Live from the Vista - March 27 (Miami) to May 1 (Trieste)

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

All depends on which CD you’ve got. As aforementioned, Ray Carr is the “gold standard” for O. A morning show that’s so funny, people tune in just to see what the latest antics are. Minimal announcements as well.

You are right about O.  Great product and we shall return 😋.  But CDs need to tone it down.

[clo]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I had one of the first ones made on Riviera and after returning it for something else

Why didn't you eat it?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, fdnycruiser said:

You’re definitely a long way from Red Hook Flatbush Flyer. I worked in the Firehouse on Smith  & Lorraine St, ( ladder 131) in the early 80’s . Good times with the Happy Hookers 

If you’re talking about now, you’re correct: we live on the North Shore of San Francisco Bay!

When I was growing up/living in Brooklyn from the late ‘40s until mid ‘60s, Red Hook unofficially encompassed a larger area than now. I’m guessing that Grandma’s place at Henry & Sackett is now considered part of Carroll Gardens(?) while Columbia Street either side of Union St. (where my dad had two movie theaters (several block apart)) may now be on the outer perimeter of Red Hook. 
In any case, Brooklyn then and Brooklyn now are not quite the same. and it’s all due to the “trolley dodgers” moving to L.A.! 

[Eloise4Ever]

Really enjoying your review Hank. I've been reading your CC contributions for years and appreciate your comments.

 

If, at some stage before you disembark Vista, you could find out who the CD will be for the first two weeks in June, I would be very grateful.

Edited April 4 by Eloise4Ever
Tiny font!

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, clo said:

Why didn't you eat it?

Because I ordered a Philly CheeseSteak which was, in no possible way (nor interpretation) what was served to me.
Ever had a Philly CheeseSteak? If so, you’d have returned it too.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Because I ordered a Philly CheeseSteak which was, in no possible way (nor interpretation) what was served to me.
Ever had a Philly CheeseSteak? If so, you’d have returned it too.

I must have misread or skipped something. I didn't know you'd had one so you knew what to expect. Sorry.

[Eloise4Ever]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

... I am a first generation Sicilian-American who spent much of his childhood in the Red Hook/Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn - the Sicilian stronghold so accurately portrayed in the Nicholas Cage/Cher movie Moonstruck with its Cammareri Bros. bakery just a few doors down from my grandmother’s “walk up.”

 

I  am tickled to hear you are from the "Moonstruck" neighbourhood of New York Flatbush 🤩. That's one of my very favourite movies,  due in no small part to the setting. Very evocative. I'm delighted to hear that you feel it was an accurate portrayal.

[clo]

On 4/3/2024 at 7:57 AM, Hlitner said:

I mentioned in an earlier post that there is no Prime Rib on the menu of any of the reservation-only restaurants.  But I noticed on our TV menus, that in the GDR (tonight) one of the mains is "grilled Prime Rib."  We shall see what that is all about :). 

As far as not having it in the res-only restaurants I wonder with the small number of people dining there if it just doesn't make sense to spend THAT kind of money and maybe have some leftover.

 

As far grilling, I wouldn't do it any other way.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-grill-prime-rib-335743

[ronrick1943]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Certain CD announcements including port arrival info, midday (after the Captain’s report) and pre-dinner (evening activities) are the normal sequence of PA announcements. Some CDs add to that (which I agree is usually unnecessary).

IMO: every new CD on O should be required to shadow Ray Carr for at least a week or two as part of their orientation.  

One would think unless it's an emergency that all PA announcements would be only made in areas that are public areas-never in a cabin or suite.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just now, ronrick1943 said:

One would think unless it's an emergency that all PA announcements would be only made in areas that are public areas-never in a cabin or suite.  

One of my pet peeves is that, when a public space PA announcement is made (e.g., Captain at noon), there is no delay between the PA signal and the talking. If you’re in you’re cabin and you want to listen, you have to open the door or turn the tv on to channel 25. By the time you do either, you’ve missed a bunch of the announcement’s beginning. There really needs to be at least a 5 second delay.

[Mkdvmz]

23 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

So odd that we were on the two sailings just prior to yours and found no similar issues.  Our experience was the total opposite as we found the staff to be so overly concerned with our satisfaction that it bordered on being bothersome at times.

Our experience was that this was among (if not the best) service that we have had of all of our Oceania cruises.....funny how we all have varying degrees of satisfaction and opinions.....Guess that is what makes the world go around.  Hope your last day or two provide you with a better experience....

 

Or perhaps, there was a staffing change and it had nothing to do with opinions and satisfaction 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Eloise4Ever said:

 

I  am tickled to hear you are from the "Moonstruck" neighbourhood of New York Flatbush 🤩. That's one of my very favourite movies,  due in no small part to the setting. Very evocative. I'm delighted to hear that you feel it was an accurate portrayal.

Glad you like it (as do I).

 

One thing though: Moonstruck’s “neighborhood” is not Flatbush (home of numerous other Brooklyn based movies). The Moonstruck neighborhood is now considered part of what has become the “oh-so-swank” Carroll Gardens (though it will always be the edge of Red Hook to me).

 

Most importantly, however, don’t confuse Brooklyn with New York (many old time locals’ other name for the island of Manhattan). A long time ago Brooklyn (which eventually became Kings County of New York State and one of the five “boroughs” of New York City) was itself the fourth largest city in the United States. We even had our own baseball team - “dem bums” - the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers.

[h and j]

I always book dinners to share a table and can get what time I want. I think sharing a table is very interesting (entertaining?) and is the reason to cruise. I dine with the same people often so time to have some different people. 

 

And if we don't like the time etc there is always the Terrace Cafe or Grand dining room!!!

[Hlitner]

Good Day from Funchal,

 

Today is our first European port (on this cruise) and it has long been a personal favorite.  Madeira is often talked about as a sun-drenched island, but today it is damp, dreary, foggy, rain showers, temps in the 60s (F), etc.  There is much to like about Funchal as the city is very walkable, has lots of shopping, restaurants, cafes, etc.  It is also well known for its cable car that whisks folks up to the top of the local mountain where one can explore the expansive botanical gardens and access the famous toboggan ride where you are pushed down steep streets in a sled.  However, today, if one went up to the top cable car station, they would find themselves in a cloud with limited or no view.  But the cable car is operating for those who want to enjoy the gardens in the mist.

 

DW and I spent the later part of our morning just taking a 2 1/2-mile stroll around town.  We only had to use the umbrellas for a few minutes, town was full of life, and it felt good to get off the Vista where we had been since March 27.  

 

Our cabin continues to be one a very quiet haven.  We have not heard our neighbors, once, on this cruise.  Perhaps we will be lucky and keep these neighbors until our debarkation in Trieste :).

 

Our onboard Internet service has been near flawless for the entire crossing and Skylink is a true gamechanger for some of our fellow passengers.  We have met several that are able to reliably do real work (essentially work from home) because of decent Internet.  A big change from only a few decades ago when cruisers would head to the phone booths when they reached a port.  

 

Last night we, again, had dinner in the GDR where I had an excellent Filet Mignon.  The quality of my steak was better than we experienced on Explora Journeys and about equal to the usually fine filets found on Seabourn.  

 

 

[ak1004]

33 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 

Our onboard Internet service has been near flawless for the entire crossing and Skylink is a true gamechanger for some of our fellow passengers.  We have met several that are able to reliably do real work (essentially work from home) because of decent Internet.  A big change from only a few decades ago when cruisers would head to the phone booths when they reached a port.  

 

 

 

This is really good to hear.

 

Just FYI, Skylink by itself does not guarantee good speeds. We had Skylink on our last cruise on SS, but they limited the speeds artificially to around 1.5mb. If you wanted higher speeds, you had to upgrade to "premium" internet at $30/day. So much for all inclusive line.

 

I'm glad that O finally woke up and realized that to attract new generation of travelers, good internet is really important.   

[Snaefell3]

46 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Skylink

Uhh...  Starlink?  🙂 

 

Both Vista's standard and premium internet share the same uplink (and speed) -- upgrading simply moves you from a router that blocks known streaming sites to one that doesn't.

 

Sometimes, local regulations can affect bandwidth, too:  with her departure delayed because the Port Canaveral channel was closed for a launch of more Starlink satellites last month, Vista's internet speed was glacial -- more like 2004 than 2024.

[Iamthesea]

DH and I sailed on the March 9th Vista and had very similar experiences to what Hlitner, WNcruiser, and others have experienced.  There were ups and downs on our cruise.  Some very good experiences, and some not too stellar.  The March sailing was our 3rd with Oceania.  We have not been on any of the other "luxury" lines that have been mentioned, so we cannot compare to those.  We can compare this latest cruise to our last two pre-Covid experiences on O and we feel that Oceania is not as good as it once was. We are 66 and 71 and have taken multiple cruises over the years. 

[islandchick]

On 4/4/2024 at 11:47 AM, edgee said:

Here is a pic of Vista Waves menu. Some differences than what is on other ships in this "test" menu.

This looks like the Grill menu on Regent. Hopefully it is better on O as Regent's was very lackluster even though it sounded great. Stale buns and dry burgers even though they were cooked medium. 

[edgee]

1 hour ago, islandchick said:

This looks like the Grill menu on Regent. Hopefully it is better on O as Regent's was very lackluster even though it sounded great. Stale buns and dry burgers even though they were cooked medium. 

On Regent TA now. Food is better in  O Waves absolutely. Other dining venues .. Regent is much better, especially main dining room.

[ronrick1943]

On 4/4/2024 at 3:01 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

All depends on which CD you’ve got. As aforementioned, Ray Carr is the “gold standard” for O. A morning show that’s so funny, people tune in just to see what the latest antics are. Minimal announcements as well.

Sorry but I still don't like the idea of announcements in cabins/suites unless it's an emergency.  If you want to hear you sound be able to turn your TV on a Chanel dedicated to this.  If I'm resting, napping or just enjoying the quiet of my suite or watching a movie I don't won't to hear that bingo or trivia or something else is about to happen.

[basor]

On our cruises you had to be turned to a specific channel to hear any announcements in your cabin.  The announcements were heard in the hallways and public areas.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Sorry but I still don't like the idea of announcements in cabins/suites unless it's an emergency.  If you want to hear you sound be able to turn your TV on a Chanel dedicated to this.  If I'm resting, napping or just enjoying the quiet of my suite or watching a movie I don't won't to hear that bingo or trivia or something else is about to happen.

The only Cabin overhead PA announcements are supposed to be for critical announcements and emergencies. I was talking about the regular announcements in the public spaces which, by the time you turn on the TV and go to Channel 25 (Bridge Cam) to hear them are almost done. 

[mexicobob]

On 4/3/2024 at 7:29 PM, proton-excitement said:

It's a bit more than normal waste though, right? Ordering something, and then telling them to throw it out and make something else without ever taking a single bite, simply because they brought it promptly and fresh (as they should have), is cartoonishly entitled. Granted I'm probably 3 decades younger than the average Oceania passenger, but this behavior and attitude is jaw dropping to me.

I completely agree. I am 71 and most my age would agree this behavior shows the people to be complete total, pathetic morons. Really do not understand why Oceania would cater to such low class people. Sure hope I never cruise with them.

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The only Cabin overhead PA announcements are supposed to be for critical announcements and emergencies. I was talking about the regular announcements in the public spaces which, by the time you turn on the TV and go to Channel 25 (Bridge Cam) to hear them are almost done. 

Sorry, I thought you meant all announcements came in the cabin/suite.

[pinotlover]

I suppose part of the issue is in the definition of critical or important. Take today for instance here on the Riveria. We were told twice over the PA system to (1) take our passport with us on our shore excursion and; (2) everyone had to exit the ship to go through S.Korean immigration. We were on a ship tour and numerous fellow passengers didn’t bring their passports. Was that announcement important enough to be carried into the cabins, or may that have inconvenienced those wanting to watch tv? Or would it matter with the oblivious anyway?