After a mixture of successes and stresses in 2021 and with the Covid-19 Omicron variant still sweeping the world, we took a chance on this variation on a Canaries Cruise
offered by Oceania Cruises, a line we had not travelled with before but which has a reputation for high standards of cuisine; and with a few exceptions, it was a reputation well deserved, as it turned out!
Some of the highlights ashore included....
Lanzarote
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Jameos del Agua, Mirador del Rio & Aloe Vera Farm Cesar Manrique and 'Barraquitos'!
Plaza de Santa Ana from the Cathedral Tower
Sea Cloud Spirit Love at first sight!
Cadiz, Spain (instead of Tangier)
Cartagena, Spain
City Walking Tour
Sherry & Tapas
Roman Theatre & Castillo de la Concepcion
Azamara Quest Our next cruise ship!
But as if to remind us that we were still not entirely out of the covid-19 woods, while Morocco was open to visitors (subject to covid-testing) the planned port of Tangier
was, according to Oceania "closed" and even before we had set-off, our itinerary was changed to visit to Cadiz instead! We also never quite made it into Alicante either,
as the wind was so strong that one ship in the port had already broken its moorings and it was deemed unsafe for Riviera to attempt to dock. But in truth, we were thankful of
the extra sea-day to get to know the ship.
Click this link to follow our adventures as I posted them live on-line....
All the Photos of the Ship, Food and Ports visited on this Cruise can be viewed on my account at Captain Martini >>
Riviera Mini-Review
Oceania's Riviera debuted in 2012 and was the line's second new-build. At 66,084 gross tons and just 1,250 passengers, her size places her in-between
that of the Viking Ocean ships and the mid-range 'Vista-class' ships of Cunard and Holland America, for instance. On this cruise, however, there were fewer than 600 passengers aboard!
Penthouse 11048 #110048 PH1-grade
Bathroom bath & separate shower
Large! Walk-in Closet
Balcony with large overhang
Our Penthouse Veranda Suite was a bit smaller than on recent cruises but at 420 sqft, it was plenty big enough and included
a walk-in closet and a bathroom with not only a full-size bath/shower combo but also a decent separate shower and a vanity sink with (for once) plenty of storage!
The slight disappointment was the rather small balcony, which had a deep overhang from the pool deck. In hotter weather, the shade might be good but for us
it was a bit too chilly to sit out there.
Also, being very much an American ship, there was no tea-tray/coffee maker in the room but there was 24-hr Butler service and we also had access to the Executive Lounge
along the corridor, where you could get tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks throughout the day - although if you had a PH3-grade suite, which are all on deck-10, there's no lounge there! The Executive Lounge (deck 11) for Suite-class and above.
For some reason though, I did not warm to the ship as a whole although it did have some very nice features. The Lalique Grand Hall or Atrium was quite sophisticated, as was Martinis the main bar lounge,
which had a convivial atmosphere, gorgeous artwork - and some great Martinis! There was a large library too, arranged into a number of quiet 'rooms' with plenty of books to browse.
The Pool at 7am, very cold & windy!
The Lalique Hall
The 'Big O' in Martinis
The Library a pleasant secluded spot
The pool was also a good size and filled with heated sea-water, which is good to swim in and rare these days, but with no retractable roof, it was so exposed to the wind
that an early morning swim (my particular 'thing') usually necessitated a frantic dash across the deck for shelter afterwards!
However, a number of other aspects of the ship proved frustrating. In the Terrace Cafe, we were plagued by over-enthusiastic waiters (this may have something to do with how few passengers
were on board) but the range of dishes was not that great and many were left unlabelled. We had casual dinner there one evening and it was my most disappointing meal on board.
Terrace Cafe fussy decor and waiters over-enthusiastic!
Baristas poor service & layout
Horizons lacking inspiration
The Sanctuary with dead shrubs!
Service was poor in Baristas, the coffee lounge on deck 14, which was badly designed and congested. Horizons is the forward observation lounge on deck 15 but its decor was dated and lacked
any sophistication. Afternoon Tea was served there (in the American style with hot water and tea bags) but the sandwich selection was not inspiring. And the outer decks, mostly painted a lurid blue,
lacked shelter or interest. The only two sheltered areas, called 'The Sanctuary' to port and 'The Patio' to starboard were drab and the potted shrubs were all dead!
However, the main 'feature' of this cruise was undeniably the food. We were initially sceptical of Oceania's advertising slogan, "the finest cuisine at sea" but the quality and range of dishes experienced in the ship's 5 main restaurants
were undoubtedly the highlight of this cruise.
The Grand Dining Room
GDR Menu First Night
Mussels just an Appetizer!
Lemon Drop Soufflée with Berry Sauce!
The main restaurant, the Grand Dining Room, the decor of which alone was worthy of its name, boasted a daily changing menu to match that of
most other cruise ships and the daily souflées were perfect every time.
In addition to the main restaurant, Riviera also has 4 speciality restaurants, the first of which was 'Jacques', with its French Bistro decor and its own extensive French-inspired menu.
Indeed, the menu was so extensive and our first experience so good that we had to book again!
Jacques French Restaurant
The Very Extensive Menu in Jacques' Restaurant
Boston Lettuce with Shallots & Roquefort
The food in Jacques was exceptional but Andrew's 'simple' Boston Lettuce Salad was just a picture!
The ship's steakhouse is Polo Grill, where another extensive menu is offered. I could take issue with the portraits of horses on the walls in a steakhouse but my
16oz 'Queen's Cut' Prime Rib was quite the best I can remember - and they also offered a 32oz 'King's Cut', far too big for me!
Polo Grill Steakhouse
Another extensive Menu!
Prime Rib of Beef 16oz 'Queen's Cut'
sweet jelly petit-fours Marshmallow Trilogy
We had to visit Polo Grill again too and while I couldn't manage a dessert the first time, on the second visit I couldn't resist the Marshmallow Trilogy with chocolate, caramel and berry coulis!
Red Ginger was the next speciality restaurant, with an 'Asian Fusion' theme and striking decor. While the menu was again quite extensive, it wasn't as daunting as it often is in Asian restaurants
on land and many of the dishes were spiced-up variations on 'Western-recognisable' dishes.
Red Ginger Asian Fusion
The Menu
Vegetable Tempura
Seven Spices Crusted Lamb Rack
A good case in point was Andrew's 'Seven Spices Crusted Lamb Rack' which was very nice but only just passed his 'no blood' test!
All the speciality restaurants on board are complementary and the last one we tried was Toscana, the ship's Italian restaurant. Here, sadly, I chose badly
and should have listened to the waiter...
Toscana Italian Restaurant
Toscana Menu
Linguine Cioppino Pasta Course
Cappuccino Cup alla Crema di Castagne
My Linguine Cioppino was very good but my choice of the Lobster 'Diavolo' was a mistake, as it came with the same pasta and sauce as the Cioppino, except
that it was far too hot and spicy for me. However, one of the desserts was a delightful Cappucino Cup - in its own little chocolate cup! If we ever cruise with Oceania again,
which is entirely possible, I would like to try this restaurant again - just not make the same mistake!
In summary, Oceania's main feature is the exceptional food in its main restaurants but Riviera herself has quite a few shortcomings in her design or layout. Some things probably can't now be changed
but some areas of the ship were just tired or ininspiring and could do with a re-think, so the fact that the ship is being given a 'reinspirational refit' in October 2022 is not surprising and it will
be interesting to see whether this makes her more attractive to us for a future cruise....
Click this link to follow our adventures as I posted them live on-line....
All the Photos of the Ship, Food and Ports visited on this Cruise can be viewed on my account at Captain Martini >>
Fly to Barcelona, Spain
account at Captain Martini >>
