Travel Addictive cuisine At the casual Terrace Café buffet restaurant, we could dine inside or outdoors while watching scenery scroll by our bow-facing table. A beautiful array of fresh berries, fruit, cereals, meats, made-to-order eggs and fluffy omelettes, smoked salmon and cream cheese, bagels and luscious pastries awaited us at breakfast. The pecan sticky buns and almond marzipan croissants were addictive. Lunch featured hot-and-cold international specialties from Asian to Mexican, as well as soups, salads, pizzas, à-la-minute pastas, carved roasts and a can’t-choosejust-one dessert buffet. Dinner choices were even more extensive, adding appetizers, freshly made sushi, grilled steaks and lobster tails and a hard-to-resist cheese board. Staff quickly assisted passengers needing help to carry plates to their tables. Even the fast food is epicurean. The poolsideWaves Grill offered gourmet burgers, such as the Black Angus burger (with Swiss cheese and sautéed button mushrooms) and the Kobe burger (Wagyu beef with black truffle sauce).The grill’s made-to-order milkshakes, malts and smoothies were irresistible. Waves (and the other restaurants) also served worth-the-calories ice cream with innovative flavours, such as nougat and milk chocolate brownie. If we needed a caffeine boost, we stopped at Baristas for frothy cappuccinos, lattés and other specialty coffees, including illycrema, which tasted like espresso ice cream. An assortment of homemade biscotti, cookies and pastries tempted us from the counter. We didn’t miss Starbucks. Wellness at sea It soon became evident that, if it weren’t for Oceania’s free wellness program, most passengers would literally roll down the gangplank at the end of the long voyage. To burn calories, we used the grand staircase centrepiece of the ship, rather than taking the elevators between decks. We also indulged in the tasty, low-calorie healthy living dishes in The Grand Dining Room, thanks to Oceania Cruises’ association with Canyon Ranch wellness resorts. Most mornings, we joined the 13 laps around the pool Walk-a-Mile program on the fitness track. The Fitness Center was filled with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, including treadmills, indoor cycles, weights and mats for guided yoga, stretch and Pilates classes. FitBall and elastic band workouts, led by the affable fitness director, were both fun and energizing. For passengers who overdid the exercise (or just wanted pampering), the Canyon Ranch SpaClub’s aromatic steam room, thalassotherapy whirlpool, body wraps and massages offered comfort to sore muscles. Keeping passengers healthy was a priority on our cruise. In addition to encouraging everyone to use hand sanitizers at the entrances to all restaurants, the computer centre and the gangway, staff distributed individual containers of hand sanitizer to use when ashore. To ensure that we stayed hydrated, they gave us bottles of water to drink when we were off the ship. We also appreciated the smokefree environment. (Smoking was only allowed in two small designated smoking areas.) Oceania ships have medical centres staffed by licensed doctors and nurses, who are available during clinic hours and when needed for emergencies. Lunch at Waves Grill Sushi chef in the Terrace Café The grand staircase is the centerpiece of Oceania Cruises ships Elastic band workout in the Fitness Center Walking on the fitness track above the pool 20 | www.snowbirds.org
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