Mkdvmz

Today we are arrived in Split, another beautiful port. Split is quite a vibrant city now. We walked from the ship along the waterfront into the old part of the cityBeing that it was Saturday morning, the local farmers market was set up with many people buying vegetables, sausages and cheese. We had been previously to Split but thoroughly enjoyed walking about the old part of the city admiring the old walls and bell towers. My cousin took the ships tour,medieval Split and ancient Salina and really enjoyed it

Yesterday 27/10 we were in Dubrovnik. The ship provided a shuttle bus from the ship to the Pile Gate into old walled part of the city. What a difference 20 years makes since our last visit! The number of tourist themed stores and Game of Thrones merchandise is overwhelming. Nonetheless, it is a stunning setting.We walked all about the city and the outer sea wall. It was truly lovely. If one wants to climb all around the outer wall, one must buy a 35 euro ticket. We climbed up into the upper streets and ate a seafood lunch at a small cafe. We had dinner at Red Ginger and it was very good. The did have the sea bass

Throughout the cruise, the food has really been excellent! The service overall, terrific as well. At times, they seem to be short staffed, tonight we needed to flag down a server several times to have our plates cleared. Wine servers are often quite busy and again, one needs to flag someone. We have spoken to dining room managers and discussed our thoughts. They are extremely responsive but I said, I believe with Simply More, additional wine servers are needed. The poor men (I have yet to se a woman wine server on Riviera) are working nonstop. But many people ordering a glass of wine or drink, I think they are busier than in the past, although I have nothing to compare.

We were in Corfu today. I arranged to rent a car using Union car rentals. I had tried Avis and Hertz two months ago but everything was booked! When we arrived in port I quickly knew why. RCL Explorer was in port as well as Costa Bellissima and Viking Sea. Nonetheless, nothing seemed overcrowded. Union texted me the day before to confirm our rental and stated to text him when we were off the ship. I did so and we were picked up at the cruise terminal, driven to their office near the airport and I completed the paperwork, showing my drivers license and a photocopy of my passport. my husband and I had previously been to Corfu. We drove with my cousins to Paleokastritsas and visited the monastery, we were apparently in between ship tours at 11:30 AM and it was not crowded. It is just a beautiful setting . We enjoyed the drive there, enjoying the beautiful scenery and seeing the Ionian Sea, gorgeous . We then drove to a local taverna and had a lovely lunch of fresh grilled fish and tomato and cucumber salad. There was little traffic driving back (google maps provided excellent directions) and we returned the car about 2:30. The agency drove us back to the cruise terminal and by 3 PM we were resting in the sun around the pool.

Yes, being able to text my husband and our traveling partners is very helpful!

It does not appear so. Our day at sea, the internet was quite slow. As soon as we were near land, a huge improvement

I was so looking forward to seeing the Caravaggio. Must plan a return trip

We were in Katakolon today. The only reason to visit this very small port is the opportunity to visit the ancient site of Olympia, where the Olympics began. We went on a ships tour, 33 people were on our bus. The guide gave some history of the area and the Peloponnesus prior to our arrival. It was about a 40 minute drive. We were issued “whisperers” audio devices to listen to him as we walked about the sight. We walked all about for over 60 minutes. It is truly fascinating site. A word of caution: the ground is very uneven with multiple small rock outcroppings. Wear comfortable shoes, and a hat is highly recommended

I agree! Thank goodness it wasn’t Santorini!!

Yesterday 23/10 we docked in Valletta, Malta. It was a beautiful sunny day in the high 70s. The ship docked at the Boilers Point dock and a free ferry was provided for ship passengers to get to the opposite side of the harbor where taxis were available as well as tours and the hop on , hop off bus. Ship tours originated right at the ship but took a longer drive around the peninsula. we had previously decided to use the hoho. Like all of life, one should always be prepared. Upon exiting the cruise terminal area, there were several people offering 20 euro tickets for the bus, that it was about a 2 hour plus circle. We said great , walked two minutes and got on the upper level with many of our shipmates. Within five minutes the bus was full and off we went. We quickly went on the main highway driving away from downtown Valletta and the majority of sites most wanted to see. In fact we we drove for over 30 minutes before it made a stop, near St. Anton’s gardens. We drove further out to the Artisan’s village and glass factory (where there were many tour buses and taxi tours) By now, almost 90 minutes had passed. The good news, one did not need to get off at the tourist stop, the bad, we were nowhere near where we had hoped to be. One couple finally got on the saying they had waited almost an hour for a hoho bus to appear and everyone around us agreed, we would probably just stay on. We did pass the Medina Gate, and finally made it to the middle of the older area where the driver said this was the last stop before returning to the cruise terminal. We were at least a 10 minute walk from St John cathedral and decided to just return to the ship, lesson learned, ask many questions. we had a lovely dinner in the main dining room. Today is our one day at sea, beautiful, sunny, calm seas. It appears that everyone can find seating around the pool area, in the sun or shade. Mercifully, the loud band has stopped playing.

Perhaps, the school holidays were a factor but I also think the fact that 11,000 cruise ship passengers were in town that day, added to the chaos

Simply More, SM, not SB. The Chianti and friuli (a Pinot Grigio) were also very good. Alcoholic drinks are also included in the prestige package

We were going to buy wine in Sicily at our stop in Messina but because it was Sunday, the wines shops were closed

The Albariño from Spain is quite good as the the Soave Classico. All of the wines on the “wines by the glass “ menu are available in every bar and dining room. If you are on Simply more these wines are available without charge at meal times only. If you have the prestige beverage package, the wines are available any time of the day and evening in any dining room, bar or room service

The GM is Emily Smith and the cruise director is Steve. We have had no interaction with either

Boarding in Rome, we did not need our pictures re-taken. It was seamless and painless

Dress observations: the vast majority of guests adhere to country club casual during the evening dinner hours. I have not observed any jeans. During the day, more casual with shorts, tees occasional jeans but still everyone neatly dressed. A few jackets on men in Polo and Toscana but more the exception

The temperature is very pleasant, not too cold. Silk blouse would be fine and no jacket. Trieste will be colder outside, so if anything, I would think the AC on the ship would be slightly warmer

@sthrgary, the problem with the veal in Toscana, was a very poor quality slice of veal, chewy and gristle. The veal chop was a loin cut and as I said was delicious. Our other items at Toscana were excellent

We had a wonderful dinner last night at Polo. We went to the main dining room and 6:30 and as we were checking in, the maitre d said there was a table available at Polo, if we would like to go there. She mentioned it would not impact our reservation for another night. We gladly accepted offer. We had a lovely table in the back. I had a great veal chop, my husband a perfectly medium rare filet and my cousin the shrimp scampi which was terrific. The service was again very good. We had a delicious red burgundy to accompany (from wine list) and ended with a Sauternes from the by the glass menu. So far, the prestige package has been well worth it for us. We awoke to sunny skies and calm seas in Messina. We went on the ship tour to Taormina. There about 25-30 people on our bus and it left promptly at 8:30 AM. We arrived before it was crowded. We had a lovely tour guide. The group was small enough we could all easily hear her. She walked us through the town, pointing out different churches, commenting on architecture. We arrived at the Ancient Greek theatre (tickets are provided with the tour) and she gave a nice explanation. We then had about an hour of free time before meeting at the pre designated point. We were back on the ship by 12:30, and came out to sit at the pool after getting some lunch at waves. Yesterday , they served fresh mussels in red sauce made to order with fresh pasta that they were making in the back grill area. Today, we tried the excellent pizza. There are many deck chairs in the sun and the shaded areas. The upper decks are beautifully laid out with multiple different seating areas. The internet has worked extremely well. We have had no difficulty having two different devices on line and it is quite easy to switch from my iPad to my Iphone. I have also had very good reception on my phone. There are very few people wearing masks but on the other hand, I have not heard any coughing or sneezing! The Mediterranean climate appears to be helping.

A very quick update, the internet service has been very good. My husband and I have individually logged on and easily transferred from iPhone to iPad. Perhaps because we are relatively nearshore, the satellite reception is very good. Two accounts per stateroom working well

I must digress momentarily to discuss our two day stay in Rome pre-cruise. This was our fourth visit to Rome and never, ever I have seen it so crowded with tourists! Given this is mid-October, I cannot imagine what it was like in the summer. The Vatican synod had just ended but the vast majority of tourists appeared to be from cruise ships, given the tour leaders, people were following. We had a private guided tour of the Vatican museum using Eyes on Rome and our guide, Kate Farrar was outstanding . The museum was so jammed with visitors even with our guide it was difficult to see the exhibits and artwork. I don’t know that I would recommend going to the museum and Basilica without a guide, it is now so packed. we stayed in a hotel near the Campo di Fiore but our travel companions stayed at the Oceania sponsored hotel the Principio and they were very happy with it.

We awoke to steady rain and low clouds as we docked in Salerno. We had booked a private tour of Pompeii with Gaetano Manfredi. His driver picked us up at the dock and we met Gaetano at the entrance to Pompeii. Through pouring rain, some lightening and thunder we experienced an outstanding three hour tour of the ruins with him. Absolutely fascinating, and worth soaking, squishy shoes. We returned to the ship for a light lunch and rest

We boarded today in Rome. This is our first Oceania cruise. We spent two days in Rome, walking and eating. It allowed us to adjust to the time change. We left our hotel at 1:15, using RomeCab, they were fabulous and we were at the port at 2:30. There was a small line to go through security because there was only one small machine. Checkin was very efficient and we were in our room by 3:15. By 4:15 , our bags had been delivered, we had unpacked and I had showered. Our room, a B 2 verandah on deck 8 is lovely. We fit our suitcases easily under the bed, medium size roll- on, did not need to lift the bed. We utilized all of the various drawers, but everything fit and was put away. We went to Martinis, got two glasses of wine and walked around the ship which is lovely. we got the prestige beverage package. We like to drink wine and decided we did not not to worry about each charge. We had a Soave and Albariño and both were quite good. We had dinner in Toscana which was variable. My filet of sole was fabulous, as was the special spinach tortellini with mushrooms. my husbands veal scallop Marsala was almost inedible. The service was very good.