LIVE from Sirena Oranjestad to Barcelona - March 20 through April 10, 2023

[Harters]

On 3/30/2023 at 7:41 PM, Sny said:

the wrinkled potatoes with red and green sauces.

We spend three weeks in Tenerife most winters and you quickly get very bored with the potatoes and mojo sauces being served at pretty much every dinner.

[pjsportsmom]

Has there been any Covid issues on board? Great reviews and pictures

[Harters]

Recent mention of Covid on this thread

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2929574-covid-on-sirena/#comment-65168761

 

[CoolChile]

18 hours ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

Those Adidas are a nice subtle shade of..........whatever colour that is. 😁

 

13 hours ago, JoePDX said:

A fiery orange.   Orange is my favorite color.   😊

Joe

 

I wish you'd told me, Joe!  We just sold our fiery orange sofa bed.  You cruise, you lose.

[JoePDX]

Our last port of call was Ibiza, Spain.  A quick shuttle into town and a wander about.   Cute town with lots of shops and restaurants.   After an hour and a half, headed back to the ship to get the packing done.   A nice final meal in the Grand Dining Room with our favorite waiter Mani providing expert service.  Many goodbyes to crew and guests.

 

We are lucky to be able to travel and have such incredible experiences and meet so many interesting people.   ❤️
 

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Sirena until the next time.   By the evening we will be greeting our friends in our little French Village  🇫🇷 where we will stay for 10 nights before heading back home where I still have to work.
 

Joe

 

 

[JoePDX]

Just now, pjsportsmom said:

Has there been any Covid issues on board? Great reviews and pictures

I didn’t know of any.   And no mention or rumors among  the many people we have met onboard.   

 

Did see medical staff all suited up returning from disembarking a passenger in Lisbon.  
 

A couple days after Lisbon a few announcements about hand washing and using the Purell  stations.   Saw enhanced cleaning of the hallway and stairway rails.   Also two bottles of Purell were left on the bed at turn down one night.   But no regular reminders after that one day.  Salt and pepper shakers remained on all tables in GDR and Terrace Cafe.

Joe

 

[pjsportsmom]

Great thanks for info, I’m on the Riviera in September and I’m trying to follow the

boards regarding Covid and the protocols  Oceania has in place.

[muggo11]

I enjoyed reading your live report, Joe.  And Nick and I are so grateful for your excursion planning prowess.  All the best to you and Jeff.  I hope our paths cross again.  

[goldengirl]

Hi all never been on oceanic yet I have tons of questions how is the food entertainment ?

 Do am planning on sailing from panama to Miami in Jan 2024 is this ship a 5 star ship? Also how are the specialty restaurants? And how are the options in the main dining room? Is the service and food bey

tter than celebrity? Appreciate all your help

[AMHuntFerry]

3 hours ago, goldengirl said:

Hi all never been on oceanic yet I have tons of questions how is the food entertainment ?

 Do am planning on sailing from panama to Miami in Jan 2024 is this ship a 5 star ship? Also how are the specialty restaurants? And how are the options in the main dining room? Is the service and food bey

tter than celebrity? Appreciate all your help

Check out these topics:

 

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, goldengirl said:

Hi all never been on oceanic yet I have tons of questions how is the food entertainment ?

 Do am planning on sailing from panama to Miami in Jan 2024 is this ship a 5 star ship? Also how are the specialty restaurants? And how are the options in the main dining room? Is the service and food bey

tter than celebrity? Appreciate all your help

Might  be a good idea to read some of the threads in this forum   you can find out a lot  in the other threads

 Food is subjective 

 

You can also look on Oceania website   & they have sample menus for the restaurants  it will give you an idea of what is on offer

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/culinary

[JoePDX]

Well, all good things must come to an end.  An amazing 21 nights on Sirena.  Sirena docked at the World Trade Center just about 7 am.  One of the bonuses of our small ship.    Signal flags were raised….always a special sight for me.
 

Jeff and I boarded the R5 (now Nautica) at the World Trade Center in March 2001 for our first cruise and what we thought may be our only trip to Europe.  Instead it sparked our lust for travel, and here 22 years later we have 50 plus countries on our visited list and now 192 days at sea.  64 more days at sea already booked for the future.   We are thankful every day to be able to travel, see so many incredible places and meet such interesting people.

 

Somehow our luggage required more stuffing, despite only meager purchases and our Big O winnings.  But I made it fit and had them in the hallway just past 10 pm.  Our two duffles are 19 years old and have circled the globe a few times.
 

Final breakfast in Terrace Cafe, an excellent Sticky Bun, more goodbyes.

 

We requested disembarkation at 8:15 am, they called our color at 8:05.  We stepped off the ship, being a Aruba embarked passenger we had to go through immigration, which was no line and quick.  Our luggage was the only ones in our color/number so easy to find, porter loaded it up and out to the curb. Our driver was there and we were on our way to the airport by 8:25 am to get our rental car.

 

On the road by 9:30 to our little French Village where we will spend 10 nights.   Dinner in honor of Jeff’s retirement at the home of our friends Laura and Aleksey.   They were the trailblazers who prompted us to buy here as well.   
 

Our time on Sirena lived up to our expectations.   Was it perfect….no, but pretty darn close.   The crew was amazing.   The food overall top notch, and they did finally get the Sticky Buns yummy.  The production staff was really talented and so nice to get to know them.  One thing we learned right before we disembarked.   Guests are allowed to host the production team members for dinner in the GDR.   Wish we had known sooner as we would have loved to do that.  
 

Some special memories:

 

1.  Our trivia team on the first leg.   We really enjoyed everyone and we really came together as a team.  
 

2.  Oceania Country Fair.   Just a fun event for passengers and crew.

 

3.  We were invited to dinner with Executive Concierge Juan Carlos and Food & Beverage Director Miahi in Red Ginger.   A really enjoyable dinner and a lasting memory and new friends.

 

4.  Lecturer on first leg photographer Benedict Brain.  He 8moarted so much knowledge.   I will never look at a potato again without wanting to photograph it,   Www.Benedictbrain.com

 

5.   Some really special crew…Rosa, Rosa, Itsak, Mani, Ivan, Geraldine.   Mani in particular,   We found him after only a few nights on board.   After that he was requested every night (and also on GDR lunch days).  He remembered what we liked.  He also made suggestions…like that we could have sautéed spinach or asparagus every night.   
 

And of course all the great places we visited.

 

Thanks for following along.

 

Joe

 

 

 

[marne-c]

@JoePDX I really enjoyed your thread!  DW and I will be on Sirena in spring 2024 for an extended, 26-night transatlantic itinerary departing Miami on 27 March for Southampton.  Now we're looking forward to it even more.

 

Any chance YOU will re-up to Sirena next spring?

 

--Marne

[ToxM]

Thanks for your reports, it’s been lovely! 

 

We aren’t back on O til November 2024, but it’s doing a TA on Sirena in our fave cabin. 

 

Sirena is a special lady. 

[JoePDX]

33 minutes ago, ToxM said:

Sirena is a special lady. 

Hi @ToxM

 

We agree fully.   It is a happy little ship.  🥰

 

Joe

[JoePDX]

1 hour ago, marne-c said:

@JoePDX I really enjoyed your thread!  DW and I will be on Sirena in spring 2024 for an extended, 26-night transatlantic itinerary departing Miami on 27 March for Southampton.  Now we're looking forward to it even more.

 

Any chance YOU will re-up to Sirena next spring?

 

--Marne

Hi @marne-c -

 

I am glad you enjoyed the thread.  I have a lot of fun putting it together.  😊

 

We will likely be on Celebrity Silhouette in April 2024 as we want to end in Amsterdam to spend time with a friend and then do a road trip down to our little French village. But you never know….  😎

 

Just looked at your itinerary.   A lovely mix.   I have great guides to recommend for Tenerife and Portimao.  Keep following this thread, I will post the details, but may not get to it until after we return to Portland on April 22.

 

Joe

Edited April 11, 2023 by JoePDX

[WayneLaR]

Thanks for doing this thread, Joe.  Really enjoyed it and the pictures along with it.  I'll look forward for the recap with the Tenerife recommendation as we will be there in November on a Marina TA cruise.

[YoPhilly]

Thanks for bringing us along on your lovely voyage.  Our next sail is in January on Insignia from L.A. to Auckland....our longest voyage ever.  We're so looking forward to it.  We love the smaller ships.

[ORV]

Enjoyed your posting. Thanks

[commanders]

Joe and Jeff, thank you for this wonderful thread and the enjoyable Portimao tour you organized.

It’s our first Oceania cruise and we are hooked. The food, the itinerary (we were pleasantly surprised at Melilla) , ship size, free laundry and Bulgari amenities are what I liked. The entertainment was nothing special but it’s not so important (once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all) and better than Viking, lol. 

By the way,  I saw the O points redemption list and I thought you must have packed a new suitcase with your points. What did you guys end up getting? 

[SSFrance69]

15 hours ago, JoePDX said:

One thing we learned right before we disembarked.   Guests are allowed to host the production team members for dinner in the GDR.   Wish we had known sooner as we would have loved to do that.  

Wow really neat! How does that work? What do you do to make that happen? Do you host the entire team, or just the ones you've gotten to know? 

[cluso]

6 hours ago, JoePDX said:

Hi @marne-c -

 

I am glad you enjoyed the thread.  I have a lot of fun putting it together.  😊

 

We will likely be on Celebrity Silhouette in April 2024 as we want to end in Amsterdam to spend time with a friend and then do a road trip down to our little French village. But you never know….  😎

 

 

 

Joe

 

"Little French Village" pops up a few times.  We spend a lot of time in France (mostly car trips)--care to share?  Thank you for your review!

Sante'

[JoePDX]

5 hours ago, cluso said:

 

"Little French Village" pops up a few times.  We spend a lot of time in France (mostly car trips)--care to share?  Thank you for your review!

Sante'

Happy to share the name.  It is Mur-de-Barrez, a medieval village that is a former holding of the Grimaldi family in Monaco.  Located in the Aveyron region which is nearly unknown to North Americans.   But stunningly beautiful.

 

Market Day is every Thursday, year round.

The hills of Aveyron.  Our village is at about 950 meters above sea level.

 

Joe

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by JoePDX

[JoePDX]

6 hours ago, SSFrance69 said:

Wow really neat! How does that work? What do you do to make that happen? Do you host the entire team, or just the ones you've gotten to know? 

According to the person we talked to you just ask them.   I am sure they may have a protocol to go through.  Can be one or the whole cast.  We probably would have done two at a time.

 

Joe

[JoePDX]

7 hours ago, commanders said:

Joe and Jeff, thank you for this wonderful thread and the enjoyable Portimao tour you organized.

It’s our first Oceania cruise and we are hooked. The food, the itinerary (we were pleasantly surprised at Melilla) , ship size, free laundry and Bulgari amenities are what I liked. The entertainment was nothing special but it’s not so important (once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all) and better than Viking, lol. 

By the way,  I saw the O points redemption list and I thought you must have packed a new suitcase with your points. What did you guys end up getting? 

 

Hi @commanders -

Always fun to arrange the excursions.   And to meet people like both of you.   Would you email me the group photos that you had taken.  😃

As for Big-O redemption - a couple polos, a t-shirt, luggage tag and a Claudine Pepin cookbook.   
 

We enjoyed Melilla too, I was able to get three pair of Adidas, so that may have been part of the luggage stuffing problem.  😂🤣😂

 

Joe