DrHemlock

And the bottle of red (or white) that soon enough renders everyone else out-of-focus. 😳

They were there on our just-completed (10/24) Lisbon-to-Rome itinerary.

Can't resist adding this coda to pinotlover's story. On Riviera's GDR menu tonight is "Veal Piccata Marsala." A bit like saying "pasta bolognese al pesto," isn't it? If the sauce really does contain white wine and lemon and capers and mushrooms and Marsala and parsley, then perhaps despite being brown in color and gravy-like in consistency, it may not qualify as "tasteless." While "tasty," on the other hand, could be an entirely different matter. (Think I'll skip it.)

We're currently on the Lisbon-Rome cruise that's the subject of this thread. It's true that masks are no longer required, but they are encouraged. Roughly 5-10% of guests (including us) wear them when moving about the ship -- especially on elevators. About an equal percentage of waiters and bartenders wear them while working. Are they all just "virtue signaling"? Maybe. But now that the vaccination requirement has been rescinded, they just might be unvaccinated and wanting to protect themselves from folks like us who've been vaxxed and boosted but who could be carrying (and shedding) the virus without knowing it. Masked or not, neither service nor social interaction seems adversely affected in any way. As JanDom writes, it's back to 2019 and before. I even get to pick up my own yogurt carton in Terrace Cafe! (Though not my own slice of bread.) 😎

FWIW: Somebody on Riviera is playing with the restaurant mix-tapes. As we walked into Terrace Cafe for breakfast a couple of mornings ago, the muzak was playing the long, weird instrumental break in the middle of Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love." That was different -- and right up our alley -- though they cut away to 50s pop as soon as the vocals resumed. Maybe somebody didn't pay enough royalties for the entire song?

True...at least on Riviera where we are now. However, the gym does have a refrigerated case filled with single-use plastic bottles of energy drinks. Take one; empty it into your stateroom sink and fill it with water. I always drink the ship's tap water instead of fancy-pants Vero. It tastes better than at home -- and if it's just desalinated sea water: ¡Tanto mejor!

Departed Casablanca eight hours late last night due to "some alarm in our propulsion system" (per the Captain) so today's port call at Gibraltar is now in the rubbish bin. C'est damage, but stuff happens.

Their is no reason to suspect there going to improve they're spelling.

ESL.

I would dispute this point, depending upon what one wants from a cruise. Consider the alternatives to OBC: 1. The House Select beverage package of wine & beer by the glass with meals (no martinis during happy hour; no choosing your bottle of wine with dinner); or 2. Shore excursions. Granted, one can achieve nearly double value by choosing the shore excursions (as many of our astute contributors have pointed out), but that assumes one actually enjoys ship's excursions on a bus with a gaggle of new BFFs. Sorry but, for many of us, that's anathema. OBC works perfectly for those who make full use of Happy Hours at Martinis and Horizons, and who prefer to choose a nice bottle of wine with dinner. And if we want a beer or glass of wine with lunch, we can pay for that with OBC, too. Chacun à son goût.

Just off Sirena in an A category and you ain't wrong, baby. Same in the bathroom. (Just try to reach the waste can under the sink without doing contortions or clonking your head). And tucking your shoes under the nightstand when retiring, as we used to do? Fuhgeddaboudit! No vacant space there anymore.

That's why we do our drinking during Happy Hour, of which there are two every day. Five-to-six p.m. and another later on, for which I don't know the time because we're asleep by then.

Having had the same experience, and having watched the video three times before leaving home because we thought maybe something had changed ... well ... the good news is that we won't be fooled again. We'll wait to watch in our cabin on the next cruise, and that will be that.

Still there as of today. Very useful and pleasant for cartophiles.

Take a look also at this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2846012-alternative-ports-if-japan-is-still-closed/page/2/. The most recent information as it pertains to US visitors begins with post #37.

No more plastic lids? Wow, that's a problem for couples who like to send one person to Baristas or Horizons to bring back two cups of coffee. With a lid, the paper cups can stack in one hand while pushing elevator buttons and opening the cabin door with the other. Two lidless cups means sloshed coffee for sure. ¡Que lastima! Guess LHT28's got it right. Oh well, we were going to the travel store anyway so one more thing into the basket....

From whence did this message come? I've just now checked NCL's website. It says, "...simply complete the attached Shareholder Benefit Request Form and mail or email (with accompanying documentation) request at least 15 days prior to sailing." That's exactly the opposite of "within 15 days of sailing." https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/nclhltd/files/documents/Shareholder+Benefit+Offer.pdf

Thank you, Linda Blair!

Love the penguin pic. Immediately brought to mind RCA Victor's "His Master's Voice" logo from so long ago. Were you imparting wisdom or just trying to teach the bird a new song?

+1 to both edgee and ToxM. Maybe she's a wonderful person but she definitely needs an Edit button -- or even an Off button -- when she gets on the PA to tell us in excruciating, repetitive detail what we have already read. JMO.

Dang.....I've been on this board for fifteen years and recognize all the major contributors. But which one is "our influencer"? I thought influencers were all like beautiful 20-somethings on ChitChat and SnapTalk and Twit-Post. You mean, some may have grey hair?

That's been our experience on the few O cruises where we had refundable OBC. Can't cash it in until the day before disembarkation, leaving just a few hours to blow your refunded cash in the casino. Which, in our case, usually doesn't take long....

Exactly. First of all, the Arctic area as referenced by pinotlover is not a uniform latitude of 60° North. Page 9 of the linked Polar Code shows significant zigzags to the boundary in the North Atlantic and surrounding seas. Yes, Greenland is within that affected area; but Iceland, the Faroes, and all of Norway are not, contrary to tigerfan75's (not-unjustified) deduction. In any case, Dwtlion's point is correct: It's not a blanket forbidden zone, as a careful reading of the Polar Code will reveal. There are rules and regulations for safe sailing within the area; all depending upon ship's construction, safety equipment onboard, weather, presence/size/thickness of ice in the water, etc., and approval must be granted beforehand by the appropriate authority. It's safe to assume that Oceania is well aware of this document and its requirements, and they wouldn't schedule cruise itineraries that would bust the rules. Which is not to say that circumstances might not cause interruptions and port cancellations as the weather, ice, etc., present themselves. Happened to us in August three years ago aboard Nautica when the ship couldn't reach three ports on the western shore of Greenland due to high winds and seas. Disappointing but not surprising in that part of the world. We'll be trying again this August aboard Sirena.

Can you reference an official source for this statement? Google seems not to be my friend in this regard except for a Canadian regulation specific to their territorial waters. Inquiring minds booked this summer to Iceland, Greenland, Faroes, etc., will appreciate reading these rules for themselves.

Kirkland (i.e., Costco) House Blend, medium roast, whole bean, roasted by Starbucks. Grind it fresh every morning, thence into a Melitta cone with boiling Arrowhead spring water poured over. Not like having an espresso machine but it beats the acidic, burnt-tasting product of O's urns. And, luckily, there's (nearly) always Baristas!