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.