Jan.31-Feb.10 Rivera cruise

[rbtan]

 This was our 11(really 10 day) cruise.Embarkation was mostly smooth.A 15 min.computer crash annoyed us, but no big deal. Upon boarding we noticed a lot of furniture & carpeting has been replaced with new. Eventually, we got to our cabin 8009. We like the new redo. The bathroom was totally redone with a new walk in shower where the tub once was & a new storage where the small auxiliary shower was. We very much liked the new shower overall. I have to admit I liked the "rainfall shower" that was in the small shower. It used to really drench you. The colors were a nice neutral tone. The bed was nice(though, I really like firm beds)we were able to exchange out some of the down pillows as Keith is somewhat allergic to feather pillows. 

 Now for the downside...Due to being at the front, you are in for a lot of noise from waves hitting the bow. It sets up a harmonic vibration that can be really loud & noisy in rough seas. We had a nice first dinner in the GDR. I had the Salmon which I loved in past voyages.The next day was a typical, grab a nice breakfast downstairs, wander about, watch some TV. Go up on deck & do pook time. We enjoy the salt water pool a lot. For dinner we had a nice meal again in the Dining room. This time Keith had the Sea Bream(type of Bass)  had the Wiener Schnitzel, which was very tough & gristly. A real surprise. Caesar Salad was enjoyed by me most nights.Feb. 3 we landed in St. Kitts & did a nice Beach day. As usual Keith came out from snorkeling with a large starfish, but otherwise saw little but small fish. A few years back there was tons of life under the water. They must have seen Keith coming.LOL!  For that night we dined in Jacques & enjoyed the Sea bass in Puff Pastry. It was the best we've had since being on Oceania.

  Day 4 was St.Vincent.We've not been there but hired a cab to take us & another couple for an island tour.We went up & saw some of the sites used for Pirates of the Caribbean.After a few more stops we ventured back to the ship. This tour was much cheaper than a ship excursion, which is what we choose on some islands.That night we dined in Red Ginger, one of our favorites. They had a new Spring roll offering & the usual favorites. You DO have to get the Miso Glazed Sea bass Its outstanding(as always) 

 Feb. 5 was Dominica. We were last there in 2019. It was a mess as the island had not still recovered from Hurricane Maria. This is a place we always do River Tubing. This time we did the Emerald Pool as well. Trafalgar falls is a nice fall to explore, but you can't swim in it as you can the Emerald pool. The tubing was great. Last time the tubes were too small for keith & not too comfy. This time they were new & had sort of a seat back on some that supported larger guys better. The Wacky riders were as usual a fun group.They did a great job of guiding us. The river was fairly high & you had some decent rapids.. From there we went to Emerald pool. This time there was a proper trail that led you right to the pool.Those with mobility issues would have a hard time here, as it was quite steep.The water was more chalky due to runoff. They do have fresh water crabs in the pool, you might feel some, but they don't bother people. This night we dined in Polo Grill. Overall we were not impressed. Keith had the worst Oysters Rockefeller he ever had. Just dry, no real Oyster. It was like they had no clue how to prepare it. The Filet mignon was quite good, but he's had better.

 Feb 6 in St. Barts. It wa really rough tendering to the island. This is the only island we tendered to. All others we docked. We just window shop in the expensive store but buy little. We had lunch in Joe Robichaud's bistro. It was excellent, but pricey. Diner was in the GDR with the best Dover Sole we ever had on Oceania. Truly outstanding.

 Feb. 7 Was San Juan Puerto Rico. We did an excursion to the Fort guarding the port of the city. It goes back over 400 years. It's been very well preserved & is a very educational trip to take.We saw some of the beaches. Some were nice. There was one that is managed by the city gvt. that's the one to go to, as the city maintains it & keeps it safe.We did a nice walk through some sites. Do see the row of US presidents. It shows the ones who visited while they were in office.Only those who visited get a statue. We stopped at a nice cafe & Keith had a huge Caribbean Lobster(not like our New England types) but still very good. I had an excellent Seafood Paella. It was huge!

 Feb. 8 was a letdown. The Captain skipped Puerto Plata(Dominican Republic) He said the sea was too rough. Most of didn't buy it. For over half the stops we arrived at 10:30-11:30. This eliminates half your day. They used the excuse of protecting the seas. We feel it was really to rush the cruise.

 The next 2 days were typical sea Days. We packed early & did a lot of pool time.

 Entertainment was decent. (the real entertainment is the food)Generally a mixed bag of cute rather "green" Singers & Dancers. They seem to get better as the cruise progresses, but they've been on board since late fall. The Panche String Quartet was good, but not as good as the Quartet from last year.Gary Casey, the Irish Comedian was outstanding. Extremely funny. The Magician was good but I've seen better. The last night we ate in Toscana. They really seem to do steak better than Polo & Dover Sole better then Jacques. Again, Keith had the Dover Sole & again it was outstanding. We enjoyed Tea time most days, but had to cut back a bit as not to spoil dinner time.

 As a side note we have found that food portion sizes have gotten smaller, but in all cases they will always give you extra if you ask. Food quality as always was mostly outstanding.With the exception of the Oysters Rockefeller & my Wiener Schnitzel, the food met our standards. We have booked another cruise next year on the new Vista.

[mauibabes]

No Specialty restaurants?  Too bad, I love the Dover Sole in Toscana or in Jacques, find it superior to the GDR. We would not want to miss a round of Specialty reservations. Bummer on the room location, guess you have a new list to keep off bad locations. Glad the redo was good, we have not seen it yet but will have to settle for Vista in May. That should answer a lot of questions about O and where she is going. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

[MEFIowa]

Just thankful we did these ports/stops off Sirena (10 nights, 11/2022). We did miss St. Kitts due to medical emergency on the way down that forced a stop at Puerto Plata. BUT we did do all the other stops and our times were NOT shortened. Sea was nice for tendering off St. Barts. Too bad you missed Puerto Plaza. We loved the city and the cable car ride to the top of the mountain where stands the 1/2 replica of the Rio "Jesus".

[rbtan]

Sorry! We did the Specialties!! Jacques we had the Seabass in Puff Pastry. Best it's ever been in our opinion. Polo Keith had the Oysters Rockefeller(terrible!!) Very dry with no real oyster he could fined. Filet Mignon was good but not a stand out. I had the Lamb rack, which was OK, but had been better in the past.Toscana we had the Dover Sole which was excellent & the bone in Pork chop which was excellent. We always find Toscana superior to Polo Grill. In Red Ginger we had the glazed Seabass, always excellent, The Lobster Pad Thai again excellent. Red Ginger just always seem to get everything just right for us.We Skipped Le Reserve, as we've done it 3 times & the fact the price has really gone up in the past year.The Dover Sole this time in the GDR was some of the best we've ever had. Just perfect. Only in the Frontenac, in Montreal was it better(larger size along with the roe, which we love)

On 2/17/2023 at 5:13 PM, mauibabes said:

No Specialty restaurants?  Too bad, I love the Dover Sole in Toscana or in Jacques, find it superior to the GDR. We would not want to miss a round of Specialty reservations. Bummer on the room location, guess you have a new list to keep off bad locations. Glad the redo was good, we have not seen it yet but will have to settle for Vista in May. That should answer a lot of questions about O and where she is going. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

Once you do Vista & perhaps return to Riviera, you'll notice the decor to be very similar. We are booked on Vista next Jan. for a 12 day cruise.

[Jayne E]

“Feb. 8 was a letdown. The Captain skipped Puerto Plata(Dominican Republic) He said the sea was too rough. Most of didn't buy it. For over half the stops we arrived at 10:30-11:30. This eliminates half your day. They used the excuse of protecting the seas. We feel it was really to rush the cruise.”

 

Was on Riviera 2/10-2/20. Same itinerary as previous cruise. Captain skipped Puerta Plata again.  This was announced at 8:00 AM . Sea was calm but told winds were expected.  Wind conditions never materialized. Staff told us that last 3 cruises skipped this port. We also docked at other ports 11-12, losing a half day.  We also believe O is cutting back on port time for monetary reasons. 

[rbtan]

3 hours ago, Jayne E said:

“Feb. 8 was a letdown. The Captain skipped Puerto Plata(Dominican Republic) He said the sea was too rough. Most of didn't buy it. For over half the stops we arrived at 10:30-11:30. This eliminates half your day. They used the excuse of protecting the seas. We feel it was really to rush the cruise.”

 

Was on Riviera 2/10-2/20. Same itinerary as previous cruise. Captain skipped Puerta Plata again.  This was announced at 8:00 AM . Sea was calm but told winds were expected.  Wind conditions never materialized. Staff told us that last 3 cruises skipped this port. We also docked at other ports 11-12, losing a half day.  We also believe O is cutting back on port time for monetary reasons. 

Yes, correct. Thuis saves fuel  costs.The ship does not have to cruise so fast. Though it saves them money, it shortens our enjoyment in posts.