Would "O" Class Fans Like the "R" Class Ships?

We had been generally more biased to the O class, but during our recent R class cruise we realized the true luxury of having virtually no lines for anything, including tendering.

Ditto and the same holds true when visiting smaller ports.

My wife and I are confirmed O Ship fans. That being said, we just got off Sirena (R Ship) in August and loved the ship. We generally sail in PH class and the one thing I'd hated about the R Ships was the detestably cramped showers with dreadful plastic shower curtains. Sirena has be lovingly up-graded and now has a roomy walk-in shower (with hand-holds folks) albeit at the expense of room in the rest of the bath.

I agree about the better itineraries on the R Ships which are smaller thus allowing a greater choice of ports.

And personally, I prefer the Polo Restaurant as it was originally intended to be. The hybrid Tuscan Steak abridged menu (where's my Navy Bean Soup?) and all mirrors all the time drives me nuts with the glare and noise reverberation.

JMO

JMBobB

And personally, I prefer the Polo Restaurant as it was originally intended to be. The hybrid Tuscan Steak abridged menu (where's my Navy Bean Soup?) and all mirrors all the time drives me nuts with the glare and noise reverberation.

Ditto that, too!

AFAIK Tuscan Steak is only on Sirena at present

AFAIK Tuscan Steak is only on Sirena at present

Really? I was told it was that way on all the "R" ships. I also enjoyed the Polo the way it was. Wish they would go back to the Polo because we've booked a cruise on the Sirena.

Really? I was told it was that way on all the "R" ships. I also enjoyed the Polo the way it was. Wish they would go back to the Polo because we've booked a cruise on the Sirena.

REALLY!!

Open for Dinner on board Sirena. Reservations required.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/tuscan-steak/

AFAIK Tuscan Steak is only on Sirena at present

We preferred the way it was as Polo only and I am not a fan of the Polo restaurant The combination lost the best aspect of each specialty. I was under the impression that Oceania was going to roll out the Tuscan Steak to the other R ships during refurbishment. Hopefully they will not do that since the combo isn't going over well.

We preferred the way it was as Polo only and I am not a fan of the Polo restaurant The combination lost the best aspect of each specialty. I was under the impression that Oceania was going to roll out the Tuscan Steak to the other R ships during refurbishment. Hopefully they will not do that since the combo isn't going over well.

Have the other ships gone for refurbishment?

As I said the Sirena has Tuscan Steak at present

Maybe someone who has been on the other R ships recently can comment

jimdee3636 - In your original post you state: "We loved our Riviera 12-day Caribbean cruise so much....."

Off topic, so I do apologize, but as we are trying to decide whether to confirm a similar cruise on Riviera, would appreciate hearing why you loved your experience on Riviera.

 

Thanking you in advance.

 

FWIW - As you can see from my signature block, we enjoy the smaller R ships owned by Azamara. Yes, the bathroom is on the compact side, just make friends with the shower curtain from the onset and you will be fine. :)

Not jimdee, but we've sailed on Azamara Journey and Oceania Riviera, and although it's larger, I preferred Riviera. Cabins were much nicer and larger, and overall the ship had a more upscale feel. We enjoyed the specialty restaurants, and they were included in the cruise fare. Overall, the food was much better on Oceania, in particular Waves grill compared to the Patio.

I think our Riviera sailing wasn't at full capacity, though--I think I heard there were around 1000 passengers. We never had to wait in line for anything, although of course with fewer passengers, I'd expect the same on the R ships.

One tiny thing I really liked about Oceania was they have Gatorade and Vitaminwater in the fitness center. Very minor, I know, but it was a nice little extra after a good workout!

Also, the in-room entertainment options on Oceania were much better than Azamara. We aren't really "show" people, so having the DVD players in the room and the video library was great for us in the evenings.

We're sailing on Azamara again next year because we got a great price on one of the PerryGolf cruises, but given comparable prices when considering what's included, Oceania is a better fit for us. I'd sail either one if the price is right :)

Maybe someone who has been on the other R ships recently can comment

We've recently been on both Regatta and Insignia and they still have Toscana and Polo.

I've heard that "Tuscan Steak" is being re-evaluated.

I've heard that "Tuscan Steak" is being re-evaluated.

Good - it needs to be re-evaluated.

Not crazy about the shower curtain in the lower priced cabins.

Good - it needs to be re-evaluated.

Good to hear. I hope that means the concept will be dumped!

We spent 34 days on Sirena in Australia this spring. I can't tell you how many menu items we missed from both Polo and Toscana. Not too fond of the decor either.

As you may know Red Ginger pseudo Asian cuisine replaced Toscana on the Sirena. Turns out there are about 3 items on the Red Ginger menu that we liked and two of those were not Asian by any stretch. Lamb chops with some spices, for example. Those were very good but it got old on a long cruise. Missed the more or less traditional Italian dishes from Toscana. There are no tomato sauce pasta dishes on the new Tuscan Steak House menu.

Robbie

Good to hear. I hope that means the concept will be dumped!

 

 

We spent 34 days on Sirena in Australia this spring. I can't tell you how many menu items we missed from both Polo and Toscana. Not too fond of the decor either.

 

As you may know Red Ginger pseudo Asian cuisine replaced Toscana on the Sirena. Turns out there are about 3 items on the Red Ginger menu that we liked and two of those were not Asian by any stretch. Lamb chops with some spices, for example. Those were very good but it got old on a long cruise. Missed the more or less traditional Italian dishes from Toscana. There are no tomato sauce pasta dishes on the new Tuscan Steak House menu.

 

Robbie

Okay, did the Red Ginger menu change in the time when you were on the ship?

The menu is supposed to be Asian Fusion which is taking a lot of regular main stream food items and adding an "Asian" touch to them.

We are going on our first Oceania cruise on Nov 8th and were are looking forward to Red Ginger for something different than the regular cruise cuisine.

We hope that is at least worth a try???

Thank for your input,

We aren't fans of Red Ginger but even I would say that it's worth a try. There are indeed some very tasty dishes on the menu.

For the record, we haven't cared all that much for RG on Marina (although a dinner for 8 that was pre-ordered by our TA was wonderful) ... we liked it rather better when we were on Sirena last October.

Also for the record, we are Szechuan fans more than Asian fusion fans ... which may explain why we aren't such great fans of RG.

Okay, did the Red Ginger menu change in the time when you were on the ship?

The menu is supposed to be Asian Fusion which is taking a lot of regular main stream food items and adding an "Asian" touch to them.

We are going on our first Oceania cruise on Nov 8th and were are looking forward to Red Ginger for something different than the regular cruise cuisine.

We hope that is at least worth a try???

Thank for your input,

We loved these dishes in Red Ginger. Duck and watermelon salad. Sea bass. Sticky prawns (forget name, but delicious).

Specialty restaurant menus do not change while you're on the ship.

We have been on four R ships: both of Azamara's and two of Oceania's. We then tried the O ship on Marina because of itinerary and the larger cabin size. We've since been on the Marina once more, as well as on the Riviera.

I have to say on getting to our stateroom on the Marina the first time, we said to each other _"Where is the extra space in this stateroom". Then we opened the bathroom door and said "Why did they put the addl space in the bath?" As far as we were concerned it was a waste of space; after all the bathroom is for a specific purpose, whereas the stateroom proper is where one lives so to speak.

We also found storage space was lacking on the O ships compared to the R ships in staterooms.

While we love the O ships, we won't stop sailing on the R's, since we chose the ship by itineraries. The lack of addl. dining venues doesn't bother us either.

I love the ambiance on both the larger and smaller ships and don't find much difference between the two.

Go for it - try the R; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I have to say on getting to our stateroom on the Marina the first time' date=' we said to each other _"Where is the extra space in this stateroom". Then we opened the bathroom door and said "Why did they put the addl space in the bath?" As far as we were concerned it was a waste of space; after all the bathroom is for a specific purpose, whereas the stateroom proper is where one lives so to speak.

 

We also found storage space was lacking on the O ships compared to the R ships in staterooms [/quote']

 

Finally I found someone who agrees with me. For years I have been saying this on these boards - the extra sq footage in O veranda cabins is mostly in the bathrooms (especially the useless tub :D) while the cabin itself is more or less the same.

I also agree with poorer storage space in O class veranda cabins with those shallow drawers that are only good only for socks and underwear.

Finally I found someone who agrees with me. For years I have been saying this on these boards - the extra sq footage in O veranda cabins is mostly in the bathrooms (especially the useless tub :D) while the cabin itself is more or less the same.

I also agree with poorer storage space in O class veranda cabins with those shallow drawers that are only good only for socks and underwear.

+1 Except no shower curtain

I love both the R and O class ships. My husband tends to prefer the O class and I really like the size of the R class. Since we love both of them, it comes down to itinerary on which cruise we take.