vcdarty

We’re new to Oceania. Sailing Riviera November, “Balmy Breezes.” Query: what sort of sugar free options might we expect?

First time on Oceania Riviera, crossing to BCN, 29 Mar 2019. Many happy crossings w Crystal Cunard Windstar HAL French Line (!) etc.

Now. Bride and I booked PH2, w OLife, $600 OBC for the 2pax cabin. Internet. Fine.

Bro-in-law, traveling with us OLife,paid full double cabin rate, DV1, for a single pax. Did he get the same $600? Nope. Offered $300. Then offered $400.Why not $600 as per the double cabin rate that he paid?

Thoughts? Because this super cheapo ruse may allow us to say addio to Oceania. Love love love VKG Ocean. Like last spring’s crossing.

Thnxs

We like 5 deck. Had 5101. No noises from above or below. Jump up two decks to 7: buffet, pool, Wintergarden, Explorers’ Lounge, Mamsen’s. Pop down three to 2: restaurant, theater, nightclub.

That’s our deck, and we’re sticking to it.

Re restos, Clay—the mid day menu is a bargain, we think. Three fine courses: choice of two exc starters, choice of two mains, choice of dessert. €15. And à la carte options galore of course, many available in “media raciones” and priced accordingly.

Resto we favor is Café de l’Académia, on corner of Plaça St Just—just down from Plaça Jaume in old quarter. Small. Busy. Reserve for dinner. Enjoy.

Birdsong (recorded) in unexpected places. “Away in a Manger” on the Wintergarden’s sound track. Hot hot disco routine (Laura and Gonzalo) at the ship’s farewell do.

Just a few of the surprise pleasures aboard the Sea’s supersmooth crossing, now alas finito. But thanks for the memories. Disembark a breeze, we dumped bags at swell hotel—the Colón—a gem right on the Cathedral square w fab views of same and perfect location in Barri Gótic. Red marble, polished brass, impeccable service, retro throwback to the 60’s. (Miró lived there for a time.)

Exc city walk tour. Still have crick in neck from Sagrada F. Brilliant regional lonche at fave resto plus two more super super meals there. Abrazos from patrón last night. That guitarra concert at the Palau.

Maritime Museo, Boqueria, St. Just Capella, antiquing (scored 17th c. ceramic plates!), bride & filmbuff bro off to Gaudí’s Casa Milà, site of a bit of Antonioni’s “The Passenger,” surprise chat w ship’s dancer Laura in the Plaça Reial, and so on and on.

Had to cut Barça short to entrain early to France, just missing the crippling transportation strike tomorrow. Now happily ensconced w pals in a small village just beneath the snow-covered Canigou massif. More France, then Iceland (!), then our adobe casita in Santa Fe and a summer of great music.

And missing the Sea and the sea and youse guys!

Don’t forget the soups at Mamsen’s. Varied and good!

Love the ship. Service. Chow (mostly—good Manfredi’s tonight, bad Chef’s Table earlier, Restaurant mixed).

Today in Tangier: ship’s included bus tour. Oh dear. Three hours. Audio didn’t work. But no matter. Guide seemingly thought we were cretins. When we could hear the chap. Down the Medina we went, with xxx others from ship. Spent 45 minutes in a “craft shop.” Bad bad show, Viking.

Yes. No historian I, frankly. But have long understood, perhaps incorrectly, that Saxon connections with the “viking” generations past had a degree of validity. Cf. the Sutton Hoo excavations and wonderful loot. Probably only my romantic version of history.

But meanwhile. The linguistic world depicted in Beowulf is transitional twixt an older world/language á la “Viking” and another, perhaps proto-Christian, worldview that we call Old English. Drastic oversimplification here.

But late. And pedantic. Stand ready for corrections.

OceanPatter’s comments on the aesthetic of our Viking Sea are spot on and more so. To add a few Very miscellaneous collection of notables:

The finger-friendly tapered shower controls

The dandy shelf unit in that shower

The varied, pleasing assortment of small tables scattered throughout the ship

The wooden bread “baskets” in the Restaurant

The decorative allusions to the Eddas in the Wintergarden and elsewhere

The subtle use of Nordic runes in important design elements

The wonderful wooden undersink carvings in public bathrooms

The tomato-red interiors of the jewelbox elevators

The amusing “live-action” video of the Bayeux Tapestry on 2 Deck

The excellently curated art collection throughout

No glitz no kitsch no casino

That Bayeux Tapestry, again, in stairwells (commemorating, oddly, a Nordic defeat)

The mossy dried centerpieces in Wintergarden

The convincing if fake moss and succulents and other plants scattered about

The linens

The generally low-key non-obnoxious piped music

And so on . . . .

We’re on the Sea now. Showed up for tea at 4:05 yesterday. A zoo. No seats. Huge decibels. Frantic servers. Chaos. On every other cruise ship, tea is a quiet, calming, civilized hour. Boy. Not here. Never again.

Had a decent cup in the nearby Explorer’s Lounge.

Yes. We’re presently in a Penthouse Veranda on the Sea. Our minibar is stocked with four mini bottles of spirits. We asked, and now the daily free service consists of two Beefeater’s gin and two Dewer’s scotch. A variety of soft drinks provided. We asked to switch to only tonic and soda water.

A similar policy applies to Penthouse Suites

Super to meet up latish last night on the terrace here at El Convento! Our fourth stay, same room (314), and the hotel shows few to no signs of the hurricane. Charming staff, decent food, old-worldish colonial atmosphere, great to be back.

FREE. Uh Huh.

Area to the west of Las Ramblas isn’t safe. East and the Barri Gòtic, the medieval city, has been atmospheric and safe for us. We’re at the Hotel Colón this time, with a private terrace overlooking the cathedral plaza. Reasonable rates and highly recommended by friends.

But. Pickpockets everywhere. Be careful, especially on public transport. We have tales . . . .

Hotel Neri. The one. Check it out. Small. Elegant. Stylish. Get a room overlooking the Plaça San Felipe. One of our v faves ever.

Right. Got that. Nice. But nothing like the large bags, usually laying on bed at embarkation, from HAL, X, Crystal, Windstar, Cunard, etc., etc.?

Over the years, we’ve accumulated tote bags from various cruise lines—some handsome/useful, some less so. What sort of item does Viking provide, and your opinion?

Pardon if this is a much-repeated and redundant thread. In PV class what beverages are supplied to the minibar? Soft and hard? How many? Replenished daily? What choices? Thanks.

Thanks for the good input. I contacted Viking and received a near-immediate response asking for our booking number so the dietary request could be entered on the manifest. (Has to be done at least two weeks prior to sailing.)

And received a quick confirmation that this had been done, with the advice to check with restaurant manager upon embarkation. Well done, Viking!

We'll be bringing a pre-diabetic friend on an upcoming Viking cruise. Will need lo/no carb and sugar-free options on board. Other lines have accommodated, but this will be a first-time Viking Ocean cruise.

Need we be concerned? Your experiences? Thanks!

Well, there are butlers and there are butlers. Of course. The best ever was Theo on a Crystal outing: witty and outta sight helpful. A small bag was nearly destroyed by the airline. Theo got it totally repaired, better than new. One formal night my bride absolutely could Not get a pair of new earbobs into her lobes. Theo, a picture of concentration, obliged. And as a Rumanian, he did splendid Dracula imitations.

The worst bottom of the barrel was on Cunard, Queens' Grill: off-hand and oopity. The less we saw of the jerk, the better.

So. We can live with them. And live without.

The very best guide to Rome is John Fort (jf@johnfort.com). Period.

And the very best guidebook to Rome is The Companion Guide to Rome, compiled first by Georgina Masson and since revised twice by John Fort. He is personable, charming, and of course immensely knowledgeable but never pedantic. Oxford man.

We had been several times to Rome, but John Fort made it new. If he's available, just do it.

Agree with others. Check the roll call where several threads address your query. As I've posted there, we adore sea days. Leisure, conversation, books, cross-stitching and crafts, trivia, NO casino, NO art conjobs. We've been to most ports on our own, and do not much enjoy the few crowded, hustled excursions usually on offer,

But, as always, chacun à son gout. If you crave lotsa action, plenty opportunities lie elsewhere. And welcome to them.

Wow. One reason we've booked Viking Ocean is to, after many many crossings on many many super-classy lines, avoid kids and the bariatric sugar-gobblers. This is a rather sad thread alas for all of us diabetics.

Oh well, there's always celery. (Just kidding. Sorta.);p