Review of the Vista

[Harters]

30 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

Fish and chips made from Chilean Sea bass.Thats like taking a Rolls Royce and making it a Amazon delivery van.

No, it's worse. Using sea bass for F & C is murdering my culinary heritage. 

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

murdering my culinary heritage. 

Is that a bug or a feature?   ::runs and hides::  😜

[oskidunker]

Polo Grill last night. Filet mignon and onion soup were very good. Bothe the carib lobster and maine were bad. The blt salad was not very good  The most under ripe tomatoes I have ever seen. Stop featuring tomatoes out of season. The dressing was like stewed tomatoes. Three Romaine leaves, bacon bits and very little cheddar cheese. The Baked Alaska desert had no taste. 

Edited March 9 by oskidunker

[Harters]

1 minute ago, Snaefell3 said:

Is that a bug or a feature? 

The small town of Mossley is about a 25 minute drive from home, on  the eastern side of the metro area. It's where, in 1863, fish & chips were first definitely  recorded as being sold together. This was by John Lees, who sold them  from a wooden hut on Mossley market.  

 

The fish is traditionally cod or haddock (regional preferences apply - I live in a cod preferred area, although in much of the north it's haddock) but, with fish stocks not being secure (and expensive), coley is now an acceptable white fish substitute.

[Snaefell3]

7 minutes ago, Harters said:

The small town of Mossley is about a 25 minute drive from home, on  the eastern side of the metro area. It's where, in 1863, fish & chips were first definitely  recorded as being sold together. This was by John Lees, who sold them  from a wooden hut on Mossley market.  

 

The fish is traditionally cod or haddock (regional preferences apply - I live in a cod preferred area, although in much of the north it's haddock) but, with fish stocks not being secure (and expensive), coley is now an acceptable white fish substitute.

 

I invoke the "Law of Holes":  When I find myself at the bottom of one, I should stop digging.

 

But, but, but, gotta say...  Thank you Mossley Town for your contribution.

[Harters]

Hats off, Snaefell. 😀

 

By the by, does your username suggest you have a connection with the Isle of Man? It's sometimes regarded as an honorary part of northwest England (and receives northwest local TV programmes from the BBC)

[Snaefell3]

12 minutes ago, Harters said:

Hats off, Snaefell. 😀

 

By the by, does your username suggest you have a connection with the Isle of Man? It's sometimes regarded as an honorary part of northwest England (and receives northwest local TV programmes from the BBC)

Grandparent.  I spent 3 years on an RAF station, but never thought to ride Snaefell Mountain Railway to the summit.  "Snow mountain" is also a nod to certain gray hairs.

 

As for "honorary part"?  Only to the high-tide mark -- smugglers all.  That's what got the Duke of Atholl fired back when.

[Harters]

We like to have a week's holiday somewhere in the British Isles each year. 2012 it was the Isle of Man. Took the car and travelled by the fast ferry (known to locals as the "vomit comet" for good reason). And , yep, did the mountain railway but there was some mist around so didnt get the great views of Britain and Ireland

Edited March 9 by Harters

[Snaefell3]

4 hours ago, Harters said:

so didnt get the great views of Britain and Ireland

"From Snaefell Summit you can see 6 kingdoms: Mann, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, and Heaven."

 

One more tidbit and I'll drop this off-topic.  Once upon a time in Douglas there was the Inner Mann Restaurant.  Bad pun, good fish.  The menu was a display chest of that day's catch on ice.

[pinotlover]

20 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Polo Grill last night. Filet mignon and onion soup were very good. Bothe the carib lobster and maine were bad. The blt salad was not very good  The most under ripe tomatoes I have ever seen. Stop featuring tomatoes out of season. The dressing was like stewed tomatoes. Three Romaine leaves, bacon bits and very little cheddar cheese. The Baked Alaska desert had no taste. 

Fwiw, it’s been posted here multiple times, by multiple cruisers, that lobster on Oceania is typically best avoided. I see you have learned that for yourself.

[chloemonkey]

22 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Polo Grill last night. Filet mignon and onion soup were very good. Bothe the carib lobster and maine were bad. The blt salad was not very good  The most under ripe tomatoes I have ever seen. Stop featuring tomatoes out of season. The dressing was like stewed tomatoes. Three Romaine leaves, bacon bits and very little cheddar cheese. The Baked Alaska desert had no taste. 

Polo Grill for us upon embarkation last night…we were surprised at how good we found the food….filet that came with my “surf and turf” was probably the best I have experienced across all Polo experiences, lobster was good to very good…not sure which variety it was….tomatoes in the tomato and onion salad were pretty darned good for this time of the year.  And surprisingly?  We even found the bread offerings in the bread basket to be better than in previous sailings.  Hubby enjoyed the new menu “halibut “ immensely…..

 

as is often written….food is subjective….and so much goes into our opinions on any given day.  My only hope is that we all continue to realize that we should probably wait to judge for ourselves….as there is much to enjoy…..albeit not everything will appeal to everyone.

 

now those cookies in the Concierge lounge?..  that’s another story! lol…..

[Lastdance]

Oh my...what about the other experiences like the gym, areas of the ship, crew etc.  I have yet to do my first cruise on Vista, a TA from Miami.  Sounds like I should cancel, but maybe not just yet?  However, if O listens to its patrons, hopefully things will improve!  Thankfully, I am allergic to lobster, but do enjoy my desserts.  I do want to “try" a smaller and more intimate ship experience; will a TA be a decent first experience?  I am also staying in Portugal for an extended amount of time.

Edited March 10 by Lastdance

[basenji56]

10 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

Oh my...what about the other experiences like the gym, areas of the ship, crew etc.  I have yet to do my first cruise on Vista, a TA from Miami.  Sounds like I should cancel, but maybe not just yet?  However, if O listens to its patrons, hopefully things will improve!  Thankfully, I am allergic to lobster, but do enjoy my desserts.  I do want to “try" a smaller and more intimate ship experience; will a TA be a decent first experience?  I am also staying in Portugal for an extended amount of time.

Crew was great. Gym was very small--a design flaw for sure. Ship is beautiful.

 

[Snaefell3]

2 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

now those cookies in the Concierge lounge?..  that’s another story! lol…..

Sorry, not up to date on them.  That good or that bad?

[Harters]

42 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

I do want to “try" a smaller and more intimate ship experience; will a TA be a decent first experience?  

I think much might depend on your past cruise experience and what you hope to enjoy on this one.

 

We have an upcoming TA on Vista which we are really looking forward to. It will be our third cruise with O (previous on Marina and  Nautica). I'm particularly looking forward to all those sea days when we can just relax - frankly, I find O's port intensive cruises to be tiring and I feel like I need another holiday to recover afterwards. But that's us - others enjoy visiting different places on an almost daily basis.

 

If your past cruise experience is with the big, very lively, ships, I'd suggest that a TA may not be the best introduction to O, simply because you may find  you're not that keen on O's ambiance but you're stuck with it for several days at sea, without a port break. Maybe a shorter cruise would be better. On the other hand, of course, you've already booked this cruise so must have had a solid inclination that it would appeal. 

Edited March 10 by Harters

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 3/10/2024 at 6:35 AM, pinotlover said:

Fwiw, it’s been posted here multiple times, by multiple cruisers, that lobster on Oceania is typically best avoided. I see you have learned that for yourself.

A line that advertises itself as “The best cuisine at sea” should never allow this to be the case.  
in the last year even Princess has had reliably good lobster in its MDR. Over 80 days on 4 different ships in the fleet convinced me it wasn’t a one off. 

[oskidunker]

23 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

A line that advertises itself as “The best cuisine at sea” should never allow this to be the case.  
in the last year even Princess has had reliably good lobster in its MDR. Over 80 days on 4 different ships in the fleet convinced me it wasn’t a one off. 

Why not just have some good lobster one night rather than all the time and not very good? The tail from the Maine Lobster in the Italian restaurant looked lime a prawn and was not very good. I stopped cruising Princess but before the pandemic they had good tails. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

A line that advertises itself as “The best cuisine at sea” should never allow this to be the case.  
in the last year even Princess has had reliably good lobster in its MDR. Over 80 days on 4 different ships in the fleet convinced me it wasn’t a one off. 

At the moment, Princess and MSC (Yacht Club only) are the only two large ship lines we will cruise.  Our recent experience on HAL's Oosterdam really soured us on that line (and we have over 500 days with HAL) and we do not think that Celebrity offers a good value these days.

 

Hank

[ak1004]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

At the moment, Princess and MSC (Yacht Club only) are the only two large ship lines we will cruise.  Our recent experience on HAL's Oosterdam really soured us on that line (and we have over 500 days with HAL) and we do not think that Celebrity offers a good value these days.

 

Hank

 

Why not Norwegian Heaven? From what I read, their product is comparable to MSC Yacht Club. Or not?

[edgee]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

At the moment, Princess and MSC (Yacht Club only) are the only two large ship lines we will cruise.  Our recent experience on HAL's Oosterdam really soured us on that line (and we have over 500 days with HAL) and we do not think that Celebrity offers a good value these days.

 

Hank

Agree with the value part, but we happened to get a good price booking over a year out on the new Celebrity Ascent. Their Suite class (Retreat) is really nice on the new ships, but usually overpriced.

[Hlitner]

34 minutes ago, edgee said:

Agree with the value part, but we happened to get a good price booking over a year out on the new Celebrity Ascent. Their Suite class (Retreat) is really nice on the new ships, but usually overpriced.

We routinely cruise on Seabourn for less than the cost of cruising in one of the lower cost Retreat suites.  

 

Hank

[edgee]

10 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We routinely cruise on Seabourn for less than the cost of cruising in one of the lower cost Retreat suites.  

 

Hank

Long story short...My wife's brother & SIL really enjoyed a cruise on Seabourn. However they told us it would never work for us because no dedicated walking/jogging track. My wife is a compulsive exercise walker at all hours of the day and evening..not just early morning when folks may walk around the pool deck....has to get miles and miles in on her fitbit. So...no Seabourn for us.🙄 

[Lastdance]

On 3/10/2024 at 12:02 PM, Harters said:

I think much might depend on your past cruise experience and what you hope to enjoy on this one.

 

We have an upcoming TA on Vista which we are really looking forward to. It will be our third cruise with O (previous on Marina and  Nautica). I'm particularly looking forward to all those sea days when we can just relax - frankly, I find O's port intensive cruises to be tiring and I feel like I need another holiday to recover afterwards. But that's us - others enjoy visiting different places on an almost daily basis.

 

If your past cruise experience is with the big, very lively, ships, I'd suggest that a TA may not be the best introduction to O, simply because you may find  you're not that keen on O's ambiance but you're stuck with it for several days at sea, without a port break. Maybe a shorter cruise would be better. On the other hand, of course, you've already booked this cruise so must have had a solid inclination that it would appeal. 

I really enjoy TA’s, it gives my DH and I plenty of time to use the gym and just relax.  We drink very little and are independent about excursions, booking our own.  Also, this itinerary takes us exactly when and where we want to go.  We got a great deal and are both open to something new and different.  We have done Celebrity for years, but too many changes, lack of continuity and dealing with their staff working in different departments shoreside made my TA and I crazy...still waiting on money from a canceled cruise due to a ski accident with every excuse given one could imagine.  Not to mention being charged an additional $500 for no reason.  I just have to do a cruise with a different company to get a break from the total stupidity and inability to follow their own rules that are in writing.  There is just too much of a disconnect with Celebrity.  We won’t know enough on O to be concerned, as just a completely different experience is welcoming.  We will miss our status, but that’s okay.  Too bad that O doesn’t have a choice to use their money except for their own personal excursions...we do not do busses, but have been to all the ports except one.  Our land stay in Algarve will be the highlight of this trip, along with only flying one-way, except getting to Miami.

 

Thanks for your information!

Edited March 11 by Lastdance

[Redtravel]

On 3/8/2024 at 3:45 PM, Vineyard View said:

Would you Sail Vista again, or would you steer towards other O ships?  Or would that be itinerary driven for the most part?

Yes. I loved Vista.  I also like Marina and Riviera.  The smaller ships are a nice size. However, the cabins are very small. On R ships, we book suites. On Vista, Marina, and Rivieta, a standard veranda is good.  I also like the variety of dining venues.

[EJL2023]

8 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Yes. I loved Vista.  I also like Marina and Riviera.  The smaller ships are a nice size. However, the cabins are very small. On R ships, we book suites. On Vista, Marina, and Rivieta, a standard veranda is good.  I also like the variety of dining venues.

Plus 1 here, agree with all indicated. Same for us.