Hlitner

There are many reasons that cruise ships delay their departure from an embarkation port. It is often a simple issue that they need more time to load all the supplies. There are also times when they may be waiting for 1 or more passengers who mahy be on delayed flights (often booked through the cruise line). We have also been on a few cruises that were delayed because of a medical emergency (onboard) and it can take some time to arrange for a patient to be moved ashore. And there are also cases of port congestion, weather, tides, the delay of a harbor pilot boarding the ship, etc. Over our 50 years of extensive cruising we have experienced all of the above with some Captains sharing the reason for a delay and others not only offering veiled hints. Hank

Greetings from Cadiz, Eleven days after departing Miami, we have finally arrived at our first port on the European continent. DW and I have always enjoyed Cadiz, which is a fine port for DIYers or tour lovers. The weather started out somewhat overcast, but gradually cleared into a nice spring day with temps about 68. DW and I took our first O Excursion (we need to take some excursions because of our Simply More credit) which was a Tapas cooking and eating tour to an old home/hotel in Jerez. Last evening we had our first dinner in Ember. To be very blunt, of all the dining venues onboard this is our least favorite. Some have called it "Applebee's at Sea" and with this we do agree. No tablecloths, a very unimpressive menu, slow service, etc. I had the blackened crab cake starter and was really disappointed. As one who loves good crab cakes, what was presented at Ember was very sad. Not enough crab (too much filler), so-so flavor, small size. I followed with the Lobster Mac and Cheese main, and this was somewhat different than I expected, but quite good. Unlike most Lobster Mac and Cheese this had almost a broth-type sauce. We sat down about 7:30 (at a 4 top) and did not get our dessert menus until 9:10. All of us simply walked out (no dessert) since we wanted to see the new O show featuring a hologram and music of Whitney Houston. The show was full, it was the kind of thing I expect at a Carnival, and we will not return when they do it again later in our cruise. We are talking about watching a Hologram of Whitney (who looked very white) and listening to her recordings. Getting back to the restaurant service, we had mistakenly assumed that one could dine at 7:30 and still make the 9:30 shows! However, service in several of the venues has been somewhat slow, so folks wanting to go to the shows (and get a decent seat) should probably consider dining by 7 or perhaps 7:15. Should it take more than 1 1/2 hours to serve three courses! You be the judge. While we like to dine slow in upscale venues, we do not expect to spend over 2 hours in Applebee's....oops, I mean Ember. Hank

Last evening, while cruising on O's new Vista, we stopped at a lounge to enjoy the onboard classical music quartet (2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello) do a long set of popular opera arias. They were wonderful, had a good crowd (on O it is OK to talk during music performances), and 4 ladies (2 from Ukraine and 2 from Poland) were outstanding. It reminded me of the days when HAL used to have classical music quartets. I was also thinking that many HAL fans would have been happy to be sitting on this new 1200 passenger ship with decent classical music. Hank

Neither. DW and I would prefer to be by ourselves, in a rental car, local bus, etc. While we agree with what you say regarding large vans, to us, being on a large coach/bus is not our idea of fun. And large tour buses only move as fast as the slowest shopper, bathroom visitor, etc. Hank

Funny you should mention that as we dined at Embers, on the Vista, last evening. To us, it is the least satisfying food venue on the ship. Love Waves. Hank

We have never found such a list. Inventory can even vary from one bar to another. I will usually walk around the ship, early on the cruise, and check out the visible inventory at all the bars. Chatting with bar tenders can uncover hidden items. They do have wine lists, but it is not uncommon for a ship to not have multiple wines that are on the list. Hank

On the Vista now and DW will sometimes enjoy a "Cosmo." That cocktail costs $14 + 20% or $16.80,,,fir a single cocktail. Many other cocktails cost at least $12 + 20%. Bottom line is for folks who only drink an average of two bar drinks a day (not counting wine/beer at lunch/dinner) the Prestige Select does seem like a good deal. Hank

Your comment about cutting back on cruising because of 600+ days, got me thinking. Over our 50 years of extensive cruising (on 18 different cruise lines) we have met a few others who would tell us they are tired or bored with cruising. In nearly every case, these folks were very loyal to only 1 or 2 lines. Although we also love independent land travel, our passion for cruising remains unchanged from when we started back in the 70s. We think it has something do with our constant variety of cruise lines, itineraries, and ships. Different cruise lines mean completely different menus, different entertainment, different atmosphere, etc. Hank

By the way, while we are the subject of currency conversion we should mention that the O Vista does sell Euros onboard. There current price is $1.16 + 5% or about $1.22. This is almost identical to the ridiculous DCC rate I quoted above means folks are paying about 12% more than if they simply used a European bank ATM. Speaking of ATMs, keep in mind that they are not all the same. Folks are well advised to stick to major bank ATMs. There are also other privately owned ATMs (such as Travelex) which may also charge ridiculous prices. While paying more for one's money is not a big issue for folks who do not use a lot of cash, an extra 10 - 15% can really add-up for frequent travelers and those of us who do a lot of independent traveling. Hank

Here we go again, live from the North Atlantic between Madeira and Cadiz. Today, we cruise on a course of 62 degrees at 17 knots in overcast skies. It is a bit chilly on deck (low-mid 60s), so we spent some of the day reading our Kindles in Horizons. Last night we ate in the GDR (shared a table with a delightful couple) and I asked our waiter whether to get the Dover Sole or the Duck Breast in a Green Peppercorn Sauce. The waiter suggested the duck since it was a relatively new recipe here on O. I thought the duck a little tough (others said it was too fatty) but managed to eat every morsal. A few words about the lovely Vista. This ship does have some design deficiences. One of the most talked about is the layout of the Vista Lounge (Theater) which has been discussed in other CC threads. It appears that the goal of the design was to cram as many seats as possible into the single level room. This causes some bad sight lines. But even worse, there are many rows with only an entrance/exit on one side which means folks may have to crawl over more than a dozen folks to get in/out. Last evening, a drinking buddy mentioned another design problem which is the quite beautiful Horizons Lounge. The stage is located on the Starboard side aft. We would estimate that at least half the seats in the Lounge do not have a view of the stage (blocked by dividers, oversized pillars. the bar, walls, etc. While it is great as a place to relax on a sea day, it is a problem if somebody is speaking (such as the Captain) or entertaining from the stage. Now I am going to talk about a pet peeve which is called "Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)." IMHO, DCC is nothing more than legalized theft and it's done by most banks, credit card companies, etc. This impacts most travelers to Europe/Asia or elsewhere that use major credit cards or ATM/Debit cards. The screens will usually offer you a specific exchange rate and tell you it is in your home currency. The screens are carefully designed to entice you to accept these outrageous exchange rates but there is always an option (not always easy to find) to "Decline" this exchange rate. You should always decline. Why? By saying no, you will actually get a much better exchange rate (the wholesale rate of exchange). Yesterday, in Madeira, I decided to get a few hundred Euros from a major bank ATM. The DCC exchange rate was about $1.225 US for 1 Euro. By declining that rate, I paid $1.088 (found by checking my own bank account) which means I saved about 12%. All travelers, not familiar with this legalized theft (my words) can find numerous online articles including a pretty good piece on Wikipedia. Just Google "DCC" or "Dynamic Currency Exchange." Just a reminder that you may not only see these DCC screens on ATM machines, but you can also have it pop up on charge card terminals. Hank

Renting a vehicle to carry 11 is going to be a problem.

The answer to the rental car question is, yes. Not a problem with a one way rental as long as the drop is in the same country. In the past we have rented from Europcar, Hertz and Budget, in Civitavecchia and dropped at FCO. If renting for more then 3 days you might want to check out Autoeurope and Kemwel as they will often have good deals with the major rental car companies. Hank

On the Vista the announcements are not coming in the cabin, but are still somewhat audible from the corridor speakers. It is loud enough to wake light sleepers. By the way, we have heard a rumor (from a pretty reliable source) that some soundproofing will be added to parts of the Vista, this summer. It will be in the form of injected foam. If true, it might help alleviate some of the complaints about noise bleed between cabins. Hank

It has been more than a year since our last visit to FCO, so we cannot be sure about the current procedures. In Italy, all things can change overnight with little or no warning. Personally, we always like to have a hard copy boarding pass, even when we rely on our phone. We think of it as a backup and it has saved us time and hassles in multiple airports. Hank

Good Day from Funchal, Today is our first European port (on this cruise) and it has long been a personal favorite. Madeira is often talked about as a sun-drenched island, but today it is damp, dreary, foggy, rain showers, temps in the 60s (F), etc. There is much to like about Funchal as the city is very walkable, has lots of shopping, restaurants, cafes, etc. It is also well known for its cable car that whisks folks up to the top of the local mountain where one can explore the expansive botanical gardens and access the famous toboggan ride where you are pushed down steep streets in a sled. However, today, if one went up to the top cable car station, they would find themselves in a cloud with limited or no view. But the cable car is operating for those who want to enjoy the gardens in the mist. DW and I spent the later part of our morning just taking a 2 1/2-mile stroll around town. We only had to use the umbrellas for a few minutes, town was full of life, and it felt good to get off the Vista where we had been since March 27. Our cabin continues to be one a very quiet haven. We have not heard our neighbors, once, on this cruise. Perhaps we will be lucky and keep these neighbors until our debarkation in Trieste :). Our onboard Internet service has been near flawless for the entire crossing and Skylink is a true gamechanger for some of our fellow passengers. We have met several that are able to reliably do real work (essentially work from home) because of decent Internet. A big change from only a few decades ago when cruisers would head to the phone booths when they reached a port. Last night we, again, had dinner in the GDR where I had an excellent Filet Mignon. The quality of my steak was better than we experienced on Explora Journeys and about equal to the usually fine filets found on Seabourn.

You are right about O. Great product and we shall return 😋. But CDs need to tone it down.

No doubt that many Prime Rib fans would be disappointed with this presentation. Although I would prefer a 2 pound bone-in slab, the truth is that much of it would go to waste. I think O is looking for a compromise, and perhaps it needs more tweaking. Hank

Let’s deal with the CD announcement issue. They are NOT piped into the cabins, but the sound of the the announcement bells is easily heard in many cabins and enough to wake many light sleepers. In our experience (18 cruise lines) the higher the quality of the line, the fewer announcements. O is trying hard to compete with Carnival when it comes to annoying PA announcements. We have yet to meet anyone who says they look forward to hearing a CD reading the daily schedule. O is too good of a line to have this BS. Hank

We agree. Although we still enjoy Princess, it “ain’t” no Yacht Club. Hank

What they currently have in waves is a burger topped with some chunks of lobster which seems to be the new version of surf/turf. And that sandwich is quite good (as are all the sandwiches in Waves). We still have not tried the afternoon tea. It just does not fit our usual schedule and the reality of cruising on O is that we are never hungry. Everything, schedule wise, changes once we get to Europe and have many ports. I can see the situation where we might miss lunch (OMG) and finally get to tea to enjoy a cup with some snacks. Hank

Good day folks, This morning, several hundred late sleeping folks (we have lost an hours sleep for the past 3 nights) were cheerfully awakened by those nasty bells and the soothing voice of Peter (our CD) with his important 9:30 am (8:30 for many body clocks) announcement that breakfast was being served until 10! He then went on with his other important items which was to read the schedule found in Currents! If these annoying announcements are O company policy then they should have a PA system in their home office and be disturbed several times a day by such important announcements. We continue moving eastward (at about 18 knots) towards Madeira. It has turned into a gorgeous warm day and quite a few fellow passengers have been spending some time in the sun (including yours truly). Today I will talk about a popular O topic which is the cuisine. Last night, DW and I enjoyed dinner in the GDR and my meal was truly enjoyable. In fact, my starter was a true star and something we hope DW can duplicate at home. It was on the menu as "Crispy Scallops parrillas." It was a dish suitable for the cover of Bon Appetit! Small scallops (not sure if they were bay scallops or cut-up sea scallops) were wrapped in crispy phyllo dough and surrounded by a colorful garnish. For me, it was the most interesting dish (so far) we have had on the Vista. Yesterday I mentioned that "grilled prime rib" was on the menu and I decided to give it a try. Our waiter warned me that it was not normal "prime rib" but simply slices. The plate had 3 slices (similar to the size and shape of London Broil slices) with a brown gravy. The slices of beef were over 1/4 inch thick and were truly prime rib presented in a different way. The taste was good (just like eating a big slab of prime rib) and the gravy tasted like an au jus reduction. It was easy to see the economic benefit of serving prime rib in this manner, but the taste and texture were spot on. The Vista has an excellent pastry chef because we have found almost all the breads to be excellent. That being said, I am still looking for my first New York quality bagel on a ship. The bagels here are quite good, but they do not have that proper chewy texture one finds in the bagels of New York or Montreal. For lunch we returned to our favorite lunch venue which is Waves. I had the Philly Cheesesteak, which is my favorite sandwich in Waves. I do think we could crown Waves as having the "best sandwiches" at sea. Many folks are fond of Aquamar, but this ole guy is not looking for "healthy cuisine" on this cruise 🙂 Speaking of Waves, DW has enjoyed several of the decent malted milk shakes. Today we were also able to get our requested Perrier. Yesterday there was none on the ship, so it must have magically been smuggled aboard via pirate ship (in the middle of the night). We are finally on Madeira time and today's schedule is back to normal with a single 9:30 show. After more than a week of relaxing sea days we now must try to find the energy to handle many upcoming ports Hank

Funny you mentioned this 😋. This evening we saw a couple, who is following this blog, who gave us the same tip. Hank

We have taken several Seabourn cruises, since the post COVID restart, and never noticed penny pinching. The only change was lots of new staff. And there is certainly no penny pinching on the new Explora Journey 1. Hank

We continue on our easterly course headed towards a Friday morning arrival at Funchal. Today marks a week since we embarked from Ft Lauderdale. Since DW and I did not bother to get off at our only stop (Great Stirrup Cay) we have not set foot on land in more than a week. For us. it is all good since we love our lazy sea days. The weather is OK with blue skies and seas with swells about 4 meters. While the ship does move around in these seas, it is not enough motion to bother most folks. Last evening, DW and I returned to Red Ginger and shared a table with a delightful couple. Dinner was quite good (DW and I both had the sea bass) and the table conversation enjoyable...so we did not leave Red Ginger until after 9:30. No reason to hurry since there has been a major schedule change aboard the Vista. Last evening (and tonight) the usual 9:30 show has been changed to 5:45 with a movie showing after dinner. We skipped last evenings Production Show (did not want to watch another high school musical). As usual, I was among those who closed down the ship around 11:30. I think it is safe to say that no more than 10% of the passengers are out and about after 10:15. Several have told us that they head to bed by 8:30! Had lunch at Waves today and discovered that the ship has run out of Perrier and Pelligrino. Our table service was somewhat comical. DW and I sat at a table for 4 (all the 2 tops were occupied) and about half way through lunch a waiter stopped at our table and cleared away the two extra place settings. About 5 minutes later another waiter decided to set a third place setting at our table. Less than 5 minutes later another waiter raided that 3rd place setting and took away the water glass. I mentioned in an earlier post that there is no Prime Rib on the menu of any of the reservation-only restaurants. But I noticed on our TV menus, that in the GDR (tonight) one of the mains is "grilled Prime Rib." We shall see what that is all about :). Speaking of food/drink, yesterday I decided to order a glass of Orange Juice in the Terrace Grill. The juice was semi-awful and tasted like cheap stuff out of a can. One might compare this to Seabourn where they have a large self-service juice machine (the type where they dump dozens of whole oranges in a hopper) in their Lido restaurant. Vista now has a Bundled Laundry deal. 20 items for $24.95 (wash, dry, folded...but not ironed). What I find interesting is that this is offered only on select dates (April 3, 4, 6, and 9). I guess there is some logic to this offer Also noticed a "Top California Cabs" wine tasting is on today's activity agenda. Only $95 + 20%. $228 a couple for wine tasting is a bit rich for my blood. Hank

I would agree with what you say about Seabourn service. The only other line that we have found comparable is MSC's Yacht Club (essentially a luxury ship within a mass market ship). We continue to find the service here on the Vista "uneven" ranging from outstanding to something much less. We do think all the cruise lines (even Seabourn) have had staff issues related to large number of new hires post COVID. I should mention that our cabin steward falls into the "outstanding" group and is good as any steward we have had on luxury lines. Hank