NVa Cruisers

On 8/14/2022 at 3:34 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

There was once a web site for the Andrea Doria that was started and operated by a gentleman who had sailed on the ship as a child.  It contained quite a bit of information and, if I recall correctly, included memories of other former passengers and crew.  The gentleman passed.  A member of his family indicated that there were plans to keep the site alive.  A few scattered attempts were made, but eventually the web site disappeared.  

 

Thankfully, there are some maritime historical organizations that are able to preserve some of the ships' history.  

 

I traveled to Europe on the Andrea Doria in Feb 1956 with my family, and we had our return trip booked on the ship for July 1956. Fortunately for us we changed our booking to return on the Ile de France instead of the Andrea Doria, as we would have been on the ill-fated voyage. Our cabin was on the lowest deck of the ship, and we never knew the fate of the people who were in our cabin. The Ill de France arrived in NYC 3 days before the Andrea Doria sunk. One thing I remember from our crossing in February was that the different classes of passengers were segregated and there were locked doors preventing someone from a lower class to trespass into a higher class area. We were in the lowest class (tourist class) and we could only move around on the lower decks but not above the open weather deck. I wonder if during the collision whether the doors were unlocked to allow access to upper decks as the lower decks became flooded. I have memorabilia from the Andrea Doria, including pictures and several dining room menus, which I've kept for all these years as historical artifacts of that doomed ship.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a convenient way of getting from Heathrow to Southampton (not using a rental car)? Thanks.

It seems to me that many people choose a cruise based on the cruise itinerary. So when Celebrity changes an itinerary after people have booked a cruise and often paid for nonrefundable airfare to get to the cruise, it is a case of bait and switch and is highly irresponsible. We have been on many Celebrity southern Caribbean cruises that visited Aruba and Curacao in the Netherland Antilles, but the cruises never visited Bonaire so that was a major reason we booked the 7 Feb 2016 Eclipse cruise that included that island in its itinerary. Now we learn from Cruise Critic, but not from Celebrity, that Celebrity has dropped Bonaire from the itinerary. We're not happy. If passengers want a specific itinerary or want overnight stays in a port, they should book a cruise (and a cruise line) that provides those options. But reneging on a promised itinerary after people book a cruise based on a specific itinerary is a highly questionable business practice. It appears that reducing port fees may be driving this decision, but not customer satisfaction. There are many competing cruise lines, and Celebrity may want to consider their business practices if they want to retain loyal customers.

When we dined there on the allure as soon as we sat down the wine pairing was offered at an additional price. In our experience the wine was not included in the 40 pp.

It's just too bad that both the RCL website describing the restaurant and its menu, and the RCL Dining Department representatives that you talk to directly on the phone, don't give this information (and actually give completely contrary information) to prospective diners.

Thanks Megacruiser. I really enjoyed reading your fantastic review. Of course I'm disappointed that the RCL website showing the 150 Central Park menu doesn't show the actual menu with the prices, and doesn't indicate that the wine pairing is an extra charge. Borders on false advertising. :mad: Also it is frustrating that the Dining Department representative at RCL doesn't know this information and gave us assurances that the wine tasting was included in the $40pp price. I guess caveat emptor, right? Regardless, your review was excellent and really am getting excited about my upcoming cruise.

I'm very confused. We made a reservation at 150 Central Park for our upcoming Allure cruise, and paid the $40 pp cost upfront. According to the Royal Caribbean web site describing "About 150 Central Park" it says "Guests can enjoy a seasonal tasting menu and customized wine parings delivering an exclusive culinary experience." Nowhere does it say anything about an extra charge for the wine pairing. I also looked at the menu shown online, and it shows a six course tasting menu on the left side and a royal pairing of six wines on the right side, again with no indication of any extra charges beyond the $40 pp. I then called Royal Caribbean's dining department and asked specifically if the $40 pp included both the meal and the wine pairing as indicated by their web site and menu. The RC dining dept rep said that yes, the $40 pp fee includes both the meal and the wine pairing. But I am hearing here on CC that there is an extra charge for the wine pairing. So is the Royal Caribbean dining department representative wrong?

There are over 7,000 pieces of commissioned art on the ship that are not part of the art auction. Art is everywhere---on the walls, stairwells, elevators, in the garden, etc. The ship has 39 or 42 "small wonders"--pieces of art or such. We had fun trying to find them.

 

Also, there are these little ET-looking things all over--take a look in them and there are photos. And vertical telescope things that also have photos in them.

On some ships there are catalogs of onboard artwork. These catalogs are available in a range of media: from iPods you can borrow, to booklets in your cabin, to loose pages stapled together that you can borrow. Does the Oasis or Allure have such a catalog that can help someone find the artwork and read a little about the art?

Is there any interesting or memorable artwork in the stairwells, elevator lobbies, or other public spaces? I'm talking about permanent displays and not the art they are trying to sell at the auctions.

...If the dinner at Chops is at no cost to you, I would consider going and either upgrading to the Aged Steak or try something other than steak. Sounds silly I know to go to a Steak House and avoid the steak. :D Maybe one of the other items on the menu would appeal to you. The place does have a nice atmosphere and the service was good. Just a thought.

I had signed up for a dinner at Chops as a treat to my in-laws and travel companions. My first specialty restaurant dinner as we normally just eat in the MDR. After your review (and concurrence from others), I changed to 150 Central Park for only a few dollars more pp. Thanks for your honesty and now we are really looking forward to a special occasion.

Following. I'm booked on the Allure for a B2B at the end of the month, and your review of the Oasis is fantastic. :)

After 7 weeks at sea, we are back to reality.

We have no Celebrity cruise plans for at least 7 months and no firm plans for 2014.

Welcome back to land Arno and Joanne. I enjoyed playing trivia with you on the Eclipse, and rubbing elbows with you in the MDR. Hope to see you on a future cruise.

Ned