LAST DAYS OF THIS CRUISE

FINAL PORTS:   We docked in Belize at a private island owned by the cruise company.  Although the beach and pool area were very nice, the temperature was very hot, so I beat a hasty retreat back to the ship.

At our stop in Roatan, Honduras I took a tour of the island which included a sail over the coral reef in a semi-submersible boat.  Quite beautiful.

Our final port was to have been Costa Maya, Mexico.  However, the swells were larger than the Captain wanted in order to dock, so we skipped that stop.

DINNER COMPANIONS:   For our final meal at Polo Grill we were joined by two brothers (aged 24 and 33).  They were on their first cruise.  A client of the older brother, a real estate broker in Beverly Hills, had given them a penthouse suite in appreciation of what must have been a very large sale.

Near the end of the cruise we were invited to a dinner party hosted by Dominic, the ship's general manager.  The table included 3 of Dominic's senior officers and 5 passengers, including Betty and me.  As Dominic is from Brittany, France I expected that we would be served French wines.  However, he commented that French wines were too thin to serve to guests.  

The meal and table conversation were great.  However, one of the guests choked on a piece of veal.  Dominic's attempt at the Heinrich maneuver failed to dislodge the bit of meat.  Fortunately, the large and strong head of food and beverage services (also at our table) was quickly successful.  I expect the guy's ribs were a bit sore the next day.

The final picture shows Betty perusing the menu at Toscana, the ship's Italian restaurant.

WORKING OUR WAY HOME:    We disembarked this morning and found our way to a Miami Beach hotel, where we will spend the night.  Upon arrival I tripped and whapped my head on a marble table.  Lots and lots of blood, and despite my protests an ambulance was called.  However, Betty had managed to stop the bleeding by the time the emergency people arrived and I was left to my own medications.

Tomorrow we will fly back to Bangor.  I mentioned in an earlier blog that the exhaust system failed on my ancient car while driving down I-95.  Through the help of an old colleague from the StFX Board of Governors I have an appointment at at repair shop the next morning.  Hopefully, they can bandage up the car to the point we can drive back to Antigonish.

                                                    QUIET CRUISING

ROSEAU DOMINICA:  This small town was quite pleasant for a walking tour, with some decent local crafts.  However, as we had toured the island before, I returned to the ship after a bit of exercise.

ST JOHN'S ANTIGUA:  This was our last stop before returning to Miami for the first time; after which there is another 8 days of cruising before coming back to Miami for final departure. 

As there were four large ships in port the streets were busy.  Lots of high end shops for those so inclined.  My only purchase was a package of cough drops.

  

SHIPS IN PORT:  While in St. John's we were tightly docked between a Viking ship and one of Virgin Voyages new ships.  We had been on that Viking ship on an earlier cruise and remember fondly the "parking lot" for walkers and wheelchairs that was just outside the main dining room.

I think the clientele on the Viking ship is a little different from that on Virgin (appropriately named???).  Virgin Voyages is aimed at a younger crowd and reviews suggest that the entertainment is "raunchy".  Apparently after the evening show, but before the late night party, they hand out condoms.   For almost one-half hour I watched several hundred guests getting on and off the 2700 passenger ship.  It appears that on that particular cruise all of the passengers were men.

CRUISE BUSINESS:  During the pandemic the cruise business suffered greatly with some lines declaring bankruptcy.  Now, however, business is booming.   A couple of days ago I booked a cruise for March, 2027.  I managed to get the last cabin in the category that we prefer.  At a function that night an announcement was made for a 242 day world cruise on the ship on which we are currently sailing.  For the wealthy, who book "owner's suites" and "penthouse suites", they were told that it was expected that those suites would sell out on the first day of the offering.

SHIPBOARD CREDITS:  Passengers are awarded shipboard credits that can be used for onboard purchases.  The amount of credits one is given depends on several factors.  As a platinum member of Oceania Cruises I get quite a bit of spendable money.  As I own a few shares in the cruiseline I get more credits.  The downside of this system is that the credits must be spent before disembarking.  We have trouble using our credits as we don't use the casino, our wine is already included, and the clothes in the boutiques are several sizes smaller than either of us.

However, we signed up for a Cellar Master's Classic Lunch which cost $ 500. had it been paid for rather than using credits.   The Luncheon was limited to 30 people and it sold out very quickly.

We started with a glass of Kir Royale, and then our first course was Cavier & Sour Cream on Toast.  This was paired with a Krug Brut Champagne from Reims.

The second course was Burrata with Black Truffle.  This was accompanied by a Louis Latour, Meursault from Burgundy.

The third course was a Twice-Baked Lobster Souffle paired with a Silver Trident "Benevolent Dictator" Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, California.

I guess one would call the next course the main.  It was Roasted Chateaubriand paired with Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore, a Super Tuscan.

The cheese course was paired with Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  Sorry, no picture!

Finally, for dessert we had Raspberry Caramelized Mille-feuille with Madagascan vanilla cream.  The accompanying wine was a Far Niente Dolce from Napa Valley.

After I got back to the room I priced some of these wines at LCBO.  You don't even want to know.

I'm guessing that dinner may be skipped this evening.

                                      ISLANDS AND GOOD WEATHER

ST. LUCIA:  On Sunday we docked at Castries, St. Lucia.  The tour we had booked seemed a bit above Betty's mobility, so she stayed on board and I headed out for a 5 and 1/2 hour tour.  I climbed in the back of an extended Jeep along with 13 others.  We drove for over two hours across the island.  Fortunately there were seatbelts or we would all have been thrown out at any of the sharp curves. 

The island had some natural beauty, but also lots of garbage, abandoned cars and rather poor housing. 

We transferred to a catamaran and were joined by 50 or 60 others.  After a short swimming stop we viewed the Piton Mtns and then we sailed back to the ship. 

Rock music was played at ear-shattering volume, and the two-hour sail seemed like two weeks.  There were some passengers, however, who seemed to enjoy the ear-damaging decibels, so perhaps I am two much of a curmudgeon. 

GRENADA:  Monday we docked at St. George's and I was surprised how different Grenada was than St. Lucia. 

 I did a walking tour of the city and found it spotlessly clean.  A government travel guide took me to see Halifax street, since I was from Nova Scotia.  I bought some spices from a 100 year-old woman working in the market.

EATING:  We continue to enjoy the wonderful food; definitely a step-up from Viking.  The picture was taken at Red Ginger, the onboard Asian restaurant. 

I am not a big Asian food fan, but the Lobster Pad Thai was a sensation.  Most nights we share a table with American guests.  The first night I almost fled when I was welcomed as someone from the 51st state; then I realized that a joke was being made.  Everyone, so far, is strongly anti-Trump and I hope that continues.  Perhaps Oceania cruises are a little too sophisticated for Republicans.    

PLUMA IBERICO DE BELLOTA:    On Tuesday night we ate at the Polo Grill, one of the specialty restaurants on board.  It is a very nice steak and lobster place.  To my astonishment the menu included a special "Pluma Iberico de Bellota", a delicacy of which I have only read.  It requires a bit of an explanation.

First, there is a very special breed of long-legged pigs in Spain called Iberico.  The best of these pigs come from Bellota.  The pigs are not caged but allowed to roam freely (walking up to 8 miles per day) and are fed exclusively on a diet of acorns.  I have had Iberico ham on a few occasions and it is the best ham in the world.

Pluma is a feather shaped fresh cut of steak that comes from the shoulder of the pig.  There are only two small pieces of pluma (totaling about one pound of meat) on each Iberico pig.  The original name for this cut was called "Butcher's Secret" because the butchers never sold the meat, instead saving it for their own personal consumption.   

  

Pluma Iberico is very expensive and is definitely not found in Sobey's or Atlantic Superstore.  It is possible to order this meat from Amazon.com (but not Amazon.ca).  They sell it in 2 oz. portions ($ 135.00 per pound.)

I regret to inform those of you who live in Antigonish, that Pluma Iberico is NOT being planned for the next dinner party at 9 Wedgewood Drive.                                        

                                                    OCEANIA VISTA   

 When we finally boarded our ship on Wednesday we were thirsty, hungry and most of all exhausted.  With difficulty we managed to stay awake for our dinner reservation at Ember, a new restaurant that on Vista replaced Jacques, our favorite.  The reviews were mixed but mostly referring to its noisiness.  It was in fact noisy enough that we had trouble communicating with the Sommelier (worse than not communicating with the waiter).  However, the food was more than excellent.  I followed a Maine lobster roll with a foie gras sauced steak that was a little larger than necessary.

The Vista is a brand new ship and very elegant although similar in layout to other Oceania boats.

For the first couple of days we have done nothing but eat and sleep.  On Thursday we had lunch at the pool-side grill.  The picture shows our burgers made from Wagyu beef and lobster medallions.  The downside of lunching at this location is that you are poolside and thus the wine is served in plastic glasses.

Here are a couple more pictures of places to eat including the casual cafe and the main dining room.

There are lectures each sea day and the next picture was taken just before I fell asleep and missed whatever edifying stuff to which I should have attended.

BALCONIES:   Almost all staterooms on cruiseships have balconies, but they are only large enough for a couple of chairs and a small table.  On some Oceania ships there are a very small number of extended balconies at the front of the ship.  They need to be reserved well in advance although some avoid that because of the myth that the front of the ship has bumpy sailing.  In addition to the regular furniture one can have two lounge chairs.

St. Barts:  This morning we tendered at the French island named after Christopher Columbus' older brother.  During colonial times the island was mostly ignored because it lacked natural resources.  In this century it was discovered by the rich and famous.  Now only the wealthy have the right kind of boats and the money to build an estate.  Casinos, large hotels and fast-food restaurants are banned.  The main street has only designer shops and as one might expect everything is very expensive.  I passed a sidewalk eatery and observed that they offered burgers for only 25 Euros.

NUKU HIVA

 Our last stop in French Polynesia was in the Marquesas Islands.  We tendered near the village of Taiohae on the Island of Nuku Hiva.

Nuku Hiva is the largest island in the Marquesas and is also one of the most isolated in the world.  There are only two small villages on the island, which has a total population of under 3000.  There are a couple of grocery stores, a pharmacy, and a hospital that looks to be not much bigger than my house.

We tendered ashore hoping to get a taxi for a tour around the island.  However, there were no taxis or tours being offered and as we were unhappily heading back to the tender we lucked out.  One of the Viking staff working at the tender pier left his post and walked toward the village.  Upon his return he informed us that someone would be along shortly to pick us up.  A woman driving a Toyota truck then showed up.  As she spoke minimal English she drove to her sister's (who once lived in Australia).  We then were able to communicate our needs and a reasonable price for what turned out to be a four-hour magnificent tour.

Our driver was wonderful and her English improved as we worked our way across the island.  As we were touring through the lunch hour she stopped and picked wild breadfruit and other wild fruits for our lunch.  First time I ever tasted breadfruit and now understand why Captain Bligh was sent twice to Tahiti to load up on these plants.

Nuku Hiva is exactly what one would hope for in an island in the South Pacific.  It is pristine and totally unspoiled.  There are only a few roads and they are so steep and with so many s-shaped curves that a vehicle almost never goes faster than 25 kms.  We travelled most of the roads as well as a lot of off-road passages.

Horses are everywhere, some being ridden, some tethered, lots just standing on the roads where they seem to outnumber vehicles (no cars, only trucks).  The locals use them to travel around the island and children ride them bareback to school.

Experiencing the main dining room;  At home when I set the table for dinner guests I usually line up the table cloth with the creases that come from ironing.  On this ship, at least, once the cloth has been carefully positioned on the table, the waiter uses a squirt water bottle to moisten the pressed seams until they disappear.  Once I even saw a waiter retrieve a steam iron to remove a particularly troublesome seam.  Next time any of you come to dinner check to see if my table presentation has improved any.

A week or so ago I commented to the Maître Di about the pleasantness of two of the waiters (one from Indonesia, one from Ghana).  Now we are only seated at tables that are in their section.  What I especially like is that they don't offer us the included "wine of the day".  Instead they show up at the table with only wines that are among my favorites.  Also, they put some space between courses, rather than treating us like Americans, who think that  dining is a speed challenge where one tries to be the first out of the restaurant.

Choir:  After 4 weeks of practice our volunteer choir got to perform.  We opened the show in the main theatre with 3 numbers from "South Pacific".  The packed house gave us a standing ovation, although I expect that was more due to spouses and friends in the audience than to the quality of our performance.  Our director was quite amazing, better than any director I have even had.  She had an uncanny talent for getting everything possible out of  a choir of geriatrics.  I even followed her direction and restricted myself to a single glass of wine at dinner prior to our singing.