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

[Harters]

52 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The usual tableside oil/balsamic service is always lots of fun.

Is this a specifically American thing? Or does it happen in other countries? 

 

It's not something done in Italian restaurants in the UK, nor can I recall ever coming across it in Italy.

 

 

Edited April 17 by Harters

[Harters]

56 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The CD is Peter (I have no clue to his last name)

Assuming it's still the same guy from the Miami/Rome part,  then it's Peter Tredgett. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Today we are docked in Valencia under blue skies.  The weather on this entire segment has been terrific and we are keeping our fingers crossed for more of the same.  DW and I took a 5 hour ship excursion to Bacairent, which is a very old quaint mountain village.  Having previously been to Valencia (where there is an excellent market) we thought this was a good place to use some of our "Simply More" shore excursion credit.  Our guide was excellent, and we enjoyed visiting the small village.  There was a substantial amount of walking, and this tour was not for anyone with a mobility problem.  

 

Since the Port of Valencia (which can handle 4 cruise ships) is a few miles from the city center, O did provide free shuttle bus service to the center.  

 

Yesterday, we were docked in Barcelona (Moll Adosset Terminal B), which is the main cruise dock in that city.  Since the weather was very comfortable, DW and I did not use the free shuttle bus service, but rather walked into town (about 2 miles to the Ramblas) and later reversed the process.  We simply spent a few hours in the Ramblas/Gothic Quarter area before walking back to the ship for a late lunch.  Barcelona is a terrific port with much to see and do, but to say that we have seen that/done that would be an understatement.  Even though it is still early in the season, and we were the only cruise ship within site, the Ramblas was a busy place.  The Boqueria Market (right off the Ramblas) remains a "do not miss" place and the decent Iberian Hams are now ONLY about $250 Euros per Kg.  

 

Nothing new to add to our previous comments re the Vista.  Had dinner in Toscana, last night, and everything was great.  I do like that it is possible to order a small portion of any of the extensive pastas, which makes it a good starter or supplement to other starters.  The usual tableside oil/balsamic service is always lots of fun.

 

Somebody asked (might have been Flatbush Flyer) about the current CD and GM.  The CD is Peter (I have no clue to his last name) and the GM is Damien Lacroix.  Since DW and I have not bothered to go to any of the private parties, we have had no interaction with the GM other than to bid him a "Good Morning" when we cross paths in Barristas.  Since everything, onboard, is better than good, we have no reason to seek out the GM.  As to Peter, since we are now in the midst of our 10 straight port days, we are being rewarded by not needing to listen to as many of his announcements.  

 

Hank

Should you eventually decide to return often to Oceania, the value of certain of the GMs knowing you will become apparent in quite tangible ways.

CDs are, perhaps, less influential but knowing who will be onboard can prepare you for their style, which can vary significantly from uniquely entertaining to a bothersome PITA.

[Hlitner]

28 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Should you eventually decide to return often to Oceania, the value of certain of the GMs knowing you will become apparent in quite tangible ways.

CDs are, perhaps, less influential but knowing who will be onboard can prepare you for their style, which can vary significantly from uniquely entertaining to a bothersome PITA.

We will most certainly return to O ☺️. But Seabourn and SS are next on the agenda.  We are not one trick ponies LOL.

[Hlitner]

57 minutes ago, clo said:

I have never seen it in US restaurants. In stores that sell the product, sure. Seems pretentious and a waste of time.

Perhaps, but we view it as good fun just like Caviar in the Surf on Seabourn.  

[Bentley2018]

On 3/28/2024 at 3:35 PM, Hlitner said:

Good Afternoon Folks,

 

Over our long cruise life we have found that it usually takes us about 24 hours to form an opinion of a ship/cruise.  In the case of the Vista, both DW and I are equally impressed and have mostly good to say about the ship and O.  So, Flatbush Flyer can breathe easy and say, "I told you so."  

 

Our cabin (a B2 balcony on deck 8 was absolutely quiet last night.  We did not hear any noice from our neighbors or anything else.  Our thermostat functions perfectly and it was nice to be in a nice cool, quiet, cabin for our first night's sleep.  

 

Today we had a short port day at Great Stirrup Cay, which is a long held property of NCLH in the Berry Islands (Bahamas).  We decided to stay aboard since it was only in the high 70s, and we saw no reason to leave the Vista for a beach morning.  I say morning because the last tender was at 1:30.  

 

Last evening we enjoyed our first Vista dinner at Red Ginger, where we had a shared table with a very nice couple from Texas.  We were seated at 7pm (our reservation time) and did not finish dinner until 9:40!  Part of the reason for the very long dinner was that nobody took our food order for nearly 30 minutes and our first food did not arrive until around 8pm.  But long dinners do fit our style, the company was good, and I think all 4 of us enjoyed the evening and the food.  I was looking forward to trying the spicy duck/watermelon salad and it was quite good.  Not the best I have ever enjoyed, but darn good for a cruise ship.  I had the rack of lamb, for my main, and they were also good and properly cooked to my "medium" request.  I am also somewhat impressed by the wine offerings (by the glass) which are as good, if not better, than what we have received on several luxury lines.  

 

After dinner, DW decided to turn-in early (it was a long day) and I went to Martini's for some victuals.  At the bar I met two nice couples including a younger German couple who were impressed by the Vista.  I have purchased the upgraded drink package and the offerings at the bar were quite good.  "Anthony" entertained us with both piano and voice and was delightful.  

 

Lets talk about breakfast on the Vista.  There are ONLY 6 options which is quite amazing for a ship of only 1200 passengers.  One could get room service (with a pretty full menu).  The Grand Dining Room was also opened for breakfast.  But than we had Waves, Aquamar, Terrace Cafe, and Baristas.  DW and I decided to just go to Baristas where we enjoyed some pastries and cappuccino.  The croissants were the best we have had on any cruise ship.  Baristas is basically a self-service venue with several waiters standing-by to clear tables and offer any help (they took DW's tea from her hand and carried it to our table).  We were both very impressed with the venue and it holds its own against a similar venue on Explora Journey 1.  If doing more comparisons I would rate it a much better venue then what is offered on Seabourn (Seabourn Square).

 

We spent much of our day on deck 12 (pool deck) and also walked around deck 14 (the miniature golf course is a nice touch as is the pickle ball court).  The deck chairs are among the most comfortable found on any ship.  I noticed that my Bloody Mary was made using Mr and Mrs T mix, but the bar tender skillfully enhanced it with spices to meet my request for a "spicy Bloody Mary."

 

Lunch was at waves, and my Wagyu Burger (topped with lobster chunks) was excellent as were the thick cut French fries.  I love the Wave lunch menu and am happy that we will have more than a month to try everything!  There was a Filipino band (trio) with terrific singer that entertained us with a 45 min sail-away set.  That band is quite good, so we are batting 1000 with the entertainment (up to this point).  

 

So, my friends, where is the negative stuff?  When O decided to cancel our visit to Bermuda (due to a bad weather forecast) I could not understand why they did not extend the length of our visit to Great Stirrup Cay.  There were no other ships and a 2pm departure was a bit early.  We now have a week of sea days (DW and I love sea days) and the Vista will not need to break any speed records to get us Horta on time.  But that is being nitpicky since we cannot criticize a ship for sticking to their schedule.  

 

Hank

Thank you Hank for your day to day blog.  I am finding this very helpful for our upcoming trip.  Just a couple of questions. We will be boarding our cruise from Trieste May 1st, which is where you get off. We too will be on the 8th floor, section B2, room 8026. I am a light sleeper so I was trying to be strategic in which room we chose, staying away from the elevator and stairs and laundromat. Would you say this 8026 is in a good spot?  Also, do you know why this cancelled Istanbul from your itinerary? Our last stop is in istanbul so I am hoping that this doesn't change. Sorry one more question, during check in, did they ask to see your inoculation record? They have this in their contract that we need to show them our record during check in but some of us in our group do not have one so we are hoping it isn't something they will ask to see.  

I appreciate your feedback

 

Margaret

[EJL2023]

3 hours ago, Bentley2018 said:

Thank you Hank for your day to day blog.  I am finding this very helpful for our upcoming trip.  Just a couple of questions. We will be boarding our cruise from Trieste May 1st, which is where you get off. We too will be on the 8th floor, section B2, room 8026. I am a light sleeper so I was trying to be strategic in which room we chose, staying away from the elevator and stairs and laundromat. Would you say this 8026 is in a good spot?  Also, do you know why this cancelled Istanbul from your itinerary? Our last stop is in istanbul so I am hoping that this doesn't change. Sorry one more question, during check in, did they ask to see your inoculation record? They have this in their contract that we need to show them our record during check in but some of us in our group do not have one so we are hoping it isn't something they will ask to see.  

I appreciate your feedback

 

Margaret

Regarding inoculation record…..we boarded in Trieste last May and were not asked to show any inoculation documents. 

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, Bentley2018 said:

Thank you Hank for your day to day blog.  I am finding this very helpful for our upcoming trip.  Just a couple of questions. We will be boarding our cruise from Trieste May 1st, which is where you get off. We too will be on the 8th floor, section B2, room 8026. I am a light sleeper so I was trying to be strategic in which room we chose, staying away from the elevator and stairs and laundromat. Would you say this 8026 is in a good spot?  Also, do you know why this cancelled Istanbul from your itinerary? Our last stop is in istanbul so I am hoping that this doesn't change. Sorry one more question, during check in, did they ask to see your inoculation record? They have this in their contract that we need to show them our record during check in but some of us in our group do not have one so we are hoping it isn't something they will ask to see.  

I appreciate your feedback

 

Margaret

We would be fine with 8026, but keep in mind that much depends on your neighbors.  Ours are very quiet, but we have heard from others who complain that their neighbors use their TV, late at night.  Tis the luck of the draw.

 

Nobody in Europe or at O cares about your shot records.  Other then a few passengers on our cruise who still wear masks, COVID is not an issue.

 

Nobody we met has a clue why they took Turkey off our itinerary.  Ironically, we have an upcoming Seabourn cruise where several Turkey ports were also changed to Greece.  Again, we were given no explanation. 
 

Hank

 

 

[CruisingIGo]

Good Morning Vista!

 

Alicante, Spain

 

From Marina

[Techno123]

We have an August Med cruise with 3 stops in Türkiye one of which is Antalya- I'm not holding my breath for that one unless things in that area change significantly over the next 3 months.

 

With regards to Istanbul, things can flare up quite quickly in the big cities. We had a Seabourn cruise that was supposed to finish in Istanbul - there were riots and with less than a week to go before departure we were ending our cruise in Athens - that was fun rebooking flights in the middle of summer but better to know before we left.

[Hlitner]

Greetings from Alacante, where we are docked in the port along with the Marina and Oosterdam.  Our weather continues to be seasonal with partly cloudy skies and temps in the mid 60s.  

 

This morning, we were greeted with a letter advising us that O has cancelled our scheduled port call at Menorca (tomorrow) and replaced it with Ibiza.  Why?  They blame the change on weather and the forecasts do call for some gusty wind conditions.  

 

Today, DW decided to take a day off (after more than a week of daily ports) and take an afternoon nap.  I put on some gym shorts and decided to get some walking exercise.  Although the port does provide a free shuttle bus that takes folks about 1/2 mile to the port entrance, I avoided the bus in favor of just walking into town (about 1 mile).  Once in town I walked over to the elevator, that takes tourists up to the St Barbara Castle which offers views high over the town.  Alicante is actually a good port in the summer since there is a decent sandy beach (within walking distance of the port) for those who want to enjoy a day on the sand (there are chair rentals).  There were quite a few souls enjoying that beach and even a few brave folks in the water.

 

We enjoyed dinner in the GDR last evening, where DW and I both ordered the Dover Sole.  The relatively small fish (which is fileted at the table) was perfect, since we were still stuffed from our late lunch at Waves.  

 

Having lunch (today) at the Terrace Cafe reinforced our opinion that this indoor "lido" venue is the weakest link among the various dining venues on the Vista.  I think that most mass market lines have better lidos than what we have here on the Vista.  I have mentioned this in an earlier post but will post this reminder.  We think the salad offerings are abysmal when compared to what we can get on most other lines.  The variety offered in the Terrace also leaves much to be desired.  However, when you couple the Terrace Cafe with Aquamar and Waves (both nearby) there is enough variety to satisfy most folks.  The quality of the offerings in the Terrace is good, but much could be done to improve variety options.  Consider that on Explora Journeys, their pasta bar will offer more than 6 different pastas and a variety of sauces.  Here on the Vista, the normal pasta bar features a single daily special (made to order).  

 

This morning, I again was wowed by the amazing crew.  I stopped in the Terrace Cafe for an omelet (made to order) and took my omelet towards the tables.  A waiter quickly appeared, took the plate from my hands, and walked me to a nearby table.  Another waiter was immediately at my table and asked if I wanted juice, coffee, etc.  I asked for fresh squeezed OJ and he disappeared to get the juice.  He returned in a minute and explained that they were out of fresh OJ (in the Terrace) but he was going to go downstairs and see if he could find some OJ.  When I told him it was not important, he insisted and took off in search of OJ.  A few minutes later he returned with the juice which he found at the GDR.  After more than 3 weeks on the Vista, I can think of nothing but praise for staff.   

 

Hank

[ak1004]

27 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 

This morning, I again was wowed by the amazing crew.  I stopped in the Terrace Cafe for an omelet (made to order) and took my omelet towards the tables.  A waiter quickly appeared, took the plate from my hands, and walked me to a nearby table.  Another waiter was immediately at my table and asked if I wanted juice, coffee, etc.  I asked for fresh squeezed OJ and he disappeared to get the juice.  He returned in a minute and explained that they were out of fresh OJ (in the Terrace) but he was going to go downstairs and see if he could find some OJ.  When I told him it was not important, he insisted and took off in search of OJ.  A few minutes later he returned with the juice which he found at the GDR.  After more than 3 weeks on the Vista, I can think of nothing but praise for staff.   

 

Hank

 

Great to hear! Your experience puts our recent experience on SS to shame. 

[Bentley2018]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We would be fine with 8026, but keep in mind that much depends on your neighbors.  Ours are very quiet, but we have heard from others who complain that their neighbors use their TV, late at night.  Tis the luck of the draw.

 

Nobody in Europe or at O cares about your shot records.  Other then a few passengers on our cruise who still wear masks, COVID is not an issue.

 

Nobody we met has a clue why they took Turkey off our itinerary.  Ironically, we have an upcoming Seabourn cruise where several Turkey ports were also changed to Greece.  Again, we were given no explanation. 
 

Hank

 

 

Thank you for confirming! I'm hoping it's not being changed due to the war next door. Hopefully they won't change our itinerary seeing that Turkey is our final one and we will all be flying out of there. Enjoy the the rest of your cruise. 

Margaret

[Bentley2018]

7 hours ago, Techno123 said:

We have an August Med cruise with 3 stops in Türkiye one of which is Antalya- I'm not holding my breath for that one unless things in that area change significantly over the next 3 months.

 

With regards to Istanbul, things can flare up quite quickly in the big cities. We had a Seabourn cruise that was supposed to finish in Istanbul - there were riots and with less than a week to go before departure we were ending our cruise in Athens - that was fun rebooking flights in the middle of summer but better to know before we left.

Oh no....this is what I'm worried about as we too have a final destination to Istanbul on May 11th. Yikes, that would not be fund having to change your flights and all!

[Bentley2018]

13 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Regarding inoculation record…..we boarded in Trieste last May and were not asked to show any inoculation documents. 

That's reassuring.. Thank you for letting me know!

[Techno123]

@Bentley2018 that was pre Covid but it is very volatile over there at the moment 😢

[DoulaAnn]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:09 AM, Harters said:

Is this a specifically American thing? Or does it happen in other countries? 

 

It's not something done in Italian restaurants in the UK, nor can I recall ever coming across it in Italy.

 

 

I haven't experienced it in the US either. It's lots of fun for me to try different combinations. I had no idea there were differences in the oils and balsamic vinegars.

[ronrick1943]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:01 AM, Hlitner said:

We will most certainly return to O ☺️. But Seabourn and SS are next on the agenda.  We are not one trick ponies LOL.

Adjust got back from a Silverseaa cruise. a bit to formal for us.  But we had a good time and enjoyed the cruise.  Food was so so nothing special or above "O" or Regent.

[DoulaAnn]

On 4/13/2024 at 4:42 PM, Hlitner said:

Thanks to your post, we learned about the ability to dim that mirror light :).

 

Hank

I had no idea it could be dimmed. Will give that a try.

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, ronrick1943 said:

Adjust got back from a Silverseaa cruise. a bit to formal for us.  But we had a good time and enjoyed the cruise.  Food was so so nothing special or above "O" or Regent.

We booked SS because we got a very good deal that was less costly than a MSC cruise (we like their Yacht Club).  SS also had a much better itinerary.  We dont’t mind dressing up, so that did not even factor in our decision.  We truly enjoy lots of variation in our cruises in terms of different cruise lines and itineraries.

 

Hank

[ronrick1943]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

We booked SS because we got a very good deal that was less costly than a MSC cruise (we like their Yacht Club).  SS also had a much better itinerary.  We dont’t mind dressing up, so that did not even factor in our decision.  We truly enjoy lots of variation in our cruises in terms of different cruise lines and itineraries.

 

Hank

First thanks for taking the time for writing about your cruise.  En

joying it a lot.  We were on the new Nova, and I think they were trying to hard.  I don't mind dressing up, but it was over done for me--that's just me.

[Harters]

3 minutes ago, DoulaAnn said:

I had no idea there were differences in the oils

Very much so. We like a peppery one at home and, when it's available, buy a organic Palestinian one called Zaytoun.

 

My sister in law is married to a Spaniard and spent their early years together living in Mallorca. His father managed the family's olive groves (and citrus trees). There were two big food events in the year. One was the annual pig killing (where hams and salamis were prepared). It was a time for the whole family to get together to help out. And eat, of course. Some parts of the pig,  like offal, are eaten quickly and one classic dish of the island is fried liver, with peppers and fennel - known as frit de matances. That translates roughly as "slaughter fry" which doesnt sound too great so in tourist restaurants it's usually called by its Spanish name - frito Mallorquin

 

The  other was the olive harvest. The family would again gather. Sheets would be put down under each tree and then the branches shaken, so the ripe olives would fall off. After several days of this, the harvest would be taken to the agricultural collective in town where the olives were milled and turned into oil, mainly for home use but some was sold

 

Some 40 years on, it's a more sophisticated marketing business and the oil is sold by "Fet a Soller" (made in Soller - in the local dialect version of Catalan). 

https://www.fetasoller.com/en/mallorca-shop.php/products/olive_oil

[ak1004]

41 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

First thanks for taking the time for writing about your cruise.  En

joying it a lot.  We were on the new Nova, and I think they were trying to hard.  I don't mind dressing up, but it was over done for me--that's just me.

 

And think that what they have on the Nova is already a relaxed dress code compared to other ships (they now switch to the new dress code fleet wide). On our recent Dawn cruise it was absolutely ridiculous (3 different types of dress code).

[ronrick1943]

32 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

And think that what they have on the Nova is already a relaxed dress code compared to other ships (they now switch to the new dress code fleet wide). On our recent Dawn cruise it was absolutely ridiculous (3 different types of dress code).

It really wasn't enforced - however it was really a little too formal for me, including attitude. 

[clo]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

Having lunch (today) at the Terrace Cafe reinforced our opinion that this indoor "lido" venue is the weakest link among the various dining venues on the Vista.

I hope that's just the Vista. When we were on Marina a few years ago, we had more meals (B/L/D) there than any place else and loved every one.