the times, but it's the way I see it.

I surely hope the Caesar salad isn't a deal breaker

Of course not. And perhaps you folks are correct that Caesar has always been simply "assembled" on O. I was likely remembering Seabourn.

I did find a bit of a decline on my recent (Aug 7) Alaska cruise on Regatta. We still had a great time, but I didn't think the food quality and presentation was as consistent as on earlier ones. And there were nights in the MDR where nothing looked appetizing (I don't ever remember thinking that on any cruise!).

For instance: no Caesar salads concocted tableside from scratch, even in specialty restaurants -- dressing already in a pot, likely the same one as at the buffet.

But here's what I don't understand in the cruise business: Oceania, like others, adds "gratuities" onto everyone's bill. Standard amount. You have to make a scene if you don't want it. Cabin and dining staff evidently earn peanuts wages, and depend on the gratuities to make their living. Okay, fine, if that's the way it is.

 

But how does that standard gratuity encourage better service? May as well scowl your way through the cruise, you still get your cut of the gratuities.

We're talking cruising here: how can either O or R be considered "bad"? !!!

 

That said, just off Regatta this week in PH cabin -- the size is about equal to a standard cabin on Seabourn or even Crystal. Oceania is keeping their R's in good shape, but time is doing its thing on the fixtures, like the closet cabinetry.

Just off Regatta this week. Good food, but not as good as on prior O cruises. They didn't do very well with lobster in any of the venues: Waves, Terrace, or MDR. Agree, it was overcooked and tough. We didn't push it in Toscana/Polo -- the lamb chops and prime rib were very good!