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Live From Riviera - Barcelona to Istanbul, 9/8/14


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Beginning our 2 week journey across the Med from Spain to Turkey! We are past Regent and Celebrity cruisers on our first Oceania cruise. I will try to post our observations during the cruise and perhaps add some insight for those considering O or those concerned about the pending merger. Here's Day 1, so far:

 

As we are in an Oceania Suite, we were able to board at 11AM. Boarding was quick and efficient without the "chaos" we've experienced at times on Celebrity. Appreciated the fact that the top Suites were called first for boarding as opposed to X where, although there was a separate line for Suite Guests, you were still part of the herd. Once on board, another surprise. Our cabin was ready for occupancy! Went immediately to our cabin to drop our carry-ons and within 10 minutes, our luggage also showed up! Double kudos, O. We've never experienced such excellent service on a cruise, not even on Regent. Should note that Penthouse and Concierge cabins were called very shortly after us. Our Suite is in tip-top shape and quite elegant.

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Had lunch in Waves which was very relaxed and not as crowded as the Terrace. Based on recommends from some of this Forum's most prolific posters, we ordered the "double surf, no turf, no bun" Thanks Lyn, Mura, and Larraine. Not sure who first posted this idea but it was spot on. Mine went straight up with a little sauce and my wife made a lobster salad with some balsamic vinaigrette from Terrace.

 

All the staff we have encountered so far have been very polite and upbeat. No sign of any discord over the merger.

 

Sail away at 6 PM followed by dinner in Jacques. More tomorrow.

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Sailaway from Barcelona was short and sweet. We bid farewell to Insignia which docked nearby around Noon. Dinner at Jacques was superb. DW and DS had the Dover Sole and I managed to sneak a taste. The hallmark of a chef on their game is how they cook fish and this fish was cooked perfectly. The crab salad starter was excellent. I went with the mussels which, although very tasty, were slightly disturbing as only half of them had opened. I was surprised they would serve the dish with that many defectives. My entree of Coquilles St. Jacque was done just right. A nice albarino to accompany, a little signature apple tart, and life was good!

 

After dinner, the casino beckoned but as others have mentioned the traffic was, shall we say nonexistent. Spent a brief period there then retired back to our suite. Tomorrow is a Sea Day on our way to Malta.

 

A comment on the ship: Riviera has a very good layout, wonderful open spaces and a lot of nooks and crannies to tuck your self in with a good book. DW was very impressed with the library. She's an avid mystery reader and found at least 6 books on her to read list. We have a nice mix of ages ranging from late 30's to mid 80's with the average around 60. Only saw a handful of kids so far but very well mannered.

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Dinner last night was at Polo. Seems on this board you either love Polo or hate it. Here's my take. My wife is not really a red meat eater and was disappointed there weren't fish offerings other than Salmon or Swordfish ( both on the more meaty side). She ended up with the Lobster which, although good, wasn't much different than our lunches at Waves. My Son and I both ordered the fillet medium. His came perfect, mine came out medium rare. Accompaniments of mushrooms, onion rings, and potatoes rounded out the meal. Final take, it was OK. Nothing special and I've had better at Ruth's Chris or Mastros in Chicago or L.A. We're canceling our planned second visit. Attended the Captain's Reception prior to dinner. Captain Luca Manzi is the very image of a Venetian Doge and with a sense of humor to boot. As he introduced his crew, he made a comment, "you are probably wondering who is driving the ship right now. We have this thing called an Autopilot which generally works. We should be at Malta in 2 days...or somewhere near it. Don't worry, there is plenty of food on board."

 

Breakfasts in the Terrace Cafe have been spot on. Wonderful omelets and such. And praise be, CRISPY BACON!! No soft, undercooked, fatty meat. A very nice selection of diabolical pastries , several juice selections including V8.

 

30 for now.

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Had lunch in Waves which was very relaxed and not as crowded as the Terrace. Based on recommends from some of this Forum's most prolific posters, we ordered the "double surf, no turf, no bun" Thanks Lyn, Mura, and Larraine. Not sure who first posted this idea but it was spot on. Mine went straight up with a little sauce and my wife made a lobster salad with some balsamic vinaigrette from Terrace.

 

 

I claim the credit for this one! Please email me so I can supply my home address for the tip I am due! :D

 

Seriously, I look forward to your postings. We sailed Istanbul to Barcelona on Riviera in May and had a fantastic time. Hope you have extra time in Istanbul at the end, one of my favorite cities in the world.

Edited by CintiPam
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Dinner last night was at Polo. Seems on this board you either love Polo or hate it. Here's my take. My wife is not really a red meat eater and was disappointed there weren't fish offerings other than Salmon or Swordfish ( both on the more meaty side). She ended up with the Lobster which, although good, wasn't much different than our lunches at Waves. My Son and I both ordered the fillet medium. His came perfect, mine came out medium rare. Accompaniments of mushrooms, onion rings, and potatoes rounded out the meal. Final take, it was OK. Nothing special and I've had better at Ruth's Chris or Mastros in Chicago or L.A. We're canceling our planned second visit. Attended the Captain's Reception prior to dinner. Captain Luca Manzi is the very image of a Venetian Doge and with a sense of humor to boot. As he introduced his crew, he made a comment, "you are probably wondering who is driving the ship right now. We have this thing called an Autopilot which generally works. We should be at Malta in 2 days...or somewhere near it. Don't worry, there is plenty of food on board."

 

Breakfasts in the Terrace Cafe have been spot on. Wonderful omelets and such. And praise be, CRISPY BACON!! No soft, undercooked, fatty meat. A very nice selection of diabolical pastries , several juice selections including V8.

 

30 for now.

 

Its interesting how different restaurants appeal to people, I am a meat and potatos girl and we eat in Polo almost every night when we are on the small ships, on Riviera and Marina we skip Toscana..too much food and bread for me..(and I would eat it)

Agree with you about Jacques absolutely great..hope you like Red Ginger as much as we do..try to go with 7 or 8 and have dinner family style you can try almost everything on the menu..right my fellow travelers?? We do it all the time..!!

Jancruz1

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I should go on record with agreeing with Jan. Howard and I tried Red Ginger twice and weren't impressed. Then we had dinner with Jan and Stu and two other couples. The meal was ordered by Jan and Stu and just presented. It was wonderful.

 

I don't think we'll go back on our own but might with a group doing such as Jan/Stu did!

 

OTOH, we love Jacques ... Have generally had good luck with Polo, less so with Toscana. It depends on the cruise and your luck in ordering, perhaps.

 

Mura

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The specialty restaurants on O are a crap shoot.

Any of the them can offer a great, so-so or awful experience depending on the cruise, the chef at the time and what you order. My experience has been all over the place. However, I tend to find that when, e.g., Toscana is good on a particular cruise, it is good throughout that cruise.

 

I have also found that there is no unanimity among passengers when it comes to the specialties. On our last cruise on Nautica, a bunch of us had to keep sending back food (which is not our custom) -- steaks undercooked or overcooked. We talked to the Exec Chef about this. Others said their food was perfectly prepared every time. Go figure.

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Thanks to all for your comments. Regarding POLO, as I stated you either love it or not. Although the food was good, I did not feel it was a "wow" experience especially when compared to the other venues so far. And speaking of that, last night's dinner was the Exploration menu at La Reserve. DW, who is not much of a drinker, was a bit reluctant but agreed to go. After the third wine sampling she declared "I'm sloshed." However, she soldiered on, made sure I took note of the wines served -not a bad one in the bunch- and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Excellent food and I highly recommend to all that you do this one night. Consider it a Chef's Table upscale at a very reasonable price.

 

A couple observations: No Blue Cheese stuffed olives for martinis?? Not even at Martini's,the bar. Very surprising and if FDR is reading this, something to consider adding. Have not had to wait for a table at Waves or Terrace and no pushing/shoving to get to the buffet items. A very refreshing change of pace from Celebrity. I can also report that the Wine Package is alive and well! Minimum 7 bottles at $42 each.

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Is the Wine Package the same as before? I presume you bought 7 bottles of a particular wine, since in the past the discounts were a percentage of the varying prices of the bottles.

 

 

No, there is a list of wines. 2 sparkling, 8 whites, and 12 reds. Pick any seven at $42.50/bottle to make your package. Not aware of any per bottle discount package but did note that we got a 20% discount for La Reserve for having the Prestige drink package.

 

If anyone can give me a hint on posting pictures, I'll try to send a look at the menu.

Edited by Aloha 1
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Day three brought us to Malta, the fortress island and the most bombed place on earth during WWII. We took the Hop On-Hop Off bus and went to Mdina, the former seat of power. Amazing to think that humans have had civilization there for almost 8,000 years. The language is a unique mix of ancient Phoenician and Arabic. Yesterday was a Sea Day and we dined at Toscana last night. Compared to Jacques and Polo, the crowd at 6:30 PM was twice the size. Pretty poplar spot. We shared the Toscana Trio starter of Lobster Risotto, Spinach Tortellini, and Pasta carbonara and the eggplant covered Baked Tagliettelli. Entrees were the free range Chicken stuffed with Prosciutto, the Osso Buco, and the Bronzino. DW, said the fish was excellent, DS devoured the chicken, but I felt my dish was not as fork tender as I've had in some restaurants. Still good but just a little chewy. Glad to report that the reported demise of chocolate lasagna was greatly exaggerated. It was alive and well..at least til we made an end of it :D.

 

A comment comparing Regent to Oceania: There are only two specialty restaurants on Regent, Signatures(French) and Prime 7 (steak house). Comparing Jacques to Signatures is no comparison. hands down, Jacques wins on menu, service, and taste. However, IMHO, Prime 7 is the superior steak house. First, a display kitchen, 2 lbs of King Crab Legs ( de shelled) as an entree, and better meat cuts/preparation. The GDR on Regent was especially good but I'll hold my comparison until we actually dine in the GDR here on Riviera.

 

Today we are in Crete and tonite we dine at Red Ginger. More tomorrow!

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Day three brought us to Malta, the fortress island and the most bombed place on earth during WWII. We took the Hop On-Hop Off bus and went to Mdina, the former seat of power. Amazing to think that humans have had civilization there for almost 8,000 years. The language is a unique mix of ancient Phoenician and Arabic. Yesterday was a Sea Day and we dined at Toscana last night. Compared to Jacques and Polo, the crowd at 6:30 PM was twice the size. Pretty poplar spot. We shared the Toscana Trio starter of Lobster Risotto, Spinach Tortellini, and Pasta carbonara and the eggplant covered Baked Tagliettelli. Entrees were the free range Chicken stuffed with Prosciutto, the Osso Buco, and the Bronzino. DW, said the fish was excellent, DS devoured the chicken, but I felt my dish was not as fork tender as I've had in some restaurants. Still good but just a little chewy. Glad to report that the reported demise of chocolate lasagna was greatly exaggerated. It was alive and well..at least til we made an end of it :D.

 

A comment comparing Regent to Oceania: There are only two specialty restaurants on Regent, Signatures(French) and Prime 7 (steak house). Comparing Jacques to Signatures is no comparison. hands down, Jacques wins on menu, service, and taste. However, IMHO, Prime 7 is the superior steak house. First, a display kitchen, 2 lbs of King Crab Legs ( de shelled) as an entree, and better meat cuts/preparation. The GDR on Regent was especially good but I'll hold my comparison until we actually dine in the GDR here on Riviera.

 

Today we are in Crete and tonite we dine at Red Ginger. More tomorrow!

 

IMO (and I know it is shared by others) the best main course in Toscana is the Dover sole. Enjoy

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Almost forgot, last night was our CC Meet & Greet. Kudos to Randall Abrahams, our very capable Executive Concierge. We had initially planned to do this on the first Sea Day at 5PM in Horizons. However, the Captain also planned his Welcome Reception around that time

and, well, RHIP. Randall took our Roll Call list and deduced cabin numbers from the first names and hometowns on the list. Approximately 60 people attended and it was nice to put faces to names.

 

Our Cruise Director, Andy Heath, is a recent addition to Oceania, having been out of "the business" for the last sixteen years. O caught him in a weak moment while he was shoveling 9 inches of snow from his drive in Kansas City with the enticement of returning to warmer climes. Andy sets a perfect tone and he will be the CD on the next World Voyage. Hs wife, Tammy, is also on board and is handling a myriad of activities such as needle point, etc. They are both a great addition to O.

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Almost forgot, last night was our CC Meet & Greet. Kudos to Randall Abrahams, our very capable Executive Concierge. We had initially planned to do this on the first Sea Day at 5PM in Horizons. However, the Captain also planned his Welcome Reception around that time

and, well, RHIP. Randall took our Roll Call list and deduced cabin numbers from the first names and hometowns on the list. Approximately 60 people attended and it was nice to put faces to names.

 

Our Cruise Director, Andy Heath, is a recent addition to Oceania, having been out of "the business" for the last sixteen years. O caught him in a weak moment while he was shoveling 9 inches of snow from his drive in Kansas City with the enticement of returning to warmer climes. Andy sets a perfect tone and he will be the CD on the next World Voyage. Hs wife, Tammy, is also on board and is handling a myriad of activities such as needle point, etc. They are both a great addition to O.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed Andy & Tammy. He seems quite conscientious about Trivia and appears to put a lot of thought into his questions. He has a great speaking voice. Tammy is extremely sweet and does a great job of being a social hostess.

 

I think the World cruisers will enjoy traveling with them.

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Aloha1:

 

Did you check the retail prices and reviews/ratings of the discounted wines before choosing the 7 bottles? Or did you just pick bottles that you know you would probably like?

 

Originally, you would receive a percentage discount that increased up to 30% based on the number of bottles purchased at one time.

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What type of port day specials do they have for spa treatments? I love the idea of returning tired from a tour and being pampered.

 

 

Not many. Not like other lines. Spa is over the top expensive. Occasionally they offer a few short procedures bundled together. Not relaxing IMO I have never seen a discount on a full massage or facial

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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Aloha1:

 

Did you check the retail prices and reviews/ratings of the discounted wines before choosing the 7 bottles? Or did you just pick bottles that you know you would probably like?

 

Originally, you would receive a percentage discount that increased up to 30% based on the number of bottles purchased at one time.

 

I didn't take the wine package as DW is not much of a drinker and we already have the Prestige drink package. The listed bottles seem a nice mix of Cali, Italy, Chile, France, Spain, and NZ but with the internet as slow as it is, I've not checked them out. I will post the menu after we return and you can judge for yourself.

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What type of port day specials do they have for spa treatments? I love the idea of returning tired from a tour and being pampered.

 

Not much in that way. Did see a one day limited offer for a 15 minute facial or back diagnosis, or hair comb out. Plus a Pick & Mix package of two 25 minute treatments for USD $120. Don't know if that is a regular price or a special.

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Our next port of call was Crete. Recent archeological discoveries have now pushed human occupation of this island back 100,000 years! Most likely our cousins, Homo Erectus. Our main objective was the Ruins of the Palace of King Minos at Knossos. Since it was a short stay ( 9AM to 4PM), I hired a car and drove to Knossos, DW's protestations not withstanding. :)

 

The ruins cover around 6 acres and date from at least 3700 years ago. The Minoan Civilization on Crete was the dominant naval power in the eastern Med at that time and one of the most advanced cultures. They traded with the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Phoenicians, and others. The destruction of Santorini (Thera) in 1630 BCE created a tsunami over 65 feet in height that wiped out most of the cities and fleet of Crete. The site unfortunately was extremely crowded due to numerous bus excursions from all over Crete. Still worth doing. Return to port, had a very nice lunch of mezes overlooking the harbor at one of the many little outdoor restaurants and returned to Riviera for trivia.

 

Speaking of trivia, here's one for all you aficionados: What is the origin of the term "trivia"? It comes from ancient Latin and means "three roads converge". And where three roads converge, traders, travelers, etc. would stop and rest...and swap stories. Now you know more than before you read this post!

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Dinner was at the last of the specialty restaurants on Riviera, Red Ginger. We are fans of Asian food plus the Chef's cooking demonstration featured the Head Chef from this restaurant so we looked forward to trying the dishes. They did not disappoint. We ate family style and shared, the Miso Sea Bass, Lobster Pad Thai, Teriyaki Chicken, House fried Rice, Imperial Spring Rolls, etc. A great deal of food and all well done. I do agree with others that if you can find a group of at least 4 to 6, do it. There were more dishes than we had room to eat and more we wanted to try. Portions are ample and appear made for sharing.

 

Today, we are in Antalya, Turkey and I will post later on this port.

 

Final word till then, the staff on Riviera excess anything we experienced on Regent, and that's saying something given Regent's high standards. We have not had a single disappointment so far ( other than no blue cheese stuffed olives). Really enjoying our first O cruise.

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