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clairol

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Everything posted by clairol

  1. We celebrated our 10th anniversary on a Riviera cruise - this was right after the pandemic so we scored a once in a lifetime Oceania suite at a once in a lifetime price. Unfortunately, our butler asked my husband what, if anything, we/he wanted to celebrate our anniversary. He couldn't come up with anything... so that's what we got.. 🤭
  2. 100% agree - 2 for 1 doesn't even make sense and causes more confusion than needed. As much as I did enjoy the your world, your way approach, and it was in fact what initially attracted us to Oceania, I am looking forward to giving SM a chance. And the added savings from our original booking from the Summer Sale made it the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl next June!
  3. Sorry, my response was confusing. Lost in translation. I know you can because, well, we did. 😉 I was just noting it is not really "marketing" like the free air because you can opt out of the air whereas you cannot (or will not be able to) opt out of SM.
  4. But you can opt out of the "free air" by getting a air credit, right?
  5. Julian, Here is a comparison - top shows what was previously given. Bottom shows what was given this time. hope this helps! I’m sure you’ll have a fabulous time on your trip in March. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Mauibabes, I would agree that lanyards around the neck with cards are typically not seen on Oceania. But I have to say on this cruise. They were absolutely everywhere. Very different crowd. When I have more time - busy readjusting to reality and playing catch up after being away - to compose my thoughts and I’ll shoot some out.
  6. Hi! No idea. No evidence of any cases. No testing. Nothing reported. Sparse mask wearing. We are wearing masks on buses and other crowded areas. Not everyone schooled to do so. But again no cases shared, reported or evident. Sorry not to have more information to share.
  7. @WESTEAST As has already been shared, if disclosed they will definitely take into consideration any of your allergies or restrictions. In fact, we have none however, they called our suite two days in advance of the dinner to triple confirm. I’m sure if you share restrictions, preferences, and/or allergies, they will be more than accommodating. They aim to please. I definitely encourage you to go in with an open mind. We typically bring wine on board, but we do love to experience wines that we may find in port or they are recommended on board. Yes, there’s always some hit and misses but, for us, it’s part of the adventure. Plus for $114 or whatever we paid for the dinner, you get to try some wines and some extraordinary food pairings. Seems pretty good deal to us… especially as one bottle of “nice” wine ordered off the menu is at least that. But that’s us. Choose your own adventure!
  8. I must admit we were pretty much oblivious to our surroundings as we sat in the industrial port in Casablanca, moving from dock to dock, waiting for the mechanical issue to be resolved so we could leave… why? Because we were enjoying our first La Reserve wine dinner experience. Let me just say… it will not be our last! From food to wine, from company to waitstaff, the ENTIRE experience was, in one word, exquisite. We could not have asked for better. It far exceeded our expectations and they were already high. If you are even considering a dinner at La Reserve… Don’t hesitate - book it immediately! It helped that we were fortuitously seated with two lovely couples. Couple of things to think about if you take the plunge… Go early, they seat you outside and serve you a champagne cocktail with canapés. It’s a great opportunity to meet some of your dining companions. If you’re in a penthouse or above, your butler will happily escort you down. We didn’t realize that and he was searching all over for us. I think it’s a lovely touch. No need for a big lunch and or pregame cocktails as it’s a lot of food and a lot of wine. Pace yourself. You don’t necessarily need to eat and drink everything… But then again, you’re on holiday might as well! They were very liberal with follow up pours. Also, we all took pictures throughout. They will line up all of the bottles for you to take a picture at the end, which I found very helpful! In addition to appreciating the food and the wine you can’t help but appreciate the staff - waitstaff and chefs. They’re hard-working, fun, talented, knowledgeable, accommodating and incredibly personable - they really make you feel like a VIP. If you have any questions about the experience, and have not done it before, feel free to ask! As a newbie, I had a few...
  9. Yesterday stop was Casablanca. If you have images of exotic morocco, you may be disappointed. As one new friend on board summed up “it made me appreciate where I live”. Casablanca is very urban and a mixture of new buildings, new construction and structures that you can’t tell whether are being built or have stopped being built. You will see an apartment building with laundry, and obvious signs of occupancy in a building that otherwise, let’s completely abandon. There’s a lot of garbage. Our wonderful tour guide told us that about 5 million people live in Casablanca. it was most definitely eye-opening. The port was incredibly industrial, and the only signs of life were the many officials and police. Other than that it was derelict and almost appeared abandoned. Suffice to say, they definitely don’t put a show on for incoming tourists. If you are going to be stopping at Casablanca, I definitely recommend you join an excursion or a tour. Also be forewarned, but it’s a very long walk from the ship to where you load onto the buses. I felt bad for some people with mobility issues or for whom long walk like that is a bit of a struggle. At one point my husband and I helped someone in a wheelchair get over obstructing curbs. ADA is not a thing here. Once again, Marina and Riviera were in port at the same time. But it wasn’t as noticeable as it was in Cadiz - except at our lunch spot - everyone scattered to different places. We chose an excursion through the boat to tour Hassan II mosque, then drive drive to El Jadida to tour the old town and the cisterns with a final stop back in Casablanca to visit a bazaar. Lunch included. The mosque was exquisite. We really lucked out with our tour guide as he was knowledgeable, easy to understand, very funny and made everything incredible accessible. He was a delight! The drive to El Jadida was interesting. A real insight to the true Morocco of this area. Prosperity next to poverty, seemingly drought affected yet fully functioning farmland, spots of lush greenery and stretches of beach or rocky landscape. Our lunch stop, was anti-climactic. Many other tours descended upon the same venue at the same time. The food was… Not great. and more disappointing, not “Moroccan”. The tour of the old town, and the Ramparts was interesting, but the true highlight, the cisterns, were closed for renovation. This was disappointing and had been communicated, if you read the excursion list that they gave you in your room upon embarking. There was no special notification. But, unfortunately, it came as a surprise to most people who found out once on the tour. This was billed as a 7 1/2 hour tour but, due to traffic, we didn’t get back to the city until 5:30 (ship scheduled to leave at 6 and we were told we would not have time to visit the bazaar. Again, without the incredible tour guide yesterday would not have been a success. I spoke to some others last night and they too were far from overwhelmed with their tours. I did speak to new friends who had chosen the tour to Rabat. It seemed the way to go. As was previously shared, we have an unexpected sea day. We were supposed to leave Casablanca at 6 PM. We did not leave till 2 PM. This means we have to miss out on Gibraltar today is appointing. But again we have to be prepared for itinerary changes. I seem unable to upload any of the photos… I’ll try again later.
  10. You might be able to make some money on the black market…😉
  11. @tigerfan75 You are most welcome. Bon voyage! I hope you have a wonderful adventures. Enjoy!
  12. As always, housekeeping goes above above and beyond beyond. Everything in place and replaced, neatened and cleaned. They work so hard that it makes me work harder at staying tidy and organized as a sign of respect. Wish they would come home with me - and with it my attitude! And our fabulous butler was able to wrangle up canapés even though we put our card out too late. He’s a magic man. We just talked about our preferences and he swapped out a few things from our fridge. Very accommodating! We lucked out this time. Terrace breakfast is always a treat. There are some noticeable changes since last year… The sausages are completely different, which is kind of a shame because we really loved the previous ones. Croissants still delicious. No more cling film/saran wrapped fronts to the buffet. They had that up last October, but in the “before times” they only had it up when it was a “norovirus cruise”. I keep reaching up and they keep handing out below. But I’ll figure out the choreography in time, I’m sure. Other than, that the selections were plentiful, fresh and yummy. Table service for drinks was attentive and quick. All in all - no complaints only full and thankful tummies readied for the day ahead. Barista coffees are delicious. Espresso after serious touring is very welcome. Captain’s welcome party tonight is replaced by complimentary cocktails from 6 to 8 PM in Horizons, the Grand Bar and Martinis. Interestingly, both Riviera and Marina were in Cadiz today. So everywhere you looked were little groups of Oceana folks roaming about. It’s a beautiful city full of lush parks, monuments and statues plus gigantic, fully utilized beaches. We took in the sites on our own. First on the hop on hop off bus and then just wandering the streets, heading to Mercado Central, hitting the Museo de Cadiz, walking the city walls with a final stop and your ancient tree in a small little park enjoying some tortilla Espanola and a cervecza. We were welcome back to the boat with cool towels, which was very nice in a hot day. Speaking of a hot day… The metal water bottles were new to us. We used one and another one we brought from home. Filled up with water from our cabin and from the dispensers. Couldn’t have been easier!
  13. Dinner last night at Jacques was exquisite. Service friendly and attentive. Table by the window. Food delicious! Three quick shots of our amuse bouche, my stater and my main. The dessert was gone before I had a chance! (for some reason, shown in reverse of how I posted) One “supply issue” or cutting corners thing I forgot to mention - surprising because I was shocked - is the classic faux leather card holders are gone and in their place a flimsy, super cheap, plastic folder over. So if you have a trip ahead and happened to have saved an old wallet, I encourage you to bring it.
  14. We were with you for a portion on Riviera - Athens to Trieste.
  15. Boarded Riviera today. Just left Lisbon. On our way to Cadiz. In a penthouse. tYhis is our 6th Oceania Cruise. And our 2nd post pandemic shutdown. Happy to try to answer any questions as internet service and time allows. We have a very port intensive itinerary with no days at sea. A few quick immediate observations. Embarking was quick and easy. Checking in was on board in the Riviera lounge. That was a new experience for us. Don’t know if that is port dependent or a new process. We boarded relatively late at 2 PM, by choice. And our room was available immediately. I did hear many cheers when they made the announcement that all rooms are available, so perhaps that wasn’t everyone’s experience. Ship seems very full. Huge difference from last October. Tons already enjoying pool. And masses of people on deck as we sailed away. Still trying to read the crowd… have already encountered some very boisterous, I hate to say, slightly rude folks. Some, perhaps, a little off brand from what we have experienced in the past but no reason to pass harsh judgement straight out of gate… and a few don’t make the whole. First Terrace lunch did not disappoint. Yum! Already seeing effects of supply chain issues. No pens or blue bags in room. Slippers and robes are generic - not branded O. I have seen people comment on these things before, not make or break. Definitely quite a bit of new staff who are trying to figure things out. But they are doing it in a friendly way with a can do attitude. Our Butler seems very nice with 12 years of experience on board. And our room steward and her assistant seem absolutely lovely. Hopefully we will prove not too demanding. Riviera IS ready for her “makeover” but is still a beauty that makes me shed a tear of joy upon boarding. Jacques tonight. A first night tradition!
  16. We board Riviera October 13 - October 24, They are still listing some availability but many categories have gone waitlist over the past few days. Now it looks like just B 1-3 and G available. We sailed on Riviera October 2021 (her first trip back in action) it will be interesting to see what a difference a year makes...
  17. @welshfamily Our October 2021 cruise ending in Venice became Trieste. They provided buses to Marco Polo at the end of the cruise and we then took a water taxi from the airport directly to our hotel in Venice to enjoy a few post-cruise days there. It was such a memorable trip - maybe not quite as memorable as our sail away from Venice on Riviera in 2012... but memorable nonetheless. Trieste was also an interesting city that we probably would not have visited otherwise. However, COVID restrictions prevented us from exploring on our own at that time.
  18. Wishing you strength as you embark on this next journey. Unfortunately, far too many of us have had navigated it. Keep that maybe strong and hold those past Oceania adventures dear.
  19. Ahhh the scent of Oceania! I love the green. It borders on obsession for me. We usually ask for products to be switched out for green if it is another "flavor" but I do try to put by green request in in advance. We were on Riviera last October and I had requested the green in advance. One of the very first things our room attendant did was profusely apologize that they were out of the green gift sets (we were in a Oceania Suite). We opted for the blue gift set, but there was a steady flow green individuals. I think it helped that it was the first trip back and not many passengers. But even when we have been in an A, typically once we board and (through my excessive to the point of embarrassing gushing) it becomes known that I have an obsession for the green... each trip offerings have magically appeared. Very sweet. Enough to take home to keep me smelling sweet until our next trip! PS - I love getting in to the elevator and how everyone always smells the same.
  20. That's quite a shocking change overnight! Hope you stay healthy and enjoy your trip.
  21. The letter was posted by someone on FB and said April 14th, April 26th and May 6th were the cruises being cancelled due to supply chains and logistical issues - at this point.
  22. I just looked on Oceania's website and it looks like they have removed references to the tote and replaced with "variety of amenities" at least on our cruise in a PH. We have accumulated quite a few totes, so we can bring. And will now also pack some pens for our October trip - or grad some from teh pre-cruise hotel. That is definitely good to know! Thanks
  23. Depends on who you ask... This could be true or perhaps those of us who reap the benefits of spending time relaxing in a tub are just a little more chill and don't feel the need to thrust our preferences upon others and/or were too busy having a quiet soak when your imagined "survey" went out. 😉
  24. I, like you, absolutely love having the tub. I am glad that there will be an option moving forward for those who feel that this perk enhances their trip, while equally addressing those with an opposing view/preference. And I am sorry that you are being attacked for you decision and your opinion. Everyone has their own and should be able to voice them, especially in a forum such as this, without being made to feel or told they are "wrong". But most of all I am also sorry you will be missing out on the Oceania experience. I hope you will reconsider!
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