My First Oceania Cruise

[Saga Ruby]

Stats: I have been cruising since 1957. I am 62, a solo independent traveler and have never used a travel agent. I like small ships with some luxury and a well-trained staff. I am easy-going, a neatnik, and recognize that we are all human, even ship’s staff.

My Oceania cruise was on the Nautica, Istanbul to Singapore, Nov/Dec 2006, 25 days. I had an “oceanview” cabin, 175 sq. ft. on Deck 4, midships.

My greatest souvenir from Nautica was the hospitality of all staff and crew. The generosity of their service was unending and spot-on. When I requested different pillows, a blanket and sheet instead of duvet, it was done immediately during off-shift time for the crew (the afternoon). Each day onboard, every single crew member I passed had a smile for me with wishes for a good day. I felt like I had landed in Oz where everyone was happy and smiling – it was a daily pleasure and quite refreshing. The ship’s staff far exceeded expectations.

As Old Guard, I was surprised and impressed to see new installations of teak decking and teak deck chairs - this expensive touch of class was impressive and only one positive among many.

I’ve never before been situated as low as Deck 4 and quickly learned what a great location it is. As we sailed in and out of port, I could look out my large window and watch the docking proceedings and decide what to wear. Easy and quick access to the entire ship was at my fingertips. Many of the ports used the ship’s entryways on Deck 4 which was convenient for me while my hallway was always quiet as a mouse.

My cabin’s only puzzlement was the lack of a DVD player. There is a shelf above the TV which obviously is meant for the player but only suite passengers get the players. However, there was a vast choice of films and entertainments on the in-cabin TV system that offered newest DVD movies, classic movies, TV shows, sports channels, and 3 news channels. Disappointment - I happen to loathe shower curtains that stick onto wet skin and this shower was not even a rectangle, with one-fourth of the side chopped off.

The only high negative I had during the entire voyage was the laundry. They steam-pressed the sleeves so hard on six of my dresses that I had to send them to be redone so, on every invoice, I had to write “No seams in sleeves.” It will be a year before those seam lines disappear. I asked for a simple black dress to be ready at 4:00pm; at 4:45 I had to call for it. On one call, the laundry man said he would not come for it, that I was to leave the clothes bag on the bed for the stewardess. Most of the time, the laundry never answered my page. They smoked, they were hostile, and they were sloppy with their work.

While the food is extolled by virtually everyone, critics and pax alike, I had less than stellar experiences a few times. As a solo passenger, I asked to be seated at a large table in the GDR and met many lovely people. But when asparagus was mentioned on the menu, I kept getting diagonally-cut stalks instead of heads. The veal Oscar was a large disappointment – if it hadn’t had the name, I would not have recognized it. The side vegetables were al dente and quite repetitive night after night. Many of us agreed that the steaks were slightly tough and I avoided the New York strip throughout the voyage as the negative pax comments continued. In Polo (the “steakhouse”), I asked for a charred veal chop and it had grill marks that looked artificial, certainly no charring, nor did the filet mignon on another night. Perhaps this is a result of SOLAS rules?

A big disappointment – one evening, I went to the GDR for a salad and piece of duck. I was crystal clear with the female headwaiter that, due to fatigue, I wanted to eat alone quickly and leave. I told the same story to my waitress. She understood. It took 1.5 hours to serve those two food items. To this day, I don’t know how to eat in the GDR and not have to wait as the other 20 people in my section work their way thru the menu.

The hamburger patties at Waves are the best I’ve ever had, on land or on sea. And they’re cute – they have large scalloped edges on the patty which is a lovely touch.
The chefs cook burgers to order and quickly remembered that I don’t like cheese or fries. The Terrace Café has many food islands with marvelous offerings of jumbo shrimp, ramekins of dark chocolate pudding, endless fruits and vegetables, unusual items to surprise and please the discerning palate. One puzzle at Terrace – I like round of beef and was never offered au jus although I asked twice. Even cafeterias have au jus as an offering.

A grand huzzah! to the pastry chefs who produced magnificent offerings at afternoon tea. The variety and artistry of the pastries and sandwiches were endless. On a 25-day cruise, I could always count on afternoon tea’s offerings like shrimp salad on wheat bread rounds, coconut cookies, salmon “flowers” with dill on wheat, egg salad, presented in topnotch style. In the evenings in the GDR, the imagination and execution of the desserts were a sight to behold, to look forward to, and to eat with gusto.

A tip of the hat to Room Service. After a long day touring an exotic port, sometimes I would order French onion soup and a club sandwich which were delivered promptly, with courtesy, and was delicious to a weary traveler. Whether delivering or picking up a tray, Room Service was excellent.

Bruno the Concierge is a shining example of a good concierge. In the beginning of the cruise, I asked Bruno where I could read a book outside without going to the pool area and he named the perfect spot, I asked about a place to write postcards and he named the perfect spot. I asked Bruno for a reservation at the Transit Hotel in Changi Airport and it was done promptly and correctly with hard-copy confirmation. Bruno worked not only at his desk every day, but was busily active on embarkation and disembarkation days, as well as port days. If one knows how to correctly use a concierge, Bruno is a dream to work with.

Everyone on every shift at Reception was kind, efficient, hospitable, and quickly remembered my cabin number which I found remarkable. Changing currency, mailing postcards, finding a screwdriver immediately for my broken luggage lock – all requests were cheerfully filled and it was impressive to watch the information they had at their fingertips.

My cabin stewardess and her assistant were the poster kids for those positions. No matter what I asked, it was done promptly with a smile. Their efficiency in keeping my cabin spit-shined and Bristol fashion was a joy. To Nicoleta and Danson – my thanks.

I handle my own port excursions so did not interact with the Destinations staff until the end of the cruise. I was getting nowhere with arrangements for a private car and driver for Phuket. I wanted a long-tailed boat excursion to Phang Nga Bay to visit the incredible looming vertical islands in that bay. I turned over the assignment to the Destinations staff and it was the best shore excursion I did. Destinations gave me choices of two sizes of boat and two prices.

At the pier, my van proved to be new, with excellent air conditioning and leather seats, a driver who was quiet but knowledgeable, and a guide, Tookta, who made my day touring the Bay my finest memory of the entire cruise. She told incredible stories of survival from the tsunami but kindly did not relate what must have been horrifying losses from that disaster.

After we left the boatman and Phang Nga Bay, I asked the driver to go to a bookstore in Phuket because I collect bookmarks. He took us to one of the largest inventoried, cleanest, bookstores I have seen in years. I came back to the ship with a smile on my face, bookmarks in my hands, and an appreciation for Destinations which wonderfully fulfilled my lifelong dream of seeing Phang Nga Bay.

When you’ve had a long day of touring, the ship you want to come home to should have the “Oceania” logo proudly displayed on the funnel. You will be in the finest of hands.

[orchestrapal]

What a wonderful post. You sound like someone we would love to meet on an O cruise. So glad you had such a good experience .:)

[Druke I]

We met SagaRuby on this cruise, at a Cruise Critic get-together, and ate with her in Polo one evening.

A very nice lady, and a good review.

That was a very good trip!

[Saga Ruby]

We met SagaRuby on this cruise, at a Cruise Critic get-together, and ate with her in Polo one evening. A very nice lady, and a good review. That was a very good trip!

Thank you, Michael. The check is in the mail!

Ruby

[Saga Ruby]

We met SagaRuby on this cruise, at a Cruise Critic get-together, and ate with her in Polo one evening. A very nice lady, and a good review. That was a very good trip!

Thank you, Michael. The check is in the mail!

Ruby

[patwell]

Hi Ruby...enjoyed this so much. Your description of tea made me kick myself that I consistently missed tea on my recent QM2 trip.

WEll written...well what else would you do??? and very enjoyable to get a sense of another cruise line. I've heard so much about Oceana and a first hand report such as this says so much more about them.

I'm so pleased you were able to fulfill that dream trip and to have it meet your expectations. What else are dreams for but the re-living of them? Memories are wonderful treasures, aren't they?

Cheers, Penny

[Aussie Gal]

Saga Ruby,

I did enjoy reading your wonderful review. We have booked the Nautica for the Hong Kong to Athens cruise in 2008 and are so looking forward to our first Oceania cruise.

We love the smaller ships having sailed on both the Pacific and Tahitian Princesses. We usually sail on HAL which have always enjoyed and are looking forward to this new experience and all the little extra touches which help to make a wonderful cruise.

Jennie

[Rickey 88]

We were on this "Odyssey To Asia" cruise with Saga Ruby and can testify to the fact that it was one of the most memorable we've ever taken. Along with Saga Ruby and Michael, there were over 40 CC Roll Call members who met on the second day in Horizons. There were Canadians, Americans and Europeans who helped make this 7,483 nautical mile voyage a dream.

This was our sixth cruise with Oceania, and this line continues to get better time after time. From Captain Jurica Brajcic to the dining staff, the cabin attendants and others, this was the "Happiest" ship we have been on. There wasn't one member who didn't offer a happy greeting, ask if there was not something they could do for you and simply go out of their way to make the day better.

Excursions were good, dining selections from the wonderful Jacques Pepin were absolute perfection and we especially enjoyed the string quartet each night after dinner....

For anyone who can take the time - 25 to 35 days or more - I heartily recommend you consider one of these long repositioning cruises. I think you will be just as pleased...... :)

[Aussie Gal]

Rickey,

As we have booked on a similar trip - Hong Kong to Athens 35 days in 2008 - can you tell us about some of the ports and what you saw etc. Any information would be so helpful.


Jennie

[Rickey 88]

Jennie,
Your cruise in April 2008 is quite different from what we just completed last month. You will embark in Hong Kong, cruise Vietnam, etc. , none of which was included in our "Istanbul to Singapore".

One of our more interesting ports was Phuket, Thailand, which you will miss, but we didn't dock in Ko Samui or Bangkok - so you have those to look forward to....

Having said all that, I think you should consider the extended land (air) tour which may start in Goa (Cochin), fly to Agra, visit the Taj Mahal, and return by air to Mumbai (Bombay) to meet the ship. It was thoroughly enjoyed by almost 75 people on our cruise - but it is not yet listed for 2008 so I'm not sure it will still be offered.

We did not visit Salalah, but I can comment on Luxor and Cairo in Egypt. Both are long distances from where the ship docks so you are looking at very long days. I would recommend that you "overnight" in Luxor as you will have a lot to look at (Karnak and the Valley of the Kings), and you will only be in Cairo for a day, but have until 11 pm before the ship leaves. Consider taking the ship's tours, as should there be a delay, the ship will wait, which they do NOT do for independent travels. In our cruise, the buses were late in getting back to Safaga, so the ship did wait an extra 4 - 5 hours until they returned.

In any event, you should have an experience that will be remembered to a long time....

Happy Sailing....

Dick

[Aussie Gal]

Dick,

Thanks so much for your post. I meant to say please do not worry about the
Asian part of our trip as we have been there before but I was interested in the Indian and Egyptian part.

We are hoping that Agra and the Taj Mahal will be included as we dearly want to do that trip. Also we are planning to overnight in Luxor with the ship and we will definitely do the ship's excursion to the Pyramids.

We cannot wait for this wonderful cruise even though this year we have plenty of trips away.

Thanks again.

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

After two very long and very tiring tours of Cairo and Luxor from the ship, I was thinking about staying onboard at Muscat, Oman. Boy, am I glad I didn't!

I know you will be in Salalah, but what impressed me about Oman is the Sultan who knows how to build a hospitality industry and has capitalized on his country's blue skies and bright sun - scuba diving and clean white-sand beaches are a big tourist appeal. Muscat was clean, well-kept, no trash blowing around, with a local population that was most welcoming.

Shuttle buses or tour buses picked us up shipside and took us out of the industrial area. When I got off the shuttle bus, I walked a few feet from the bus to a waiting crowd of taxis. A tall Arab came up to me, asked where I wanted to go, then turned and called over one of the drivers. Evidently he was the headman, giving Arabic instructions to the cab drivers and matching passenger to driver. I was given a fine driver who spoke very good English and was eager to practice his language skills.

I wanted to see a certain upscale hotel out in the beach resort area. A price was quickly agreed upon, and the taxi driver gave me a brief tour of Muscat, including the Sultan's palace, then whisked me out to the resort on a brand-new highway. The driver dropped me off at the hotel, I had a wonderful lunch outdoors, then called the driver to pick me up and continue our "overview" of Muscat. It was a grand day.

One note - some of the pax who went on the ship's tour of downtown Muscat tour were unhappy. They were given a one-hour tour of the port, then dropped off at a souk and told that the buses would be back in two hours. They were stuck in a part of town that was not appealing and had nothing to see or do but shop.

I don't know what the excursion possibilities are in Salalah, but perhaps these comments will help you with your visit. I loved my day in Oman and was sorry to leave - the country was a most pleasant surprise.

Happy sails!
Ruby

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful posting. We normally do our own thing in ports but I was a bit worried about Oman. You have allayed my fears and we will definitely not do a ship's excursion there but do some research on what to see and take a taxi instead.

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

For your amusement and information, following is an email I sent to a friend after I returned from Mumbai. I called it "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Mumbai."

I had hired Makson Car Hire thru the Web in September and paid them a $25 deposit for a full day of sightseeing and shopping in Mumbai in December. Short answer - do not hire Makson.

The ship was tied up at Ballard Pier by 7:00am and cleared by 8:00am. I got off the ship to see what lay on the other side of the pier terminal and there were long lines of the famous, tiny black-and-yellow taxis, plus many tour buses for the ship's tours. Since I had ordered the car for 10:00am, I went back to the ship and had breakfast, then strolled out to get my hired car. It never came.

I wasn't surprised the car was not there, so I called the owner of Makson and he said I had ordered the car for 10:30. I replied that I had the email in my hand stating "10:00am." Then the owner said there was a procession in Mumbai for a national holiday (which was true) and the car would be there as soon as possible.

Many SMS messages and phone calls later, I never had a car. It was noon and I had lost 2 hours in this one-day tour of Mumbai. I walked 100 yards to the "green gate" at Ballard Pier where there were hundreds of taxis and my hired car at the front of the line! The driver spoke no English but handed me an invoice with name and itinerary. My name looked like a Scrabble puzzle - it had no basis in fact to my real name. When I asked the driver to move his seat forward, he didn't understand.

A taxi driver came up and was interpreting for me with the Makson driver. I wheeled around, asked the taxi driver his name, he said "Jimmy," and I told him I was paying Makson $53 for certain tourist spots and would he take me around? He said he would do it for $50. So off we went for a most marvelous, fun day in Mumbai.

My favorite spots were Dhobi Ghat (the open air laundry) and two different slum areas where a few hovels had color TV. When I asked Jimmy where they get the electricity, he said they tap into the traffic lights. We also saw a wedding parade with a groom dressed as a maharajah on a white horse, being greeted by deafening street musicians at the gate of the wedding ground.

In the slums were open fires in the street for cooking with kids wandering amongst the hullabaloo. We stopped for Jimmy to gas up and it turned out to be exactly that - compressed natural gas. The nozzle was the size of a pencil. The fragrance of Mumbai drifted in my window, an exotic smell of decay, food cooking, humanity. Next to the gas station was the shell of an aged 5-story concrete building which stood vacant and empty-eyed.

Jimmy and I had a late lunch at "Excellensea" which was a local restaurant crowded with upscale Indians. The ground floor is air-cooled, upstairs is air-conditioned. Needless to say, we dined upstairs. I enjoyed a fine dish of grilled tiger prawns, naan bread - it was a delicious meal for less than $20. Jimmy let me sample his spicy rice and shrimp dish - it didn't seem so spicy until the afterburners kicked in.

The manager of Excellensea had been hovering around my table, seeing how the American was doing and if I was enjoying the meal. In chatting with him, I mentioned the Hotel Taj Mahal as a place to eat and he exclaimed with raised eyebrows, "All their food is frozen! And this meal would have cost you $200" Point taken.

When I returned to the ship, two different crew members said they had seen me at Excellensea.

When we returned to the green gate, I vastly overtipped Jimmy and walked back to the ship very happy. Later, in telling my tale of Mumbai, another passenger said they had the exact same experience with Avis - waited an hour, no one ever came, so they hired a cab.

I have no idea how to solve the "car and driver" problem in Mumbai. I would definitely just walk out the "green gate" and listen for someone speaking good English, agree on a price, and hire them. I have Jimmy's mobile phone number if you want to hire him - he gets highest marks from me.

A funny note - in downtown Mumbai, several times a hired car would pull up and the driver would ask directions of Jimmy. He said the car hire drivers rarely knew how to get around Mumbai because the cars and drivers come in from other cities to do the tours.

I wish I could have stood at Dhobi Ghat for an hour but the pestiferous hawkers were driving me mad so we left. By the bye, there is a lot of new apartment buildings under construction in Mumbai. Jimmy said the Indian government were hoping to make Mumbai into the next Singapore. Mother India will never be able to pull it off.

Happy sails,
Ruby

[Druke I]

I do recall your telling of the troubles with your driver at the gate, Bombay.

Our tour guide did tell us that those new apartments will be similar to Section 8 Assisted Housing in the States, and that the 1st residents will come from those cardboard shacks, but that to get guaranteed space, the residents must be able to show utility bills or some other proof of residence. Rather difficult to do when they are "stealing" the electricity, but counterfeiters allegedly are already stepping in to fill the need. Same everywhere - where there is a will, there is a way!

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

Thanks so much for such an enjoyable and interesting story. We will definitely keep Jimmy in mind. At the moment we are hoping to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal if that excursion is going to be included in next year's list.

If you wouldn't mind I would love to have Jimmy's mobile number just in case we don't get the chance to go to Agra.

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

If you wouldn't mind I would love to have Jimmy's mobile number just in case we don't get the chance to go to Agra.
Jennie

His number is 9821180080. On his business card, it says he can also be reached thru his friend, Krishna the Jeweler, at krishnagems.hotmail.com.

I hope you are able to go to Agra because the folks who went on our ship's tour loved it. Pax reported that the Taj Mahal is well guarded to allow visitors a relaxing and enjoyable visit inside the gates. Perhaps someone else can give you a more full account here.

I recently watched all of the Oz Open in Melbin and see that the city is really lovely. I've been to Melbourne 6 times but never gotten out of the airport - I'm a big Tassie fan and am always on the way to Hobart from Sydney. The Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck area are great favorites of mine.

Happy sails,
Ruby

[Emdee]

Hi Ruby, I can see you had a real adventure in Bombay.....I felt a little guilty as I was the one who suggested a private car and driver. The taxis are usually good and you were lucky as you could have been taken for a ride.

Glad you got to the Dhobi Ghat.

I myself will be going back after 5 years or so and will take your tip and visit Excellentsea .... I often eat at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Yes it is expensive but they do have decent facilities which are a hard thing to find in Mumbai . Also they are very conveniently located for shopping. Since I was born there and lived a number of years there, sightseeing in Bombay itself is not a priority.

My South Africa and Tahiti trips went well and this year it will be Kenya, Tanzania Dubai and Bombay.

I am booking the Oceania Nautica Beijing to HKK for 2008 so will be on my first trip on Oceania .

Miriam

[Saga Ruby]

Hi Ruby, I can see you had a real adventure in Bombay.....I felt a little guilty as I was the one who suggested a private car and driver. The taxis are usually good and you were lucky as you could have been taken for a ride. I myself will be going back after 5 years or so and will take your tip and visit Excellentsea ....

Miriam, thanks for this note. Please feel no guilt but accept a heartfelt thank-you from me. You built my Mumbai itinerary for me long before I ever left Dallas and it was a roaring success. I wanted so much to go to Kala Niketan, but losing the two hours at the beginning of the day negated that possibility.

I am short and stout and the first step to go upstairs at Excellensea is a plastic "box" that has fish swimming in it. I carefully tested the strength of the plastic before I took that first step! I hope you enjoy the restaurant as much as I did.

Are you sailing into Dubai? If so, I would be glad to pass along yet another funny story about getting a taxi at the cruise ship terminal. There is definitely a trick to it if you're not on a bus tour.

Kind regards,
Ruby

[Fetchpeople]

To Saga Ruby for the fascinating and well written travelogues. I hope you are going on my next cruise, Nautica to the Black Sea on 9/2/07.

[Emdee]

Hi Ruby, I too would love to cruise with you.....I think there is still space on the Nautica Beijing to Hongkong March 2008 if you want to join us!

I am not sailing into Dubai but am stopping there on my way back to Mumbai after my visit to Kenya and Tanzania.

Sorry you couldnt make it to Kala Niketan I shall try to go there and take some pictures if I can for you. The saris are spectacular. Especially since they open out maybe a thousand and one only chooses one......

Happy travels

Miriam

[Aussie Gal]

His number is 9821180080. On his business card, it says he can also be reached thru his friend, Krishna the Jeweler, at krishnagems.hotmail.com.

I hope you are able to go to Agra because the folks who went on our ship's tour loved it. Pax reported that the Taj Mahal is well guarded to allow visitors a relaxing and enjoyable visit inside the gates. Perhaps someone else can give you a more full account here.

I recently watched all of the Oz Open in Melbin and see that the city is really lovely. I've been to Melbourne 6 times but never gotten out of the airport - I'm a big Tassie fan and am always on the way to Hobart from Sydney. The Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck area are great favorites of mine.

Happy sails,
Ruby

Thanks for the information Ruby. I do hope that we will get to the Taj Mahal but if not at least we have the name of a good driver to show us around Mumbai.

We also love Tasmania but you have missed out on not visiting our beautiful city. Yesterday my DH and myself were fortunate in being able to visit the Statendam to have lunch whilst it was here. We used public transport to get down to the Dock and when we arrived we thought to ourselves what a great city to visit. There was absolutely no rubbish anywhere, the trip from the city was less than 10 minutes by light rail and it is a great port to welcome a visitor to a big city.

Melbourne together with Vancouver and Vienna has been voted many times one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is so easy to get around and all of our sporting arenas are just so close to everything.

Next time you make your way "down under" please call into Melbourne and I will personally take you around for the day. It will be my pleasure to show you our lovely city.

Jennie

[meow!]

When we visited Melbourne in April, 2001 (by air), we stayed at the Westin on Colins Street. It was right opposite to Rutherford Pearls, and a small cafe next to it served outstanding soup. There was also the Regent Theatre right next where we watched "Annie". Not far away was this Daimaru store which claimed to be the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. We stayed in Melbourne for five days and took a taxi tour which took us to the harbour at the edge of the Antarctic Ocean (after Tasmania, of course). Question: Why didn't they build Melbourne closer to the shore? It took nearly an hour by taxi to get to see the pier!

[Aussie Gal]

Meow,

You certainly stayed right in the centre of the city. The Westin hotel is a lovely boutique hotel in a great spot. Unfortunately, Daimaru folded around 2003 so we no longer have that store which is a big pity but we do have two other great department stores, Myer and David Jones.

I think you were taken down to one of our seaside areas which are right on the ocean, not sure which area, it could have been Queenscliff, Port Lonsdale, Geelong or Sorrento or Portsea. Geelong would be the nearest port, but is not a passenger port. I think the taxi actually took you on a what we call a "wild goose chase" and went around in circles.

Melbourne was built on a river on the Yarra river for the fresh water and our port is only 10 minutes from the city. It is one of the closest ports in the world (we have been to many so I know what I am talking about) to a large city. The ships come through our heads, into Port Philllip Bay and then take about 3 hours to come up to the docks. We are actually on a Bay.

The ocean is called Bass Strait and the water is cold, compared to a lot of other countries even in the middle of our summer as there is no land between us and Antarctica. Bass Strait separates us from Tasmania and the other big ocean south to us is called the Southern Ocean. There is no Antarctica Ocean.

Sorry for the history and geography lesson!

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

I am not sailing into Dubai but am stopping there on my way back to Mumbai after my visit to Kenya and Tanzania.

Happy travels

Miriam

Miriam,

We too are planning to fly with Emerites on our way home from Athen next year. We will be staying over in Dubai for a couple of days, do you have any hotel recommendations and or tours that you know of and what we shouldn't miss.

Jennie

[meow!]

Thank you kindly for your informative reply. David Jones, which you mentioned, seemd to be the dorminant department store in Australia. For the four cities we visited, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth, David Jones seemed to be everywhere (if I remembered correctly).

Most buildings in the centre of Melbourne seem to have a walk-through shopping arcade on the ground floor. If you walk through one and cross a street, there is often immediately another one "linking" to it. This seems to be a special feature in the design of your city blocks, which is good, in that you can stay away from the sun (except for crossing a street). Some four blocks from the Westin, there is this two-block-long "Chinatown" which is considered a tourist attraction. We had "dim sum" there and it was nice.

In 2001, the A$1 = 48UScents, it was the best time for us to tour Australia. Now with A$1 = 78UScents, perhaps it is a wonderful time for you to tour the USA! Unfortunately, Oceania does not seem to have cruises in America, but there are other lines which cruise the east and the west coast (especially repositioning cruises).

[Aussie Gal]

Meow,

We have just spent our last 3 cruises leaving from the U.S. In July, 2005 we went to New York for a week and then after 3 days in Boston left on HAL's Maasdam to Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Shetland Islands, Norway and finished in Rotterdam.

Then in January last year we flew to L.A. and Miami before flying down to Rio to board our ship, the Regal Princess which took us to South America and Antarctica before finishing in Chile. After visiting Machu Picchu and doing a cruise around the Galapagos Islands we flew back to L.A. and spent 3 days there before flying home.

Then in September/October we once again flew across the Pacific to Vancouver via L.A. and after a few days boarded HAL's Veendam and went down the West coast of the U.S. Mexico, Costa Rica and through the Panama Canal and up the Amazon before finishing in Tampa after 34 days. We then flew to San Francisco for a few days before returning home.

So you can see that we have been busy visiting your country. We are returning to Europe in September after a two year break and are looking forward to visiting Ireland for the first time and Italy for the fifth time.

Jennie

[meow!]

Good for you, good luck and enjoy!

[Saga Ruby]

Gosh, you and DH are travelin' fools! More power to you.

I'll swap with you - when the pax got back to the ship in Dubai, each and every one of them said they were so glad to have seen the Dubai Museum which talks about the history of the area. I had lunch with a friend that day so didn't do any sightseeing, other than a drive-by at the Burj Al Arab. But the Museum was talked about quite a bit and I'm sorry I missed it.

I can highly recommend the Boardwalk restaurant by the Park Hyatt on Dubai Creek. It is attached to the Dubai Golf & Yacht Club. My friend and I had a great lunch sitting outside in the bright sun and watching the arras (water taxis) chug around the area. Food was fine.

Greenland? I'll be there in August. Dover, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Orkney Islands, Dover. Do you have any comments about what you saw or did? I'm in this cruise strictly for the icebergs. I've been to Svalbard (Spitzbergen) two years ago but am keen to see icebergs in Disko Bay. Anything you can pass along will be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Ruby

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

In Greenland we called in at Nuuk, I think it is their major town but it is tiny. On Greenland there are no trees and very little vegetation. The snow had melted in Nuuk and the houses were all painted in bright colours. We walked around the entire town, had a look at their major church and saw the market which was as you can imagine full of seals, whales etc as they do live off the sea. I couldn't bear to look but quite a few passengers went inside and watched the men cut up these beautiful mammals.

There were no tours organized and it was a tender port.

The next day was the highlight of that entire cruise as we cruised through Prince Christian Sound. We spent the day cruising through this beautiful area and we did see lots of icebergs. They are the small blue green ones, unlike the huge wide ones of Antarctica. It is a photographers dream, and we took so many photos.

You will enjoy this cruise, though it is what we call a cold weather one and you need to pack warm clothes even though it is August. We had very calm seas, the only time it was rough was in the area near where the Titanic sank which was between Newfoundland and Greenland.

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

I forgot to mention Iceland which is such a contrast to Greenland. We docked at Reykjavik and took a ship's tour to the Blue Lagoon, the President's church, a fishing village and then onto Thingvellir National Park before returning to Reykjavik and seeing some of the city sights.

It is such an interesting country with some many thermal pools, volcanoes etc. I wish we could have had an overnight there as Reykjavik is a lovely city.

Seeing the Blue Thermal pool is a must and quite a few passengers went for a dip in it.

Jennie

[Emdee]

Hi Aussie Gal, we will be in Dubai for only a couple of nights. One night with a friend and one night ( for the experience) the Burj. We are planning on taking the Dune tour and to visit the gold, spice and fabric souks.

I see you are going to Tahiti - it is paradise. We were there for new year and I left home saying that it is the last time but once I was there I knew we would be back. We were on the Paul Gauguin and it is a wonderful experience.

Enjoy!

Miriam

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Miriam,

Thanks for your info regarding Dubai. I will keep the Dune tour in mind for next year.

We were in Tahiti in March, 2004 and it was the best cruise we had done to that stage. I just loved the islands and wasn't disappointed with what I had imagined them to be.

This time we are again starting in Papeete and cruising to Hawaii which is a first for us. It is a great itinerary as we will once again visit Moorea, Bora Bora and Raitea before cruising north to Hilo, Maui, Kauai and finishing in Honolulu.

We are spending 3 days precruise in Papeete and 5 days post crusie in Honolulu. Cannot wait until June!

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

You said, "You will enjoy this cruise, though it is what we call a cold weather one and you need to pack warm clothes even though it is August."

On my cruise to Far North in June 2005, by the time we got to Longyearbyen on Svalbard, the wind was blowing at about 20 mph with light snow blowing almost horizontally. Our shuttle bus passed by reindeer grazing in the yard of the Radisson Polar North. When we left Magdalene Bay after seeing polar bears, we could not continue north because the North Pole ice pack was too solid. We had to take the long way round to get to Nordkapp in Norway.

From Dover, I went on to Paris via the Eurostar to do some shopping and caught the sales at Bouchara so came home with fine French silks. But packing for the North Pole then enjoying July in Paris was quite the packing challenge. On that Far North adventure it was strange to be sailing for 2-3 days to get "down" to the Arctic Circle.

Disko Bay in Greenland is right across the "street" from Ilulissat, far north of Nuuk, so I hope to see some major icebergs. Thanks so much for the information about Nuuk and Reykjavik. The Blue Thermal pool sounds lovely and I've put it on my "must see" list. I know that Iceland is green and Greenland is ice, so I'm ready for my Greenland adventure.

Your kind notes have made me want to see Melbourne. I promise to get out of the airport on my next visit to Tassie. Enjoy your Tahitian vacation - it sounds wonderful.

Happy sails!
Ruby

[Emdee]

Ruby, what cruiseline did you use when you did the Far North? I have always wanted to do that trip. My daughter did a trip on an icebreaker to the high arctic in Canada and Greenland - Kapitan Klebnikov. They had three helicopters on board for excursions as there were no ports so far up north. A couple of times when they got iced up the helicopter had to view the ice thickness from up there and the icebreaker would then get into into action. Quark Expeditions was on their ship as well - I found it too pricey forme. She went as part of a school trip.

Miriam

[Saga Ruby]

In all the cruises I've ever been on, that Far North, Norwegian Fjords voyage was the hall of famer. In honor of that cruise, I use the screen name of Saga Ruby. Nobody in the States has ever heard of Saga Cruises. When I talk about my cruise to Far North on Saga Cruises, the Stateside people look at me like, "Oh you poor thing!"

Saga has two ships - Saga Ruby and Saga Rose. They were built in the 60s, sailed as the deservedly famous Sagafjord and Vistafjord for many years and were (and are) top of the line - refurbished completely in 2005. The only difference between Saga and Oceania is that O has the newer ships but in food, service, and style, I'm always happy to be on Saga. Having said that, Saga is not in any way a cheap ticket to buy.

The Russian icebreaker used to be very expensive and quite sparse in accommodations, so I was happy to be on Saga which put on quite a party when we got to the Land of the Midnight Sun - a full buffet, dancing, entertainment out on deck by the empty swimming pool at midnight. As I said, we went as far as the North Pole ice shelf, but we did not go as far as the Kapitan Klebnikov.

Our Saga Ruby captain said that, in the 6 years he had been doing this once-a-year itinerary, they had never seen polar bears, so you cannot count on that. A British chap on the CCritic forum was on the Sea Princess at the exact same time and day as I was, and they never saw the bears because that ship is too large to come into Magdalene Bay.

Saga offers exquisite itineraries. On this same cruise, I sailed in an exact Viking boat replica out to an island in Norway, we did the "Norway in a Nutshell" out of Bergen which was not to be missed, on and on.

If you think it's hard to get accommodations on Oceania because it has only 3 ships, think of trying to book exotic itineraries with avid British fans, and only 2 ships plus their requirement that all pax be over age 50! Here in the States, we have to "step in time" like Mary Poppins to book passage on those Saga sisters. You can find them at www.sagacruises.com (http://www.sagacruises.com).

You must promise that, if you do sail on Saga, you'll tell me how it went. Don't forget the age requirement - many people are left out because of that one. But it gives them something to look forward to.

Happy sails, Emdee,
Ruby

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

Our friend, Captain Stephen Card, lectures on the Saga Ruby occasionally and will be on it when it leaves Australia next month. We met him last week for lunch on the Statendam and he was singing the praises of that ship.

We are definitely going to look into some of the itineraries at a later date as he has won us over. It does sound a wonderful ship experience.

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

As you know, Stephen Card has become a famous maritime artist and appears on the CCritic forums as "Prinsendam." I have never met him and am envious of your friendship. I know he lives in Oz and has a second home (family home) in Bermuda. I wish I could fill a place at table for lunch with you, DH and him on the Statendam. ;)

I'm thrilled to hear you might consider Saga. To read more, you can try this URL - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=295371&highlight=Saga+Ruby

It is so hard to find information on Saga and her ships. You are way ahead of the game to have had the chat with Captain Card. You will see that one poster complains about the age of the pax - yes, they are older, probably equivalent to the Cunard Queens crowd. But I always learn from their vast experiences and memories plus the British atmosphere lends itself to an air of civility practically now a ghost on many American mass market ships. I find that (and the ships) quite appealing.

Kind regards,
Ruby

[LuAnn]

Thanks for the information Ruby. I do hope that we will get to the Taj Mahal but if not at least we have the name of a good driver to show us around Mumbai.

We also love Tasmania but you have missed out on not visiting our beautiful city. Yesterday my DH and myself were fortunate in being able to visit the Statendam to have lunch whilst it was here. We used public transport to get down to the Dock and when we arrived we thought to ourselves what a great city to visit. There was absolutely no rubbish anywhere, the trip from the city was less than 10 minutes by light rail and it is a great port to welcome a visitor to a big city.

Melbourne together with Vancouver and Vienna has been voted many times one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is so easy to get around and all of our sporting arenas are just so close to everything.

Next time you make your way "down under" please call into Melbourne and I will personally take you around for the day. It will be my pleasure to show you our lovely city.

Jennie

Jennie...found you because we are taking our first Oceania cruise in April 07...and was interested in this thread..we are going Athens to Venice..but..we are also going Sydney to Auckland (with a day in Melbourne) in Feb 08 and noticed you live in Melbourne..I lived in Adelaide for a year (88) and have been to Sydney several times as well as Perth..but never make it to Melbourne..at least at that time it was so expensive to fly within OZ..and (except for work) just did not have the funds to do so!...was wondering if you would be interested in offering a chance to spend part of a day with you in Melbourne?...we did that with another CC'er this past December in Munich...someone we had met through CC and had the greatest time!...would love to buy you lunch/drinks/dinner and just have a chance to visit ..in order to meet a real Melbournian (is that the right term!?) Hope I haven't over-stepped my bounds here? if I have please just tell me so..I live in Southern California...and you know how we are?!! LuAnn

[Aussie Gal]

LuAnn,

It would be my pleasure to take you and your DH (or friend) around Melbourne next February.

A couple of years or so ago I gave a foursome from the C.C. Board a mini tour of our city. We have kept in touch over the years and they have become dear friends.

Melbourne is a lovely city very different from Adelaide which is so much quieter and of course more English or European than Sydney.

You will have to read up and let me know what you would like to see. At least you have 12 months before you come "down here".

If you can give me your email address we can work out a plan for the day.

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

LuAnn,

It would be my pleasure to take you and your DH (or friend) around Melbourne next February.

A couple of years or so ago I gave a foursome from the C.C. Board a mini tour of our city. We have kept in touch over the years and they have become dear friends.

Melbourne is a lovely city very different from Adelaide which is so much quieter and of course more English or European than Sydney.

You will have to read up and let me know what you would like to see. At least you have 12 months before you come "down here".

If you can give me your email address we can work out a plan for the day.

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

Ruby,

You would have loved our lunch the other day. The Pinnacle Grill (which is the fee paying restaurant) was opened especially for us. Just the 3 of us and 3 waiters plus the Maitre'd. We had a delightful lunch, Stephen is a great host and we did feel very special.

Thanks for the link. I have been to the website of Saga so know a little about their ships besides what Stephen has told us.

Jennie

[Saga Ruby]

I'm so happy that this thread has accomplished a "hands across the border" effect with Jennie, Emdee, and now LuAnn. That is the bright shining star of good message boards like this one.

The Captain of the Nautica, at the end of my cruise in Singapore, stood at the top of the gangway and shook everyone's hand, wishing us safe passage. I told him I really liked his ship and he said, "I do too!"

Oceania is a class act, well run, and I look forward to my next cruise on this excellent line.

Happy sails, everybody!
Ruby

[Druke I]

I do agree with you again re the Captain being personable - but he flat refused to blow the ship's whistle!

I asked about that, and he said he not only would not blow the whistle, but he would not ring the ship's bell for the Noon Navigation Report.

He was a very good sport out at the Deck Party.

[LuAnn]

LuAnn,

It would be my pleasure to take you and your DH (or friend) around Melbourne next February.

A couple of years or so ago I gave a foursome from the C.C. Board a mini tour of our city. We have kept in touch over the years and they have become dear friends.

Melbourne is a lovely city very different from Adelaide which is so much quieter and of course more English or European than Sydney.

You will have to read up and let me know what you would like to see. At least you have 12 months before you come "down here".

If you can give me your email address we can work out a plan for the day.

Jennie

Thank you so much! Our email is kilgast at cox dot net ..also we were on the Tahitian Princess in July 06 (did the 10 days around the islands..RT Papette) so would be glad to answer any questions/help in that respect! As you know, it was an "R" ship..we loved the size of it and met many new friends while on board who live in NZ..in fact..that is one of the reasons we are doing the cruise in 08 ..to visit them in Christchurch and Auckland! Again..thank you for accepting to help us out! and...any help you need re the Tahitian cruise..and/or West Coast/So Cal/ etc..more than happy to help!! LuAnn

[Aussie Gal]

LuAnn,

Have sent an email this morning to you. Do hope that you receive it.

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

His number is 9821180080. On his business card, it says he can also be reached thru his friend, Krishna the Jeweler, at krishnagems.hotmail.com.
Happy sails,
Ruby

Ruby,

I didn't want to take over Johnny and Diane's wonderful posts with another question for you so found this older topic of yours. I have sent an email to Jimmy but cannot get through to Krishna Jewelry Store with a fax. The number you gave me was 92 22 2269 2647. Have I got it correct? I wanted to try both ways of communicating with him to be on the safe side.

I tried all yesterday but to no avail. The number was busy the whole time which didn't seem quite right! Thanks. :)

Jennie

[Mexfolkart]

This is our first Oceania Cruise (4/26-5/10 Barcelona-Istanbul) now, do we have to make reservations for dinner at the regular restaurants? I understand what we have to do for the Specialty ones (book as soon as we get on board!!) but what about for the others? If you want to be seated at a larger table with others do you just ask to be seated like that?
How does O dis-embark people on the last day? And what about embarkation?
Thank you, S&K

[Aruba]

No, you don't need to make a reservation for dinner at the Grand Dining Room. Just show up. We usually eat around 8:00 and the longest we ever waited for a table was 5 minutes. If you want to join other people at a larger table, just ask the Maitre'D -- or start a conversation with the folks in line at the Maitre'D station. Oceania passengers are, as a rule, very friendly!