babysteps

Bummer! We disembark Vista tomorrow in Trieste and have had many alerts as to the changed location and procedure. Several mentions in Currents, a separate letter, specific disembark instructions, etc. Not sure if it's just the difference of one ship to the next, or if the one day difference meant we expected the change and Marina thought it was getting in before the deadline?? They are providing shuttles for us to the train station - or so they say, we'll know tomorrow!

Koper Slovenia today - at a dock hooray☺ Online suggested this was a small and not so interesting town. Small yes, uninteresting I would disagree but I am easily amused! We took the elevator up from the port level to town - it is right across the street from the terminal exit, and the gang way ended about 15 steps from the terminal. Very convenient! If you are looking to explore independently, there are tours and taxis available right at the port. Also scooters (may require an app?) and bikes to rent. I didn't see an obvious walk-up car rental though - doesn't mean there isn't one! In town we walked a block to the Loggia café. According to the historic info plaque (on many buildings around town, in Slovenian, Italian, English, and German) this is the oldest coffee house in Slovenia. 2 glasses of local wine (including ice waters and a small complementary snack) were a total bill of under 10 euros! Then we explored the main church, where we realized that all the "1500" banners around town were celebrating not an event from 524 years ago, but one from 1500 years ago in 524ad when Koper was founded. There's some staying power, eh? We wandered around town, enjoyed a family distillery's shop with plenty of tastes of this and that (including many local products without alcohol like jams etc). Then we circled back to dock level but wandered over to the town beach (just a couple blocks) and the restaurant there. They let us taste a few wines before selecting 2 to have one glass of. Beachside shady table, a bottle of chilled mineral water and the glasses of wine - no included snack this time but total still under 10euros. Fun to try the wines and no complaints about price and value! Last night we ate at Waves. Turns out they can do gluten free pizza on demand (takes longer because they don't use the pizza oven). Also you can get half one pizza topping (say Margherita) and half another one on a single pie. You can even do a custom blend - so if you want do do your own remix, just ask. I can report that the standard Margherita is tomato, basil, and what we at our house call pizza mozzarella (shredded, not fresh). You may not hear from me until we get home. Tomorrow we disembark and if all goes well take the express bus from Trieste to VCE airport then explore Venice for a few days.

Shows up as a badge type thing in the mailings. Except for the one email there's not really any description of what may (or may not) make it special. Dinner last night was about 25 guests plus Nelli Arias (head of loyalty program) and FDR Jr in GDR at 3 tables (the one really big table plus two 8-tops). Regular menu but bottled wine provided. Tendering has gone better for us than the Riviera report. Sounds like the destination team makes a big difference, so ymmv! Our cruise had 4 tender ports and we had no problems. We were on an O tour at one and independent at the other 3. Two of the ports the tenders started before tour meeting times began so if you wished to go ashore first thing as an independent it was likely easy. We tended to wait until the tail end of tour dispatch and our longest wait to be called to board was about 10 minutes. If you showed up as an independent in the middle of tour dispatch you could well be waiting much longer. Of course the actual process is another 10-15 minutes or so once you make your way down to the tender level, get on board and wait for others to board. Until open tendering, the procedure was to go to the Lounge and either exchange your tour ticket for numbered tags or, if independent, ask for colored tags (1 per person in your group). For a given tender they seemed to call a couple tours at a time and then 1-3 colors. Much communication back and forth as to any missing tour participants and actual loading of tender, often followed by 1 additional color or tour called. Once open tendering is called you can simply go to the designated tendering deck. On Vista it has been deck 4 forward, then walk down to deck 3. There is an elevator option to deck 3 if the stairs don't work for you. Returning to ship we didn't -at least on this cruise - hit any bottlenecks. They were running enough tenders that we didn't have a long wait ever. Of course we weren't coming back at the last minute either so can't promise it's always this smooth! Random item, the ping pong table on Vista is deck 15 starboard. I did get a look from the water yesterday at the big white thing by our balcony (in 7024). Nothing that told me anything lol, it's a big white box with a door/panel that could open on the sea side.

We had a lecturer in December 2023 on Insignia in the Eastern Caribbean with iirc one scheduled sea day of 10 day cruise. Current Vista is 10 day cruise and zero sea days...

Dubrovnik yesterday was busy but not slammed. And the stone paving not nearly as slippery as Ephesus! We took it easy, strolling around and stopping at D'Vino for some wine tastings and snacks. Really grateful for a cloudy day in the 80s. Still quite warm and humid, but much less intense than the last 4 days Terrace for dinner last night (still at dock - departed just before 9pm) and some of the noise comes up the emergency/crew only staircase going down to deck 11. Some kind of machinery humming away. We were at a 2-top on the starboard edge, was lovely. We did have a Sunday Brunch in the GDR this cruise. That day was Argostoli and we didn't moor until 11am. This cruise is the designated annual O Club reunion cruise, so the brunch is apparently part of the program. Otherwise usually seen on TAs or TPacs or perhaps some longer sea-day-intensive itineraries. Hadn't been to a brunch onboard in a while, it really was quite a spread. Also because of the reunion cruise designation, we have a lecturer doing presentations on the history and culture of some of our ports. Cruise director has noted a few times that port - intensive itineraries usually do not have lecturers on O any longer. Some other reunion activities are invite-only but on our roll call no one said they didn't get invited. Of course it was a pretty quiet roll call lol. We are on cruise #13 on O and got invited to one extra cocktail party and a group dinner. Someone else on our roll call had similar activities but different dates. Watch your email a few weeks before the cruise, you needed to rsvp. We are not full - around 1050 if I did cocktail party math right. Something like 460? 4xx returning guests and 580ish first timers. Just over half from the US, followed by UK, Canada, Australia and Japan.

This morning's 'cleared to go ashore' announcement reminded me - on Vista in 7024 we can hear the general announcements in the room if the tv isn't on (or is muted). Other ships I have to open the hallway door a crack to hear the announcements clearly. In my opinion we hear hallway activity more on Vista, but it's not like we hear every footfall going past. So 'a little' more Haven't yet heard our neighbors except for muted toilet flushes and one sneeze.

Update - we did enjoy our tour "Santorini Wines at Venetsanos Winery" which also included stops at Santos winery and Sigalos winery. Way more info starting at this post - click into the thread and scroll down for another post with a list of all the Santorini ships tours and where they start & end on the island.

Fun fact, this morning the tv hasn't yet updated the ship's time. But today that would make folks early for tours!

Polo last night - again 'sharing' became a table for two. p Pleasantly surprised that both of our mains came cooked to the ordered done-ness which may be a first for us lol. Another good meal, and the updated decor was lighter while still retaining that chop-house feel. One thing about Terrace on Vista - it seems noisier outdoors when the ship is underway (than on other ships), but not sure if it's just where we sat the other night? Or an impact from the otherwise-welcome cover? Haven't seen anyone else mention it, would be happy to be wrong! In port - eg most breakfasts - no noise issue. Random cabin refit comment, the bedside lighting in our B veranda cabin is now a lamp on each bedside table. Said lamp is permanently attached (not moveable) so the ability to pile books/etc here is somewhat limited. There is a pull-out tray as the highest part of the drawers underneath. There is not a "reading" light - so if you read paper after your mate goes to sleep, plan accordingly. So far we've always docked with the starboard side to land - someday I'll get a look from below at the big white thing below our balcony, but not yet! FYI 7022 has a bright light on deck 6 right below their balcony. No impact if you like to keep your blackout curtains closed, but if not that cabin will be lighter at night.

Because it continues to be hot-hot-hot we are enjoying our cabins AC and I am posting more - apologies for my chatter box tendencies. Corfu today and a PSA-your phone may link to the nearby Albanian network and if it does your time may be an hour off (9:30 instead of 10:30 today for example) . One lady we met had missed her tour because of this. Corfu has a shuttle to the terminal (optional but appreciated) and then a shuttle to town. We got the museum combo ticket and also enjoyed some Greek wine at a café. Lovely time poking around, would have stayed longer if it wasn't quite so warm - another 'feels like 97' day. If you wanted to wander further independently, the cruise terminal offers rental cars and plenty of waiting taxis. Plus hop on hop off ticker counter (the official stop may be a couple blocks away). The main ferry terminal is a short walk toward town, not sure if there are any good short options but if there were it's certainly convenient enough. Red Ginger last night was lovely. So far we've had 3 specialty reservations all for sharing, but all 3 when we arrived there were solo tables (well the 2 of us alone) available. Tom Kah Gum soup one of us ordered as-is (marked with a chili) and the other asked for more heat and they each came as specified. We liked the dining room layout on Vista, could actually see out at the view! It can be a lively (that is noisy) room, moreso than Toscana, assume not as much as Ember but we were in main dining area at RG and next to window (reported to be quieter) at Ember so ymmv. Red Ginger extras are same as they have been at least recently - edamame to start, an expanding finger towel, selection of chopsticks, selection of teas (including herbal choices). Looks like the new "more sushi choices" at Terrace is already in place. Each night I looked there is tuna or salmon nigiri or sashimi, on additional nigiri (one night cooked shrimp, one nigh really tasty raw acallop), plus 3 or 4 choices of roll. If I didn't already mention it, gluten free soy sauce is now available at the Terrace sushi station, hooray! The chilliest place on the ship may be Lynx on 14 near Horizons. I was printing a page and mentioned it was almost cold, they explained the equipment needs to be cold! Printing was easy - bring your device (not a thumb drive) and the helper will connect you to the center's WiFi and install the printer. FYI it's a black and white printer.

More details for tour logistics on Santorini tours as of June 2024 based on onboard destination services list and Currents. Except as noted all tours had meeting times so assume they ran. Santorini tours June 2024 that start from new port Athinios and end at Athinios new port at tender dock (no option of cable car): Capture the Moment-Santorini (photo tour - listed as available but no meeting time in Currents so may not have run) Santorini tours June 2024 that start from new port Athinios and end at Fira at/near top of cable car to get tender from Kameni (old) port aka Skala: Santorini Panorama Santorini Highlights Santorini Winery & Oia Santorini 's Bouts to Winery, Oia & Fira Visits Santorini Wines at Venetsanos Winery Half Day at Beautiful Perivolos Beach The Legend of the Lost City of Atlantis & Oia Village Perissa Beach Transfer (no listed meeting time so may not have run) Amazing Akrotiri Santorini tours June 2024 that start from old port Skala for transfer to boat and end at old port Skala (no cable car required but if you really wanted to you might be able to take up and back down at end of your tour): Volcanic Santorini Santorini by Private Boat

Argostoli was hot! The heat wave continues, it was according to my weather app 95f feels like 105f. We just wandered around town and did see a couple sea turtles swimming in the lagoon. Who knew they were a thing - apparently a rare location where the sea turtles don't have to migrate at all so they are always around to see. Decided not to stop at one wine bar because all the seats were outdoors (shaded but no AC). Then we realized that pretty much all the restaurants were like this. Dipped into a grocery store for the AC (and Greek honey for a friend). Clerk suggested a restaurant just down the street - not sure we ever found it but we did find a couple glasses of local wine at a lovely spot. Still no AC lol. The village was much more attractive than we expected after the 'rebuilt after devastating 1953 earthquake without trying to recreate historic details' description. Pedestrian shopping street is particularly inviting, as is the seaside string of restaurants. This is a tourist town serving fly-and-flop British beach goers so don't expect an immersion in authentic Greek village life. But that means that there are plenty of restaurants with great views of the water to relax at - with English translations on the menus lol. Right at the tender port there are 20euro/day compact rental cars so if you wish to explore further that is definitely do-able. There is also a dock but it only holds one ship and that wasn't us lol. One crew member said this was the first time they'd been at this port and not docked, so ymmv

So we are done with our SM tours for this cruise, and they were both winners. Maybe I should play the lotto lol? Our Santorini tour had just 10 guests and included 3 winery visits with tastings and small snacks at each. The first two - Santos and Venitsanos - are on the edge of the caldera very close to the top of the road up from Athinios port. Our guide Sophia was very good and quite knowledgeable about wine. Plus she knew everyone personally and had a great sense of humor which helped! Santos is the island's co-op winery and for groups has a self-service tasting format of 3 wines - white, red, dessert. Most of the servers knew their stuff and could answer technical questions. This was our first stop. The snacks were olives, cheese, and breadsticks. The wine was decent and the views spectacular. If you don't like heights there were also tables further back on the shaded and nicely landscapes patio. Then we went to nearby Venitsanos where they had a guided tasting for us, also 3 wines - white, red, dessert. The snacks were on a shared platter at each of our 2 tables and were olives, cheese, breadsticks and a traditional tomato spread. The person presenting out tasting was very informed and engaging. Again we were outside under the shade with an amazing view. Next we drove toward the Oia end of the island with plenty of grapevines along the way as Sophia helped us understand the history of viticulture on Santorini and how the unique 'basket' vine pruning technique has developed. Sigalis was our 3rd winery and the most highly regarded for their wines. Here the view is over their vineyard which slopes gently toward the sea (not visible at least not from our table). We tried 2 whites, a red and a dessert wine (unusually for Santorini made from red grapes). Sigalis also makes some very affordable sparkling wine and one of our fellow guests bought a bottle so we could all taste that. Snacks here were individually served and were cheese, the tomato spread on a slice of bread and also the traditional Santorini bean spread on a slice of bread. Pretty sure there were also olives but 2 days ago now lol. We bought a bottle of one of their white wines and enjoyed it onboard last night at Red Ginger. All three of these wineries distribute in the US so no need to lug bottles home unless there's a rare bottling that's available only at the winery. We then retraced our steps back to the main road and then continued on to Fira where we were dropped off. Sophia handed us our cable car tickets and walked us to the line - we could have taken a little time to explore Fira but we decided to head to the ship. It was about an hour from getting in line for the cable car to boarding the tender. This tour was very well done and was a great introduction to Santorini as first time visitors. No bargain but a good way to spend SM credits. More on Logistics- In Santorini almost all the ship's tours start with a tender ride to Athinios, a ferry port that buses can drive to. It is a bit south of Fira and its "old port' with the cable car. According to Currents, if you have a confirmed private tour starting at Athinios you CAN get independent tickets for those tenders. Not sure I realized that before! Otherwise the tenders all go to the 'old port' below Fira. That's the port with the cable car and infamous donkey rides. There is at least one company at the 'old port' selling a speed boat ride to Oia with bus return to Fira - not sure if this is available as a walk-up or needs prior reservations, but it may be an alternative to the cable car on arrival. Was joking with some of the entertainment staff that there should be a vendor with a parasail excursion that ends at the old pier - likely impossible, but a fun idea! As far as I could tell, other than a few water-born excursions all the tours end at Fira and you get to use the cable car to arrive at the tender pier (or walk down the donkey path which is not recommended).

Santorini we did O excursion "Santorini Wines at Venetsanos Winery" which is an OS/Ocrania Select. More details later but was great, 10 total guests in a minibus that held 20

Similar issue in Terrace 2 nights ago. New-to-O server was confused and wanted to bring me a glass of rose rather than our stored bottle. Didn't seem to realize a stored bottle was possible. His colleague intervened and explained. We are on SM but this was a bottle we'd brought onboard. FYI SM does get you a 15% savings on bottle purchases. Wasn't sure if that discount was only for purchased beverage plans vs 'included' ones

"Ephesus & Terrace Houses" 5-1/2 hours and 'strenuous activity'. Length was updated (not sure if it was longer or shorter). $169pp.

So it was 41c today in Izmir, that is 104c. Hot. It was hot. We did an O tour to Ephesus which was very good. Full size bus with good AC and driver had the AC running even before we boarded. Excellent guide. 21 people on the whole bus so no crowding issues. Ephesus is big and hot with lots of very slippery marble streets and walk ways. That said, we loved it anyway! Water, umbrella for shade, neck coolers all help. Our guide really helped bring things alive. Oceania arranged for iced wet towels just before leaving the historic site for all their tours, much appreciated! One hint: aim for the mortar between the stones, it is much less slippery. Choose shoes accordingly. Our guide explained how folks could skip the terrace house portion (steps, steps, and more steps) and rest in the shade to wait for us. Spouse decided afterwards that maybe he could have skipped all those steps-he got a bit overheated but we made it back to the bus fine. Staff helped him find a back room at the carpet stop to help cool down. One lady was on the tour while her spouse stayed aboard-last cruise Santorini was particularly hot and he fainted in their tour. Thank goodness tomorrow it's supposed to be low 80s in Santorini! If the terrace houses aren't important to you, you can select a tour that does not include them. FYI at Izmir they run a golf cart from the ship to the terminal and back (not even that long a walk) which makes it easier if you have mobility issues. Many places today offered ramps in addition to stairs, but some of the ramps would not be wheelchair or walker friendly.. If you have mobility challenges and really want to see Ephesus, doing it with a private guide and both entering and leaving at the lower point might work? Still some slope challenges but the pine tree allee is paved (asphalt) so not nearly as challenging. We were the only bus at our carpet stop, not sure if guide or company chooses who goes where. We enjoyed a lovely light lunch while the sales patter progressed (our guide did make sure my plate was gluten free). In fairness it was a very soft sell with emphasis on history and rug details-but certainly was a shop and not a museum lol. If you don't like group tours, this one would not have changed your mind. The usual 'and then we'll stop under that tree for my next blurb' although in the most gracious way and always in the shade if at all possible. Did I mention our guide was great? Delayed return at least 20 minutes thanks to a paperwork glitch for folks who bought a carpet at the obligatory sales stop. We got back in plenty of time for sailing but our elapsed time was longer than promised. We prefer to explore on our own and had a great time in Istanbul by ourselves with no guide. We're happy to use up our SM credits on tours but if group tours are a no-go for you plan accordingly. So far out room AC is plenty strong (not even turned down to coldest). Also no ceiling clatter/vibration issues. And we haven't yet heard our neighbors. Instead of a life boat below us on deck 6 we have...something? This angle exaggerates it's impact on our view. Will know more when we get a look at it from below, so far we haven't been on the dock side.

Naklisma! Have no idea About spelling, but I believe that's the Turkish word for reflection of moonlight on water! Sorry I don't look at phone that well in a cruise. When we get to the Dardanelles in a moment I'll likely go up to 16 forward or 15 aft. Ember tonight was actually good. Table for 2 at the window so protected from sound. The lobster mac&cheese is more like lobster and pasta with lobster emultion according to spouse - he ordered an appetizer portion and enjoyed very much. I had the shrimp starter, tuna 'salad', and scallops. Tuna was cooked but very rare and the dressing was lovely. Scallops were very tasty but nothing cajun about the gluten free version. We were not rushed at all, our server even asked us how much a break we would like before our mains. We just met Crystal Symphony headed toward Istanbul. Fun fact, according to marinetraffic.com we are going about 12% faster than they are. Random observation, the closet light is not quite off-when-closed and on-when-open. It comes on when open and then seems to check every so often (by going dark for a second) whether the door is open or closed. Picture upload positions might be a bit random, apologies!

Hello all we boarded Vista yesterday in Istanbul and sail later today. I don't promise to be a daily poster, but before I forget here are some details! First time Vista but 13th or so on O. Beautiful ship and warm welcome from crew. Boardomania is alive and well and we participated on purpose lol. Checked out of hotel, checked in to ship, refilled water bottles and got landing cards (details below) and headed right back out for a Bosphorus cruise 250try (Turkish lira) or about $8pp at current exchange rate. Can be done for 150try if you don't mind an older more crowded boat lol. Istanbul boarding details - had our hotel get us a taxi. Assured us he took credit cards, stated fixed price $250try (short trip and luggage so all good so far). Assumed driver wasn't big on speaking until we made a funny comment about overly trusting pedestrians dashing across a busy street and he chuckled and started a conversation. He knew exactly where the cruise port entrance was but hadn't dropped anyone there before. Your taxi may pull past the boardomania line to drop bags - don't worry, staff will take bags from you at the taxi and you skip the line. Which is a nice resilient bounce from driver saying card machine is broken and when we handed over local cash he said fare is $250 not 250try. Ha ha ha welcome to Istanbul and he didn't argue when we simply left the car-he'd already popped the trunk. Presume being at the port with lots of tourist friendly staff around gave driver less leverage than otherwise! Bag drop no paperwork required they just check that bags are tagged. Then inside to security TSA style (take off belt of metal buckle, empty pockets etc). Then check of room number to assign to correct line for check-in. At some point before check in they did ask for boarding pass but that was yesterday and already don't ask me when! Next, passport check. Then duty free walkthrough and after that exit to air conditioning and a table where O collected passports. Advised to come ashore we would need boarding cards that would be in our cabins. More walking and eventually onboard! Check in at muster station, check cabin for boarding card. Not there. Front desk no line and yes they can print those for us. Refill with Vero Water and away we go! Retrace our steps as far as the passport table and then follow "to City" signs. Back and forth, up and down escalators (or follow signs to elevators), and at one point scan the barcode on the landing card. Coming back is a similar flow except note the pedestrian entrances to Galataport have security mini TSA style. Also the middle of the return gets a difference path as you join the entrance procedure at the just-dropped-bags point. Security again, breeze past checkin desk, go past passport lines and instead follow "transfer passsnger" flow to scan landing card bar code. Not required to go through duty free again lol. Late lunch at Terrace (was open to 4pm and we just made it). Offered Toscana or Ember seating and accepted Toscana. So yes the advice to not use a specialty reservation for night 1 is still good advice! Aside, our cabin was actually quite chilly at our official after-lunch arrival so we adjusted the setting to slightly warmer. Cabin stewards says it works whether room card is in slot or not. Apparently card-in-slot just says "room is occupied" Toscano was lovely. Vista layout gets more folks a view and makes the space seem more intimate in a very nice way. Between the 2 of us tried the Giadia lemon shrimp starter and pomegranite bronzino main both quite good. Worried the fish prep would be too sweet but was not. Also the lardo shrimp starter, carpacio, eggplant rolatini and lasagna, all quite good! Dessert the roasted peaches and chocolate cake. Spouse was happy he'd added vanilla ice cream to the cake, as in the past cake molten center is lovely but outer portion a bit dry. More room comments later, we are in a B3? Or B4. Before I forget the wall behind the bed is barely magnetic, other walls are strongly magnetic including at balcony door. More later!

Or June. We're supposed to call at Izmir for Ephesus this Friday and the expected temp is 105f or 39c. Earliest wave ever according to some reports. Stay tuned, spouse and I have a wager as to whether O will call a sea day instead of sending everyone out into an oven.

So.. I am more of an "ingredient-based" diner than a foodie. Many foodies are looking for unusual dishes or 'chef signature' dishes. I just want good I ingredients prepared well. Oceania does a very good job by me. I am also a restricted diner (no gluten). So if you want "plain" food, or as we say at our house 'Mamie Eisenhower' tastebud foods, O can likely do fine. If you are looking for Michelin starred dining, eat ashore. If you love Applebees or Chili's, you may find O pricey-but-palatable if you order accordingly?

November 2021 we had a great time. Some rain, some cool days, and Capri was closed (no ferry service). Otherwise plenty of stores open - and this was still the edge of COVID. I think it's mostly personal preference. Fewer people and more variable weather at a lower cost than high season? Great for some and no-way-no-how for others.

Our BIL got a smoker a few years ago. One application - he smokes cherries then soaks them in bourbon. Given the time he dotes on them retail equivalent might be $75 a jar lol.

One more wrinkle - if you wish, you can get included air in just one direction. We did an Insignia Barbados - Miami in December 2023 and got our own flights. In your situation I'd be tempted to do a one-way car rental to get back home to Tampa from Miami

To expand on the details above - the menu you receive ahead of time is not a special menu. It is the dinner menu for the main dining room (or specialty if you have a reservation). You just circle the standard items that you would like and they prepare them according to your dining restrictions. In the recent past they have started calling to confirm any major changes required to the dish. You can accept the dish as described or make a different selection. If eating dinner in Terrace you can either browse what's there, or request your pre-selection. Usually lol that is, one cruise it was browse only. And a couple of cruises it was "let me make you something special". Also if you like gf soy sauce it has been hard or impossible to find onboard. Room service has not been a problem - we do remind them each time of the restriction. In general O does a good job of managing restricted diets. As with most situations, there will be wrinkles. I haven't yet been glutened onboard so I'd describe the wrinkles as erring on the side of caution. Happy exploring!