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

[Hlitner]

Greetings from Valletta, Malta,

 

Moving along with our live from the Vista blog.  Today is a turn-around day and marks the end of our first 25 days (2 segments) with only 10 days to go.  The weather is, again, near perfect with partly cloudy skies and temps in the upper 60s.  In fact, the entire 11-day segment (Civitavecchia to Malta) was blessed with terrific weather.  10 ports in 11 days is a bit muich, but somehow it does seem that everyone survived :).

 

For those who have never docked in Valletta, I will just say that it is one of the most visually striking ports in the world.  One is surrounded by medieval walls, fortresses, etc.  It is a clean, safe island perfect for DIY, HoHo buses, or excursions.  We have been here a few times, previously driven all over the island, and always enjoyed our visits.  Today we stayed aboard in the morning, did some laundry, had lunch, and than went ashore to visit the Grand Master Palace.  A beautiful Sunday afternoon on Malta brings many folks out to enjoy outdoor dining with their families and friends.

 

Picking up from our last "live from" post, on Thursday evening we returned to Red Ginger (for the third time).   Like our other dinners in Red Ginger, the food was good, but not outstanding.  We think that this venue tries to offer too many Asian cuisines, and many dishes just seem to be lacking in flavor.  DW ordered the Thai Red Chicken Curry and requested medium heat.  What she got was bland (no heat) and disappointing. My beef dish was good, but nothing special.  Our shared starter (which has various offerings) was good, but almost boring.  We will cancel our final Red Ginger reservation since we prefer the GDR.   

 

On Friday night DW and I enjoyed our dinner in the GDR where I again had Beef Wellington and DW the lobster tail/chunks in a light mushroom sauce.  Both our meals were excellent as we continue to request seating with our favorite waiter, Kadeck.  

 

Last night we shared a table in Ember, where none of us were overly happy.  I had the double pork chop, which looked beautiful (on the outside).  When I cut it open it was near raw!  The dining room manager happened to walk past, saw the meat, and immediately took the plate.  The replacement (which came in about 10 minutes) was perfectly cooked.  The chocolate brownie dessert was very good.  But, after two dinners in Ember, we do not see a reason to return and will cancel our remaining reservation.  

 

The bottom line, for us, is that we enjoy the GDR more than both Red Ginger and Ember.  While fine for a change, we no longer see the need to visit those two venues.

 

Today, we decided to try something a little different for our lunch.  DW wanted a sandwich from Aquamar and I wanted a Philly Cheesesteak from Waves.  The staff in each venue is not able to order from the other venue (it is not on their tablets).  So, we first stopped at Aquamar where DW put in her order, told them we would be in Waves, and they gave her a numbered placard. to put on our Waves table.  The Aquamar staff then delivered her sandwich to our table. 

 

Last evening, we had an early show (5:45) since it was the last night of a segment.  Isabel Comandeur, a versatile opera soprano, gave her 2nd performance to a big audience.  All of our Guest entertainers have been very good, and the passengers show their appreciation with some standing ovations.   Last evening was also a bit sad as we bid farewell to several drinking pals (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie).  Socializing here on the Vista is alive and well.  

 

We have decided to continue our drink package upgrade for the last segment.  This morning, we were able to book another excursion (for Santorini) that uses our remaining shore excursion credit.  I continue to be dissatisfied for the way O handles excursion bookings for folks on multiple cruise segments.  Not allowing passengers to get access to excursions on successive segments puts us at a disadvantage over folks who have not embarked.  A person can book excursions up to 7 days prior to embarkation, but once on a cruise one cannot book an excursion until the evening before the end of the prior segment.  

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

[pinotlover]

Hank;

 

Food being Bland and boring was an issue on our cruise also. Expect for the cheerleaders to assault you claiming every meal is excellent and every bite succulent, because as you know tastes are subjective! 🙄

[Iamthesea]

Hlitner - I cannot remember if you mentioned that you tried the Sea Bass at Red Ginger?  To me, that is the best and most memorable entrée of all our cruises on Oceania!  After our most recent cruise on the Vista, I agree on the bland assessment of most dishes.

 

Love Malta!!!  We have visited 3 times.  Always a welcoming port of call.

 

Also love Santorini!!! We like to book a ships excursion to get us on the island, quickly.  When the excursion is over, we stay on Oia (wonderful after most tourist have left) and then make our way back to Thera by bus and foot.  After Thera, we make our way back to the ship by either the steps, or on the funicular.  

[Waltershipman]

4 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Hank;

 

Food being Bland and boring was an issue on our cruise also. Expect for the cheerleaders to assault you claiming every meal is excellent and every bite succulent, because as you know tastes are subjective! 🙄

Hank should never be assaulted by anyone he's my buddy and knows a lot. I however loved the specialty dining on board more than GDR however the difference that makes a hugh difference is having a waiter such as Hank has found to be served by each evening. We found such a server Jimmy but wush we had him more. We liked Ember and had shared table with a delightful couple with the man being a vibrant 90 year old and his wife.  We had a great time and met up in Barbados for lobsters.

 

Every meal/bite on Vista is neither succulent or excellent however food was certainly above adequate and many times enjoyed especially in specialty restaurants 

 

 

[Waltershipman]

2 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Hlitner - I cannot remember if you mentioned that you tried the Sea Bass at Red Ginger?  To me, that is the best and most memorable entrée of all our cruises on Oceania!  After our most recent cruise on the Vista, I agree on the bland assessment of most dishes.

 

Love Malta!!!  We have visited 3 times.  Always a welcoming port of call.

 

Also love Santorini!!! We like to book a ships excursion to get us on the island, quickly.  When the excursion is over, we stay on Oia (wonderful after most tourist have left) and then make our way back to Thera by bus and foot.  After Thera, we make our way back to the ship by either the steps, or on the funicular.  

Yes Red Ginger sea bass was wonderful and lobster salad was tasty unique and lovely 

[pinotlover]

14 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

Yes Red Ginger sea bass was wonderful and lobster salad was tasty unique and lovely 

Our Tea infused sea bass in Red Ginger was likewise great. I also ordered the other sea bass dish as it claimed to be tempura. What an insult to the term ‘tempura “. It was thick greasy dough , much like American Captain D’s or Long John Silvers, and had zero seasoning with a very bland dipping sauce. A bland fish and chips masquerading as tempura. Making it equally insulting was we were in Japan where tempura is done so wonderfully. So for us the Red Ginger was 50/50. Great meal and a very poor one. 

[Hlitner]

14 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Hlitner - I cannot remember if you mentioned that you tried the Sea Bass at Red Ginger?  To me, that is the best and most memorable entrée of all our cruises on Oceania!  After our most recent cruise on the Vista, I agree on the bland assessment of most dishes.

 

Love Malta!!!  We have visited 3 times.  Always a welcoming port of call.

 

Also love Santorini!!! We like to book a ships excursion to get us on the island, quickly.  When the excursion is over, we stay on Oia (wonderful after most tourist have left) and then make our way back to Thera by bus and foot.  After Thera, we make our way back to the ship by either the steps, or on the funicular.  

Both DW and I did have the Sea Bass at Red Ginger and agree, that it is terrific.  I suppose we could simply order the same sea bass main, every time we dine in RG, but that is not our style.  Especially in Asian restaurants, we prefer to try many different dishes, and this is where we find RG lacking.  It is when we started looking beyond a couple of decent offerings, that we grew tired of the venue.  The overall concept if fine if they would only expand/refine the menu.  Also consider that we have dined in RG 3 times in 25 days.  If we returned to Vista on a future cruise, we would want to again dine in RG.  But, on this voyage, we have simply grown tired of the venue and do not see other dishes that spark our interest.  In fact, on this last visit the waiter told us of a daily special (a spicy beef teriyaki dish) which several at our table ordered.  The waiter was soon back to tell us "We are out of that item."  Given that it was only 7:30, we figure there were many others that jumped at the daily special instead of the usual menu.  

 

When it comes to the 4 alternative restaurants, we find ourselves wanting to only return to Polo and Toscana.  This will mean that we dined, 3 times, in RG, Polo and Toscana and twice in Ember.  IMHO, Oceania should quickly replace Ember with another concept.  Calling Ember the "Applebee of the Sea" would be an insult to Applebee's.

 

Hank

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We will cancel our final Red Ginger reservation since we prefer the GDR.

I understand this. We were as underwhelmed with Red Ginger on Vista as we had been on Marina. I doubt we'll bother making a reservation for our 2025 cruise. In terms of hitting the mark on expected flavours, it lags behind the other three specialities

[Harters]

FWIW, Malta was my first ever overseas beach holiday. That'd be in about 1970. Not been back to the island since. 

[fdnycruiser]

Is that by choice, or have you been banished ?  I can remember being a “ little “ rowdy in 1970.

[Vallesan]

40 minutes ago, Harters said:

FWIW, Malta was my first ever overseas beach holiday. That'd be in about 1970. Not been back to the island since. 

Our first trip was 1979 and visited several times after that. BUT … sailing into Valletta really is a highlight. I actually can’t think of a nicer port to sail into apart from maybe Mahon, Saigon, Klong Toey …. oh there are so many I just love arriving in port!

[Harters]

Choice. We've found nicer places for "fly and flop" holidays and on shorter flights. Mallorca is a favourite. But we are doing a longer flight in the autumn to return to Cyprus - we're trying an upmarket all-inclusive resort, just to see how the hotel side of things compares with an Oceania cruise. It's about half the price of next years Vista cruise so, if it's as good as we hope, our cruising days may be coming to an end. 

[Vallesan]

Red Ginger…. well for us the ‘miso glazed sea bass ‘ is just too sweet. I agree that the food verges on bland although we have enjoyed the duck and watermelon salad in the past. I think we eat there knowing it’s not ‘authentic’ it’s just a change from the GDR.

[Vallesan]

3 minutes ago, Harters said:

Choice. We've found nicer places for "fly and flop" holidays and on shorter flights. Mallorca is a favourite. But we are doing a longer flight in the autumn to return to Cyprus - we're trying an upmarket all-inclusive resort, just to see how the hotel side of things compares with an Oceania cruise. It's about half the price of next years Vista cruise so, if it's as good as we hope, our cruising days may be coming to an end. 

There are some amazing upmarket all-inclusive resorts in Greece and I’m sure in  Cyprus too. We have a problem in that most ‘resorts’ are ‘spread out’ and having walking problems a small, compact ship suits better. Looks like we will still have to pay the ‘premium’ for the small ship experience!

[clo]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Hank;

 

Food being Bland and boring was an issue on our cruise also. Expect for the cheerleaders to assault you claiming every meal is excellent and every bite succulent, because as you know tastes are subjective! 🙄

I appreciate posters like you. I'm pretty into food and I've never seen a restaurant that didn't have an occasional lower grade. I'll look forward to more. Thanks.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

Red Ginger…. well for us the ‘miso glazed sea bass ‘ is just too sweet. I agree that the food verges on bland although we have enjoyed the duck and watermelon salad in the past. I think we eat there knowing it’s not ‘authentic’ it’s just a change from the GDR.

I can't remember. If we only get two res at the specialties per cruise/segment, can we do two at Toscano? I loathe watermelon 🙂 and now the sea bass (aka Patagonia tootthfish doesn't sound so wonderful either. Plus honestly, having lived in the West with a plethora of Asian cuisines, "fusion" is usually my first choice.

Thanks for weighing in as usual.

 

[ak1004]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Hank;

 

Food being Bland and boring was an issue on our cruise also. Expect for the cheerleaders to assault you claiming every meal is excellent and every bite succulent, because as you know tastes are subjective! 🙄

 

Personally I found Hank's observations and review very objective and balanced. I share his view of Red Ginger, despite this being a favorite restaurant of many O cruisers. I don't think anyone would claim that every meal on O (or any other line) is excellent. Same for most restaurants on land (there are some exceptions of course). But Hank also said the O food is second best only to Explora, which speaks volume.

[Waltershipman]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

I can't remember. If we only get two res at the specialties per cruise/segment, can we do two at Toscano? I loathe watermelon 🙂 and now the sea bass (aka Patagonia tootthfish doesn't sound so wonderful either. Plus honestly, having lived in the West with a plethora of Asian cuisines, "fusion" is usually my first choice.

Thanks for weighing in as usual.

 

Try Chinois on Main in Santa Monica California for best fusion I've ever have eaten. The mix is French Asian

It's wonderful when in California 

[1985rz1]

20 minutes ago, clo said:

I can't remember. If we only get two res at the specialties per cruise/segment, can we do two at Toscano? I loathe watermelon 🙂 and now the sea bass (aka Patagonia tootthfish doesn't sound so wonderful either. Plus honestly, having lived in the West with a plethora of Asian cuisines, "fusion" is usually my first choice.

Thanks for weighing in as usual.

 

You can't double reserve for one using a reservation for another.

Edited April 21 by 1985rz1

[Waltershipman]

11 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Personally I found Hank's observations and review very objective and balanced. I share his view of Red Ginger, despite this being a favorite restaurant of many O cruisers. I don't think anyone would claim that every meal on O (or any other line) is excellent. Same for most restaurants on land (there are some exceptions of course). But Hank also said the O food is second best only to Explora, which speaks volume.

I trust Hanks opinions having sailed with him and agree Explora Journeys is best food at sea and compares to high end restaurants on land.

 

Red Ginger and Polo were our favorites

[Waltershipman]

2 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

I trust Hanks opinions having sailed with him and agree Explora Journeys is best food at sea and compares to high end restaurants on land.

 

Red Ginger and Polo were our favorites

I think from my 40 plus years of cruising I have personally  had food far better than O's current food offerings. Some were on Crystal  Silver Sea maybe 12 years ago Azamara 9 years ago and the like 

[Techno123]

The problem is it's only Oceania in name, same as Regent is only Regent in name the people pulling the strings and dictating what happens onboard are the bean counters at NCLH 😢 - the same for SS and SB - the parent companies dictate the offerings and they have A LOT of money to make back.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Waltershipman said:

I trust Hanks opinions having sailed with him and agree Explora Journeys is best food at sea and compares to high end restaurants on land.

 

Red Ginger and Polo were our favorites

We agree regarding Polo.  Keep in mind that our cruise is longer and what is good the first time can fade as one has more chances to test the menus.

[Flatbush Flyer]

36 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

The problem is it's only Oceania in name, same as Regent is only Regent in name the people pulling the strings and dictating what happens onboard are the bean counters at NCLH 😢 - the same for SS and SB - the parent companies dictate the offerings and they have A LOT of money to make back.

At least (until the recent FDR Sr retirement), the bulk of NCLH’s executives were previously Oceania execs (from FDR to. Bob Binder and on down the line). With FDR senior at the NCLH helm, there was little worry that “his baby” (O)  would ever get the short end of the stick. 
But, that was then and this is now. Moreover, FDR Jr (now heading up O) remains an uncertain as regards his familial devotion to the brand.

[ronrick1943]

I think it's great that people tell it the way they experience it.  Not everyone see'd it the same way, but I enjoy hearing not only the good, but also the not so good.  Also all most always on a loner cruise we actually get tried of eating out---sometimes we just want a burger or a tuna sandwich and a movie in the suite.  It's just the way it is in my opinion.