rxlowry

No, they were not my team mates. It is a shame though to ruin the fun of trivia. I’m all about the fun..my daughter and I played daily on Celebrity for zero prizes! Well I guess there was the possible engagement “prize” the host offered for a perfect score but he always included a tough question to assure it wouldn’t happen!

Finished up the blog and I'll give some closing thoughts. We both really enjoyed our first Oceania experience and we would sail with them again for sure. Food: I'll start here since Oceania makes this their claim to fame. With such a bold statement, "finest at sea", I wanted to really analyze this and maybe nitpick. I was pretty dismayed with the reviews about subpar food but I have to admit, Oceania excels in the quality of items. True, there were a few technique issues. I had only one less than impressive entree and the chicken was still nice quality, the dish was just so bland. I do feel that Oceania plays it safe as most dishes are not super flavorful. I think to attract the Gen X foodie, they need to up the game with seasoning (I don't mean heat level although some dishes could use a tad more and I am not a fan of crazy hot), I appreciated the creativity of the plant based options though. Desserts as a whole, probably the best I've had at sea with the excpetion of the horrible molten cake which is shocking for them to execute a basic dish so poorly. The 25th anniversary dessert was Michelin worthy in my opinion. The Waves Grill wins for best poolside grill of any ship I've been on. Cockails and Wine: A solid choice for both. Bartenders were great at making the classics we enjoy. It was nice not having to explain how to make a Stinger. Had a really nice pinot blanc the last night. We tried a few of the specialty drinks which were more skewed to a sweet palate but had nice freshness. Service: The service unfortunately does not meet the quality of food. Very slow, especially Polo Grill where it was truly ridiculous and not what I'd expect from any cruiseline's speciality dining. Not much service poolside or in other venues. It is more proactive than reactive service. For example, after waiting until half way through my food at Waves, I walked over to get a water from the ice cream stand. As soon as I returned, I was asked if I wanted anything. The level of service is the main difference in lumping O as a premium vs luxury line. Entertainment: The most low-key of all cruises I have ever been on including luxury. If you are the type that needs to be entertained, I'd think of other options. The day time offering on the sports deck were the same each day. Trivia most days with Name that Tune twice. Two nights it was only a movie in the theater which might be a cutback to save some money. The headliner was excellent though. Not much live music, I think they could have used a duo to round it out. The show band did a one hour set most nights after dinner and sometimes pre dinner. There is one pianist and a string quartet which I think is great for tea time but not my cup of tea after dinner. All three luxury lines I have tried far surpasses O in entertainment. Cabin: We had an inside cabin on deck six. Very nice amount of space, amazing bed. Loved the water provided. The shower is crazy small but we heard it is the same size in veranda cabins as well. It wasn't an issue for us but definitely could be for some. Destination: One of the main reasons we booked was the ship is small enough to dock in St. George's. Bermuda is always a delight to visit and St. George's is the best part of the island to me! Passengers: For the most part, super friendly and well traveled. It could be hard to get a table for two at times and we enjoyed our dinners with fellow guests. Unfortunately it was also filled with so many chair hogs who couldn't read the signs posted on each pole or hear the cruise director's announcements. The situation to me was worse and more blatantly abused than on NCL or Carnival! To put down waterbottles and go on a glass bottom boat....truly disgusting. Maybe it was more first timers to Oceania and premium/luxury who are used to the nonsense of those lines? I think Oceania was a great choice for non-drinkers who do not want to pay the premiums of the luxury line for something in which they do not partake. I know that will be changing so we will see how that works out. I think it's a solid choice for a cruiser making the jump to premium or maybe I'd call it "luxury light" I do enjoy the fact that everyone is treated the same outside of the suite like the luxury lines. Someday, we hope to do a World Cruise and Oceania has made the list of contenders. I think I would avoid Oceania for a Caribbean cruise and stick to a more port intensive one due to lack of activities and the crowdedness of the pool.

Wonder if your friends were on my team???

Updated the blog again…one more day to go…I’ll post that tomorrow along with my final thoughts for cruise critic. I’m debating making that a separate post or just ending with that here. It will be a lot of great things with a few needs improvements.

Thank you for the wonderful comment on my blog, Not sure if you checked the box to let you know if other comments made but I wrote you a message there!

I did not notice it available. Had it as an app in dining room but not real special. Seabourn is all the caviar you can eat included. Had a nice service on MSC as upcharge.

Alpacamybagsblog (dot com)

Posted two more days of blog tonight!

The last night it was only a movie in the theater. Pretty lame as this was the second night of showing a movie as the big entertainment. The showband did perform for one hour at 10pm. Afterwards, I noticed a couple sitting at the bar doing needlepoint and engaging in a drink contest. They took turns choosing shots and were served so quickly. I probably watched 5 or 6 in about 15 minutes. They even did Macallan Quest as a shot! At one point, she asked the bartender what to try and he replied you’ve tried it all. She seemed unfazed. I would have sown my hand into the needlepoint. The husband was feeling it and I made him a white flag out of my napkin and stirrer. She sounded so sober it was mind boggling. Definitely found entertainment. We left before they did but hopefully he wasn’t feeling too bad in the morning. They were staying overnight in nyc so no flight to catch. I’m finishing up some more blog posts but thought I’d share this story.

Do you like the Big O martini as well? It’s such a funny thing to ask a bartender for.

Yes. First place gets 3, second 2 and third one. Silly golf, ping pong, bean bags, shuffleboard and putting also all earned points

The jackets were 60 points. They had polos, tshirts, exercise shirts, hats, socks, mugs…

We did get two jackets with our big O points thanks to our team mates! Redemption was very organized and lots of selection.

Rainy arrival to NYC. We had a nice relaxing dinner at the buffet last night. The grilled shrimp and lobster were awesome. I did some writing yesterday so after our drive home, I’ll get some days posted. They are starting disembarking now but we are up in Horizons waiting for our group to be called. I think I’ll post a review at the end here with some thoughts

You are very welcome! I enjoy reading other reports so I try to pay it forward. I’ll post more of the blog today. I get way more detailed there hopefully you have wonderful weather and are safe. I’d hate to only have access to inside areas on a sold out trip.

Uploads back to failing now. I’ll definitely post way more details and pics to blog

A fun dinner last night as we dined with the comedian. She is a delight. Desserts have been truly outstanding until last night’s molten chocolate cake…the driest, hardest cake ever. Definitely over cooked! Chris had delicious key lime pie though.

I know but at a large table I would not want to hold everyone up. Plus I was not going hungry for sure.

I’d rather go to Nassau with nice weather than be stuck inside or completely not safe! This ship needs to outdoor spaces as it seems very crowded on sea days. If all the people weren’t at pool, where would they be???

Last night was the first miss at dinner for me. The tuna tartare was great and the Mykonos salad with vegan cheese was fresh. The chicken fafa was very uninspired. I got one bite that had tons of raw ginger. It was a huge portion of bland chicken with three leaves of spinach with a small side of plain rice. Definitely my least favorite entree so far.

It feels crowded. No seats in martinis last night. Pool chairs all taken but sometimes just stuff. Hard to get table at Grill at lunch.

Passenger count is 642 just asked at reception.

NCL was going to Bermuda in February I believe and people were upset. They truly think it’s in the Caribbean. There used to be a season for cruises to Bermuda. I personally wouldn’t go if I wanted to swim before later May. True, September has its risks but the pricing was a great value to us. As long as you realize the gamble which we did. It’s so hot today in Hamilton and not a cloud in the sky. Better weather than my June trip. But hopefully a good travel advisor would let you know the risks of a Bermuda cruise. Posted a pic. Ok there’s a little cloud.

Success on posting first day’s blog using a hot spot while docked in Hamilton. Might go for day two since it was quick. Totally didn’t realize we’d be in Hamilton on a Sunday so many stores are closed. I did see some listed as opening at noon so we might venture out closer to that time.

All days have been warm/hot so far. I’ll let you know how return is. I have a live post so feel free to pop over and ask me tomorrow or Monday.