Live from the Vista - March 27 (Miami) to May 1 (Trieste)

[h and j]

Thanks for the reply and we look forward to meeting you. I must say that your blog has been very informative, fair and entertaining. 

Heather

PS I will check out those sandwiches!!

[clo]

9 hours ago, Techno123 said:

I suppose it's each to his/her/their own.

We were on the Regent Explorer last November so had a Sunday at sea with the glorious Sunday brunch - a cornucopia of fresh, culinary delights was on offer and the gentleman 2 tables down asked for a burger and fries 😜😂

 

Looked like most of the items were sweet whereas I'm a savory person so I might have ordered a burger also 🙂

 

[Techno123]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Looked like most of the items were sweet whereas I'm a savory person so I might have ordered a burger also 🙂

 

No those are just the photos I took. I was still in my gym kit so was trying to get some photos before it was decimated by the time we got down - there was a huge range of savoury from breakfast items to roast and everything in between 😜

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Not always.

Correct.  On Regatta Alaska, Sept. 2023, there was at least 1 male.  One female, I think the 1st violin, got sick, and was absent for many days.  The other 3 carried on without her.  All 4 were quite talented musicians.

[Mkdvmz]

7 hours ago, ORV said:

Oddly enough over the years I've found this to be something I've encountered again and again with Oceania cruisers. I'm not really sure it's age related, they simply are not interested in pop or rock music. Not everyone, but enough to make me ponder it over the years. I'm ok with it, when there are rock trivia questions it usually gives me an advantage. 

 

I've wondered why the string quartets are always female? 

On Rivera, last October our string quartet was completely male

[itzfitz]

Who is the current Cruise Director?  What's your opinion of him/her?

 

Boarding when you are leaving.

[Hlitner]

Good Morning from Civtavecchia,

 

Tis a bright sunny day (temps will be in the 60s) as we end our first (of three) cruise segment.  Rumor has it that there are only about 300 of us staying on for the next segment (which ends in Malta).  Tis a sad moment for us, as we had to say "goodbye" to quite a few new friends that are leaving the ship.

 

Now for my first RANT!  This morning, as many were disembarking, I happened to chat with a crew member who is from Italy.  We were talking about his home town when he mentioned that there is a train strike, at 9am, in the Rome sector (which includes all the trains from Civitavecchia to Rome).  The trains are not running and there will also be various local strikes in Rome including their public buses.  This is going to strand quite a few O passengers at the train station, because O has seen fit not to mention a word about the strike.  Nothing in Currents, nothing in the announcements.  In fact, DW and I were planning to take a morning train into Rome (to have lunch) but now we will simply stay in Civitavecchia.  

 

A few minutes ago, we decided to do some laundry.  In the laundry room we met a couple finishing their laundry.  They are disembarking today and had planned on taking the train into Rome!  They were very unhappy when we told them there are no trains, but they might start to run again after 1pm.  We referred this couple to our Italian crew member friend who might be able to give them some advice (they are certainly not getting any help or info from O).

 

Speaking of the onboard laundromats, there are decent English instructions on the wall with 3 sets of washers/dryers in each laundry room.  

 

This morning, DW and I finally decided to try the GDR for breakfast.  Like up in the Terrace Cafe, if you request "fresh sqeezed OJ" you will get it!  If not, you generally will get the really awful regular OJ.  Speaking of OJ, if you order a Mimosa they use the bar OJ which is similar to the awful stuff in the Terrace.  Nothing ruins decent Champagne faster than bad OJ.  

 

Reading the posts about the Beef Wellington with a smile.  I do think the recipe has changed over the years where it is now very common to use a mushroom duxelle, and that is what is done here on the Vista.  I had Beef Wellington in the GDR, and thought it was excellent.  Speaking of English recopies, I still recall the days when "Carveries" were popular in London.  My own feeling was that the English would cook roast beef until it was well-done, and then cook it again!  Tastes and preparation have changed (for the better).  But several of our English friends still prefer very well-done beef.  

 

In fact, both DW and I continue to think that our best dinners have been in the MDR....not the other 4 venues (we have tried them all).  

 

Another RANT, this time about Destination Services (also known as the tour desk).  Last evening they delivered our excursion tickets for this segment.  DW quickly realized that we were missing tour tickets for our Barcelona Culinary excursion.  A careful look at the latest tour printout showed that our previously confirmed excursion is no longer on the list.  Our assumption is that it has been cancelled, but since NOBODY from O ever informed us of a cancellation, how are we to know?  That excursion was booked online and twice confirmed by O (we still have the e-mails).  Apparently, O has their own definition of "Confirmed."  In fairness to O, we have found that the Excursion operations on most cruise lines leave a lot to be desired.

 

I will end this post on a high note.  DW and I feel very comfortable, and at home, here on the Vista.  The crew is fantastic as have been nearly all our fellow passengers.  And our cabin (8104) has proven to be among the quietest cabins we have ever experienced in 50 years of cruising.

 

Hank

 

 

[Kay S]

Strikes in Europe are very common, but O certainly should have warned you.

[Anna1111]

Buongiorno Hlitner

Could you find out what type of press we can order at Consergerie, can I order from my European country? What if freshly squeezed natural juices are only orange juices?  and sparkling water brands?

 

Thanks !!!

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Anna1111 said:

Buongiorno Hlitner

Could you find out what type of press we can order at Consergerie, can I order from my European country? What if freshly squeezed natural juices are only orange juices?  and sparkling water brands?

 

Thanks !!!

I can tell you that when we embarked from Miami, we had both Perrier and Pelligrino waters on the ship.  After a few days, all the good mineral waters were out of stock and the only products were common Seltzer water such as from Canada Dry.  Aquamar and Waves do make various "smoothies" which are generally a mixture of fruits although Aquamar also has a few smoothies which use vegetables...such as spinach.

 

We are not aware of other fresh squeezed juices other than OJ, although the longer we are on the Vista the more we realize that some things may be possible by simply asking.

 

Hank

[Mareblu]

Grazie, Hank, for your marvellous and comprehensive bulletins.  We are waiting in our comfortable hotel for our taxi to arrive for transfer to Vista.  What a terrible time for a strike!  Many passengers from other vessels docked here in Civitavecchia will also have their plans disrupted.  Hope all is resolved very quickly.  We usually partake of a martini in Martinis before dinner, so hope we run into you.  Enjoy your day here in Civitavecchia.

[Vallesan]

47 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We are not aware of other fresh squeezed juices other than OJ, although the longer we are on the Vista the more we realize that some things may be possible by simply asking.

 

Hank

Glad you’re enjoying your cruise overall. It’s amazing how much can be achieved simply by ‘asking’! We have found in the past that many things are possible just by asking the question.

 

Thank you for your reviews and keep enjoying!

[Hlitner]

34 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Grazie, Hank, for your marvellous and comprehensive bulletins.  We are waiting in our comfortable hotel for our taxi to arrive for transfer to Vista.  What a terrible time for a strike!  Many passengers from other vessels docked here in Civitavecchia will also have their plans disrupted.  Hope all is resolved very quickly.  We usually partake of a martini in Martinis before dinner, so hope we run into you.  Enjoy your day here in Civitavecchia.

We are often at the bar in Martinis, before dinner.  But I should warn you that on the voyage, just ended, Martini's was a very popular venue and was usually packed pre-dinner.

 

Hank

[Techno123]

I used to hate beef wellington made with liver pate as the fillet just ended up tasting of liver (which I really don't like) and I wouldn't use foie gras for ethical reasons so I, for one, am very happy with the mushroom duxelle 😁

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

…..We are not aware of other fresh squeezed juices other than OJ, although the longer we are on the Vista the more we realize that some things may be possible by simply asking.

 

Hank

As I have often posted over the years: At least a month (preferably two) prior to embarkation, you or your TA can make special F&B requests which O will do its best to accommodate. 
 

We have two standard requests. We ask for our cabin fridge to be kept stocked with small bottles of Pellegrino and cans of Coke Zero.(both regular and caffeine-free). The former is usually no problem. The latter (caffeine-free Coke Zero- NOT Coke Lite) sometimes gets lost in translation from one world region to another. 

As for food (beyond dietary restrictions), a great example of O’s accommodation can be found on Sirena where the merger of Polo and Toscana as Tuscan Steak resulted in limiting the traditional list of available items from each of the partner venues. One casualty was the Aragosta Fra Diavola. However, a request to the Exec Chef early in the cruise will be honored if at all possible.

 

We’ve even had bartenders (mostly among the original “Bali Boys”), who are aware that we’ll be coming onboard and often have real lemon juice set aside for our Side Cars. (Fortunately, now that O has upped its cocktail game, fresh juices as ingredients are more readily available).

[Hlitner]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As I have often posted over the years: At least a month (preferably two) prior to embarkation, you or your TA can make special F&B requests which O will do its best to accommodate. 
 

We have two standard requests. We ask for our cabin fridge to be kept stocked with small bottles of Pellegrino and cans of Coke Zero.(both regular and caffeine-free). The former is usually no problem. The latter (caffeine-free Coke Zero- NOT Coke Lite) sometimes gets lost in translation from one world region to another. 

As for food (beyond dietary restrictions), a great example of O’s accommodation can be found on Sirena where the merger of Polo and Toscana as Tuscan Steak resulted in limiting the traditional list of available items from each of the partner venues. One casualty was the Aragosta Fra Diavola. However, a request to the Exec Chef early in the cruise will be honored if at all possible.

 

We’ve even had bartenders (mostly among the original “Bali Boys”), who are aware that we’ll be coming onboard and often have real lemon juice set aside for our Side Cars. (Fortunately, now that O has upped its cocktail game, fresh juices as ingredients are more readily available).

This morning, we stopped at Horizons around 11am to get a morning drink :).  Since it is a turn-around day, the ship was mostly empty and one of our favorite bar tenders was working at the bar.  DW asked him if he had any fresh squeezed OJ to make a decent mimosa.  He said they did not have the good OJ. but he had a few oranges and would sqeeze one to make her mimosa 🙂  That is the kind of service we expect on luxury lines.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

This morning, we stopped at Horizons around 11am to get a morning drink :).  Since it is a turn-around day, the ship was mostly empty and one of our favorite bar tenders was working at the bar.  DW asked him if he had any fresh squeezed OJ to make a decent mimosa.  He said they did not have the good OJ. but he had a few oranges and would sqeeze one to make her mimosa 🙂  That is the kind of service we expect on luxury lines.

 

Hank

But O is only a Premium line (or as some of their old advertising said, ultra-premium).

Glad you’re enjoying the cruise. 
A suggestion: Do find the time to submit your mid-cruise comment cards. 
BTW: who is your General Manager and Cruise Director?

[bbqoug]

45 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As I have often posted over the years: At least a month (preferably two) prior to embarkation, you or your TA can make special F&B requests which O will do its best to accommodate. 

We used your advice on our last cruise on Insignia.

My wife was very happy to have our cabin fridge stocked with Fresca.

 

[roberts2005]

On our recent Regatta cruise, the fridge had caffeine free Coke Zero and diet tonic for all 21 days.  Put in the request about a month before.

[Flatbush Flyer]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:31 AM, Iamthesea said:

….we feel that Oceania is not as good as it once was…..

Three cruises?🤔

[Harters]

We left the ship yesterday morning and were back home in time for a late lunch. The last fortnight has been a really pleasant experience. It's been an interesting read catching up with Hank's "live comments" this morning. I will write a review for CC and will also post that to a forum thread. Obviously, won't be as detailed as Hank's daily commentary but, hopefully, of some use.  Real life, as opposed to holiday life, is once again in play so it'll take a couple of days or so to find time to get round to that.

Edited April 12 by Harters

[fdnycruiser]

Cruise withdrawal is a very tough thing to go through. Still in Rome, but cruise withdrawal has creeped in. 

[Fam_Cruise]

On 4/11/2024 at 2:47 AM, Hlitner said:

Now for my first RANT!  This morning, as many were disembarking, I happened to chat with a crew member who is from Italy.  We were talking about his home town when he mentioned that there is a train strike, at 9am, in the Rome sector (which includes all the trains from Civitavecchia to Rome).  The trains are not running and there will also be various local strikes in Rome including their public buses.  This is going to strand quite a few O passengers at the train station, because O has seen fit not to mention a word about the strike.  Nothing in Currents, nothing in the announcements.  In fact, DW and I were planning to take a morning train into Rome (to have lunch) but now we will simply stay in Civitavecchia.

We heard the same from fellow passengers AND from TAXI Drivers (drumming up business) as we approached the train station. We decided if the trains weren't running we'd wing it and either hang out in Civitavecchia or take a taxi into Rome. We had purchased tickets back in early February on trainline.com for yesterdays trip into Rome; FB 8601 departing at 9:25AM and the return FB 8626 at 4:57PM.

 

FWIW, our train was a couple minutes late, and there were quite a few other O passengers on board. Our return train was on time. There were other trains running and the schedule board didn't show any significant cancellations or delays. Roma Termini was very busy with lots of trains running.

[Hlitner]

17 minutes ago, Fam_Cruise said:

We heard the same from fellow passengers AND from TAXI Drivers (drumming up business) as we approached the train station. We decided if the trains weren't running we'd wing it and either hang out in Civitavecchia or take a taxi into Rome. We had purchased tickets back in early February on trainline.com for yesterdays trip into Rome; FB 8601 departing at 9:25AM and the return FB 8626 at 4:57PM.

 

FWIW, our train was a couple minutes late, and there were quite a few other O passengers on board. Our return train was on time. There were other trains running and the schedule board didn't show any significant cancellations or delays. Roma Termini was very busy with lots of trains running.

We later noticed that some of the trains were running, despite claims to the contrary on various Internet sites including warnings on the Trenitalia site.  Having, in the past, being left standing at various Italian train stations during strikes (both announced and quite sudden) we opted to play it safe and not risk having to pay a taxi to get us back to Civitavecchia from Rome.  We were only planning on going into Rome for lunch at a restaurant in Trastevere, so it was not a big deal to give up a meal :).  It also gave us an opportunity to do some laundry (there were a few others with the same idea).  

 

One amusing related tale happened to us many years ago when we got blindsided by a sudden Trenitalia strike that was on a single line for half a day.  We waited on the platform at Certaldo (a station not to far from San Gimignano) to go into Florence for a Saturday evening dinner.  The train did not come.  Along with quite a few locals we patiently waited for the next train which also did not come.  Everyone just shrugged and we all left the station (we had a car).  A few days later we were flying out of FCO and had enough time to stop at the Trenitalia office that is located in the airport.  We wanted our money back (for the unused tickets).  The station manager told us about the 1/2-day strike that shut down our trains.  He further explained that if we were Italians, he could issue us a refund, but foreign nationals had to fill out a form and the refund would be mailed.  He helped us fill out the form and we never received the small refund.  But even if we had gotten the check, it would have been in Euros (not easy to cash in the USA).

 

Hank

[Harters]

30 minutes ago, Fam_Cruise said:

from TAXI Drivers (drumming up business)

No mention of the strike by taxi drivers trying to drum up business outside the port terminal. We were there for about 30 minutes waiting for our transfer to Rome airport (arranged by our TA). In the event it didnt turn up. We'd rung the company and spoken to the driver, three times. First time he said the was there. Second, that he'd be there in 5 minutes. Lying *****. Third told us to get a taxi. So we had to get the cab - cost around €200 on the meter. My partner is currently drafting the email to the TA demanding a refund. 

 

By the by, just back from the supermarket, where we were able to change our leftover dollars for sterling. No need to change the euros, they'll keep for the next two holidays (Cyprus in October and Spain in January).