Tried Oceania once, but not again

[BillPizzaiolo]

I have considerable experience in Food...studied at Cordon Blu and CIA... in my younger days. Oceana is too those standards. Classic presentation well done and well presented.......

This my comment, when ever I read the comment" inedible" that sets the complaint in a very special class. One in which the Princess and the Pea resides.

 

Rick has a "very specific" idea of good cuisine that is his and his alone. Rick had very specific personal ideas not shared by most. Not that they are wrong..only confined to his personal attitude.

That's fine... but it is no way a reflection of what is reality for others.

Food is top quality.

To complain about frozen food is to bare ones personal knowlwdge or lack thereof, steeped in a faulty or distorted word of mouth; One of the great urban myths around. My reality is a flash frozen meat or fish will always surpass a fresh product that has to lay on ice for 24 to 36 hours !!!

 

I live near La quinta and Palm Springs and can fairly say there isn't a restaurant in the region that come close to Oceania ... not in any cuisine except Mexican!

 

I have sailed Regent too....and let me say this...if you find something grossly awful... I suggest a visit to the mirror to discover the real problem .

The reality is that. Oceiana To me over 43 days provided flawless product

 

Oh, amigo...proper fish and chips is not served with tarter sauce but malt viniger... unless you consider Long John Silvers the standard.

+2 Some of the new cuisines are just marketing ploys to attract wanna be experts. Good for the economy but not our money. Therefor, vote with your $$$ and not your voice.

[hondorner]

...Oh, amigo...proper fish and chips is not served with tarter sauce but malt viniger... unless you consider Long John Silvers the standard.

Hey, Dan, Long John Silvers is where I was introduced to malt vinegar, it's always available. The fish may be bland, but the cracklins are great. I don't care for tartar sauce on anything. I now put malt vinegar on any fried seafood. But -- most places you have to ask for it.

 

As for 1975 classics, I was 35 years old in 1975, probably at the peak of my taste buds, I liked it then and I still do. Oceania is fine, although sometimes a little too wacky for my taste when they do try to modernize.

[JPR]

Hawaiidan:

 

We agree that great restaurants are few and far between in Palm Springs and environs. Have you eaten at Johannes on Indian Ave. and Arenas in Palm Springs proper? Our favorite Palm Springs restaurant. Superb seafood salad "all seafood with a special dressing), puréed mushroom soup,raw Brussels sprout salad, cheese spaetzle, weinerschnitzel, quail, salmon, and venison, but everything is delicious there. Retro Palm Springs ambience.

 

Food edges out the cuisine at the nearby Le Vallauris, but the patio there is magical.

Edited February 13, 2015 by JPR

[Gold*Star]

I start to be a bit nervous after all the comments. We have booked our honeymoon cruise on Riviera for next summer. We have done 6 cruises on Celebrity and 4 of them in Aqua class and want something more luxurious for our honeymoon. We dont mind the older passengers but we booked this cruise because of the FOOD. I hope we won't be dissappointed! :)

 

We're in our early & mid-30s and have booked a January 2016 cruise on Insignia. While we love meeting and talking to people, it isn't the goal of our vacations.

We love food and eat in a lot of high end restaurants and I doubt we'll be disappointed :)

[conkshell47]

Yes, just try it. We like O very much, Rivieria and Nautica. Of course it is not perfect, but I love the small size ships and the unique ports, which is our main focus. Oceania is very liberal on their bring aboard wine and liquor. On our 28 day cruise we brought in wines from every port as well as spirits. A good alternative to their high prices and somewhat poor selection of wines.

[Travelcat2]

Never ate at Long John Silvers -- had my first "proper" fish and chips at Arthur Treacher's (fast-food restaurant). Actually, don't remember how "proper" it was. While my British DH has his fish with malt vinegar, I have both malt vinegar and a small bit of tartar sauce on the side. We were served fish and chips with white vinegar in a famous restaurant in Sydney, Australia (Doyle's). We were shocked and disappointed that they did not even carry malt vinegar. My point is that everyone has their own version of how they like their fish and chips and well as other food.

 

IMO, it is not possible for any chef to season food in a way that will please everyone. Many top chefs insist that food must have salt in it to bring out flavor (not a lot -- just a touch) while others do not put any salt in a dish and feel it is better to allow the diner to salt his/her own food.

 

We feel that the presentation of the food on Oceania is excellent and we enjoy the preparation of most dishes. I would prefer a little more "heat" in Red Ginger's food but am happy if we are given the spices on the side to add a bit of heat. We prefer the escargot in Polo over the escargot in Jacques -- different preparation - different seasonings. The quality is no doubt the same but if I had tried it in Jacques first, I am fairly certain that I would have avoided it in Polo.

 

The only area we have difficulty with is the Terrace Café due to items being served incorrectly more than once. The first was a pasta dish with clams that were not heated enough for the clams to open. The person serving the dish tried to pry a clam open (a dangerous thing to do). The second also had to do with pasta. The line of people was very long so the pasta was being "heated" in water that probably had not been boiling for a long time. The pasta was dipped in the cool water for a minute -- topped with the sauce (also not hot) and put on a hot plate (so the pasta at the bottom was lukewarm:-) There was just enough going wrong in the Terrace Café for me to be comfortable dining there (their cold items seemed fine).

 

IMO, when a negative review is given, whether it be food, service or ???, having other posters give opposing views is important. When most of us read reviews, we look for the general consensus. On Oceania, there is no question that the consensus is that the food excellent -- some of the best (if not the best) at sea.

[Baybear]

I have considerable experience in Food...studied at Cordon Blu and CIA... in my younger days. Oceana is too those standards. Classic presentation well done and well presented.......

This my comment, when ever I read the comment" inedible" that sets the complaint in a very special class. One in which the Princess and the Pea resides.

 

Rick has a "very specific" idea of good cuisine that is his and his alone. Rick had very specific personal ideas not shared by most. Not that they are wrong..only confined to his personal attitude.

That's fine... but it is no way a reflection of what is reality for others.

Food is top quality.

To complain about frozen food is to bare ones personal knowlwdge or lack thereof, steeped in a faulty or distorted word of mouth; One of the great urban myths around. My reality is a flash frozen meat or fish will always surpass a fresh product that has to lay on ice for 24 to 36 hours !!!

 

I live near La quinta and Palm Springs and can fairly say there isn't a restaurant in the region that come close to Oceania ... not in any cuisine except Mexican!

 

I have sailed Regent too....and let me say this...if you find something grossly awful... I suggest a visit to the mirror to discover the real problem .

The reality is that. Oceiana To me over 43 days provided flawless product

 

Oh, amigo...proper fish and chips is not served with tarter sauce but malt viniger... unless you consider Long John Silvers the standard.

 

Add my vote to Hawaii Dan's! Just got off Riviera (first time on Oceania) from the Feb 3-13 sailing from Miami. Before this we liked Celebrity food best, but now hands-down it's Oceania's food (Never been on Silversea, Seaborn or Regent though). Compared to all the other lines we’ve been on (see profile below) Oceania would have to win hands-down, unless you do not really know your “foodie stuff” and just like pizza & beer, or you just had a bad day when reporting. I think the vote tally here from the various respondents tells a more accurate story for the majority of cruisers than the OP’s singular experience.

 

I've (Dave) been cooking for 30 years now as a hobby and make my own Hollandaise sauce, souffles, beef Wellington, various Mole sauces, Cocquille St. Jacques, etc. I've never had better food on a ship than on Riviera. And we sailed on QE2 in 1987 when you could order off the menu (that WAS classic cooking, of course). I’ve eaten “inventive food” several times on shore, including in France a few years ago, and most of them were badly conceived, too “messy with complexity,” and just not a good combination of tastes and textures. Once in a great while you get something new that is actually worthy to repeat. But I don’t think cruise ships are at all into evolutionary creativity in the culinary department, nor should they be. If you want that, go to a 3-star Michelin restaurant.

 

As to inventive cooking, if “new cuisine” is “foam” and “vertical food,” then count me out! They are just plain goofy and are fads, as are many of the new cuisine styles just meant to get people to pay a lot of money for something with no real merit or lasting value. But as far as “classic food” goes on Oceania: I wouldn't consider Miso glazed sea bass as "classic." Nor Duck & Watermelon Salad, nor an artichoke/truffle/Parmesan timbale appetizer.

 

And as for the classics, there’s a reason they’re classic… they’re the best tried-and-true dishes that keep their appeal. But the classics can either be done well, or done badly and Oceania does all of the classics beautifully! That should be the main message here. Their Beef Wellington was better than I make… melt-in-your-mouth medium-rare tenderloin in a mushroom/fois-gras-pate coating covered by a flaky (mine is always more pie-crusty… that’s why Oceania’s is better than mine) crust. And a great Maderia sauce with it.

 

Classic lobster was available in the MDR and specialty restaurants every night and was always Maine Lobster, which is 100% better than the Caribbean lobster you get on all the other lines. I’ve never been on a line (even Celebrity) that had lobster more than one, or two nights at the most. It was prepared a number of different ways on the cruise and drawn-butter was always “on the side” if you didn’t want to dip it. To be fair, the MDR for lunch and the Waves Grill by the pool did have Caribbean lobster for their entrees and sandwiches and it was very chewy and a little “gamy” tasting, but it wasn’t advertised as Maine lobster in the first place.

 

All Oceania’s food offerings were varied (like desserts… On Costa they are ALL gelatin!) and are made with rich, home-made stocks and things like caramel that was made by actually cooking the raw sugar themselves (I can tell because I make it at home myself). Their crepe suzettes were wonderful with Grand Marnier and fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice in the caramel sauce. How can you beat that? Most of their dishes are complex preparations that use only the freshest ingredients that you just don’t find on the other lines in my estimation. Just a little more interesting and bolder spicing and herbing on Oceania than on any of the others. It’s not all perfect: Caesar salad does need some fresh-squeezed lemon juice added, in my opinion to make it more “bright.”

 

And speaking of “non-foodie items” they even have things like chocolate malted shakes by the pool that I have not found on other lines (no malted). And also by the pool -- fascinating “riffs” on hot dogs and hamburgers with an excellent quality meat (like hot dog with chopped shrimp, crispy onions and a great mayonnaise-y sauce on it). So even some of the pool food is not classic!

 

My taste buds have never had such a good time as on this 10-day cruise. Day after day of great and different dishes. I hope NCL doesn’t change any of this in the future. If you’ve never been on Oceania before you have NOTHING to worry about.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Baybear

[PaulMCO]

I have considerable experience in Food...studied at Cordon Blu and CIA..

 

Dan -- Did you go to the CIA school at Langley?? :D

 

One think that does disappoint -- that O has never learned to make a proper Bagel. Their bread products are great -- except they continue to use a frozen product (at least it tastes frozen). :(

[Floridiana]

Who eats bagel when you have French bread and pastry chef on board. :)

[Paulchili]

 

Many top chefs insist that food must have salt in it to bring out flavor (not a lot -- just a touch) while others do not put any salt in a dish and feel it is better to allow the diner to salt his/her own food.

 

(highlighting mine)

I think you are wrong about this. Any top chef worth his reputation will not have either salt nor pepper on his table (because the food is "perfect just as is" - according to his/her preparation).

I would not recommend asking for either of those in these type of restaurants :D

Edited February 14, 2015 by Paulchili

[Travelcat2]

(highlighting mine)

I think you are wrong about this. Any top chef worth his reputation will not have either salt nor pepper on his table (because the food is "perfect just as is" - according to his/her preparation).

I would not recommend asking for either of those in these type of restaurants :D

 

Think I watch the Food Network too much and forget that, although they think they are stars, they aren't really top chefs:D

[Paulchili]

Baybear,

I am glad you enjoyed the food on Oceania. The wonderful food is but one of the main reasons we keep coming back over and over again.

As I said before, not everything is perfect but it's hard to beat a great food experience in 90+% of the time (at least IME).

As always, YMMV

Edited February 14, 2015 by Paulchili

[Kevnzworld]

(highlighting mine)

I think you are wrong about this. Any top chef worth his reputation will not have either salt nor pepper on his table (because the food is "perfect just as is" - according to his/her preparation).

I would not recommend asking for either of those in these type of restaurants :D

 

Oceania's food is deliberately under seasoned. There are many passengers who for health reasons prefer low or no salt.

Regarding land based chefs, though the familiar salt and pepper shakers may now be absent, many better restaurants offer gourmet sea salts as an adjunct.

La Reserve offers a really good selection of salts to accompany their dishes...credit to Oceania for that.

[StanandJim]

many better restaurants offer gourmet sea salts as an adjunct.

 

Yes, sea salt is the current affectation, second only to Siracha mania.

I'll take 1975, thank you ;)

[TrulyBlonde]

yes, sea salt is the current affectation, second only to siracha mania.

I'll take 1975, thank you ;)

 

+1...

[Mura]

Oceania's food is deliberately under seasoned. There are many passengers who for health reasons prefer low or no salt.

Regarding land based chefs, though the familiar salt and pepper shakers may now be absent, many better restaurants offer gourmet sea salts as an adjunct.

La Reserve offers a really good selection of salts to accompany their dishes...credit to Oceania for that.

 

You obviously haven't seen any of the fairly numerous comments that the food is too salty ... I have never felt that way myself (and I tend not to salt my food, and if I do I wait until I have tasted it first) ... but it's a not unheard of complaint.

 

Mura

[Kevnzworld]

Yes, sea salt is the current affectation, second only to Siracha mania.

I'll take 1975, thank you ;)

 

Haha, I'm beginning to realize that most, both here and on the ship feel that way re: cuisine circa 1975!

I'll take 2015 thank you very much. ESPECIALLY the food. Though I wouldn't mind being 19 again.....

Edited February 14, 2015 by Kevnzworld

[takemewithyou]

Add my vote to Hawaii Dan's! Just got off Riviera (first time on Oceania) from the Feb 3-13 sailing from Miami. Before this we liked Celebrity food best, but now hands-down it's Oceania's food (Never been on Silversea, Seaborn or Regent though). Compared to all the other lines we’ve been on (see profile below) Oceania would have to win hands-down, unless you do not really know your “foodie stuff” and just like pizza & beer, or you just had a bad day when reporting. I think the vote tally here from the various respondents tells a more accurate story for the majority of cruisers than the OP’s singular experience.

 

I've (Dave) been cooking for 30 years now as a hobby and make my own Hollandaise sauce, souffles, beef Wellington, various Mole sauces, Cocquille St. Jacques, etc. I've never had better food on a ship than on Riviera. And we sailed on QE2 in 1987 when you could order off the menu (that WAS classic cooking, of course). I’ve eaten “inventive food” several times on shore, including in France a few years ago, and most of them were badly conceived, too “messy with complexity,” and just not a good combination of tastes and textures. Once in a great while you get something new that is actually worthy to repeat. But I don’t think cruise ships are at all into evolutionary creativity in the culinary department, nor should they be. If you want that, go to a 3-star Michelin restaurant.

 

As to inventive cooking, if “new cuisine” is “foam” and “vertical food,” then count me out! They are just plain goofy and are fads, as are many of the new cuisine styles just meant to get people to pay a lot of money for something with no real merit or lasting value. But as far as “classic food” goes on Oceania: I wouldn't consider Miso glazed sea bass as "classic." Nor Duck & Watermelon Salad, nor an artichoke/truffle/Parmesan timbale appetizer.

 

And as for the classics, there’s a reason they’re classic… they’re the best tried-and-true dishes that keep their appeal. But the classics can either be done well, or done badly and Oceania does all of the classics beautifully! That should be the main message here. Their Beef Wellington was better than I make… melt-in-your-mouth medium-rare tenderloin in a mushroom/fois-gras-pate coating covered by a flaky (mine is always more pie-crusty… that’s why Oceania’s is better than mine) crust. And a great Maderia sauce with it.

 

Classic lobster was available in the MDR and specialty restaurants every night and was always Maine Lobster, which is 100% better than the Caribbean lobster you get on all the other lines. I’ve never been on a line (even Celebrity) that had lobster more than one, or two nights at the most. It was prepared a number of different ways on the cruise and drawn-butter was always “on the side” if you didn’t want to dip it. To be fair, the MDR for lunch and the Waves Grill by the pool did have Caribbean lobster for their entrees and sandwiches and it was very chewy and a little “gamy” tasting, but it wasn’t advertised as Maine lobster in the first place.

 

All Oceania’s food offerings were varied (like desserts… On Costa they are ALL gelatin!) and are made with rich, home-made stocks and things like caramel that was made by actually cooking the raw sugar themselves (I can tell because I make it at home myself). Their crepe suzettes were wonderful with Grand Marnier and fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice in the caramel sauce. How can you beat that? Most of their dishes are complex preparations that use only the freshest ingredients that you just don’t find on the other lines in my estimation. Just a little more interesting and bolder spicing and herbing on Oceania than on any of the others. It’s not all perfect: Caesar salad does need some fresh-squeezed lemon juice added, in my opinion to make it more “bright.”

 

And speaking of “non-foodie items” they even have things like chocolate malted shakes by the pool that I have not found on other lines (no malted). And also by the pool -- fascinating “riffs” on hot dogs and hamburgers with an excellent quality meat (like hot dog with chopped shrimp, crispy onions and a great mayonnaise-y sauce on it). So even some of the pool food is not classic!

 

My taste buds have never had such a good time as on this 10-day cruise. Day after day of great and different dishes. I hope NCL doesn’t change any of this in the future. If you’ve never been on Oceania before you have NOTHING to worry about.

Just want to say thank you for your descriptions of the food and the background you provided on yourself. You and others earlier in the thread have reassured me about the food. Especially appreciate the clarification you gave about where Maine lobster and Caribbean lobster are served. Being from New England originally, my Maine lobster is quite important to me! Caribbean lobster just does not cut it for me! still looking forward to our first cruise on Oceania...:)

[sassyw]

Interesting read--we are doing the same thing this year you did last. Celebrity TA and then Seabourn Quest Baltic (4/27-5/11 TA) then 5/12-6/8 Baltic) Was the weather cold???

We are in a spa suite on X and will have the new dining room. Will report.

[Kevnzworld]

Interesting read--we are doing the same thing this year you did last. Celebrity TA and then Seabourn Quest Baltic (4/27-5/11 TA) then 5/12-6/8 Baltic) Was the weather cold???

We are in a spa suite on X and will have the new dining room. Will report.

 

 

The weather on both cruises was great. The Baltic was unseasonably warm. Warm enough for a few pool days! Seabourn Quest is great , especially the food. In St Petersburg the ship is small enough to dock in the city, NOT 30 minutes away like bigger ships.

I liked the Quest so much that I have a month booked March 28.

Oh, and unlike Oceania the lobster is cold water lobster. The everyday lobster in the Terrace grill was Carribean lobster btw.

Quest has any day caviar with the fixings. Can't beat that.

[ORV]

The weather on both cruises was great. The Baltic was unseasonably warm. Warm enough for a few pool days! Seabourn Quest is great , especially the food. In St Petersburg the ship is small enough to dock in the city, NOT 30 minutes away like bigger ships.

I liked the Quest so much that I have a month booked March 28.

Oh, and unlike Oceania the lobster is cold water lobster. The everyday lobster in the Terrace grill was Carribean lobster btw.

Quest has any day caviar with the fixings. Can't beat that.

 

How does the price compare?

[PirateShark]

Yes, sea salt is the current affectation, second only to Siracha mania.

I'll take 1975, thank you ;)

 

Hey! My awesome butler produced siracha for my eggs on a daily basis :D. I know it's not everyone's cuppa but I do like it on many items :p

[Kevnzworld]

How does the price compare?

 

Seabourn includes drinks and gratuities. Their cabins are 300 sq ft suites with walk-in closets.. 25% larger than Oceania, which matters to us.

They sail three new ships with 450 passengers each. They are building two new ships with 600 passengers each.

Look at the itineraries, especially in Europe. They dock at ports others don't or can't......

Their prices are roughly in the same category as Oceania. $1000 per night give or take.

[StanandJim]

Seabourn includes drinks and gratuities. Their cabins are 300 sq ft suites with walk-in closets.. 25% larger than Oceania, which matters to us.

They sail three new ships with 450 passengers each. They are building two new ships with 600 passengers each.

Look at the itineraries, especially in Europe. They dock at ports others don't or can't......

Their prices are roughly in the same category as Oceania. $1000 per night give or take.

 

Seabourn is somewhat comparable to Oceania price-wise only if you're sailing in a Suite on Oceania.

 

For those content with a standard cabin, Oceania works out to cost a fraction of the Seabourn price.

 

By the way, Kevin, when describing the Seabourn fleet, you conveniently left out the Legend and the Spirit, two ships which are Twenty Seven and Twenty Five years old, respectively........naughty naughty.

Edited February 15, 2015 by StanandJim

[Travelcat2]

Seabourn includes drinks and gratuities. Their cabins are 300 sq ft suites with walk-in closets.. 25% larger than Oceania, which matters to us.

They sail three new ships with 450 passengers each. They are building two new ships with 600 passengers each.

Look at the itineraries, especially in Europe. They dock at ports others don't or can't......

Their prices are roughly in the same category as Oceania. $1000 per night give or take.

 

Keep in mind that you are comparing a luxury all-inclusive cruise line with one that is not. You can certainly get a suite on Seabourn for less than $1,000/night /person (just as you can get suites on Oceania for more than $1,000/night/person.

 

Although, IMO, this is comparing apples and oranges, if you do a price comparison, remember....... Seabourn does not include airfare.

 

Note: We have not sailed on Seabourn but have friends that have. While we have heard great reviews about Seabourn, we have not tried it because smoking is allowed on the balconies. This is a deal breaker for us.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Travelcat2