Oceania Riviera Penthouse Suite Cabin Tour (Part 1)

Welcome to the start of a new cruise blog series covering our 9-Day cruise to Alaska on the Oceania Riviera! This cruise took place between July 28th and August 6th. This closed loop cruise from Seattle, WA stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Wrangell, and Victoria, British Columbia. Unfortunately, this series will not have much to share about the ports as we only did one official excursion. Dad's walking limitations (for a different reason than before) required him to limit his walking. Most of our port time was spent on my own getting lots of steps in and enjoying a few local treats. Another frustrating flaw with our ports and my walking plans is that by being on an Oceania ship, we were allotted the least desirable docking spots in every port. I spent more time catching buses, shuttles, tenders, and walking up to where ships from Princess, Holland America, and Carnival got to dock than I did walking around the historic sites, landmarks, and natural scenic areas that are the highlights when visiting Alaska. 

Two helpful tips to start off this cruise blog series; one general and one related to the cabin tour. First, Oceania is a wholly owned subsidiary brand of Norwegian Cruise Line's parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd. Unlike those lines falling under the Carnival Corporation, any cruise line you sail under the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brand allows you to status match for your upcoming cruise. You, or your travel agent, must submit your loyalty number from the sister line to Oceania and they will apply the match. In our case it was the one cruise we did on NCL so we started our first cruise on Oceania at the Bronze level. While it is a test in patience since they don't process these matches until a couple weeks before your cruise, it is worth it because our Bronze level gave us some extra On Board Credit (OBC) to use onboard. We also were left a bottle of wine in our cabin for Bronze level but we gave it away. Unfortunately, if you match versus get to that level by sailings alone, you are not going to receive the Oceania branded ball cap and membership pin that also comes with the Bronze loyalty level. The main two caveats about this tip is that it's only going to apply to that specific sailing so you'd have to resubmit the match if you cruised again plus it has to be submitted before your cruise is 10 days or less away. Two minutes of extra effort can literally pay off with OBC. 

The second tip, related to our cabin, was given to us by the cabin butler Akshay. A cabin butler is a crew position on some cruise lines like NCL and Celebrity, that is someone besides your stateroom steward who is assigned to help with questions, tasks, and little extras to those who have booked suite cabins. Unfortunately, other than this helpful tip and his late but informational visit to our cabin on day 1, we hardly saw him. To be fair, we didn't ask for much either. We've had previous butlers though that were more proactive stopping by the cabin or at least calling to ask if we need anything. 

Our Penthouse Suite on Oceania Riviera was 11048, a cabin located mostly midship on the 11th deck. This cabin is classified as a PH1 with options to book a PH1, PH2, or PH3 on this ship. From what I can tell, the only difference is location. As we were located midship, Akshay taught us a great way to remember which direction to turn when leaving our cabin depending on what we were planning to go do. This size ship only has the two elevator banks. Many of the food venues were located in the aft of the ship while the entertainment areas were located toward the front or middle. Each time we left our cabin we heard Akshay's mantra in our heads: Turn right for food and turn left for fun!

On to the cabin photo tour!

Oceania uses the standard cruise card (giving everyone a cute little leather wallet holder to carry it around in) that is read by the sensor on your cabin door handle. Each room number display outside the cabin doors is where you would place your room's card either showing the Privacy side or the Please Make Up My Room side. This is also where any notices are left. 

I've been on cruises where this card is a magnet, where this card is a door hanger, and where there's no card but instead something to change on the cabin number sign.

Once inside the door, you'll find the standard deadbolt lock and cruise evacuation muster station information. The gold slot affixed to the wall is where your Privacy card gets stored when not in use. There are cabin light switches here to turn on/off your main lights and the bathroom light. The main light switch closest to the door is a toggle switch so you may have to tap it a few times to get to whichever degree of lighting you want at the time. The bathroom light switch is simply an on/off switch. There are also knobs for hanging items like my soaked raincoat from walking around Ketchikan on the left wall by the door.

One of the interesting things I found is that only the wall space in these square panels that had a slightly more fabric style texture were magnetic. I collected souvenir magnets from each of the ports on this itinerary and used them to test all the doors and walls. Panels like where the Privacy sign is stored is the only magnetic space. If you like to bring magnets with hooks for hanging items and keeping important papers together, just know that not every wall or door space in this cabin will support them.

Looking into the cabin facing with your back against the door, you see a door that locks with a step up on the left that leads to the bathroom. On your right is a sliding door with no lock and no step that leads into a walk in closet. There is a motion activated light in the walk in closet that we didn't easily find a way to turn off. The sliding door also had a tendency to move when the ship had a little more motion. I routinely used the closet area to change clothes, especially to avoid turning on the overhead lights while Dad was still asleep. The door would sometimes slide open in the middle of my changing or it would slide back while I was walking through it. We got used to that noise and the occasional noise from above since our cabin was right below the pool deck. 

The walk in closet had tons of hanging space but also held the safe, drawers, and cubby style storage above. In here is where we also found our robes, slippers, and umbrellas for use while onboard. The last day's schedule noted that our robes would be pulled from our cabins during the evening turndown but ours never were. Don't know if it was because we obviously hadn't bothered to use them or our steward Lilanie's choice. I did notice how many of our hangers had the skirt/pant clips and the rest were wooden hangers with a bottom piece that slips out and back in for you to slide folded pants onto the rod. A small gold metal clamp running the length of the rod held the pants in place. Simply slipping the folded pants over the bottom rod resulted in pants falling off onto the floor. There is only a single hanging rod but it was fine for our dress shirts, folded pants, and jackets. There were racks mounted on the inside wall but we never used them. There was plenty of room to stow our large suitcases in the corners of this closet. Those upper cubbies are fairly deep so if you're on the shorter side of average height like me, you might have a tougher time spotting or reaching anything that isn't kept up near the front.

The safe is code specific with instructions on setting it printed on the front of the safe. These shelves are where you'll also find spare blankets, beach/pool towels, and a slip for redeeming laundry pressing. Inside this walk in closet is also where you will find laundry bags and the itemized slips to fill out. Having a Penthouse suite on Oceania, we had three total bags of laundry included for our sailing. However, they also caution that each bag can take up to 3 days to return. I believe our butler also mentioned that they wouldn't even accept any bags within the last 2-3 days of the cruise. We had to be very strategic about when we put in each of our three bags on this 9 day sailing. We also made a point about getting out of our cabin by 9AM so that the laundry was sure to be picked up with that day's morning service. All of the laundry came back clean without issue but it made me miss the unlimited services a Princess suite includes with the priority of getting it back by the evening turndown of the next day. The top drawer pictured below also held a bag for shoe shine services or the brush to clean them yourself. The second drawer held the bag for the hairdryer.

Just outside of the closet on the wall next to the bathroom door is a large full length mirror. There also was a vanity mirror above the desk so several places to check outfits or do makeup/hair without having to be in the bathroom.

Speaking of the bathroom - this accordian style hinge where the door is attached was so annoying! It felt like it was as flimsy as particle board or cardboard. I bumped it every time I walked through this doorway resulting in a crumpling paper sound that had me thinking I'd steamrolled it. It always seemed to pop back out though and never tore.

The back of the bathroom door had two knobs for hanging items. Worked great this time to hang up my nightgown and my travel hair towel. To the left as you walk in - two decent sized towels hung on racks. A corner unit provided lots more storage than we needed with a cabinet, countertop, and drawers. Inside the cabinet was a shower cap and small container of cotton balls.

Facing center is a lighted mirror and single sink. We were provided with bar soap for hand washing and a bottle of lotion mounted to the wall by the sink. Two open glass shelves lined the wall beside the mirror perfect for us to each keep daily use items in easy reach. I also used the second drawer under the sink for hair brushes etc. The top drawer is a fake facade where hand towels are hanging. I was especially pleased to see that we had a whole stack of washcloths as well as spare hand towels stacked on the shelves between the toilet and sink. The best find was that the towels on the open shelf under the sink were fluffy friendly! The square looking towel sitting in the middle of the floor was what they used as a thin bath mat. It stayed there whether or not you were showering so we just moved it closer to the shower door when we needed to shower. That bit of blue light in the corner between the sink and shower is the bathroom nightlight that is always on. We chose to leave the bathroom light on all the time at night and just shut the door itself.

I loved having the plentiful shelving within easy reach of both the sink and the commode so we didn't have to take up valuable counter space for things like feminine hygiene products.

The sink's right edge butts up against the glass of the shower enclosure but it doesn't block using the shower door. I also loved the use of regular glassware in the bathroom.

The shower enclosure is quite spacious taking up the entire inner wall. There is a step over required to enter. The shower door opens both outward and inward. The shower did a good job draining and there were no leaks or spill out onto the floor. There are two shallow shelves along the back wall for product storage and a grab bar along the inner wall for safety. There is a pull out as needed clothesline typical of cruise cabin showers mounted by the shower head. The shower head had a fixed rainshower version and a handheld wand. Two different knobs controlled temperature versus on/off and rainshower/handheld choices. 

Pictured here is the shower chair requested on day 1 but not provided until nearly day 3. Dad said it worked well and provided the security he needed for showering while the ship is in motion. When I wanted to shower, I moved the chair out to the bathroom floor before I started running any water. When I was done, I put it back in place inside the shower so it wasn't in the way of using the bathroom itself. I probably could have left it in place and still reached the shelves on the wall above it but knowing me I'd end up stubbing all my toes and tripping over it trying to walk around in the shower. I'm just that talented and usually have plenty of bruises to prove it by the end of a trip.

With the door swung outward in front of the bathroom door.

The end to hook the clothesline into can be seen above the shallow shelves.

The start of the clothesline, the two knob system, a small bar at the bottom for leg shaving, and the handheld shower wand. That rectangle in the floor below the showerhead is where the water drains. 

A better view of the rainshower shower head above. The two faults I found with this shower were height based and temperature based. From the moment I stepped into this bathroom, I felt comically like a tall giant because my 5'7" head almost graced the ceiling. Once in the shower, I had to slightly duck to put my head under this showerhead. The odd thing about the temperature is that while I never changed the settings on the dial, I'd have these 15-30 second bursts of cool water and then it would go back to the warm water I started with for my shower. Thank goodness it was never ice cold! Maybe it was a subtle warning to get out like when they flick the lights at a bar's last call. 

Our suite had all Aquamar branded products. The only thing not in these mounted squeeze bottles was the Aquamar branded bar soap. The shower offered separate bottles for body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. These bottles must be the bane of the steward's daily tasks. The way they are mounted in these wall brackets -a circle base and a clamp to go around the neck of each bottle- makes it very tough to depress the short pump mechanism and get the contents to go anywhere other than running down the top of the bottle. Putting anything in between like a loofah or washcloth left no room for the pump to go down and dispense. I made do a lot with squeezing some out on a couple fingers and then using my loofah or washcloth to work up a lather. At one point Dad figured out how to get the bottles loose and left them sitting on the shower floor. Next room clean they were snapped back into place.

Stay tuned for the second installment to see where we slept, relaxed, and caught the views. Also to come is a tour of the exclusive place we got to use onboard for booking a Penthouse suite or above.

Menus and food onboard the American Pioneer (Part 4)

 

Cinnamon and Vanilla French Toast served with maple syrup and pork sausage:

I regret not trying that Lobster Hash & Eggs option. It was a really nice surprise to see so much lobster included on several menus in so many different ways.

Plain Buttermilk Pancakes with pork sausage

Sausage omelet with bacon and breakfast potatoes

Italian Wedding Soup

Braised Patuxent Farms Short Ribs of Beef topped with a cabernet braising jus. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed cauliflower and broccoli florets.

Caribbean Spiny Lobster Tail Pasta - Spiny Lobster Tail with bow tie pasta, blistered heirloom tomatoes, basil & shaved parmesan caviar in a creamy butter sauce.

Amaretto Chocolate Mousse

Our final dinner onboard:

After taking a napkin folding class the crew put together to fill time when our schedule changed, I noticed and appreciated the tablescape greeting us as we sat down to dinner this final night. I learned that this pictured example is known as "the envelope fold."

Creamy Burrata Salad - Heirloom tomatoes, basil pine nut pesto, pecorino romano cheese and aged balsamic reduction over mixed greens.

Creamy Lobster Bisque

Tonight's entrees featured an option to have surf and turf or just turf.

Farm Raised Seared Beef Tenderloin - Seared with brandy peppercorn sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes, and lemon zest dusted asparagus.

The Surf & Turf - Beef Tenderloin with Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Lobster Tail. Served with brandy peppercorn sauce, baked potato, lemon zest dusted asparagus, and drawn butter. Looks like by choosing the surf with my turf, I got less turf than Dad did choosing the turf only option. When I asked the waiter about why I didn't receive the mentioned baked potato, he revealed that they had run out. Plenty of lobster, shrimp, and crab to go around but apparently there was a run on baked potatoes.

White Chocolate Kahlua Creme Brulee

After completing a cruise around the Florida Keys that had to be altered due to high winds and rough seas, we thought it only fitting that our flight home to Georgia ended up being cancelled due to snow! Delta helped us rebook for a later afternoon flight. By then all of the dusting of snow had melted but was such a shock for this area in the moment that they weren't allowing flights into Atlanta. Thanks to modern technology, being still in the US, and ACL's good included internet, we sat onboard the ship and booked a day room at a Hilton hotel in Tampa through ResortPass.com. We used ACL's transfer to take us back to the airport and then got the hotel shuttle to pick us up from there. The only drawback was that our hotel room air conditioning seemed to be stuck on the Antarctica setting and it was uncharacteristically wet and freezing outside already. It was worth it to have a comfortable space to relax, a TV to pass the time, and a private bathroom. We made a brunch out of hotel convenience store snacks then took the hotel shuttle back to the airport a few hours later. Overall a great first experience using ResortPass.com for the first time. Use my link provided to get $20 off your first day room booking as well! After we used them, I completed their emailed survey about the stay and got a code for a future discount. 

Plus while we shivered, we got to warm up with laughter at how my name was misspelled on the TV when we made it into the room. 

I'd like to take a moment at the conclusion of our last food photo post from this cruise to share how proud I am of my Dad. He has been working with a trainer here not only to improve his balance, strength, and flexibility but her guidance has inspired him to try many foods he wouldn't ever try before. He has now tried several new to him fruits, vegetables, and seafood. He tried shrimp cocktail, a cruise menu standard, and told me he's kicking himself for not having tried it sooner. 

Stay tuned for the next cruise post series featuring said shrimp cocktail and many other dishes from our first Oceania cruise! They even let me do some of the cooking! Did the suite life (with a butler) and the food live up to the hype or sink like a stone in the Ocean (ia)?

Exploration of Military History Fun with Simulators

Our would have been two day stay in Punta Gorda was shortened to a single day since we had to stay in Key West an extra night. As a result, ACL and our shore excursion manager onboard did their best to squeeze every excursion into this single day. If we had stuck to our original plan of doing two excursions in this port, we would have had to do the museum in the morning and with less than an hour in between get back onboard, change into swimwear, and get back out to the buses for our afternoon Sunseeker Resort Pool Experience excursion. With this being a tender port and a bit cooler than typical weather, we opted out of the afternoon excursion. The Sunseeker Resort Pool Experience lasts 4.5 hours and would have cost $50 per person if we didn't have the Premium level excursions included. 

The museum excursion we did attend in the morning was called An Exploration of Military History - Military Heritage Museum. This two hour excursion was complimentary for everyone. ACL was well organized with the tender process calling groups to line up based on their excursion. There were still people who tried to line up to get off for independent plans but ACL did a great job with keeping them in a separate line and letting them get on the next tender only if there was enough room left after the excursion participants were loaded. There was multiple ACL staff on hand to help passengers step into the tender along with the use of a portable set of steps with a handle. Several passengers with canes used the tender but I did not see anyone with scooters or wheelchairs.

The museum itself was located a few blocks from the tender boat dock so you had the option of walking there and back on your own if you so desired. The buses stuck to a schedule, especially now that several of the excursions were happening at the same time, so if you wanted to stay longer than the two hours, you would have to either walk back or call for your own transportation. Our bus ride to the museum was treated like a public bus with stops announced for various people to get off for their different tours. As soon as we unloaded fully, the bus driver had to loop back and get the next excursions' worth of passengers.

There were elevators for use inside but I don't recall seeing such an option for avoiding these steps to enter the building.

Admission into the museum was included for ACL passengers. Those wishing to visit on their own can purchase tickets at $18 per persons aged 15 and older with a reduced price of $14 if you're a military veteran. If you are currently Military Active Duty, the admission fee is completely waived. 

When we arrived, we all lined up to get wristbands and were offered times to sign up for the flight simulators and the Virtual Reality Room. Dad's time for the flight simulator was for around 25 minutes after our arrival so we used the time to explore the artifacts and exhibits starting on the first floor. 

The flight simulator room had 4-5 different setups so they worked through the line pretty quickly. Each setup had a veteran volunteer to guide you through your choice of a F-16 Fighting Falcon or a P-51 Mustang. You also got to choose a type of terrain. You do get to sit in a realistic pilot's seat but your seat will not be rocked or jolted like a 4-D IMAX theater. Each simulator experience lasts about 20-30 minutes but you're welcome to go back and sign up for another time if there is any available. 

Dad was in his element trying out the flight simulator and had a blast!

Afterwards, Dad went into the Virtual Reality Room and tried out using the virtual reality goggles to visualize a Special Forces Parachute Jump. He could have also chosen a spacewalk outside the International Space Station or experience the evolution of flight from the Wright Brothers to modern times among other programs. This too was available as many times as you wanted.

After taking the time to browse the remaining exhibits, we spent a good while chatting with a veteran volunteer about their own personal military history. He and Dad had an enthusiastic conversation about military aircraft and weaponry. While Dad had more interest in this museum excursion than I did initially, we both left there feeling like this was one of the best excursions of the trip!