Harters

6 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Cream is rarely, if ever, used in genuine Italian cuisine

I play on a food forum. I'm sure there's been discussion there (and its now closed predecessor) that the addition of cream to carbonara (and Alfredo ?) sauce is an American twist on the Italian original. 

I hesitated to mention Alfredo, as it's not a sauce you really come across in Italian restaurants in the UK - so my only experience of it is at an Olive Garden in the States. I remember I quite liked it. 

12 hours ago, fdnycruiser said:

We got off in Rome,and it feels like a lifetime ago.

Doesn't it just.

14 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

What is the difference between American Fast Food and that of other countries .?

In  the UK, almost all "fast food" outlets would be American in origin or based on original American companies. It's a description that you really only here mentioned in connection with the likes of American burger chains. 

Even though our own fish & chips shops are selling fast food, they aren't usually described as "fast food". 

A licensed taxi is going to be very expensive. It's a journey of over 92 miles (148 km).

Assuming Anglesey's taxi fares are similar to those in my borough (£1.61 per km), you'd be looking at a fare of around £220 each way. 

9 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

one HS ice cream aboard named “Elvis the Fat Years”

I think that's peanut butter and jelly flavour. Certainly I remember seeing it and thinking "nah, I'll pass on that" (I'm not a fan of peanut butter, except in something savoury like a satay sauce).

31 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

Is it really good?  Or just ice cream? 

Before Oceania, I'd not heard of it. But then there's probably any number of American ice creams I've not heard of. 

They have some weird flavours. Some of which I found to be OK (but no better than OK) and a couple just not very nice. They're not something I'd go out of my  way for. 

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

it does beg  the question “Are the included tours really a ‘perk’ or just a hidden price increase?”

Arguably, they are both. On the one hand, it's a response to market demand for more inclusive offers (see also the newly  included gratuities for UK customers). On the other, Oceania isnt going to do anything that they don't think will improve profits. 

One thing's for sure - it is what it is. We either continue to buy the product as it stands or we go elsewhere for holidays. It's no biggie either way. 

On 4/28/2024 at 9:22 AM, Lee Jones Jnr said:

The current level of bloggers on ships has not reached the point where it has bothered me as I have never even seen one let alone the hoards that some on here seem to have been hounded by.

I agree. But then, I cruise with Oceania and I suspect that the generally elderly customer base doesnt attract vloggers. 

If a cruise line did decide to introduce a rule banning commercial filming, I envisage it would be all but impossible to enforce. Just look at the inability of lines to enforce a "no sunbed bagging"

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

the "Butlin's Holiday Camp" type jokes and stories AND the accent that goes along with them.

Me too. Although they would be very 1980s. I'm not sure what the accent might be.  Although British accents can be very regionalised. On trips to the States, I have been asked several times if I'm from New Zealand. And, no, my accent is local to Manchester (where I've lived all my life) and is nothing like a Kiwi's.  

To keep this firmly on an Oceania theme, I didnt realise until the other week why Humphry Slocombe ice cream is so called. According to the website, the owners loved British 1970s/80 sitcom "Are you being served" and took the names of two characters - Mr Humphries and Mrs Slocombe. Show was very much in the tradition of British theatrical farce and an earlier generation of music hall comedy - with catchphrases, parodies of the class system, innuendo, double entendre, etc. It was very popular in its day but would now seem very dated and inappropriate. 

I agree with ziggy - it's doable but tight. And made worse by the fact it's a Sunday when maintenance work on the tracks often takes place  and can slow things down. I'd also agree with ziggy's suggestion of Chester instead (or book an excursion taking in the North Wales scenery and its castles). 

10 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

I think there are 2 Peters. 

I think I mentioned much earlier on the thread that Vista's current CD is Peter Tredgett, a fellow Briton.

Worked hard, IMO. And quite funny - although I suspect the occasional joke flies over the heads of North American guests. 

19 hours ago, Techno123 said:

Dubrovnik is more lovely in the evening when all the cruise ship passengers have left

My partner would echo that. She had a long weekend there, with co-workers, some years ago. Loved the city generally. 

I am as sure as I can be that the name on O's reservation needs to match the passport name. I recall a lengthy discussion on a Tripadvisor forum relating to someone who had married fairly recently and had booked the holiday using their married surname but not updated their passport. 

I've visited the War Tunnels, albeit several years back, when we holidayed on the island for a week. The "occupation exhibits" are fascinating and I'd absolutely recommend a visit. 

I recall coastal bunkers but can't recall any details. 

I reckon one of the best ways of starting to get to know a country is through its food. So, if possible, we'll often try and eat in ports that are in areas new to us. Of course, research is essential to find the "right" place, serving the "right" food.

I'm looking forward to our Bay of Biscay cruise next year. We know France and Spain well but have never visited the western coast of the former or the northern coast of the latter. I'm hoping to find regional differences to what we know. 

Just looking at Corfu (where Vista will be next week). An Executive half day car excursion is priced at £714 (per car - maximum of two people))

14 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The "by the glass" wine selection here on the Vista is very satisfying.

My partner would agree with you - particularly enjoying the champagne, almost as an aperitif, which she ordered along with whatever she intended drinking with her main course. On the other hand, I found the zero alcohol Merlot was dismal - very little flavour (in comparison with the alcohol free reds I can easily get at home). I don't think I'd bother with it again and would stick to water. 

Hi Marcia. Looking at a handful of Vista's current excursions, I'd work on the basis that they're going to be around £250 - £300, per person. 

Personally, I'd settle for slumming it with one of the more basic excursions. 

John

If a restaurant anywhere in the country takes reservations, then I make one. When we're looking to have a nice relaxed evening, the last thing I want is an indeterminate, possibly long, wait or to be turned away because they are full. 

It does vary by restaurant and/or by restaurant type. Chains are likely to be turning tables so, whilst you may have a wait, you'll probably get a table sometime. Small independents, like the place near home where we ate this week, may not turn tables so, if they're full, then they're full. FWIW, a mini-chain near me requires reservations - and you need to book several weeks in advance to get a table. 

It may be different in Southampton, as JB suggests, but an increasing number of places near me now require a credit card to secure the reservation, usually stating that "no shows" or late cancellations will incur a penalty. Welcome to the UK hospitality industry post-Covid and post-Brexit. 🙂

8 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

this is the first time I've ever heard of a guest wanting pomegranate juice.  So maybe it's not as desired as you might wish.

Bearing in mind O's generally older customer base and pom juice's well publicised alleged health benefits, I'm surprised if it wouldnt be reasonably popular. 

And, of course, it's the main traditional ingredient in grenadine.

12 hours ago, clo said:

it doesn't sound like there are any female butlers. Are there? And if not, why not?

Good questions. 

1 hour ago, halfapair said:

book it sooner rather than later.

And, probably, a greater need to do so now we have Simply More. There will be folk who, previously, took one of the "perks" other than excursions but will now book excursions because the excursion credit is included in the fare. It puts additional demand on the  supply. 

I presume, perhaps wrongly, that O will have ramped up the number of places available, knowing there will be increased demand. Does anyone have a sense how much ramping up has actually gone on? 

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

The food can be very good at times, but this isn’t a Michelin star experience. Don’t come in expecting it.

As well as the "finest cuisine at sea" puffery, O's website references Michelin at least a couple of times suggesting that the ships' galleys are of Michelin quality (whatever that means in this scenario) The references are cutely worded, of course, as you'd expect from the copywriter. It all goes to raise expectations and I can understand how newbies might well be disappointed. That said, there is a high proportion of returning customers - it was 80% on my recent Vista cruise - so most of us know what we can expect. And, presumably, generally like it. 

54 minutes ago, John Bull said:

And for visitors from foreign lands it's difficult to differentiate between local hostelries and corporate national chains like Table-Table and Beefeater.

Not when you have Google, JB. All is quickly revealed. 

I'd forgotten that we have had lunch at this place in town, having caught a mid morning ferry back from France and before setting off north. Basic "pub grub" type food but my recollection is that it was better than you'd get in the chains. 

https://www.cullinsyard.co.uk/