4Lakes Lady

We spent 19 days aboard Serena in February and March this year. Enjoying time on the veranda was one of my favorite pastimes! Nothing like the beauty of the ocean and the sound of the waves. You won’t be disappointed!


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Deadzone1003: why do you insist on calling the corona virus the Wuhan virus?
Diseases are about biology- not geography. This reinforces negative stereotypes of Asian Americans.
JMHO


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From the Terrace on Sirena in Grenada, February 2020


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We are scheduled to disembark in Miami in 3 days. The latest option they are giving us is 9 am


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Currently onboard Sirena:
General Manager is Evan Willemse
Food and Bev Director is Emil Alexandrescu
Restaurant Manager is Branko Damjanovic

I don’t know how long they are scheduled to be on Sirena.


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Our last cruise was on the Riviera for a transatlantic crossing so we loved the larger ship and it’s amenities during the sea days. We are currently on the Sirena (R ship) but as it’s more port intensive, we don’t really miss the extra speciality restaurants and the entertainment options that Mura mentions. Smaller bathroom is a negative but how much time do you really spend there!



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Currently on Sirena and can report from my perspective things are good. Yes, as this is a Caribbean cruise, All deck chairs were occupied on sea days!

Service has been excellent in Waves, the Terrace, Grand Dining Room and Red Ginger.

The Terrace breakfast is much as I remember it- great choices, wonderful fresh fruit and outstanding pastries!

Our only dinner so far in the GDR was only so so but Red Ginger was exceptional.

Tea seems to be less extravagant- the cookies look store-bought and fewer savory choices. Wonderful classical music though.

The presentation today of future cruise booking did not give us any 2022 itinerary but the indicated there will be lots of new ones as well as new ports. They will be available to view our n their website tomorrow.

Overall I’m pleased so far but can definitely see they are cutting some corners.


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Where is your port of embarkation & cruise?

Just boarded Sirena this afternoon. Despite the email we received last week about temperatures being taken, that did not occur. The health questions included asking if you had visited mainland China in the last 30 days or been exposed to anyone with coronavirus. Otherwise the usual self reporting of temperature, gastrointestinal issues or colds. I did see 1 couple being refused boarding- not sure what that was about.


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For my up coming cruise in February 2020 I can select a couple excursions. One that I like is an "OS" that is not available as a choice for "free".  If I select this anyway, does O deduct the cost of $199 and I pay the difference?  Or will I be charged the entire $269.00 for the excursion? 

While I'm not a newbie to Oceania, I have always selected from the included "free" choices.  Hoping someone knows the answer to this!
 

We love Oceania. That being said, we did a Viking River Cruise last May. The cabins were adequate.  The food was fine- nothing special. Some of the staff were wonderful. The included tours were average but the optional tours were better and reasonably priced. For Egypt I think the itinerary is most important so I wouldn’t hesitate to choose Viking.

Hoopster95- I just discovered your review last week. I enjoyed everything about it. You have such an amazing ability to describe your travels, I feel almost as if I was on that FP cruise! DH and I spent a week on Moorea about 20 years ago and found it paradise. He’s always wanted to return and I thought Oceania’s itinerary would be perfect. After reading your entire review however, I think it would be a bit challenging for him- he now has mobility issues. I encourage anyone thinking of this cruise to go for it- do your bucket list before it is too late! You never know what the future holds. Again, thank you for allowing us travel vicariously. All your efforts, time and awesome enthusiasm are deeply appreciated!

Pirouette,

Read your blog and enjoyed your unbiased review. We have done a number of cruises on Oceania, which we love, but would now consider trying Azamara.

Thanks for posting!

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We loved H10 Hotel Raco del Pi in the Gothic quarter. Great location, reasonable boutique hotel in Barcelona. It’s a short taxi ride to the port. Have a wonderful cruise!

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I think we should all give the new decor and furniture a chance before deciding it will be uncomfortable! After all, Oceania knows it has a loyal clientele over “50” [emoji16] and I doubt they would choose seating that is not comfortable. IMO I think it looks exciting!

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Totally understand budget constraints and I think no matter what cabin you end up with, you will be satisfied! We love to sail on Oceania and have stayed in several different categories. We’ve never had a problem with any of them since we are just happy to be able to experience such a terrific cruiseline (IMO!)[emoji4]

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We had a porthole on deck 4 on Nautica -sister ship to Insignia. We loved the location behind the reception desk and there was adequate room for my husband who also has mobility issues. The porthole actually provided good light. Here is the view from our room.

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We did this cruise through Gate1 several years ago. This review is accurate from my own experience. The Russian staff was primarily young college age adults who made this cruise very fun and enjoyable. While the towns between Moscow and SPB were fascinating, the highlights were definitely Moscow and SPB. We were glad we opted to add independent days on both ends- especially since we had to obtain Russian visas prior to the cruise. We found it easy to get around in both cities and hotel facilities were very nice. I’d highly recommend this cruise to anyone interested in Russia and Russian history. It is a budget friendly option but a great opportunity to see this interesting country.

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Having done both cities, I would choose Prague. As stated already, it is so walkable and so beautiful.

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Not sure of where you are cruising but if in any of these cities, this store is a must. Believe most are open year round.

 

 

 

https://store-7tqzhr7u3z.mybigcommerce.com/international-locations/

Just returned from a Rhine River cruise on Viking. I stopped at this Christmas store in Rüdesheim and in Heidelberg. The store in Heidelberg is definitely better in terms of variety and selection. I’m a Christmas fanatic so walked away with a large box of beautiful German ornaments!

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We also did Basel to Amsterdam this spring on Viking. We did the Black Forest included tour in the morning and the optional Colmar WW2 tour in the afternoon. If you have any interest in WW2 history, this was excellent.

Our friends did the optional Top of Cologne Cathedral tour and said it was fascinating. We did all the included tours and for the most part, I would say they were very good. Marksburg Castle was a bit of a challenge but I brought along my collapsible cane and it was a good decision. Enjoy your cruise!

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Our very first river cruise was this itinerary - though we did earlier in December to see the Christmas markets. Weather was generally in the 40’s but with my long down coat, I had no problem. But then, I live in Wisconsin!

We loved this itinerary- docking close to the old town in many cases, was great. Of course the markets had mulled wine and other hot drinks to warm up with. We’ve taken a number of river cruises since then. I have to say that this one was a favorite!

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Did Alaska on Regatta 2 years ago with family members. Love your review- it lets me relive it through someone else’s experience! We had a terrific time on that cruise.

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If you think this may be your last trip to Europe, I say go for it! Treat yourself to the Riviera- you won’t be disappointed!

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We returned from Amsterdam a month ago- first visit after our river cruise. We stayed 3 nights at the Ambassade Hotel. I highly recommend it as it is a series of 10 historic houses on a central canal. The location was perfect- we walked to the Ann Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and Rembrandt House. The rooms, staff and breakfast were all outstanding. You won’t be disappointed!

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