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

[Vallesan]

44 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

First, let me say I agree, but then reality sits in. Has putting the three walker symbol beside shore tours even slowed down the number of people that can’t walk 50 yards from signing up and then expecting to be facilitated? Do any of the warnings about cobblestone streets and uneven pathways, and warnings about not being for those with mobility issues have much of an effect? As some believe they should be facilitated on every tour, they likewise believe the same for every dish served. The current situation is a culmination of all the “ can you put the spices on the side, I want that dish without the spices?” Have you ever tasted the disgusting sweet salsa sauce served because of all the people not wanting any spicy period? It would be a great start if Oceania would put out two different salsas. One for the NoNos and another for the rest of us. We only get the NoNo version.

Do you really think people feel that ‘entitled’ that they think everything should be dumbed down to the lowest level? I can’t believe that people would be that selfish.

 

I have mobility issues and apart from not inconveniencing others, I wouldn’t dream of putting myself in danger by taking a 3 walker trip or even some of the 1 walker stuff, which isn’t really suitable for the less than able bodied! It just wouldn’t occur to me to take these trips. Maybe people don’t read the tour descriptions or possibly they think they are fitter than they really are. Or maybe, as you say, some people do just feel ‘entitled’. Sad really.

 

 

[Harters]

51 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

even some of the 1 walker stuff, which isn’t really suitable for the less than able bodied!

Indeed. I've seen "1 walker" excursions saying it involves two hours walking. Beyond us these days. We read the descriptions very carefully. 

[ronrick1943]

3 minutes ago, Harters said:

Indeed. I've seen "1 walker" excursions saying it involves two hours walking. Beyond us these days. We read the descriptions very carefully. 

I agree with Carter's, yes they do.  This year I've had a back issues which put me with a cane which slows me down, also I need to be aware of what I walking on...that said when I do take a tour (which isn't often) I now make sure I can handle it before signing up.  

[Vallesan]

14 minutes ago, Harters said:

Indeed. I've seen "1 walker" excursions saying it involves two hours walking. Beyond us these days. We read the descriptions very carefully. 

 
Actually I’ve never found even a ‘1 walker’ tour suitable! Now we have SM we choose a ‘private 1/2 day’ if available. If not we just think of it as ‘part of the price’ and  just  don’t fret about it.

[itzfitz]

On 4/23/2024 at 8:20 AM, Hlitner said:

And Good Greetings from Souda,

 

Souda is a bay and port on the island of Crete, where we are docked today.  Souda is about 3-4 miles from the much larger Chania, which is how most cruise lines list this port.  Yesterday we had some drama when the Captain increased our ship to top speed and announced that he was going to dock at Souda, several hours early (this turned out to be about 11pm last night) in order to disembark a medical emergency patient.  

 

This morning, we awoke to a warm day (highs in the 80s F) and very gusty winds (probably in the 30-35 MPH range.  The winds are trying to push the Vista away from its pier and this has caused issues.  We are tied-up with double lines and O is using two large tugboats (one forward and the other aft) to hold the ship against the pier.  We are also running our thrusters to help keep the ship docked.  The danger is that without the tugs the lines might snap and lead to all kinds of difficulties.  Around lunch time, it was announced that due to the high winds, passengers would no longer be allowed to go ashore....as using the gangway was dangerous.  I will speculate that if we had arrived this morning, as scheduled, we would not have been able to dock (because of high gusty winds) and ended up with a sea day.  Locals told us that this kind of wind is not normal.  

 

Fortunately, most passengers were able to get off the ship this morning for their excursions and DIY.  DW and I debarked about 10:30, but the free shuttle bus (to town) was full and there was still a queue of over 40 souls.  Since it was going to be at least 30 minutes until the free shuttle returned, the local authorities were able to bring in a city bus (for which we had to pay 1.60 Euros) for those of us who did not want to wait.  Ten minutes later we were in downtown Chania, which does have a large old town shopping district, a cute old harbor (with shops and restaurants, Maritime Museum, etc.).  DW and I spent about 1 1/2 hours walking in the nice part of town and then returned to the Vista for a late lunch in Waves.  I assume that many first-time visitors took excursions to the ruins at Knossos, which is something we recommend to those who have never visited this site.  

 

Talking to other passengers reinforced my thinking that O desperately needs a decent App.  Want to cancel or make a dinner reservation?  You must either queue up on deck 5 to get to the single reservations person or try to reach that person via phone (they seldom answer).  Most lines easily handle this kind of thing via App.  We finally managed to get through, on the phone, and cancel our Red Ginger reservation (mentioned in a previous post).  We decided to keep our Ember reservation (for tonight) since the GDR menu is not one of our favorites.  Perhaps the third time, in Ember, will be the charm.

 

Hank

Hank, we are signed-up for the same Boutari Winery excursion on the May 1 Vista.  Your experience certainly has me doubting whether we should take the excursion!  How was the meal? Was the wine tasting any good?  It is very expensive and sounded wonderful on paper but obviously not so in reality.  What did Oceania say to those who complained?  Was there any compensation?  Hope the remainder of your voyage has less wind and better excursions.

 

Patty

 

[EJL2023]

1 hour ago, itzfitz said:

Hank, we are signed-up for the same Boutari Winery excursion on the May 1 Vista.  Your experience certainly has me doubting whether we should take the excursion!  How was the meal? Was the wine tasting any good?  It is very expensive and sounded wonderful on paper but obviously not so in reality.  What did Oceania say to those who complained?  Was there any compensation?  Hope the remainder of your voyage has less wind and better excursions.

 

Patty

 

We took this excursion last May and I would say definitely it ranks as one of our least favorite excursions. It’s just such a crowded place that people are always getting lost. And our tour guide deemed himself to be a wine expert and perhaps he was….but he went on and on while at the winery.   And just as he was about to stop, someone (perhaps clueless as was quite obvious most were past their limit) would ask a question and on he would go again.  And as stated….the wait for cable cars was beyond frustrating.  There were 6 ships in port on our day. 

Edited April 24 by EJL2023

[Lastdance]

On 4/23/2024 at 5:50 AM, Techno123 said:

Loving your blog @Hlitner

 

My favourite trip when we spent a couple of weeks on Crete was hiking the Samaria gourge down to Agia Roumeli- stunning hike.

https://www.visitgreece.gr/experiences/nature/gorges/samaria-gorge/

That has my DH and I all over it!  Yes, blog information and photo!

Edited April 24 by Lastdance

[ORV]

26 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

We took this excursion last May and I would say definitely it ranks as one of our least favorite excursions. It’s just such a crowded place that people are always getting lost. And our tour guide deemed himself to be a wine expert and perhaps he was….but he went on and on while at the winery.   And just as he was about to stop, someone (perhaps clueless as was quite obvious most were past their limit) would ask a question and on he would go again.  And as stated….the wait for cable cars was beyond frustrating.  There were 6 ships in port on our day. 

As with many people I’ve noticed it’s not so much about actually having a question but more about thinking they’re showing just how erudite they are by asking one in the first place. When in truth they’re anything but. The world is full of insufferable people. And some nice ones. 

[jazznruby]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The tour was AWFUL!  We saw quite a few from our tour group (of 40) lined-up at the Destinations counter to file complaints.  Why bother? 

On March 13th, we did a ship's tour (Vista) in Roatan, Honduras. Was our first time using SM credits. We booked what was billed as a 5 hour 'VIP' beach excursion to Turquoise Bay (OS). We arrived to find that on a beach intended to accommodate 300 people, there were in fact around 600 people from multiple ships in port that day. Lots of kids, (read 'screaming'), lots of increasingly drunk folks making fools of themselves, waiting close to 2 hours after ordering for food and drink that were uninspiring to say the least, general disarray and complete disorganization. I could go into greater detail, but you get the picture. Of the 30 or so people on the tour, no one held the guide or any of the employees on the beach responsible. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone contributed generous gratuities. It was just poorly planned and executed by Oceania and the owners/management of the venue.

 

Upon returning to the ship, I'm sure there were some at DS registering complaints. Later that evening, my husband and I did the same. We described the experience in a very calm but accurate way. When asked if we wanted compensation, we said that wasn't our objective, but rather to inform them of the situation so that hopefully it wouldn't happen again. A couple of days later, we were pleasantly surprised to see that 1/2 the cost of the tour had been credited to our account. The point is that, just as with an unpleasant or unsatisfactory dining experience in one of the restaurants or anything else for that matter, if they don't know about it, nothing changes. And if given the opportunity to make it right, in all or part, Oceania may surprise those doubters who say 'Why bother?'

[jazznruby]

2 hours ago, itzfitz said:

What did Oceania say to those who complained?  Was there any compensation?  

See above.

[ronrick1943]

27 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

See above.

On any cruise, if you don't care enough to discuss the problem-how do expect management on the ship to solve the problem.  Sometime it's a simple fix, sometimes it may take a little longer.  But don't let one thing ruin your cruise, you have to learn to let it go and move on.

[jazznruby]

1 minute ago, ronrick1943 said:

On any cruise, if you don't care enough to discuss the problem-how do expect management on the ship to solve the problem.  Sometime it's a simple fix, sometimes it may take a little longer.  But don't let one thing ruin your cruise, you have to learn to let it go and move on.

Which is exactly what we did.😊

[ronrick1943]

5 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

Which is exactly what we did.😊

I know, but most people don't--they just complain to other cruises.

[EJL2023]

Just now, ronrick1943 said:

I know, but most people don't--they just complain to other cruises.

Or wait until they finally get the crappy internet service (which have never really experienced personally) back and jump on here to whine! 

[Mkdvmz]

I suspect however, that Oceania will not change the Winery excursion nor the beach excursion. They make far too much money on them. Far easier to refund some money. The fact that one does not scream and yell, I am sure is appreciated by Destination services and helped obtain a partial refund, but doubt it will do anything to change the excursions 

[jazznruby]

19 minutes ago, Mkdvmz said:

I suspect however, that Oceania will not change the Winery excursion nor the beach excursion. They make far too much money on them. Far easier to refund some money. The fact that one does not scream and yell, I am sure is appreciated by Destination services and helped obtain a partial refund, but doubt it will do anything to change the excursions 

Well, you can 'suspect' but you can't know that. And I can't know that anything will change. What I do know and what I was addressing is the fallacy of the 'Why bother?' attitude.

[Vertygo]

9 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

We took this excursion last May and I would say definitely it ranks as one of our least favorite excursions. It’s just such a crowded place that people are always getting lost. And our tour guide deemed himself to be a wine expert and perhaps he was….but he went on and on while at the winery.   And just as he was about to stop, someone (perhaps clueless as was quite obvious most were past their limit) would ask a question and on he would go again.  And as stated….the wait for cable cars was beyond frustrating.  There were 6 ships in port on our day. 

Uh-Oh, we’ve scheduled this same excursion in August. Sad to hear reality is so horrible compared to the wonderful description. Will rethink plans. 
This is exactly why I follow these posts. Thanks!

[Hlitner]

Good Afternoon from Mykonos.

 

We awoke to an overcast morning, but the winds had finally abated to a more normal breeze.  By midday, the skies cleared, the air warmed, and we have had an absolutely perfect afternoon with temps around 70.  There are 3 other ships in port (Seven Seas Mariner, MS Hamburg, and Celestyal  Journey).  We, and the Regent ship are anchored off the coast and must tender.  When that happens on Mykonos, it is generally a good thing since the shore-based tenders drop folks off right in town at the old harbor.  It is more convenient than having to get shuttled, or make the 1 mile walk, from the new port where they can dock up to two cruise ships.

 

O handled the tender operations well, and we were at open tenders by 10am.  DW and I went ashore about 10:30, walked around and browsed shops/menus, and decided to return to the Vista for lunch and some time enjoying a comfy deck chair.  Many others had the same idea.  Mykonos does offer folks the chance to visit the ruins of Delos, but like many others, it is something we have done in the past.  Otherwise, the island is good for its many nice beaches, restaurants, and shopping (including some decent high-end boutiques and jewelers).

 

Last evening,  DW and I were not very hungry and decided to have a pizza night.  We stopped in the Terrace Cafe to get large Caeser Salads and then sat at Waves to enjoy pizza.  The pizza was quite good and we left dinner happy and full.  Having already seen the show (a problem that happens when folks do back to back to backs) we went up to Horizons to enjoy the two sets of the excellent Filipino band and the company of some friends.  

 

We have now been on the Vista nearly a month and enjoyed our time on the Vista as much as any line/ship.  O has a terrific product, although their Destinations Desk and program could use some tweaks. Our other issues (which we have previously mentioned) are the lack of a decent (or any) App, and a dreadful air program (which we did not use on this trip).  

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Greetings from Pireaus,

Sometimes the best laid plans become ever better.  A few weeks ago, while looking at our itinerary, DW and I talked about staying aboard, while docked in Pireaus.  We figured it would be a good day to relax, do some laundry, and renew our energy.  But alas, this morning we arrived to a positively gorgeous day (temps got up to about 70).  The Sahara sand storm was gone, the breeze blew away most of the pollution (Athens can be very polluted) and the icing on the cake was that we docked at the coveted Terminal A (which we are sharing with the Seven Seas Voyager).

 

I went up to Barristas about 7 where Vincenzio quickly prepared my usual double cappuccino.  DW joined me about 8 and we both enjoyed the excellent croissants.  My comment was something like, "it is such a perfect day outside, so how can we justify staying aboard?  About 9:30 we walked off the ship and strolled the easy 1 mile over to the Pireaus Metro station.  After buying our tickets (3.20 Euros for round trip) we hopped on the Green Line to Monastiraki Station where we changed to the Blue line for the one stop to Syntagma Square.  We gradually worked our way downhill through the major shopping area and Plaka until we reached the Agora.  At that point we sat at a cafe, people watched, and enjoyed coffee/tea.  We than continued to walk through the Monastiraki neighborhood browsing in the shops,stalls, and reading menus.  A little after noon we stopped at a bar/cafe where we ordered two draught beers and gyros.  The gyros turned out to be huge and quite good.  After lunch, we walked through more of the flea market area (the big flea market is only on Sundays) until we reached the Monastiraki Station where we hopped the Green Line back to Pireaus.  Since the Metro/bus tickets are valid for 90 minutes, we could have simply hopped on the #843 bus to get us back close to the port.  But the weather was so gorgeous, we decided to stroll the 1 mile back to the Vista.  What was supposed to be a quiet onboard day turned out to be a perfect easy outing into Athens.  Total cost for the round trip transportation and lunch was about $50 (for 2) which is just one more reason why we enjoy DIY travel.  

 

For those wondering why we did so little in Athens (a city with much to offer tourists) it is simply because we have been to Athens many times (we could probably guide tours).  Today would have been a perfect day to walk up to the Acropolis, but neither of us wanted to expend that kind of energy to visit a place we have seen more than a few times.  We did give it some consideration until we looked up and said, "no way."

 

Dinner, last evening, was in the GDR with our favorite waiter.  At this point, just about every menu item is a repeat and I opted for the decent Oysters Rockefeller and pork chop covered in BBQ sauce.  DW, had a salad and the pasta dish.  I do wonder if O varies their menu on the 180 day World Cruise, or simply keeps repeating the same items every couple of weeks.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Good Morning from the Med,

 

Last night was real drama.  About 3:30am, we were awakened by the general alarm!  The initial alarm was not the full 7 blasts, but only 3 or 4.  Within a few minutes there were several more alarm blasts (including the ships horn).

 

At this point I looked out our balcony door and the ship was moving, normally, through the moon lit seas.  A few minutes later the cruise director made an announcement that there had been a short-term power failure and the cause was being investigated.  At that point there was no emergency action required by the passengers.

 

About thirty minutes later, Peter (CD) woke us again with another announcement that power was restored.  We went back to sleep, although we heard this morning of some others who actually had put in their life jackets.

 

This morning at 10am, the Captain explained that there had been a failure in a forward electric panel and the Chief Engineer had been able to restore 90% of our power.  But the panel must be repaired by shore based technicians.  We have cancelled tomorrow’s port call at Kotor and are heading directly to Dubrovnik where we will arrive at 2pm tomorrow.  A technical team will come aboard to make repairs.  That should give us 1 1/2 days in Dubrovnik.  Kotor is now the third cancelled port since we embarked in Miami.

 

Hank

[roberts2005]

Hank

 

you have not mentioned much about Aquamar.   It was a favorite of my wife on the trans Atlantic last fall.   She liked both the food and the service.  

[rim2rimhiker]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Kotor is now the third cancelled port since we embarked in Miami.

That is unfortunate.  Kotor is one of the ports we are very interested in seeing on our summer cruise on the Vista.

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Good Morning from the Med,

 

Last night was real drama.  About 3:30am, we were awakened by the general alarm!  The initial alarm was not the full 7 blasts, but only 3 or 4.  Within a few minutes there were several more alarm blasts (including the ships horn).

 

At this point I looked out our balcony door and the ship was moving, normally, through the moon lit seas.  A few minutes later the cruise director made an announcement that there had been a short-term power failure and the cause was being investigated.  At that point there was no emergency action required by the passengers.

 

About thirty minutes later, Peter (CD) woke us again with another announcement that power was restored.  We went back to sleep, although we heard this morning of some others who actually had put in their life jackets.

 

This morning at 10am, the Captain explained that there had been a failure in a forward electric panel and the Chief Engineer had been able to restore 90% of our power.  But the panel must be repaired by shore based technicians.  We have cancelled tomorrow’s port call at Kotor and are heading directly to Dubrovnik where we will arrive at 2pm tomorrow.  A technical team will come aboard to make repairs.  That should give us 1 1/2 days in Dubrovnik.  Kotor is now the third cancelled port since we embarked in Miami.

 

Hank

All pax most certainly were frightened hearing the alarm, especially in early am, when most would be sleeping.  

 

When power is lost, a huge problem, so suspect Captain wanted to immediately alert pax and crew, in the event other emergency procedures would need to be implemented.

 

Good that 90% power was restored quickly, and further measures were avoided.

 

Being such a new ship, a thorough investigation will be initiated, to determine probable cause.

 

Hope all pax and crew can get some rest today.

 

[durberville]

Wow. I’d be terrified if any alarms went off while we were sleeping! Sounds like the situation will be resolved. Extra time in beautiful Dubrovnik will be lovely but I’m sorry you are missing Kotor. 

[ORV]

I’m sure you’ve been to Kotor, but yes it would be disappointing to miss it.