Terrace Cafe for Dinner?

[pinotlover]

First of all, we view dining in the Terrace much like boarding an airplane. As we allow those needing assistance or extra time to board the plane first, we do the same in the Terrace at dinner. There are typically multiples that need that opportunity without further congestion for either seating or in the food lines. Therefore, it’s typically ~7:00ish when we appear there.

 

Second, it has been our experience that on those few beautiful evenings when the ship stays in port late, a portion of that early rush are people ( or scouts sent to secure and hold) racing to get one of those prime tables on the Terrace deck.

 

This typically means two things for us: 1. By the time we arrive, the outside seating is gone. (2) Many of those folks bogart those tables for the entire evening. We have found the deck full and left to return closer to 8:00 finding the exact same people enjoying those same tables and continuing to do so until close. My prime motivation in pointing this out is to possibly dampen some of the enthusiasm on this possible experience. Oceania rarely does extended dockings to start with, so unless you are prepared to get in line early and make the dash, don’t believe that the delightful experience will necessarily come your way. But you never know when you might get lucky! Hope reigns supreme!

Edited October 12, 2019 by pinotlover

[NoWhiners]

8 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Second, it has been our experience that on those few beautiful evenings when the ship stays in port late, a portion of that early rush are people ( or scouts sent to secure and hold) racing to get one of those prime tables on the Terrace deck.

 

 

So, are you saying the "prime" tables are outside but there are plenty of tables inside? We are new to O and I don't even know if there are inside/outside tables, but I think I saw that on the Insignia deck plan.

 

We would be fine sitting at a non-prime table at Terrace, but if there aren't any tables available that would be annoying. I guess we will go check out the seating before we make our decision on whether or not to eat there.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, NoWhiners said:

 

So, are you saying the "prime" tables are outside but there are plenty of tables inside? We are new to O and I don't even know if there are inside/outside tables, but I think I saw that on the Insignia deck plan.

 

We would be fine sitting at a non-prime table at Terrace, but if there aren't any tables available that would be annoying. I guess we will go check out the seating before we make our decision on whether or not to eat there.

there are tables inside & outside

a smaller number outside   but  it depends on the day & what other pax  decide  when/where to eat  if there will be tables available  in either location

breakfast in the Terrace can be busy  at times

We will eat at Waves  fir breakfast  weather permitting

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, NoWhiners said:

We would be fine sitting at a non-prime table at Terrace, but if there aren't any tables available that would be annoying. I guess we will go check out the seating before we make our decision on whether or not to eat there.

Don’t be discouraged by some posts here.

When we are not dining in the specialties 9 out 10 times we dine at the Terrace and I am yet to be turned away for lack of tables in 25+ cruises. Ditto for lunch although it can be very busy when several tours return at same time - then Waves is another option.

You’ll be fine.

PS FWIW, we dine early.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Paulchili

[NoWhiners]

29 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

there are tables inside & outside

a smaller number outside   but  it depends on the day & what other pax  decide  when/where to eat  if there will be tables available  in either location

breakfast in the Terrace can be busy  at times

We will eat at Waves  fir breakfast  weather permitting

 

 

Thank you LHT, helpful as always. I didn't know that waves is an option for breakfast (add that to the really long list of things I don't know about O!). Is this for continental only or can you also get hot food there? I think Waves would be good given our destinations are the Caribbean and the Amazon.

[pinotlover]

No whiners;

 

Sorry about the confusion. My comments were exclusively about the tables located on the outside deck of the Terrace Cafe. Some of those tables are in full sun ( or stars), while others are under the canopy above and shaded. Those shaded have a restricted view because of the canopy. The unshaded tables do have collapsing umbrellas if you choose to use them. On those beautiful evenings, those outside unrestricted view tables are the ones at a premium at dinner. Seating inside, at dinner, is typically easily available.

 

During inclement weather the outside deck is closed for dining.

 

Breakfast and lunch are served at Waves. Waves is a buffet with a short order Grill. Hot items are available. Be aware that on cool mornings keeping those items warm on the buffet line can be a challenge. This should not affect you in the Caribbean or the Amazon. However, when it’s 40 F outside, as it has been on a couple of our cruises it will affect most decisions on whether to eat there or not.

[basor]

Another option for Waves is to bring a plate filled from the Terrace buffet and eat at one of the outside tables....best of both worlds!  Also, generally much quieter with fewer people.  As long as the pool side bar is open,  you will receive drink service at your table.

[Paulchili]

40 minutes ago, basor said:

Another option for Waves is to bring a plate filled from the Terrace buffet and eat at one of the outside tables....best of both worlds

..and vice versa - food from the Waves consumed in the cool of the A/C of the Terrace 😊

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

No whiners;

 

Sorry about the confusion.

Breakfast and lunch are served at Waves. Waves is a buffet with a short order Grill. Hot items are available. 

 

Absolutely no confusion, I really appreciated reading your comments. We can roll with whatever happens, but it is good to have an idea of what to expect, so thanks. Notes on the food on offer are great too.

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, basor said:

Another option for Waves is to bring a plate filled from the Terrace buffet and eat at one of the outside tables....best of both worlds!  Also, generally much quieter with fewer people.  As long as the pool side bar is open,  you will receive drink service at your table.

 

This is such a good idea. I think our weather will be nice, so sitting outside anywhere would be fun.

 

Thanks for your post.

[LHT28]

Just to add  I know on the O class  ships they have hot/cold foods at Waves for breakfast 

not sure on the R class ships 

last time we were on Regatta  there was just continental style  eg: cold cereal, rolls , fruit etc

maybe things have changed  since 2016

[DeeniEncinitas]

Really enjoyed reading all responses!

Thank you so much to all. Our first 2 cruises coming up March April and I’m ready!

Denise😊

[Twiga]

7 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

 

So, are you saying the "prime" tables are outside but there are plenty of tables inside? We are new to O and I don't even know if there are inside/outside tables, but I think I saw that on the Insignia deck plan.

 

We would be fine sitting at a non-prime table at Terrace, but if there aren't any tables available that would be annoying. I guess we will go check out the seating before we make our decision on whether or not to eat there.

 

When you arrive in The Terrace Cafe, find a seat before getting any food. I have never been unable to find a table.  Occasionally I have waited for a table to be cleared. The servers will come around and ask for your drinks request.  Once I've given my drinks order (e.g. coffee, juice, water, wine, etc.) I then go get my food.  If I want to see what is available for that meal, I will walk through the food area first, then go get a table.  It is much easier if you get a table before carrying plates of food around.

[NoWhiners]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Just to add  I know on the O class  ships they have hot/cold foods at Waves for breakfast 

not sure on the R class ships 

last time we were on Regatta  there was just continental style  eg: cold cereal, rolls , fruit etc

maybe things have changed  since 2016

 

Thanks LHT, this could still work. We can get some eggs at the Terrace, then go to Waves to sit and get fruit. We won't be surprised if we don't see hot food.

[NoWhiners]

43 minutes ago, Twiga said:

 

When you arrive in The Terrace Cafe, find a seat before getting any food. I have never been unable to find a table.  Occasionally I have waited for a table to be cleared. The servers will come around and ask for your drinks request.  Once I've given my drinks order (e.g. coffee, juice, water, wine, etc.) I then go get my food.  If I want to see what is available for that meal, I will walk through the food area first, then go get a table.  It is much easier if you get a table before carrying plates of food around.

 

Yes, this is a good idea. We can scope out food and table situation, then decide what to do.

Thanks.

[Mura]

We also get a table first.  I will say that it has sometimes been difficult to find a table on the "R" ships but we've never had a problem on the "O" ships.  It's just that Marina and Riviera have so much more space than Regatta, etc., do.

 

We will leave objects on the table to show that it's taken -- I remember seeing comments about people who have moved such objects while the original occupants were getting their food, but that's never happened to us.  Often I will go check out the food given DH's vision problems these days.  I may bring back two plates or just one.  Or I will make two trips.  Often we go through the offerings so that I can tell Howard what is there.  And we always check out the menu posted outside first.

 

We've never had a problem at dinner but lunch and breakfast can have its problems depending on how many people suddenly arrive ...

 

We like Terrace a lot ...

[NoWhiners]

12 hours ago, Mura said:

We also get a table first.  I will say that it has sometimes been difficult to find a table on the "R" ships but we've never had a problem on the "O" ships.  It's just that Marina and Riviera have so much more space than Regatta, etc., do.

 

We will leave objects on the table to show that it's taken --

 

We've never had a problem at dinner but lunch and breakfast can have its problems depending on how many people suddenly arrive ...

 

We like Terrace a lot ...

 

Hmm, the more I read, the more concerned I am about space on Insignia. Generally at breakfast and lunch, we just sit anywhere we can find a spot but sometimes that isn't ideal, for a number of reasons. I guess we'll know soon 🙂 Once we find a table, we usually just take turns getting our food and the other person orders whatever we are drinking. I do feel a bit better after I read that we can go out and sit by Waves, which I think would be nice. At least for breakfast, not sure how easy that would be at lunchtime.

 

Thanks for your post, helpful as always.

Edited October 13, 2019 by NoWhiners
add info

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Hmm, the more I read, the more concerned I am about space on Insignia. Generally at breakfast and lunch, we just sit anywhere we can find a spot but sometimes that isn't ideal, for a number of reasons. I guess we'll know soon 🙂 Once we find a table, we usually just take turns getting our food and the other person orders whatever we are drinking. I do feel a bit better after I read that we can go out and sit by Waves, which I think would be nice. At least for breakfast, not sure how easy that would be at lunchtime.

 

Thanks for your post, helpful as always.

I would not worry about it  just go with the flow

for breakfast we prefer to eat alone   but for lunch & dinner we may ask others to join their table if they are alone

we usually do the GDR for dinner  most night  so seating is not a problem

Enjoy

[NoWhiners]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I would not worry about it  just go with the flow

for breakfast we prefer to eat alone   but for lunch & dinner we may ask others to join their table if they are alone

we usually do the GDR for dinner  most night  so seating is not a problem

Enjoy

 

Yes, you're right, we will just go with whatever it is. We also prefer to breakfast alone but sometimes it isn't possible. It works better when we have lots of port excursions, we are more motivated to get up early and get going!

 

We always have a debate about where to have dinner, DH prefers GDR, I prefer the buffet. It just seems to take so long to get thru dinner in the DR vs the buffet. Usually we check the GDR menu and then decide. I don't think we'll starve, the food options seem quite good on O.

 

Thanks.

[Mura]

On the "R" ships we tend to avoid Terrace at breakfast time (especially on tour days) because it CAN be difficult to find a table.  It's not such a problem on the "O" ships.  We rarely have had trouble finding a table for lunch or dinner in Terrace on the "R" ships.  I should mention that we tend to go in later for those meals, definitely not opening time.

 

These days we will have breakfast in the GDR on days when we don't need to be off the ship quickly, and on tour days we'll order in to our room.

 

The one time in recent years when we took a downsell to a B1, we did have breakfast in Terrace on tour days and we didn't have a problem that I recall with finding a table.  For the record, this was on Nautica.

 

Mura

[Classiccruiser777]

18 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Thanks LHT, this could still work. We can get some eggs at the Terrace, then go to Waves to sit and get fruit. We won't be surprised if we don't see hot food.

 

The Terrace at breakfast has an extensive fruit selection, typically three or four large bowls of berries (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry) and a variety of various sliced melons and other items. You will not go hungry.

 

For lunch Waves opens at 11:30 and stays open until 4 or 4:30. The food is cooked to order and is also excellent. Here’s a link to more info about Waves: https://dr.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/waves-grill/

 

Seating has never been an issue for us in any of the dining venues for any meals and we’ve been on 10 R class cruises.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Classiccruiser777

[NoWhiners]

3 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

The Terrace at breakfast has an extensive fruit selection, typically three or four large bowels of berries (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry) and a variety of various sliced melons and other items. You will not go hungry.

 

For lunch Waves opens at 11:30 and stays open until 4 or 4:30. The food is cooked to order and is also excellent. Here’s a link to more info about Waves: https://dr.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/waves-grill/

 

Seating has never been an issue for us in any of the dining venues for any meals and we’ve been on 10 R class cruises.

 

 

 

Thanks for this, reassuring to hear you haven't had seating problems. Thanks for the link; I have looked at sample menus and agree we won't go hungry! I love having a lot of fruit for breakfast and berries are my favorites.

 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Thanks for this, reassuring to hear you haven't had seating problems. Thanks for the link; I have looked at sample menus and agree we won't go hungry! I love having a lot of fruit for breakfast and berries are my favorites.

 

be sure to check the  opening hours  for the Terrace

I sometime get up late so  end up at Waves  breakfast is served  until 11 am there   but choices are more limited  than in the Terrace

[NoWhiners]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

be sure to check the  opening hours  for the Terrace

I sometime get up late so  end up at Waves  breakfast is served  until 11 am there   but choices are more limited  than in the Terrace

 

Yes, definitely. I am going to check as soon as I can so we can make a plan. If DH  wants his eggs, he will have to get up on time!

 

Do the breakfast hours vary, depending on whether or not it's a port day?

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Do the breakfast hours vary, depending on whether or not it's a port day?

Yes they sometimes will open earlier

If you are in a Concierge or above cabin you can order in  hot food