JYDCruise

On 5/6/2024 at 8:15 PM, Vineyard View said:

I am reading a lot about the lack of spices….control from Miami…..no opportunities to choose local produce/proteins from local ports…..pretty disappointing to read.  
Where/on whom, do you recommend that people look to sail to avoid the No no’s?  I am not being snarky, but honestly curious. 

While I'm probably the least qualified to answer this from a cruise perspective, I'd guess the answer is just to eat in port as much as possible. And for that, you want a cruise line with later departures (such as Azamara tends to have) rather than earlier, though it may be difficult to fit in a dinner even with a 9-10PM departure.

3 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Explora is not what it claims to be. Poor entertainment, mediocre food with never changing menus. They can’t fill the ship with paying pax so they load up with TAs and “influencers” prancing about like real people. Now lowering prices in standard cabins so they get a few paying pax. Higher grade cabins remain 30% higher than on “legacy” lines. We “fossils” know how to count. We tried it for a month. Never again. 

The plural of anecdote (not even plural in this case, just the same one repeated ad nauseam) is not data.

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Let's check:

• Average O passenger says, "Oh!  I've heard of her." *

Sufficient credentials.  </snark>

 

* Which was becoming JP's problem.

Not commenting about De Laurentis specifically but being a media superstar chef definitely does not preclude someone from having "sufficient credentials". Just because "Oh! I've heard of . . .", for example Emeril "Bam!" Legasse or Gordon "F!$k" Ramsey doesn't mean they don't have very legitimate cooking chops, because they most certainly do. IMO either would have been good choices for culinary advisors regardless of their popularity. And Jacque Pepin - what problem does he have? Pepin had/has quite the culinary background before becoming a media star, really before chefs became media stars at all. Sufficient credentials, indeed.

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

I ate the evening pizza at Wave's on Riviera 11/2023. Oh boy, the joy. Pizza. Like we can have every Friday night in America.

 

I have NO desire to pay more and get less on Vista. Even on the Extraordinary Saving Sale from 2023, we're paying $350-400 per day per couple. So, do I want "Ember", a glorified Applebee's? No! And I'm not seeing anything wowing me about Aquamar, either. Cost cutting moves for O. The "pay more, get less" program for Vista, for those who want to be on new ships at any price.

Did someone force you to eat that pizza??

For me, luxury is the ability to eat what I feel like, not what my inner accountant claims I should. Sometimes that's bar en croute, and sometimes that's (hope you're sitting down) . . . a pizza. I know from experience that after a few nights straight of Michelin-starred dinners (to which I'm not equating the Oceania food, decent as it is), I want a break. Having the option to eat what many say is a pretty decent pizza (or burger, or butter chicken, or . . . ) when you feel like it is part of a luxury offering.

3 hours ago, vipro said:

Kind of related. For men, can we wear short sleeves polo (ie t shirt with collar) or we have to wear long sleeves polo?

Yes. See my post above - the collar was the key to entry into the GDR.

6 hours ago, Redtravel said:

The only thing that I have seen them ban was shorts in GDR at dinner.  Sandals are worn everywhere.  Jeans are also seen everywhere.  Most guests dress neatly.  During the day, anything is ok.  At night, guests dress casually most nights. You may see dressy clothing for the Captains reception.  Relax and enjoy.

We had completely forgotten about the GDR dress code when on the Marina a couple of weeks ago, and my son was wearing a (very nice, clean, no logo) T-shirt when we went there for dinner. The maître d' gently reminded us that my son needed a collared shirt, so he changed into a polo shirt. No problem, no muss, no fuss, though I suspect the T shirt was nicer/higher quality than the polo.

1 hour ago, Norseh2o said:

On the Marina, February-April, 2023, we asked (actually begged and pleaded!) the general manager if the SDSU - UConn game could be available on board. The evening of the game, April 3, 2023, the large (map) screen carried the game. With a bar set up (with free popcorn!) to the side and rows of chairs facing the large screen, we had a game! San Diego State 59, UConn 76. 

At first, I was wondering how you watched a game (SDSU - UConn) that hasn't been played yet, and then remembered last year's final. Quite a coincidence that they're matched up again!

3 hours ago, clo said:

Are you kidding??? A quarter of a second????? Give me a break. We were seated with another couple at Jacques one night. I don't think they or we could count a quarter of a second!

Sigh . . . really? OK, what happened exactly is that the server wheeled up the tray with the fish and immediately* started portioning it out. I would have expected and hoped that he would have given us the opportunity to admire the effort that went into creating the puff pastry fish before cutting it apart. I would have also appreciated being served a bit of the leftover puff pastry, but I'm greedy that way. The fish was properly cooked and quite tasty regardless.

*I'll concede that it was not truly "immediate" in Planck time terms.

8 hours ago, uktog said:

My travel agent has worked hard to get an acceptable resolution and we thought we had it yesterday!  However we have now found that in moving us to the cruuse two days later, they have changed our cabin. They have not upgraded us. It’s the same category but they have moved us from our carefully selected mid ships to one at the aft on a higher deck, which is a no go for us on a transatlantic. We feel sorry for our agent she’s going to have to do even more work tomorrow. Can’t understand given it was a “new cruise” why bookings weren’t lifted wholesale to their existing rooms 

EJ's goal in handling this should be leaving you, the customer, feeling good about the resolution. I worked briefly helping a sizable company create and roll out a loyalty program. As a new program, there were some issues but management made it clear that the customers were to be taken care of, to the point were they were more than satisfied. In your case, were I EJ, as an absolute minimum I would have offered you a 10% refund (as the cruise was shortened by 10%) and your choice of either a couple of nights hotel stay pre-cruise (if you stay with your original flights) or compensation for changing your flights. That's the make-whole part, but I'd also offer you something else, OBC or FCC, to leave you feeling "hey, this all worked out well".

On 3/20/2024 at 5:33 PM, ronrick1943 said:

I hope they keep the restaurant on the ship, that was my favorite ones on the ship.  Food always top notch (in my opinion).

We just got off of Marina, and Jacques was my favorite among the specialties. The service missed on a couple of points (no amuse? and the tableside presentation of the Bar en Croûte lasted about 1/4 second before the server started cutting into the beautiful puff pastry), but the dishes were well conceived, well executed and flavorful.

Is it "authentic" French? Not really, but to me that's not a problem.

On 3/8/2024 at 9:39 PM, Snaefell3 said:

I always knew it was debarkation day because I'd gotten within (but no further than) 2 chapters from whodunit.  😉 

 

It was the butler, of course. That's why Sthrngary's coffee was late.

24 minutes ago, iowananny said:

I do think Oceania is doing a good job at serving smaller portions most of the time.  They serve an older demographic, and the sad part is as we get older most of us just can't eat like we did when we were younger.  I've gotten to the point where I refuse to feel uncomfortable because I've eaten too much.

 

Off topic, but this can be a problem for me with tasting menus - even small portions add up when there are enough of them. At an absolutely marvelous kaiseki dinner in Japan, at one point I found myself thinking "I hope that there aren't any more courses".

2 hours ago, Vertygo said:

Here’s Cornell’s algorithm for Travelers Diarrhea. Kaiser, my med ins co, has a travel dept & always prescribes Cipro to take as needed, as well as recommending any OTC meds.

Apologies for the length, but hope it “clears” things up.

 

 

Well, I learn something new every day. Thanks! Increasing antibiotic resistance is a massive concern, though, but I assume that's part of the calculus in their recommendation.

We went to the travel medicine group of our medical provider before our very recent trip to South America, and got an encyclopedia's worth of warnings (and, eventually, Yellow Fever and Hep A vaccines) but I don't recall any discussion about pre-prescribing antibiotics.

 

2 minutes ago, clo said:

And why would one take an antibiotic for a virus? Or are we not talking about a virus now?

That's the point. The poster to whom I was responding is arming him/herself with antibiotic "just in case", and apparently will self-diagnose as to whether they have a viral or bacterial infection, or something else, and then pop pills (or not). That's not a good plan, IMO, in any jurisdiction, and is part of why bacteria develop resistance so quickly to the few new antibiotics being developed.

On 3/16/2024 at 7:17 AM, WildWanderers said:

Butt seriously, if you have yet to take your trip, consider asking your doctor for a just-in-case filled prescription of ciprofloxacin.  We never travel without it.

 

Cheers from Greg of the WildWanderers

IANAD, but am extremely surprised that a doctor would prescribe an antibiotic to be taken at the patient's discretion on a cruise. Is the plan that in event of a problem, you confirm the need for an antibiotic with the ship's medical personnel, and then have the mediation already at hand? Overuse of antibiotics is a major world health issue, and part of why antibiotics lose their effectiveness over time.

14 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

In general, the maximum age for rental cars is 75. 

Darn! I would have really enjoyed renting a 1931 Austin 7 Swallow!

28 minutes ago, LSuzQ said:

Please elaborate on Secret Breakfast. Bourbon good, but what are the other ingredients?

Mainly bourbon and cornflakes (in a cookie-ish form so they stay crisp), in a vanilla ice cream base.

On 1/26/2024 at 7:53 AM, stevesol6718 said:

Tries all flavors.  Terrible.  Not a premium ice cream.  Should have Haagen Daas instead

On 2/5/2024 at 11:18 AM, stevesol6718 said:

Never saw such "bunch of babies" saying their ice cream is better than yours.  We all have opinions.   You may like this ice cream,  but there are equally many people, including me, who think it is terrible.  I actually asked one of the crew to taste it and they spit it out.  So if you like it, fine.  If you do not also fine. Stop belaboring the issue. There are more important things than whose ice cream is best.

1 hour ago, stevesol6718 said:

Not worth the calories?  Not worth the effort.  Contrary to all the Slocombe lovers, in MY opiniion, it is terrible.

(emphasis added)

"Stop belaboring the issue" . . . and yet, here you are with 3 out of your 22 posts. 🤣 🤣🤣 And as for the "bunch of babies" comment, well . . .

Strictly in the interest of Science, and with a valorous effort to "take one for the team", I have tried several flavors of Humphry Slocombe on my current cruise. My key metric is "is it worth the calories"?

Elvis The Fat Years - how they are able to make all of the key components (peanut brittle, banana, bacon) shine individually and yet remain in perfect harmony is remarkable. I can see how some people might not like it, but for me it's 9/10. Worth the calories, obviously.

Summer Sweet Corn - again, probably not to everyone's taste but wonderful and evident corn flavor, and I'd go back for it again . . . and did. 8/10 and worth the calories.

Toast and Jam - eh, IMO needed more jam flavor. 5/10, not worth the calories.

I did not try a couple of others that have been served on this cruise as I have had them before, and can get them anytime at the nearby grocery store.

Black Sesame - good, but not my favorite. 6/10 and not worth the calories

Secret Breakfast - YOWZA! 10/10 and worth risking a heart attack. Note that they make a similar flavor without the bourbon (identical, maybe?).

Like the flavors or not, I simply don't see how anyone could possibly claim that HS is not a "premium" ice cream.

5 hours ago, shepherd really said:

Sammy is adequate.  She speaks clearly but doesn't drone on.  

 

CD's don't tend to enhance my cruise experience. 

I think she's fine. Her announcements are crisp and easy to understand, does a nice job leading trivia, and is a solid performer based on her solo show last night.

Day 5 on the Buenos Aires - Rio cruise. Today is Balneario Camboriu . . . or rather, it was supposed to be. In what appears to be an Oceania tradition, though we are anchored in port, the Captain has determined that it is too choppy for the tenders to operate so today is "cancelled" and will become a second consecutive sea day. There are certainly some swells, but to my untrained eye it doesn't look too bad (no whitecaps, but more of a rolling wave, maybe 4 feet???) - but there's a reason that he is the captain, and I am not! The crew scrambled to change the day's activities, and we all had a revised schedule by 9:30 or so.

12:30 now, and we're still at anchor. The morning cancellation announcement indicated we'd be here for a couple of hours while the Brazil immigration was processed but perhaps it's going slower than anticipated. They have opened the GDR for lunch, since it's now a "sea day".

Sea day activities included gaming tournaments, slots, blackjack and poker. My son and I played in the Texas Hold'em tournament. There were 3 tables, top 3 places paid out 50/30/20. When we got to the final 4, there were two big stacks, two small (though given the huge blind increases, nobody really had that many chips) and we agreed that the 2 big stacks would split the first and second place prizes, and the 2 small stacks split third place. As my son had one of the big stacks, and I had one of the small, it worked out pretty well for us! 😁 

One bit of a surprise - as yesterday was a sea day, I thought the laundry room would be packed but I was able to jump right in and get a load done.

The entertainment last night was Fred Becker, a magician/comic, and I enjoyed his show. In my limited experience, the comics on board cruise ships are dated (Azamara comic kept referencing his time working on Benny Hill . . . ) with bland material and, well, just not that funny. Becker, however, interacted well with the audience, had a funny routine, good improv skills and decent magic tricks. He's doing another show on the last night, and I'll definitely go.

Our second go-round at Toscana was pretty much the same as the first - good if not great food, good if not great service (see: auctioneer-speed olive oil salesman). Viz-a-viz Azamara's Aqualina, I'd give Toscana the edge and of course there's no additional fee. Could Toscana make it as a land-based restaurant? I think if the food was reasonably priced (think mid-range/family restaurant), then yes, it could; it's certainly better than some of my local options. The food wouldn't justify luxury or high-end pricing, though.

Last night was Indian food in the Terrace Cafe, and it was pretty good, better than I had thought it might be (note that I come from the San Jose area, where we have a lot of Indian restaurants, and we eat Indian food on a regular basis), with the lamb surprisingly well spiced. Well done, Oceania!

To help keep this topic/thread going, we are currently on the Marina, boarding yesterday in Buenos Aires and are now in Montevideo, Uruguay. Some of my comments will be newbie-ish, as this is our first cruise on Oceania (and only 4th overall).

Despite having to go to an alternative port location (Oceania fully informed us of this), boarding was efficient and quick. We were able to book an additional specialty at Toscana for 8:30 which was fine with us and then wandered the entire ship. To my inexperienced eye, the ship seems to be in fine condition. Is there a bit of minor wear here and there if you look specifically for it? Sure, ships are exposed to pretty rough environments, so of course it's not 100% just off the showroom floor, but really not that far off.

Dinner at Toscana was fine, if not particularly exciting. The dishes were all cooked properly, the pasta was quite nice and the lobster itself (risotto and tagliatelle) was good, just that none of the dishes are anything that we'll remember in a day or two. The service was good, though the olive oil introduction was done at light-speed and the concept, while interesting, falls flat. Note that the menu isn't exactly what is shown on the website, but that's doubtless due to seasonality and sourcing (though it wouldn't be hard for them to show the current menu, really) and it's probably 85-90% the same as online.

We stopped by the casino and watched for a bit - maybe 10 people playing table games, plus a few at the slots. People were having fun, though I don't know that this can really be much of a profit center for Oceania.

Montevideo was very nice, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We booked an independent walking tour and had a good guide. I'd be interested in coming back for a few days to see more of Uruguay.

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That is really good to hear, should be less of a problem.  I can't drink for medical reasons and all lines I've sailed make exception for Medical or those in Recovery.

Azamara also allows individual passengers to upgrade. It’s nice that both lines treat their passengers as adults.

22 hours ago, bradpole said:

Thankfully there aren’t! 

I guess I don't understand this at all. "Thankfully there aren't" some special events? Don't like the Azamazing Evening? Don't go. Don't like the White Night? Don't go. Seems pretty simple to me. Unless you're trying to argue that the money spent on these is taken away from things you prefer, how could having these events that others enjoy diminish your experience in the slightest?

11 minutes ago, keylimecake said:

Good Morning

Just wondering ...this is what is showing on my account for the cost of the drink package:

PRESTIGE SELECT - WINE, BEER & SPIRITS

Unlimited premium spirits, champagne, wine and beer wherever and whenever you wish.

$699.50
($69.95 per guest, per day
Gratuity Included)

 

Also, do they charge tax on the tips?  If so if you pay in cash you would avoid the taxes?  Seems unlikely but thought I would ask.  Thank you

The Oceania website is, to say the least, not up to date and very misleading in this case. If you have Simply More, the cost to upgrade the drink package is $30/day, despite showing the old pre-SM pricing; in fact, IIRC it shows that you would still need to buy the basic drink package, even though it's included with SM. If you call Oceania, they will upgrade you on the phone at the $30/day rate.