rbtan

We love Jacques but are not upset that it is not on Vista/Allura. As I said in a past post, Oceania is probably trying new adventures & that's fine. Cunard had Todd English for several years & pax eventually got bored.

Could be worse..We could be called competitive eaters.Culinary inclined works for us.

Really check out Terrace some nights. The menu is surprisingly good at times. Most lines the "buffet" can be really boring. Not on O.

The Maitre D apologised for her behavior & moved them to a different table. The Jacques staff wanted to seat us with the same couple (the first couple who clammed up) the second night. We said no. We were then seated at the large table in Jacques that night with far better results!

If you get to NYC on occasion, check out Orsay.Orsay is a very nice(though not cheap) French Brasserie style rest. My spouse is from NJ.It's not always easy getting "Taylor Ham" up here in NH. LOL

I would have to say that sharing a large table tends to be better, as most will love to talk about something. On that large table in Jacques a few years back we all discuss what we do. My spouse has a large catering co. with his brother.We discussed Dean Kamen( folks can google the name) & this one guy wanted to know all about him he actually switched seats with me to talk to Keith about Dean. It was a riot. His wife goes "I always become a dinner widow when this happens". We all had a great meal & a lot of fun. Still overall due to the few incidents, we prefer a table for 2. We now do Concierge level & we get to make the reservations earlier. We were not able to pull off Red Ginger, though. Don't fret. Anyone will be able to get their choice.Reservations bounce around a lot.We cancelled one last Jan. because we saw the menu in the GDR had some real favorites of ours. We went to the dining reservation desk & let them know our change.Someone, I'm sure got that 7PM spot we cancelled on.

Still larger than that than P mini. A lot more amenities than Princess as well.

Being a gay couple we've had a few issues sharing tables. One, where the couple "figured" us out in the first 5 min. & just clammed up for the rest of the meal.Second where the lady, quite loudly said they would not be seated with us. One would think on a line like Oceania this wouldn't happen, but it does. Sorry to say both couples were from the South.We just now choose dine with alone & just enjoy our own company. Jacques is the one where we did share & had a great time.It was the largest table in the restaurant & we had a ball. A table like that generally will have pax that don't want to embarrass themselves in front of others with ignorance.

Our take on La Reserve, is that the food is excellent overall. The menu has not changed enough to warrant doing it again. We did 4 trips eating there. We did not do The Dom Perignon as we dislike Champagne. The Odyssey menu while good, is not in our opinion as good as La Bourgeoisie. The last time we did it the "Host" had changed. He is now (or was) the maitre D in one of the specialties. This past time,it felt a little rushed & without the usual panache.The fact it jumped from $110 to $150 we thought was not worth it anymore. The GDR on Riviera was excellent most nights. Actually had close to the best Dover sole we've ever had.

The PH is really a fairly small suite when you add the balcony. 440 Sq. ft. is pretty small as suites go.You also only have the "stocked bar" in the 3 larger suites. The only real amenity you have is more room(subjective) & butler service. Otherwise it's really closer to a Concierge cabin in amenities.

Please explain what that is.

The Maitre D are salaried & don't share in the gratuities You obviously can tip them if they did a service for you, such as got you into a rest. that was full.

This was in Riviera last Jan. outside Jacques. Sorry, I usually don't bring my phone along to dinner to take photos to prove to you I'm not lying.

Others are allowed to have opinions other than yourself.

Here's our 2 cents worth: Shorts/casual wear are ok for breakfast/lunch in the GDR.For dinner, slacks (dockers etc) are fine. Decent shirts (Long sleeve/Polo/Short sleeve) are fine Jeans are ok during the day but not really suitable at night, except Terrace. Same goes for shorts.For those who like shorts/jeans, please wear decent & not something that looks like you came off the construction site. Sport coats are fairly common.9but not required) you'll see those more in the specialty rest. Ties & suits are few,though you'll see an occasional suit, they are pretty rare.I will tell you that the Maitre D's will enforce the code quite rigidly. This is NOT Princess where some pax like to dress as sloppy as they think they can get away with. I've seen pax admonish the few that try it on Oceania(yes, I'm one who will speak up if someone looks like a total slob at night.) Remember there are only about 1200 & not 3000 Pax. The staff have more "balls" than those on the big ships. This also goes for the chair hogs out there. Don't think that dropping towel on a lounger at 7AM means you own it for the day. If you leave for 30 min. or more it will be turned over for the next pax to use. The same goes for "reserving" loungers for friends. When it comes to the pool...Remember there are other pax using the pool who may become upset if you splash around a lot & bump into them. The pool is quite small compared to other pools. They ARE salt water as well. They also tend to be pretty deep for a small pool so consider that as well.

I'm Chinese & do note there really is not any regional Chinese food in Red Ginger. Overall the food is good, but not true to form. If Red Ginger offered true Chinese food,it would fail in a year. Most Americans would not stomach true Chinese. Except my husband, Keith. Then again he's eaten a live Lobster & I wouldn't even think of it.

It's a shame so many here in the US only need look out beyond their own backyard to see what other cultures have to offer. True Chinese food(not the dumbed down versions) There is NO such thing as Crab Rangoons in Asia or General Gao's Chicken, etc. My spouse is from Singapore & he really laughs at what Americans here think Chinese food is all about. Each region of China(and many countries) has their own ethnic variety. About 13 years ago we were on the QM2 . We splurged & did the queens Grill accommodations.You could venture off menu & Keith ordered Scotch Egg for the next day's lunch.Thinking was more British style he thought it would be what one expects. The next day 2 Scotch Eggs were delivered to the table. Both were nearly the size of Emu Eggs. We could only handle one. They were tasty, but WAY too much ground sausage wrapped the egg.

The US is a melting pot as they say. You expect all types of cuisine & various flavors.

We're surprised so many don't know about Jacques Pepin.If they knew about Julia Child, one would think of their frequent collaborations. Many of the pax on Oceania are not as culinary advanced as many would have you believe. On our first cruise on Riviera, we shared a table(large one) in Jacques. Keith & I ordered the Foie Gras. No one at the table was familiar with it. We passed some around. Basically our entire portions. Needless to say the entire table ordered their own(us again as well LOL) I feel that O maybe trying a new direction. Not all their ships need to have all the same restaurants on board.Variety can be a good thing. Being in the food industry is the reason we are pretty advanced when it comes to food variety.

That's what Celebrity did. I just like the fare only option as well.

In 4 cruises on Riviera we saw 1 tux & a few suits. Most wear a nice shirt & pants often with a coat. Some with no coat, but still nicely dressed. Do what you're comfortable with.

"Formal nights" are pretty much sea nights. Food is usually better near the last night & maybe one mid cruise.

As soon as you board GO right up to the sanctuary & make your reservation. Don't wait! Otherwise you may lose out on your choice.

We had it on our Hawaii trip. It was awful! The "fish & chips" looked like it came from a box in any grocery store.After 2 really crappy lunches we just ate in the dining room.

Contrary what you are being told(yes) In reality it is the one thing "NOT" allowed at night. It all depends on what the Maitre D allows. Some allow you dress literally like a slob, whereas others will somewhat enforce the dress code. You should at least pack at least 1-2 pairs of trousers to be on the safe side.