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A steakhouse on a cruise ship shouldn’t require reinventing the wheel, but we find it amazing how often cruise lines deliver a subpar steakhouse experience (and usually with an up-charge—not the case on Riviera). The room is fine, located on Deck 14 aft, tricked out with masculine dark wood paneling, contemporary art and padded leather chairs—it certainly looks the part. Cabin lighting was discrete, with recessed lights in the ceiling plus adjustable reading lights on either side of the bed—combined we had sufficient illumination. Fronting the balcony doors were three curtains—one that was a sheer, the other two completely blocked out light. Next to the sofa was an oval coffee table, and facing these was a small desk with a lamp and chair.
Revamped Carnival Glory headed to Port Canaveral
Enjoy en-suite gourmet dining from any of our six restaurants, served course-by-course by your Butler. Vista is not an all-inclusive ship, but it's more inclusive than lines such as Celebrity Cruises or Holland America. Its fares cover all dining (except for private, wine-paired dinners), fitness classes, nonalcoholic beverages and in-port shuttles. Its booking promotions may offer additional inclusions, like free Wi-Fi, airfare, excursions, beverage package or shipboard credit.
Cabins on Oceania's Vista Are Lavish and Luxurious
For this reason it’s difficult to make apples-to-apples comparisons about whether Riviera provides good value. But just prior to publication we reviewed per-day rates for cabins on comparable itineraries for the upcoming year, for ships that offer an experience that is a notch above the Oceania product. Though activities were limited, there was a tennis court, mini-golf course and an art studio staffed by an artist. One sterling feature not found on any other cruise ship (except Marina) is hands-on cooking lessons—for a fee—with instruction overseen by the Culinary Institute of America. Shows on Riviera were rudimentary at best—okay if nothing else was going on, but nothing to go out of our way for. This isn’t uncommon with small-ship luxury lines, but given that Riviera has a larger showroom (and more guests), a better entertainment program was in order.
Oceania Cruises Reviews
Review: A First Look at Oceania’s New 'Vista' Cruise Ship - AFAR Media
Review: A First Look at Oceania’s New 'Vista' Cruise Ship.
Posted: Fri, 26 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
You can walk away while your load runs, but set a timer because folks will remove your clothes if you don't pick them up in a timely fashion. Horizons is the observation lounge at the top of the ship, looking forward. We heard rave reviews of the live band here and some choice words about the resident DJ, but if you want to watch the sunset or get your groove on after deck, Horizons is the bar for you.
What I didn't love about Vista
There was, however, a good variety of live music on the ship, including a string quartet playing for afternoon tea and a pianist trolling through the standards at the Martini Bar each evening. The ship will come stateside in the fall, starting with an 11-day sail from New York to Montreal, then head to the Caribbean for the winter. A seven-day round-trip cruise from Miami, visiting Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, starts at $2,228 per person (or $318 a day for the trip, including food, non-alcoholic drinks and house wine, four excursions, and a $400 onboard credit).
I found the best way to see Japan - Escape
I found the best way to see Japan.
Posted: Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The evening’s first course was a lobster and mascarpone pancake with carrot emulsion and rock chive cress, a dish that provided the crustacean the elegant stage it deserved. A cream of porcini soup was sparked by three nuggets of duck foie gras interspersed with three wonderfully oily croutons—a Cervaro Castello della Sala chardonnay from Umbria was the rich and balanced accompaniment. Unique to Riviera and Marina, Red Ginger is one of the ship’s most popular specialty restaurants, an Asian fusion venue with a strong emphasis on a jazzy contemporary décor, and equally jazzy food. While our dinner was good, satisfying in the main, it was not quite the rapturous experience we’d been lead to expect. For instance, every diner receives a small bowl of traditional edamame to start, but this is kind of like receiving a basket of French bread.
You’re our first priority.Every time.
To that end, Vista sports a magnificent Library on Deck 14 that is divided into three sections -- all of which are just steps away from the nearby Baristas coffee bar and the brand-new onboard Bakery. Hundreds of titles are present, from modern fiction to classics, and with a generous selection of nonfiction books covering a plethora of topics -- including maritime history, for those interested. It’s a welcome and fitting addition to the dragon and prayer wheel sculptures on its two sister ships.
Vista is one of the first Oceania cruise ships to use Starlink high-speed internet. I can attest to the speed of Oceania's premium plan after attending a 90-minute Zoom meeting with only the slightest of lag. Crew gratuities are added to your onboard bill and amount to $18 per person, per day, in Concierge-class rooms and below, or $23 per person, per day, in upper-level suites. You are always welcome to tip above the auto-gratuity for exceptional service. The Aquamar Spa on Deck 15 offers a barber shop, salon, fitness center with aerobics studio and sauna and steam rooms in the men's and women's locker rooms. Concierge Level and suite guests receive complimentary access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace at the front of the ship, with two hot tubs and a thalassotherapy pool.
Guests in non-suite cabins were allowed to make one reservation for each of the specialty dining venues using Oceania’s clunky online booking system (four reservations total). Yet despite going online weeks ahead of our cruise we were unable to secure a two-top for any of these meals, except very early or late in the evening. Before the cruise we were told by a reservation agent to request changes soon after boarding; we did, but non-shared tables were still not available for two of these meals.
A corkscrew and bottle opener was provided, along with an ice bucket that was refilled twice daily. Above the fridge were two 100ml bottles of Oceania branded mineral water, replenished as needed. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research.
To start, try the sushi, duck and watermelon salad or summer rolls. For your main, consider the miso-glazed sea bass, lobster pad thai, bulgogi ribeye steak or red curry chicken. You might think dessert is a non-starter, but the caramel tapioca was tasty, and the soft ice cream with Japanese togarashi is a fun mix of sweet and spicy. Whatever you order, make sure to order at least one pasta dish with Toscana's incredible ship-made pasta. You can't go wrong with Giada's lemon spaghetti or the pesto gnocchi. If you need to skip dessert at one specialty restaurant, this is where I'd pass … unless you are a die-hard tiramisu fan.
Oceania has eight ships in a range of sizes; the smallest accommodates just under 700 passengers, while the largest can hold up to 1,250. The cruise line has a low staff-to-passenger ratio, between 1.5 and 1.7 staff per passenger, which allows for more personalized service. Many of its ships have capacity for 684 passengers, which means they can feel less crowded than larger ships.
As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. This isn’t the line to choose if you’re looking for a kids’ club, wave pools, or Go-Karts (Oceania’s sister brand, Norwegian Cruise Line, is better suited for that). Guests under 18 (and over six months) are allowed, but must stay in the same stateroom as an adult, and can’t participate on shore excursions or land tours without an accompanying adult.
Between the bathroom and beds was the closet, fronted by sliding doors. The closet measured 41 inches in width and contained 31 wood clothes hangers (plus two for robes). Next to the closet was a cabinet with three drawers and a shelf for the safe; one of the drawers contained a hair dryer. While we heard a few guests grumble about storage space being constrained, we found closets and drawers more than adequate for a trip of longer than a week (it’s not a suite, after all)—then again, we don’t travel with steamer trunks! Next to the drawers was the minibar and ice bucket, and above these were a couple slender shelves for glasses.
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