MsFeb14

I just discovered the same thing. My 30 day Euro cruise isn't on and I can't add the one in November.

Oceania Riviera Transatlantic Live

DW taking over the blog here with a few more comments and tips after being aboard Riviera for over a week. Hubby can’t have all the fun!!!

When we got onboard there were 4 cards in the room (2 for each of us) stating how much SBC we were receiving. The ones we received from the OLife promotion were tagged as complimentary (non-refundable)while the ones from our TA were listed as refundable. Since we are on back to back cruises we did inquire with the Executive Concierge if any non used SBC would be transferred to the next segment and he assured us it would.

As posted before, the baby lamb chops in the Terrace Grill and the GDR are an Oceania breakfast institution and are truly tender and melt in your mouth. And we can say with true delight the Miso seabass in Red Ginger lives up to its reputation as does the ambiance and attentive service. And one of my very favorite dishes was a ground lamb burger grilled to order in the Terrace Cafe during lunch one day served with lettuce, tomato, red onion slices and a dollop of cucumber sauce. To die for if you are a lamb aficionado.

If a sail-away is anytime during dinner hours it’s lovely to be sitting on the outside aft deck of the Terrace Grill as you leave port and watch the scenery pass by while dining on the delicious assortment of tasty temptations. Also anytime you get up to get more items from the buffet just put your napkin over the back of your chair and this indicates to the servers you are coming back to the table.

The clock next to you bed will light up if you pick it up so you can see the time without turning on any other lights. There is a retractable clothes line over the bathtub which is very useful for wet towels, bathing suits, etc. In our Penthouse suite there is a pull up lighted vanity under the mirror in the cabinet across from the bed which has a very large round magnified make up mirror in it.

If you can’t figure out which way to go when you step off the elevator to get to your room, you will notice a black house phone located on the port side of the ship which has the even numbered rooms. So if you have an odd numbered one you would go to the opposite aisle.

If for any reason you want some small bills to take ashore or get tokens for the washing and drying machines (which cost $2 for each load per machine) and the reception desk runs out, you can usually get some from the Casino when it is open.

There is a fresh fruit station next to the grill in the Waves Cafe that makes excellent smoothies. And at the ice cream station if you ask them for an extra thick milk shake your straw will stand up on its own in the glass. YUMMY

We did bring aboard a bottle of Grey Goose to enjoy in our suite and the butler upon request brought us lots of limes and a bottle of Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary mix.

The daily GDR dinner menus are now previewed on your TV on channel 40. Speaking of the TV system, as far as in room entertainment goes, Oceania does not have an on demand system which we have previously enjoyed on several other cruise lines. (It provided us with a vast array of current movies, TV series which we could stop and start whenever we wanted, and also had numerous much more diverse music channels). In contrast, Riviera has 4 dedicated movies channels that run current and oldies movies all day long but you have to watch them at a specific hour and cannot pause them. IMO, their music channels are also lacking in depth and variety, not a spa or relaxation channel to be found. They also do have a vast DVD library and you will find a rundown of them printed in your room. However, it is by title only and has no description or what actors are in them, thereby, making it a bit more difficult to know how to choose if you are not familiar with the title.

We did provide ourselves with an alternative doing a little research before we got onboard. A week prior to leaving we purchased from Amazon Video prime the entire season 5 of one of our favorite history channel series, Vikings. We then downloaded all the episodes on the app to our IPad Pro. With an Apple lightning digital AV adapter, an HDMI cord and usb FireWire cord we have managed to hook up the IPad to the Insignia TV in the room and mirror what is playing on the IPad. So now we can watch all 10 episodes on our large TV screen in the comfort of our room with our Bloody Marys in hand.

Oceania also does not yet have the technology to pull up your room statements on the TV which again, is a nice amenity we have enjoyed on quite a few other cruise lines. It keeps schlepping down to Reception to stay abreast of your charges to a minimum. Hope they are looking into that for the future.

I know this is listed in “Currents”, but I just discovered on day 5 of our cruise they have a Coffee Corner setup starting at 6:30 am in the Horizons Lounge with a coffee machine, pastries and fresh fruit for those who want to enjoy the peace and quiet and views afforded from this lovely room. Speaking of coffee, if you get your java at Baristas in a go cup, it is so hot you can hardly hold it and since they did not have the cardboard sleeves (ala Starbucks, etc.) they give you a folded up napkin to put around it. Not quite as convenient since it can easily blow away when you are out on deck and it’s windy. I now just tell them to give me a double cup which works fine as well.

Unfortunately we have not been able to participate in any fitness classes except for one morning stretch as the fitness expert had an emergency and had to disembark in Miami before we left last Wednesday. Have no clue whether a replacement is being brought in or not. Kind of disappointed as I was so looking forward to some yoga and pilates sessions.

Our stewardess surprised us one night when we got back to our room with an adorable rabbit towel animal she had made. I guess in honor of Easter. She told me today she used to work for Carnival where they did that all the time. Very nice touch and has given our little stuffed Tiger trivia mascot a buddy.

Another tip I have found very useful is bringing with you some magnetic hooks which can be bought in two sizes at any Home Depot. They will stick to the walls almost anywhere in your cabin, and are useful for tossing clothes on to you don’t feel like hanging. Our suite does have 3 hooks in the hallway and 4 additional ones in the walk in closet, but if you are like me, I love lots of additional ones. I also bring a couple of refigerator magnets to put the latest addition of Currents at eye view.

For those of you who, like myself, enjoy getting your exercise by walking the decks, there are actually 3 separates areas you can go around. First, the sun deck directly above the pool, then there is the aft fitness area one deck above that (and 10 laps around it equals 1 mile) and finally one more above that is the forward sports deck where you can go around the putting greens and paddle tennis courts. If you like a little stair climbing on your workout you can actually circle the entire ship by in one continuous loop by going up and down the stairs that connect them all. One last tip, there is a cooler on the fitness track deck at the very back which contains iced bottles of water when you need some extra hydration.

 

Anything else I observe I will be glad to pass on. Happy sailing!

Hi Tana & Mark

Joanna told me you did this and I find it quite interesting. They are boarding Encore today and I hope she and Steve do the same thing. Sounds like you really love Oceania - did you notice the additional people, or because of the size of the ship, not really? We are on countdown ourselves to Ovation next month for Northern Europe. Will be thinking of all of you!

We find R2 rather pretentious and over-theatrical. The food is delicious and interesting but all the pomp it's served with can make you cringe. But I know some diners love all that window dressing so enjoy. I confess to being underwhelmed by the TK offerings we experienced on Encore after all the hype - the emperor isn't wearing any clothes? - but I'm happy to wait and see while he fine tunes his menus if necessary.

R2 is so unique because you won't find a restaurant of its kind on any other cruise line - solely dedicated to a tasting menu. That being said, TK became another steak house, similar to "premium" restaurants on other lines. For me there is nothing special there. And yes, we have had TKs menus on our last 3 SB cruises, and have yet to be impressed. (We have not been on Encore yet to try his signature restaurant - that will be next February.)

BTW, I love the presentations: it's part of the entire experience. The anticipation, the description of what you are about to partake in, and finally the tastings themselves with nice pairings of wine, complete a fine dining experience.

R2 for Sojourn, Odyssey.

 

TK on Quest and Encore.

 

And I'm all for R2.

Thank you, I am so happy. We are picking Sojourn up in Kobe next month and then again in October for the South Pacific rt from LA. We never tire of R2 - and we have yet to be impressed by the TK meals they offer S & O. We were on Quest in R2 on their final night before going into dry dock...it was such an emotional night. Thanks for your response.

Hi there,

 

yes, the Restaurant was open on almost all days for bf, lunch & dinner and everytime I walked through at bf or lunch time it was almost empty.

 

Enjoy your trip !!

Is Restaurant 2 still open on Sojourn or has it changed to Thomas Keller? I am hoping we have one more chance to experience it: R2 is so unique.

Does anyone know if Sojourn has been changed from Restaurant 2 to Thomas Keller? We were told it would remain R2 until December 2017, but the website shows it has already been changed out. We are hoping we have one last experience in R2 since it is so unique.

Thanks for your candid response - the ship is small (450 passengers) but well stabalized. We did experience very rough waters when we came around Europe's western coast up to the Bay of Biscay, but found it exciting AND it only lasted for 36 hours. This is sounding more and more enticing to us. We will decide in the next few weeks.

The seas will be wet.

 

Anyone who tries to predict with any more certainty runs the risk of being wrong.

 

Which islands?

I was wondering about windy seas, but I have crossed the Tasman and unlike the prediction, it was like glass. Not so with the Bay of Biscay in Europe - roughest waters I've ever sailed. Destinations are: Moorea, Bora Bora, Papeete, etc.

We have never crossed the seas for 9 days, but are seriously considering a January 22 day cruise from LA to Auckland through the South Pacific islands. What will the waters be like and also what are the SP islands like? Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks for posting that pic. My husband and I were on the Quest during that sailing. Hard to imagine from all our Seabourn cruises, but the stars all came together that cruise to make a perfect one. We booked two more on board!