CintiPam
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Jazzbeaux Italian Lakes, Tuscany & Umbria 2024
CintiPam replied to Host Jazzbeau's topic in Cruise Blogs & Websites
Very sorry to hear about the closure during your visit of the Brancacci Chapel, particularly because one never knows (particularly at our age) if there will be an opportunity to return once it reopens. I last visited Florence in 2019 with my art museum docent friends, so we enjoyed a lot of special tours in Florence through art connections, including my second visit to this special chapel. I personally gained a deeper appreciation as a result of what an art friend terms her “golden guys,” with our visits to the Brancacci Chapel and Fra Angelico’s San Marco. I only spent a view minutes walking the Camino while on a ship’s day excursion from Porto to Guimares! 😀 -
Jazzbeaux Italian Lakes, Tuscany & Umbria 2024
CintiPam replied to Host Jazzbeau's topic in Cruise Blogs & Websites
Host Jazzbeau, thank you.I always feel immersed in joy reading your travel blogs; I particularly enjoy your excellent photos. I am very glad that the weather improved as you moved away from the vicissitudes of the rain both in Milan and the Italian lakes. Two very different questions: (1) How were the tourist crowds in Florence in mid-May? Did you deliberately choose to stay across the Arno to avoid some of the insanity? My friend who lives and guides there has become very irascible about some of the public tourist antics he observes since the return last year of the crowds (ironic in view of his trade.) (2) Although I am not Catholic, I felt a spiritual awe during my two days spent in Assisi that I only ever have felt since then when I visited Chartres Cathedral and walked its labyrinth. Both those happened in the fall season but I still wonder. Did you or DW feel anything different during your time in Assisi? Best wishes to you both for happy and healthy travels. -
Review of Silver Whisper Jan. 29 to Feb. 14, 2024 (Auckland to Sydney)
CintiPam replied to Host Jazzbeau's topic in Silversea
I very much enjoyed this review for several reasons, including your (unusual but very much appreciated) sense of humor, but primarily because New Zealand and Australia have been on my very short bucket list for a very long time. (However, my marital partner of 48+ years has no interest.) I particularly enjoyed every last bit of detail and accompanying photos from your tour of the Sydney Opera House. Its construction began in my early grade school years; and its progress (along with that of the Aswan Dam) are my two significant memories from that small newspaper my Jersey Shore school subscribed to for every one of us. Also, my one and only penpal of my youth was from Sydney, so I always wanted to visit her. Lastly, my best friend (and fellow nerd) and I simply adored Joan Sutherland (not to mention her spouse), and we convinced her father to drive us on a weeknight 90 minutes each way for us to hear her sing in person. Thank you, thank you. Best regards to you and your DW. -
Vista Replacing Insignia on 2026 ATW Cruise
CintiPam replied to bob brown's topic in Oceania Cruises
Very interesting article in many ways. Thank you for the link. -
Hi, Hank, I no longer frequent these boards like I did when we first started cruising over a decade ago, so I seldom post anymore, but we just made our final payment for our Marina cruise around Iceland ending in Portsmouth in late August so I signed in tonight for a look at the Oceania board. We sailed on Marina in early December 2022 for two weeks in the Caribbean and enjoyed it very much. I thought the food and restaurant service were as good as ever, and our fellow passengers as pleasant and interesting as ever. Our cruise director was blah IMO and the shows retreads so tired on the whole, but I am itinerary focused when I cruise and this Jersey Shore native took that cruise, our first since the pandemic, for the glorious beaches I was able to swim at either DIY or as part of some really lovely catamaran shore excursions offered by Oceania. Yes, the Marina needs a refresh, but the ship is very well maintained. We love the two “O” class ships, as you can see from my signature below: my foodie husband (Lancaster, PA native so not far from you I believe) in particular enjoys their four specialty restaurants. When we spotted this sail-around Iceland to Portsmouth itinerary, it filled my Iceland bucket list dream, and my husband’s yen to spend a week driving in England after many years of London-only theater and museum visits, the last of which was in January. I hope you give Oceania a try, our favorite cruise line since we started cruising, but if you truly have too many doubts, who needs the worry at our age? Best wishes. Funny that you mention Seabourn because next May summer we will take our first Seabourn cruise, aboard Ovation on a special charter Hamburg to Dover itinerary for the 80th anniversary of D-Day by The National WWII Museum.
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Thanks for posting your experience with Odysseys Unlimited. Friends we met on an Oceania cruise also have recommended it for its fair pricing and limits on group size. It was fascinating to read what you were doing at the same time spouse and I took our first plane flight out of the USA since you-know-what for an intensive one-week art tour to Madrid (and Toledo) organized by our tireless art friend who prefers winter travel to avoid crowds followed by a week on our own at about 1/3 of the pace in London staying in Covent Garden and going to theater every day.
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Disembark in Aruba - What to do until 5 P.M. Flight
CintiPam replied to Rebels82's topic in Oceania Cruises
Eagle Beach is fabulous, one of the best in the world. Have the beach bar/restaurant where you rent your chairs and umbrella hold your bags and keep your valuables in your carryon with you. If you are a swimmer, like this Jersey Shore native, Palm Beach, where all the huge hotels are, has a gross muddy bottom and too many noisy families. -
My experience: If you are interested in excursions involving catamarans or lobster eating (the latter of which I do not understand because there is fabulous grilled lobster available until 4 pm daily at Waves Grill), I recommend that you book those sooner rather than later.
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Purely anecdotal, but there were many more same-sex couples on our RT Miami Marina Caribbean cruise which disembarked December 18 than on our previous dozen Oceania cruises, the last of which disembarked March 11, 2020. (Very slow but hopefully steady progress.) A brief walk down my Oceania memory lane: When we first started cruising, which was not until 2008, our shipboard friends Jim (may his memory always be for a blessing) and Stan really stood out. I never ever will forget the birthday lunch for me that Jim arranged in Pontone on the Amalfi Coast or the birthday dinner at Polo that Jim arranged in honor of Stan. I never previously had sampled a different wine at every course like he ordered for that wonderful occasion. Great times! Jim and the late Don Horner taught me so much about cruising and specifically Oceania on this very board.
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Our tradition is to dine at Polo the last night of our cruise. Ergo, we dined there one week ago on Marina before our arrival back in Miami. Everything was fine until our entrees were served: my prime rib, ordered medium, was not even medium rare, and my spouse’s porterhouse, ordered medium rare, was well done and half the thickness as usual, a very weird-looking piece of meat. After our server actually asserted repeatedly that my bloody red prime rib was medium and then argued with my spouse about it, my spouse requested to speak to the Polo maitre d’. Our server did not want to allow that either! Spouse patiently and quietly repeated this request twice. Finally he went off and got him. The maitre d’ took one look at our entrees and immediately had both removed. I ordered the filet and husband’s porterhouse reappeared twice the thickness and done perfectly. It was so weird to have to argue with the server about such obvious issues. In general, IMO the food in all four specialty restaurants and the Grand Dining Room was excellent but there were a lot of service issues with both new and seasoned staff and clearly reduced staffing in both the Terrace Cafe and GDR. BTW, we had a terrific cruise with wonderful weather and lovely fellow passengers except for the usual two or three know-it-alls. I simply am responding to some of the posts above regarding Polo by reporting our unusual recent experience.
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That certainly was the case on our Marina cruise that disembarked on Sunday. We ate twice at Jacques and twice at Red Ginger, my two favorites. The biggest surprise for me was how much we enjoyed both the food and service in the Grand Dining Room. I found its dinner menus more ethnically diverse and less “American bland” than our last cruises in 2019 and early 2020.
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On our two-week Caribbean cruise on Marina that disembarked Sunday in Miami, there never was any table (plus very reduced staff as well), only some tray service with a few small sandwiches and the two trolleys to service the entire room.
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Riviera - slow engine causing itinerary change
CintiPam replied to Robjame's topic in Oceania Cruises
Really enjoyed our Champagne and Lobster Catamaran Cruise shore excursion on Marina last week. -
The Grand Dining Room menu on Marina indeed is on a two-week cycle for dinner. We just enjoyed our last evening meal there, the yummy Beef Wellington entree. (We always eat at Polo Grill the night before we disembark.)
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The lack of communication regarding the absence of bags is the focus of complaint onboard Marina on this subject. Many have plenty of Oceania (or other beach) bags at home but did not pack any because they were assured that one would be waiting for them onboard. A simple email would have prevented the loss of much goodwill. i fortunately packed one beach bag but others are using the laundry bags to haul their stuff. Personally I am much more concerned about the disappearance of the nightly dark chocolate on my pillow about halfway through this cruise!
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Guest Services on Marina informed us that they had not had bags for six months.
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Currently on Marina for the first time….impressions
CintiPam replied to YoPhilly's topic in Oceania Cruises
And it is on the current Marina cruise. I eat lunch there every day around 3 pm. Today I returned from my delightful beach time at Harbour Lights on Carlisle Bay at 3:30 pm and enjoyed my later than usual “double surf, no turf, no fries no bread” with lettuce salad right before closing. One server came around to ask for any final requests at 3:55. -
I never leave my home without my vaccination cards, just like I always carry my medical insurance cards and driver’s license.