Sthrngary

So I woke up early today and figured I would share a few things: Food: Good to excellent. No issue with meat cooked incorrectly. Even the steak in the Grand Dining Room was good. The specialty restaurants are all excellent for different reasons. Cookies: They were just fine. With everything else you can have, they are not my priority but I did taste them. Pizza: The Pizza at the buffet is just ok. The Pizza at Waves is very good. We are going to Italy so I just had a taste. You cannot compare Ship Pizza to Italian Pizza. On and Off the Ship: Super smooth but remember, we are not doing any Excursions so we go and come when we want. Best Bar: Martini's and my favorite drink is the "Big O" martini. Vista Suite: Outstanding, huge, and love the two bathrooms. I cooling in the bedroom is really cold and hard to control. The Bluetooth is easy to set on your phone. The deck chairs are tied up at night but as I have said, not an issue for us. The Jacuzzi in the Master Bath is huge. The Soap are top tier. Butler: He can't do enough for us and has done EVERYTHING we asked of him. Second day in Istanbul and I hope I can go to an Turkish Bath House. We will see. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This will help I hope.

Istanbul Turkey: Wow, just wow. I got really lucky. This whole cruise I choose not to do any Oceania Excursions. Lots of reasons for this. One was I hate being restricted by time to leave, time to get back or time in an specific place. This strategy can backfire or be great. We got off the Riviera at the port with easy and no delay. I was a little nervous because of some of what I learned online about scams. I took my group to the Taxi Stand and was given a flat price of $60.00 to take us to a few places including the Grand Bazar. The Taxi Driver stayed with us, gave us advice and took us back when we were done. I gave him $100.00, a giant box of Turkish Delights for his kids. This man was so kind and helpful. He used his translator on his phone to communicate with us. It was a perfect way to approach the city for four Not So Young folks their for the first time. We skipped Breakfast and when the lunch was being served, we did that in stead. Skipping a meal on a Cruise with really good food is the way to go sometimes. Lunch for me was a Burger and fries and surprisingly good. When we came back from Istanbul, we went to Martini's for a couple of drinks. Our butler has some snacks waiting for us in our suite which were taste. Just a taste, nothing to heavy. We went to the Grand Dining Room for dinner. I was not expecting much and told my guest just that. Most of the meal was really good. Some folks went outside their box to order things they normally did not order. That was an epic fail be we all laughed it off. The main course were all really good. My test was the Sirloin Strip Steak Medium Rare. It was cooked perfectly and I liked it. My wife loved her chicken, my friend had salmon and his wife had veal. Everyone enjoyed the food. The desert was hit or miss. The cheese cake was excellent. The piano player in Martini's is just what the doctor ordered. Make Martini's a special place. Tomorrow with an over night and early start, we will focus on the Blue M and some more shopping. This city is something special and we are all really enjoying it. This is defiantly not St. Thomas, LOL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

LOL, this gentleman and his wife was on a mission. I think they thought the line was for first available. Honest mistake. They should have asked the folks they were passing by if they had reservations, but Hindsight and all. It did not effect my evening in the slightest. We at my table had a good laugh about it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I met the general manager on day two. I don't remember her name. She had an UK accent and red hair. He was quite nice and kind. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruzin Terri You are right, I missed this but I am OK with it. I did know that I had to close my drapes at night. This one thing is fine and as I said to someone else, if it was the summer, I might be uncomfortable with it. Thanks for the comment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Guest Interesting you shared this. Today, my wife went to a leather store and bought a new Leather Jacket. It was lovely. I have found Istanbul to be quite a spectacular place. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Gracie115 Not impacting us at all. If it was the summer time, it would be a really big issue. I knew the deck would be unusable during the night when sailing because of the wind. I had a similar cabin on the NCL JOY. I will ask if during our sea day of which we have one, if the same rule will be in place. My MO is never letting one thing impact my cruise. On this cruise, we are at ports we never ever thought we would get to go too. The food has been really good. The drinks are flowing. We are with good friends and other we met that are our new friends. Nothing ever goes perfectly on a cruise. It is always an adventure. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

No clue. The tell be because it could fly off because it is on the front of the ship.

It is called a “Big O”.

72137749691__570656BB-2EDA-4144-8CEB-E491FE1F45D7.MOV Breakfast at the Terrace Café the weather is about 72°, it’s lovely out here what a great place for breakfast

Saturday, November 11, 2023: "It is the little things!" When you are actually on a cruise brand you have never been on before is where you finally gain reality. A cruise for my guest and I is much different than a cruise for you. My goal in cruising for the first time with Oceania was to Enhance my cruising experience over past experiences. So I look at Oceania with Fresh Eyes. Everything is new, unique and exciting. Take that under advisement as you read my installments. Now for just a couple of "Little Things" that happened. Dinner at Jacques: I messed up and was not clear with my wife about when the dinner reservations were. It was initially set for 07:00 PM. My lovely bride thought it was 07:30 PM. Let's just say, she might have been a bit upset with me. I called our butler on the phone, asked to have the reservation for 07:30 PM, in five minutes, it was done. Bingo. We met our friends at our newest and best bar, Martini's, had a drink and went to dinner. There was a line outside of Jacques for the 07:30 PM sitting. We were simply waiting outside the restaurant to be seated with the other guest. A man and woman pushed through the line, like they owned the place. He was frowning and rude. Then he found out no one was allowing him to enter and he asked, "Excuse me, we have 07:30 PM reservations." Ask the 10 people all looking at this couple with a bit of frustration said almost together, "So are we all." He got the point quick. Problem solved but interesting situation. The food at Jacques was great but it was not the most impressive thing. The way this place makes you feel the moment you walk in was the real effect. It just felt like luxury. Where most folks tell you how great their food was, and it was. I say, it made me feel truly special. We have another reservation for another night and already know what we will order. This evening, we had "French Onion Soup", "Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing", "Lobster with tiny scallops", "Stuffed Lobster Tails", "Dover Sole" deboned at the table, "Creme Brulee". Service 10 out of 10, Food 9 our of 10, Atmosphere 10 out of 10. Afternoon Tea: A table for four at the window. Tiny sandwiches' that were outstanding. Small tastes of sweets that were great, the tea was special with the classical music. A first experience that we all agreed would not be our last. Getting off the ship: If you get off on Deck 6, you have steps. If you get off on Deck 5, you have a slight ramp. Do deck 6. We had no excursions to there was never a crowd. Martinis Bar: I am an extrovert. I love to make folks happy and laugh especially the crew. This second evening, was our third time in Martinis. When the four of us arrived, the crew had a huge smile and said, "Hello Mr. Gary". This might not mean much to some of you, but it meant the world to me. A bar where everyone knows your name!!!! The drinks were lovely and they made my wife a special martini which she loved. My Butler: If I hear one more person on any brand say, "I think a butler is not worth the extra funds. They never do anything for us". Those people never met our butler. You don't know what your are missing but I respect your opinion. In our case, as mentioned above, instantly fixed our dinner reservation. I had a hot water issue and it was addressed in 15 minutes. Every morning at 07:30 am we have coffee from Barista's delivered with Danish, My request for a small dish or salty snack was accommodated instantly, my future request to have our guest join us on future reservation are handled the day of the reservations without asking. I can go on for ever. This gentleman is making our trip for all of us. Food On Day 3: The food so far is mostly hits with a very few misses. The more important realization is we are eating less, we are not hugely hungry and I think it has a little to do with the rich/tasty food being served where at home we would simply have cheerios for breakfast. I find myself eating far less then on other cruises yet being more stratified with the food. My wife and guest feel the same way. Thermal Spa: A highlight of this trip. Never crowded, always hot, great after walking all day. The neck water massage is great. This place for me is so very special. We will try the Jacuzzi on the Deck tonight now that I know how to get hot water. By the way, It was all my fault. Sometimes I can not see the forest for the trees. Conclusion: The crew is doing a great job. I contributed to crew fund with can be done at Guest Service. I met the Hotel Manager, and shared my excitement. I think she thought I was going to be mean and was pleasantly surprised. I met the Lead Butler and shared my joy with our butler. Let us be clear, if and when something happens that is not to my standard, I am not shy. I just do it nicely but it is clear how I feel. I have simply not had to do so at this time. If something goes wrong, say something so it can be corrected early on your trip. My only disappointment so far is all my furniture on this lovely deck of our suite is unusable, tied up at night. Seems kind of a waste of this prime space but I also understand the reason. Hope my take is helping some. Thanks for all the hints. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@the more ports the better This is great information for the ports soon to be visited. Thank you. Very kind of you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment

@mauibabes Funny, I order a 1/2 lasagna and shared with the Table. It was great.

@mauibabes Thank you. We discussed the Sea Bass at the table. We have another night at Jacques. We will order it on our second night. Tonight, two folks had the Lobster tails and the other two had the Dover sole. Both were outstanding. Thank you again.

@roberts2005 Thank you and agreed. One more thing. The bakeries in Kavaia were the best I have had in many years. An interesting observation. I am totally enjoying the food on board. Yet, I am eating much less than I usually do. I would not have expected that. Afternoon tea was lovely today. Just a tiny egg salad sandwich and a treat. Just perfect. Tonight, French food. Our friend are blown away. Our suite had no hot water. I call the butler, 30 min later issue solved. That was the first real test. Oceania did not disappoint. Cruise well, and enjoy every moment

Will do. Thank you very much. Cruise well, and enjoy every moment

View from the thermal spa. It does not get much better than this.

Morning of November 10, 2023: Hello everyone. Please remember my comments will be random, no specific order. My impressions are based on my own past experience so they may not agree with yours. Luxury to me is a better experience than I have have had on other cruises. My cruises have been on NCL Mega Ships in the Haven area. Embarkment: Besides my wife and gets getting nervous when we dropped off the luggage, the embarkment was easy. No matter what I shared about putting luggage tags on at the port, they were all worried doing it right. First time on any new brand is a bit scary. As mentioned, security was a breeze and we entered the moment they let folks in at the Athens Port. As normal for me, I was the one that got the pat down. It was great and I tipped the security guy two euro's and asked if he had an appointment for later. We went to get our key cards, again simple and easy then right on the ship. I know this is redundant but it sets me up. Vista Suite: Ready immediately and everything I say on line plus some. The deck was fantastic. Yet the Hot tub on the Deck works just fine. I upgraded my two internet wifi devices for $69.00 each for streaming and so far the good connections which is surprising to me. On the Internet front, my friends who booked before the Simply More program in a Penthouse (PH2) got did indeed get two devices. They are very happy about that. Announcements in stateroom. Most are in the hall. The really important ones are in your stateroom. The Vista Suite has blue tooth music off your phone and it works GREAT. I ordered three bottles of spirits out of the six you get from being in the Vista Suite and they came after the ship departed. They are LITRE's which are HUGE bottles. CRAZY. My request for the soda's were filled prior to leaving the port. Food/Dining: I wanted our friends to join us for dinner the first night at the Italian Restaurant. I went to the desk and it was done. I will talk about the food their in a bit. I had breakfast in the Grand Dining Room day one. Service 10 out of 10. Food 8.5 out of 10. Coffee was 6 out of 10. I should have followed my own rule to get my coffee at the Barista's before breakfast. We did have our butler bring Barista coffee to the stateroom at 07:45 AM and it was waiting for us when we got up. Lovely. Eggs benedict exactly the way I told them I wanted it. For all my NCL Haven Fans, the pastry's especially the Almond Croissant were over the top GREAT and available to everyone on the ship, not just those in the Haven. Tomorrow we will eat breakfast at the Buffet. Toscana: Service 10 out of 10. Wine and drink service, 10 out of 10. Food 8.5 out of 10. I had the bone in Veal Chop, cooked perfectly. Excellent choice however the meat was a 8 our of 10 from a quality stand point. My wife got the sea bass and thought the sauce was a bit bland and also got a side order of Spinach Ravioli so she dipped in that sauce and it was perfect. I got the beef carpaccio and loved it. The bread was great but the olive oil was a nice presentation but no one liked it. The deserts we a pass and none of them were good but the cookies they provided with specialty coffee were excellent. Martini's Bar: This is my kind of place. The "O" martini was a favorite. The Expresso Martini was a disappointment. Let's just say, I "THINK" I have a few "O" martini and was feeling no pain. We meet Bubba and Lisa (sthrnlisa) from MS, at Martini's and they made or visit their special. We went back to Martini's before dinner. Sail Away: We were on our deck in the front of the ship with our friends and it was spectacular. They have never seen this before and from our vantage point this is as good as it gets and I have done sail aways many times. I saw some other guest just down the haul and offered for them to join us. They have done many Oceania Cruises, both were from UK. They came in and all six of us had such a nice time. The Aquia Spa Terrace: This area was very impressive and has my name all over it. To my Haven Friends. This is like the Vibe Beach Club and the Haven Sundeck combined. No bar but very nice and the hot tub is huge. Just the way I like it. Just saying. OK, that is all for me. I am going for a walk on the deck, then maybe go the the port for a walk. We are at Kavala, Greece today. Lovely place. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Thank you. I will take this under advisement. Right now, I am so overwhelmed like a kid in a candy shop. I want to excitement to reduce and maybe I can think straight. Thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Bubba and Sthrnlisa, a pleasure meeting you

Thursday, November 9, 2023--Morning of Embarkation Disclaimer: My writing style is not for everyone. I tend to be redundant at times, usually on topics I personally think are important. I am extremely long-winded, which is made worse because of very bad grammar and spelling. This is just who I am. I like to write with stories rather than just bullet point facts. If you don’t like my writing style, comments, information, please move on to another thread. If the approach is acceptable to you, I want to personally thank you in advance for joining me on this journey with my group. Introduction: It has been a little under a year and a half since I made the decision to cruise with Oceania Cruises. My first attempt was before covid-19 and that cruise got cancelled. This blog will be a “Semi-Live Blog” posting of the actual experience on Oceania’s Riviera. I selfishly was not going to do a “Semi-Live Blog” so my guest, wife and I could simply focus completely on our long-awaited vacation. However, others who have done a live blog, gave me great benefits so I wanted to return the favor. This is my way of saying “thank you” to them all. Now full disclosure. “I will put our vacation first and if I find the time, I will post on this stream.” To me, the experience starts when you leave your home and go to the airport. The reason is many of the decisions made, pre/post cruise comes from the research uncovered about the brand, ship, and itinerary. We make decisions based on knowledge so we can avoid many issues others have shared. Therefore, all the heavy lifting has been done, well before you leave your home. My recommendations are, realizing that “You don’t know what you don’t know.” “Learn from others’ great decisions and mistakes. This allows you not to make the same mistake in the future.” A very wise decision was to fly in the day before and stay at a nice hotel. The hotel we choose was, "The Hotel Grande Bretagne". I have not stayed in a nicer hotel in my life of traveling for business. The quality of the hotel, the room, the service of the staff and the amenities is quite remarkable. The view from the roof top bar/restaurant is spectacular at night. I woke up early this morning which is my way. I went to the roof, got two cups of coffee for my bride and I. The staff could not do enough for me. Last night after we had a few drinks and light dinner, I was done. Jetlag has a plan and my plan was time to go to sleep. However my guests and wife wanted to walk around the area. I should have gone. They found what we lovingly call, "Street Meat". A Gyro in Athens which unfortunately I missed. Never fear, I will make up for it at our first port. While getting coffee early this morning, I took a tour of the Breakfast Buffet at the roof restaurant. It was everything plus some that I remembered traveling on business to Europe over the many decades I did that. It took every bit of discipline simply to eat early instead of our agreed upon time of 09:00 AM. I was good and did not cave in on the temptation. My initial feelings are Athens, it everything I expected and then some. The quality of the food is a new level. Everything from Coffee to bread has been a new and grand adventure. The importance of this to me is for close to a year, my wife and I have dieted, lost weight and exercised. We both made our goals. This makes the food that much better. That is it for now, looking forward to the Embarkation Experience in a few hours. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Very small casino. Not sure there is a slot event. If so, Lady Luck will be participating. So kind of you to ask. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

A word of advice. We booked A lovely restaurant that was on the highest mountain overlooking Athens, Greece. I booked it over a year and a half ago. Yet with a full day of sightseeing and a massive amount of Jetlag we decided to cancel the reservation. I never have a problem doing that as long as it was my decision to cancel. My advice is the hotel that we stayed in, go up to the top floor and have a drink. The weather was fantastic, we had a small meal of meat and cheeses, and the view was out of a travel guide. I don’t get impressed very easily, but Athens at night is spectacular. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023: Arrived in Athens, Greece 45 minutes early. Customs took 20 minutes. Yet seamless. The "Athens Airport Taxi" Mercedes Sprinter Van was waiting for us outside of luggage claim. Took us to our Hotel $82.00 total for four people. Hotel "Hotel Grande Bretagne" did not have our rooms ready until 02:00 PM. Lovely hotel. No issue. We went for a walk, had a really nice lunch and went to the Parthenon. The weather is OUTSTANDING. The goal was to stay up until 03:00 PM, then take a short three hour nap, and go out for dinner. I love it when a plan comes together. Met folks on our cruise on the flight to Athens, and at lunch. Kind of nice. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.