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

[njhorseman]

37 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yes if we’re not mistaken Apollo Holdings used to control both Oceania and Regent before NCL took over. 

Apollo also controlled NCL/NCLH and continued to control NCLH after Oceania and Regent were absorbed into NCLH, but the whole purpose of NCLH going public was for Apollo to get out of the business with a presumably profitable divestiture of its ownership by selling its stock in NCLH. IIRC Apollo sold the last of its stock in NCLH in 2018.

 

FDR was never the majority shareholder of the "Apollo" that controlled NCLH, NCL and Prestige Cruise Holdings (Oceania and Regent), which was Apollo Management a private equity firm with  billions in assets under its management. Perhaps @pinotlover is referring to a different "Apollo".

 

Edit: This is the Apollo that provides staff foe Oceania. It is not the same company that controlled NCL, NCLH and Prestige Cruise Holdings: This company has been in business since 1969. FDR was not the founder.

https://www.theapollogroup.com/

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2019/07/the-apollo-group-celebrating-50-years/

 

Edited April 30 by njhorseman

[LSuzQ]

On 4/29/2024 at 11:17 AM, Hlitner said:

 

 

We continue to accept some other posts that with the O restaurants, it is helpful to have a good idea of what to order.  In the GDR, where we have a reliable waiter who gives us great advice, things are mostly terrific.  In the alternate restaurants, one does not generally know the waiters and advice is not always reliable.

 

For our remaining 2 nights on Vista, we will be dining in the GDR which has been consistently good,  

 

Hank

Hank, how is it that you are seated in your preferred waiter’s section in the GDR? Once connected, do you request that section/table when you dine there? TIA

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Yes, I agree.  The starchy pasta water and cheese are sufficient to coat and bind.  Cream is rarely, if ever, used in genuine Italian cuisine.  It is absolutely forbidden in carbonara, but people still insist “a little is okay”.  It is not.

Well let’s set the record straight.

Roma Sparita is ground zero in Roma for Cacio y Pepe (at least, according to Anthony Bourdain), and here’s the ingredients (which is how we make it at home):

 The dish only calls for the following four ingredients (five if you count the pasta water): spaghetti, a tablespoon of freshly grated black pepper, butter, and 1 3/4 cups of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
And don’t forget the bowl made out of Parmigiano Reggiano (which calling it Parmesan is an insult).

Edited April 30 by Flatbush Flyer

[SATaxman]

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Well let’s set the record straight.

Roma Sparita is ground zero in Roma for Caccio y Pepe (at least, according to Anthony Bourdain), and here’s the ingredients (which is how we make it at home):

 The dish only calls for the following four ingredients (five if you count the pasta water): spaghetti, a tablespoon of freshly grated black pepper, butter, and 1 3/4 cups of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
And don’t forget the bowl made out of Parmigiano Reggiano (which calling it Parmesan is an insult).

5years ago, my husband and I took a cruise from Rome to Rome. We spent at least 4 days on both ends in Rome. I think he ate cacio y pepe every night. Repeated it once in the same restaurant. he should have written a book! I finally learned how to make it. One of our favorites.

[Harters]

48 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

Surely at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter if a dish is ‘authentic’ as long as the ‘consumer’ enjoy it!

Absolutely, V. 

 

Unless of course if you're trying to pass off your version as "traditional". 

[Harters]

31 minutes ago, LSuzQ said:

how is it that you are seated in your preferred waiter’s section in the GDR?

Good question. During our several meals in the GDR (and previous cruises) we were seated all over the room - maybe the same section only twice. 

Edited April 30 by Harters

[Tsunami74]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

I think that’s the secret …. you…  “quite liked it”. Surely at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter if a dish is ‘authentic’ as long as the ‘consumer’ enjoy it!

I totally agree.

I think I said something like this in answer to "Jaques is not true French"  OK,  maybe not, but we still enjoy it.

[pinotlover]

1 minute ago, Tsunami74 said:

I totally agree.

I think I said something like this in answer to "Jaques is not true French"  OK,  maybe not, but we still enjoy it.

So accordingly if you ordered beef Wellington and they served you beef bologna , in an filo dough, and you like bologna then that’s OK??? 
 

I bet you’re a fan of the infamous piccata Marsala dish Oceania serves that is neither piccata nor Marsala. What’s in a name anyway? Why should anyone be disappointed if their hamburger is made from chopped liver, what’s in a name?

[Tsunami74]

2 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

So accordingly if you ordered beef Wellington and they served you beef bologna , in an filo dough, and you like bologna then that’s OK??? 
 

I bet you’re a fan of the infamous piccata Marsala dish Oceania serves that is neither piccata nor Marsala. What’s in a name anyway? Why should anyone be disappointed if their hamburger is made from chopped liver, what’s in a name?

No, of course not because beef and beef bologna are two different things. 

However, claiming something is not true "French" is claiming that person knows all French cooking - quite a claim.

Never tried piccata Marsala - doesn't sound tempting.

[Vallesan]

37 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

So accordingly if you ordered beef Wellington and they served you beef bologna , in an filo dough, and you like bologna then that’s OK??? 
 

I bet you’re a fan of the infamous piccata Marsala dish Oceania serves that is neither piccata nor Marsala. What’s in a name anyway? Why should anyone be disappointed if their hamburger is made from chopped liver, what’s in a name?

 
A rose by any other name!

[Mareblu]

2 hours ago, clo said:

I understand that cooking/eating in Rome (considered Northern Italy) is more apt to have cream.

Considered by whom?

[clo]

6 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Considered by whom?

I used to be on a food site and that was their consensus .

 

Is Rome considered southern or northern Italy?

 

 

Although Rome is in central Italy, many refer to it as the line between southern and northern Italy. Most consider it to be part of the north.Jan 9, 2021

 

Northern vs. southern Italy: how to pick your ideal Italian ...

 

The Points Guy

https://thepointsguy.com › guide › pick-ideal-italian-holi...

 

 

https://sardellaspizza.com/northern-vs-southern-italian-food-whats-the-difference/

[Mareblu]

42 minutes ago, clo said:

I used to be on a food site and that was their consensus .

 

Is Rome considered southern or northern Italy?

 

 

Although Rome is in central Italy, many refer to it as the line between southern and northern Italy. Most consider it to be part of the north.Jan 9, 2021

 

Northern vs. southern Italy: how to pick your ideal Italian ...

 

The Points Guy

https://thepointsguy.com › guide › pick-ideal-italian-holi...

 

 

https://sardellaspizza.com/northern-vs-southern-italian-food-whats-the-difference/

Mario and i are seated in Martinis, enjoying our last evening on Vista before disembarking tomorrow.  I just read your post, with its link, to him.  He nearly choked on his single malt, and he is a placid man.  I can assure you, Italians consider Roma central Italia.  We have been married 55 tears this years (yes, married very young) but we have spent what would total several years of that time in Italy, mainly in his home region of the Dolomites. That is northern Italy.  We consider ourselves members of a vibrant Italian community in Australia, where those who ventured from Italy to start a new life retained the vital elements of their roots, while happily embracing their adopted land.  To a person, they would tell you Rome is central Italy.  Many of them are of Roman origin.  Anyhooo…Mario has stopped choking and rolling about the floor, and has just raised a glass to you.  Do some wider research.

[Aloha 1]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

DW tells me that when you get the ratio of pasta water to parmesan just right, the result does seem creamy.  She has heard of using some butter, but that seems to vary depending on the recipe and chef.

 

Hank

This is the carbonara recipe from Noel Barille, one of the CIA trained and Italy based chefs who run the culinary center on Riviera, Marina, and Vista. It is authentic and excellent and it is what is served in Toscana.

Pasta Carbonara-Oceania.pages

Edited April 30 by Aloha 1

[Aloha 1]

Oops! Realized I sent the pages version (mac) which some may not be able to open. Resending as a PDF file 

Pasta%20Carbonara-Oceania.pdf

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

This is the carbonara recipe from Noel Barilla, one of the CIA trained and Italy based chefs who run the culinary center on Riviera, Marina, and Vista. It is authentic and excellent and it is what is served in Toscana.

Pasta Carbonara-Oceania.pages 370.95 kB · 0 downloads

Can't open this. Marcella Hazan's is my only recipe for this. I make it regularly. 

[Aloha 1]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Can't open this. Marcella Hazan's is my only recipe for this. I make it regularly. 

See my additional post with PDF

[Aloha 1]

Hank; Thanks for a great "blog". I've followed your posts for several years and picked up some good tips on ports, restaurants, etc. Enjoy your land excursion . We head for Milano in July with a side trip to Switzerland, then Firenze  and down to Civitavecchi to board the new Regent Grandeur, Rome to Athens. Any restaurant tips are appreciated (ken2048ataoldotcom).  Will post our experiences on the Regent board.

Edited April 30 by Aloha 1

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

See my additional post with PDF

Thanks. Very, very similar and for this particular recipe that's not surprising. And definitely no cream.

[Aloha 1]

Just now, clo said:

Thanks. Very, very similar and for this particular recipe that's not surprising. And definitely no cream.

Absolutely not!

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, LSuzQ said:

Hank, how is it that you are seated in your preferred waiter’s section in the GDR? Once connected, do you request that section/table when you dine there? TIA

Fair question.  When we first started dining in the GDR we were all over the place.  One evening we happened to be seated in Kadek’s section and were very pleased.  The following evening, DW simply asked the hostess (Marina) if we could be seated in his section.  After a few days, she and her boss managed to always find us an empty table in that section.  
 

My personal observation, after 50 years of cruising is to show the staff lots of respect, interact, and let them know your preference.  And a few smiles as well as thank you’s

can work miracles.  The staff on the Vista is terrific and goes out of their way to please passengers if it is within their power.

 

One other hint.  A few times we did make it clear that we would share a table in that section.  Sometimes, just making it known that you appreciate somebody’s efforts can work miracles.  I am often appalled at how some passengers treat the crew.  
 

Hank

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

Hank; Thanks for a great "blog". I've followed your posts for several years and picked up some good tips on ports, restaurants, etc. Enjoy your land excursion . We head for Milano in July with a side trip to Switzerland, then Firenze  and down to Civitavecchi to board the new Regent Grandeur, Rome to Athens. Any restaurant tips are appreciated (ken2048ataoldotcom).  Will post our experiences on the Regent board.

We really enjoyed dinner at Osteria Della tres Panche, in Florence.  It is a restaurant that specializes in dishes with truffles (white and black).  Since our last visit it has moved to a larger venue and we are not sure if this has impacted quality.

 

Hank

 

[Heidi13]

On 4/28/2024 at 11:21 AM, FetaCheese said:

@Heidi13

@chengkp75

Oceania Vista experienced a power outage 1 or 2 days ago, restored to 90% soon after.

 

Post is up thread.  They would like you to comment, if possible.

 

Ship is only about 1 year old.

 

Thank you.

 

Apologies for the delayed response.

 

Just read the post. With respect to the alarms sounded, I am not aware of the crew signals used by Oceania. Therefore, unable to comment on the 3 or 4 activations of the crew alarm, especially as it didn't specify short or prolonged. The sounding of the whistle is unusual, as that is most commonly used for manoeuvring signals and man overboard. However, as should be promulgated in the embarkation drill, pax should not be concerned with any of the crew signals, only the General Emergency Signal, which is at least 7 short rings followed by a prolonged ring. 

 

Without further information it would be impossible to speculate as the the reason for a power outage, especially without knowing the entire scope. Was it a total blackout or brown out? Since it was resolved quickly, I suspect it wasn't propulsion related and probably as the Captain mentioned, a failure in a single distribution panel.

[Mareblu]

7 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

This is the carbonara recipe from Noel Barille, one of the CIA trained and Italy based chefs who run the culinary center on Riviera, Marina, and Vista. It is authentic and excellent and it is what is served in Toscana.

Pasta Carbonara-Oceania.pages 370.95 kB · 24 downloads

Had no trouble downloading.  Thanks for this excellent recipe.

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Apologies for the delayed response.

 

Just read the post. With respect to the alarms sounded, I am not aware of the crew signals used by Oceania. Therefore, unable to comment on the 3 or 4 activations of the crew alarm, especially as it didn't specify short or prolonged. The sounding of the whistle is unusual, as that is most commonly used for manoeuvring signals and man overboard. However, as should be promulgated in the embarkation drill, pax should not be concerned with any of the crew signals, only the General Emergency Signal, which is at least 7 short rings followed by a prolonged ring. 

 

Without further information it would be impossible to speculate as the the reason for a power outage, especially without knowing the entire scope. Was it a total blackout or brown out? Since it was resolved quickly, I suspect it wasn't propulsion related and probably as the Captain mentioned, a failure in a single distribution panel.

Thanks for responding as we always appreciate your expertise.  Since it was the middle of the night, we cannot be certain if it was a total blackout.  In our aft cabin, any blackout was short lived.  Forward cabins had longer outages with emergency lighting activating in their cabins.  According to the Captain, power was quickly rerouted with cabins and passenger corridors getting priority.  From the passenger perspective there was very little disruption.

 

We do know that once the Fincantieri technical team boarded in Croatia, repairs were completed in less then 1 day and all power was returned to normal status.  The only detailed info we received was that it was a failure in a forward electric control

panel.  We did not hear any alarm or rumor of a fire situation and passengers were basically told to go back to sleep.

 

Hank