Hlitner

We would be fine with 8026, but keep in mind that much depends on your neighbors. Ours are very quiet, but we have heard from others who complain that their neighbors use their TV, late at night. Tis the luck of the draw. Nobody in Europe or at O cares about your shot records. Other then a few passengers on our cruise who still wear masks, COVID is not an issue. Nobody we met has a clue why they took Turkey off our itinerary. Ironically, we have an upcoming Seabourn cruise where several Turkey ports were also changed to Greece. Again, we were given no explanation. Hank

Perhaps, but we view it as good fun just like Caviar in the Surf on Seabourn.

We will most certainly return to O ☺️. But Seabourn and SS are next on the agenda. We are not one trick ponies LOL.

Today we are docked in Valencia under blue skies. The weather on this entire segment has been terrific and we are keeping our fingers crossed for more of the same. DW and I took a 5 hour ship excursion to Bacairent, which is a very old quaint mountain village. Having previously been to Valencia (where there is an excellent market) we thought this was a good place to use some of our "Simply More" shore excursion credit. Our guide was excellent, and we enjoyed visiting the small village. There was a substantial amount of walking, and this tour was not for anyone with a mobility problem. Since the Port of Valencia (which can handle 4 cruise ships) is a few miles from the city center, O did provide free shuttle bus service to the center. Yesterday, we were docked in Barcelona (Moll Adosset Terminal B), which is the main cruise dock in that city. Since the weather was very comfortable, DW and I did not use the free shuttle bus service, but rather walked into town (about 2 miles to the Ramblas) and later reversed the process. We simply spent a few hours in the Ramblas/Gothic Quarter area before walking back to the ship for a late lunch. Barcelona is a terrific port with much to see and do, but to say that we have seen that/done that would be an understatement. Even though it is still early in the season, and we were the only cruise ship within site, the Ramblas was a busy place. The Boqueria Market (right off the Ramblas) remains a "do not miss" place and the decent Iberian Hams are now ONLY about $250 Euros per Kg. Nothing new to add to our previous comments re the Vista. Had dinner in Toscana, last night, and everything was great. I do like that it is possible to order a small portion of any of the extensive pastas, which makes it a good starter or supplement to other starters. The usual tableside oil/balsamic service is always lots of fun. Somebody asked (might have been Flatbush Flyer) about the current CD and GM. The CD is Peter (I have no clue to his last name) and the GM is Damien Lacroix. Since DW and I have not bothered to go to any of the private parties, we have had no interaction with the GM other than to bid him a "Good Morning" when we cross paths in Barristas. Since everything, onboard, is better than good, we have no reason to seek out the GM. As to Peter, since we are now in the midst of our 10 straight port days, we are being rewarded by not needing to listen to as many of his announcements. Hank

The Vista has 4 restaurants (no add ons), plus a Lido plus a main dining room, plus 2 other grills (Aquamar and Waves) plus a coffee place with bakery. Lots of different steaks, whole Maine Lobster, etc. HAL never had food quality and options like this, in its best day. Hank

I think you are missing an important part of CC, which does include talking about deals and value. For those not interested it is just a simple matter of ignoring the posts and moving on. Hank

Had to think about the answer. We are currently on a 35 day Oceania Vista cruise which is far superior to anything we have experienced on our HAL cruises (except for the Prinsendam). Not sure we would give up O, Seabourn, or Explora Journeys to book HAL. But never say never 😉 Hank

We would also go with the longer cruise, even though we were not happy with our 42 days on the Westy (mostly in Japan). We would also suggest extending your trip to enjoy at least a week in Japan. No reason to do that with a cruise package. One can spend time in Japan on your own and use the excellent train system to move around. We enjoyed 5 days in Tokyo and 6 days in Kyoto… pre cruise. Hank

I think what is missing from the thread is value. What is the cost, per day, or Regent vs O? And for what it is worth, the watermelon/duck salad on Explora Journeys (EJ1) is far superior to what we have on the Vista. And we do think the bread on the Vista is the best we have had at sea. Hank

I do get we all have our pet peeves. But running shoes in the MDR? Really? Hank

“Years ago” there were many cities we enjoyed (even in the USA) which have changed in a very bad way. We can agree ti disagree about Marseille. But when it comes to “O” we are mostly in your court. 😉

Today we are docked in Marseille. I have a strong dislike of Marseille (my least favorite place in France) but love the port as a gateway into Provence. A large majority of passengers went off on excursions to places like Aix en Provence, Avignon, St Remy, etc. DW and I left the ship around 9am with a DIY plan of going to Cassis for lunch. Although we have spent a lot of time in the south of France (including having rented apartments in both Avignon and St Remy) we had never visited Cassis. Upon walking off the ship we boarded the free port shuttle bus that would take us into town (a few blocks from the old port). We also noted that one tour group also used the free shuttle bus (along with their guide) which is not impressive when one considers those folks paid about $150 pp for their tour. The docking area used for most cruise ships (Terminal A and Terminal B) are too far from Marseille for walking. DIY folks need to either use the shuttle bus or hire a taxi willing to do the short haul into town (which I assume will cost about 25 Euros). Once in Marseille, DW and I walked the 1/2 mile to the St Charles train station where we bought round trip tickets for Cassis (about 12.50 Euros pp). We arrived in Cassis (a 25 min train ride) around 11am, only to find no taxis at the station, very infrequent buses to town, etc. So we decided to make the 2-mile trek into Central Cassis. Much of the walk is downhill, so the walk is not difficult for folks used to long walks. In Cassis we walked around the picturesque and somewhat charming marina area before settling on a local outdoor restaurant that specialized in mussels. We got the best table, had a wonderful view, and enjoyed our Moules et Frites and Vino Blanc. After spending some time walking around town we used our phone to summon an Uber to get us back to the station. That cost about 14 Euros, which was a good investment as we were not looking forward to the trek (with many uphill slopes) back to the station. Back in Marseille it was an easy half mile to the shuttle bus stop and back to the ship. Another decent DIY Day. Dinner, last night, was in the GDR with our favorite waiter. DW and I both enjoyed a shrimp main which was served in a light/tasty sauce. The evening show was a decent singer from Holland, who turned out to be a competent Opera Soprano. While she did quite a few popular songs, it was her few opera arias that really shined. Our Guest entertainers on the Vista continue to be very good and comparable (or better) then we have experienced on other cruise lines. The late show in Horizons was Karaoke and I had a good time chatting with my new-found Aussie friends and our Assistant Cruise Director (Paul) who ran the karaoke show. There was a good size crowd (over 50) in Horizons until the end of karaoke ended around 11:30. A little tidbit about our cabin bathroom. The shower is quite large (close to 4' square) and has two glass shelves for items like soap. shampoo, etc. O provides excellent Bvlgari soap, and it is in bar form. When you put a wet bar of soap on smooth glass, it will stick. In fact, it can be a challenge to pull the bar off that glass. After a few days our steward put a folded face cloth on one shelf in order to avoid the problem. Great idea! DW and I both appreciate that O does provide decent bar soap. Much of the competition has moved to liquid soap dispensers, which we have never liked. We finally did hear our neighbor's TV (during our pre-dinner shower time). Not a problem, at that hour, but it was the first time we did notice the oft reported issue. I suspect that, in most cases, getting a quiet cabin on the Vista is simply "luck of the draw" in terms of having quiet or noisy neighbors. Hank

The seafront walkway is now opened, but there is still construction. The walkway is protected by some fencing and we had no problem getting all the way to the steps. Yesterday, the two adjacent beaches were crowded with sun worshippers and a few swimmers (the water must still be chilly). Hank

Wow! Very similar to the lunch dish I had in Vernazza. Love mussels. Hank

Good day from Villafranche, Today, after a short cruise from Livorno, we are anchored just off the coast of the lovely French port/resort city of Villefranche sur Mer. For those who have never been to this port it is tender only. The Vista used several of its own tenders supplemented by a large shore-based tender. This is the first time I even recall a shore-based tender at this port, and that boat is quite new and immaculate. Villefranche is a favorite port because there are so many options for both excursions and DIY. From here, folks can easily get to Nice (yes, Nice is nice). Eze, St Paul de Vence, Monte Carlo, Grasse, Antibes, and other places are all within range for a day trip. This morning we saw another day of perfect weather. Not a cloud in sight, temps in the mid 70s, low humidity, and a gentle breeze. A true "10" day, So, DW and I decided to follow a plan of hiking to the Villa Eprussi de Rothchild, which is located near Cap Ferrat. We had planned to tender ashore after 10am (to miss the rush) but the cruise director announced, around 9:30, that there was no tender queues. We headed to the Vista Lounge (to get our tender tickets) but were stopped on the stairway by Paul (the Assistance Cruise Director) who said there is no wait for a tender and to just head down the tender pier. Good job Vista :). It is about a 2 mile walk from the tender pier and the stroll took as about 50 minutes. The Villa Ephussi was interesting (a self-guided tour) and the outdoor gardens were very expansive. After spending about 2 hours at the Villa, we walked back to Villefranche where we stopped for a delightful lunch. DW and an excellent goat cheese salad and I fulfilled a personal passion of having Soupe de Poisson. The fish soup in this part of France has long been a favorite of mine and the Rock Fish based version at Cosmo (the name of the restaurant) was excellent. We returned to the ship about 3pm having enjoyed an absolutely perfect day. Dinner last night was our 2nd visit to Polo. This time, our meal was excellent (DW thought it the best meal...so far). She had the surf/turf and enjoyed both the steak and small lobster tail. I decided to ignore some warnings (from other cruisers) and ordered the Maine Lobster with drawn butter. I was delighted to be served a real Maine lobster (I love the claw meat). It was not quite as good as fresh Maine Lobster (which cannot be done on ships) but was close. I should mention that my starter of the French Onion Soup was also terrific. A word about my food comments. This is our first O cruise, so we cannot compare to the pre-Covid O. Others tell us that O cuisine has gone downhill in the past few years, which does make us wonder what we missed! What we are experiencing here on the Vista is probably the 2nd best overall cuisine we have had on 18 cruise lines. #1 still goes to the new Explora Journeys, Explora Journey 1. Seabourn trails O because O offers more variety (at least on the Vista). One mild complaint (about O) continues to be the early nights. Entertainment (in Horizons) generally ends at 11:15 and than the ship dies! There have actually been some decent crowds in Horizons (quite a few dancers) but once the music stops, most are quickly off to bed. One more dance/music set would be appreciated by us night owls. Hank