On Nautica now - 2018-07-06

julie is cruise director. Very good. I really appreciate her announcements about tendering for those with independent arrangements. For example, one day she said that the next 45 minutes would be a good time to go ashore because just after that there was a big tour departing.

There are two 2 for 1 happy hours. The usual from 5-6 and a late night one from 10:30-11:30 pm (this one is just in Horizons).

A wonderful singer - Sally Jones. Both shows were excellent. Last night’s performance featured the songs and life of Edith Piaf.

Grand Dining Room has been open for lunch most days, even on port days.

They are having the 20 items for $24.99 laundry special. Starts today (our first sea day) until the 10th. That should avoid some unpleasant overcrowding in the launderette.

Fresh grilled Norwegian salmon grilled outside Terrace Cafe. Purchased in Bergen.

Julie James is the best!!! She was CD on 2 of our cruises this year and she was terrific!

She was also great as our Trivia Leader and sometimes the North Americans didn't understand 1 or 2 of her Tassie-pronounced words, so she immediately did a great NA accent--and we're like....."Ohhhhh kay....now we get it!!!!!" and then everybody laughed.

Julie was our CD on our first cruise with OC. We loved her and what impressed us even more about her was when she saw us in one of the cities we visited and she took her time to talk to us and ask how the cruise was going. She is our favorite CD and hope to see her again.

Frances,

We have family on this cruise and they are very happy as well.

Enjoy the cruise!

We’re on the following Baltic/Iceland GV and are so happy everything is going great for you plus Julie sounds like a great CD.

Do they have the new GDR menus on your cruise?

At lunch in the GDR, the menu is labeled Bistro. There are French standards on one side and daily offerings on the other column.

Delicious mushroom soup. Great fries. Tasty Salad Nicoise with a few protein choices, including grilled tuna.

Today in Murmansk Russia. The officials are on board now.

The captain pointed out sights in Kola Bay to the crowd in Horizons.

Brunch in the Grand Dining Room. As usual you can order from the special brunch menu or try the bountiful buffet!

Tonight Nordic Dinner Buffet in the Terrace Cafe.

Thanks so much for these great updates about your Nautica cruise!

The executive chef and the chef de cuisine from Toscana did a cooking demo the other day. I tried his tuna crusted with pistachios and almonds at dinner tonight. Delicious.

And he visited some tables in the GDR tonight and I asked him about another fresh fish grill outside Terrace Cafe. He has lined up a source once we are back in Norway.

Great trip. Accommodating staff.

Oceania is offering future cruise deposits on the ship. Must book or cruise within two years. We are signing up.

How’s Nautica look? Old, tired, worn out? Fresh, well maintained and delightful to be on board? Somewhere in between?

At lunch in the GDR, the menu is labeled Bistro. There are French standards on one side and daily offerings on the other column.

Delicious mushroom soup. Great fries. Tasty Salad Nicoise with a few protein choices, including grilled tuna.

Sounds good! So happy that they seem to have the MDR open for most lunches again. Just booked a b/b and always look forward to the relaxed lunches in the MDR.

Love Julie as CD! The 1st night of our cruise, she said to us "You've smiled with me before; you like trivia". She did look familiar and we do play trivia.

Later in the cruise, when I realized that she had only been with Oceania for 3 years and our last cruise was in 2014, I asked her where she had worked before, she said 'Princess-that's where I know you from!" We sailed Princess in 2006 to celebrate my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. What a memory!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Julie is charming and vivacious. Well liked.

About the ship - grumbles about the nylon shower curtain and small bathrooms but that’s not new. Our stateroom carpet needs replacing or deep cleaning.

But really, the ship is well kept. As usual, they have been varnishing the railings, washing doors. Public toilets are well kept. Staff seem happy. About 50 staff have a subsidized trip to see North Cape tomorrow. They have some staff bicycles for ports.

The staff and ambiance are what make it. The captain has been giving us a mini talk at noon over the PA about nautical topics. Just a few minutes. And there is going to be a bridge visit.

Lots of activities including bridge lessons, trivia, three lecturers. Another cooking demo today by the executive chef and the Italian chef (Toscana). The executive chef is planning an Asian menu with more Red Ginger recipes.

And in GDR today, delicious bouillabaisse as a main course.

So we know that the ship needs that refurbishment that is coming up, but I haven’t heard any complaints. Just one plumbing issue that I already mentioned- and they moved them that night and gave them an onboard credit as compensation. And someone showed them the plans for the improvements that are coming. Btw, beds are as comfy as always. Good thick curtains to block out the Norwegian “night”.

Yesterday in the Terrace Cafe at breakfast, an older man was trying to carry some food back to his room. A staff member said she would carry it for him. And they seem to be trying even harder to remember your name.

It doesn’t hurt that we have been having fabulous weather! Unusually warm and clear. I had brought clothing for cold wet weather but I am not going to complain!

I encourage others on this cruise (Dublin to Oslo) to give their feedback too. I have tried to update you on issues raised in the past few months but I certainly have missed some things!

GDR update - closed for lunch today. Many people off the ship to see Nordkapp plus there was a staff excursion too.

Our first disappointing weather - Nordkapp was foggy. Weather was more typical too - about 10C (around 50F).

The captain brought the ship within a mile of the headland on our sail away this evening so we could see it from below.

Thank you for writing your descriptive reports. I really appreciate them.

Also onboard this cruise - our third with O and definitely the best one yet in terms of food and service. The crew are all great, always smiling and friendly, always willing to do whatever it takes. We were saying that it will be difficult to fill out the evaluation because there are so many crew members to mention specifically as being outstanding. It will be a long list.

Food in all venues has been excellent, only one slight miss in the GDR one night.

Captain Max is great - he is funny and engaging and we are enjoying his lengthy noon announcements. He has been visible throughout the ship, so much so that we are wondering if they are trying to emulate Azamara for the visibility of officers.

As Frances has mentioned, it doesn't hurt that the weather has been outstanding and the seas almost unnaturally calm. It could be a lot different in this part of the world. We took our cold weather stuff to the cape yesterday and were glad of it, but otherwise it has sat in the closet.

The ship itself is in good shape. A few blemishes here and there but overall well maintained and very clean.

All in all, a really enjoyable cruise.

Also on this fabulous cruise, our 5th on Oceania. I echo all the comments above. This is by far the best in terms of food and crew - not that there has ever been a problem in the past. The GM and Food and Beverage Manager are out and about in every venue talking to passengers. We have sailed with Captain Max before and he is a very visible and approachable Captain.

There are one or two small signs of wear and tear about the ship but really nothing to worry about. We are cocooned in luxury!!!

Also on this fabulous cruise, our 5th on Oceania. I echo all the comments above. This is by far the best in terms of food and crew - not that there has ever been a problem in the past. The GM and Food and Beverage Manager are out and about in every venue talking to passengers. We have sailed with Captain Max before and he is a very visible and approachable Captain.

 

There are one or two small signs of wear and tear about the ship but really nothing to worry about. We are cocooned in luxury!!!

That's great news as we board for our 5th O cruise in Oslo. Just curious, did your Bronze loyalty OBC show up in your ship board account when you boarded?

Not Cornish, but recently took our 5th, and yes - credit was already there, plus one of those little cards on the desk, when we embarked.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That's great news as we board for our 5th O cruise in Oslo. Just curious, did your Bronze loyalty OBC show up in your ship board account when you boarded?

Absolutely. The credit was there and a little card confirming so.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks! I wasn't too worried, but it's nice to hear it was there. On all of the other cruise lines we sail with, you always get the loyalty upgrade after you finish the applicable cruise. That's just another cool thing about O. :D

A few more notes.

Tonight in the Terrace Cafe, they had pan-Asian food with recipes from Red Ginger. And again the chef made the rounds of the GDR talking to guests. Lots of interactions overall with the staff.

Very good oLife tours. We had four and all well done and interesting. I heard from a couple of people who had not booked ahead that the tours were full and they were disappointed.

The staff seem to be particularly happy and perhaps that is because we are!

Today in Geraingerfjord, the captain turned the ship around so that everyone could see the sights on both sides of the fjord. And the naturalist / guest lecturer did a commentary for part of the time. I enjoyed her information.