Ramblings From Riviera

[ORV]

ORV,

Thank you for your updates - enjoy reading them.

Are you (or others) able to get extra specialty reservations without much trouble? Is the ship full?

Paul

 

Ship appears full, but I don't know for sure. We only tried to get extra reservations once and had no problem. I've heard others say they got in no problem.

 

I know I've mentioned the weather but it's been really over the top for this time of year here. Upper 60's and sunshine everyday.

 

Just a odd note on the laundry locations as we've discussed this before. I checked this out and decks 11 & 7 have entrances on the port side that open directly into the laundry room. Decks 10 & 8 have entrances from the port side that opens into a little hallway with crew area on on side and the entrance to the laundry on the other. It does not go to the starboard side. Deck 9 has a hallway that connects from the port to starboard side with the laundry through an entrance in the middle. Just thought I'd share this tidbit.

 

Barcelona tomorrow, hope the weather holds.

[RJB]

Ship appears full, but I don't know for sure. We only tried to get extra reservations once and had no problem. I've heard others say they got in no problem.

 

I know I've mentioned the weather but it's been really over the top for this time of year here. Upper 60's and sunshine everyday.

 

Just a odd note on the laundry locations as we've discussed this before. I checked this out and decks 11 & 7 have entrances on the port side that open directly into the laundry room. Decks 10 & 8 have entrances from the port side that opens into a little hallway with crew area on on side and the entrance to the laundry on the other. It does not go to the starboard side. Deck 9 has a hallway that connects from the port to starboard side with the laundry through an entrance in the middle. Just thought I'd share this tidbit.

 

Barcelona tomorrow, hope the weather holds.

Nice reading your reviews. Hope the weather stays good. Would make for an even better trip. We will keep up with your posts. :):):)

[kazu]

ORV,

 

the weather is beautiful in Barcelona and is supposed to stay that way. I think you will be happy with your overnight here.

 

see you SOON :)

[Aloha 1]

Team trivia in Martinis, not a good place for it at all.

 

Your right, and the people enjoying a drink in Martinis don't really enjoy the noise of Trivia.

Rick

 

When on Riviera in September 2014, Team Trivia was held every afternoon in Martinis. 20 questions. Almost everyone in Martinis at that time was there to participate.

[ORV]

I believe I've heard there are about 200 people doing the back to back. From people I've talked to it seems like there would be more. Lots of folks packing up to go home tomorrow. One of my favorite parts of a B2B is not having to do that.

 

I've also heard from some workers that about half the crew will be turning over before the Transatlantic. I understand this is common as it's easier for many of them to get home while still in Europe.

 

Security coming and going doesn't seem any more strict than normal. I expected it to be though.

 

We had two repeaters parties on this cruise.

 

I believe the artist on board is changing as all the art in the loft has been packed up and is empty.

 

Ray has been hosting trivia for the last 4 or 5 days. Still only 10 questions.

 

Looking forward to another beautiful day in Barcelona tomorrow, then off for the next leg.

Edited November 17, 2015 by ORV

[ORV]

Just a couple of updates. We were able to get into Red Ginger again last night, being the first night of the new cruise it wasn't any problem. I'm happy to report that I had the vegetable tempura again and the sauce was perfect, the way it's always been in the past.

 

In regards to extra reservations, we were eating lunch in Waves today and a crew member came around and asked us if we would like any extra specialty reservations. She had all available, we booked Toscana for tonight. Obviously they have plenty of availability, otherwise they wouldn't be doing this. We had another couple tell us they had the same thing happen.

 

It is a beautiful day in Cartagena. About 73 and sunshine. Lovely port, did some shopping.

 

I've seen two children on this cruise, but with a few exceptions seems to be standard Oceania clientele.

 

Trivia today is going to be in the Riviera lounge, we'll see how that goes. There is an extra 10% tax on drinks and 21% on cigarettes(didn't know Oceania sold them) until we depart Malaga tomorrow. No extra on purchases from the boutiques.

[Hawaiidan]

First I had the supreme pleasure of being on a Trivia team with ORV and his wife.....IT WAS great...

Now, the artist loft is boom or bust, There can be passionate persons and duds.. sailing from Tahiti TO LIMA THE "ARTIST" LECTURED on his prowess and where you purchase one... then the grand master sat and presided over the untalented mass. It can be great.... or not

 

The cooking class is cute.. its a social interaction wit people and lots of wine... There is a fixed number off folks no audiut. Don't expect to come away with a skill as the things prepared are like simple salads and not complex. or precise. Its given as entertainment no more no less. It is not like the Cordon Blu or Culinary Institute of America... where you pay about $2000 a week and work in professional surrounding with detail oriented master chef teachers in groups of 3!!! It and they are demanding and you take away serious culinary skill... It is WAY more than home cooks ever get exposed to...even foodies..... Want a cooking class... take a week or 2 at either and discover stuff you though you knew fun and exhausting....If you love food, cuisine that the place to spend the dough

[stromer]

I posted this question on another thread but the answer was "I think so".

I will be on the Marina in a few months and since you are on the Riviera now, could you see if there is free admittance to a sauna or steam room in the Canyon Ranch Day Spa area. I heard that you have to pay $25 for a day pass to use the Canyon Ranch Day Spa facilities which includes the Spa Terrace and the Sanctuary. However, can you tell me if you can go into the Sauna and Steam room without paying the fee? I have never been on a cruise ship where they did not have a complimentary sauna or steam room.

Thanks, Rick

[Silver Sweethearts]

The cooking class is cute.. its a social interaction wit people and lots of wine... There is a fixed number off folks no audiut. Don't expect to come away with a skill as the things prepared are like simple salads and not complex. or precise. Its given as entertainment no more no less. It is not like the Cordon Blu or Culinary Institute of America... where you pay about $2000 a week and work in professional surrounding with detail oriented master chef teachers in groups of 3!!! It and they are demanding and you take away serious culinary skill... It is WAY more than home cooks ever get exposed to...even foodies..... Want a cooking class... take a week or 2 at either and discover stuff you though you knew fun and exhausting....If you love food, cuisine that the place to spend the dough

 

The Culinary program on Oceania mentions their instructors are at least graduates of the CIA, which is a nice plus. We're sure teaching a class of people on a vacation cruise is much different than an intense professional time at, say, the CIA or Cordon Bleu. Were all of the CIA staff Master Chefs as well as Certified Hospitality Educators? Sounds challenging!

[LHT28]

I posted this question on another thread but the answer was "I think so".

I will be on the Marina in a few months and since you are on the Riviera now, could you see if there is free admittance to a sauna or steam room in the Canyon Ranch Day Spa area. I heard that you have to pay $25 for a day pass to use the Canyon Ranch Day Spa facilities which includes the Spa Terrace and the Sanctuary. However, can you tell me if you can go into the Sauna and Steam room without paying the fee? I have never been on a cruise ship where they did not have a complimentary sauna or steam room.

Thanks, Rick

It is free for all guests to use

The Spa terrace there is a charge if you are in B or lower Cat

Concierge cabins & above have unlimited access or with a spa treatment you get limited access

Not sure what the Sanctutary is that you refer to ...maybe a different line

Edited November 20, 2015 by LHT28

[ORV]

We went to the production show last night, That's Entertainment. As some of you know on Riviera they now have a cast of 12 as opposed to the 4 they used to have. This type of thing(broadway songs with staging and many outfit changes) is not my cup of tea, but it seems to be about like the standard fare most other cruise lines have been doing for 15 years or so, that many of them are phasing out.

 

They seem to be nice young folks though.

 

Lots of people seemed to enjoy it. Someone else can have my seat the rest of the nights.

[Leejnd4]

We went to the production show last night, That's Entertainment. As some of you know on Riviera they now have a cast of 12 as opposed to the 4 they used to have. This type of thing(broadway songs with staging and many outfit changes) is not my cup of tea, but it seems to be about like the standard fare most other cruise lines have been doing for 15 years or so, that many of them are phasing out.

 

They seem to be nice young folks though.

 

Lots of people seemed to enjoy it. Someone else can have my seat the rest of the nights.

 

I actually LOVE these types of shows! Yeah I know, they're kinda cheesy, but I love 'em anyway. :o I just enjoy watching really good singing, and dancing, and often the entertainers on these ships are really amazing. The troupe that was on Regent's Voyager when we did a Med cruise were truly astonishing, and I just ate it up!

 

When I first started researching this cruise, I was disappointed to learn that they only had 4 cast members, and no lavish shows. That was a data point in making my decision spreadsheet that was not in O's favor. We ultimately chose this line anyway, but let me tell ya, I was THRILLED when I heard that they now had this much larger troupe, and more elaborate shows.

 

Enjoying your updates, ORV! And I'm counting down the days to my Jan. 3 cruise. Try not to eat up all the lobster! ;) LOL!

[ORV]

Into our sea days now for the TA. A bit choppy, but not bad.

 

We had a pretty large meet & greet party. We have a good group on this cruise. Not much to report, food is still great. Weather is still good considering. If it doesn't get any worse than today it will be great for the whole trip.

 

So far a little surprised at the lack of activities for sea days. With an entertainment crew of 12 I would think they could do more than a group of 4 did, go figure. We'll see how the rest of it goes.

[no fuss travel]

The one sea day we had on our cruise with Ray as the CD, there was less activities than I have had on any other Oceania cruise. I think he is more into entertaining and would be better off on a NCL ship where he could concentrate on entertaining and not on activities for the passengers. IMO

[ORV]

Ray says there will be a lot of "new activities" on the sea days, we are having some kind of officer challenge thing on deck today, as well as a Gala Brunch.

 

In the past I've seen people ask about a laundry special. There is currently an offer of "20 pieces for $24.95" It is good for 3 days.

 

Tues, morning here, looks like it's going to be a nice day.

[Hambagahle]

We had a Gala Brunch on the TA in April. Not to be missed! Ken said it reminded him of brunch in the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel in NY. Really great things to eat and nice music too.

 

We also had a gala tea which again is not to be missed (bring your camera!) It was quite amazing and really "staged" - there were curtains hiding the tables in Horizons and on a drum roll they were removed and there it was...

 

Yours to enjoy in the next couple of days I suppose!

[ORV]

The crew seems to be very vigilant about cleaning and spraying hand sanitizer, especially today at the Officer's Challenge games and the Gala brunch.

 

I asked one worker if there was an issue and he said no, but they have to be especially clean for going into the US. I really haven't noticed this in the past on a TA on Oceania. There has been a nasty cough going around the ship.

 

There is a lot of cleaning of chairs and handrails, much more than normal.

[Hambagahle]

Maybe they are expecting a Coast Guard inspection on arrival... that shouldn't affect your disembarkation but could affect boarding times for the next lot of passengers.

[sitraveler]

Just had our 2nd lifeboat drill, 7 days into a 14 day cruise.

Currents say only Riviera big O points are valid, only Riviera points being issued.

[ORV]

Just had our 2nd lifeboat drill, 7 days into a 14 day cruise.

Currents say only Riviera big O points are valid, only Riviera points being issued.

 

Yes, that's a hard one to figure, are they counting our last morning in Miami in the total?

 

It makes perfect sense when you already are worried about spreading of germs to cram everyone together into a confined space and require them to walk up and down the stairs, where everyone will be holding onto the railings.

 

Yesterday at trivia they gave each team their very own spray bottle of hand sanitizer, Ray also announced if anyone has any stomach issues that there is no charge at the medical center to see the DR. Uh, Huh, I see.

 

At the Repeater's Party as we came in the door the Asst CD Eddie, was repeating that we all should refrain from shaking of hands and the Officers will not be shaking hands. Actually that's the way I prefer it all the time, but I hate that we have to wait until there is an "issue" for them to take these precautions.

 

At the party, in his remarks The Captain announced the reason for these precautions was that there have been about 10 cases of gastrointestinal problems reported to the med center. That is less than 1%, I hope it stays that way. As we all know there are sure to be more that are unreported. No one has said anything specific as to what it is.

 

I did my part at breakfast this morning to stop the spread. I saw a fella grabbing a pastry with his bare hands from the back of the counter, where clearly where anyone with any intelligence at all could see that it wasn't self serve, and I said, "Sir, they'll serve you that, this is why we have upgraded sanitizing issues". He didn't say anything and a couple of people in line looked at me like they couldn't believe it. Have I mentioned I'm not shy?

 

No special sea day activities at all today, other than the extra muster drill. I sure miss ol Roy what's his name from Cuba that we had as a CD a couple of years ago on our TA on Riviera.

 

We had a very good Cabin Crawl yesterday, organized by Kazu, which I'm sure you've noticed is doing a very nice "real" review of her trip. We got to see the Oceania Suites on 11 & 12 back to back and compare the differences. I thought it was a very good Cabin Crawl.

[ORV]

PS, I think they might be getting ready to close the self serve laundries. I had a load in the dryer and went to get it and the door was locked. A steward had to call someone with a key, (minor officer uniform) and I think he was trying to say they were going to close it, but it could be a communication issue also.

[LHT28]

I believe they now do more drills on the longer cruises whether it is a SOLAS rule I am not sure

 

On another cruise line the people at the muster station were too busy socializing to listen to the the announcement :eek:

I am not shy much to my DH dismay & told the one group off

while we were standing outside in the Florida heat with life jackets on ...some people did not think it was important enough for them to attend so the rest of us stood there for over 1 hr while they dragged people to the drill

 

I do not know why they do not go to the Code Red or whatever from day one on Oceania & hope that no one passes the bug on

It was unheard of on O to have Noro before but the past couple of years it seems more prevalent

 

Keep well all

 

Lyn

[LHT28]

PS, I think they might be getting ready to close the self serve laundries. I had a load in the dryer and went to get it and the door was locked. A steward had to call someone with a key, (minor officer uniform) and I think he was trying to say they were going to close it, but it could be a communication issue also.

It will be closed for the duration now

They did that on the May crossing & a laundry bag offer was in it's place

 

 

[Cruseforme]

Thank you and Kazu for your honesty in your live information. We are embarking on this ship on 12/2, and I know many folks are continuing on with our itinerary, so are watching closely the sickness reports. 1% isn't too bad, unless you are one of the folks sick, or are not listening to the ships crew and washing / cleaning religiously. Tina

[sitraveler]

It's not seasick. It's a gastrointestinal outbreak.