Food - Regent and Oceania

[nana541]

Jackie I'm loving this.. Hope to be able to try Oceania and hearing your review I feel like I know what to expect.... Well maybe not the fancy suite, but thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Uncle D]

"Yeah, but not all criticism has to be negative. Even film critics like SOME movies In my opinion, there was no need to post those "facts" on this thread; they struck me as intentionally nasty. But, that's just my opinion -- you're entitled to yours..."

 

Sorry you took my post as nasty. Quite the contrary. I listed the "movies" I like (Oceania, Silversea and Crystal). Too bad "facts" upset you.

[papa B me]

I guess I misunderstood the purpose of "cruise" critic when I began reading about and researching cruises. I thought it was to learn the good the bad and the ugly regarding cruises. In recent months I've felt we should change the name to "crusier" critic since so many feel the need to point out the good, the bad and the ugly regarding the cruisers posting.

 

Just a thought

[Travelcat2]

Okay -- let me state some facts. Yes -- I did tour the upper suites in June ..... of 2013. Fact #2 -- we paid full price for this suite -- no upsell. In fact, I posted that we paid around $24K which, for a suite on this caliber would easily be 2 1/2 to 3 times the cost on Regent. Actually, upsells of the top three suites on Oceania are very rare as they sell out months in advance.

 

Yes -- this ship is the most luxurious we have sailed on. However, Mr. Del Rio has repeatedly said Oceania is a premium plus cruise line. The difference, IMO, would be that luxury cruise lines do not typically have inside cabins. If this were built as a luxury cruise ship, my guess is that it would be all suites with the smallest suite being perhaps 300 sq. feet. Also, not everyone loves the "feel" of the Riviera. Many Oceania customers prefer the smaller Oceania ships. We love the country club feel of Regent. Everyone has different tastes. My tastes look lean towards Regent more than Oceania but this does not mean I cannot appreciate this beautiful ship.

 

Quick comment about the mosquitoes that Poss referred to. No -- nothing discussed on the ship at all. The biggest "threat" is in St. Barts -- a port where we already planned to stay on the ship

 

Food explanation next.

[TrulyBlonde]

TC2....St. Barths is one of my favorite places. Put on some bug spray and have hubby take you to a wonderful lunch at Nikki Beach. If you have not been there prior, I guarantee you will love it. If you are tendering, the taxi drivers will take you from their stand and it is reasonable.

[Travelcat2]

Last night I did not feel like posting specifics about the Terrace Cafe but will make some food comments and make comparisons with Regent.

 

Soup in the Terrace Cafe last night and in Jacques the first night (soup served out of a pumpkin) were lukewarm at best. While this can happen on Regent, in the past couple of years, they seem to have made a special effort to serve hot soup.

 

The sashimi last night was okay. It could have been cleaned a bit better but most pieces were fine. The sushi rolls were quite good - better than Regent. I wonder if this has to do with chefs on board that prepare Asian food (Red Ginger). Perhaps we'll see more and better sushi and sashimi on the Explorer.

 

My DH liked lobster but did not like the jumbo shrimp. I rarely like the lobster on Regent (only when it is steamed) and do not love it on Oceania either (definitely edible but not a favorite). There was an Indian dish with chicken. The aroma was wonderful -- the taste even better...... but the quality of the chicken was not good so I only had the rice and sauce.

 

It was nice to see the chocolate fountain up and running but, unfortunately, we cannot dip our own marshmellows (no clue how to spell that) or fruit. As chocolate lovers know, there is a specific way to dip into the chocolate that gives you the exact amount that you want. So, I bypassed it and decided to try chocolate ice cream - something I rarely have. It was good. I will no longer try the "no added sugar" ice cream as I was not able to eat it.

 

Polo is pretty much our favorite at the moment. Still, we felt that the quality of the beef was a tiny bit better on Regent. The Maine lobster is the same on both cruise lines.

 

Oh - almost forgot the linguine. On Regent, when there is nothing I like to eat in La Veranda, I go for pasta. They always have meat sauce or tomato sauce available. As I have mentioned, with the exception of one day, only tomato sauce and the "special" of the day is available. Last night I tried the linguine w/sauce. While in line for the pasta I noticed that the water that the partially cooked pasta was being put into was not boiling. I learned a few minutes later that the water must have been barely warm. The pasta was kept in the water a couple of minutes and then put in the frying pan for at least 2 minutes and put onto a hot plate. With the exception of the pasta at the bottom of the hot plate, the rest was lukewarm. Such a disappointment since the sauce was quite nice. Note to Regent passengers: when we complain about having to remember our table number so that the food can be delivered to our table, think about having to stand and wait for it -- forever. The line for the pasta and grilled items was long. In the pasta line, there was one person preparing the pasta (using the method described above). It was this experience that left me feeling frustrated last night.

 

The service remains excellent -- even in the Terrace Cafe. It does seem that newbies to Oceania are put in the Terrace Cafe first as they do not seem to understand some things. My DH asked that his fork and knife not be removed from the table -- he went to get some food and silverware was gone when he returned. Not a big deal -- just a comment.

 

I feel that the Terrace Cafe needs more descriptive signs for the food. Passengers (including myself) had to ask what things were repeatedly. Most of the hot food has signs but not the salads, sandwiches, etc.

 

I am being 100% honest about our experience and hope that Oceania customers understand that any negative comments are not meant to bash Oceania. When I review Regent, there are food items that we do not like. We once had to return a salmon dish in Prime 7 three times (and we are the type that typically would eat something we do not like rather than return it).

 

Just a comment about "criticism". When I disagree with a poster, I post my experience rather than attempt to discredit what another poster's experience is. We have a friend that will be on this ship in 3 weeks or so. Their experience may be different than ours. Some of you may recall the recent not-so-good reviews of the Mariner. Then there were good reviews. Again, different experiences - perhaps different crew/officers, etc.

 

Computerworks, thank you so much for posting your photos. We may take photos of dinner in our suite -- not sure. In any

Edited December 7, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Hambagahle]

 

Yes -- this ship is the most luxurious we have sailed on. However, Mr. Del Rio has repeatedly said Oceania is a premium plus cruise line. The difference, IMO, would be that luxury cruise lines do not typically have inside cabins. If this were built as a luxury cruise ship, my guess is that it would be all suites with the smallest suite being perhaps 300 sq. feet. Also, not everyone loves the "feel" of the Riviera. Many Oceania customers prefer the smaller Oceania ships. We love the country club feel of Regent. Everyone has different tastes. My tastes look lean towards Regent more than Oceania but this does not mean I cannot appreciate this beautiful ship.

 

I seem to recall having read a quote from FDR saying something to the effect that Oceania was "Luxury Light" - in other words most things are not included on Oceania - you pay for internet (usually that is), any wine/alcohol, and all excursions. You can turn your cruise into total luxury by buying the "beverage" package and the excursions package(s). And you, Jackie, usually do say on the Regent boards that you wish the excursions were not included, so I suppose this approach suits you. (It certainly suits me!!) I honestly do not think that whether a ship has inside cabins or not makes any difference except to the price of the cruise. I wouldn't book one but I wouldn't book a cabin without a balcony or a butler either. Others don't feel the same way.

 

Anyway - back to food! Why couldn't you dip your own fruit into the chocolate fountain? Since the fruit, marshmallows etc are on wood skewers this couldn't possibly be seen as a health problem? Or could it?? And you are right - it would be nice to have sandwiches clearly labelled. Americans eat a weird combination of things at times and I once had a very bad experience with this!!

 

A belated happy anniversary - 35 years is quite respectable and shows a lot of tolerance! Well done the paid of you!!

Gerry

[computerworks]

However, Mr. Del Rio has repeatedly said Oceania is a premium plus cruise line.

 

Personally, I think the minute stratification of "premium-plus" or "luxury-lite" is nonsense and just a set of convenient terms for the media.

 

Having watched the PCH world for several years now... I see both lines deliver a luxury experience... Regent as all-inclusive, Oceania as ala carte.

 

To me, having to show a key card to secure a drink with the bev package in no way diminishes the luxury experience on Oceania.

 

Of course, at this point, this is just my opinion... having only sailed on Oceania.

After we cruise on the Navigator this May, I'll be able to substantiate my opinion, I am sure. :p

[TrulyBlonde]

Computerworks...enjoying your photos..thanks.

We had originally booked the early May 2015 Alaska cruise on Navigator but switched to O due to the fact we would not see as many of the glaciers etc. on this early cruise. Your feedback will be interesting as I will be on O in May also.

We are on Navigator 4/16 Rome to Venice for our 1st cruise with them due to the favorable itinerary. I am a bit concerned about brown water, is it Navigator's last cruise, etc. etc. after reading all of these Boards. I sent my TA an email yesterday asking if it was going into dry dock for some of the issues I have read about.

I hope to be on it :)

[computerworks]

We are on Navigator 4/16 Rome to Venice for our 1st cruise with them due to the favorable itinerary.

 

Just looked at that... very nice itinerary, I agree.

[Sunprince]

 

St. George, Grenada was lovely. Out of curiosity, does anyone remember why there was a war there in the 80's? Such a nice place but has high unemployment.

 

Tomorrow is Martinique -- Sunday so places will be closed. We will dine in our suite - from the Polo menu tomorrow.

 

TC, it was a US led invasion of Grenada (not a war). It was an interesting point in Grenada history. In the early 80s there was a leftist government in place (apparently that was popular with the people). There was a coup and prime minister murdered (Maurice Bishop, for whom the airport is now named). There was also controversy over the airport which was built with an extra long runway and an excessive number of oil storage tanks. Anyone who has flown into Grenada would have noticed how long it is. The US governement(and others I assume) was concerned that it was being set up to allow/support Soviet military planes. The Grenada governement was cosy with Cuba at the time. I believe that led to the US invasion. I have encountered many local Grenadians to this day that seem to be still a bit bitter over the invasion. I am mistaken for American a lot, but once I tell them that I am Canadian, they usually end up making some comment (not positive) about the "American" invasion of their country or Americans in general. Luckily, Grenada is now a peaceful and beautiful country.

 

TC, regarding Martinique and ChikV, I think it is worse there than St Bart's. For some reason the French islands seem to have been more affected than some of the English islands. Guadeloupe being particularly bad.

[juli2020]

Okay -- let me state some facts. Yes -- I did tour the upper suites in June ..... of 2013. Fact #2 -- we paid full price for this suite -- no upsell. In fact, I posted that we paid around $24K which, for a suite on this caliber would easily be 2 1/2 to 3 times the cost on Regent. Actually, upsells of the top three suites on Oceania are very rare as they sell out months in advance.

 

Yes -- this ship is the most luxurious we have sailed on. However, Mr. Del Rio has repeatedly said Oceania is a premium plus cruise line. The difference, IMO, would be that luxury cruise lines do not typically have inside cabins. If this were built as a luxury cruise ship, my guess is that it would be all suites with the smallest suite being perhaps 300 sq. feet. Also, not everyone loves the "feel" of the Riviera. Many Oceania customers prefer the smaller Oceania ships. We love the country club feel of Regent. Everyone has different tastes. My tastes look lean towards Regent more than Oceania but this does not mean I cannot appreciate this beautiful ship.

 

Quick comment about the mosquitoes that Poss referred to. No -- nothing discussed on the ship at all. The biggest "threat" is in St. Barts -- a port where we already planned to stay on the ship

 

Food explanation next.

 

We have been offered very reasonable up sells to either an Owner's Suite, Vista Suite or Oceania Suite in 3 out of 5 cruises (the last one was on a 12 night European cruise-Sept. 2, 2014). All the cruises have been at least 10 days. We always book a PH.

Plus we travel with another couple who have been offered the up sells to the larger suites also.

 

When we first started sailing on the "O" ships in 2012.....the larger suites did sell out fast. But not so in 2013 and 2014. We took two cruises on Oceania this year and were offered up sells to the larger suites.

 

I would take an Owner's suite except there will be some vibration. Our friends did take an up sell on deck 8 and experienced vibration but the suite was gorgeous.

 

I like the location of the Oceania Suites on deck 12. You are close to an elevator or stairs and you are very close to the pool area. When we had rough seas....we felt very little movement on deck 12. Plus the veranda is usable while at sea even in rough seas.

 

In my opinion the Vista Suites are too far forward and you will feel more movement even on deck 8 or 9. Plus if you do not use the exercise room...it is a waste of space. While you are underway....the veranda is totally useless as it gets windy and they have to tie down the furniture.

 

Up sells to the larger suites are not rare at all. Maybe at one time when the fares were lower they were...but not now.

 

I do agree with you about the Terrace Cafe...not a favorite of ours either. The food in La Veranda on Regent was better.

[JPR]

There were U.S. medical students on the island whose safety was threatened. Also, Castro had sent Cuban "police" troops there, which made the fighting particularly tough for the Marines. There is a good Clint Eastwood movie on the conflict, called "Heartbreak Ridge".

http://www.military.com/Resources/HistorySubmittedFileView?file=history_grenada.htm

 

 

Sent from my iPad

Edited December 7, 2014 by JPR

[Wendy The Wanderer]

... I honestly do not think that whether a ship has inside cabins or not makes any difference except to the price of the cruise. ...

 

At the risk of sounding elitist, Gerry, I beg to disagree. Of course this is based on a single 14-day Riviera crossing, but we felt that the passenger complement differed subtly from Regent, and we attributed it to those cheap, inside cabins. The spread of passenger "types" seemed wider, more of what I imagine I would feel on, say, HAL.

 

I guess I am elitist in observing that. Didn't mind a bit, we're not particularly high-brow, but it was noticeable to us.

[LHT28]

At the risk of sounding elitist, Gerry, I beg to disagree. Of course this is based on a single 14-day Riviera crossing, but we felt that the passenger complement differed subtly from Regent, and we attributed it to those cheap, inside cabins. The spread of passenger "types" seemed wider, more of what I imagine I would feel on, say, HAL.

 

I guess I am elitist in observing that. Didn't mind a bit, we're not particularly high-brow, but it was noticeable to us.

 

How did you know which passengers were in the insides???

 

I found many passengers that seem to feel "entitled" were in a PH ...

they seem to feel the need to tell people they were in a suite of some top level

 

Me ....we are the peons in the C or B Cabins

I could care less where people reside on the ships

 

YMMV

[Travelcat2]

Thanks to Sunprice and JPR for my history lesson. We found the few people that we encountered on Martinique to be very friendly. Everything was closed - even McDonald's (not that we wanted McDonald's but if anything would be open you would think that they would be). There was a tent with a few people selling handmade jewelry and trinkets. The area is beautiful. Very impressed.

 

Gerry, you cannot dip your marshmallows (thank you for teaching me how to spell it:-) because it is kept out of reach. I wondered why but then realized that someone could dip a marshmallow in the chocolate - take a bite and dip it again. Gross but possible I suppose.

 

Portofinoitaly: May take your suggestion and go ashore in St Barts. We have been there two times previously and agree that it is lovely. I wonder if we will be able to tender as the seas were quite rough for most of our cruise.

 

juli2020: Thank you for your input about upsells into the upper three suites. Whenever we have looked at an Oceania cruise, the top suites have been booked. We must be looking at popular itineraries. This itinerary is not so popular but still booked up (however, all suites were available when we first looked into it. We also had the "special" included internet and gratuities). Agree with you that the aft and forward suites feel the movement. However, there is something to be said for sitting on your sofa and having a view almost as good as the Observation Lounge on Regent.

 

Speaking of internet, it is a bit maddening that only one of us can log in at once. Both of us want the internet in the morning. On Regent this isn't a problem but on Oceania it would cost us hundreds of dollars for the additional connection.

 

computerworks: I more or less agree with you. This ship is definitely luxury -- the service is luxury and much of the food is. However, once again, there are too many "small suites" and "inside suites" to fit into the luxury category (IMO). Also, you pay for yoga classes and many things that are included on luxury cruise lines. One could make the argument that Cystal wasn't all-inclusive -- has small suites, etc. but has always been considered luxury. I have no answers for that but have never considered sailing on Crystal - would not even cross my mind.

 

On the other hand Regent was not all-inclusive once upon a time and we sailed on her. Once again, particularly being a woman, we can change our minds whenever and as many times as we feel like it. Most of us are positive that it is our right to do so;)

 

Pasta in the Terrace Cafe for lunch was really good. I had a lovely pasta dish with tomato sauce. Time was taken to cook the pasta and to make certain that the sauce as well as the pasta was hot. My DH has the surf and turf sandwich from Waves (hold the turf - double surf and no bun) with the truffle fries. They are definitely one of the best things on the ship (IMO - which may not be YO - aka "your opinion")

 

That is all for now -- calm seas - beautiful (but HOT) weather. Enjoying the ship -- great vacation.

 

P.S. Just read Wendy's last post. Have to agree with her comments. We feel that there is quite a difference between passengers on Regent and Oceania (stop thinking elitist - please). Some people start cruising on main stream and stay with that for as long as they cruise. This is the right fit for them. Other people are raising families and would like a break from children and go onto the more "sedate" cruise lines - whether it be HAL, Princess, etc. -- during the time that school is in session. There are many, many passengers on this ship that moved up from HAL and Princess. They claim that they would never go back. This does not automatically make them ideal candidates for Regent. We started cruising at the end of Renaissance (the first cruise line that ever caught my eye). We did not select the PG because it was a luxury cruise line, because it was "Radisson" or any other reason one would think. We had been to Tahiti two or three times and the PG sounded like fun. That was the only reason. It was small and included wine at lunch and dinner. Had Princess had a similar ship at the time, we could well have started with them.

 

Anyway, don't mean to ramble. We have become luxury cruisers and are very happy with what they (Regent and Silversea) have to offer.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Wendy The Wanderer]

How did you know which passengers were in the insides???

 

I found many passengers that seem to feel "entitled" were in a PH ...

they seem to feel the need to tell people they were in a suite of some top level

 

Me ....we are the peons in the C or B Cabins

I could care less where people reside on the ships

 

YMMV

 

Me too, I couldn't care either, it was just a feeling we had. We happened to be in a PH, and that was because we were trying our first O trip after being stalwart Regent followers, and it was our first TA. Both of these factors argued in favour of a PH so that we could ensure a positive experience. We certainly didn't advertise that fact, except to the roll-call because we did a cabin crawl. Didn't get to see an Inside--would have loved to. I couldn't book an Inside, ever, because I'm mildly claustrophobic and somehow having a window helps.

 

As it turned out, we both decided that we didn't really want another TA, too much time onboard ship. And as beautiful as Riviera is, with nicely-sized staterooms, that we would next time try an R ship, either Oceania or Azamara, to see what that felt like to us. Because Riviera did feel big. And our butler was both obsequious and useless (and I hate having a butler anyways.)

[LHT28]

Me too, I couldn't care either, it was just a feeling we had.

 

It could be the demographics on Oceania are different than Regent or other luxury lines & nothing to do with having insides ;)

 

We did an inside once ...enough said

 

Enjoy whatever cruise you choose

 

Lyn

[Sunprince]

There were U.S. medical students on the island whose safety was threatened. Also, Castro had sent Cuban "police" troops there, which made the fighting particularly tough for the Marines. There is a good Clint Eastwood movie on the conflict, called "Heartbreak Ridge".

http://www.military.com/Resources/HistorySubmittedFileView?file=history_grenada.htm

 

 

Sent from my iPad

 

I had heard that the U.S. added the safety of the medical students only to gain public support for the invasion, as both Canada and Britain (I believe) opposed it the invasion. It was not the primary motive, as it should have been relatively easy for the medical students to leave the island safely before the unrest. Remember, this was the time when Regan and the Soviets were not the best of friends.

[Travelcat2]

Just saw a couple of posts after mine. Could not resist making my "signature statement". One thing we love about Regent is that everyone is treated the same. You can be in the least or most expensive suite (Regent is all-suite) and no one knows or cares. You can find someone who feels "entitled" and assume that they are in an upper suite but you will never know if that is true. Believe me -- I have seen some really demanding passengers on this cruise -- treating staff like servants. I am blaming the itinerary rather than the cruise line.

[TrulyBlonde]

I started with Princess years years ago (early 30's) and a few years ago we wanted to feel like Christopher Columbus and do a TA. We wanted a large ship because we also went to the Baltic and it was a 35 day cruise in total. We had a lovely time, lot's to do because of all of those sea days in crossing and so happy to be on a large ship due to some rough seas, especially in the Baltic. I love luxury, but a TA in a small ship would not be luxurious to me.

We are flexible and it depends on itinerary and we cruise in Spring and Fall, DH is a ski bum ;) so Winter is out of the question. Therefore, we are limited to what is available during those times.

Next Oct. we will be on Celebrity for a 30 day b2b in OZ and NZ. I would have preferred O, but it did not fit into the "ski bum" schedule. It is a tough life..i know...;-))....I have learned to be very flexible.

[LindaM]

The shopping in St. B is amazing, if price is no object. They have lots of clothing and jewelry...for the rich and famous! I did find some great earrings for 80 Euro.

[TrulyBlonde]

The shopping in St. B is amazing, if price is no object. They have lots of clothing and jewelry...for the rich and famous! I did find some great earrings for 80 Euro.

 

Yes, they have one of my favorite shops..Escales-Paris. Some great cruise wear.

[Caroldoll]

I have done Regent about four times. I DO NOT think it is luxury...just because they include everything..I agree with Hambagahle! I guess I am getting old, but I have great hesitations about cruising on ships that are just plain old. I do feel that R and O take good care of the ships, probably better than others, but they are old. Also my last cruise on Regent was a back to back where I met Jackie. She got off after the first segment, and the second was the first time that everything including tours was included. What a change...complete change in the passenger demographics. Not for the better, in my opinion. Also, I formerly did a lot of cruises with Crystal. On the last cruise there were so many really elderly (really really), a large amount on oxygen, that we did in fact have more than one helicopter evacuation. I am elderly, but I would prefer to cruise with a somewhat more fit demographic. Also Crystal is no longer all inclusive, in that you must pay for the alternative restaurants after you go to one each. That is also not my cup of tea. Then to contradict that I have had about five cruises on NCL and two on Princess and you pay for every alternative...but I didn't mind that since their prices were so very, very, very much lower. I guess for now I am sticking with O. About passengers who are loud and pushy...after about 50 cruises, I would say there are always one or two...maybe more...who are like this...on every cruise line.

 

Glad Jackie has expanded her horizons enough to go on Oceania and presumably enjoy it. Perhaps when she returns to Regent, her eyes will be seeing things through different lenses.

 

I must say, on Regent I could not eat any food. There was too much salt. It was not just me as Jackie will attest. There were others who could not eat. So, you either just had shrimp cocktail or you went upstairs to the buffet where the cook took pity on more than one of us and cooked without all that salt. This is my problem...some people don't mind it.

[RachelG]

Jackie, I absolutely agree with you about the computer issue on Oceania. My husband and I both have jobs that require daily Internet access. If we don't have it, we can't travel. So on oceania, I had to suck up and pay for two Internet packages so we could work at the same time and be able to enjoy the rest of our vacation. On regent, we both have included Internet, so that makes a huge difference.