We were due to arrive at 6:00am, but we are early. The photo of the Miami skyline that heads up this post was taken at 5:30am from our veranda. We are not surprised we are here early, because this is the most important, cannot-possibly-be-late destination in any cruise itinerary as far as the cruise line is concerned. Our logistics experience tells us why.
We have to be out of our stateroom at 8am so the stewards can completely scrub down the room and prepare it for the next guests by 1-2:00pm. The ship has to bunker (take on fuel) and load on truckloads of supplies for the next cruise, which is a monumental task. The choreography is impressive to watch.
This is the last post for this cruise, so we thought we would share some photos of certain of the staff members that we have come to know and appreciate. Every single member of the crew on any Oceania cruise that we have taken has been professional and helpful to a fault, and we wish we had photos of every one of them.
Mat and Rachel were two of the team of wait staff that most often took care of us in the Grand Dining Room.
Cate was the Maitre d at dinner that took care to seat us at a table where Mat and Rachel served.
Cherry Lyn from Thailand was one of the sommeliers. Delightful personality, as anyone can tell from her bright smile.
We took instant interest and concern the minute we asked Hanna where she lived and she told us Ukraine. She has a young daughter and her mom is taking care of her. Fortunately, Hanna tells us, the mother and daughter live in Crimea, away from the war zone because Putin already stole that part of Ukraine in 2014.
Janine was another maitre d, the one that we would most often see at breakfast.
On every cruise,, there is a mid-cruise survey when a guest has an opportunity to single out special people or to make a comment. Steve and Cathy went to some lengths to express displeasure at some dining experiences we had had, and how surprised at how seemingly unprepared the dining facilities were when there was a huge crush of people looking for food after returning from excursions. Our comments drew an immediate and overwhelming response. One of those responding was Vali. At first, he seemed very uncomfortable because we had made those complaints, but in a few days, we had become friends. As you can see, that is how we ended as well.
Putu is a rock star at Oceania. We originally met him on a previous cruise, and his unwavering good cheer, sense of humor and his professionalism has made it easy to remember him. He introduces himself as “Put from Bali,” not just Putu. He is one of the most cheerful individuals we have ever met, and every guest that comes in contact with him has him as a friend. We have also noticed that inexperienced staff is often assigned with him because there is no better teacher or example of how to do things right that this man.
The beautiful woman you see above is named Richard, and she was our room steward, along with her assistant Eduard. She is from Honduras, and has worked for Oceania for about ten years. We think the world of her. She is professional, but friendly. She is willing to joke with us, but does it with a special courtesy that demonstrates her professionalism and experience. She is a very special person, and is a wonderful representative of both Oceania and her country.
As we said above, this is a very partial list. We were told by Judi Gallagher, our travel agent, that on Oceania we would experience a level of service we had never seen before. She was exactly correct. Regardless of their position on the ship, each one of them comes across as friendly and courteous and trained to perform to the very best of their ability. We’ve never, ever seen such a level of service or its total consistency throughout the workforce.
We’ll conclude with this: on the last day of a cruise, Oceania issues a daily Currents that recaps the journey, listing the ports of call we visited and the nautical miles the ship traveled.
This cruise took us to 14 ports, including Miami. The ship covered 6,818 nautical miles in 25 days. This was a Steve “bucket list” trip because it included approximately 1,800 of those miles traveling on the Amazon River, the world’s longest river that flows through the world’s largest and, by far, most important rainforest.
This adventure was an education for both of us about Brazil, its politics and economy, and how this country’s stewardship of the Amazon River and Rainforest may well ultimately determine the future of the earth’s climate. Thanks for following along with us.
