Food - Regent and Oceania

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for the encouragement. You would be surprised at how many knee replacements I've seen on the ship (noticeable by the scars). I do look forward to when I can take the stairs on a regular basis. This brings up another good point about Oceania. The crew entrance/exit is always available to passengers - whether or not you have difficuties with stairs. We go down the normal stairs and return to the ship via the crew entrance.

 

A couple of things before I forget. Children...... there are currently no children on board the ship. There are permanent signs outside of the elevators that children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent (or adult) in order to use the elevator.

 

I now recommend the Grand Dining Room for breakfast. It is not only beautiful but the service is better than Regent's CR in the morning. This morning it was a bit over the top when we were asked five times by different people if we wanted muffins/danish, etc. We find the muffins lacking. My DH enjoys a good bran muffin. The muffins on Regent are okay -- not the best but not bad. On Oceania, it is a very sweet muffin - no bran inside but a few pieces of bran cereal toasted on the top. We have not tried the GDR for dinner and will not be doing so. I suspect that they do extremely well in the evening because there is so much service.

 

Went to Barrista's for a cup of coffee - first time there. They made great coffee (also use Illy espresso to make the coffee). IMO, the big difference between Regent and Oceania is the machines used to make the coffee -- not the quality of the beans. I also suspect that some people in the U.S. would find coffee on Oceania bit strong. My DH loves a "double Americano" coffee because it is strong. The one this morning was very strong (he still liked it).

 

Another big plus for Oceania....... final documents. We did not receive them mid-cruise as is done on Regent. We received them this morning - two days before disembarkation. Why can't Regent do that? They have less passengers to deal with. Also, no need to stuff ourselves like sardines in the theater in order to hear the announcements as to which group has their luggage ready so they can disembark. The announcements on Oceania are announced through the pubic address system so passengers can sit in any lounge and relax while waiting to be called. Would like to see Regent go back to this method -- it is so much more comfortable for passengers.

 

While not related to food, a passenger told me this morning that this was the warmest cruise she has ever taken and they are looking forward to returning to Miami where the current temperature is 70 degrees. While not our warmest cruise (Australia last year was at 114 degrees followed by India), we were not able to stay in port to walk around for very long. Many people have a higher heat tolerance that I do but I did see many passengers "dripping" from their faces and necks when returning to the ship.

 

Seas are becoming rougher. This seems to be a trend when going out of or returning back to Miami. We took 1/4 of a pill to insure that we wouldn't feel queasy.

 

Tonight is Toscana again where I will once again pay very close attention to the food and will report on it. Tomorrow is our fourth and last night in Jacques. While I understand that most passengers do not have the opportunity to dine in the specialty restaurants every night, I am glad that we had the chance as it gives more insight into the food.

 

Tomorrow I also plan on addressing the question as to whether or not I think a Regent passenger would like Oceania. Is the food really better on Oceania? Is the service better? And, now that the cruise is about over, would I sail on Oceania again?

 

A comment about laundry. I never do my own laundry on Regent as it is included for platinum members. Besides, I find the laundry rooms to bring out the worst in people. On Oceania, however, I do not want to use up my on board credits on laundry. And, the laundry rooms are comfortable. Since we have been onboard more than usual - only going out for a couple of hours per port -- the laundry room near us is empty. It takes 25 minutes to do a wash. The dryer takes 45 but the clothes spin dry so well that it does not take that long. We also took advantage of the 20 items for $20. IMO, this is a nice promotion.

 

Going down to do my exercises and perhaps start a bit of packing. Will post again after dinner.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Travelcat2

[computerworks]

... On Oceania, however, I do not want to use up my on board credits on laundry. And, the laundry rooms are comfortable. Since we have been onboard more than usual - only going out for a couple of hours per port -- the laundry room near us is empty. It takes 25 minutes to do a wash. The dryer takes 45 but the clothes spin dry so well that it does not take that long. .

 

 



 

[Sunprince]

Actually the French part of Canada is on the East coast of North America.

quote]

 

Sorry everyone but I need to comment on this as I find the lack of awareness interesting for such a group of well travelled people :) Although Canada is officially a bi-lingual country (english/french), there is a province called Quebec (located between Ontario and the Maritime provinces). Quebec is french speaking (with very strict french language laws). There are other french communities in the Maritime provinces (Acadiens). Regent does a very nice eastern Canadian/New England cruise, it might be a great way to learn more about this area of the world.:)

[Hambagahle]

Why not request half orders? I've done it on O (I also dislike large quantities of food that I know I cannot finish).

 

Also, I've often made a meal of soup/starter/salad if the main courses do not appeal.

 

Just an idea...

 

And a very good idea! Ken and I were just talking about doing that in Toscana last night... Sometimes in the US I order two starters, one of them instead of a main course. And I frequently have just salad for lunch but dinner in a speciality restaurant one seems to want to try more courses... Half portions is the way to go!

[pdaniel]

Great to read all about your Oceania cruise. Thanks for the review and looking forward to your further insights. Just curious, why was this not posted on the Oceania board?

Computerworks, thanks for the pictures. Hopefully, you can take the time on your upcoming NCL cruise to post pictures and do a similar review on the Regent board.

[computerworks]

Computerworks, thanks for the pictures. Hopefully, you can take the time on your upcoming NCL cruise to post pictures and do a similar review on the Regent board.

 

Just for you... :rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

I just learned of the tragedy aboard Oceania's Insignia. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives as well as with the rest of the crew. I cannot imagine what they are going through. We had planned to visit the Insignia when they were scheduled to be docked with Riviera last week. The schedule changed before we had the opportunity to see her.

 

I will do the best I can at posting tonight although I am quite distracted by this news. Dined in Toscana - forgot the Kindle. Basically our favorite dishes in our two visits to Toscana are the Osso Bucco and a capellini dish with a name that looks like "volcano". Both excellent dishes.

 

Nothing else to say.

[Travelcat2]

Letting some time pass before I make my final comments. Will post a day or two after we get home. Just had our last meal at our favorite dining venue - Jacques. Tomorrow the Riviera will receive some crew members from the Insignia. From what I hear, Prestige Cruise Holdings and their new president is taking good are of them.

[TrulyBlonde]

TC2...You just cost me a few $$ today...Sending my 4 yr old Grandson and 2 daughters and spouses on a Disney cruise after you posted you liked it. "Gramie" will not join in the Caribbean but will do one in Alaska when he is a few yrs older. They are very excited!

[nana541]

TC2...You just cost me a few $$ today...Sending my 4 yr old Grandson and 2 daughters and spouses on a Disney cruise after you posted you liked it. "Gramie" will not join in the Caribbean but will do one in Alaska when he is a few yrs older. They are very excited!

 

 

Funny, this Grandma is doing the same thing! Book Disney Magic for my grandchildren and parents.

 

Sadly, I won't be going with them !

 

 

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[TrulyBlonde]

This "Gramie" is snow skiing and they can enjoy and I will live it thru photos and text messages..LOL...they are all young enough to appreciate that "Castaway Cay" venue..done with that stuff but love sharing it.

[janecambridge]

The quality of various things on our mini Disney cruise beat Regent at times!!!!

We loved it with our grandchildren.

[Travelcat2]

TC2...You just cost me a few $$ today...Sending my 4 yr old Grandson and 2 daughters and spouses on a Disney cruise after you posted you liked it. "Gramie" will not join in the Caribbean but will do one in Alaska when he is a few yrs older. They are very excited!

 

That made me smile:D. Disney. Is a class product. We at the airport waiting for flight. Long wait.

[Travelcat2]

This cruise had its ups and downs and it had nothing to do with the ship itself. First there was the resignation of Kunal Kamlani and my loss of faith in NCL and uncertainty about the future of Regent and Oceania. Then came the tragedy of the Insignia. Prayers went out to the families of those that lost their loved ones as well as to the crew and passengers that went through a very difficult time. As mentioned previously, there was a moment of silence on the Riviera and it sailed into Miami with the flag at half-staff. Yesterday the Riviera sailed with several crew members of the Insignia.

 

In many ways it is difficult to review a cruise when we were staying in a 1,500 sq. ft. suite and dining in specialty restaurants every night. This is not the typical passenger experience. We found the passengers to be different on this cruise than the last (the last time being in the Med.) On our last cruise we found people in the Executive Lounge in bathrobes - one even brushing his teeth -- yuck! This time, no bathrobes and more passengers dressed up for dinner - many with sports jackets and some with suits with or without ties. This was in sharp contrast to those dining in the Terrace Café in shorts (not dress shorts), t-shirts, etc. While I am not watching to see what everyone is wearing (other than to report it on CC), it is noticeable when an elevator has passengers in suits as well as shorts and t-shirts at 10:00 p.m. My DH dressed most nights in a long sleeved shirt and slacks. He wore a polo shirt the night we ate at the Terrace Café. I mention the dress code for anyone considering a cruise on Oceania.

 

The service was exemplary and I still felt that there were dramatically more servers in the CR and La Veranda equivalent restaurants than on Regent. The service in those two dining venues was better than Regent (most of the time). We had an extraordinary butler but there are excellent butlers on Regent as well. Our Steward walked us to our suite and opened the door for us a few times (never has happened on Regent but we don't really need this service). Note: Butlers on Oceania typically take care of 16 suites. Our butler had 2 Vista suites so he had 14 suites to take care of. I was blown away to learn that steward(ess)' take care of 25 suites on Oceania. I will ask the next time we are Regent to see if it is the same.

 

Okay -- the food - the subject of this thread. I definitely cannot say that the food on Oceania is better than Regent. However, there are items on Oceania that we found prepared better than on Regent. Food is so subjective but I'll go through each dining venue below giving my opinions:

 

Terrace Café - it is no secret that this is our least favorite place to eat. While I thought I was okay with being served food rather than serving ourselves, this became tedious. Yes - I know it is much more sanitary -- but, I prefer selecting my own portions, pieces, etc. One of the best things they had in the Terrace Café was Indian food. The Curry Prawns were excellent while the chicken had great sauce but poor chicken. The sashimi at night was fine - better than Regent but Regent rarely has sashimi and it does not have an Asian chef. Pasta on Regent is much better. Meat and chicken, in general, is better on Regent. Oceania's Riviera has more people so there are more choices and the space is much larger than on Regent. It is really just a large cafeteria that looks the same at night as it does during the day.

 

Breadsticks in the Terrace Café are to die for...... Regent, if anyone is reading this, please consider breadsticks in La Veranda and CR. There is a cheese cart next to the bread but it is often blocked by people and you have to wait in line to be served cheese so we did not have it more than once. There is often a line for the much touted lobster/steak/chicken, etc, grill. The lobster is okay but we went to outside for our lobster. The chicken and steak were not to our liking. The small chickens that are cut to order (a different section than the grill) was quite nice. There is probably something for everyone in the Terrace Café but it takes some picking and choosing.

 

Waves -- outside of the Terrace Café -- on the pool deck. This is where the wonderful surf and turf sandwiches are made (with truffle fries - these are actually steak fries). Hamburgers and other items from Waves is very good. My DH had the surf and turf (without the turf or bread and double surf) at least six times during our cruise.

 

Executive Lounge -- While not a dining venue, we preferred this to the Terrace Café. It is not 10% as good as the Coffee Connection in terms of food but does have a coffee machine and small bagels and toast in the morning. I understand that there are some sandwiches in the late afternoon. There is also two computers in this lounge so I ate, had cappuccino and went onto the computer most mornings. The computer room was too far away from us -- is next to the Barrista place (not certain what it is called). They let you drink at the computer but not eat. I found this odd since a bagel cannot hurt the keyboard as much as spilling a cup of coffee.

 

The Grand Dining Room is absolutely beautiful. The décor is amazing. The kitchen is in the middle in an enclosed area (somewhat like the Mariner with an enclosed area in the middle which blocks the view of the entire area). We only had breakfast here maybe four times - no lunches or dinner. The service for breakfast is better than in CR but the food is not better. One morning the Swedish pancakes seemed like they had been sitting a long time. Another morning they were perfect. On the last morning on board, it took 35 minutes to get our eggs that were both undercooked and not warm. I overlook this for the most part since it was disembarkation day.

 

This is getting long -- more to come.

[Travelcat2]

Red Ginger - this was our second favorite restaurant last time. This time it was not. Nothing changed other than our tastes. We still love the Miso Glazed Sea Bass but can get it on Regent. We made a couple of Red Ginger dishes in our cooking class that were excellent. It just wasn't a place that you want to dine often (at least we don't). The soups were our least favorite items on the menu -- IMO, the flavors were not strong enough -- a bit watery. The restaurant is lovely and the service is done very well. Their pear/ginger tea was delicious and aromatic. Even for those of us who do not drink tea often, I recommend it. Keep in mind that Red Ginger is Vietnamese/Cambodian food -- not Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Knowing this helps with expectations.

 

Toscana - their Italian dining venue. Very nice presentation. Good service. After two times of trying to select the right olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, I'm over it. I like what we get from Trader Joe's at home. There are two items that we really like...... the capallini and Osso Bucco. We prefer Sette Mari to Toscana.

 

Polo - Prime 7 equivalent. The restaurant is lovely and the service matches. As with any of the specialty restaurants, you are asked if you would prefer a black napkin if you are wearing dark clothes. My favorite soup on the ship was the French Onion soup in Polo. The Maine lobster is quite good. The steaks are no better or worse than on Regent. The escargot in Polo is the best I have tasted anywhere.

 

Jacques - I suppose you could compare with Signatures but we strongly prefer Jacques for most items (mushroom soup not on the Jacques menu and is great on Regent). Actually, we do not care any of the soups in Jacques. The rather gimmicky pumpkin soup served out of a pumpkin was bland and not hot enough. There are several appetizers that are very good including the lobster and caviar salad and butter lettuce salad with blue cheese. My DH's favorite entrée is lamb prepared similar to Beef Wellington (different coating around it). My favorite is the scallops. We both like the Lobster Thermidor. (I know that I am murdering the spelling of many things -- I need to finish this and unpack). Jacques was our favorite restaurant again. Vincent - new to Oceania is a super star in the making. An excellent young man. As soon as the Maitre 'D saw us, he knew that we wanted Vincent's table.

 

One more small section.

[Travelcat2]

The ship itself is stunning (except for the theater). It is very luxurious without being overdone. There are many nooks and crannies where you can sit (inside or out) with a book -- alone -- with friends -- just to relax. Having said that, the ship is too big for us. I would love to see the Explorer with many touches of the Riviera but am happy that it will be much smaller.

 

I have repeatedly mentioned that we will return to Regent because of the benefits we receive on Regent. This is not the only reason. The all-inclusivity (even though I don't like the excursions for the most part) makes such a difference. When you receive "included" internet on Oceania, it is for one person. You must share or pay the very high internet rates (same rates as on Regent - I believe). Paying for classes in the gym that are included on Regent. If you do want an excursion, they are twice the price of the Regent Choice excursions. And, of course, the alcohol. This brings me to one story before I conclude.

 

My $120+ drink. Drinks on Oceania are 1 measured oz. I decided that I wanted one Long Island Iced Tea while on the ship and did not think about how strong it might be so I ordered a double. Then I "called" the brands of the vodka, gin, tequila and rum. Unfortunately, the bartender was new. I watched her pour 10 shots of alcohol (including triple sec - also alcoholic). The quantity of fluid could not fit into one glass. She put it in two with a bit of Coke (also handed me a can of Coke because it was so strong). When we "rang it up", it took a few minutes. I did not see the bill. I took the drinks upstairs to lunch and could not drink them -- not even when I poured a half a glass of the mixture into half a glass of coke. Later I saw our regular bartender and told her of what I thought was my mistake. A Long Island Iced Tea does have 4 alcohols plus triple sec but the 4 alcohols should total one ounce. Therefore a double should have been two ounces. When a drink is rung up, each alcohol rung up separately (i.e. my normal Kir Royale would be rung up as two alcohols). Anyway, the drink that ended up poured down the drain would have cost at least $120. Now that I've written this whole paragraph I realize that it really isn't funny. But, maybe this is something you can watch out for if you do not have the package and order a drink with more than one alcohol in it.

 

So, as to the question about whether we would ever sail on Oceania again? Never say never...................

[TrulyBlonde]

thanks TC2...enjoyable to read, as usual. One comment: Thank Goodness you did not drink the Long Island...we would have missed all of your posts! ;-))

Now, go unpack, relax, and pour yourself a 2oz. drink..

[nana541]

Gosh Jackie did they really intend to charge so much for that drink and did the charge stay on the bill?????

 

I'm in total disbelief that a charge of that magnitude would stand, think I would have lost it!

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Gosh Jackie did they really intend to charge so much for that drink and did the charge stay on the bill?????

 

I'm in total disbelief that a charge of that magnitude would stand, think I would have lost it!

 

 

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When you have the alcohol package, you do not see or pay the bill. It is included in the $60/day/person. However, it did go into the system as a drink that I purchased. Remember, I did not understand the charges until the next day. Had I known the cost, I would have refused the drink -- just on principle. Although I didn't know the cost, I didn't want the portion that didn't fit into the glass but the bartender insisted. I thought that we could water it down some how but it didn't work. After one taste, I decided that it will be years before I order another one.

[RachelG]

That drink is just crazy. Clearly the bartender didn't know what a Long Island iced tea is.

 

Agree about the Internet. One of our reasons to stick with regent.

 

And I definitely have had both my butler and my room stewardess open the door to our room for me many times on regent, not because I need it or expect it though. I am really fine with opening my own door. But they were there in the hall and noticed I was finding my key card.

[LHT28]

The room attendants on Oceania will even open the door for us peons

if they are in your vicinity ;)

Edited December 14, 2014 by LHT28

[Uncle D]

Thanks for your review of your Oceania cruise in the Oceania Suite. It is a marvelous ship and suite.

Very much looking forward to Computerworks review of his upcoming NCL cruise. Also, hope to see a Disney review from portofinoitaly and janecambridge on this board. It is informative and helpful to read Regent cruiser experiences of other cruise lines and how they relate (or not) to Regent.

[OctoberKat]

Speaking for hoi polloi, I don't mind being also a peon. Also I have been to grouse and boast when flying steerage.

Edited December 15, 2014 by OctoberKat

[computerworks]

I prefer 'plebeian'. :p

[OctoberKat]

Heh