Live from Vista—Montreal to Miami

[DrKoob]

 

 

This is our first Oceania cruise, and like I have done for the past few years with our Viking, Celebrity and HAL cruises, I am going to live blog this one. If you would like to follow along, I would love to have you join my bride and I as we cruise from Montreal to Miami on Vista.

 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years, and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15-night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal, and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or two later. We have two sea days coming up after today so that I will catch up. 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15 night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or tow after. We do have two sea days coming up after today so I will do some catching up. 

 

One of my hobbies is travel photography and I take a lot of photos. I will attempt to post some in this live report, but you can find many more of them with this same live blog on my website at jimbellomo.com. I already have three days of posts about our time pre-cruise in Montreal on that site if you are interested. I wanted to start this one with a little about us, happenings pre-cruise and embarkation.

 

We are Jim and Kathleen Bellomo. We have done just over 30 cruises. Most of those were on Celebrity (you can see the list in my signature), but as of late, we have been looking for a new cruise line and trying out Viking Ocean and now Oceania. 

 

As much as I am loving this ship, things did not start well pre-cruise. Within three days prior to flying to Montreal, Oceania sent us two e-mails making changes to our cruise. First, we got one on the Monday before letting us know that due to their new ship not being "waste-water certified" for one of the ports, they could not get into that port (Saguenay) that we were really looking forward to. They sent us a $500 Future Cruise Credit, but you have to buy another cruise from them to use it. Not sure if we will be doing that yet. And, of course, it comes with lots of restrictions on time and cruise that you can use it on.

I was ticked at this one because Oceania should have known in advance that they needed to be "certified" to get into this port. They should have switched to another port if they couldn't get "certified" in time. We will have another sea day or another day cruising in the St. Lawrence seaway. It was not a horrible experience, but it was not what we were hoping for.

 

Then, the next day, we got another e-mail that "in order to accommodate the vessel's operational needs," we would NOT be boarding at 11:00 am but would now be able to board at 2:00 pm. Ok, that's not such a big deal. But it is to me, and here's why.

 

First, about three weeks ago, I stayed up until midnight to be on their website in order to get an early boarding time...which I did. We love getting on early, and the hotel we are staying in has a 12:00 p.m. checkout time, so this worked perfectly for us. But here's the rub. Instead of saying, "Those people with 11:00 am times will now board at 1:00, those with noon times at 2:00, etc. they had switched to those with BIG suites will board at noon, the ones with small suites at 1:00 and all the rest of us at 2:00. If you have read this blog for a while you know I HATE the caste system that so many cruise lines are adopting. It harkens back to the early 1900s when every ship sailing had (as the Titanic did) First Class, Second Class and steerage. In this case, we are in steerage. Thankfully, when I got the e-mail about this, I was out walking, so I had a chance to cool down before I got home. If you read in the news about a madman walking around Redmond Ridge screaming and swearing at a cruise line, that was me. (In retrospect, this worked itself out, which I will explain in my next post about embarkation.)

 

So, that's where we were pre-cruise. We flew into Montreal on Wednesday, spent Thursday touring, boarded Friday morning and had an overnight before sailing north last night. Hope you will join me for more tomorrow. 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by DrKoob

[Wheelhouse]

We are also currently on Vista and I just want to comment that our room is very quiet.  We have seen comments in other threads to the contrary. 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, DrKoob said:

 

 

This is our first Oceania cruise, and like I have done for the past few years with our Viking, Celebrity and HAL cruises, I am going to live blog this one. If you would like to follow along, I would love to have you join my bride and I as we cruise from Montreal to Miami on Vista.

 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years, and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15-night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal, and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or two later. We have two sea days coming up after today so that I will catch up. 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15 night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or tow after. We do have two sea days coming up after today so I will do some catching up. 

 

One of my hobbies is travel photography and I take a lot of photos. I will attempt to post some in this live report, but you can find many more of them with this same live blog on my website at jimbellomo.com. I already have three days of posts about our time pre-cruise in Montreal on that site if you are interested. I wanted to start this one with a little about us, happenings pre-cruise and embarkation.

 

We are Jim and Kathleen Bellomo. We have done just over 30 cruises. Most of those were on Celebrity (you can see the list in my signature), but as of late, we have been looking for a new cruise line and trying out Viking Ocean and now Oceania. 

 

As much as I am loving this ship, things did not start well pre-cruise. Within three days prior to flying to Montreal, Oceania sent us two e-mails making changes to our cruise. First, we got one on the Monday before letting us know that due to their new ship not being "waste-water certified" for one of the ports, they could not get into that port (Saguenay) that we were really looking forward to. They sent us a $500 Future Cruise Credit, but you have to buy another cruise from them to use it. Not sure if we will be doing that yet. And, of course, it comes with lots of restrictions on time and cruise that you can use it on.

I was ticked at this one because Oceania should have known in advance that they needed to be "certified" to get into this port. They should have switched to another port if they couldn't get "certified" in time. We will have another sea day or another day cruising in the St. Lawrence seaway. It was not a horrible experience, but it was not what we were hoping for.

 

Then, the next day, we got another e-mail that "in order to accommodate the vessel's operational needs," we would NOT be boarding at 11:00 am but would now be able to board at 2:00 pm. Ok, that's not such a big deal. But it is to me, and here's why.

 

First, about three weeks ago, I stayed up until midnight to be on their website in order to get an early boarding time...which I did. We love getting on early, and the hotel we are staying in has a 12:00 p.m. checkout time, so this worked perfectly for us. But here's the rub. Instead of saying, "Those people with 11:00 am times will now board at 1:00, those with noon times at 2:00, etc. they had switched to those with BIG suites will board at noon, the ones with small suites at 1:00 and all the rest of us at 2:00. If you have read this blog for a while you know I HATE the caste system that so many cruise lines are adopting. It harkens back to the early 1900s when every ship sailing had (as the Titanic did) First Class, Second Class and steerage. In this case, we are in steerage. Thankfully, when I got the e-mail about this, I was out walking, so I had a chance to cool down before I got home. If you read in the news about a madman walking around Redmond Ridge screaming and swearing at a cruise line, that was me. (In retrospect, this worked itself out, which I will explain in my next post about embarkation.)

 

So, that's where we were pre-cruise. We flew into Montreal on Wednesday, spent Thursday touring, boarded Friday morning and had an overnight before sailing north last night. Hope you will join me for more tomorrow. 

 

 

@DrKoob You are being so kind to everyone on this board with your post.  You are also educating and helping new Oceania guests.  As you know with your reference to a cancelled port, it seems to be a thing.  Knowing it could happen allows guest to set their expectations.  That in no way means it is not disappointing as it was to you.  It would be to me as well.  This is one of those things we as guest are completely out of our control and we wish we knew sooner. 

 

As it relates to boarding time.  You made me smile when I read your post.  I always get online, the moment I can to get the earliest boarding time. For me, it is a goal.  I will do the same thing you did.  That said, we are in a Vista Suite that allows for the earliest boarding.  For me it does not matter which stateroom category I am in.  I still check-in early. I still am up at 12:01 AM doing my online check-in.  Old habits die hard.  

 

Your willingness to share your experience knowing that the amount of questions coming your way will be substantial, is again so kind. You are used to Viking which is a very nice brand.  Your comparison will be very interesting especially because you are new to Oceania.  My hope is you will have great memories and a wonderful vacation. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[mac_tlc]

Following along. After numerous Celebrity cruises we also are trying Oceania next year with a TA on Vista. 
 

 

mac_tlc

[kibutzer]

3 hours ago, DrKoob said:

 

 

This is our first Oceania cruise, and like I have done for the past few years with our Viking, Celebrity and HAL cruises, I am going to live blog this one. If you would like to follow along, I would love to have you join my bride and I as we cruise from Montreal to Miami on Vista.

 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years, and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15-night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal, and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or two later. We have two sea days coming up after today so that I will catch up. 

As I mentioned, this is our first Oceania cruise. Our good buddy Mike Preisman (MVPinBoynton) has been raving about Oceania for years and when he and Cathy decided to take this cruise to try out Vista, we decided to join them. The cruise is a 15 night that started two days ago with an overnight in Montreal and we are now underway to Québec City as I am typing this at 5:58 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. As I can't type while I am eating, touring, etc., my posts will usually show up a day or tow after. We do have two sea days coming up after today so I will do some catching up. 

 

One of my hobbies is travel photography and I take a lot of photos. I will attempt to post some in this live report, but you can find many more of them with this same live blog on my website at jimbellomo.com. I already have three days of posts about our time pre-cruise in Montreal on that site if you are interested. I wanted to start this one with a little about us, happenings pre-cruise and embarkation.

 

We are Jim and Kathleen Bellomo. We have done just over 30 cruises. Most of those were on Celebrity (you can see the list in my signature), but as of late, we have been looking for a new cruise line and trying out Viking Ocean and now Oceania. 

 

As much as I am loving this ship, things did not start well pre-cruise. Within three days prior to flying to Montreal, Oceania sent us two e-mails making changes to our cruise. First, we got one on the Monday before letting us know that due to their new ship not being "waste-water certified" for one of the ports, they could not get into that port (Saguenay) that we were really looking forward to. They sent us a $500 Future Cruise Credit, but you have to buy another cruise from them to use it. Not sure if we will be doing that yet. And, of course, it comes with lots of restrictions on time and cruise that you can use it on.

I was ticked at this one because Oceania should have known in advance that they needed to be "certified" to get into this port. They should have switched to another port if they couldn't get "certified" in time. We will have another sea day or another day cruising in the St. Lawrence seaway. It was not a horrible experience, but it was not what we were hoping for.

 

Then, the next day, we got another e-mail that "in order to accommodate the vessel's operational needs," we would NOT be boarding at 11:00 am but would now be able to board at 2:00 pm. Ok, that's not such a big deal. But it is to me, and here's why.

 

First, about three weeks ago, I stayed up until midnight to be on their website in order to get an early boarding time...which I did. We love getting on early, and the hotel we are staying in has a 12:00 p.m. checkout time, so this worked perfectly for us. But here's the rub. Instead of saying, "Those people with 11:00 am times will now board at 1:00, those with noon times at 2:00, etc. they had switched to those with BIG suites will board at noon, the ones with small suites at 1:00 and all the rest of us at 2:00. If you have read this blog for a while you know I HATE the caste system that so many cruise lines are adopting. It harkens back to the early 1900s when every ship sailing had (as the Titanic did) First Class, Second Class and steerage. In this case, we are in steerage. Thankfully, when I got the e-mail about this, I was out walking, so I had a chance to cool down before I got home. If you read in the news about a madman walking around Redmond Ridge screaming and swearing at a cruise line, that was me. (In retrospect, this worked itself out, which I will explain in my next post about embarkation.)

 

So, that's where we were pre-cruise. We flew into Montreal on Wednesday, spent Thursday touring, boarded Friday morning and had an overnight before sailing north last night. Hope you will join me for more tomorrow. 

 

 

Boarding was very easy and the change was no big deal for us. We still boarded by 1and we were not in a suite. 

[DrKoob]

17 minutes ago, kibutzer said:

Boarding was very easy and the change was no big deal for us. We still boarded by 1and we were not in a suite. 

Yup. Going to talk about that tomorrow.

 

[DrKoob]

3 hours ago, Wheelhouse said:

We are also currently on Vista and I just want to comment that our room is very quiet.  We have seen comments in other threads to the contrary. 

Ours is as well. Was mentioning to my wife this morning that you can tell the ship is new because there is no creaking or squeaking in the staterooms when we are moving. We had also heard before the cruise that the announcements outside the stateroom were very loud. We can barely hear them.

[Vineyard View]

We were Viking customers for a long time pre Covid. Many of the new aspects of Viking (pricing through the roof), as well as old (ridiculous payment policy and same itineraries for years) have moved us away from Viking. We experienced Seabourn this year and will absolutely sail them again. We are booked on our first Oceania cruise next Spring, so I really do look forward to reading your posts.  
I followed your cc postings on your first Viking experience. It was well done.   We can all have different experiences on the same ship because we view them through different lenses. We also can have different priorities of importance which may trigger you and not others. The Saguenay port cancellation for the reason cancelled, would have been one for me as well.
I thank you for taking the time and will follow your posts. I hope you enjoy this first Oceania cruise. 

[Wheelhouse]

I went out to the pool yesterday afternoon to read and noticed very few empty chairs in shaded areas.  This might be a significant problem on warm weather itineraries.  

[zalusky]

I am a little surprised that a relatively brand new ship has "waste water" certification issues.  Does this mean they just did not get inspected and do some regular cleaning or does it mean technologically they don't have what it needs to meet the certification?

 

I remember our round Australia cruise on Regatta earlier this year when many of the ships were getting bounced from various AUS/NZ ports for not cleaning their hulls which surprised me as well since they knew the rule was coming and got lazy.  

 

 

[makai 7]

Hi Jim- we cruised with you and Kathleen on Azamara wayyyyyy back when from Singapore to Hong Kong (Beth and Kevin).  We will be on Vista in February, so really looking forward to your perspective on the ship.

 

do you think that you might get to sound the ship’s horn again 🤪?

 

Glad to see that you both are still cruising!

[Vineyard View]

3 hours ago, zalusky said:

I am a little surprised that a relatively brand new ship has "waste water" certification issues.  Does this mean they just did not get inspected and do some regular cleaning or does it mean technologically they don't have what it needs to meet the certification?

 

I remember our round Australia cruise on Regatta earlier this year when many of the ships were getting bounced from various AUS/NZ ports for not cleaning their hulls which surprised me as well since they knew the rule was coming and got lazy.  

 

 

That is what I was thinking about and wondering as well. It doesn’t seem like it should be an issue with a new ship. Then again I am not educated on these matters, but in today’s world, it is a head scratcher. 

[GerryL13]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

That is what I was thinking about and wondering as well. It doesn’t seem like it should be an issue with a new ship. Then again I am not educated on these matters, but in today’s world, it is a head scratcher. 

From what I understand, the certification is needed because it is a new kind of system. Same port was missed also on the previous itinerary. My brother is on that one and this one. (I will meet them in Miami for the Panama Canal transit.)

I also read that the boarding delay was caused by the need to do extra cleaning following the Covid instances on the previous itinerary. Bummer when you manage to snag an early boarding and then have to wait.

[Vineyard View]

4 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

From what I understand, the certification is needed because it is a new kind of system. 

This is not meant as snarky, or ref;entice to your comment. Truly. But isn’t Vista a new kinda ship? 
I have to believe that if this is a new system, that some type of announcement had to have been sent prior, and not sprung at the last minute. It just seems odd to me. Mostly, I am sorry that [passengers on two itineraries now cannot visit this port.
I  know that Oceania is not the only ship who visits here. I wonder if other ships are being turned away as well. If so, then bad communication on the port for not advising the industry of the new requirements. 

[kibutzer]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

This is not meant as snarky, or ref;entice to your comment. Truly. But isn’t Vista a new kinda ship? 
I have to believe that if this is a new system, that some type of announcement had to have been sent prior, and not sprung at the last minute. It just seems odd to me. Mostly, I am sorry that [passengers on two itineraries now cannot visit this port.
I  know that Oceania is not the only ship who visits here. I wonder if other ships are being turned away as well. If so, then bad communication on the port for not advising the industry of the new requirements. 

No big deal. Stuff happens. And we are at the mercy of the ports.

[Hambagahle]

On 10/1/2023 at 1:36 PM, Sthrngary said:

@DrKoob You are being so kind to everyone on this board with your post.  You are also educating and helping new Oceania guests.  As you know with your reference to a cancelled port, it seems to be a thing.  Knowing it could happen allows guest to set their expectations.  That in no way means it is not disappointing as it was to you.  It would be to me as well.  This is one of those things we as guest are completely out of our control and we wish we knew sooner. 

 

As it relates to boarding time.  You made me smile when I read your post.  I always get online, the moment I can to get the earliest boarding time. For me, it is a goal.  I will do the same thing you did.  That said, we are in a Vista Suite that allows for the earliest boarding.  For me it does not matter which stateroom category I am in.  I still check-in early. I still am up at 12:01 AM doing my online check-in.  Old habits die hard.  

 

Your willingness to share your experience knowing that the amount of questions coming your way will be substantial, is again so kind. You are used to Viking which is a very nice brand.  Your comparison will be very interesting especially because you are new to Oceania.  My hope is you will have great memories and a wonderful vacation. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

I am curious to know how you like the Vista suite?  We will be in 9000 on 24 April.  if you sail before then please do post about the suite!!  Thanks.

[Hambagahle]

Personally I see nothing wrong with allowing those who have spent a lot more money to have larger suites to board first.  Same thing, after all, happens on planes.  (And giving access to airport lounges etc).   We always cruise in "high end" suites - principally because we like more space. And for that we are paying a lot more than someone in a normal size suite.  What's wrong with that?  We also fly Business class to have more space and especially to be in a lounge before boarding.  And on trains we travel in 1st.  Our choice.  Our "perks" !!

[EJL2023]

7 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

This is not meant as snarky, or ref;entice to your comment. Truly. But isn’t Vista a new kinda ship? 
I have to believe that if this is a new system, that some type of announcement had to have been sent prior, and not sprung at the last minute. It just seems odd to me. Mostly, I am sorry that [passengers on two itineraries now cannot visit this port.
I  know that Oceania is not the only ship who visits here. I wonder if other ships are being turned away as well. If so, then bad communication on the port for not advising the industry of the new requirements. 

Understand your concerns on this one, but since this seems to be the only port that has been impacted by the new system, to me at least, this points to this particular port being more of the issue than Oceania. 

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

I am curious to know how you like the Vista suite?  We will be in 9000 on 24 April.  if you sail before then please do post about the suite!!  Thanks.

We are cruising November 9, 2023, on the Riviera.  I will overview the suite here on CruiseCritic.com

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Hambagahle]

Just now, Sthrngary said:

We are cruising November 9, 2023, on the Riviera.  I will overview the suite here on CruiseCritic.com

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you very much!  And have a wonderful cruise.

[DrKoob]

Vista Day 1–Embarkation and Our Stateroom

 

When last I wrote, we had just boarded Vista and been through a beautiful embarkation. When we left the hotel in three separate Ubers, we truly believed we would not be boarding until at least 1:30 or 2:00. But about halfway through our Uber ride (Kathleen, Jocelyn and I), my brother texted that they were letting anyone on and should they go through. We said to hang on; we would be right there. The cruise port was only a 10-minute drive from the hotel. But by the time we got there, the others had gone through and were waiting to board the ship.

 

We got in line (which was a little longer by then) and were also on board within ten minutes. The port of Montreal is the EXACT opposite of the port of Vancouver, where on our last cruise in May, embarkation had taken three hours and forty-five minutes (you can read about that fiasco here).

 

When we reached the inside of the ship, we were met by an officer who asked for our key cards (which came to us in a really cool little leatherette folder) so he could see where our muster stations were. We had already watched the video at home when we did our check-in and again a few days later when they sent another reminder (I think we got about five e-mail reminders to watch the video). The officer directed us to our muster station (we were in the main dining room), and we headed there immediately, got our key cards scanned and as far as Oceania was concerned, we were through with them until we sailed the next afternoon. We headed up to the buffet for lunch, where the rest of the gang was holding a table for seven for us, and we started to sample the amazing food that Oceania calls "the best at sea." Just a note here. I could start going on and on about the food here, but I am going to do a complete post on the culinary glory that is Vista cuisine (at least so far).

 

Our stateroom–Concierge Verandah 9118

When we boarded, we were told that our suites would be ready by 2:00 p.m. and the rest of the staterooms soon after. But about halfway through lunch (close to 1:00), there was an announcement that suites (not us) were ready. We were in a Concierge verandah, and they announced that those would be available by 2:00 and the rest of the staterooms by 3:00. Lo and behold, at around 1:30, there was an announcement that our staterooms were ready. It was then I realized what had happened with our embarkation time, and what was now true about stateroom readiness was that Oceania was one smart cruise line. They were practicing one of the greatest marketing tools known to business: underpromise and over-deliver. Tell us things will be bad; we grumble a little and then be a hero by getting them done a lot better. It's impressive to me and something I love to have happen. Should they not have been able to deliver early, they were fine. I had already grumbled.

 

But getting back to our stateroom, we are in Concierge Verandah 9118, which is aft of amidships on deck nine. We had read that the staterooms were pretty large, and our last stateroom on HAL's Koningsdam was only 185 square feet, so we thought these would be much bigger at 250 square feet, but honestly, they don't feel any bigger. Sadly, we have been spoiled by our last three major cruises. In July of 2021, our first cruise back after the pandemic shut down was on Celebrity's Flora in the Galapagos. Those staterooms are HUGE—almost suite size (330 square feet). Then we were lucky enough to snag a Neptune Suite on HAL's Nieuw Statendam, and they are even bigger (380 square feet). And last year, we did 21 nights on Viking Ocean in a Penthouse Veranda, and it was smaller than the Neptune but much larger than we are now (338 square feet).

 

I am only really concerned about the comparison to Viking Ocean because we are VERY loyal cruisers (as evidenced by our 20+ Celebrity cruises), and we are looking for our next cruise line to give our loyalty to, and the stateroom we are in now is just about the same daily price as the much larger one we had on Viking Sky. Not only was it larger and had about 3x the storage space (the worst part of our current stateroom) and about the same size bathroom. The shower is bigger, but not by enough that I noticed it. But where we have a tiny couch and the usual oval miniature coffee table today in 9118, on Viking, we had a full-size couch and coffee table plus plenty of room between the bed and a full-size dresser/desk. Let's look at some room photos instead of continuing with the comparison. And I apologize for the fact that I took the pics after we had unpacked. I usually get them right away, but because Jocelyn was in a regular verandah stateroom, she came down to ours while Kathleen unpacked, and I walked around the ship taking photos.

 

A great feature of the stateroom that I almost forgot is the huge (for this size room) television. There are a lot of choices on this Smart-TV. Free movies, TV shows, A great bridge cam, two maps—one interactive, a music library, ship info and of course you can check your ship account as well.

One other thing that is kind of a pain. If you cruise, you know where your big suitcases go when you are done unpacking them—under your bed. You can't slide large suitcases under these beds. They are too low. We were kind of worried about that until Mike told us that you could ask your stateroom attendant to put them under there for you. They have a special tool that lifts the beds. Sorry, but that's poor planning on Oceania's end. I mean, buy a bed that's a little higher (like every other cruise line).

All in all, we feel like this Concierge Verandah stateroom is a poor value when compared to a similar-priced Penthouse Verandah stateroom on Viking Ocean. Score one for Viking. But that might be the only one. Stay tuned.

 

If you would like to see the photos of the stateroom (with captions) you will need to stop by my blog at www.jimbellomo.com. See you there. 

[DrKoob]

3 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

I am curious to know how you like the Vista suite?  We will be in 9000 on 24 April.  if you sail before then please do post about the suite!!  Thanks.

We are in a Concierge Verandah (9118) and today's post is about that. You won't be able to see all my pics here but you will find them on my blog at jimbellomo.com

[DrKoob]

3 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Personally I see nothing wrong with allowing those who have spent a lot more money to have larger suites to board first.  Same thing, after all, happens on planes.  (And giving access to airport lounges etc).   We always cruise in "high end" suites - principally because we like more space. And for that we are paying a lot more than someone in a normal size suite.  What's wrong with that?  We also fly Business class to have more space and especially to be in a lounge before boarding.  And on trains we travel in 1st.  Our choice.  Our "perks" !!

I have a problem with it when you tell me you aren't going to do it and then you do. That's the problem. And my problem on the other cruise lines (especially Celebrity) is that there are parts of the ship you can't go. The entire ship should be open to everyone. It is your choice and you should get the perks. We too fly Business on long flights but they don't stop people from using the forward lavatory (at least on the planes we fly on) who are in coach. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by DrKoob

[DrKoob]

21 hours ago, makai 7 said:

Hi Jim- we cruised with you and Kathleen on Azamara wayyyyyy back when from Singapore to Hong Kong (Beth and Kevin).  We will be on Vista in February, so really looking forward to your perspective on the ship.

 

do you think that you might get to sound the ship’s horn again 🤪?

 

Glad to see that you both are still cruising!

Hi guys! No, I doubt they will let me blow the horn. 😜

[jwindham]

I for one am glad that the beds are not so high. At 5 feet the couple of times we stayed in an Oceania Suite I had to hoist myself up on the bed, not fun. Open the suitcases and they will go under the bed or just lift up the end of the bed. I did this on the Vista in August and it was not hard at all. Julia