Author Archives: patmathews

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Posted on December 21, 2024 by patmathews

We enjoyed our Moet and Chandon champagne tasting, and particularly loved the one called Nectar Imperial. We tasted three and had food pairings with each of them. I think the one we loved is $105 on the ship but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Christmas 2024, December, Food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Posted on December 19, 2024 by patmathews

December 19, 2024 The sail away from Miami was beautiful. We had a casual dinner on the terrace at sailaway. After leaving from Miami on Tuesday, we had a sea day yesterday and enjoyed it! The weather was just a … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Christmas 2024, December, Excursions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Off to sea tomorrow!

Posted on December 16, 2024 by patmathews

We are so excited to cruise with our family again this Christmas holiday. We will be heading out from Miami to the Caribbean. Many islands are not new for us but there is always something new to explore. Here’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Christmas 2024 | 4 Comments

Madrid, Spain

Posted on May 7, 2024 by patmathews

May 6, 2024 OK, technically not part of our 37 day cruise, but as I mentioned, I had an ICF leadership meeting starting a few days after the cruise, so Norm flew home and I flew on to Madrid which … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, May, Spring 2024 | 5 Comments

Plymouth, UK

Posted on May 4, 2024 by patmathews

May 2, 2024 Sad to say this is our last port on our trip before we disembark in Southampton, UK. We haven’t been to Plymouth before and it is a tender port. Our trip is an afternoon one, so we … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Excursions, Food, May, Spring 2024 | 1 Comment

Cobh, Ireland

Posted on May 1, 2024 by patmathews

May 1, 2024 Last night we had the Oceania Club party for this segment of our cruise, the last for us, of course. And the beautiful sky! Our port today is Cobh, Ireland which is the port for cruise ships … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Excursions, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment

Special blog post – Leslie Jon Retirement

Posted on April 30, 2024 by patmathews

I am sending this along to any of you who know Leslie from previous Oceania cruises. (He doesn’t subscribe to this blog…) It is time to pay “attention to the man behind the curtain”.  Leslie Jon will be leaving the Sirena … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment

Holyhead, Wales

Posted on April 30, 2024 by patmathews

April 30, 2024 Holyhead is the largest town on the island of Anglesey located in North Wales. It is pronounced Holly Head. It is a busy ferry port that links Ireland with Britain. It took the captain over an hour … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Spring 2024 | 1 Comment

Dublin, Ireland

Posted on April 29, 2024 by patmathews

April 29, 2024 We have been to Dublin a few times before, including one trip that I took with the ICF Board, so we have seen many of the sights and really enjoyed the city. You can search Dublin on … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Food, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment

Belfast, Ireland

Posted on April 28, 2024 by patmathews

April 28, 2014 This is our third visit to Belfast. One of the benefits of writing a blog is that I can look up what we did last time! This time we booked a tour outside of the city to … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Excursions, Food, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment