Perspective On Recent Vista Cruise

[2SeaAll]

My wife and I were on the recent Montreal>Miami cruise, booked in a PH stateroom. Given the limited publicly available perspectives for Vista, we would like to contribute to this forum by sharing our thoughts regarding the positives and the shortcomings of our experience, as well as sharing a few thoughts for improvements previously shared with Oceania. Due to the subjective nature of our assessments and the variability of ship/port provided services, we fully expect that others on our cruise or other Vista cruises may offer a different perspective or may have had different experiences onboard. Also note that we did not have Simply More and that this program went into effect two days after our sailing.

 

Bottom Line: Vista is a generational improvement that exceeded our expectations. The cruise was an absolute delight.

 

OVERALL

·        Design aesthetics excellent overall: pleasing color palette, updated styles, and materials; design aesthetics created an atmosphere of restrained elegance, tranquility, sophistication and contemporary feel.

·        Except for Red Ginger, the redesign of dining rooms enhanced the dining experience and seemingly facilitated more efficient service.

·        Mechanicals worked well throughout, except one elevator was repeatedly out of service.

·        Wi-Fi marginally improved, but the Spain-based Starlink server is annoying and, on occasion, made for an inconvenient browsing experience (typically linked to Spain-based websites when looking for USA based websites, even with VPN connected); better results achieved by linking to search target through Apps.

 

IMPROVEMENTS

·        Dining room design, particularly Polo Grill, Grand Dining Room, and Terrace Café

·        Vista Lounge – more comfortable, better sight lines, improved acoustics, and more technologically advanced stage and effects; trade-off is somewhat limited capacity for fully-booked cruise. With one show per night, it seemed to skew dining surge to earlier times and single level design made extreme crowding the rule for popular guest entertainers.

·        Very good guest entertainers

·        Terrific Cruise Director (Ray) and Future Cruises Ambassador

·        Addition of The Bakery

·        Evolution of Barista Café [Note: Oceania is transitioning away from Illy brand and to its own, proprietary coffee beans roasted “in-house”]

·        Aquamar Café is an outstanding addition.

·        Computer center greatly expanded and enhanced

·        Enrichment Lectures seemed upgraded and more relevant.

·        Pool-area seating, sunshade, and innovative integration of pool proximity seating made for a much more pleasant experience with less “chair-hogging.”

·        Aquamar Spa Concierge area at front of ship is much improved

·        Bathroom in PH staterooms

·        Although skeptical pre-cruise, we did not miss the walk-in closet and grew to view the hybrid closet in our Ph stateroom as a positive improvement [need to open/butterfly suitcases to store under bed].

 

 

DISAPPOINTMENTS

·        Ice cream – subpar texture and flavor – needs a good, branded premium ice cream rather than an in-house Oceania-prepared alternative.

·        Red Ginger design aesthetics are cold/sterile/antiseptic and not experience-enhancing; needs some color and design/decoration features consistent with Asia without resorting to kitsch – big negative change from Marina/Riviera

·        Limited TV channel selection and access to post-season MLB games and NFL football; American sports interests not well accommodated either in-room on TV, and/or alternatively in bars/theatres

 

SUGGESTIONS

·        Port Days: 1. Display gangway info on elevator screens; 2. Include the street addresse (and/or monument markers) for docked pier to in Currents to preclude situations such as our experience in Quebec City where 2 taxi drivers did not know (and could not find) the location of our Pier by pier #.

·        Aqua di Parma toiletries were very nice, but exceptionally hard to use, especially in the shower

o   Needs flip top rather than screw top

o   Label lettering for shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel could not be read without strong reading glass or a magnifying glass

·        Open Aquamar Café for dinner on limited basis, if possible (may require Aquamar expansion)

·        Correct annoying reflection of TV screen on lacquer material of closet exterior wall perpendicular to TV in PH design when viewed from bed

·        While we were pre-disposed to dislike Ember because it dislodged Jacques, we nonetheless really enjoyed Ember, subject to the following:

o   Must pro-actively ask for “slow-down” or you will be rushed through the meal - normal-ish pacing should be the default

o   Noise level can be high and should be corrected structurally – carefully choose table and do not necessarily accept “assigned” table.

o   Classic American/Regional dishes are not always correctly prepared. A prime example is the Lobster Roll which when prepared properly, according to New England recipes, is a grilled roll (with or without a small amount of butter for grilling), pulled, unadorned lobster with spices, and a very small amount of mayonnaise. The Ember version was served on a proper (but not grilled) cold roll , and the lobster was a lobster salad with a significant amount of mayonnaise – a very ill-conceived attempt to replicate a regional classic - even though high quality ingredients were used - only to be spoiled by poor preparation.

 

Those booked on future Vista (and Allura) sailings are in for a treat!!

 

 

 

[Waltershipman]

18 minutes ago, 2SeaAll said:

My wife and I were on the recent Montreal>Miami cruise, booked in a PH stateroom. Given the limited publicly available perspectives for Vista, we would like to contribute to this forum by sharing our thoughts regarding the positives and the shortcomings of our experience, as well as sharing a few thoughts for improvements previously shared with Oceania. Due to the subjective nature of our assessments and the variability of ship/port provided services, we fully expect that others on our cruise or other Vista cruises may offer a different perspective or may have had different experiences onboard. Also note that we did not have Simply More and that this program went into effect two days after our sailing.

 

Bottom Line: Vista is a generational improvement that exceeded our expectations. The cruise was an absolute delight.

 

OVERALL

·        Design aesthetics excellent overall: pleasing color palette, updated styles, and materials; design aesthetics created an atmosphere of restrained elegance, tranquility, sophistication and contemporary feel.

·        Except for Red Ginger, the redesign of dining rooms enhanced the dining experience and seemingly facilitated more efficient service.

·        Mechanicals worked well throughout, except one elevator was repeatedly out of service.

·        Wi-Fi marginally improved, but the Spain-based Starlink server is annoying and, on occasion, made for an inconvenient browsing experience (typically linked to Spain-based websites when looking for USA based websites, even with VPN connected); better results achieved by linking to search target through Apps.

 

IMPROVEMENTS

·        Dining room design, particularly Polo Grill, Grand Dining Room, and Terrace Café

·        Vista Lounge – more comfortable, better sight lines, improved acoustics, and more technologically advanced stage and effects; trade-off is somewhat limited capacity for fully-booked cruise. With one show per night, it seemed to skew dining surge to earlier times and single level design made extreme crowding the rule for popular guest entertainers.

·        Very good guest entertainers

·        Terrific Cruise Director (Ray) and Future Cruises Ambassador

·        Addition of The Bakery

·        Evolution of Barista Café [Note: Oceania is transitioning away from Illy brand and to its own, proprietary coffee beans roasted “in-house”]

·        Aquamar Café is an outstanding addition.

·        Computer center greatly expanded and enhanced

·        Enrichment Lectures seemed upgraded and more relevant.

·        Pool-area seating, sunshade, and innovative integration of pool proximity seating made for a much more pleasant experience with less “chair-hogging.”

·        Aquamar Spa Concierge area at front of ship is much improved

·        Bathroom in PH staterooms

·        Although skeptical pre-cruise, we did not miss the walk-in closet and grew to view the hybrid closet in our Ph stateroom as a positive improvement [need to open/butterfly suitcases to store under bed].

 

 

DISAPPOINTMENTS

·        Ice cream – subpar texture and flavor – needs a good, branded premium ice cream rather than an in-house Oceania-prepared alternative.

·        Red Ginger design aesthetics are cold/sterile/antiseptic and not experience-enhancing; needs some color and design/decoration features consistent with Asia without resorting to kitsch – big negative change from Marina/Riviera

·        Limited TV channel selection and access to post-season MLB games and NFL football; American sports interests not well accommodated either in-room on TV, and/or alternatively in bars/theatres

 

SUGGESTIONS

·        Port Days: 1. Display gangway info on elevator screens; 2. Include the street addresse (and/or monument markers) for docked pier to in Currents to preclude situations such as our experience in Quebec City where 2 taxi drivers did not know (and could not find) the location of our Pier by pier #.

·        Aqua di Parma toiletries were very nice, but exceptionally hard to use, especially in the shower

o   Needs flip top rather than screw top

o   Label lettering for shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel could not be read without strong reading glass or a magnifying glass

·        Open Aquamar Café for dinner on limited basis, if possible (may require Aquamar expansion)

·        Correct annoying reflection of TV screen on lacquer material of closet exterior wall perpendicular to TV in PH design when viewed from bed

·        While we were pre-disposed to dislike Ember because it dislodged Jacques, we nonetheless really enjoyed Ember, subject to the following:

o   Must pro-actively ask for “slow-down” or you will be rushed through the meal - normal-ish pacing should be the default

o   Noise level can be high and should be corrected structurally – carefully choose table and do not necessarily accept “assigned” table.

o   Classic American/Regional dishes are not always correctly prepared. A prime example is the Lobster Roll which when prepared properly, according to New England recipes, is a grilled roll (with or without a small amount of butter for grilling), pulled, unadorned lobster with spices, and a very small amount of mayonnaise. The Ember version was served on a proper (but not grilled) cold roll , and the lobster was a lobster salad with a significant amount of mayonnaise – a very ill-conceived attempt to replicate a regional classic - even though high quality ingredients were used - only to be spoiled by poor preparation.

 

Those booked on future Vista (and Allura) sailings are in for a treat!!

 

 

 

Loved your perspectives.Having just been on the new Explora journeys and in January on the Vista i welcomed your info.

 

As for the lobster roll i totally understand. While the food on EJ was extraordinary great their lobster roll sounds similar to the one on Vista not nearly full enough of Lobster. That being said how could i possibly complain about sailing on new cruise ships designed to have passengers enjoy their lives in exceptional manner.

 

Thank you for your info which makes our upcoming trip even better. In 2020 as covid was breaking i was on the Sirena. They served lobster on the grill outside for lunch and brought ot to the outdoor cafe and totally enjoyed

 

All the best and happy cruising 

 

Gratitude to live love and learn

Thanks

[MarkWiltonM]

Thank you for your review. We will be on Vista Dec. 1. A couple of questions if you know the answers:

 

(1) We have a reservation for Ember for dinner but I believe it's supposed to be open for lunch as well. Is this true and do you need a reservation?

 

(2) How was Toscana? We have not enjoyed it on two other ships and I know the menu is the same so not sure we should try it again or not. But maybe "third time's the charm"... (The Italian restaurant on Virgin Voyages is excellent, as are most of the VV restaurants, but we don't find those ships the least bit comfortable overall.)

[LHT28]

Ember was not open for lunch

[ak1004]

What a balanced and objective review! Thank you!

[Wheelhouse]

I was also on that cruise and as stated by the OP there was no available American sports on TV.  Absolutely zero.  One gentleman that I talked to referred to it as a cruise killer and he told me he would not return solely because of this. 

 

If you tried to use the Oceania website to search cruises all were quoted in Euros because Musk's server is in Spain.  I found that pretty annoying.  The Future Cruise Ambassador Juan Carlos was very busy and excellent.

 

I never received any post cruise comment form from Oceania. 

[LHT28]

15 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

I never received any post cruise comment form from Oceania. 

They do not give out the paper  surveys  now

It was in the CURRENTS  near the end of the cruise with  the link to fill in the survey while onboard

 

[Wheelhouse]

31 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

They do not give out the paper  surveys  now

It was in the CURRENTS  near the end of the cruise with  the link to fill in the survey while onboard

 

Lyn, I guess I didn't read CURRENTS with a fine toothed comb.  An email link would have been helpful.

 

By the way I used MJS transportation from POM to FLL and was at my gate at 9:52.  

[AMHuntFerry]

For those interested in which sports will be shown during a cruise, it is available online:

https://sport24live.com/schedule

 

[LHT28]

48 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

Lyn, I guess I didn't read CURRENTS with a fine toothed comb.  An email link would have been helpful.

 

By the way I used MJS transportation from POM to FLL and was at my gate at 9:52.  

I think it was post  about  2-3  days before the end of  the cruise   it had to be done on the ship 

 Glad it worked out  for you

What a miserable morning  weather wise 

[basor]

Just now, LHT28 said:

I think it was post  about  2-3  days before the end of  the cruise   it had to be done on the ship 

 Glad it worked out  for you

What a miserable morning  weather wise 

Thank Lynn for your correct response - a separate paper detailing on how to complete the end of cruise evaluation  was left on the bed with the nightly Currents several night before the end of the cruise.  It was also mentioned in Currents and on the daily CD talk.  The paper was also available at reception, the internet lounge and in the concierge and executive lounge,

Edited October 24, 2023 by basor

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, basor said:

Thank Lynn for your correct response - a separate paper detailing on how to complete the end of cruise evaluation  was left on the bed with the nightly Currents several night before the end of the cruise. 

Yes & DH  tossed it in the bin  ..I like to read all the papers then fished it out   he thought it was more advertising 😉

 

[2SeaAll]

3 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

Thank you for your review. We will be on Vista Dec. 1. A couple of questions if you know the answers:

 

(1) We have a reservation for Ember for dinner but I believe it's supposed to be open for lunch as well. Is this true and do you need a reservation?

 

(2) How was Toscana? We have not enjoyed it on two other ships and I know the menu is the same so not sure we should try it again or not. But maybe "third time's the charm"... (The Italian restaurant on Virgin Voyages is excellent, as are most of the VV restaurants, but we don't find those ships the least bit comfortable overall.)

As others have stated, Ember was never open for lunch during sea days and we have no expectation of seeing it opening.in the future.

 

Regarding Toscana we liked it very much, with probably our best meal of the cruise being in Toscana. Although we have not been longtime Toscana cheerleaders, we now view Toscana very favorably when and if (and only if) you are very careful with your menu choices. In our early Oceania sailing days we considered Toscana a 'meh" choice and viewed it as a gimmicky restaurant with a lot of "show" (expansive Olive Oil cart with a too long recitation, and a good but showy cheese wheel presentation); however, the "show" aspects have been moderated, and they have gotten back to the fundamentals of service and food preparation. In addition to the oft-published Toscana menu recommendations we found two outstanding recent additions: 1. a tomato and burrata salad presented in a vertical stack rather than horizontally on a salad plate, and 2 a "godmother" pasta dish with grilled prawns [the ship's godmother has a lemon cream pasta recipe that is over-the-top outstanding even though my first reaction upon seeing the menu description was to be grossed-out - don't know whether this and a companion dish will be exclusive to Vista]. Some pax love Toscana and others don't like it at all - I've been in both camps and accordingly I would recommend that you give it a try!

Happy sailing!!

 

[BarbaraM]

I thought I read they were having wine pairing lunches in Ember, did you happen to notice that? 

[LHT28]

59 minutes ago, BarbaraM said:

I thought I read they were having wine pairing lunches in Ember, did you happen to notice that? 

They did have something   in Ember for a fee   I will look through the Currents  

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, BarbaraM said:

I thought I read they were having wine pairing lunches in Ember, did you happen to notice that? 

They had  a couple of lunch tastings one in RG  for $99

2 in Ember

1 evening  in Aquamar

 will scan the sheet  tomorrow & post it unless someone  posted already

[Gracie115]

11 hours ago, Wheelhouse said:

 

 

If you tried to use the Oceania website to search cruises all were quoted in Euros because Musk's server is in Spain.  I found that pretty annoying.  The Future Cruise Ambassador Juan Carlos was very busy and excellent.

 

 

 

This is strange to me, I guess I don't understand Starlink well enough. On a Celebrity Apex TA this past April, which also had Starlink, it never defaulted to Euro's or Spain linked websites.  It was the BEST wifi experience we've ever had on a ship.  

[GerryL13]

Agree that the ship is gorgeous. Love the mosaic wall panels in the Terrace. 
 

One issue that is going to need to be addressed to protect the elegant finishes is the air conditioning. On a couple of occasions, I have been “rained on” in public areas by condensation dripping from the ceiling. When it happened yesterday evening by the boutiques on Deck 5, I could see little puddles of water on the floor, and when I looked up, I could see that the wall coverings were bubbling, significantly, and even starting to peel away from the walls.

 

Since we are currently in the steamy subtropics, the ship’s a/c may be undergoing a new stress test. The gangway on Deck 5 was open all day and well into the evening, and the a/c was fighting to keep the atrium cool. But I’d heard a few days earlier from a passenger on Deck 8 who’d been moved to a new cabin because the a/c had flooded her forward cabin.

 

Off-topic funny story: We’d just finished dinner in the Polo Grill and were looking at the dessert menu. Key Lime Pie. Baked Alaska. And my brother asks “What is ‘schgrrr … shugu… ?’ I can’t read this. What’s under Crème Brûlée?” We both told him “Seven-Layer Chocolate Cake.” He still looked confused and showed me his menu. They’d accidentally given him a German-language menu! My brother says he’d thought he was having a stroke.

[Hambagahle]

Glad to hear the comment about Toscana...we hated it (ate there twice on two separate cruises and once was with the GM and even then didn't enjoy the meal).  I detested the "olive oil show" as well.  So - I suppose we are prepared to give it another go when we are on Vista.  And at worst if we still really dislike it we can leave and have dinner at the Terrace Café or in the suite.

[BarbaraM]

Its very easy to politely decline the olive oil presentation in Toscana, as well as the description of all the bread in the basket-- we usually just ask for the brand olive oil  that we like, so even the cart is not necessary.  

[LHT28]

15 hours ago, BarbaraM said:

I thought I read they were having wine pairing lunches in Ember, did you happen to notice that? 

Here is  the  specials  on this cruise

[edgee]

17 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

For those interested in which sports will be shown during a cruise, it is available online:

https://sport24live.com/schedule

 

Thank you. For cruise ships looks like zero U.S. sports except for a few NBA basketball games. Ugh.