Hambagahle

On 5/29/2024 at 5:47 PM, erby2283 said:

We are slated to stop on September 11th and there are 6 ships in port with an estimated 8,199 projected passengers. We are the 5th ship to arrive that morning and the 2nd ship to leave. 🫢  We've already booked a ship excursion to avoid the cable car up and just plan to head back extremely early to try and avoid the lines at the cable car.  But we also plan to know it will be a cluster f - so just trying to keep that in mind so we know what we're getting into. 

As I understand it even if you are on a ship's excursion on Santorini at the end the bus will drop you slightly below Fira.  You will then - on your own - walk up to Fira and get in the queue for the cable car.  Ship's excursions do not bring people back to the ship.

We have been to Santorini before.  A long time ago, way before the cable car was built.  We took donkeys up and walked back down.  These days I feel like doing neither so we will just stay on board.  Too bad - I would have liked to have visited Akrotiri but not under these conditions.   (My take on it is the people in Santorini want to force travellers to walk through Fira (shop etc) and then use their very out-dated cable car...)

I haven't been on them either (lots of cruises with Regent).  But close friends were on Ritz Carlton recently and have nothing but good things to say.  (But then they have not been on Regent...)

We have done TAs on both ships.  Several times.  The best-ever cruise we have had was a TA on the Navigator with the NY Theatre Guild on board.  They were amazing.  However the Mariner has more on offer (restaurants etc) and the PH suites on the Mariner are amazing.   We went around Cape Horn on the Mariner, in quite a wind - the Captain was on the point of cancelling when we were still in the Drake passage.  She rode the seas beautifully.   I envy you your cruise!   Plus I would pick Bermuda over St Juan any day. Mariner is small enough to dock right on Front Street in Hamilton which is another great thing to look forward to.  (Navigator can too (and we did!)

Glad to have it explained!  (Never go to MacDo as we call it here!!)

Hambagahle is a Sindabele word (Sindabele is a language which is spoken in Zimbabwe and is an offshoot of Zulu.   Literally it means "walk slowly".  But it is also used to mean "relax".  Being retired I try to do a lot of the latter but am not very successful at it!  I also lived in Africa for many years when I was growing up.  Now you know everything!

??   Not sure I get that!

On 5/24/2024 at 4:11 PM, irishwitchy said:

I have not attended CIA, but I’m a great home cook.  I also found the class to be rather simple and was expecting a bit more in terms of ingredients and technique.  They may need to add a master class.    Not sure, I would take another one, unless I knew exactly what was being made prior.  

 

I would need the paint by numbers for the art class!  

I took a couple of cooking classes on Oceania.  OK - different cruise line but the same people run both sets of classes (in fact I saw a teacher I had had on O. in a photo from someone on Regent just this week...  I have also had quite a bit of training but mostly for Indian cuisine.  I found the classes more "eating classes" than cooking and I was particularly disappointed with a class on fish which promised to cover how to select fish, prepare it etc and did not.  All that said I have signed up for a class on Greek cooking (love that food but haven't made any myself) on Splendor in April and have dragged my strictly non-cooking husband along with promises that he can eat and drink (I hope those are true!!)   So am keeping an open mind !

18 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Hello Gerry🥰

so lovely to see this message.  I fear I owe you an email, please forgive me, and by now you realise I’m not punctual with emails😔

I haven’t found gelato on this extended trip to match that of home, either.  Maybe absence makes etc., etc.  We are presently In Southampton, ready to board Cunard's Queen Anne tomorrow, after which we begin the long journey home.  Saturday, our first sea day, is Meet and Mingle day.  I’m glad to be a willing participant but non-organiser for this one!

Writing when we’re settled aboard…

Just sent you and Mario an email...take your time in replying (I think you will have plenty to see and do in the next 2 weeks!!).  Enjoy the M&M too.   Smooth sailing!!

On 4/29/2024 at 3:11 PM, Mareblu said:

We stayed in that hotel some years ago awaiting a Uniworld river cruise.  Don’t recall seeing the ice cream, but Gerry and I would agree that some of the world’s little treasures are indeed found in Australia and Switzerland🥰

Even some of the best treasures!   I like Mövenpick ice cream too but I like the ice cream I buy at our local Gelateria even better...

We did exactly this in Venice some years ago.  Mariner docked the day before and we spent the night on the ship.  Next morning at 0730 (before disembarkation began) we simply walked off the ship with our carry on luggage.  Our other bags had been taken from outside our suite during  the night before.   We collected the bags and headed to Hertz to get our Rental car.  Worked like clockwork.

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Afternoon readers,

We are in our last port (before debarkation) on this 35 day adventure.  From my perspective, O saved the best for last :).  Today we are tendering in the Rovinj, Croatia and both DW and I are absolutely blown away by this charming place.  It is like the hidden gem of Croatia, as it has not yet been discovered by the masses, although we suspect that within a few short years it will be a packed place just like Santorini, Dubrovnik, etc.  

 

We have been in many ports on this voyage, with only two (Chania and Rovinj) we have visited for the first time.  Rovinj has a really nice old town area, and nearly any view could grace the cover of a guidebook.  Plenty of cafes, restaurants, art galleries, the usual church, streets paved with stone (which can be slippery).  This is not a port for folks with mobility issues, although they could enjoy part of the town along the various harbors (there is more than one).  I suspect it is not a popular cruise port because there is no pier adequate for cruise ships, and its proximity to other popular ports (i.e. Dubrovnik, Split, Kotor, etc) keeps it off of most itineraries.  What a shame.  DW and I will plan to revisit this town when we are on one of our driving trips.

 

Not much more to add to this live blog.  DW and I had a good feeling as soon as we boarded the Vista, and nothing in the last month has taken the glow off our first O voyage.  Some readers might be aware I am a student of the cruise/travel industry and always have an interest in some of the inside info.  Many may not be aware that a majority of the crew on Oceania, do not work directly for O,  This company is a major user of the Apollo Group, who has been involved with the cruise industry for eons.  Much of the crew that interacts with passengers, are actually employed by Apollo as are the regular entertainers (singers/dancers).  That is not a negative thing, but simply a fact.  These days, a cruise line can contract with third party companies for just about anything and O obviously prefers to use contractors rather than deal with the complications of taking most jobs in-house.  

 

This will likely be our last "live from the Vista" post as we disembark in about 18 hours.  DW and I are staying in Europe for 12 days, and if all goes well will pick-up a rental car and be on our way to parts of Slovenia, Austria and Italy.  We have long suggested, here on CC, that we find the ideal trip to be a combination of cruising and independent land travel.  But we are not looking forward to having to "forage" for our own food/drink :).  

 

Hank

Thank you SO much for all your reports both on this cruise and the HAL cruise a year ago.  Travel safely and enjoy your next 12 days on terra firma.   

I had not heard of that ice cream until I saw it listed on a menu from Vista.  Is it really good?  Or just ice cream? 

Having lived in both the UK and the US I have to say that some English (British?) humour escapes not only Americans but me too.  I really, really hate the "Butlin's Holiday Camp" type jokes and stories AND the accent that goes along with them.   Lowest of the low... not much else to say except it is possible to be funny without "double entendre" type stuff.

The sail in to the Bay of Kotor (apparently Europe's southern-most fjord) is second to all spectacular sail ins I have experienced, the only one that surpassed it was arriving in Cape Town at dawn with the "tablecloth" beginning to spread on the mountain.  Last time we arrived at Kotor (2017) it was somewhat foggy.  Not very much so and the wisps of fog made the sail in even more lovely.  So sorry you will all miss that.  Hopefully the Fincantieri engineers can figure out what went wrong and fix it in Dubrovnik.  Meantime I hope you all enjoy your - longer - stay there.

Greece (not Turkey) is a member of Schengen which has passport-free travel between the member states.  If you are arriving in Greece from, say, Italy - you will not even have to show your passport unless you are using it as your ID when you check in for your flight.   Arriving in Turkey - either the key card from the ship is accepted or the ship's clearance officer will do the necessary paperwork.  I don't know if Turkey will stamp a non-Schengen passport.  They might.  

I love that expression "the no nos".  Never heard it before this afternoon.  It makes sense!

I was (luckily for me) taught to cook Indian food by an Indian chef.  he explained you simply don't add the spices.  You "layer" the spices all the time you are making the dish.  There are some you "temper" the oil with.  Others that go in very early.  And yet others that are added at the end.   This produces a dish with a real depth of taste.  It is not necessary to have a lot of chili in a curry if you don't like hot food.  It IS necessary to have various different spices added as you go.  And god forbid you use curry powder!!

Those "walking symbols"... I was looking at a tour to Akrotiri on Santorini.  Had 3 of those on the title.  Yet the excavation at Akrotiri is wheelchair accessible.  (Says so on their website).   All under cover.  Has ramps as well as stairs etc.  Go figure !!

The winds sound terrible.  It seems though that the wind is blowing strongly all over Europe right now.  Here in the Alps it has been very very cold - winter temperatures with snow - after a week or so of almost summer weather.   I do hope that the Captain was able to keep Vista docked - or what would happen to those who are in Knossos for the day ?  it is not next door...

For the food.  Perhaps Oceania should introduce a small "alternative" menu - "ethnic food without flavour".   But they shouldn't be leveling everything down to a lower common denominator.  If you are going to make a Vindaloo (don't know if they do!) then make one.  Put a "3 peppers" type of icon next to it on the menu.  To warn timid eaters off.

3 hours ago, Fam_Cruise said:

Just off Vista yesterday in Valletta. My friend and I share OCs and on both Vista and Riviera we used the sofa bed; Riviera Queen size bed in the living room and Vista twin in the new "guest room" and both were comfortable, not as comfortable as the king size bed in the bedroom (I'm 6'3"). FWIW, we switch rooms ever 6 days and it's more affordable than booking two solo PHs. On Marina and Riviera (pre-reno) we used a rollaway in the entertainment room and the sofa beds are definitely more comfortable. I imagine the sofa beds in other cabins are of similar quality.

 

BTW, the new guest bathroom on Vista in the OCs is awesome with lots of space and huge shower.

 

A few design issues with the OCs on Vista though. Guest bathroom light switches were upside down, with off switch on the top and on switch on the bottom. Guest bathroom sink faucet does not come equipped with, or adaptable for, an aerator so water comes out quite forcefully and splatters about so one learns to be careful and turn on water slowly and to a low degree. No 110 power, USB or USB-c outlets in the guest room, no OFF switch for lights in guest room (you have to push All Lights Off on master switch by front door - right outside guest bedroom), living room couch is too deep and uncomfortable for extended sitting, like reading a book or watching a movie. Watch out for your knees when sitting on chairs on either side of dining room table due to the fashionable table support structure, and watch out for your head when standing up after sitting in chair on veranda end of dining room table as chandelier is not centered on the table and you'll probably hit your head on it as I did a couple times. Desk is way too high to be used as a desk. Door to master bath does not stay open as it does on Marina and Riviera OCs, instead they have one of those old fashioned triangular rubber doorstopper.

 

BUT, still overall OC design on Vista is quite nice and bathrooms, especially if you use both, are a vast improvement. They got rid of whirlpool baths in bathroom and on the veranda, but for us that's OK since we never used them. Other than the shortcomings mentioned above lighting and audio controls are a big improvement over those on Marina and Riviera.

I am also glad they took out those whirlpool baths outside.  Had one in a Vista and Owners Suite (possibly also in an Oceania Suite but I don't remember).  Never used them and wondered who would !

21 hours ago, Bentley2018 said:

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

Even when the Vista Malta/Trieste cruise dropped Istanbul and Kusadasi all the cruises that started or ended in Istanbul were kept.  We were originally booked on the 21 April/1May Vista cruise but for unrelated reasons we cancelled.  We have been to Istanbul and Kusadasi before and really wanted to go again.  And hopefully will - we're booked on Regent Splendor Athens/Istanbul at the end of April next year.

On 4/16/2024 at 9:27 PM, Iamthesea said:

A little story about our Villa Eprussi de Rothchild experience.  DH and I did not know about the shortcut around the sea wall/beach area until coming back from the Villa.  We took a taxi after from the port after getting off of the tender.  After touring the Villa (which we loved!), we asked about getting a taxi back to the ship.  We were told that we would have to call one, or we could easily walk back.  Taking the 2nd option, we began to walk down the steep drive of the Villa when a golf cart stopped and offered us a ride down.  The young man worked at the villa and was heading back to town on business.  He let us off at a hole in the beach wall and told us how to get around to the ship.  Nice people!

 

Hlitner - Several years ago, DH and I took a ships excursion to Cassis and had a lovely tour, and leisurely hot chocolate on the sea front (it was coolish that day) and then walked over to where we heard noise from a crowd of people.  Turned out that we were in Cassis during their annual wine festival.  Lots of dancing, free wine tastings, etc.  Lots of fun!!!

We stayed in Cassis for a week some years ago.  It was lovely.  Perhaps the best thing we did there (aside from eat and enjoy the views) was to take a boat to the Calanques.  You can't comfortably get there any other way without walking down the cliffs and they are splendid.  Lovely coves, swimming beaches etc.  Really enjoyed the local wines in the area too.

19 hours ago, grmmybtty said:

We were in Rome Termini waiting for the train to take us to Trieste for our cruise, the agents were not aware of an impending strike until an hour before the strike was called. We struggled to find another way from Rome to Trieste. We ended up renting a car and making the long drive through Italy.

Something similar happened to me some years ago.  Got to Genova from Venezia OK by train but then there was a strike Genova/Ventimilgia (I was headed for Cannes on a business trip).  Ended up by hiring a limo to drive me to the border and drop me in Menthon from where I got the train to Cannes.  Cost a fortune but at least I could work in the car.

Hank - thanks SO much for all the info on this thread.  I "followed" your adventures around Japan on HAL last spring and sense that you are enjoying this cruise a little more.  Looking forward to reading what you have to say as the next 2+ weeks of the cruise rolls on.

Thank you for this informative review.  

May I ask a question?  For your flight(s) to MIA - did Regent UK arrange those or did you do them yourself.  Getting a one way trans-Atlantic flight is very very expensive (we are Swiss) and although we have been faithful clients of an excellent agency in the US for years they cannot do our flights.  We love TA cruises...and would like to do another before we leave the planet but the flight cost is very very expensive.

Julia Child has a recipe for Duxelles in her Vol. 1 (Along with the recipe for Beef Wellington).  Finely chopped mushrooms, onions and then sautéed - and yes - some foie gras added.  But not much.

On 4/11/2024 at 1:29 PM, Techno123 said:

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 😁

Duxelles normally has foie gras in it too...

On 4/11/2024 at 9:04 AM, Kay S said:

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

They might not have known.  In Italy most strikes are announced ahead of time - but far from all.  And even when there are strikes - some trains run.  If you are willing to show up and go with whatever is running.  Fine.  Problem is coming back to a ship and discovering the train you planned to take from Termini is not running...   Taxis are expensive and take a little longer  - from Termini - than a train...