Vallesan

Enjoy!

Pickled with chilli are my favourite!

The Captain’s cocktail party is different to the ‘Returners’ and ‘Newbies’ parties which usually last around an hour and are by invitation. On our last cruise on the Marina in May the Captain’s cocktail party was on day 3 day 1 being embarkation day. It is advertised in Currents and our was from 5.45 - 8pm in Horizons and 6 - 8pm in the Grand Bar & Martinis. From memory the Captains party usually lasts that long but in saying that you don’t have to arrive at the start and stay to the end, unless of course you want to!

Food is so subjective! I always have the duck and watermelon salad but the miso glazed seabass is just not to my taste, it’s too sweet. In fact on our next cruise I’m going to see if I can pre-order ‘plain’ seabass!

The ‘old’ ones, as you say, sent out quite recently (eg. 11/2023) weren’t being sent out to UK passengers! Hence we only had online check in and print out your own labels etc. So for us now the ‘blue’ package arriving in the post is a real ‘bonus’!

The ‘blue’ package is definitely better than ‘nothing’ which is what we had for a couple of years. BUT, if you hark back to the ‘olden days’, and I don’t, then the ‘blue’ package lacks the personalisation. Personally, I still get a little thrill whatever ‘package’ arrives because it means my cruise is just around the corner …. in fact I’m expecting a ‘blue’ package any day soon!

Sailed on Marina first cruise after refit and have to say the furnishings in our Concierge cabin were nether ‘scratched or dented’. Dated… that’s a matter of opinion.

They might look odd but they are very comfortable😀

Yes you can still have room service for breakfast and coffee is available in the concierge lounge and Horizons but I don’t know from what time. Somebody will pop in and tell you!

We sailed the Norwegian Fjords in June 2023 and had really warm weather mid 60’s +. It’s really unpredictable. The overall weather system in Scandinavia often follows the same pattern as the UK. The best advice for outdoors is to take ‘layers’ that way you will cover all bases. There are umbrellas provided in the cabins!! As others have said the indoor areas can be a bit cool sometimes so a wrap or similar is useful.

It’s a shame to be ‘forced’ to eat in your suite. We have never had an issue with getting a table for two in the GDR. We’ve sailed on all the ships, apart from Insignia and Vista, since 2015 and have never had an issue. The speciality dining is different but even then a ‘shared’ table often ends up as a ‘table for two’ but that’s not a guarantee.

Must admit we’re a bit like you never had the butler jump through hoops! Not so much on Oceania but on Silversea and Seabourn (cabin steward) we just loved crisps(chips), nuts, olives and champagne constantly restocked! Little bit of luxury, well for us!

@Volterra24 sorry to hear of your dilemma. If all else fails when you board ask if you can have a ‘nice’ table in the Grand Dining Room. Not sure if there are tables for 6 with a ‘view’ but at least you should get a table together. Some people, who have never dined in the Grand Dining Room, knock it but actually after lots and lots of nights in there we’ve never had a ‘bad’ meal. The service is usually good, and we’ve sailed on all the ships except Insignia. Try not to sail with a negative attitude. Your anniversary is after all only ‘one day’! We are celebrating 55 in October and I mailed guest services a month ago to try and get a reservation in Red Ginger on that day. Not sure that will happen but you know what we will celebrate wherever! Just go and enjoy!

I for one have found your posts useful and any ‘experience’ is ‘experience’. Yours might not be mine and mine not be yours! We are all individuals looking for different things in a cruise. BUT it’s always good to hear of other experiences even though when we cruise, even on the same cruise, our ‘experience’ will be individual to us, irrespective of itinerary, ship, cabin etc. Other people’s experiences can only give you a ‘glimpse’ into their experience which could be totally different to yours! The only real answer is to ‘cruise’ and see!

It will be really interesting to see if Vista ‘beds down’ in time. I’d really like to sail on her but cabin noise and slippy floors in the Terrace cafe really put me off. The fact that the aft lift doesn’t go down to deck 5(?) isn’t a huge issue as we usually travel mid-ships. Just have to wait and see what the next 12 months brings before I’d be happy booking.

Difficult to answer. Which other lines have you sailed on? Have you sailed on smaller ships before? Do you like ‘nightlife’? How important is the itinerary to you? Do you like a ‘port’ intensive cruise?

I agree. We were on the Nautica in 2018 which sailed into Klong Toey but the Riviera, last February, sailed into Laem Chabang.

Real problem is that the ‘cherry season’ depends very much on the weather. I may be wrong but I think this the season was late everywhere.

I just took a quick look at the site but >10000 passengers on one day in Santorini is way out of control. I’m sure it won’t be too long before the residents protest with water pistols etc! Problem is there are so few residents probably nobody will listen to them!

I haven’t read the reviews but in December 23, I’m guessing, there will have been lots of changes to ports because of the situation in the Middle East. Maybe that led to a feeling of being ‘ripped off’?

@mark46 a ‘ship within a ship’ is great if you can manage the overall ‘size’ of the ship. If you have mobility issues then only ‘small’ ships fit the bill so it no longer becomes an issue of ‘choice’! Fortunately all the smaller ships, from all the lines, work well for us because they are ‘small’!

Yes but on port intensive cruises some parents want their children to experience ‘life’.

We are sailing on the Marina in October and could only get a ‘B’ cabin. I realise from reading CC that our cabin is unlikely to be ready before 3pm. Certainly thinking about lunch ashore before we board. Maybe Aquamar could be an answer but then maybe not!

Oceania isn’t actually an ‘adult only’ line so whilst the ships may not be designed for children they also don’t ‘ban’ them!

Personally I can’t understand how anybody would want to order a 32oz streak for one person. Ok even if you take the bone out it’s still far too much meat especially on a cruise, when you’ve probably had breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and possibly bar nibbles or canapés or both! I understand some people feel they have ‘paid’ so they need to get their ‘money’s worth’ but IMHO it’s just ‘greed’. Fine if you order a steak and eat it but to take a few bites and then waste the rest is just hideous.