LIVE from the Riviera Nov 18 Crossing

[cruisingxpert]

(Quote) 4. Seeing how well the engineering design of the ship has held up after almost 2 years at sea. I was thrilled with how "tight" everything seemed on the new Marina. I'll be listening for creeks, groans, and rubs.

(Quote)

 

Be interesting to hear whether you hear the shuddering noise we had in a PH3 near the front of ship. If I was just nodding off, it would jar me awake. Never heard that kind of sound on other ships. We're going for the PH3 aft on Deck 7 this time to see if it is different

 

I think you will have a hard time dragging DW back from a PH.

 

Bon Voyage

 

CJ

[pacheco18]

Hi Joanna,

Glad you enjoyed the tapas. We are staying at Le Meridian and there is a nice looking Tapas place across the street. We thought we might try it until we overheard the concierge recommending "our "place to a customer.

We then decided that we'd go back to the place we know and like (and apparently locals do as well). Besides, the menu on the other one wasn't that interesting.

 

Hi Paul

My good friend Maria is on your cruise (AKnitter on CC) - try to meet up with her -- she's the best. Look for someone knitting. LOL

[hondorner]

Greetings fellow CC members.

 

After months of anticipation, it is time for my second journey aboard Oceania Cruises. This time, the Riviera will play host for 14 days on a Transatlantic cruise...

I'm be looking forward to reading your reports again. I still remember, and frequently quote, your description of Marina's Grand Dining Room -- "Like spun gold set in crystal."

 

I've always regretted that we didn't run into each other on Marina's Maiden, but after Riviera's maiden, she became my favorite ship -- for a total of 4 times, so far! I'm certain you'll be as impressed...

[sldispatcher]

[quote name=cruisingxpert;40690147

There was an item on the menu one night called 72 hr braised shortrib' date=' which my friend would say is "ugh" stew. We would never have tried it if it had been just words on the menu. It looked like a steak and was medium rare and it melted in your mouth. CJ[/quote]

 

Yum! Thank you!

[PS Caledonia]

This was taken from the webcam aboard MSC Splendida this morning. Looking good!

 

We will be on Marina in two days, so looking forward to your blog, Have a great trip!

 

:)

[sldispatcher]

1. The ship is gorgeous just as I remembered the Marina. There just is no comparison to other ships. Period. It's all about texture. Wallpaper, carpet, draperies, people.

 

 

2. It is raining heavily here. Unusual boarding requiring umbrellas, but all good.

 

3. Terrace Café was even better than remembered for lunch. Service was smooth and polished. Nothing felt rushed. We were out of there before the real lunch rush hit.

 

4. Wife has 5 massages, 1 body treatment, 1 mani and 1 pedi scheduled. She will be a lump in a white robe when we get to Miami.

 

5. They did not start checking people in until 1130am. It went very quickly. I give them props for that, but also let other cruisers know that you can wait until 1130 to get to the port. Standing in lines that go away like wisps of smoke in the wind is really not necessary. There were only 2 taxis out front unloading passengers. NOTHING Like other cruise check in experiences.

 

6. The ship itself appears to be in fantastic shape. I can't say it enough. There IS a difference from the floor to the ceiling to the stairwells to the parmesan used in the Caesar Salad. The minute you "get it" you'll wonder why you waited so long to book an Oceania cruise. It is really a great value.

 

7. The staff is on target so far. Not over the top. No sugar coating or buttering up. Just efficient service with a smile and great work ethic.

 

Tonight, I'll be posting one of my more "flowery" posts as can only be inspired by the veal Oscar being prepped in the Main Dining Room :)

[sldispatcher]

Today was unusual in that there were no loading bridges attached to the Riviera. Boarding was accomplished via the gangway…..in the rain….and the wind. Again, it was unusual, but even Oceania can’t control the weather.

We were docked between MSC’s Splendida and the Seven Seas Mariner. An arriving couple was a bit late and caused our departure to be about 20 minutes late. The Captain gently moved away from the pier at Barcelona while the raindrops continued to fall. The water below the ship in the bright lights along our starboard side was an electric aquamarine. We sauntered by the Seven Seas Mariner and could easily see into the multiple decks of rooms. Waves were exchanged and then a nice horn salute from the two ships put smiles on our faces.

We headed to dinner and were quickly asked if we would like to go to Polo or Toscana as an option tonight. We grabbed Polo, although the menu in the dining room would have been more than enough. I quickly noted new menu items in Polo. Pork belly with a soy glaze on the starter section, a new trio of sliders in the Signature section as well as salmon and tuna. Our waiter told us that these were all new as of today. You veteran O’maniacs can tell me differently.

The ship is indeed still “tight” with very little vibration noted even in these windy seas that surround us as we sail southwestward from Barcelona. Everything with the exception of some carpet stains here and there looks new to me.

At any rate, I am reminded today that Oceania just schools the rest of the lines when it comes to doing everything to make a guest feel at home. And I mean at home. The room, the service…it just feels like it fits you.

I’m sure one could go to school for years in the hospitality industry and never achieve this level of service unless everyone works together. The very little touches start at your feet. The carpet padding is still fluffy and the rooms had slipper sizes for both men and women…nice touch! Again, my hats off to ALL members of the crew. They really do have to be at the same level to execute at that point.

With so many online degrees and virtual colleges today, one wonders what genuine quality is and what isn’t in education. That is not the case on here. Within 9 hours of boarding you form the opinion that not only is this an expertly trained crew and staff, they constantly make you think “wow” everywhere you go.

[sldispatcher]

Menu Lunch Terrace Day 1..plus a close encounter.

[sldispatcher]

Trying different thumbnail size. Will also try link to shutterfly image later. It's getting late on the Med!

[LuAnn]

I'm be looking forward to reading your reports again. I still remember, and frequently quote, your description of Marina's Grand Dining Room -- "Like spun gold set in crystal."

 

I've always regretted that we didn't run into each other on Marina's Maiden, but after Riviera's maiden, she became my favorite ship -- for a total of 4 times, so far! I'm certain you'll be as impressed...

 

I would be interested to know why you prefer Marina over Riviera. We have been on Marina 3 times and won't experience Riviera until the spring TA of '15. LuAnn

[hondorner]

I would be interested to know why you prefer Marina over Riviera. We have been on Marina 3 times and won't experience Riviera until the spring TA of '15. LuAnn

Actually, I think I said I prefer Riviera over Marina! At least, that's what I intended -- I read back over my comment and see where my grammar could be open to interpretation. Sorry! Part of the reason was when Riviera first launched, she had fixes for almost all of the tiny problems noted in Marina. I haven't been back on Marina since then (coming up next May), but I understand almost all of those changes have been installed on Marina as well. Riviera was, in my opinion, as close to perfect as a ship could be.

 

There are also some personal reasons for my preference that some of the old timers on this forum might recall.

Edited November 19, 2013 by hondorner

[yorkiemomjn]

Last night, Sensi was a delightful tour of the taste buds tucked away on a small curvy street of the Gothic Quarter. There was nothing even or straight about the road with narrow sidewalks and many narrow store fronts. With the rain and dim lighting, horse drawn carriages would have been at home as well our taxi. Four of us were packed in tightly in the clean yellow cab much like Pez candies in a dispenser. We couldn't move forward, sideways, or backwards.

 

The trip was brief and the welcome into Sensi was warm. 8 tapas and 2 desserts later, we left for a repeat of the above trip back to the hotel. It was our only outing into the city today due to rain and 25+ mph winds.

 

Today has dawned overcast and rainy again. The Mediterranean doesn't appear as angry today, but navy blue rain clouds are moving across the city. Another light lunch in the hotel bar area today.

 

We are still adjusting to the jet lag but we are now ready to board the Riviera.

 

For some people, the idea of a Transatlantic cruise probably seems ridiculous. Why would one want to sail for 14 days and only visit 3 ports?

I can think of several reasons:

 

1) It is a great value. I mean, no matter what the cruise line, the crossings are a REALLY good value. You would be really challenged to find a land based resort with this level of dining and comfort along with the transportation thrown in to go a few thousand miles at this price.

 

2) If you haven't cruised on Oceania, you probably don't appreciate just how comfortable the ship is. Feelings of "home" are more prevalent than "resort". If you've ever dreamed of staying at home and having someone cook and clean for you for 14 days..then this is it.

 

3) As far as long as I can remember, I always thought of a vacation as being something that meant relaxation and getting away from it all. A "trip" is where you go someplace and get busy doing as much as you can to "see it all". Both are fine. Some people must be forced into having a true vacation. TA crossing will accomplish that.

 

4) TA crossing gives me just a sense of old world wonder. Crossing the Atlantic will make you reflect on all of the people that did it under much less opulent circumstances. Most of us in the States can look back to family that made a similar crossing with just one word on their minds: hope.

 

5) TA crossing allows you to enjoy..I mean really enjoy the ship. There is no rush. You can sit in the library for 3 hours and read and not feel like you missed anything.

 

6) People who are not familiar with Oceania in particular do not fully realize the quality of the epicurean experience is from start to finish. They truly can compete and often beat most of the high end land side dining establishments in most any city. At least that was my one time experience on the maiden voyage of the Marina. 14 days of that is just fine with me!

 

So for those of you who think you wouldn't like the Transatlantic Crossings, the rest of us are glad you don't! We'd prefer that you keep on your port-a-day itineraries.

 

So for those of you who might be asking "why would you want to go on that?", I simply smile.

 

I already know why.

 

I am forwarding this to my DH. He has never been interested in a TA. You made some great points, especially as we get older, but still want to cruise.

 

You sold me!:D

[yorkiemomjn]

Now is when things really REALLY get exciting. Riviera is sitting in port. I feel bad for those whose last night is upon them. But if I have to say so myself, I wish you would hurry on your way now :)

 

I don't own the place and never heard of it until last night, but Cera 23 delivered an awesome foodie experience for those cruisers looking for a culinary delight before or after the cruise. It is Oceania level cuisine if you know what I'm talking about.

 

With 12 hours to go, I will try and get some rest. But there are a few things I'm specifically looking forward to "comparing" as we start the cruise tomorrow.

 

1. The padding in the carpet. It was immediately noticeable for me on the Marina. Compared to the 4 other cruises I have taken since, none of the ships came close.

 

2. Looking for that seemingly unobtainable level of shipboard cuisine they seem to have mastered right off the bat with our Marina sailing.

 

3. Going in the PH1 this time. Was in B4 on previous cruise. Probably a serious mistake on the part of raising my DW's expectations. :eek:

 

4. Seeing how well the engineering design of the ship has held up after almost 2 years at sea. I was thrilled with how "tight" everything seemed on the new Marina. I'll be listening for creeks, groans, and rubs.

 

5. I'll be interested to check out the demographics on this cruise. But not what you are thinking. I'm not concerned about the age of the cruisers, but looking at the level of "fun factor"/relaxation/dining time rushes, etc.

 

6. I want to check out additional dining venues we did not try the first time.

 

7. I want to have a 2nd go at Red Ginger and see if my personal taste profile is happier with my selections this time than before. I think my expectations were just a little off on the previous cruise and I was rather merciless with my review of that venue.

 

8. It will be interesting to see how comfortable the crew is with their ship compared to the first time around when everything was so new. I would expect the "rhythm" of the service to be all of one accord.

 

9. I'm curious just about the boarding process in the morning. Will it be registration on ship or out in the terminal? (small things, I know)

 

10. We'll see how the cooking classes go once more. Enjoyed mine the first time (except for the pairing up part..not what I thought I had paid for).

 

11. Looking forward to sampling some of the enrichment options. This is one of the most rewarding aspects for me while onboard a ship. Learning or doing something you haven't done before..and a new skill is never a wasted one.

 

12. Finally, I'm looking forward to simply writing down daily thoughts. This is not a wasted effort for me but part of my enjoyment of the voyage. I know that I have gleaned so much from other's reports that it is always my way of giving back regardless of how many other reviews have been written or what someone thinks I need to do with my time while onboard.;) So if even one morsel of information gets out to someone in need, it will be satisfying.

 

I guess it is now t -11 and counting now.

 

Good night.

 

We went on our third O cruise this past May/June and tried a PH for the first time. Now, I'm afraid we made a mistake because we both loved it so much! Enjoy!:)

[pacheco18]

I am forwarding this to my DH. He has never been interested in a TA. You made some great points, especially as we get older, but still want to cruise.

 

You sold me!:D

 

 

Don't get sold so fast -- there is another point of view.

 

We did a TA on Marina in 2011

Our first and likely our last.

I love sea days so much that it is a consideration for me when booking a cruise and I often turn a port day into a sea day to have more time to relax.

 

I love sea days -- but not six in a row

 

We are not big on shipboard activities (other than trivia) and it can get boring -- the "scenery" in the middle of the ocean gets old quick.

I no longer wish to sit in the sun and get skin damage for worse. I am shocked at the number of cruisers who do this.

I am a reader and a knitter so I can easily occupy my time and I love to "rest" but it gets to be too much after a while. The cooking classes saved me from extreme boredom.

It ends up that food becomes the main attraction and I do not want to overeat. 3 meals a day plus afternoon tea. Way too much of a good thing. And with little or no exercise, unless you go to the gym or walk on the deck. If you cruise for the food, maybe that's an upside. Not for us

On that cruise, when we got to stop in Bermuda after 6 consecutive sea days there was almost a stampede off the ship.

 

I know it sounds romantic and for many it is the cheapest way to get to sail on O (especially to taste a suite) but there are two sides to the story. The ship is the destination only works for me if I have the option to get off -- even for a few hours.

Edited November 19, 2013 by pacheco18

[sldispatcher]

I decided that Shutterfly would be a better place to put all the pics than trying to put them on here.

 

www.rivierata2013.shutterfly.com

 

Will try and keep the albums separated so that menus will be in just one spot. Photos "should" have labels so you at least know what day/location, etc.

 

Apologize for any blurriness/lack of clarity.

 

 

"LOVE the unlimited internet"..makes uploading pics a no-brainer.

 

Also, I think the speed of the internet connection is just fine considering we are trying to maintain a connection on a rolling object moving at 23 - 26 mph out in a wide expanse.

[Paulchili]

I certainly do not want to (nor can I ) compete with sldispatcher for his commentary, so I will settle for a few impressions of my own.

Agree with everything being top notch so far, despite a large number of crew turnover in this port.

There are 1,000 repeat O cruisers on this cruise - only 200 newbies. That speaks volumes about Oceania doing a lot of things right.

I was informed by our butler that Perrier is no longer available as a standard sparkling water option in your cabin unless ordered ahead of time (much like caffeine free diet coke and such) - who knew?

Haven't seen all of Riviera so far but have noted that Marina's "Edith Ann" chairs in the lobby have been replaced by much more comfortable chairs, tailored to more average human dimensions. On a personal note, I do not care much for the art on the Riviera - far too abstract for my taste. Of course, this is a very subjective matter.

We dined at Jacques (extra reservation, available on first night) and the food was great as expected. The pot de creme dessert is now available as a larger portion of one of three flavors rather than smaller pots of all three flavors. The Iberico pork melts in your mouth. Red Ginger tonight :)

Only 13 more days to go :(

[sldispatcher]

Thankfully, our Captain has decided against waging war with Neptune and has decided to remove the Azores stop from our itinerary. We will be headed to Funchal instead. Isn't that great! An unexpected treat of a new possibility.

 

Meanwhile, "lump of play-doh" returned from the Canyon Ranch spa. She had the aromatherapy massage by Isabella and said it was WONDERFUL.

 

Play-doh must now wait 22 hours until her next treatment which will be a head to toe scrub and facial. I only hope I can get her back in the can and off the ship come Dec 2nd.

 

Now for the demographic review. Relaxed/unrushed/sociable/kind/unpretentious.

 

The air of difference between this and the maiden voyage of Marina is palpable and also understandable. Both are/were fantastic for different reasons.

 

Thanks to Paulchili for his update as well. I'll have the day's menus up later this afternoon.

 

Current winds are out of the north at 45 mph or so. Seas are not as rough as they should be for that amount of wind. Skies are a nice, hazy blue with a few ripples of high clouds pasted to the stratosphere. Low 60's for the temp and this grade A+ cruise continues.

 

GDR for lunch in 5 minutes. Toscana tonight.

[Paulchili]

Walking on the pool deck I was amazed (but somehow not surprised) by the extremes of choices - several people were sun bathing in their bathing suits and others were bundled up "Siberia" style.

Vive la difference :D

[pacheco18]

Walking on the pool deck I was amazed (but somehow not surprised) by the extremes of choices - several people were sun bathing in their bathing suits and others were bundled up "Siberia" style.

Vive la difference :D

 

Folks like us who live in very warm climates don't put on a bathing suit until it's in the 90's -- thin blood. I would be bundled up. LOL

[sitraveler]

Have a safe trip. .

 

Waiting on Marina for our TA tomarrow.

 

Weather is sunny and confortable in Barcelona.

 

I'm guessing between the Riviera people boarding and our Marina people coming early, we set a record for the number of O passengers in 1 port at 1 time.

[doubledobles]

We've taken this cruise for the past ten years. It's one of our favorites. This year my husband was taken ill and we had to cancel....boo hoo. Instead we're taking Sun Splashed Islands (Carribbean for ten days). We're already booked for next year's transatlantic. Enjoy.....wish we could be with you!!

[doubledobles]

We've taken this cruise for the past ten years. It's one of our favorites. This year my husband was taken ill in the fall and my grandson's bar mitzvah is happening in Seattle, WA on Nov. 22....boo hoo. Instead we're taking Sun Splashed Islands (Carribbean for ten days). We're already booked for next year's transatlantic. Enjoy.....wish we could be with you!!

[RetiredFL]

Walking on the pool deck I was amazed (but somehow not surprised) by the extremes of choices - several people were sun bathing in their bathing suits and others were bundled up "Siberia" style.

Vive la difference :D

On a past cruise we encountered a day of light snow off Korea. Was surprised to encounter a group of people around the pool in coats with blankets over them.

Since we had said hello to them before we went over and asked them what was up.

They said they were Canadians and this was pool weather for them:confused:

[no fuss travel]

On a past cruise we encountered a day of light snow off Korea. Was surprised to encounter a group of people around the pool in coats with blankets over them.

Since we had said hello to them before we went over and asked them what was up.

They said they were Canadians and this was pool weather for them:confused:

 

Must have been from Victoria or Vancouver. Definitely not east coast.:D

[potterhill]

If they had been from the East Coast, they would not have needed jackets and blankets for sure.

 

Just returned from Florida where it was cool and very windy. Only people walking on beach were Canadians. The water was so warm, it was delightful.

 

Mo

 

 

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