Sorry to see Mark Conroy go

[RachelG]

Fresh lobster also brought on ship in Maine on navigator 2 weeks ago along with fresh mussels. Both among the best I have eaten anywhere ever.

[xrvlcruiser]

Tallship,

 

I know . . . confusing isn't it? <BG>

 

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

It is confusing in a way. Being in Maine, you can get fresh lobsters. As you know, in most of the world, these are not easily obtainable. I don't think (not certain) that Regent ships have the facilities to keep live lobsters onboard for a week or two. So, we are having thawed lobster, crab and shrimp.

 

For a long while, the shrimp being delivered to our suite by our butler on numerous cruises was sitting in a pool of water. After commenting on this, it seemed that the shrimp, crab, etc. were being dried off after thawing. This led to a better product (IMO).

 

My questions about Oceania's food is quite basic. Do they receive some lamb chops that are 90% fat like Regent does? Are their steaks less than "prime" (as some steaks seem to be in Prime 7)?

 

Please understand that we love the food on Regent. If something doesn't work, we try something else and have no difficulty finding delicious, well-prepared food. However, we once had grouper on the Navigator that we could not cut with a knife. Cannot figure that one out to this day. I can accept Regent for what it is........ but not if Oceania's passengers are paying less and getting better quality.

[pingpong1]

TC - I wondered about this myself. I try to "forget the bad" and "focus on the good". But for the fares charged, I would think that the food on Regent should consistently be "the best of the best" and should be simply "unsurpassed". Yet on a few occassions during our cruise, I saw/experienced firsthand the same things you have noted. Several times, the shrimp brought to the stateroom (around 4PM) was awash in a puddle of water. Pre-cooked/frozen shrimp merely having been quickly thawed out and put on a plate - after about the 5th day (on a 12-night cruise) I just politely told the serving folks we really weren't that hungry and didn't need it brought (at 4PM) anymore. Lobster tail served in P7 that was tough and over-cooked. I ordered veal in SM one night that was just simply inedible - nothing but a single piece of gristle and fat throughout. Could not cut it with a fork (as you should be able to). I left half of it behind on the plate. Yes, I could have ordered another piece or something different, but who wants to sit there waiting for the second plate to arrive after your dinner companions have all finished their meals? A serving of prime rib that simply didn't seem to be "prime". I had a far better piece of prime rib just tonight - at Outback Steakhouse!

 

I never complained and all in all, we certainly didn't go hungry. And this is the first time I've mentioned it since our cruise. But a few of the meals were just a disappointment when I thought/was expecting it would all be simply superlative. But obviously, we're going to give things another chance (on our Voyager cruise) - while keeping eyes/ears opened regarding others' continuing experiences in the meantime. Eventually, the "market" will sort things out and will "self correct" - it always does. If customer perceptions and firsthand experience/disappointment start pushing people towards exploring alternative cruislines (because they believe that other companies are offering "more", while charging "less"), Regent will know about it soon enough and then they'll have to engage in some painful self-examination and course correction (or they'll price themselves out of the market). For now, I'm willing to give them a second "shot". Best Regards

[hondorner]

I thought I answered "why" in the first three sentences. the rest was "how". My guess, and it's only a guess, is that just as there is resistance to change among the Regent "Old Guard" passengers, there is resistance among the staff to the changes that PCH has been trying to accomplish. That may be one of the reasons there is so much interchange of staff between the two cruise lines -- the Oceania folks trying to teach the Regent folks how to do it! It's not as simple as having FDR "decree" it. I know there was a certain amount of staff leaving Regent back when the purchase was made, presumably because they resented having to accommodate to change. I think it will eventually sort out (as will the passengers ;)).

 

I can imagine Frank banging his head against the wall every time he reads threads like this.

 

Regarding the other question about the difference between Oceania's ships, I focused on Marina and Riviera because they were specifically designed for the food experience. However, I started cruising with Oceania in 2006 aboard Regatta, on a 26 day cruise, and have since sailed Regatta in Alaska and Insignia on a transAtlantic and around Cape Horn. There are only two specialty restaurants (Polo and Toscana), the Terrace Buffet does not have a cook-to-order grill (and doesn't have room for one, unless Frank has more magic up his sleeve), and the Waves Pool Grill does not include some of the more exotic sandwiches found on the new ships, presumably because of galley limitations. The Grand Dining Room also does not have the higher ceiling and overall elegance of the new ships (although one curmudgeon describes the GDR on the new ships as "warehouse-like").

 

Also, the smaller ships do not have Privee', La Reserve (itself something unreal among ships at sea) or the hands-on culinary centers -- no space for them. They do offer the extraordinary ability to order room service (at mealtimes) from any or all of the restaurants when in a butlered suite.

 

Yet, considering that the ships were designed and built by someone else, and are more than 50% smaller, the food is just as good. While FDR placed the emphasis on food from the beginning and set the policy, I think the end result is due to the effects of culinary director Jacques Pepin (who takes a very personal interest and sails with O quite often) and executive chef Frank Garanger and his hand-picked staff, many of whom have been with O since the beginning. There is a spirit among the chefs that is infectious, always happily trying to set the bar higher.

 

To get a better picture, try to find a copy of Taste the World - the Food and Flavors of Oceania Cruises. Don't take my word for it, read the reviews on Amazon. I wouldn't sell my copy for anything, but if you're near Okeechobee, Florida :rolleyes:, you're welcome to stop by and look at it.

 

[hondorner]

Peggy-

The company that supplies food to both Oceania and Regent is Apollo Ship Chandlers

 

Tallship,

 

I know . . . confusing isn't it? <BG>

 

Peggy

The confusion may be caused by the similar names. Prestige Cruise Holdings is a stand-alone division of Apollo Global Management, an investment firm founded by Leon Black in 1990.

 

Apollo Ship Chandlers, part of the Apollo Group, the provider of food, staff and training to Oceania, Regent, American Queen Steamboat Company and Island Cruises, was founded in Miami in 1969 and has a long history of providing services to cruise lines.

 

To the best of my knowledge, they are not affiliated.

 

I was confused myself, when, on a Marina cruise, I asked my travel agent (who was also on board), about a certain ubiquitous official who seemed to be everywhere on board, poking into just about every operation other than the actual ship handling. "Oh, that's so&so," she said, "He's from Apollo, and he runs everything on all the ships." Knowing that Apollo the investment firm generally takes a hands-off approach to PCH, I wondered how that could be true. I finally figured out that he's from Apollo Ship Chandlers, and in some sense, he actually does run everything on all the ships -- at least the performance of most of the staff.. You may have seen him on one of Regent's ships and also wondered who he was.

[Threechicks]

I can imagine Frank banging his head against the wall every time he reads threads like this. Don's quote.

 

If he can't understand the "why" perhaps he should bang his head a little more.

 

I love Regent but do not consider myself "old guard". I am open to change if it is good. The reason for the "why" is because I keep reading about the food, decoration and art work on Oceania that appears to be much better than that on Regent. And of course there have been two new ships. I have never sailed on Oceania so I am going by what others report.

 

Has the food been improved on Regent? I am happy with the food but there again there are raves about the wonderful food and the international chefs on Oceania. Shouldn't the chefs be on Regent which is the luxury brand?

 

Has the decoration improved on Regent? I am happy with it but others rave about the wonderful suites on Oceania. The decoration of the suites on Regent has not changed since I started to travel with them. Certainly they have been refurbished and very nicely so, but no new ideas have been presented. I concede that the Navigator had its upper class suites redone but most of us never see that level.

 

Has the art work improved on Regent? Not if you consider Park West "art".

 

Oh yes, the new ships. Why can Oceania afford TWO new ships with all the bells and whistles while Regent is still waiting for one?

 

The resistance to change by staff is easily remedied. Change or take a walk. That's what the boss is for and if he can't deliver he should be replaced.

 

I have had my say and have no intention of getting into a long debate on this but I still ask "WHY".

[Travelcat2]

I briefly mentioned this on another thread...... there was an announcement in Seatrade Insider about one of Oceania's ships (Marina or Riviera) that made a stop at a new port in Turkey. There was a big celebration for everyone on shore. Sounded wonderful.

 

Regent customers have been begging for new itinerariers. Oceania has the itineraries that some of us want -- except we want them on Regent. So frustrating.

 

PCH management does not notice how Regent is a leader in luxury cruising. Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea know has successful Regent has been and continues to adopt their policies. The fact that Regent isn't making as much money as it should is not the fault of the passengers. The "parents" added things that drew customers (excursions) but could not be run profitably. And, when newbies have one or two cruises under their belt, many agree that it would be better for everyone if excursions were not included.

 

Getting off of myh soapbox now.