zalusky

23 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

…  Not only are the productions on their smaller ships insipid but the crowded theater is a great place to pick up COVID.

Which my sister and I did pick up.  Enjoying Paxlovid as I type.

How are the in cabin TV movie selections?  Old / new / very new?  Just a few new releases or a lot?

As a side note we just got off a Royal Caribbean Alaskan cruise with siblings.

The entertainment was pretty great.  They had a harp that extended from the stage to the balcony amongst other cool things.

That being said the:

• Food was insipid
• First night the buffet had scooped ice cream and then never saw it again.  Bacon was almost always gone.
• Shower amenities were a single combo soap/shampoo/conditioner product
• Constant upsells - like main dining maitre'd coming by to push specialties
• Room steward constantly putting out additional tip envelopes
• Lack of outlets in cabin
• Spacious ocean view balcony was a misnomer as the front of the ship window sloped into the room so you could not use the extra square footage

Bottom line we are looking forward to Viking next year.

Anybody know about the differences besides dimensions and capacities and ECO power.

I have to say I am different from you guys as well as my wife.  I like weighted blankets and have enjoyed the European comforter approach.  I also stick my feet out from the blankets because I like cold air on them and not heated blankets on my feet.

On Oceania the chefs can only cook using food provided by corporate.

What kind of flexibility does the head chef have when they go into town and select products?

Is he acting like its spontaneous but is really purchasing preauthorized foods or can he decide on the fly based upon how things look and actually alter recipes because something might not be the quality he likes and choose something else?

Are the chefs more flexible on Regent?  On Oceania they can only purchase food through corporate and they have to follow corporate recipes.

I wonder how much they spend on mail flyers.  I get at least 2 a week.

Our butler worked with the head chef to get my wife Low Carb / Keto solutions.  They initially made almond flour bread which she found too heavy and then she gave them a recipe with cheese and egg that was acceptable.  The butler actually searched the ship for us to get us to try out one of the solutions.

We had a late night excursion one night and when we returned the butler had a bunch of snacks and low carb desserts in our stateroom.

I would avoid trying to do a $ for $ comparison and compare pampering things.

Then decide if the difference for a particular pampering item matters to you.

IE:

Bedding

Booze

Excursions

Butler

Catering to your particular food needs: Diabetic, Gluten, Kosher, ...

Etc

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

To reiterate the subject, we are currently on a driving trip (post O cruise) through Slovenia and Austria, before we drive back into Italy.    DW and I do not speak more than a few words in either language, but this is not an issue.  Everywhere we have gone (Lake Bled, Graz, Salzburg, and now Innsbruck), most speak some English or are completely fluent.  As independent travelers, we routinely enjoy interacting with locals, which is where we learn lots of valuable info.  Just yesterday, we stopped in a nearby wine bar for a late afternoon rest (and relaxation).  We asked the two ladies, running the place, to recommend some decent Italian restaurants and quickly had two strong suggestions on an upscale pizza place and a higher end Italian restaurant.  Last evening we went to the pizza place which was owned and operated by a couple of Sicilian gentlemen.  The pizza was some of the best we have had anywhere (and that is saying a lot).  

 

I do think that many fellow cruisers get into the "Excursion mode" where they primarily do things with large groups of cruisers.  While this does have some advantages, it does mean you go to tourist places and mostly interact with fellow cruisers and guides.  In our experience, it is a lousy way to get the true feel/flavor os a city or site.  Yes, you do get plenty of history, some tales, etc. but it is not quite the same as being by yourselves or in a tiny group and taking advantage of the opportunity to meet locals.  In our experience, many folks are more then happy to share their knowledge (and favorite places) with visitors who smile, show some respect, and are curious.

 

Hank

Some people just want to go on a vacation and be pampered and not have to think about it.

We did a Sydney to Auckland cruise on Celebrity on 2016.  One of the options was an overnight from Milford Sound to Dunedin.  We basically got off the ship in Milford sound with an overnight bag.  They took us to various sites along the way.  We stayed in Queenstown, visited a sheep sheering event, had dinner, stayed in a very nice hotel.  The next day towards Dunedin we stopped at a bungy jump place and had the opportunity to do an on your own but passed.  I think we also stopped at a winery but don't remember.  We arrived in Dunedin, and rejoined the ship.

They had an upgrade to the extension where instead of being in a bus you were in a minivan with more intimate experiences.

I am glad I did it.  I don't know other cruise lines provide that option.

We did a 21 day last year Bali to Sydney.  We enjoyed the entertainment provided and did not consider that an issue.  I also felt the service was  top notch.

My wife is diabetic and the butler immediately got us in touch with the head chef within minutes and he would hunt us down in the ship to have us try out something the chef created to accommodate us.  That was great.  The issue was as previously mentioned they can only do what corporate allows them to do.  It seems sad that they are not allowed to purchase something from a local port specifically to deal with individual needs.  It's not because it's too much work it is because corporate does not allow it.  I can understand there might be lawsuit concerns if something goes wrong because thats our world now.  I would just hope for some flexibilities.

I am at a loss as to how those follow the chef into town to purchase products for a cooking class works.

My wife does low carb to help with her diabetes management and almond flour just does not cut it as it is calorie intensive and very heavy.  She recommended some alternatives that were from mainstream products to the chef and were available in local ports but the chef had no ability.  We did finally come up with a middle ground.

Little ships often do not cater to the individual as much as you think.

It's not our responsibility to play cop here.  Whether it be clothing or alcohol or ....  It's up to Oceania to decide if it's a problem.  This is so minor in the big picture.

Any thoughts on time of year for the train ride?  Spring vs summer vs fall vs winter.

On 2/4/2024 at 8:41 AM, Jim_Iain said:

 

Hate to say it but have lived in the SF Bay Area for almost 50 years and had never heard of it before reading about it here.    I did find they have one shop in the Mission District and another At Fisherman's Wharf. 

 

We have a second home in San Francisco on Russian Hill about 1block from the Original Swensen's Ice Cream (opened in 1948).    Fantastic and often stop by for a cone when one a walk.

 

I did find they have one shop in the Mission District and another At Fisherman's Wharf (close to Russian Hill) and would not go out of my way to try them.

Local Kitchens in Cupertino on Stevens Creek carries Humphrey Slocumbe.

I look forward to something besides Regatta sailing the Pacific. Yes I know it starting to happen but I look forward to it.

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

In addition all of that information is in the shipboard server. If one connected using cell service or the internet off ship the app would connect to the corporate app server which would not have the shipboard data in it. Do not see why they would change it. In most cases on Princess one can access the dinner menu via the app in the morning before leaving ship.

Thats my point.  They can upload daily data to corporate and with a decent app you can also offload a copy to your phone before leaving.  I do not want to carry a planner with me.  I hate wasting paper.

21 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

Has the self-service laundry on deck 7 been removed?

No but there is only one self serve laundry for the whole ship.  The O ships have one on each floor!

Just now, basor said:

We found that the Princess app did not work off the ship so would not be an advantage in this case..

Thats the point.  It's something they need to fix.

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Regatta is a small ship. I’ve sailed on the very similar Sirena. There’s no need for an app onboard. Not enuf stuff going on. No 5,000 pax trying to get their meals scheduled. I can see the need on an X ship, or RCC, Carnival, etc.

In my opinion, no need for an app on O.
Now, “improve the wifi” - did I hear anyone say? YES, now you’ve got me going on that one!

I would disagree with that.  There were a number of times I wanted to see the menu's while on a late port day to decide if I was going to eat on land or go back to the ship.  That also implies the ship network needs to be accessible via land.  

In addition while the service was great I will not sail R class ships again.  The lack of self service laundry and adequate BATHROOMS next to Horizon and the theater is a deal breaker.

Just now, millybess said:

Excellent question and possibly someone here will comment on their experience.

 

Good on you -- free SSBP.  We've only been that fortunate once.  We usually buy it -- set it and forget it sort of thing.  

It was more than that.  It was a completely free junior suite cruise with SSBP that I got when I took a move over offer a few days before a cruise last year.

1 minute ago, millybess said:

If it were my decision it certainly would exempt you from the rule.  Have you put this question to Viking, or had past experience with this rule?

I like asking people here that might have real experience.  The only booking I currenbtly have for next year gave the SSBP gratis so I was just curious if there is any real experience.

On 2/26/2024 at 2:24 PM, millybess said:

Yes, unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example, an underage occupant.

My wife is diabetic and a kidney transplant recipient who takes a lot of drugs would that qualify as an exception to the both person muyst purchase rule?

The real question is pay the gratuities up front as part of the fare or make up a bogus lower fare and charge the gratuities after the fact.

i much prefer everybody just be upfront and charge an honest fare.  

16 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

Well, if butlers are what you like, then O is for you!  Viking specifically advertises that they DO NOT have butlers or white gloves.  We, personally, would rather die than have a butler hovering around.  But to each their own.  
 

We did have a butler on our O round Australia cruise last year.  It was our first experience with one.  The area where the butler was useful was food.  My wife is diabetic and looks for low carb options.  We discussed this with the butler and he asked if we wanted to talk with the head chef.  Within a minute of him leaving the room the head chef was on the phone with us.  He gave us his email address.

She discussed some low carb ways of making bread and the head chef said we would try some of them.   The next day the butler searched all the lounges for us.  He found us in the theater.   He said they had some we could try.  Upon getting back to our room he presented us with a hot plate of an almond flour version and was able to create my wife's egg version.

Also on a late excursion at Philips Island where we got back at 11PM.  He had a snack tray in our room with various low carb options including the bread we said we liked none of which we requested.

I doubt we would have gotten the same service with the traditional room steward.