basor

Just as a reminder,  the culinary classes are found in an "odd" place.  When you go to "manage bookings", culinary classes are found under "other options" (not dining and not excursions)

I believe because Starlink has not signed an agreement with the country - Chile has had SL for years but Argentina just signed contract with SL and so now is allowed, as an example.

8 minutes ago, the mice said:

Thanks for this info. DH will be happy since he loves turkey but it isn't my favorite unless I can get the dark meat😉).  At least I won't have to cook it! And yes, I have done that even for just us two - lots in the freezer for his other winter fave-pot pie. 

You can get the dark meat - just ask......since they cook whole turkeys for this, dark meat a plenty!  Same as in Terrace - whole turkey sitting there!

13 hours ago, the mice said:

 

OP chiming back in here.  I wasn't asking about any holiday besides Christmas.

We've been on board on Halloween on a couple of cruise lines, but not Easter.  Glad you got baskets and bunnies.

But Christmas is different and I'm specifically interested in feedback about the meals in light of the fact that they are holding 2 Mexican cooking classes on Christmas Day and we aren't sailing anywhere near Mexico.  (we are sailing Vista).

I know about the decorations, singing, etc. - but does Oceania do a special brunch?  or anything at lunchtime?  Or is it just the evening dinner meal that is more special?  Since the specialties have fixed standard menus do they add anything special on Christmas?   I can sort of understand why they would offer people a specialty reservation if the only special Christmas meal is in the GDR. 

The friends we were to sail with just had to cancel - if they were going to be with us, it might not have mattered as much what was on offer because we'd be celebrating with our friends.  But without them along, it might be nice to enjoy some special dining experiences.  Just wondering what those might be.

Thanks.

 

 

I am not sure what type of Christmas cooking class they could offer.....they will have Christmas decorations, carol singing and, along with the regular menu, a Christmas meal offering in all restaurants.  If you are sailing in 2024, it appears you will be in Antigua on Christmas Day so there would be no special meal/brunch during the day but only in the evenings in the restaurants.  Not everyone celebrates Christmas so O makes sure all have an enjoyable day.

2 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

So…..any fun trick or treating for Halloween? Well, at least the treating part! Beyond the just being on Oceania treat part that is. 🍫

Amazing pumpkin carvings and a special treat on your bed at turn down....some people had bags of candy that they went around and gave out to staff ....

@daydreamer62 - was your 3 cities tour with O or a private tour? Assume this was from Izmir.

46 minutes ago, Huib said:

We wool be on Marina next Easter, do they do something with Easter?

We were onboard for Easter (and Passover too) and O did have a special seder meal for Passover that our Jewish friends signed up for and O had colored eggs, etc. around the ship...they also had a non-denominational service in the lounge Sunday morning.  Both tastefully done....

5 minutes ago, kahuna21 said:

O claims they will use Privee for a similar activity to La Reserve. 

That is what is being done on Vista...the La Reserve experience offered,  as usual, just served in Privee

1 hour ago, FeelingCruisy said:

Do we get the 6 bottle set up if we are in veranda

No- only in suites as stated 

12 minutes ago, ChadnKate said:

Quick Marina question:  has La Reserve been replaced by the Aquamar Kitchen grill?

Yes - it just happened on the last dry dock a few weeks ago....

2 hours ago, Beagle5 said:

Out of interest I looked up the Australian price for the same cruise. It's A$10,300 which converts to US$6,850.

So we pay about $400 more than US customers. I don't think we get the same sort of consumer protections that UK customers get either (though I'm not sure).

 

No wonder I feel like I have been priced out of Oceania post SM... sigh...

I believe Australian cruises also include gratuities like the UK....the US prices do not include gratuities..

14 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Interesting discussion.

Here's a query.

 

Does room service (non PH) include a pizza from waves during dinner times ?

If not, and I order and pick up myself, can I take back to the cabin and then also a couple of glasses of wine using SM ?

 

You can go to Waves and order a pizza and take back to your room...you could also order a glass of wine per person to take back to your room with the pizza

10 minutes ago, clo said:

That's nice. I honestly can remember once when we ordered room service for dinner. After a lunch on shore, we shared a burger for dinner. A glass of red would have been nice.

Since we usually have bottles of wine in our room to enjoy out on the balcony, we usually just drink our own...

3 minutes ago, clo said:

I didn't know that. You were just there, weren't you?

yes - if you order room service during dining hours than you can order wine/beer with your meal - the same as if you were sitting at a restaurant

12 minutes ago, Izzy'sMoms said:

Our first cruise with Simply More - is wine included with ensuite dining in Owner/Vista/Oceania suites?

Yes - during meal hours with your food.  Also, you will have a 6 bottle (of your choosing) bar setup in your suite.  Actually, all cabins can order wine with their room service food during dining hours.

13 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

What about non-alcoholic drinks like virgin bloody Mary's or virgin Pina colada?

Those are included for free.....there are some non-alcoholic wines and beers that are not included for free

Horizons is not a restaurant but the lounge. They have various activities during the day - needlepoint, afternoon tea , various evening activities with a live band/dj for dancing, etc.

When on Vista, we had items delivered from Aquamar to Terrace, etc. - same as Waves, give you a number.

Aquamar is table service with a menu and waiter....

Just now, EJL2023 said:

Looking at Vista’s schedule I see a cruise ending in Miami on 1/3 and the next cruise starting in Miami on 1/8.  Not sure if they could do some spray insulation during that time or not. 

Certainly a possibility but could be a charter too....

We did not have any noise issues on our 30 plus days aboard in same cabin with different neighbors but know others that had noise issues in different cabins and others that had no noise issues in same cabin on different sailing...so it appears to be a combination of your neighbors and insulation issues on some cabins,  They will need to take Vista in to dry dock to tear out walls and increase insulation.,.,not something that can be done onboard or while in port for a day.  They did say they were looking to address the issue on Allure which was still in construction.

2 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

You can order take out?  To eat in your room, on a lounger at the pool, to take on a long excursion, or whatever/wherever?  Or do you just take your meal to the Terrace, out back, to join your Terrace-loving travel partner?

You can order at both Aquamar or Waves and they will give you a number to place at your table/lounger, etc and the servers will bring the food to you. (just tell them where you will be)...or you can wait and take the food with you to wherever you want. (Most countries do not allow you to take food off the ship).  We often would get something from Aquamar and eat on the back deck of Terrace.

We sailed on Vista last Winter for 30 days and loved it......lots of things to do around the ship.  In the evenings there are several places to enjoy a cocktail and music (Martinis with a piano, Horizons with a live band and the Grand Foyer with a string quartet).  Not all playing at the same time.  The newer ships have a much different atmosphere than the older R ships so that can make a difference in the comments,  Also, remember, that the percentage of people that post on here is just a very small portion of the actual people sailing and those that are dissatisfied with O are the most vocal.   As with any product and social media, the satisfied customer hardly ever post while the dissatisfied post often and loudly...go with an open mind and plan on having a great time and you will!  That is the only way you will know if O is a good fit for you...

Also, just because someone uses a walker or scooter does not mean they are "old and feeble"..... we are in our upper 70's and I had to use a walker last time because I just had hip replacement surgery and was not soo steady on my feet.  We were still off the ship and out and about the towns exploring but just a bit slower than usual...some of the most wonderful people we have met onboard were "older" and had the best stories to tell!!

16 minutes ago, judi666 said:

Sailed on the Regatta in April.  We ate at Toscana once. We did not like our food. We canceled our other Toscana reservations. The pasta was mushy and the entrees overcooked. There was nothing special about it in anyway, except bringing a cart of different oil and vinegars.  Polo grill was better, but still not much in the way of anything special.  The GDR was usually better with many more choices.  The specialty restaurants have the same menu throughout the cruise.  
 

The terrace cafe was also good, although with many very rough sea days, and some mobility issues prevented me from the hassle of eating there many nights. Carrying plates, walking from station to station etc.

In the future, know that the servers in TC are more than willing to accompany you and carry your plate, etc.  They even are happy to go and grab something from the stations and bring to you.

I think with the success of Aquamar and the evening pizza in Waves on Visa, they decided to redo those public areas instead of the extensive refurbish of the other cabins...,choice of where to spend time and $$$$...those refurbishments were not part of the original plan.  Riviera does not have those.....