pinotlover

Ditto for us! Spain, Portugal, and France. All land based. No cruise ship required.

Jacques is what I remember of French food back in the 1970s. Having been to France multiple times, for extended periods since the 90s, I ‘ve found that version/style of French food has mostly died out even in Lyon and Paris. Kind of like saying eating cracklings and hog jowl is American. Perhaps, but see how often you’ll actually find it still served. Days gone by.

I agree with your comments. Concerning service, as that is the issue at hand. We enjoy the leisurely paced meals served aboard. For us, even as Americans, 1.5-4 hour meals is nothing unusual with friends. I realize this is unusual in American culture and even abhorrent to some. Anything over 45 minutes for them is drudgery and indicative of poor service. I meanwhile find the Flip that Table routine in many American restaurants as abusive. Service expectations are highly subjective.

All food, in all the restaurants, is highly Americanized, including Jacques. The food is toned down to meet most senior American tastes. The new Ember makes no claim as being anything but American. That’s why we search out great authentic local fresh cuisine for lunch on port calls. We can always eat Americanized food at home. Others prefer Americanized food all the time. Each to their own.

If what qualifies as good to very good food is subjective, then what qualifies as good service is even more so. Since we have posters here that declare every Oceania meal as being excellent; Oceania Specialty restaurants being Michelin star level; and O’s restaurants being better than any land restaurants in their area ( I’ve often wondered where they live!) ; then differences in opinion on what constitutes good to great service ( and therefore tip worthy) is also likely to vary. Do whatever you feel like, and I’ll do likewise.🥂

Let’s not over think this. Remember Oceania is not the employer. All these staff members work for an employment agency in their home country, on contract with Oceania. They are contracted workers. Oceania is likewise the customer as well as the passengers.

I have twice. Two different Butlers. Both replied “ what’s paid into the pool, goes into the pool and Oceania decides how to distribute it. What’s given directly to individual staff is theirs to keep.”

FDR, Sr has already stated that the R ships will see no future refits. The current plan, in the near future is the two “ O” Class ships and three (3) A Class ships. The R Class will be aging out. It may take 5-6 years for all of them to go, but come 2030 ( or earlier) they’ll all be gone. For those R ship lovers Show your Love! Book the r ships. Ever notice how often the R ships need the big SALES to fill? First glimpse. Watch the next cruise release currently scheduled for next March/April and see if all the R ships are included.

A couple comments about the Vista Library . 1. On sea days, it can be the worst place for chair hogs on the ship . Far surpassing the pool deck. I believe they should allocate one area to a thirty minute time limit. Let people come, browse, look at reference materials, and have a place to sit. The readers, nappers; etc, can have the other sections. 2. They only had travel reference materials on where the Vista is cruising. Since the Vista will do the 26 ATW, I suppose that section will increase, but wish they had more resources now. 3. It is a nicely laid out facility. Nice to use.

Here’s my experience, and it isn’t one size fits all. The Terrace has the exact same number of wine stewards working at 18:30 as the do at 19:30. If you’re one of those that must eat at 18:30, and the place gets slammed, you may feel “ The Terrace is for Teatotallers “. Some nights you might never get served during that early time slot. Same night, come in at 19:30, most of the crowd having cleared by 19:15, and service is good. Same restaurant, same night, vastly different results. This same situation is played out in the other restaurants likewise. I’ve seen nights where it appeared the entire ship wanted to eat in the GDR! People were waiting to get a table. Service levels ( drink refills in this case) were vastly different from other nights. Service on Oceania is typically very good. Oceania doesn’t do assigned eating times, except for the Specialties, so that cruiser freedom of choice can sometimes lead to imbalances of staffing and service. I’ve likewise seen where, via system glitches, they overload a Specialty. Service likewise goes to pot there when that happens. Fortunately not the norm.

I believe the greatest problem is that people book Oceania with outsized expectations that can’t, or won’t, be met. The marketing machine far outpaces the operating side of the company. Personally see no cure for this dilemma. People still go on blind dates expecting to meet Miss America. Nature of the Beast.

I can take a whack at part of that question. The menu items in Ember are far simpler to prep for and prepare than the items in Jacques. I willing to guess this item alone probably saves them 3-4 cooks in the kitchen which in turn saves them money. Then there is the delta with ingredient costs.

Let’s keep the two questions separate. Question 1: Is champagne, wine, or beer at breakfast included in the SM, OLife, or basic drinks package? Answer: NO Question 2: Might I be able to order champagne or other drinks at breakfast? Answer: Maybe. In theory yes, but if the GDR or TG is out, then none is available until the bars open. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don’t. Same goes with Bloody Mary’s at breakfast. Sometimes in the Terrace they have a Bloody Mary bar set up and they can be ordered at a cost . Other days they are not available. Now the kicker I have forgotten. I’m not sure that the special breakfast Bloody Mary is even included with the Premium Package. Seems to me we had to pay for it even with the Premium Package. I don’t totally remember, but it could also have changed over the years.

You are correct! Breakfast not included.

I always bring a sports jacket, and my wife a sweater. On different parts of every cruise they have been worn by necessity. Be prepared.

Vista, and soon to sail Allura, are new ships for a new era of cruisers. A new era of restaurants and stage productions. I’m sure some are likewise crying the demise of the Brill Bldg, Peggy Lee, and other 1950s oriented shows, along with Perry Como on the speaker system. They are all still there for you on the other ships. Just aging out! FDR, Sr. said there would be no more refits for the R ships. Just aging out When the new “ A” line was first announced it was stated that there would be no Jacques, but we were getting a hugely updated Barrista. Even though We didn’t get the new reimagined steak house, the menu there on the Vista does delete some items and add others. The only thing constant in the Universe is change.

Typically the wine by the glass list includes a CA Chardonnay along with normally a French one ( Macon Village). On occasion the French one is substituted by a South African or Aussie. Unless out of stock, at the moment, an American Chardonnay is almost always available on the by the glass menu.

Bragging?😂🥂

Oceania did away with plastic lids, stirring swivels, plastic water bottles, etc, several years before Covid. If you need a walk around mug, you need to bring it.

I’m guessing we’ll continue to present our card keys for well into the foreseeable future. Never been a big deal in the past.

Be aware that none of the dining venues include a full bar. The ingredients for your virgin cocktails would only be at a bar. That means, for example,for an order placed in Toscana , some waitstaff would have to venture to Horizons or Martinis to get your drink. They do it, but don’t expect fast service. Waves, at lunch, is probably your best opportunity for such.

Thank You for your excellent review. As you clearly point out, an important part of enjoying your cruise is to temper your expectations and not believe all the marketing hype. One comment, and it’s a personal peeve, we live in an era of outrageous grade inflation. A (B) grade indicates above average performance. A neutral or average grade would be a C. A”C” is probably a reasonable grade for the entertainment staff. Just average .

A charter?

The OP is unfortunately staying well outside of the main part of town. Be careful! Definitely agree on Iguazu Falls. Not to be missed! We contacted the Concierge of our hotel and they recommended a couple different guides. The lady we chose did a great job. We have likewise contacted the Concierge at our Tokyo and Kyoto hotels for recommendations on tours and guides. Getting great options from them. All of the above were well below Viator prices.

Funny story, on our Marina cruise this past winter we did a big South American wine dinner in Privee. There are no bathrooms in Toscana and one of our group went out to use the bathroom around 9:00ish or shortly thereafter. She came back in and said the restaurant was empty and the lights turned off! Now three hours for such a meal is relatively fast, and sure enough at 10:00ish it was all dark in Toscana, except for a single light so we could find the exit door . Just guessing that anyone choosing to eat later (7:30-8:00) got the ole “ flip that table “ routine.