Considering a 1st TA with O

[AlexCherie]

52 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

 

Gosh, I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I was negative on Oceania dining options.  We love Oceania and the dining options but did not  want you to think you could eat in a specialty every night.  They are capacity limited.   

And I don’t feel I am being discriminated if a suite passenger gets an extra reservation.   We’ve gotten a fair number of extra ones and we’ve declined a few because we don’t like to eat late. 

  Oceania is not a stuffy line, which is why we love it.  We’ve shared tables and tours with a federal judge, a retired four?  star general and a newly retired US congressman.  Their occupations were not known to us until the end of a twenty day cruise.  The congressman won the jackpot bingo and we were happy for him. 

 

Good luck with with whatever you do. 

 

Negative? Hardly. And based on the conversations here, I can't imagine the cruise could be stuffy - I wasn't being disingenuous at all regarding looking forward to meeting people onboard.

I see us enjoying the line, I just think all things considered we would be better off immersing ourselves on the offerings on a shorter trip. 

[twochromic]

As for TA's and ships, we have done TA on Crystal and on Seabourn, the latter in a ship smaller than the R's. Smooth as glass the whole way both times. I would not hesitate to book in O's R ships if it worked out schedule wise.

[Banti]

I’m surprised at AlexCherie’s interpretation that he would be restricted from “parts of the ship” because he wasn’t in a suite. We have taken the TA cruise on Oceania the past two Novembers. We liked them so much we have booked them again for 2019, Monte Carlo to Rio,  and 2020, Lisbon to Miami. In 2017 the crossing was as smooth as glass, you could only tell you were moving by looking over the side, and the weather was warm and sunny. This past November we had to miss our stops in the Canary Islands because we were trying to outrun the largest storm in the North Atlantic in 40 years. We did have a day and a half of fairly rough seas, but not enough to interfere with activities on-board. And given the damage the storm caused in the Canaries we were very happy our captain made the decision not to go there. Once we were a little farther south the rest of the crossing was calm, warm, and sunny. Absolutely enjoyable.

 

Regarding dinner, I think you got the wrong impression. We always book the cheapest balcony cabin. I book our allotted number of specialty restaurants on line ahead of time, and have never had any problem getting them. The number you can book ahead depends upon the length of your cruise. Once on-board you can visit the reservations desk in Guest Services each morning, to see if there is any availability in any of the specialty restaurants that evening. We do that frequently and usually can get a same day reservation. You can always get one the day you board, and your last night. Of course, we always ask to share a table, as we like to meet new people. If you are insistent on a table for two you might have more difficulty getting a reservation as there aren’t that many small tables. I have to say we have never had dinner in the Terrace, as we prefer a more leisurely meal, and we like to be served. We find the food and the service in the MDR to be superb. We’ll be taking our ninth Oceania cruise in March. It is a 34 day cruise, and my husband says he wants to try the Terrace once for dinner. We’ll see....

[Paulchili]

8 minutes ago, Banti said:

It is a 34 day cruise, and my husband says he wants to try the Terrace once for dinner. We’ll see....

Try it - you'll like it 

[Mura]

We like it, too!  Yes, there are times when we want to get a bit dressed up and go to the GDR.  It can depend on the menu.

 

But we also like Terrace, especially if we're tired out from touring.  It's very nice to be able to go to the grill area and order a steak made to order, or perhaps shrimp or lobster.  There are so many wonderful choices and you can decide if you want them just by looking at them.  And it doesn't take 2 hours!

 

Mura

[Banti]

One of the things we like about dinner in the MDR is that it does take 2 hours. In fact, we feel a bit cheated if dinner doesn’t last two hours or more. We are dining, not grabbing a bite . We enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, of having time to enjoy the several courses, and sipping wine and chatting with our table mates between courses. When we travel in the States we are always appalled by the bum’s rush we often get, even in higher end restaurants, when your main course is plopped down in front of you when you are only half way through your salad. After all, we are on a cruise, we have no place to rush off to. Enjoy the surroundings, the food, and the company. And by taking a little time between courses they will all taste a little better.

 

Betty

[Sny]

We are looking forward to our fourth Oceania cruise and our first TA next April.  Since most of my husband's career was in food and beverage, we are definitely "foodies."   We haven't shared tables more than a couple of times in all those cruises.  We love the specialties; but also enjoy the Terrace for lunch and the MDR for breakfast and dinner.  On shore days, the Terrace tends to be crowded at breakfast, with people shoving in front of you.  Also, beverage/coffee/tea service can be slow.  Dinner can be much the same.  We've experienced more rude people in the Terrace than in any other dining venue.  

Breakfast in the GDR is always relaxed, with good service.  Although some items on the menu may be ho-hum; we've always found something of interest.  The appetizers are pretty creative and the desserts are wonderful.  Service for dinner in the MDR has been excellent.  We always get to know the host/hostess and they know where we want to sit (window) and know our preferred waiters.  And, we do like the long, relaxed meals.  We don't go to the shows; so we are never in a rush. 

[ChuckandDiPNW]

On 2/4/2019 at 6:51 PM, Mura said:

We like it, too!  Yes, there are times when we want to get a bit dressed up and go to the GDR.  It can depend on the menu.

 

But we also like Terrace, especially if we're tired out from touring.  It's very nice to be able to go to the grill area and order a steak made to order, or perhaps shrimp or lobster.  There are so many wonderful choices and you can decide if you want them just by looking at them.  And it doesn't take 2 hours!

 

Mura

We were newbies in Dec. 2017 on Riviera cruising with another couple for the girls turning 60 birthday trip. Wonderful cruise and spoiled forever as we booked PH cabins. Specialties were fun and liked some better than others. Terrace... speechless!

 

Agreed on the GDR Mura, and loved it! We dressed for dinner and introduced ourselves to the Maitre D' with a handshake and introduced our wives. We were looked after well I can say and the guys that worked our table were all smiles and we could tell they really enjoyed our little group. Food was always spot on and served in perfectly timed increments. After that first night, when we showed up, the Maitre D' waved us to the front of the line with a welcoming smile and had us seated at the same table with the same table staff. 2 hours? Maybe, but we weren't watching the clock so no big deal. We had a blast and so did our serving crew! Sincerely cordial, dress and attitude make for a great experience for all.