We left the ship yesterday morning for our hotel in Singapore after thirty days at sea covering almost 9000 miles, visiting 16 ports in 11 countries, consuming 29 bottles of wine, untold old fashions, martinis and prosecos, gaining ( lets not go there ) pounds and having had a wonderful time. The food on the ship was absolutely fabulous, about the best we have had at sea. Expertly prepared and incredibly flavorful we had everything from soft shelled crabs, foie gras', and carpaccio to the best escargot I have ever had. Main courses included steaks, lobsters, quail, pastas, seafood, an incredible rotisserie chicken and Asian cuisine to die for. Here's a picture of my favorite: a chilean sea bass with a miso glaze.
The wine list and wine service was the best we have ever had on a ship. It was really unique with more sommelier's on board than Princess has in it's entire fleet and most were really knowledgable.
We could quibble about some things, it was pretty quiet at night, but that would amount to nit-picking. Oceania did that good of a job.
On the other hand, we had this amount of space and view for thirty days. I won't talk about the bathroom which was the size of a small hall closet or the shower contained within it. It was tight, but we managed. Fortunately, the bed was incredibly comfortable and the pillows so good, we ordered new ones for ourselves. ( you can actually order the mattress as well ) The deck was also nice sized and we spent more than a few evenings out there enjoying a late night Bailey's.
The ship is an old R2 from the failed Renaissance Line for those of you who cruise a lot. It is a small ship holding 680 passengers. Though built in 2000 it was incredibly maintained. The style was a formal, but not stuffy although the string quartet every evening got a little old.
Then when leaving port or on days at sea, we head up to the Horizon Lounge on the tenth floor at the front of the ship and just enjoy the view and a cocktail, of course.
All in all, we had a great time on the ship. In May we will be on the exact same ship although this will be outfitted and run by Princess. The good new is we have a suite. We are worried that Princess will not at all be able to match our experience on Oceania.
And now we have this. The deck looks out onto the bay and we are directly across from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which you can see in the background. You can also see it from the bathtub and or shower, we have both, housed in a room almost as big as our cabin on the ship.
Of course we won't wake up in a new country in the morning and we will have to pay for dinner, but having the space feels liberating. We had one night on the ship in Singapore and will spend another two before heading off to Manila. Singapore is a food lover's paradise and we intend to take full advantage of that fact.
And we did last night! I started writing this before we went out in the afternoon and instead of more travelogue how about this: Chili Crab, a famous Singaporean specialty.
Singapore is an amazing place. It has ethnic diversity, a fascinating history, modern infrastructure, incredible architecture with all the hustle and bustle of a modern city. It is meticulously clean and safe. The subway is a joy. You can shop in an ultra modern mall or an authentic bazaar. You can eat fabulous food at a hawker stall or in a five star restaurant. You can have British formality or laid back comfort. It's really all here.
Tonight we are off to visit our friend Lucas at Mario Batali's Mozza Restaurant. We were there last March with our friends Patti and Paul and it was fantastic. We wish you were here to join us at dinner.
Tomorrow morning, it's off to Manila.
The wine list and wine service was the best we have ever had on a ship. It was really unique with more sommelier's on board than Princess has in it's entire fleet and most were really knowledgable.
We could quibble about some things, it was pretty quiet at night, but that would amount to nit-picking. Oceania did that good of a job.
On the other hand, we had this amount of space and view for thirty days. I won't talk about the bathroom which was the size of a small hall closet or the shower contained within it. It was tight, but we managed. Fortunately, the bed was incredibly comfortable and the pillows so good, we ordered new ones for ourselves. ( you can actually order the mattress as well ) The deck was also nice sized and we spent more than a few evenings out there enjoying a late night Bailey's.
The ship is an old R2 from the failed Renaissance Line for those of you who cruise a lot. It is a small ship holding 680 passengers. Though built in 2000 it was incredibly maintained. The style was a formal, but not stuffy although the string quartet every evening got a little old.
It actually wasn't as stuffy as it looks and the staff was great. One bartender, Je. we became especially close to and he is pictured here at a gin tasting they did where I was the only attendee. Je loved making Kathy her evening Old Fashioned. They a different liquor tasting virtually every day although I only did the gin.
Then when leaving port or on days at sea, we head up to the Horizon Lounge on the tenth floor at the front of the ship and just enjoy the view and a cocktail, of course.
All in all, we had a great time on the ship. In May we will be on the exact same ship although this will be outfitted and run by Princess. The good new is we have a suite. We are worried that Princess will not at all be able to match our experience on Oceania.
And now we have this. The deck looks out onto the bay and we are directly across from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which you can see in the background. You can also see it from the bathtub and or shower, we have both, housed in a room almost as big as our cabin on the ship.
Of course we won't wake up in a new country in the morning and we will have to pay for dinner, but having the space feels liberating. We had one night on the ship in Singapore and will spend another two before heading off to Manila. Singapore is a food lover's paradise and we intend to take full advantage of that fact.
And we did last night! I started writing this before we went out in the afternoon and instead of more travelogue how about this: Chili Crab, a famous Singaporean specialty.
It's a giant crab caught in Sri Lanka, then steamed and smothered in a slightly sweet, slightly spicy chili sauce. The dish is to die for not to mention messy. We started the meal with appetizers that looked vaguely familiar, but we weren't sure what they were. Kathy started first and said they are wonderful, which they were. When the waiter arrived we asked what they were, he said, "pickled vegetables and fried fish skin". Ok, so we now have some new favorites that I doubt the chef at the Club will put on the menu. I just wish we had the foresight to take pictures.
The rest of the meal was just as good. Pomegranate Chicken and Mee Goring noodles all washed down with a nice Shiraz. The setting was right on Fullerton Bay with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel behind us, putting on a wonderful laser light show and the iconic Merlion, the mystical symbol of Singapore to our left. The weather was perfect with a light breeze cooling us off as we were sitting outside. It was one of those times you were happy to be right in the moment.
Singapore is an amazing place. It has ethnic diversity, a fascinating history, modern infrastructure, incredible architecture with all the hustle and bustle of a modern city. It is meticulously clean and safe. The subway is a joy. You can shop in an ultra modern mall or an authentic bazaar. You can eat fabulous food at a hawker stall or in a five star restaurant. You can have British formality or laid back comfort. It's really all here.
Tonight we are off to visit our friend Lucas at Mario Batali's Mozza Restaurant. We were there last March with our friends Patti and Paul and it was fantastic. We wish you were here to join us at dinner.
Tomorrow morning, it's off to Manila.
WE LOVE IT...dick and diane
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