March 8 - Bon Voyage!

 March 8, 2022

This is our first time cruising on Oceania. The jury is still out on whether it is pronounced “O-she-ann-uh” or “O-she-ann-ee-uh.”

Cruise Terminal J was a short Lyft ride from our hotel. Because everyone had an assigned 30-minute window for boarding, it went very smoothly. We showed our negative test results and our passports, and we were given keycards for our cabin. Our photos were taken, to be used in the facial recognition system that is part of the ship’s security. We were onboard by 11:30. Our cabins were not ready yet. (We already knew that would be the case.) So, naturally, we decided to kill time by eating lunch.

We found a table in the shade just outside the buffet area. They had a very appealing spread, including a grill where you could have burgers and other foods cooked to order, salad bar, pizza, cold cuts, and numerous hot dishes. For health reasons, nothing was self-serve. There were plenty of servers there to give you whatever you asked for. It was a delight to eat outdoors in the warmth and sunshine, with a fresh breeze. The color of the water in the harbor was dark - not wine-dark, but more of a Welch’s-Concord-grape-juice-dark. (Homer I ain’t.)

About 1:30 we were told our cabin was ready. We went down and found some surprises waiting for us.

We were so excited to be there and so excited by our surprises that we forgot to take pictures of our cabin before it was cluttered up with all our stuff.

I made a manicure appointment and left the room for a bit while Ken unpacked. We just had two large (really large) suitcases and two carry-ons. Let’s not forget to put air quotes around “just.” Well, it turns out that our new extra-large suitcases don’t fit under the bed. Ken managed to manhandle one into the closet, and we decided to keep the other one in the shower and take showers in the bathtub. That is not a good idea if you like your floor to be dry, so the next day we decided to put the suitcase in the bathtub and take showers in the shower. Much better!

To understand this photo, it may be helpful to cock your head to the left.

As I write this 5 days later, I can report that so far, our stateroom stewards have not ridiculed us (to our faces).

I’m not sure how to segue here to tell you that I tried a new nail color. 

Soon it was time to leave the beautiful port of Miami. As soon as we got out of the harbor we could feel the wind.

Our ship has four specialty restaurants in addition to the Grand Dining Room. Tonight we tried Jacques, which is inspired by Chef Jacques Pepin. We enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting for a restaurant bearing the name of Jacques Pepin.

First course: Crab meat salad (under the leaf), lobster gnocchi

 

Main courses: John Dory with a fennel foam, pork loin stuffed with ______

The evening show was called “A Taste of Things to Come.” It was kind of low-energy and boring. I didn’t like the cruise director and his used-car salesman voice. We did not stay for the whole show.

It’s great to be on a ship again, even with the wind. Oceania is not that different from Princess. The food is fancier, the ship is more attractive, and the people are a little friendlier.

Masks are “recommended” but not required now. That is a very recent change. The crew is still required to wear masks. All passengers must be vaccinated ans must have a negative Covid test within 48 hours of boarding. There are hand sanitizer dispensers outside all of the public rooms. Most passengers are not wearing masks in the public areas.

It’s quiet tonight. May all of you have a quiet and peaceful night also.

March 7 — Little Havana

March 7, 2022

We are in Miami and today is a new day! 

First on our agenda was taking a Covid test over Zoom. We had pre-ordered a test kit and scheduled our appointment. We brought the test kit with us. We logged on to the link we were given and our test proctor was waiting for us. The test was easy to do and ten minutes later we had our results: NEGATIVE and NEGATIVE!! Hallelujah. We had a lot riding on this.The negative results meant we would be allowed to board our cruise ship tomorrow. A positive result would have meant ten days of quarantining in a hotel and no cruise for us.

Our second agenda item was a FOOD TOUR in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. We met our guide, Marco, and the rest of our tour group, and off we went.

This colorful tile wall commemorates some of the iconic sites located on Calle Ocho, the main street of Little Havana. Dominos are huge in Little Havana. You can see some in the tile wall. We watched a domino tournament taking place in “Domino Park.”

This is Pedro. He has been selling little paper twists of roasted peanuts for longer than anybody can remember. They are insanely good.

After a short history lesson, we were taken to a cafe where we were saved wonderful mojitos and Cuban sandwiches. It turns out Cuban sandwiches were invented in Miami.

At our next stop we had some amazing empanadas with home-made sofrito sauce. The perfect street food.

Roosters are everywhere in Little Havana. 

Marco explained Cuban coffee to us. We all had a shot. It was powerful stuff.

We saw a mural of a rooster and Pitbull. He is also known as “Mr. 305” for Miami’s area code.

At this fruit stand we had a tropical drink freshly squeezed. The owner is an 83-year-old widow of a member of Brigado Asalto, the men who went back to Cuba to fight against Castro in 1961. Many of the 1300 Cuban-Americans were killed or captured by the Communists in a fiasco now known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. A monument to the martyrs of this failed coup stands nearby.

I think cigars are kind of disgusting, but you can’t overlook the importance tobacco has played in Cuba’s history. We stopped briefly at a cigar store where two highly-skilled workers were practicing the nearly-lost art of handrolling cigars.

And finally  . . .  Dessert! Churros! And then some incredible ice cream. We tried an outrageous flavor called Abuela Maria (Grandma Maria). It was vanilla ice cream with chunks of guava, cream cheese, guava marmalade, and crispy Maria cookies, topped with guava sauce. 

This tour is a must if you want to learn about the vibrancy the Cubans bring to Miami’s rich cultural scene. We highly recommend it.

I apologize for the side ways photos and various other technical glitches. I can’t always achieve the functionality I would like on an iPad. I will probably update this eventually and add a few more photos.