Live from the Vista - March 27 (Miami) to May 1 (Trieste)

[clo]

15 hours ago, Carnevale said:

I think this highlights an advantage to Concierge class. We are in a regular balcony and went online exactly when it opened for us to book. By that date we could only get private tables for two of the four restaurants and could only get times much later than we like for three bookings.

To me that's A LOT of money to just get a little different dinner reservation. To each their own.

[Vineyard View]

That would not be the only reason we would look to book concierge class. Other benefits may be worth it, with this being an added bonus - but it sure wouldn’t be my only reason for booking. 

[clo]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

That would not be the only reason we would look to book concierge class. Other benefits may be worth it, with this being an added bonus - but it sure wouldn’t be my only reason for booking. 

I just took a look at the other benefits. Not for us but,yeah, go for it.

[jazznruby]

I agree that the 'benefits' of Cat. A fall short and dinner reservations would never be a factor for us; however, sometimes we book a particular category for one reason and one reason only (o.k. maybe two reasons)...location and space. Cases in point...the aft PH1s on Vista, Riviera, Marina with the big wraparound balconies. And O changing the beloved B3s with the extended, open on 2 sides balconies to A2s. Reason enough.

[Hlitner]

The adventure begins"  This morning we got in our pre-ordered Uber at our Ft Lauderdale hotel, for Terminal J.  After driving around the port for 10 minutes we finally arrived at the small ship terminal around 11:40 (our boarding time was 11:30-12:00).  After handing our luggage to the Longshoreman we entered the terminal and had our first Passport/boarding pass check.  That only took a few seconds and then we went through the usual metal detector and were told to take a seat in the large seating area (plenty of chairs for everyone)  

 

Boarding has just started, but in the seating area there was some chaos since nobody seemed to know when to move.  We quickly found ourselves in a queue to check-in.  Since we do not get any priority (it is our first O cruise in a normal B2 cabin) we patiently worked our way to the check-in counter.  When we finally reached the counter, they took our pictures (why do they even bother asking for pictures during the pre-cruise stuff).  It took about an hour to get through the terminal and finally board the Vista.  Unlike some of the better cruise lines, there was nobody greeting us with a glass of champagne.  Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising) and we should go up to deck 12 for lunch.  Waves, Aquamar, and the Terrace Grill were open and we decided to sit at an empty table.  Wine service was slow (we consider it typical first day stuff) but we were happy with the various selections (I had a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ).  DW and I were not very hungry (we had a big breakfast) so I enjoyed a small cubano sandwich and DW tried the so-so pizza.  

 

After lunch we sat in some pool deck loungers and then did some exploring.  At first glance the ship is attractive and has an old ship feel with more contemporary furniture.  We thought the deck loungers were very high quality and better then found on some luxury lines.  The pool area was beautiful, but we did sense that there are not enough loungers (especially in the shade) for a busy day. 

 

Around 2pm I went down to deck 5 and waited a few minutes to speak with one of the concierges.  I asked for a reservation (tonight) in Red Ginger and that was no problem as long as we wanted to share at 7pm (all good for us).  

 

We then learned that our 2nd port, Bermuda, has already been cancelled due to a lousy weather forecast.  We had an excursion booked on Bermuda (had to use up our $1300 pp Simply More credits) which was now to be refunded.  When we asked about booking an excursion at a future port we were told they they cannot access any tours (for our next two segments) until at least April 10.  Not only can we not make a reservation, but we cannot even know what (if anything) is available.  This policy truly sucks!  Consider that a person who might be on 5 or 6 segments would not even have access the last segment once they were within a week of embarkation.  But folks that might be boarding at a later segment would have access (as long as their embarkation was more than 7 days in the future).  The policy really penalizes the folks who book longer cruises.  

 

I did try a glass of champagne and they are using Montaudon (the same Champagne used by Seabourn).  Not my favorite sparkling wine, but certainly a reasonable selection.  

 

Our cabin is a normal balcony cabin (B2) and is immaculate.  The interior is contemporary and attractive.  The big negative is the lack of storage (a potential issue for folks on longer cruises).  With all of our experience on dozens of different type ships, DW and I did manage to get everything in their proper place.  O does have room for additional shelving, but I think they opted for design over substance.  

 

Our bathroom is quite impressive for a non-luxury cabin.  There is lots of space, the shower very attractive and large, and (strangly) there is a lot of storage!  In fact, we actually stored some of our clothes in the bathroom drawers.  

 

Our balcony is typical for a regular cabin and is furnished with two shares (both with removable cushions) and a small round table.  I noticed that the balcony does have night lighting and its done in an attractive indirect way.  

 

I believe this segment is completely full with the demographics favoring we seniors.

 

Hank

[LuAnn]

12 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The adventure begins"  This morning we got in our pre-ordered Uber at our Ft Lauderdale hotel, for Terminal J.  After driving around the port for 10 minutes we finally arrived at the small ship terminal around 11:40 (our boarding time was 11:30-12:00).  After handing our luggage to the Longshoreman we entered the terminal and had our first Passport/boarding pass check.  That only took a few seconds and then we went through the usual metal detector and were told to take a seat in the large seating area (plenty of chairs for everyone)  

 

Boarding has just started, but in the seating area there was some chaos since nobody seemed to know when to move.  We quickly found ourselves in a queue to check-in.  Since we do not get any priority (it is our first O cruise in a normal B2 cabin) we patiently worked our way to the check-in counter.  When we finally reached the counter, they took our pictures (why do they even bother asking for pictures during the pre-cruise stuff).  It took about an hour to get through the terminal and finally board the Vista.  Unlike some of the better cruise lines, there was nobody greeting us with a glass of champagne.  Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising) and we should go up to deck 12 for lunch.  Waves, Aquamar, and the Terrace Grill were open and we decided to sit at an empty table.  Wine service was slow (we consider it typical first day stuff) but we were happy with the various selections (I had a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ).  DW and I were not very hungry (we had a big breakfast) so I enjoyed a small cubano sandwich and DW tried the so-so pizza.  

 

After lunch we sat in some pool deck loungers and then did some exploring.  At first glance the ship is attractive and has an old ship feel with more contemporary furniture.  We thought the deck loungers were very high quality and better then found on some luxury lines.  The pool area was beautiful, but we did sense that there are not enough loungers (especially in the shade) for a busy day. 

 

Around 2pm I went down to deck 5 and waited a few minutes to speak with one of the concierges.  I asked for a reservation (tonight) in Red Ginger and that was no problem as long as we wanted to share at 7pm (all good for us).  

 

We then learned that our 2nd port, Bermuda, has already been cancelled due to a lousy weather forecast.  We had an excursion booked on Bermuda (had to use up our $1300 pp Simply More credits) which was now to be refunded.  When we asked about booking an excursion at a future port we were told they they cannot access any tours (for our next two segments) until at least April 10.  Not only can we not make a reservation, but we cannot even know what (if anything) is available.  This policy truly sucks!  Consider that a person who might be on 5 or 6 segments would not even have access the last segment once they were within a week of embarkation.  But folks that might be boarding at a later segment would have access (as long as their embarkation was more than 7 days in the future).  The policy really penalizes the folks who book longer cruises.  

 

I did try a glass of champagne and they are using Montaudon (the same Champagne used by Seabourn).  Not my favorite sparkling wine, but certainly a reasonable selection.  

 

Our cabin is a normal balcony cabin (B2) and is immaculate.  The interior is contemporary and attractive.  The big negative is the lack of storage (a potential issue for folks on longer cruises).  With all of our experience on dozens of different type ships, DW and I did manage to get everything in their proper place.  O does have room for additional shelving, but I think they opted for design over substance.  

 

Our bathroom is quite impressive for a non-luxury cabin.  There is lots of space, the shower very attractive and large, and (strangly) there is a lot of storage!  In fact, we actually stored some of our clothes in the bathroom drawers.  

 

Our balcony is typical for a regular cabin and is furnished with two shares (both with removable cushions) and a small round table.  I noticed that the balcony does have night lighting and its done in an attractive indirect way.  

 

I believe this segment is completely full with the demographics favoring we seniors.

 

Hank

The pizza served at Waves in the evening is much better and totally different that what is found in the Terrace...at least that was my experience. If you 2 like pizza you might try it there. 

[Waltershipman]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

The adventure begins"  This morning we got in our pre-ordered Uber at our Ft Lauderdale hotel, for Terminal J.  After driving around the port for 10 minutes we finally arrived at the small ship terminal around 11:40 (our boarding time was 11:30-12:00).  After handing our luggage to the Longshoreman we entered the terminal and had our first Passport/boarding pass check.  That only took a few seconds and then we went through the usual metal detector and were told to take a seat in the large seating area (plenty of chairs for everyone)  

 

Boarding has just started, but in the seating area there was some chaos since nobody seemed to know when to move.  We quickly found ourselves in a queue to check-in.  Since we do not get any priority (it is our first O cruise in a normal B2 cabin) we patiently worked our way to the check-in counter.  When we finally reached the counter, they took our pictures (why do they even bother asking for pictures during the pre-cruise stuff).  It took about an hour to get through the terminal and finally board the Vista.  Unlike some of the better cruise lines, there was nobody greeting us with a glass of champagne.  Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising) and we should go up to deck 12 for lunch.  Waves, Aquamar, and the Terrace Grill were open and we decided to sit at an empty table.  Wine service was slow (we consider it typical first day stuff) but we were happy with the various selections (I had a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ).  DW and I were not very hungry (we had a big breakfast) so I enjoyed a small cubano sandwich and DW tried the so-so pizza.  

 

After lunch we sat in some pool deck loungers and then did some exploring.  At first glance the ship is attractive and has an old ship feel with more contemporary furniture.  We thought the deck loungers were very high quality and better then found on some luxury lines.  The pool area was beautiful, but we did sense that there are not enough loungers (especially in the shade) for a busy day. 

 

Around 2pm I went down to deck 5 and waited a few minutes to speak with one of the concierges.  I asked for a reservation (tonight) in Red Ginger and that was no problem as long as we wanted to share at 7pm (all good for us).  

 

We then learned that our 2nd port, Bermuda, has already been cancelled due to a lousy weather forecast.  We had an excursion booked on Bermuda (had to use up our $1300 pp Simply More credits) which was now to be refunded.  When we asked about booking an excursion at a future port we were told they they cannot access any tours (for our next two segments) until at least April 10.  Not only can we not make a reservation, but we cannot even know what (if anything) is available.  This policy truly sucks!  Consider that a person who might be on 5 or 6 segments would not even have access the last segment once they were within a week of embarkation.  But folks that might be boarding at a later segment would have access (as long as their embarkation was more than 7 days in the future).  The policy really penalizes the folks who book longer cruises.  

 

I did try a glass of champagne and they are using Montaudon (the same Champagne used by Seabourn).  Not my favorite sparkling wine, but certainly a reasonable selection.  

 

Our cabin is a normal balcony cabin (B2) and is immaculate.  The interior is contemporary and attractive.  The big negative is the lack of storage (a potential issue for folks on longer cruises).  With all of our experience on dozens of different type ships, DW and I did manage to get everything in their proper place.  O does have room for additional shelving, but I think they opted for design over substance.  

 

Our bathroom is quite impressive for a non-luxury cabin.  There is lots of space, the shower very attractive and large, and (strangly) there is a lot of storage!  In fact, we actually stored some of our clothes in the bathroom drawers.  

 

Our balcony is typical for a regular cabin and is furnished with two shares (both with removable cushions) and a small round table.  I noticed that the balcony does have night lighting and its done in an attractive indirect way.  

 

I believe this segment is completely full with the demographics favoring we seniors.

 

Hank

Great to have your observations Remember the little mark on mirror in barhroom will dim or brighten the light which is good for nights 

 

Our cabin steward did not know that until we told him

 

Enjoy have fun

[ORV]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising)

Nothing new, and something I'm pretty sure you were aware of. It's the way they do things. I'm not defending it, and I would prefer to have my room ready earlier, but it's the way it is. Good that you're finding a few things you like. 

[edgee]

Wishing you good luck in the random neighbor game. Hopefully the thin walls on Vista do not offer you lengthy nightly noise fests coming from your neighbor's TV.

[Vineyard View]

Good hearing from you Hiltner. I hope you truly enjoy your first O journey. I trust that your review will be fair and balanced.
 I do agree that the whole excursion situation is pretty unacceptable. It’s surprising to me that they have that many misses still. 

I look forward to following along with you! Thank you for taking the time to do this! 

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

Boarding has just started, but in the seating area there was some chaos since nobody seemed to know when to move.  We quickly found ourselves in a queue to check-in.  Since we do not get any priority (it is our first O cruise in a normal B2 cabin) we patiently worked our way to the check-in counter.  When we finally reached the counter, they took our pictures (why do they even bother asking for pictures during the pre-cruise stuff).  It took about an hour to get through the terminal and finally board the Vista.  Unlike some of the better cruise lines, there was nobody greeting us with a glass of champagne.  Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising) and we should go up to deck 12 for lunch.  Waves, Aquamar, and the Terrace Grill were open and we decided to sit at an empty table.  Wine service was slow (we consider it typical first day stuff) but we were happy with the various selections (I had a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ).  DW and I were not very hungry (we had a big breakfast) so I enjoyed a small cubano sandwich and DW tried the so-so pizza.  

 

We then learned that our 2nd port, Bermuda, has already been cancelled due to a lousy weather forecast.  We had an excursion booked on Bermuda (had to use up our $1300 pp Simply More credits) which was now to be refunded.  When we asked about booking an excursion at a future port we were told they they cannot access any tours (for our next two segments) until at least April 10.  Not only can we not make a reservation, but we cannot even know what (if anything) is available.  This policy truly sucks!  Consider that a person who might be on 5 or 6 segments would not even have access the last segment once they were within a week of embarkation.  But folks that might be boarding at a later segment would have access (as long as their embarkation was more than 7 days in the future).  The policy really penalizes the folks who book longer cruises.  

 

 

Thanks for the report.

 

Silversea which is supposed to be an ultra luxury line, starts the check in at 2pm, and cabins are ready at 4pm. And I don't remember anyone greeting us with a glass of champagne on our recent SS sailing.

 

I remember Bermuda was cancelled last year too on a sailing around this time. I'm not sure why they keep schedule stops in Bermuda in March knowing that those stops will probably be cancelled.

[Vineyard View]

Hiltner has a good amount of time on SB, and with our one cruise last year, there was a champagne greeting (Viking always did that too) as well as an earlier cabin availability.  I want to say it was ready at 1:00 or 2:00 and we had a standard verandah. Viking was always ready way earlier than 4:00 too. 

[durberville]

Geeez Celebrity even greets you with sparkling wine. It’s a nice touch. 

[osandomir]

I think that embarkation with the luggage in hand is not a best time for a glass of anything. When we started to cruise on Oceania I found the absence of the cheap sparkling wine greeting to be a class indicator in a good way. As for the late room access, we tend to board the ship later in the day which allows us to explore on land more, so normally we are able to avoid this problem altogether. Though, I understand that some people want to embark early to start their cruise vacation as soon as possible. Maybe a glass of champagne at that time is important for some too.

[daydreamer62]

2 hours ago, durberville said:

Geeez Celebrity even greets you with sparkling wine. It’s a nice touch. 

On Oceania with Simply More you could have multiple glasses of champagne with your lunch if you choose. Nicer to be seated to drink it than wandering juggling a glass with hand luggage

[VacayAddict]

Hank, we will be boarding in Civi in a couple of weeks and that welcome aboard glass of bubbly that we’ve been offered other cruises is such a lovely and festive way to kick-off a vacation and something I really look forward to! I really wish Oceania did this too. 

 

I’m looking forward to your posts and impression of your Oceania experience. Hope to meet you on the Vista!

 

Danice

Edited March 28 by VacayAddict

[yogagal47]

On 3/22/2024 at 4:03 PM, Harters said:

We are in a concierge veranda and booked our specialities on the day reservations opened up for our class of cabin. We prefer 2-tops and had no problem getting one, for all four specialities, at our preferred time of 7.30 or 8.00. 

As I am new to this cruise line, how do I find out when Reservations will open for Concierge veranda class?

[EJL2023]

16 minutes ago, yogagal47 said:

As I am new to this cruise line, how do I find out when Reservations will open for Concierge veranda class?

If you have set up an account on their website it will show there under the particular booking. If you have not, it will be indicated on page 3 of your invoice just below the itinerary indicated by Specialty Dining Reservations. 

[Vallesan]

17 minutes ago, yogagal47 said:

As I am new to this cruise line, how do I find out when Reservations will open for Concierge veranda class?

On your Oceania invoice. I’m in the UK it’s on page 4 between ‘Itinerary’ and ‘Amenities and Gifts’.

[edgee]

On 3/25/2024 at 4:32 PM, clo said:

To me that's A LOT of money to just get a little different dinner reservation. To each their own.

You do not "just" get the better dinner reservation slots. We book Concierge for warm weather cruises to get access to the front spa deck. Especially wonderful on Vista. Also, on larger ships, the Concierge lounge is nice to have access too. 

[yogagal47]

3 minutes ago, edgee said:

You do not "just" get the better dinner reservation slots. We book Concierge for warm weather cruises to get access to the front spa deck. Especially wonderful on Vista. Also, on larger ships, the Concierge lounge is nice to have access too. 

We have actually actually booked a cruise to the Brazilian Amazon on Sirena. The access to that spa deck was always a plus for us on Azamara. Then the concierge suites got way too expensive, and we had to downgrade to just a regular balcony cabin and lost that access.

[shepherd really]

11 hours ago, durberville said:

Geeez Celebrity even greets you with sparkling wine. It’s a nice touch. 

But then the rest of your cruise you are stuck on Celebrity, so no thanks.

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, daydreamer62 said:

On Oceania with Simply More you could have multiple glasses of champagne with your lunch if you choose. Nicer to be seated to drink it than wandering juggling a glass with hand luggage

Bonus is having both options! HA!  It sincerely is a lovely gesture to have when you board, and kick off your journey…not a deal breaker, but lovely. 

[clo]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

You do not "just" get the better dinner reservation slots. We book Concierge for warm weather cruises to get access to the front spa deck. Especially wonderful on Vista. Also, on larger ships, the Concierge lounge is nice to have access too. 

Yep. To each their own.
PS: Some of us hate "warm weather."

[yogagal47]

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

But then the rest of your cruise you are stuck on Celebrity, so no thanks.

Our most recent cruise was on Celebrity Apex. Even staying in the retreat which was nice, I was left with a feeling of-"do not want to do this size ship again any time soon!