Oceania Riviera Cruise Notes April 4-15 2022

[jsl51]

Yes, I’m really enjoying reading your posts! Thanks for taking the time and effort to put them together.

my friend and I are on Riviera May 7 - 17, it’s great to have this first hand knowledge in advance!

[BellaOnline]

Oceania Riviera Cruise Day 8 – At Sea

 

The past two days on the Oceania Riviera, in the Canary Islands, have both involved a LOT of attentive activity – either a lot of walking or a lot of steady-hand videotaping for my sister. Today was an at sea day, cruising back toward Spain, and I was grateful. Even though it was all at sea, though, it still had a busy schedule. Plus, today was Monday, meaning I had my teen writing class from 11pm to 2am (ship time).

 

Today was two art sessions – one at 9am and one at 5pm – both on working on the human face. I am generally a ‘rank beginner’ with faces so I looked forward to learning techniques to practice. I grabbed some fruit for breakfast, and by 9am bright and early I was in the studio with Noel Suarez. We had, again the usual gang, about 8 of us, all ready to keep building our skills.

 

Noel really is good. The two hours fly by and often we stay for longer. The way he can start with a simple shape and make it become 3D is stunning. Once we were done, it was time to meet my mom and sister for lunch. I had a tuna melt. Again, I’m just not keen on their plating technique in most cases. It’s missing something.

 

I caught up on doing edits for my teen writers, and then it was already 4pm tea time. Now, oddly, the musical quartet had become a trio. We were told that one of the violin players had gotten sick and left the ship.

 

I left the tea experience right at 4pm for my 5pm art class to work on the face. I really wanted to get as much of this as I could – but unfortunately at 6pm was the celebration party for returning Oceania cruisers. So I had to cut out early to go up to that party.

 

The room was ABSOLUTELY PACKED. Not only that, but we were told they had to break this party up into TWO SHIFTS because there were so many repeat travelers on board. Even though the boat in general was only about 40% full. Apparently, even though there were relatively few people on board, nearly all of them were people who had traveled on Oceania before. The thought was that most people were still afraid of cruising. Only repeat cruisers, who were chomping at the bit to get on board, were willing to cruise. So it made sense that nearly all of the people on board were repeat Oceania cruisers.

 

What this meant was that the room was jammed full and, because everyone was eating and drinking, nobody was wearing a mask (well nearly nobody – the staff were). The captain and main crew weren’t there – just the ‘public crew’ types of people. They gave a few call-outs for the people on board who had cruised the most and that was about it. The house band played some music.

 

Then it was time for dinner. Tonight we were dining at the Polo Grill.

 

Again, I’m just not sure who is designing their plating options in these restaurants. A 'brown smear' under greens isn't a good look.

 

And then – a spark of beauty with dessert! I’ve found someone who is paying attention to their task in life! This is what I would expect at a nice restaurant. Beautifully done. This is visually appealing in a number of ways.

 

When it got to be teen-time, I brought along my power converter, my fully charged laptop, and I went up near Baristas. It was completely empty and quiet by this time. I prayed to the WiFi gods. They heard me! The 3-hour glass went as smooth as silk, the teens had an awesome time, and life was good. By the time that was over, I was quite ready for sleep.

 

Ask with any questions!

Edited May 2, 2022 by BellaOnline

[BellaOnline]

Here's all the menus from the trip, for the meals we had. Ask with any questions. You should be able to see this full size in HD on your TV to read them. If you aren't able to do that and want to see a particular menu full size, let me know and I'll post the original photo here.

 

 

[BellaOnline]

Here is a selection of the artwork from the Oceania Riviera. It is a floating museum.

 

 

[BellaOnline]

Oceania Riviera Cruise Day 9 – Cadiz Spain

 

In a way, Day 9 on our Oceania Riviera cruise was a sad day. On this day, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, we were SUPPOSED to be in Morocco. Morocco!! Amazing city! Historic! A key reason we signed up for this cruise was to be able to visit Morocco.

 

But it was not meant to be.

 

Oceania never quite said why we had to change the itinerary, but undoubtedly COVID was a base reason. And in a small way, it was a relief. Morocco was on Italy’s list of “dangerous countries”. Italy was our end destination. If we stopped in Morocco and then went on to land in Italy, there’d be all sorts of forms and issues involved. All of those concerns went away once we bypassed Morocco.

 

Still, it was sad to miss out on that opportunity. Someday we’ll have to go back and visit Morocco.

The “consolation prize” Oceania gave us instead was Cadiz. And, really, Cadiz is an amazing place. This incredibly historic port town of Spain is FULL of ancient Roman buildings, ancient Spanish churches, you name it. Plus, it was Tuesday and on Sunday was Easter. That meant Cadiz was already gearing up for Easter and had all their beautiful floats and flowers and such on display.

We didn’t have any tours planned, so my sister, my mom, and I headed out on foot.

 

Cadiz is beautiful. Everywhere you turn are historic buildings and architecture.

There are also a ton of shops. Some had quite amusing items to go with the holidays. To American eyes, these sort of look like Ku Klux Klan candies.

First we went to the Cadiz Cathedral. Yes, the building itself was stunning, with beautiful stonework, paintings, etc. etc. But **also** they had simply amazing floats staged within. So it was doubly stunning.

Next, we went to the ancient Roman Theater, which had only been discovered by accident in 1980. This was one of the largest Roman Theaters in existence and could seat 10,000 participants! It was amazing to walk through the halls and imagine how this would have felt in 100 BC. So much hasn’t changed in life.

Nearby was the Church of the Holy Cross / Parroquia de Santa Crus. Again, absolutely beautiful. Lots of floats staged for the procession.

I felt fairly iffy about the new method of fire control in churches, though. In the past, when I went to a church I would light a candle for my grandmother. Here, though, you dropped in a euro and an LED candle would light up. Drop in more coins, more LED candles sprung to life. I don’t know. It just felt … plastic. I know real candles are fire hazards, but it will take some getting used to.

We walked through some gorgeous open-air markets for clothing and food. It was delightful.

Finally our feet were tired and we headed back to the Riviera. I had a nice big salad and was thoroughly happy. Soon enough it was 4pm tea time with our musical trio. Then art class drawing beautiful calla lilies. Then dinner in the main dining room. I wanted to show the gorgeous white lace over-dress my sister got in the marketplace. They have beautiful items in Cadiz.

I know it feels to some people like I am harping on the way these dishes are presented. I am really trying to look for “lovely plated dishes” to showcase. I spent many years writing articles for a local winery magazine where I would praise the local restaurants for their wine and food pairings. The dishes served were always magazine-quality. We would run photos of the dishes along the winery reviews. I just am not impressed with the plating on the Oceania Riviera. Countless cooks will tell you that how a dish is presented to you matters immensely. And then I get served this.

It’s just not right. The display is supposed to entice the eater. It’s supposed to then entice other nearby tables to want to order it. This … not so much. If I tried to submit this photo with one of my winery reviews, I doubt it would have been published.

 

Jenn and I had barely been able to see the Rock of Gibraltar on the way out, so we made absolutely sure that we were going to see it on the way back in to the Mediterranean Sea. Maybe a bit TOO sure. We went up on the top deck and waited … waited … we did get interesting photos of other things, and learned how to balance on the rocks in the miniature golf course, but it took a LONG time before we finally got to see the rock.

Still, we did see it.

 

Finally, after a long day of exploring and art and food, it was time to sleep.

 

Ask with any questions!

[BellaOnline]

 

[BellaOnline]

Cadiz Cathedral Interior -

 

[BellaOnline]

Detail from Cadiz Cathedral -

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-tO93wnhdJ0

 

[BellaOnline]

Cadiz Candleabra -

 

 

[BellaOnline]

Roman Theater of Cadiz -

 

 

[BellaOnline]

Seating area of Roman Theater -

 

[BellaOnline]

LED Candles at Church of the Holy Cross -

 

[BellaOnline]

An Alley in Cadiz Spain -

 

 

[BellaOnline]

Cadiz Spain view from the balcony on the Oceania Riviera -

 

 

[janecambridge]

What was that on your plate? 🤦‍♀️

[BellaOnline]

My dinner was herb-crusted tuna loin, baby porcini ravioli, and leeks with red wine sauce. Ravioli in wine sauce would have been quite fine. Herb-crusted tuna loin by its nature should be crisp and clean, not swamped in a red wine sauce. I'm not sure what to say about the pile of leeks :). Just a lot of disconnect going on for a 'fine dining' venue.

[BellaOnline]

Oceania Riviera Cruise Day 10 – Cartagena Spain

 

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know the way time strangely works. When you start the cruise, it seems like you have a vast number of days to explore the world. Then, in the blink of an eye, you’re already on your last port of call. How did it happen?? Where did the days go?

 

On the Oceania Riviera cruise, Day 10, on Wednesday, April 13th 2022, was our last official full port day. Then we had one more day at sea before we landed bright and early on Friday morning in Rome, Italy.

 

Our plan for Cartagena, Spain was to take a trolley to see all the major sights. By the end of a cruise often we are exhausted and burnt out. It’s good to wind things down a bit by this point. The trolley tour seemed a good idea.

 

We didn’t land in Cartagena until afternoon, so I got to enjoy a morning art class. We had lots of fun with shading. Then I enjoyed a delicious salad in the buffet. Soon it was time to gather for our trolley. Only Jenn and I went on this one.

 

The trolley was a road-driven series of connected “carts”. They had full well-worn glass windows, so they weren’t great to see out of, and each bench seat was about four people wide. Jenn and I went to the very back where we had the best chance of a window seat. We lucked out. She got the very back seat with a window and I got the seat right in front of her.

 

I suppose it was good that there weren’t any “must see photos” on this driving tour. The streets and alleys were very similar to other Spanish towns. They were pretty, but I vastly prefer walking the streets myself so I can pause and arrange an angle. With the drive, and the less-than-clean windows, one sort of had to just point, shoot, and hope for the best.

This view shows you the trolley itself as it comes around a corner.

About half-way through the drive we reached an overlook. We got out there to spent twenty minutes taking photos and videos from the overlook. We really hadn’t gotten that far from the dock.

From here we could see a really pretty Roman amphitheater. Hmmmm. If we had walked the town we could have visited it. A lesson for next time.

On the other hand, there were wild (tame, I suppose) peacocks wandering around the overlook. One of them became very fond of my sister. I got quite cute video which I’ll load shortly.

A couple decided they’d rather walk back than take the tram. That meant my sister was going to have the whole back seat to herself – but instead one of the other passengers sat back there with my sister. The passenger was one of my fellow art class students. So the trolley meandered its way back to the dock.

 

We had our 4pm classical music with tea. Then dinner in the Grand Dining Room. Today was “Taste of Russia” – with Chicken Kiev which is from Ukraine. They print these menus fresh EVERY DAY. One might think they would have adjusted their wording a bit given we were 10 days into this tour and Ukraine was actively being bombarded.

And, you know, this was one of the prettiest plates on the ship’s travels, and just saying that makes me shake my head a bit. I could showcase all sorts of photos from “lesser quality ships” where the food was much more appealing looking. If Oceania had two years to launch their big plans to win us back with their amazing food, it didn’t quite get there.

 

So, to summarize Cartagena, Spain – it seemed an amazing city but next time we should explore on foot. The trolley tour just doesn’t do it justice. It’s also fair to say that after the amazing sights we’d experienced up until now, there was nothing we saw here which held up to that “wow” factor.

 

Ask with any questions!

[FetaCheese]

14 minutes ago, BellaOnline said:

Oceania Riviera Cruise Day 10 – Cartagena Spain

 

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know the way time strangely works. When you start the cruise, it seems like you have a vast number of days to explore the world. Then, in the blink of an eye, you’re already on your last port of call. How did it happen?? Where did the days go?

 

On the Oceania Riviera cruise, Day 10, on Wednesday, April 13th 2022, was our last official full port day. Then we had one more day at sea before we landed bright and early on Friday morning in Rome, Italy.

 

Our plan for Cartagena, Spain was to take a trolley to see all the major sights. By the end of a cruise often we are exhausted and burnt out. It’s good to wind things down a bit by this point. The trolley tour seemed a good idea.

 

We didn’t land in Cartagena until afternoon, so I got to enjoy a morning art class. We had lots of fun with shading. Then I enjoyed a delicious salad in the buffet. Soon it was time to gather for our trolley. Only Jenn and I went on this one.

 

The trolley was a road-driven series of connected “carts”. They had full well-worn glass windows, so they weren’t great to see out of, and each bench seat was about four people wide. Jenn and I went to the very back where we had the best chance of a window seat. We lucked out. She got the very back seat with a window and I got the seat right in front of her.

 

I suppose it was good that there weren’t any “must see photos” on this driving tour. The streets and alleys were very similar to other Spanish towns. They were pretty, but I vastly prefer walking the streets myself so I can pause and arrange an angle. With the drive, and the less-than-clean windows, one sort of had to just point, shoot, and hope for the best.

This view shows you the trolley itself as it comes around a corner.

About half-way through the drive we reached an overlook. We got out there to spent twenty minutes taking photos and videos from the overlook. We really hadn’t gotten that far from the dock.

From here we could see a really pretty Roman amphitheater. Hmmmm. If we had walked the town we could have visited it. A lesson for next time.

On the other hand, there were wild (tame, I suppose) peacocks wandering around the overlook. One of them became very fond of my sister. I got quite cute video which I’ll load shortly.

A couple decided they’d rather walk back than take the tram. That meant my sister was going to have the whole back seat to herself – but instead one of the other passengers sat back there with my sister. The passenger was one of my fellow art class students. So the trolley meandered its way back to the dock.

 

We had our 4pm classical music with tea. Then dinner in the Grand Dining Room. Today was “Taste of Russia” – with Chicken Kiev which is from Ukraine. They print these menus fresh EVERY DAY. One might think they would have adjusted their wording a bit given we were 10 days into this tour and Ukraine was actively being bombarded.

And, you know, this was one of the prettiest plates on the ship’s travels, and just saying that makes me shake my head a bit. I could showcase all sorts of photos from “lesser quality ships” where the food was much more appealing looking. If Oceania had two years to launch their big plans to win us back with their amazing food, it didn’t quite get there.

 

So, to summarize Cartagena, Spain – it seemed an amazing city but next time we should explore on foot. The trolley tour just doesn’t do it justice. It’s also fair to say that after the amazing sights we’d experienced up until now, there was nothing we saw here which held up to that “wow” factor.

 

Ask with any questions!

Green smear, I agree very unappetizing.  "Finest cuisine at sea"? Not when compared to Viking ( Dec. 2021) Their cuisine was, in my opinion, superior to O, with beautiful plate presentations.

[bbtondo]

13 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Green smear, I agree very unappetizing.  "Finest cuisine at sea"? Not when compared to Viking ( Dec. 2021) Their cuisine was, in my opinion, superior to O, with beautiful plate presentations.

I like hearing other opinions. 

 

I so appreciate the OP's point of view and have enjoyed her cruise review.  I get the impression that her diet is quite a bit different than mine . LOL  Most of the dishes she ate I would never order.  

 

Went on my first Viking cruise on the SEA to the Med last fall 2021.  Was not impressed by the food at all!  Also not impressed with the service.  Also realized that Viking is just not my cup of tea.  

 

Looking forward to my first O cruise in August on the Riviera. I'll let ya know how I like the food, etc!

 

 

[LHT28]

35 minutes ago, bbtondo said:

Looking forward to my first O cruise in August on the Riviera. I'll let ya know how I like the food, etc!

 

 

Just remember if you see something on the menu for the dish you are ordering that you may not like just ask for them not to put it on

Like Gravy or dressing on the side  or no fries 

You can always ask for some dishes  to be smaller appy size  like some pasta dishes

extra spicy or less spicy

The trick is to ask  when you are ordering

[BellaOnline]

I definitely agree that one can ask for menu modifications. I'll caveat, though, that my mother repeatedly asked on this cruise for smaller portions because she hates to waste food. She just eats small portions. Pretty much every time they brought her the full-sized plate and just told her she didn't have to eat it all.

 

In a world where Ukraine's breadbasket is under assault and India's breadbasket is roasting in an oven, you'd think they'd be a bit more attentive to deliberate food waste, especially when the client is specifically asking for less food. 

 

I'll also caveat that they had situations where there were things on the plate (mixed in with the food) that weren't mentioned on the menu. Depending on the foods you aren't keen on, that can sometimes be an unpleasant surprise. They need to be a bit more descriptive on their menus. Usually they just list the main protein and starch.

 

My sister is the one who ate the Chicken Kiev :). I'm not keen on fried breading. I had the beef wellington that night - shiraz wine sauce, truffle potatoes, vegetable bouquetiere -

 

In general my style of eating on the cruise was a light fruit breakfast, a salad for lunch, herbal tea with a veggie sandwich for tea, and then a protein-with-veggies for dinner. I know other people eat the exact opposite of me and that's fine! It's why their menus have so many options :). I imagine other people post travelogues of their opposite-Lisa food choices, and therefore we cover all the bases for readers. 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by BellaOnline

[brittany12]

That so called green smear looks  very much like pureed peas to me. Perfectly fine and very appetizing.

[BellaOnline]

It's not that I think the Chicken Kiev with two large smears of pureed peas is the 'worst' display - as I mentioned, it was at least a dish where they tried to make it pretty. Chicken Kiev itself is fairly 'boring' looking and you don't want to cut it open on serving (which is what restaurant menus often show) because then it would get cold too quickly in terms of the client. So the 'prettiness' on serving needs to come from the arrangement of side dishes.

 

In practical terms, when I look at that, I see the 'sausage of chicken' and then two large smears of peas in long, laid-out swooshes. Those peas are going to get cold VERY quickly because of how they're laid out. For me, cold pea mush just isn't very appealing. Usually thick pea soup (which I adore) is served in a bowl where it can stay warm until you finish it. So that plating, for me, damages the edibility of half of the food on the plate. 

 

If people love room temperature pureed peas then I can see this being a great dish for them. We all have different tastes. But even so, why not do something pretty like this?

 

https://themaplecuttingboard.com/2019/09/04/seared-scallops-with-pea-puree/

[brittany12]

In any event, the peacock looks fascinated by it. He or she is about to jump right into the dish to open up the renamed on this thread Ukrainian dish Chicken Kiev, and get a splash of butter in its face.

[KatieBelle]

9 hours ago, bbtondo said:

I like hearing other opinions. 

bbtondo would you please email me at jehsooneratyahoodotcom?  I have a Naples Florida question.  

 

Katie