chloemonkey

+2....no noise in 10001.......3/9 thru 3/27.

+2....no noise in 10001.......3/9 thru 3/27.

She attended the Cordon Bleu in France....and worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago for a few years.....and I know she also worked in the catering department of a large upscale hotel chain....can't remember the name right now..... And as for family connections....I guess the same could be said about Claudine Pepin? As I love her to death and have sailed on a few cruises where both she and her lovely father were passengers and also gave presentations. She is also the godmother to an Oceania ship.....so those family connections may have been in play there as well? I give all of them total credit for doing what they have managed to do in the culinary world.....as I am NOT a great cook and truly appreciate those who take this ability to a new level...whether professionally trained or self-taught.

As have we. And I am not suggesting that it is the "best" Italian food ever nor that it has improved since her addition to the equation.......but it does make for a nice switch off between Polo, Ember, Jacques (when available) and Ember. And the occasional dining room -which we do not find to be such that we eat there more than 2-3 times on a 2-3 week cruise. As many have said....food is so subjective. For example we do NOT like Red Ginger and only force ourselves to eat there once every 2-3 weeks. But we do live in an area that is know for Michelin Star rated Asian cuisine....so are spoiled when it comes to Asian and Asian Fusion cuisine. I DO wish that Polo still offered prime rib on the menu......

We enjoy the Intercontinental along with their restaurant, Toro Toro......and it is less than a 10 minute taxi from the cruise terminal.

Recently off of a B2B2B on our first Vista cruise and of course we were concerned with the loss of Jacques. Still think it was wonderful and miss it. BUT we also really enjoyed Ember (and we were NOT inclined to do so beforehand!) so I think that you need to reserve judgment until you have experienced it all. For one thing, the pizza at Waves is NOT like the pizza that is routinely offered at home. AT least not in the USA where we have PLENTY of pizza options. My dear hubby is not a fan of pizza but loved the pizza in Waves. We have tons of gourmet pizza restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area and still find Waves offering to be truly enjoyable. We also truly loved many items on the Ember menu. And as for the sound issue? The first night we sat on the inner portion of the restaurant.....on four later occasions we were a bit closer to the windows and that area did seem to be a bit quieter. Again, we were happy enough with some of the menu offerings that we dined there five times.... The Dover Sole in Toscana is also part of Giada's changes I believe? And my husband loved it enough to dine there five times as well....and this if from a man who does not really enjoy Italian food..... So keep an open mind....as we found the Vista's food offerings to be above par and certainly as good as the other Oceania options that we have enjoyed on the Riviera. And as for your '$350-$400 per day"......our costs are closer to $1000 per day and we are very satisfied with the offerings on the Vista. Give it a chance and you may agree! And if not? You can choose to cruise elsewhere.....

So odd that we were on the two sailings just prior to yours and found no similar issues. Our experience was the total opposite as we found the staff to be so overly concerned with our satisfaction that it bordered on being bothersome at times. Our experience was that this was among (if not the best) service that we have had of all of our Oceania cruises.....funny how we all have varying degrees of satisfaction and opinions.....Guess that is what makes the world go around. Hope your last day or two provide you with a better experience....

Met quite a few passengers on current Vista sailing while in line for Future Cruise booking agent and they all have sailed Azamara recent and all said never again….i was surprised as we used to enjoy them.,..so do your homework…

Now you’re just making me “almost” ready to head back home to Los Angeles where we have so many wonderful options for Queso Fundido! Yours looks fantastic! Thankfully I do still have a few more days to “force” myself to at these various Vista offering……most of which have been truly great! Food……I love it all!

Dang…..you could probably also figure out these new light switch panels in our suite! lol…..I am being sill of course and sincerely applaud all of you able to do all of these things! Hubby and I are still trying to figure out how to lower the lights in the living room of the cabin without also turning out the bedroom lights! lol…. and don’t get me started about the new phones! lol…..

Interestingly enough we too were lamenting the loss of Jacques…and do still. Is it? It having been on the Vista for 3 weeks plus now….we are also liking Ember quite a bit! Sad that we cannot have it all….but nice to know that there are options that vary based on various ships…. Next sailing in a few months will be on Marina….ao maybe we will once again enjoy Jacques…..personally we are NOT fans of 5e new Aquamar offerings…. It it seems to. E packed most days, ! That’s what makes the world go around, right?

We are currently on Deck 10 in a Vista Suite and DO hear footsteps from the bridge….nothing that is truly bothersome though.

Somehow I lost the thread of what if anything…is going on with Le Reserve options? As I am still trying to figure out if Le Reserve is still available? And what in the world that has with this new Aquamar offering other than space usage? STILL wanting to know if Le Reserve is currently an option?

Polo Grill for us upon embarkation last night…we were surprised at how good we found the food….filet that came with my “surf and turf” was probably the best I have experienced across all Polo experiences, lobster was good to very good…not sure which variety it was….tomatoes in the tomato and onion salad were pretty darned good for this time of the year. And surprisingly? We even found the bread offerings in the bread basket to be better than in previous sailings. Hubby enjoyed the new menu “halibut “ immensely….. as is often written….food is subjective….and so much goes into our opinions on any given day. My only hope is that we all continue to realize that we should probably wait to judge for ourselves….as there is much to enjoy…..albeit not everything will appeal to everyone. now those cookies in the Concierge lounge?.. that’s another story! lol…..