auldlassie

I Imagine it will be same as operated on the outdoor deck on the Colonnade, but am happy to be corrected by anyone who knows more details. Looks fab, BTW.

On Ovation recently over Christmas and New Year, comp list attached. BTW, the list was not entirely accurate by the time we sailed, as one white not mentioned was also available, but it was probably just due an update by then. If you do not want the offered wines on any given day, in any given restaurant, it is very simple to ask instead for one from the comped list you would prefer. Might take them a few minutes to locate if not in that particular venue, but they were always happy to go fetch. I agree these are not fine wines by any stretch, and lincslady's comment above is spot on, but I found some that were drinkable enough and strayed onto the paying list when and if I felt the need for better. They are also always happy enough for you to try a little glass of any comped wine if you do not know it and get others to try if you do not enjoy.

I had no difficulties whatsoever in getting alternative complimentary wines, right from day 1's lunch when I boarded. All I needed to do was to say, politely " No I do not want that wine, I would prefer...." and either ask for a particular wine I knew was available or to ask for a particular style, grape variety, or whatever. Never any issue, refusal, or problem, although at times a few minutes wait if the waiter or sommelier had to go find the wine I wanted from elsewhere. You can ask a sommelier for a copy of the current comped wines, although it might take them a day to give it to you, so best to ask in the interim for an alternative style or type you like until you have it. I would think you could also get the list from Seabourn square, as it clearly does exist.

Just back from 3 weeks on Ovation over the Xmas and New Year holidays. Our first Seabourn cruise since the Xmas/new year of 2019-2020, just before covid. Auldladdie and I are quite a picky couple of travellers who like our luxuries, good service and creature comforts. We have now enjoyed quite a number of cruises on several different lines and recognise comparative differences between the different operators. We honestly thought this cruise was fabulous. Most of the crew, with hardly any exceptions were helpful, chatty and lovely, doing their utmost, as before. Food in all venues varied a bit from good (at worst) to excellent, mainly toward the latter, although we got a bit jaded with the main dining room dinners by the end of 3 weeks. Simple enough to change it up with sushi or another restaurant though, as we frequently did, so we always felt we had options. Plenty to do on board, with a lively, holiday-mood, crowd of amiable, interesting, well-travelled people who enjoy chat and laughter, which was exactly how we found our previous Seabourn cruises. This was a Caribbean cruise, with several less well visited stops and one or two were not ones we found held much interest, but that is a very personal thing and it didn't happen often enough to matter much overall to us. I have heard the naysayers on this board for a while now, so we were a little concerned as to what to expect this time around, but we were delighted to find Seabourn seemed just as much fun as we remembered our from previous cruises. Tiny hiccups on rare occasions, but overall the staff did an excellent job of sorting those quickly. Keen to cruise with Seabourn soon again. Just my honest tuppenceworth! 🙂

Here is a pic of the balcony of penthouse 7114 on Vista. When you look up you realise that the shortened panel shown is open to the sky and the other higher balconies of same width don't have this extra smaller panel. Not a massive difference, but definitely more than enough room to have 2 loungers and the rest of the furniture with plenty of space to move around following the sun. Delightful!

Hi cruisingxpert, perhaps I have misunderstood what you mean, and am sorry if so, but the penthouse balconies on different decks are not all the same sq footage. If something is same width but deeper, it has to be bigger and you can see from photos, as well as axtually looking at the ship when you are alongside, that they are the same in width as the decks rise, but deeper. Just to be clear for anyone trying to book and wanting maximum space on the balcony of a penthouse.

Well, both my husband and I developed coughs on Vista in August and we discovered someone on the same deck as us had been confirmed with covid. We went to the ship's doc, filled with trepidation and ran up a considerable sum in tests for all sorts. Not covid, not even strep throat (which we were told is, like covid, subject to enforced isolation on the ship which we did not know), just acute laryngotracheitis -a sore throat and irritating cough. Some antibiotics and it was quickly sorted. So worth remembering not every cough on a ship is covid. We do indeed, as Nashna says, have to take sensible precautions, have our vaccinations and then just cross our fingers if we want to travel!

I forgot to add that the rear extended balconies on deck 7 have 2 chairs and a dining table, two loungers and a side table, all with plenty of room to be moved around to catch the sun.

I was in 7114 on a 25 night cruise on Vista this July/August The extended balconies on deck 7 at the rear are the deepest on the ship for penthouses, although when we looked up it was obvious that the other extended balconies on deck 8 and above are less deep than those on deck 7. As far as we could determine, the only small snag is that when they wash the overhanging deck, further up and overhead as we looked up from 7114, with the extension overhead to accommodate the wider restaurant floors (possibly deck 12 and above?), the water does splash down onto deck 7. Not much of a snag at all. 🙂 Loved those cabins.

I thought the safe on Vista was the smallest I have had on any cruise line or hotel, but I usually do a reasonable size cabin like a PH. Took all our stuff, but it was a squeeze.

Vista recently overnighted right on the river in the centre of Bordeaux.

No specific "medicine cabinet" in our PH bathroom on Vista. Lots of ordinary bathroom cabinet space however, so you can easily find enough space to put your meds. BTW, I cannot see a dedicated medicine cabinet/space in the link Redraider has posted. Maybe I am just missing the obvious though.

We are just back from almost a month on Vista, a non-connecting PH. We did hear a neighbour's tv one evening when they were playing a musical show or movie loudly , so they could hear it while they sat on their deck 😞 and one day the other neighbours' (both really hard of hearing, we later realised ) yelling and having a very "heated conversation" 😬 Other than that, we had another very rude New Yorker lady close by, who took calls on speakerphone or facetime on her deck every evening (both family and work - and wow she almost never stopped over-selling her business to clients, aways the same agressive spiel) between 5 and 6.30pm, (when most people are back from a busy day ashore and trying to relax in the evening sun on their decks before dinner) at a volume only the very rudest people can manage to sustain. My overall impression was that none of that was Oceania's fault, in that it was not a Vista design "flaw", more just a pity some self-centred folk have zero consideration for others around them.

Just off Vista and Acqua di Parma, Blu Mediterraneo, Arancia di Capri in our PH. I like the previous Bulgari ones, but this was every bit as lovely.

My experiences in Ember - it was neither loud nor quick nor casual, not by any measure, and nothing like Waves or the other casual spots on the ship. I say that as my true experience and I do eat out a lot at high end dining and have done for...a long time (yes, I am getting on a bit now!). One man's meat.......

Just back from Rome-Southampton on Vista, 24 nights. We were a little concerned about our booked dinners in Ember having been told service was rather too fast. We had tables booked for 8pm, probably later than many other cruisers prefer, but that is when we like to eat dinner. On both occasions we really enjoyed Ember. Fantastically tasty and tender bone in rib eyes, cooked medium to our perfection, lobster roll light and delicious, all other items ordered very good to excellent and served in generous proportions. Service from staff very much on point and absolutely no rush whatsoever, table ours until closing. Highly enjoyable.

Just back from Rome-Southampton on Vista, 24 nights. We were a little concerned about our booked dinners in Ember having been told service was rather too fast. We had tables booked for 8pm, probably later than many other cruisers prefer, but that is when we like to eat dinner. On both occasions we really enjoyed Ember. Fantastically tasty and tender bone in rib eyes, cooked medium to our perfection, lobster roll light and delicious, all other items ordered very good to excellent and served in generous proportions. Service from staff very much on point and absolutely no rush whatsoever, table ours until closing. Highly enjoyable.

Siamcruisers, pretty sure I have never seen my Seabourn port fees and taxes added as an "extra" item to my bill. So just like Viking, they are included in the price I pay to my travel agent.

Found it -it is St Joseph's church in Kalkara, Malta -across the bay from Valetta. Once it was uploaded to Cruisecritic I could search Google for the image. It still took a bit of searching to find it's name and location, but now I know exactly where it is I can go visit it this July when I am on Vista! Fab! Thanks babysteps!

I know google can search for images from a webpage, but I didn't know that would be possible from a photo that is not on a webpage, but I will try it and find out - thanks. Meanwhile, here is pic and hopefully someone with better geographic knowledge than myself -and Oceania - can identify. 🙂

Hello, I got my European Panorama brochure (UK version) this morning and spent a while looking through it. There is a particularly lovely photo on page 24 labelled as Valletta, but I don't think it is Valletta. That is not the big domed church in most Valetta photographs and on Google maps I cannot see any other domed building so close to the shore as in this photo. It is not the first Oceania cruise brochure to mix up photos and I think it happens reasonably often with all cruise lines, so I think this is an error. Does anyone know where this actually is? It looks absolutely beautiful and I am wondering if I will ever be able to find it and actually go visit it. 🙂

I've done quite a few Xmas/New Year cruises with Seabourn and I have to say that I agree with Mr Luxury and Skybluewaters on their assessments. Last one I did was just before covid took hold, so 2019-2020. I found it was same as ever, chilled and civilised - albeit with a little party spirit. Exactly as I liked. Not overly boisterous at all and no large, domineering groups as far as I was aware. There was an fairly regular poolside event for a short while (longer on New Year's eve of course) and the occasional noisy dinner table nearby in a restaurant. BTW, I have found those things can happen on any cruise, not just holiday time ones. Perhaps things have changed after covid. Perhaps the type of passenger is currently a little different? Or perhaps, having been unable to travel for a while they feel a little more in the need to cut loose on holiday? Or perhaps they are exactly the same as before? I would guess that whatever changes might be happening on Seabourn is also happening on other lines - if it is happening at all. I'll find out later this year for myself. I absolutely love your knowledgeable cruise reports Fletcher and your awesome photography skills. You deftly take us right there on the trip with you. You are obviously a very thoughtful person, so if you feel a noisier crowd would interfere with your enjoyment of your trip, then I'd suggest you heed your instincts and steer clear. Please always enjoy your cruising to the fullest - and please keep sharing your trips with us. 🙂

Thanks for sharing your words and photos Fletcher - for many of these ports it is a trip down memory lane again and you've made an Auld Lassie very happy!

I could swear I hear "whoosh" noises when I read this thread. And now giggles. 🙂 Maybe just me.

Is Vista in the water for April 2023? Ihe founders cruise, which I take to be the new inaugural is May 2023.