judi666

16 hours ago, tine-tine said:

I agree with most of what @judi666 has said and I am a long time O cruiser with one shortly in the offing. . The attack on her personal views with a desire to prove her wrong do you no favours, you may not agree with her comments but she has the right, the same as you, to express her opinion. Interestingly, regarding the wine lists, when she has shown evidence to back up her comments that she was right regarding the wine choices for SM, no-one has the decency to acknowledge she was correct and they were simply defending their right to be right!

 

Oceania, in my opinion, has definitely deteriorated over the years but still is a reasonable option for a cruise, if the price is right, this is based on the ships more or less being in good order with high end interior design and acceptable food and, despite the comments towards fellow cruisers on this board would have you believe, when onboard your travelling companions are generally excellent company and not quite so argumentative!!!

Thank you.  I have been a cc member for over 20 years and was a bit incredulous at the very negative posts I received.  

A cruise is certainly not just about wine, cocktails and food. The itineraries are the most important to me, as well as the ease of traveling in my late 70’s. 
 

This is wonderful itinerary(although I wish they had not cut out a port day, in an already sea heavy cruise).  
 

We have been on 3 other lines since Covid and have noticed a deterioration of food etc in all. The general crew seems very young, but do a terrific job.  As I said before, Regatta is in near perfect condition, for an older ship. 
 

Fellow passengers are great as usual.

Just now, TRLD said:

Except now you cannot purchase a fare without simply more. It is the new base fare.

I am aware of this. I’m not being a whiny baby over this.  I just feel the value is not there.  

7 hours ago, Clutj said:

That is a dramatically shorter Waves BTG wine list.  Disappointing.  I am used to that list maybe dropping 2-3 of the wines from each category vs GDR list.  It shouldn’t be this way, but the other 6-8 wines of each color are probably available for the asking and maybe a 5 minute wait.  If you have problems, I’d ask to talk to the manager (I forget all the titles on various cruise lines) and there should be a head Somm/beverage person for the ship. You should have easy access to all BTG wines.  (BTW, they are the same for the basic and upgraded package; no new included wines, you just get them outside meals, plus alcohol drinks…)

Bad news tonite in Toscana.  The bigger wine list by the glass ( about 20) in the dining venues, is about half gone. I’m sorry I haven’t posted that list.  We were informed that all the Italian and French wines are gone, along with my beloved Alberino and a Wente red are gone.  They don’t plan to restock until San Pedro.  So 9 more days. I wonder how much smaller the list will be by the time we get there. So much for Simply More.  I though it sounded ok and payed about 1.5 k more.  This was mostly for the included wine and beer and

a big issue for us was needing WiFi for 2 devices.  At the time we booked it was $600 more.  Shortly after they changed policy to include two devices for everyone.  I thought, ok, we do get some excursions added in, to make it a good value. ( we usually do a mix of ship and private tours).  The included excursions so far have been fine.  But I may have gone for something different, without  the usual merchant stop, that I have little interest in.

Oh well live and learn…. We do have some wine we brought on board, so will pay the corkage and go from there

We usually just did the cruise only, so sorry that option is gone.  There was nothing I read that indicated the basic package was only on the WBG menu.  That’s probably on me. I would not do it again, unless something changed. 

On another note the cruise had been really great and enjoyable.  We did have an issue with our room being very cold, but it was so hot out, it was ok.  Last night we mentioned for the third time the thermostat was not working.  Some one did come by and fix it.

Im sort of thinking I might be getting too old to enjoy cruising as much as I used to. 

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

That’s really disappointing!
 

What have they done with my Albariño? I can only see one wine that I would enjoy from that menu!

 

SimplyMore, in this case really does look like SimplyLess!

 

Are there other wines available with the upgraded package?

They do have the very nice Alberino in the dining room as part of simply more. I have had it most nights.  So you can still look forward to it!  
Yes, lots of wines available by the bottle.  The wine server tonight, mentioned the wines by the glass listed ( and there are about 19 in the dining room) are available, but the many others are only by the bottle.

Its all a little confusing for passengers and servers. In my opinion it was badly thought out and implemented.  Of course you can order what you like and pay for it extra.  The upgraded package would have been almost $2500 on this long cruise.  We didn’t think we would make it worthwhile for us.  However, the server told me today, you can upgrade at any point in the cruise. I’m not a completely sure that’s the case, but one can hope.

I will try to post the wines by the glass in the dining room, forgot this evening.

On 3/23/2024 at 4:05 AM, Acrusa said:

is there still a round stool in front of the dresser or did they put a chair with a back like on the O ships 

Still a stool in front of the dresser. 

On 3/23/2024 at 8:40 AM, AMHuntFerry said:

There are shelves behind the mirror, under the sink, and above the toilet. I don't remember any drawers.

There are shelves behind the mirror and under the sink.  It is tight but the space has been put to good use.  
I haven’t had an issue with the shower. I can turn around , bend over when I dropped the shampoo.  It is small.  I’m a normal sized human. Would I do it again? Probably not. 

Wine and beer menu in Terrace Cafe and Waves. Apr 9, 2024. Regatta.

On 4/8/2024 at 4:06 AM, ak1004 said:

 

There are many things you can say about O. Some wonderful, some good, some just ok. But when I read someone describes food as "edible", to me the whole review loses its credibility.

Webster’s definition of edible: food that is suitable and safe.  That was my use of the word.  I never said inedible. 
Day 12: Most of the meals are good, just not anything over the top. Certainly better than the mainstream giant lines.  

5 hours ago, Techno123 said:

@EJL2023 and @judi666

i found these on the main drinks menu someone else posted from their cruise at the end of last year.  Haven't been on O for 10 years now (but sailing Vista later this year) but at that time there was a pretty consistent 10 reds, 10 whites, 3 sparkling, 2/3 rose and some dessert wines and that's roughly what appear to be the wines by the glass. I'm happy with the included wines if this is them 😁 

I only see 3 that are on our current Regatta cruise.  There are 19 red, whites and sparkling. 3 desert wines in the dining venues.  In the Terrace Cafe the list is smaller with about 8.  I’m sure the selection changes as to the ship and what is available.  Of course, a wider selection is available outside the Simply More basic package. 
Last night my husband ordered a cocktail and I had a different wine. The wine server made sure to tell us “you must pay for those”.  It was slightly funny as the included alcoholic beverages are not “free”.  

5 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Whenever we have been in the Terrace Cafe we have asked for the wine menu and been given the same one as in all other restaurants.  Now Wave I’m not sure as typically will not have any wine and stick with beer there if anything at all. Also, my comment regarding wine was because in your initial post on the issue you simply stated there was a lack of choice and that the wine included was fine…..but now it seems you are saying less than half just did not interest you and now even include retail pricing. So the story has changed from what my comments were based upon. 

I counted the wines by the glass on the menu at Waves and Terrace cafe, this afternoon. There were 8. Have not been to dinner yet, but still doubt there are 33.

I think the point I was making is that the choice is limited to very low end wines with the Simply More package. Obviously we could bring our own, and in fact we did. Some of the wines we tried are certainly drinkable, but others sub par. 
 

Im wondering why you care enough to be snarky about what I clearly stated  was my personal subjective opinion.  Your experience could have varied from mine, different ships, different cruise itinerary. 
 

We picked up our luggage at Delta put it

on a cart and walked about 1/2 a mile to 

Bradley term. Checked in at Air France, they took our luggage.  We went to the Air France lounge.  It closes at 11 pm.  Our plane to Papeete didn’t leave till 12:50am.  It was a really long walk to the gate. I was tired and a golf cart was offered, so got a ride most of the way. The golf carts were all along the walkway. All was well just a long haul.

5 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Just a few comments.  As noted..food is certainly subjective. But to describe it as edible as the best you can do…..hmmmm

 

Regarding wine by glass….fine but small selection?? There are 33 wines by glass available.  Seems like a pretty decent selection to me….and we have never had an issue finding something we like from the selection of 33. 

 

Regarding pressure to upgrade wine?? I guess just bad luck…never experienced this on our Oceania cruises.  We have been asked if we would want to attend an upcoming wine tasting event, we politely advise no and end of story. 
 

Regarding the app….i just don’t see this as needed personally, but obviously some do so no biggie. Not having it cuts back some on people wandering aimlessly onboard with their eyes looking down glued to their phone while standing in front of elevators so you can’t get off or blocking walkways….you know, like happens continuously in the grocery store and other public places. 

There may be 33 wines by the glass in the dining rooms ( I will have to look this evening, it seemed to be less) but at least half are not interesting to me. Several are wines that retail for $6-10. 

The wines by the glass at the terrace cafe and waves grill are maybe 6-8, certainly not 33. 
After the first few days, the wine folks know we aren’t going to upgrade and don’t ask again.

 

5 hours ago, TRLD said:

There is a lot that Oceania does very well. The staff is very good, with good service. The food is on average better than the adult focused mass market lines such as Celebrity  HAL  and Princess. I mention those because that seems to be where a lot of the first timers seem to be coming from. But not knock your sox off better. The sushi and grill to order, including in the Cafe at night is very nice.

 

The Regatta does not feel crowded. Thing like tender operations run very well. Since this is a Pepeete to San Pedro cruise you use tenders a lot. The unique itinerary is probably why a lot of first timers.

 

From conversations I have had the biggest things that some do not like is the schedule. The food venue hours as an example. One gentleman mentioned that he had never been on a ship where one could not get a cheese plate after 9:30. That dinner started at 6:30. That the only main show is at 9:30. 

 

There is a lot we like, such as tea with the string quartet each afternoon. The other passengers, including the first timers  are interesting, well traveled, and come from a variety of back grounds.

 

However for us the overall energy level of the cruise is too low. We have done and contine to do many cruises on a variety of lines from 50 passenger ships to 5000 passenger ships. We tend to like sea days and often do transatlantic or transpacific cruises. Prior to this cruise we liked booking long cruises with lots of sea days on a number of other lines and thought we were good at providing our own entertainment. We might do a unique, heavy port, itinerary on Oceania in the future, but not anything with a large number of sea days such as this cruise and most likely not if we can do the itinerary on another line.

 

 

I agree the general energy level on this particular cruise seems very low.  It’s hard to actually explain.  There are tons of really nice, well traveled folks.  There are activities available, but every day the same things. How many times can you play baggo or do the mini-golf?  The other two times we did the shorter  version of the cruise it seemed different. I’m not talking about silly contests on carnival, just things like a bridge tour, deck barbecue, or lectures on the very interesting places we have been. There have been a couple of lecturers, but the content is thin.

once again it’s really subjective on my part, as I have no interest in needlepoint or shell crafts.  The wine or spirit tastings they have are nice, but are expensive for what they offer and not something you want to do daily.

I think I had some nostalgia for the past when we did a 32 day Med cruise and a couple of the French Polynesia itineraries, a Panama Canal etc. all on the smaller ships of Oceania. 
Being older, it’s just a bit less fun.  It’s not about the small ship, as in 2019 we did 40 days on one of the Windstar “motor yachts” that was a much smaller ship.

Agreed the tender staff did an amazing job, with our many tender ports!  I was wowed by their efficiency and really caring attitude. 

2 hours ago, osandomir said:

It was interesting to read your review. Your opinion is definitely valid. One thing that surprised me most of all is the “great sushi” in the Terrace cafe. We like sushi but find that they are hardly comparable even with the cheapest offerings we had anywhere on land.

I think it is probably better because we are in French Polynesia, where tuna is so locally available.  We saw the chefs at the fish market in Nuku Hiva yesterday buying big carts of fresh fish,

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

We have done 2 cruises on Vista...beautiful ship, excellent food.

But will be on Regatta in Sept to Alaska. 

Now with 2 new ships, it will be more difficult to fill the old smaller ships. 

If the food is also not at par with what Vista and Allura offer, there better be an "extraordinary" sale to move the inventory on the old ships.

I always love the smaller ships, but food and cabin are not a good value.  Have not tried the larger Oceania ships.

2 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Is Regatta still using a refrigerated cargo container up on Deck 11 as a make-do, awaiting repairs?

No, don’t see one.  It’s too hot up there to look all the way around.

7 days in and somewhat disappointed at the food. It is adequate, but the wow factor is definitly missing.  As usual, the written lofty descriptions barely recognizable with the actual item.  Plating of food, even in the specialty restaurant, is very plain and uninspired. Nothing like photos I have seen posted in the past. Taste overall very bland.

Certainly edible.  So far the best things have been the lobster in the Waves grill and the great sushi in the terrace cafe. I don’t eat red meat, my husband has mentioned the steak is “ok”. I know it’s totally subjective on my part.

I really am not thrilled with the included beverage package.  The wines by the glass are fine, but the selection is small.  There is no problem what’s so ever being served multiple glasses at the dining venues.  You are always being asked to upsell to better bottles. A tiny bit of  condescention on the part of the  sommelier.  The upsell to the other package is very expensive for this 21 day cruise.  It would be a bargain on a shorter cruise that wasn’t port intensive. Once again it’s subjective on my part, I don’t drink enough to justify the cost.

I have not been on Oceania for 6 years and the cuts in many areas are obvious.  Not sure that the new higher pricing is warranted. There are many new ships that are more modern in cabin space and amenities.  Regatta itself is lovely and kept in excellant conditions. The service is polite and attentive, if impersonal.

We have been in the veranda cabins many weeks on past cruises. I was younger and the small space was just fine. Now that I’m older and have cruised on several different lines ( Windstar, Regent, Holland America) with larger, more spacious rooms and bathrooms in the same general pricing catagory.  Now I  feel like it’s very confining and the bathroom is sort of laughable in its very tiny size. It is functional, if claustrophobic. I have no issue with the shower.  I would not book the small cabin again. We have a concierge veranda.
 

The lack of an app is really ridiculous. There is very little info on the TV.  It seems like Oceania is stuck in about 2005.  The internet is not very good (did not expect it to be). Hopefully this will be upgraded in the future.

I hate the daily deluge of the Currents, paper flyers and special sales etc. what a waste.  This should all be on an app.  I can’t imagine how much trash has to be dealt with.

The one ship excursion we took, was basically  half the population of Nuka Hiva coming to port in their personal vehicles, each taking 4 passengers. It was the luck of the draw on if you were outside in the back of a pickup in 90degree heat, or in a aircondition SUV.  It was very chaotic.  The island itself was beautiful. 

3rd time on this itinerary, which is beautiful. 

We are on Regatta, went a half hour early for an 8pm res and we’re promptly seated.  
Quality of food is another story.

I’ve checked on every sale for my cruise ( it is listed as one on the sales) the price has not changed one cent, in 9 months, except in the lowest inside catagory. How can this be a sale?

On 11/27/2023 at 3:56 PM, tobique33040 said:

So the Sirena was refurbished in 2019. Is the bathroom nice but tiny? Thank you for the information. Everything we can learn is helpful. 

There are very good videos of the various cabins on YouTube.   Helpful for finding what you want.  My first cruise 25 years ago was on one of the smaller R class ships.

it was 32 days.  I thought everything was great except the small shower had a stupid clingy shower curtain. My only gripe.  Those have long been replaced by glass shower doors. So all is ok.  🤩

I see no change in the cruise I booked. It is listed as on sale, but the prices are the same as they have been for months.  It does state sale reflected is on the prices shown.

I got a business class from LAX to Papeete for $1850 on Air France for Mar 2024 cruise. That was for one way, since cruise ends in LA ( San Pedro) and I live in SoCal.

there are many hotels, Airbnb in Papeete that are Not OWB! We have stayed twice at the Pearl and will stay one night at the Hilton in Papeete before the cruise.  We are goin 5 days early and staying at the Sofitel in Moorea.

It isn’t easy, but we received full payment about 2 months later. As someone said, perserver.  In the end I needed 3 doctors letters and countless other emails concerning itineraries and expenses, cancellations.  They have to be worded very specifically.  I had a helpful adjuster re: wording or I don’t think the claim would have gone thru.

On my cruise, I had to do 6 SM excursions to get the lower price.  I did 6, one is in Maui, so I would think not going to happen by March.  Who knows how that will work out.

I did a screen shot of my price before Simply more. $7049 for cruise only. After simply more added $7549.  $1000 more total. I never take the air so that has been subtracted.    It seemed worth it for the beverage at lunch and dinner ( we would usually have some wine) as well as the $1200 for shore ex and the additional wifi ( 2 pers).   There are some itineraries this would not work for.   This particular one ( Tahiti to LA, 21 days) has 9 sea days.  Plus limited private excursions on the islands.  Rebooked with Simply More.