oskidunker

In a few ports there are several wine tours. Any advice on which ones are the best? Not a wine novice. Would like to try some good wines and perhaps bring back to the ship. There is also an E bike tour with a winery visit. Not sure wife wants to do that. Want to avoid long bus rides if possible.  Any other recommended non wine tours would be appreciated.

also need someAustralia circum navigation tour recommendations . We are doing both cruises starting Jan 6. Am on the roll calls but only a few posts on the New Zealand one. Open to private excursions, although we would like to use some of the Viking included ones 

also any tours we should avoid? We will be in Auckland for a weeknbefore the cruise so perhaps we dont need to book any paid excursions. 

Since they are going public, one can only hope. My guess knowing them, is no.

I had it but lost it 

They also have larger slippers

On 3/29/2024 at 9:46 AM, PasadenaDave said:

I note that you are in New Hampshire.  A flight from Logan to a major European airport is doable for most in economy.  A flight from the west coast to Europe or Asia is a different story.

 

Like other things in life. Mileage may vary

Home is San Fran bay area. Coach not doable anymore at age 75. I go business or I dont go. Miami is ok in coach.Have a 14 hour trip to Australia planned. Used miles and booked business but that uses up all our miles

Oceania better wine and excursions included. 

On 3/24/2024 at 3:24 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

I have mentioned this before, but my Husband is a WSET level 3 and moving on to Level 4.

 

Before meeting him, I was stuck on certain wines and regions.  It took some time for my "taste" in wine to open up, but now we tend to not drink the same wine again... or if we like it we will buy a few bottles but then move on after that.  Also in Ontario Canada the way wine is available to us, often our retail seller brings in so many cases and when it is gone, it is gone.  We tend to not be fans of the high quantity always available wines, and look for the smaller region wines that are available seasonally.  

 

Wine to me is about understanding the different profiles of the wines based on where they are from and the terroir that contributes to the palate that each wine presents.

 

We don't necessarily like every wine we drink, and there have been some on Viking that I would never drink again... but that is also why we just keep moving through the list.

 

Wine and the enjoyment of wine is very subjective based on what your tongue tells you when you first drink it.  Bitter, sweet, tart, tannins, crisp, and on and on.

 

We have always felt that Viking do a good job in the curation of their wine lists, but that is just us.

The wine by the glass included is decent if you pick a white. I did not like any of the red choices. Oceania has a much better by the glass free wined rather than just one red or white

Also I should have added my wife and I did not. Is there anyway to do this after approved? I see she would not have to pay had I done this.

Does that sound right? I hope I did not use a third party site. The Australian visa was only $20. 

A lRge group with southern accents talked so loud We could hardly hear the violins one night so we left. One woman was literally screaming. Get a hearing aid, geez.

Well maybe the give you a deal on dry cleaning?

2 hours ago, CardowMD said:

Many hotels (Disney especially)have switched to an occupancy sensor to regulate the heating/cooling system in rooms. We have noticed recently, that a few ships seem to do the same thing. If someone gets up at night to use the lav, we wave our hands over the sensor or attach a balloon or similar that would bob around near the sensor to keep the air on all night. 

Leave acrefit card in the slot by the door and ac will stay on

We have booked a New Zealand cruise leaving jan 6. On the same ship, we have also booked the Australia circum navigation. So we got the same cabin for both.  
 

when will tours be available for viewing? Final pay due April 30

On 3/9/2024 at 3:35 PM, Redtravel said:

Supply and demand will adjust prices.  People are not stupid.  Just because the prices increase, people don’t jump to book. There is competition for vacation spending. You can find deals.  Waiting closer to embarkation could save you money. Be flexible. 
 

Not this year. Cruises are heavily booked.  

23 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

A line that advertises itself as “The best cuisine at sea” should never allow this to be the case.  
in the last year even Princess has had reliably good lobster in its MDR. Over 80 days on 4 different ships in the fleet convinced me it wasn’t a one off. 

Why not just have some good lobster one night rather than all the time and not very good? The tail from the Maine Lobster in the Italian restaurant looked lime a prawn and was not very good. I stopped cruising Princess but before the pandemic they had good tails. 

25 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yum :).  Love truffles (white and black).  We sometimes have dinner at a restaurant in Florence where nearly every item uses truffles.  It is called Osteria della tre Panche....in case you are ever in Florence at dinner time :)/

 

Hank

For some reason, I really dont like truffles. Intead somewhere if you are lacking an enzyme, you could find them awful.  I have trie alot and not only dont like them but find they have a bad taste. Every restaurant now is on the truffle and kale craze.  

35 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

Decline seems widespread in the travel and hospitality industries, though it appears more acute with cruising since this form of travel/vacationing is more expensive compared to other modes, and the supply logistics are more problematic, thus affecting food quality (and quantities) in particular.

 

It feels like cruise patrons (across different lines and luxury categories) must expect less (to match expectations with present realities) but pay more. Not a great recipe for business success for what most consumers consider as discretionary consumption. This discretionary spending will manifest differently as some will cruise less frequently, some not all, and others will select lower cabin categories, shorter cruise durations, and or sail with different lines. It appears the present challenges will be met by more crossovers (between cruise lines and between vacation modes - land based vs cruise, etc) and thus less brand loyalty. Hopefully this will temper fare increases. We are definitely in this camp, and will probably be favoring more resort destinations, travelled to by plane or automobile. We plan to do more “tours” on such trips, especially when visiting a new locale. 
 

The timing of Oceania’s new Simply More campaign, regarded by some as a thinly veiled price increase initiative, in the current cruise “decline” climate may not have been the most astute. But, then, there seem to be many company executives, both with publicly owned and privately held companies of all sizes, making inexplicably poor and myopic decisions. 

 

Who is John Galt?

Good thoughts. I am with you.  Mostly Oceania and Viking after 25 Princess cruised. 

1 hour ago, basor said:

No restrictions on any ship board credit except the Simply More excursion credit (which can only be used on purchasing excursions).  All other credit can be used for anything onboard (excursions, gratuities, alcoholic drinks, spa, boutique, etc.). The only place any ship board credit can not be used is in the casino.

My sister used  non refundable credit at the casino. Also won and cashed out

Polo Grill last night. Filet mignon and onion soup were very good. Bothe the carib lobster and maine were bad. The blt salad was not very good  The most under ripe tomatoes I have ever seen. Stop featuring tomatoes out of season. The dressing was like stewed tomatoes. Three Romaine leaves, bacon bits and very little cheddar cheese. The Baked Alaska desert had no taste. 

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Though what about your cabin? What type? Deck? Any issues? What do you love about it?

7025.Good. No noise. No issues  they cleaned the glass often. Bathroom great. Had the water pressure increased though. Closet ok. We did not find it too small

Room service breakfast

the good.  They bring you anything you write in. Bowls of raspberries, strawberries, papaya.  
 

the bad.they constantly forget silverware, pot of hot water for tea and other things. Check your tray before the leave. 

Ask room steward if in balcony cabin. He may find you one

My second oceania cruise. First on the Sierena  two years ago  .

Food in Grand dining room is excellent. Better than my first cruise. Rack of Lamb, Tournedos and fish all very good and a good sized portion. . Included wine is good and I am a wine collector. Champagne is Mountedon , which I really like. Nz sauv  blanc , Wente Cab and Back house p noir good .Deserts improved. Bread excellent. They made me fettuccini Alfredo one night .One caveat, lobster has not been good so far.service slow

Tours have been good. Especially liked 7 hour catamaran in first port.
 

ship never feels crowded unless you are at the pool which I am not.  
 

Tender service was one boat at a time in St Barts snd very slow . They told me they could not launch two boats. Very bad.

entertainment weak. Same comedian twice. Only two production shows. Theater very bad design.  Sit in the side balconies or  you cant see. I heard they may redo it. Risers too low. Heads block your views. 
 

I do not like the phones in the rooms. They don't ring but make a stupid chime sound confusing as you also gave a door bell. Phone stands up snd hard to use. Buttons wont work unless you use speaker phone  .

light in the closet goes off after 10 seconds. It can be adjusted. Call them. 
 

There needs to be more music after dinner and before the show

ser

On 3/5/2024 at 6:04 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

I am going to catch some flak for this statement, but I don't really care what you wear, as long as it is clean and it covers what should be covered...

 

What I cannot tolerate is a man wearing a "wifebeater" in the dining room, or the World Cafe, where I have to have view of his hairy pits while I eat.  Don't care about any other fashion.

 

We were recently on a Viking river cruise over Christmas and New Year.  I was quite shocked at the dress code that many chose for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.  Many of the folks on this cruise were wearing "outfits" that I wouldn't wear to Costco on a Saturday.  We had one woman whose wardrobe consisted of only  black tights and metal t-shirts.  At least she changed the t-shirt daily.

 

I again, only have that one pet peeve and other than that, I don't care what you wear. I however will continue to come back from a shore excursion, shower and move to the more elegant casual for dinner.  This makes ME feel good, and I am only here for ME.

 

 

Looking like crap makes some people happy. I cant stand the t shirt generation 

On 2/29/2024 at 5:03 PM, EJL2023 said:

We were in Stateroom 8071 and had no issues with noise.  This was the case even with those in the next stateroom seemingly in quarantine nearly the entire cruise. 

On Vista now. 7025. No noise.