Grand Dining Room Menu

[newbie60]

 Currently on Sirena on our 8th day of a 25 day cruise.  Although I don’t post often, I can assure you that I’ve been a longtime Oceania cheerleader.  That having been said....

 

The GDR menu has been remarkably redundant already!  The same shrimp cocktail and Serrano ham/marinated artichoke appetizers appear  on the evening menu daily.  Other dishes appear as often as every other day.  (Chicken liver pate on crostini notable example)  Soups, salads and entrees repeat regularly.  Some items have appeared on the GDR  dinner menu one day and on the lunch menu the next.  

 

It seems to have carried over to Terraces as well.  One evening I had an appetizer in the GDR and it reappeared the next day on the buffet.  This seems to be a drastic change from previous cruises.  Used to be you could count on the menu items being repeated every 14 days or so.  Were this a shorter cruise I might not even have noticed but with only two Specialty restaurants and 18 more days looming, DH and I trying to discover favorite dishes since it appears we will be having them often.

 

Wishing this weren’t true and I welcome dissenting opinions!

[Jay23]

Oh dear   Husband thinks the food is the best and will hardly consider any other cruise co.  Sounds too "samey" ..... doesn't it?

 

J

[sammiedawg]

We were on Sirena earlier  this month and found the menu repetitive, especially appetizers and soup.  I don’t  have the old menus memorized to specifically compare.  However, the GDR food was very good and portions were ample, except for vegetable bouquet type accompaniments.  I have no idea why they skimp on a few grilled veggies. 

 I didn’t see changes at Terrace. A couple of their themed nights were fabulous..  especially the Cuban night.  They went all out on that one. We typically walk through to see what they are serving,  but we eat in GDR or specialty. 

The specialties were excellent but the Tuscan Steak menu has been downsized from our previous Sirena cruise.  Red Ginger menu was unchanged. 

[RJB]

11 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

We were on Sirena earlier  this month and found the menu repetitive, especially appetizers and soup.  I don’t  have the old menus memorized to specifically compare.  However, the GDR food was very good and portions were ample, except for vegetable bouquet type accompaniments.  I have no idea why they skimp on a few grilled veggies. 

 I didn’t see changes at Terrace. A couple of their themed nights were fabulous..  especially the Cuban night.  They went all out on that one. We typically walk through to see what they are serving,  but we eat in GDR or specialty. 

The specialties were excellent but the Tuscan Steak menu has been downsized from our previous Sirena cruise.  Red Ginger menu was unchanged. 

Agree 100%   We we on Sirena about 3 weeks ago and found it lacking in a number of ways.  Tuscan Steak not up to O standards.  Hard to find something to eat the second or third time.   NO ONION RINGS.  In a steak house????   The ship in general seemed tired and in need of fixing up.  Still love O but we will stick to the big ships in the future. 

[sammiedawg]

We thought the ship was in good shape, other than poolside tables in between the loungers and a couple stair treads.  The poolside tables had been sanded but not restained during our ten days.  On one flight of stairs, there were a couple steps with slightly frayed carpet.  It appeared the installer had stretched the carpet too tightly.  

Of course new decor and redone bathrooms will help a lot.  

[ABoatNerd]

Departed Regatta Oct 26.  The GDR and Terrace's food was a significant step down from our previous Oceania cruise.

 

There were many repeats of appetizers, soups and salads. Over and over on our 18 day cruise. I understand repeats would show up after day 14 - but repeats were almost every 4 days. 

 

In the GDR, the shrimp cocktails were just plain sad. In the GDR, a 3 bean salad straight from the can with 2 small onion circles - that was it. No dressing, no garnish, no taste. Had a salad utilizing the white bitter inside of an iceberg lettuce with 4 small bits of blue cheese and 2 walnuts. In the GDR, the meat portions were smaller and tougher. The steak Dianne was just ok. It was just a small thin tough steak and toppings. Food labelled Cajun was bland.  There was simply little to no taste to anything.

 

In the Terrace, the entrees were overcooked and under seasoned. The sandwiches located with the salads were tasteless and made on cheap white bread. The salads were strange, rarely labelled, comprised of yesterday's left overs and always swimming in dressings.

 

At the high tea, the tea sandwiches really showed the cost cutting. Versus my previous cruise a year ago, the breads were white, limited to no seafood fillings, few garnishes and they were frozen, yes frozen. A couple next to us took a plate of frozen sandwiches down to guest relations where they were kicked to the curb and dismissed.

 

On a long 18 day cruise, there were many regular Oceania guests. There was many complaints of the new menus. Much dissatisfaction. 

 

With the exception of the specialties, the GDR and Terrace were no better than the mass lines I have patronized other than in the GDR more choice of offerings, but more choice of offerings does not automatically equate to quality.

 

I did not leave the cruise with the impression of the "finest cuisine at sea". Not.

 

The downgraded food, amongst other things, will prohibit my household and many in our group from patronizing Oceania again.

 

 

[Mura]

3 hours ago, newbie60 said:

 Currently on Sirena on our 8th day of a 25 day cruise.  Although I don’t post often, I can assure you that I’ve been a longtime Oceania cheerleader.  That having been said....

 

The GDR menu has been remarkably redundant already!  The same shrimp cocktail and Serrano ham/marinated artichoke appetizers appear  on the evening menu daily.  Other dishes appear as often as every other day.  (Chicken liver pate on crostini notable example)  Soups, salads and entrees repeat regularly.  Some items have appeared on the GDR  dinner menu one day and on the lunch menu the next.  

 

It seems to have carried over to Terraces as well.  One evening I had an appetizer in the GDR and it reappeared the next day on the buffet.  This seems to be a drastic change from previous cruises.  Used to be you could count on the menu items being repeated every 14 days or so.  Were this a shorter cruise I might not even have noticed but with only two Specialty restaurants and 18 more days looming, DH and I trying to discover favorite dishes since it appears we will be having them often.

 

Wishing this weren’t true and I welcome dissenting opinions!

I reported the same situation on Riviera last May and I expressed my unhappiness with the "new" menus ... although "unhappiness" may be too strong a word, I definitely didn't find it to be an improvement.  However, I did hope that further down the road some changes would be made ... I guess not.

 

Mura

[RJ2002]

Uh oh.  Not happy to see these comments.  We board the Nautica later this week, our first Oceania cruise.  We had our eye on another O cruise that we thought we might book while onboard, but this thread is giving me second thoughts.  I guess we'll make an assessment of the Nautica cuisine before we commit to any additional O cruises.

 

Does Oceania offer a mid-cruise comment card for feedback, similar to Regent?

[sitraveler]

Shrimp cocktail?   Wasn't it a Polo only?

[Mura]

1 hour ago, RJ2002 said:

Uh oh.  Not happy to see these comments.  We board the Nautica later this week, our first Oceania cruise.  We had our eye on another O cruise that we thought we might book while onboard, but this thread is giving me second thoughts.  I guess we'll make an assessment of the Nautica cuisine before we commit to any additional O cruises.

 

Does Oceania offer a mid-cruise comment card for feedback, similar to Regent?

Yes, but in our experience it comes out earlier than truly "mid-cruise".

[RJ2002]

6 minutes ago, Mura said:

Yes, but in our experience it comes out earlier than truly "mid-cruise".

 

Thanks!  Better earlier than later, I suppose, so that they have an opportunity to address any issues.

[pinotlover]

I reported these same issues last summer after 21 days on the Nautica. I was then severely attacked by the Cheerleaders! The food on the Marina was little different last November, and similar in February. Meals in the Red Ginger and Jacques saved the Marina!

 

The chef told us on that cruise that the cuisine was being made to be more approachable to a larger sector of cruisers. Some want it bland, want it all bland, and O has decided to facilitate them. I can no longer count the number of times on O I’ve heard “ Is that spicy? I don’t like spicy !” Followed by the crew member saying “ No, Oceania doesn’t do spicy. Nothing here is spicy anymore!”

 

As I reported from that cruise, large numbers of first timer O cruisers were expressing their disappointments to the chef and, as above, saying “ this is not the best food at sea”!

 

We have two O cruises booked in 2019. If O’s food continues on the downward spiral, they may be our last. Unlike Hawaiian, having griddle fried, typically over cooked, lobster every night is not exciting to me. 

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

Does Oceania offer a mid-cruise comment card for feedback, similar to Regent?

 

Yes they do  but you can also mention any problems to the Maitre'd or GM  at the time of the problem

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, newbie60 said:

 Currently on Sirena on our 8th day of a 25 day cruise.  Although I don’t post often, I can assure you that I’ve been a longtime Oceania cheerleader.  That having been said....

 

The GDR menu has been remarkably redundant already!  The same shrimp cocktail and Serrano ham/marinated artichoke appetizers appear  on the evening menu daily.  Other dishes appear as often as every other day.  (Chicken liver pate on crostini notable example)  Soups, salads and entrees repeat regularly.  Some items have appeared on the GDR  dinner menu one day and on the lunch menu the next.  

 

It seems to have carried over to Terraces as well.  One evening I had an appetizer in the GDR and it reappeared the next day on the buffet.  This seems to be a drastic change from previous cruises.  Used to be you could count on the menu items being repeated every 14 days or so.  Were this a shorter cruise I might not even have noticed but with only two Specialty restaurants and 18 more days looming, DH and I trying to discover favorite dishes since it appears we will be having them often.

 

Wishing this weren’t true and I welcome dissenting opinions!

We're on the same cruise. 

 

Perhaps you're not clear on the new GDR menu concept (introduced this past summer).

 

You are somewhat correct in that, like the repeating daily Jacques Pepin "signature" regulars, there are now some daily regular appetizers and desserts. However, what has  changed is that there are more options in each course than earlier this year with a number of fairly complex ever changing dishes now offered each night in both the GDR and Terrace Grill -often based on an international focus.

 

For example, this evening in the GDR you could have ordered several Moroccan items in addition to the "repeaters" for the less adventurous diners. Basically, the menu options have expanded. But, yes, some of it is a bit more exotic and, perhaps that's why you're seeing "standard" choices more often offered.

 

Remember also that special requests are usually possible with advanced notice to the chefs. For example, with the combination of Toscana and Polo Grill (to allow a full service Red Ginger on this R ship), some old favorites are not on the published menu. But, with advanced requests, you should be able to get much of what's missing on the Tuscan Steak menu.

[LHT28]

well I would disagree  about the spicy food on O

the dish I had in Red Ginger was so spicy  my whole mouth was anesthetized 

They took it back & added more coconut milk to try to diffuse the level of heat ..barely worked ..

waitstaff said "well it has 1 chili pepper next to the description"

 

I have  had this dish in a local Thai restaurant many times  ..it has some heat but I can still feel my mouth 

I am sure some of you who complain about the bland food would have loved  that offering ...if you want more heat/spice  then ask for it 

if they can added to other dishes  without asking how you prefer it I am sure they can add extra spice to your dish if you ask

JMO

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

well I would disagree  about the spicy food on O

the dish I had in Red Ginger was so spicy  my whole mouth was anesthetized 

They took it back & added more coconut milk to try to diffuse the level of heat ..barely worked ..

waitstaff said "well it has 1 chili pepper next to the description"

 

I have  had this dish in a local Thai restaurant many times  ..it has some heat but I can still feel my mouth 

I am sure some of you who complain about the bland food would have loved  that offering ...if you want more heat/spice  then ask for it 

if they can added to other dishes  without asking how you prefer it I am sure they can add extra spice to your dish if you ask

JMO

 

I think you're sort of making my point in my response to the earlier post from someone currently on Sirena too. It appears that the menu "repeaters" in the GDR are giving folks who want "familiar" eats additional choices rather than fewer.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I think you're sort of making my point in my response to the earlier post from someone currently on Sirena too. It appears that the menu "repeaters" in the GDR are giving folks who want "familiar" eats additional choices rather than fewer.

this  curry dish I ordered  has been on the menu in RG since  the beginning of Marina

Had the cook followed the recipe it should have been the same  as in 2011 the description has not changed 

there is  a difference  between "familiar"  &  the cook changing the  dish on they own

anyway  3 strikes you are out  ..no more RG  for us

 

FWIW I enjoyed  several of the new dishes  in the GDR  ..I am not afraid of spices  but  not when it overpowers the taste of the dish

YMMV

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

this  curry dish I ordered  has been on the menu in RG since  the beginning of Marina

Had the cook followed the recipe it should have been the same  as in 2011 the description has not changed 

there is  a difference  between "familiar"  &  the cook changing the  dish on they own

anyway  3 strikes you are out  ..no more RG  for us

 

FWIW I enjoyed  several of the new dishes  in the GDR  ..I am not afraid of spices  but  not when it overpowers the taste of the dish

YMMV

 

I think we're now talking about two different things. 

My recent posts were responding to the posts about GDR repetitions and my belief that they're there to balance the added new stuff.

 

As for Red Ginger, I just had the long-time-on-the-menu "red curry prawns" (the one you're talking about?) two nights ago on Sirena and I agree that it is spicier than the same dish on our last year's cruise on Riviera. However, I had the opposite reaction from you. For me, it was "finally, they've added some heat!"

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As for Red Ginger, I just had the long-time-on-the-menu "red curry prawns" (the one you're talking about?) two nights ago on Sirena and I agree that it is spicier than the same dish on our last year's cruise on Riviera. However, I had the opposite reaction from you. For me, it was "finally, they've added some heat!"

 

actually it was the Green curry dish

spices are there to enhance  the flavour of the dish not to remove all feeling from your mouth

 

to each his/her own

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

actually it was the Green curry dish

spices are there to enhance  the flavour of the dish not to remove all feeling from your mouth

 

to each his/her own

 

I agree: "to each his own."

However, there's more to the traditional "heat" of certain Thai and other Asian foods than just flavoring- https://thaisq.com/why-is-authentic-thai-food-spicy/

If you want authentic ethnic dishes along the lines of green curries (or green salsa et al.) recognize that what is "mouth burning" to some of us is the everyday norm of the folks whose cultures embrace that cuisine.

One of my favorite "hidden gem" restaurants sadly closed earlier this year. It was celebrity chef Ric Orlando's "New World Home Cooking" in Saugerties NY (yes, the "middle of nowhere").

Ric featured several traditionally "spicy hot" ethnic dishes from around the world and each was notated on the menu with one to five chilis

🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 that alerted you to the "heat" factor and informed you that, unless you indicate to the waiter that you want it toned down, it will be prepared authentically. Ric also took some inventive liberties in erasing geographic boundaries. I can still taste (and feel) the "burn" of his (five chili) Penang Bolognese sauce as I wiped the perspiration from my brow. But, oh-so-good and uniquely flavorful was that dish as I washed it down with some ice cold Pilsner Urquell beer.

 

Hmmmm.... i think I'll ask the chef to make some Aragosta Fra Diavola  🌶🌶🌶 for our next visit to Tuscan Steak.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Flatbush Flyer

[newbie60]

I’m pleased to see the various comments on this thread.  As many have pointed out, the ship must please the majority.  

 

Flatbush Flyer has noted that there are International offerings nightly and he’s absolutely correct!  One evening I enjoyed a Spanish Chicken casserole (totally uncertain of what I’d get) and it was fabulous!  I mentioned this to the server and she acknowledged that very few ordered it as that night they offered rack of lamb and most people ordered that!

 

Guess the point I’m making is that, without dipping a toe into something perhaps unknown, the regular offerings get pretty tiring on a long cruise.  This is a pretty drastic change from our early days with Oceania where we delighted in each evenings menu.  

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, newbie60 said:

I’m pleased to see the various comments on this thread.  As many have pointed out, the ship must please the majority.  

 

Flatbush Flyer has noted that there are International offerings nightly and he’s absolutely correct!  One evening I enjoyed a Spanish Chicken casserole (totally uncertain of what I’d get) and it was fabulous!  I mentioned this to the server and she acknowledged that very few ordered it as that night they offered rack of lamb and most people ordered that!

 

Guess the point I’m making is that, without dipping a toe into something perhaps unknown, the regular offerings get pretty tiring on a long cruise.  This is a pretty drastic change from our early days with Oceania where we delighted in each evenings menu.  

 

 

Like every Oceania GM we've encountered previously, Claudio (the GM currently on Sirena)  welcomes input regarding kudos and concerns.

Passengers need to "speak up" (in writing is always good too). It does make a difference.

We will probably dine with Claudio during this cruise and I will remind him about CC comments.

[RJB]

51 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Like every Oceania GM we've encountered previously, Claudio (the GM currently on Sirena)  welcomes input regarding kudos and concerns.

Passengers need to "speak up" (in writing is always good too). It does make a difference.

We will probably dine with Claudio during this cruise and I will remind him about CC comments.

Claudio is one of the best GM's that O has. We dined with him about 4 weeks ago and he is always wanting to listen to comments both good and bad.  Need more like him.   

[LHT28]

They had a dish presented in a Tagine  it  was sort of bland  compared  to one I had  on the ship  before 

so I think it is the cooks  that "play" with the recipes

The 1st time it had some  nice spices  to bring out the flavour  of the dish ...(not all dishes are  made with  spices for HEAT)  this  time is was lacking  any flavour other than the vegetables  that were in the dish

DH  had one of the vegetarian dishes  it was  just the right amount of spice ..had it again a few days later  it was bland 

read into what you want

 

There  are new  dishes  some  are hit or miss .

 

[shank63]

Our first Oceania cruise was on the Riviera in October.  Except for breakfast, the food in the GDR was not up to our expectations.  The ceasar salad was disappointing in the GDR, but I took a chance in Polo and ordered the “prepared table side” ceasar which was  a huge disappointment.  Redundant menu items and entrees like Beef Wellington, steak Diane and Chicken Kiev falling short of expectations are the real disappointment of the GDR.  However, breakfast with a side of lamb chops was a favorite of mine.  All of the specialty restaurants were wonderful in my opinion, although my wife did not find Red Ginger pleasing to her taste buds.  As it’s been said on this forum, food preferences are subjective so I will not be surprised by those who may take issue with my opinions.

Edited November 13, 2018 by shank63