gaa2

Yes, in a suite now. 6 bottles, choose from 8 white wines, 9 reds, whisky (7 Scotch, 5 American, 4 Canadian, 1 Irish), cognac, 7 rum, 2 tequila, mezcal, 10 liqueurs, 14 vodkas, 4 gins, and a port. Too many to list individually and my photos aren’t posting. 

5 minutes to midnight and hopping at Horizons. Fun crowd, but smh at the people letting their kids use it as a playground to bat around balloons and run around the dance floor. Officers and crew are here joining the fun. Happy New Year all! 

Thank you. Great photos!

Would appreciate comments from anyone who has stayed in both. We are really enjoying our aft Oceania Suite on Marina but it is not an option on the Nautica. We are thinking about a Vista Suite. We recognize the major difference is stem versus stern but would like to hear other observations. Also, any deck preference?

Thank you!

7 hours ago, Cape Hernlopen said:

Dear Gaa2 and Mura:

 

I appreciate your candid comments on quality of food and service on the "R" class ships.  We have only cruised on the "O" class with Oceania and were a little concerned about the almost 50% more passengers to serve and feed on the larger ships.  We have been very impressed with the food quality and service on the smaller Oceania ships.  We were not impressed with the Destinations Group on Oceania, however, we had the same complaints on Viking Ocean.

We will be on Marina in February and Viking Orion in October, and perhaps we will choose one line as our favorite?

Thank you,

Joel Barry  

Joel, our last Oceania cruise was on the Sirena, and we thought the food was better in Red Ginger and the MDR. We had a great cruise and are enjoying Marina, but there were differences. I don’t know if it is size-related. On Sirena, Destinations crew attitudes were pleasant and helpful even if you were only getting a tender ticket from them or passing by them and asking them to point you in the right direction (unlike our experience in Marina where one employee behind the desk, with no line, tersely replied “look at the map” when asked about the direction of travel). But as mentioned, we have also had positive dining experiences in Jacques and Toscana and MDR breakfasts. This is a holiday cruise, and we are grateful to be here. The crew, so far from their own homes, work really hard to give us a great experience. We cruise for destination, and Oceania has wonderful itineraries. We are still excited about the ports to come on this cruise as we explore the beauty of Chile. Although our next cruise will be a return to Seabourn, we have booked Oceania on the Nautica for an itinerary we liked in 2021. We have not yet tried Viking, and would consider it for an Arctic cruise.

Happy cruising!

Hi Joel, 

We only had lunch in the Terrace Cafe upon embarkation. The variety was good and it seemed fresh but it was very crowded so we never returned. We have eaten breakfast in the MDR and it was fine. Breakfast service in the MDR was excellent.  We did not care for lunch in the MDR (tried it twice) but the atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, with lots of tables open near windows. We did not like the selections and did not like the food itself. We have not tried it for dinner but family members have reported enjoying it (while we were having date night at Jacques!)

I am sorry, but do not know the name of the Executive Chef. 
Enjoy your cruise!

Cruising the Chilean Fjords today, not much to see yet. The glaciers were spectacular after rounding Cape Horn. Captain did not stop at Punta del Este due to concern about tendering in high seas. Loved seeing the penguins at two ports (saw three types). The port yesterday was Punta Arenas, lots of graffiti from the recent protests and not much to do on a Sunday unless you get out of town to nature, which is the real attraction in Patagonia. Enjoying the ship, some positives and some areas for improvement, but overall a great time so far. Staff works very hard and have been generally very good EXCEPT the staff from Destinations who are really only interested in selling you tours and have not impressed us with the same attitude as everyone else.   One person at Destinations is quite rude, but she is not representative of the staff generally. Shoutouts for excellent service to our attendant Stephanie, assistant waiter Sylvie, and Cellarmaster Loredonna. Love the cabin, dinner at Jacques, dinner at Toscana, and the Wine Bar. The coffee bar has been good, so has afternoon tea service. Lots of options on sea days with culinary classes, art studio, etc. although we have not taken advantage of classes. Good lectures, well-attended with replays in your cabin. Gym is very crowded, good luck on sea days if you like to work out in the mornings. Happy to answer questions assuming the spotty WiFi allows me to log back on.

Thanks for the replies!

Thank you for the replies, excellent points.

Thank you, got my sailings mixed up! (A good problem to have). Seabourn is my June 2020 sailing, on a different line this Christmas, but thanks so much for responding!

We will be on Seabourn over Christmas. In addition to the crew welfare fund, does anyone give the Butler/Steward a holiday gift or card (With or without money or a gift card)?

Thank you. Puerto Madryn; Punta Arenas; Puerto Chacabuco; Puerto Montt.

Ports on the sailing, such as Ushuaia. Thanks.

Yes, our ports are not listed

Any shuttles Argentina to Chile?

On 7/11/2019 at 1:15 PM, clo said:

We're staying at an airbnb post-cruise in Recoleta.  Here's a Vogue article about it.

 

https://www.vogue.com/article/recoleta-buenos-aires-neighborhood-travel-guide

 

And that cemetery is amazing...even if Evita Peron weren't buried there.  We spent a couple of days in BA last year pre-Patagonia and Antarctica trip so are really looking forward to going back.

This was a great article, thanks! 

Would appreciate tips on the best/safest neighborhood to stay for 4 nights pre-cruise in Buenos Aires. Interested in art, architecture, tango, and great local food and wine. Thanks!

I understand for our January Viking Cruise to Cuba that we have two options to visit Havana from our port in Cienfuegos. One is a day trip, the other is an overnight in a hotel. I would be interested in hearing of your experiences and recommendations. Thank you!

The rest of the cruise has been smooth sailing. I am unaware of any excursions being cancelled due to the heat, and most people are mopping their brows and drinking extra water as they explore in port. The cafes are still full of people sitting outside but the shaded tables are definitely the prime spots. It was lovely on deck tonight with a light breeze.

Lol, he is sitting on it now. I said “Is it comfy on that couch?” He said “not bad.” He wants to know why I am laughing.

Hubby just checked, not a sofa bed. Big heavy cushions, he says it is very firm but comfortable. That said, he has spent very little time on it.

lol, made it safely to the next port. Just set sail from Cartagena to Ibiza. This has been a lovely cruise but hot hot hot!

The Captain warned us last night we might have rough seas due to expected gale-force winds and we are rocking and rolling now. Looks like we might not get into port...safety first.

We are on the Encore and ate at TK last night, July 31 2018. We loved our salads, NY steaks, sides and desserts. The service was friendly and attentive. We have eaten in other TK restaurants in the US and enjoyed them. The OP was certainly within her right to complain about rude service. At a minimum, it is a training issue management should know about and care about.

Almost positive the Amex OBC will cause the same issue as some, if not all of the Amex OBC comes from the cruise line. That said, the referral is $400 while the Amex is $300 so if I am correct, you are still ahead $100 with the referral coupon. Good luck.

You were correct. They would not let us use both credits, but we are $100 ahead!:cool: