Help Me Dream About my Next Cruise

[nuevowavo]

Having our butler bring us breakfast in the PH - we hate getting dressed to go out to breakfast.

And of course, pre-dinner martinis at Martinis!
And we love going out to local restaurants at ports where the ship doesn't depart until late.

[WayneLaR]

I'm looking forward to making new friends at the indoor/outdoor golf, shuffleboard, bean bag toss, etc., contests the entertainment team will be putting on during the Marina TA next month.  Great way to meet new friends and have a lot of fun doing it!  Met a wonderful couple from Germany on the Nov Marina TA and had a blast competing with them.

[bbqoug]

My wife & I always take a walk throughout the ship, checking everything out even though this will be our 4th time on an R-Class ship. We always take a walk through the casino taking note of what slot machines we will play on a few of the nights (wine in hand) after the evening show.

Since this will be our 2nd Oceania cruise, we have some items we didn't experience the first time that we want to try this time:

- Afternoon Tea

- Breakfast in the MDR

- A wine tasting

[SATaxman]

29 minutes ago, bbqoug said:

My wife & I always take a walk throughout the ship, checking everything out even though this will be our 4th time on an R-Class ship. We always take a walk through the casino taking note of what slot machines we will play on a few of the nights (wine in hand) after the evening show.

Since this will be our 2nd Oceania cruise, we have some items we didn't experience the first time that we want to try this time:

- Afternoon Tea

- Breakfast in the MDR

- A wine tasting

Those are three things we also did not do on our first O cruise in October. Definitely on our list for next cruise.

 

[Sny]

A leisurely breakfast in the MDR (on the days we don't have the butler bring it).  Name that Tune in Martini's before dinner.  Trivia.  Watching the world go by from our balcony.  A private tour with an interesting local in just about any port.

[WildWanderers]

Hi @Sthrngary,

 

Before I answer your question about favourite things on (in our case only Oceania) cruises, let me just say that I am so pleased that you overcame your stroke to become a person who enjoys life, shares your wisdom, calms the rough waters and brings logic to every debate.

 

These are a few of my favourite things.  (Do you hear music?)

 

I enjoy reading the GDR and Terrace Café menus each day for lunch and dinner to figure out where to go when   There is a lot in common between the two menus for each meal, but sometimes it is the difference between the two that informs the decision of where to go, sometimes it is whether we want to be served or not, and sometimes it is that we want to eat outdoors.  My better half prefers to be surprised by what is on the menus.  Sometimes it takes a while before the menus on posted on the in-room system.  I get teased about…*you’re not looking at menus again are you?*

 

We enjoy at-sea days as we get to read and relax, with where to eat being the biggest decision of the day.  It’s not all about food.

 

I enjoy not having to do grocery shopping and cooking and dishwashing.  A lot.

 

Soon after embarkation and our visit to our muster station:
- we used to go to the Library to find books by our favourite authors before the big arriving crowds (whom we never saw by the way) took them.  Things change.  We prefer reading books on our Kindles, and a book has to be compelling for us to read paper now.
- we used to go straight to Reception to buy the upgrade to the drinks package, but now that we are silver level on Oceania points, we have to buy the upgrade before embarkation to be eligible for the 10% discount.
- we still go straight to the Terrace Café for bubbly, sometimes a couple of types of bubblies and a taste-test, and lunch.

We enjoy a pot of afternoon tea at tea-time, to accompany a game of Skipbo.  And maybe a scone with clotted cream, as it’s been already a couple of hours without eating at that point.

 

We enjoy keeping an eye out for crew we have met and / or befriended on previous cruises.

 

We revel in the luxury of our penthouse room, having found the smaller rooms too small.  Imagine my avatar trying to shower in a less-than-penthouse sized shower.

 

We enjoy the welcome, willingness to assist and attentiveness of our butler, actually of the team of butlers as they all pinch hit for one another.

 

I enjoy becoming familiar with the wines, while I enjoy matching them to the food myself, it is also fun to figure out which of the sommeliers know their stuff, and make good and at times unusual pairing suggestions.  I enjoy choosing a glass of wine for the appetizer or starter (that we call entrée), and a different one for the main course (that Oceania calls entrée).

 

Did I mention that it is not all about food?

 

We enjoy ports where we can wander around on our own either near the port or after an Oceania-provided shuttle to the city centre.

 

We enjoy.

 

Not sure if there is much here to provide inspiration, but we board our 12th Oceania cruise in four weeks from today, and can hardly wait.

 

I am recovering from an operation to remove a nickel-sized and deep cancer toward the tip of my nose, with a hunk of tissue from next to my ear stitched in to fill the hole.  Although I now have ear tissue on the tip of my nose, I don’t hear any better.  I had hoped for a Sean Connery look, but alas, am converging to W.C. Fields.  I will have to figure out how to add a “greater than” sign to mimic my scar on the nose of my avatar.

 

We will enjoy.

 

Cheers,
Greg from the WildWanderers

[Sthrngary]

6 minutes ago, WildWanderers said:

I am recovering from an operation to remove a nickel-sized and deep cancer toward the tip of my nose, with a hunk of tissue from next to my ear stitched in to fill the hole.  Although I now have ear tissue on the tip of my nose, I don’t hear any better.  I had hoped for a Sean Connery look, but alas, am converging to W.C. Fields.  I will have to figure out how to add a “greater than” sign to mimic my scar on the nose of my avatar.

Thank you for your kind words and all the thought you put into your post.  I hope you recover quickly.  Enjoying life is our reward. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[AMHuntFerry]

Well now I feel a bit silly after that beautifully written ode-to-joy, but I remembered a little item that is one of my many favorite things...the rolled-up hand drying towels in the public bathrooms. I don't know why, but it makes me happy every time I go to dry my hands.

[Snaefell3]

4 hours ago, WildWanderers said:

we used to go to the Library to find books by our favourite authors

I always knew it was debarkation day because I'd gotten within (but no further than) 2 chapters from whodunit.  😉 

 

Edited March 9 by Snaefell3

[Sthrngary]

I had such a good time taking the Hop on/Hop off buses in the Mediterranean.  I loved that.  I also love the experience of a port intensive cruise so much, I am flying with my daughter to the Mediterranean in April to spend more time in my favorite ports  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Ronni7770]

On 3/6/2024 at 10:48 PM, Sthrngary said:

@Yesimapirate Oct 13, 2025? Deal

We are also booked on that cruise.  We are going on the Riviera this summer and I am looking forward to the walk-in closet which I missed on the Vista this past summer though I loved mostly everthing else about the Vista.

[JYDCruise]

On 3/8/2024 at 9:39 PM, Snaefell3 said:

I always knew it was debarkation day because I'd gotten within (but no further than) 2 chapters from whodunit.  😉 

 

It was the butler, of course. That's why Sthrngary's coffee was late.

[Sthrngary]

36 minutes ago, Ronni7770 said:

We are also booked on that cruise.  We are going on the Riviera this summer and I am looking forward to the walk-in closet which I missed on the Vista this past summer though I loved mostly everthing else about the Vista.

@Ronni7770 I was just on the Riviera.  I loved it.  different vibe then I was used to in all my previous cruises.  Enjoy it. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.