hillsprint

Have some time in Nice Airport, so will round things off

Last night’s meal in the GDR was one of the best. Overall the food has been excellent, the Waves burgers were beautifully cooked to order, I particularly enjoyed the Kobe Beef one.

Jacques, Toscana and Red Ginger hit their expected high. Polo Grill was good, but it jest seems to not have the occasion that the others provide. Enjoyed my Terrace made to order omelette each morning, a great way to start the day.

The Afternoon Tea is a must, it’s just such a pleasant experience, do it at least once on a cruise

The ship is in excellent order, including the furniture and decor. The staff at every location did their best to please. CD Corey was very approachable and there were not too many announcements.

We didn’t go to any of the shows, we prefer to sit in the likes of Martini’s and socialise. The various games/ activities were well organised and collecting O points became a bit of an obsession !

The prizes you ‘buy’ with your collected points were surprisingly good in comparison to other companies.

The passenger mix on this Med cruise had plenty of those in their 30’s and 40s, but all we saw fitted in with the general O ambience.

So would we go with Oceania again? Certainly we will if an itinerary tickles our fancy, preferably in Riviera or Marina, the extra space and facilities being the deciding factor.

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Paul

Some private transfers got in to beside the gangway. Others were then picking folk up at the Entrance to the Cruise Terminal, which was about a 100 yd walk. However there were Port workers who were helping folk move their luggage, they wear a white t-shirt with a red logo on it. We booked Friends in France for our transfer, the driver phoned about 10mins out and then when he was close to the Terminal. The transfer to Nice Airport was just over 30mins.

Cheers

Michael

Our feet were weary by this stage so we headed back to the Casino Gardens lift, catching a view of Riviera on the way

We headed for the Bateau Bus which is situated on the waterfront just as you pass the end of the new Yacht Club Monaco building. This Ferries you back across the harbour close to the Cruise Terminal and costs €2 each.

It also gives you a unique water level view of the harbour

So off to the GDR for the last time

Will post up my post cruise thoughts once we get home

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So after the palace, we took in the harbour view from old Monaco

We took the windy path from the side of the square back down into Monte Carlo, walked round the harbour to the tunnel, where the lifts up to the Casino Gardens is situated.

So the famous Casino Square, some refreshment in the Cafe de Paris

The Casino was as busy as even, with the VIP parking up to the usual standard

And the retail opportunities are available for any winnings to be spent

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So our last full day Monte Carlo.

We were not docked as shown in the O itinerary for the cruise, luckily I had checked the MC port schedule and knew of this, but others may not have realised

Silver Muse is in port for the day, we are scheduled to dock at 11pm tonight to permit The Disembarkation process to start.

So we tendered into the cruise port, and following the info in Tom’s Port Guide, we head up on top of the pier and walked along towards the Bus Park, passing the jail on the way

Until we reached the access to the lifts beside the Marine Institute

Once up at street level we headed in the direction of the palace passing the cathedral where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace are buried

We then took the coastal path to the palace

This overlooks the heliport and the other harbour, before we came to the square and got our first view of the palace

We decided to do the tour, it’s 8 Euro each and it takes about 30mins, no photos are allowed.

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Lamborghini, you are right KGs we’re a bit light on piff back in the day, but a well restored one these days is worth a lot and has some posing cred.

A significant proportion of the traffic in St T was electric powered today, the European governments give them a lot of tax advantages and if you are not doing a lot of miles they can work well

If you fancy some of the local good stuff, here is the top shelf in the Spar at the Place de Lices

Our last stop off in the town

And some of the exotica in the Yacht Club car park, sitting beside each other.

So back onboard, getting some O points at the golf and trivia quiz

Here are today’s GDR menus

Off to Toscana tonight, the comments from others who have already been give me high hopes.

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At my friend’s suggestion we then went via various retail opportunities to the waterfront venue of Senequier for a glass of rose and to people watch

From there you are a short walk to the old town walks overlooking the harbour

We went from their to the Place de Lices, the local market was in full flight

Taking a small alleyway

We returned to the waterfront and had a fantastic ice cream at Barbarac

So all in all there is enough in St Tropez to keep you amused.

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So we tendered in to the Yacht Club side of the harbour and walked towards the main waterfront. You soon start to see the luxury machinery

There are some expensive rear ends on view

We decided to head to the Citadel before the temperature rose. The walk up from the town isn’t bad , but the long set of steps when you get to the site takes a bit of effort. It is €3 per head to get in, but the view over the bay is worth it

That’s one of the Seadream Yacht Club boats beside Riviera

It has an interesting museum as well.

We then descended back into the town

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Last night we ate at Red Ginger, again we were delighted by the food from the surprise Amuse Bouche to the selection of teas at the end ( though you can have tea all the way through if you wish. Was speaking to a fellow traveller, who actually works as a TA, they hadn’t booked any Specialty meal before getting on and found them to be fully booked when they asked.

So onto today, St Tropez in all it’s glory, have been given a few hints by a friend who works in the region, so will see how they work out.

We are moored right outside the harbour

It looks far, but it’s only about 300m

Cheers

Michael

Zin-gate is closed, start a dedicated thread, please

Would prefer to keep this on track

The 700 year old cathedral is in a very small square, so hard to snap

Just outside the port is the Rugby Club De Toulon stadium for any of you Sports fans with a Team shop in the nearby shopping centre

The footpath has memorial stone to former star players

To my mind the centre of the town will only entertain for a short while, so if you want a lazy ship day this might be the place, otherwise a tour might be more beneficial.

The Bistro was not running today, we’re heading to Red Ginger tonight, am favouring the Miso Sea Bass at the minute, but will see when the menu is finally out in front of me !

Dan

Re getting off the ship on the last morning, it appears you can get off almost any time you want. But on this cruise we are tendering on the first day in Monte Carlo and the front desk wasn’t sure at this stage at what time they will be docking on that morning ( I looked at the MC port schedule and it says 6am). So probably the best thing is to ask when you get onboard as your cruise might be different to ours, as I believe it varies each time they are in Monte.

Finally today’s GDR menus

Cheers

Michael

So on to Toulon. Incidentally last night’s GDR meal we felt was a step up from our previous visit, we probably just made better menu choices.

So we dock in the city centre, using the ferry port, larger cruise ships have to use the cruise port that is about 8km from the centre, but you need to check the Toulon Port schedule on their website to confirm which site you will be docking in.

Toulon is a major naval port and that dominates the major part of the bay

So we are docked bang in the centre of Toulon. There is one of the little white “trains” that takes you round the town to see the sights

So it is just outside the Port Terminal and can be seen in the bottom of the pic below

If you want to walk into the town centre, head out the dock gate and keep left along the waterfront, then turn right up the tree lined avenue you can see between the apartment buildings in the photo.

This is a large city, and being French it has a lot of old buildings, not always in pristine condition but with that certain French charm

Cheers

Michael

So before we lose the Corsica signal

Lunch in the GDR was really good, much more relaxed than the hustle of the Terrace.

Here is today’s GDR evening menu

We’ll be there tonight

Finally we got the departure info today and the latest departure for those sorting out their own transfers from Monaco is 8.45 am

Cheers

Michael

Having succeeded in embarrassing ourselves at the indoor putting, we then went to the hastily arranged Cooking Demonstration

With two such great chefs on the stage, there was a lot of banter and humour going on, with the guests being able to sample the end products

Alban is on the left and Franck on the right

This sea day also gave me a chance to snap today’s Bistro menu

Looks good so we might go there for lunch.

We were in Jacques last night and the food was superb, definitely the best we have sampled at sea. Again it was well attended and with a couple of large groups there was quite a buzz in the restaurant

This is as close as we are to Corsica

Just a pity we can drop in to Bastia for a quick visit.

Cheers

Michael

So we had not a bad sail last night, some small bumps at times, now sailing up the east coast of Corsica, the phone signal drops in and out as there a few towns/cities on this very rugged coast. Saw the CD having a quiet coffee in Horizons before what will be a busy day for him and his team. The long distance putting competition in the Atrium may come down to luck more than skill I suspect [emoji3]

Cheers

Michael

Unfortunately the Mistral has got blowing a tad strong, so there was a nice breeze, but it meant that the rooftop terrace in the Hotel Panorama was closed, a pity as it looked to be a good spot to take in the local vista

We returned towards the port passing this nice piece of topiary on the way

We had lunch at Waves, my Mugaro was superb, cooked to perfection, beautifully cooked tuna

Have been told we can’t go to Bandol tomorrow due to the increasing winds, so will be sitting off the east coast of Corsica

Here are today’s GDR menus

Cheers

Michael

So into Olbia, we got off the ship At 10am and boarded the waiting shuttle bus, this dropped us at the end of the entrance road of the port, close the Archeological Museum. You then walk to the left, cross the dual carriageway and you will arrive at the start of the Corso Umberto 1, which is the Main Street of the City.

The street runs through the centre of the old town and is lined with various eateries and shops

There are a few narrow streets leading off it

Some lead to quiet piazza

While in other locations the local issues of the day are pondered

Cheers

Michael

The Grand Dining Room is certainly that, the floor drops towards the rear of the ship producing a double height room. We were close to the rear windows and the room has an agreeable relaxed atmosphere. Of the various ships we’ve been on this is by far the best MDR for its layout and design The food was of good quality, obviously not as fine as a Specialty venue, but arrived hot and well presented. I had the steak au poivre and it was cooked to Med/rare as requested. The sommelier was attentive and topped up our glasses regularly.

This was followed by a visit to Martini’s where we had a great time with some folks from Australia before retiring for the night.

As predicted the ship’s wi-fi is pretty useless and I end up using my phone data when we get back in contact with the land signals

Anyway we’ve arrived into Olbia, with a predicted high of 31 C. The port has a shuttle service operating every 15 mins into the town, it can be seen in the bottom right of the pic below

Cheers

Michael

So onto tonight’s GDR menu

The Afternoon Tea was well attended and thoroughly enjoyable, the water in the tea pots was not boiling was sufficiently warm to get a decent cup of tea.

To back up the good state of the Riviera here are a few pics from around the ship

One if the nooks in the Library

The Grand Dining Room

And Martini’s

So first time in the GDR tonight, have high expectations.

Cheers

Michael

Re the Premium Package, I was informed last night in the Polo Grill by the sommelier that with the Premium package I got a 15% discount on the bottles of wine. Not sure if he said that was just in the Specialty venues or whether it applies to the GDR as well. Will check later

Cheers

Michael

The trip to Santa Margherita takes less than 15 mins and you arrive at a pier close to the statue of Vittorio Emanuele

Crossing the road behind the statue, keeping just to the left snd then first right brings you to the shopping area with various bars and cafes along its route

We had a glass of Pinot G and a stroll round the town. I always enjoy sitting in a cafe in an Italian street watch it’s daily life passing by.

Anyway we took our return to Portofino and had a plate of prosciutto, bread and a glass of Vino Rosa at our favourite waterside bistro before returning to the air conditioned tranquility of Riviera

Heading off soon for some Afternoon Tea, will report back later

Cheers

Michael

First of all can I say that from what I have seen the ship is in excellent condition. I have not as yet seen any signs of lack of maintenance.

At the Muster Drill it was. Stated that the ship was a Healthy Ship and passengers were reminded to wash/sanitise their hands at the appropriate times. So we all hope that folk take care to do so.

Anyway back to Portofino, which is our favourite call in the Western Med.

The Silver Whisper has followed us in from Civitavecchia and both ships were tendering into Portofino, a first for us as we have always previously gone into Santa Margherita. Open tendering was declared at 10am and we went in at that stage as we intended to get the ferry to Santa Margherita at noon. Feeling energetic we took the steps from beside the pier up to the church, very steep and if you are not up to it, you can go via a street that leads off from the side of the Square. Anyway the church is on the hilltop overlooking the town and the view is worth the effort.

The walk back down to the town produces various other vantage points

A stroll through the town produced some retail opportunities and we headed back to the ferry pier to buy our tickets, 12 Euro each for the return journey.

Cheers

Michael

Moving on from Zin-gate, we met up at the CC Meet & Greet organised by Ros (Aussietwo) and it was nice to put some faces onto some CC regulars, Corrie Powell, the CD stepped by to say Hello. Our fellow passengers come from all corners of the globe, with a wide range of ages. Incidentally we had arrived at Civitavecchia at about 11.30, there was a queue for the security check,which was about 5 or so minutes of a wait, but after with no queues at the desks everyone was being allowed to check-in and get onto the ship.

The Terrance and Waves were both open, the service and choice of food was excellent, though with the high numbers, the bar staff did seem under to be under some pressure.

We then sat in the shade at the pool bar until our A3 stateroom was available at 1.30pm. We are delighted with the room, our steward Komang appeared giving us the rundown on everything and sorting out which drinks we wanted in the fridge. So after unpacking we went on a tour taking in a coffee and treats at Baristas ( I had to try the Irish coffee) and then when on the lower decks we also decided where our preferred spot will be in Martini’s.

We dined in a very popular Polo Grill, which was about 90% full. The food was certainly up to the standard expected and our waiter Eric very attentive, it was a pleasant way to round off our first Oceania day.

So today it is Portofino, we are tendering into the town itself and this was the view that greeted us this morning

Cheers

Michael

Sorry, the bar menu is from the Terrace, will check out the Waves menu ASAP

As to white Zinfandel, that along with Rosé is not something I would normally order, but each to their own, it’s a big world :)