Food on Oceania

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, azdrydock said:

And the rant continues......

tonight in the GDR we counted 7 men with jeans and pointed them out to head waiter #1.... he responded by saying “ but the food and service was good, wasn’t it?”

 

Have you spoken to the GM?

If the Maitre'd  does not  stop people from entering  then all is lost  ..very sad

 

[clo]

47 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Have you spoken to the GM?

If the Maitre'd  does not  stop people from entering  then all is lost  ..very sad

 

I spoke to the maitre d' in Jacques on the Marina and he 'allows' jeans.

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, azdrydock said:

And the rant continues......

tonight in the GDR we counted 7 men with jeans and pointed them out to head waiter #1.... he responded by saying “ but the food and service was good, wasn’t it?”

we pushed and he said people are on vacation and don't always want to change. Head waiter #2 comes by a few minutes later. He apologizes for breakfast problems earlier and obviously been informed by HW#1, tells us that he personally doesn’t allow people with jeans in but others are afraid of upsetting guests. Finished dinner and as we walked past Jacques we see two couples with Jeans enter and be seated. Looks like Oceania is about as upscale as NCL Pride of America on a hot Hawaii night. btw.... the wine up sell attempts in all of the dining rooms has to be toned down!

As far as being number 1 in total brochures, that at least keeps the post office busy between elections😏

 

This is the criteria for upscale cruise - if people with jeans are allowed in the GDR?

 

Some lines have more strict dress code than others. Cunard requires men to wear a jacket on every night, and has 3 formal nights on 7 nights cruises - does it make it more upscale or luxury than O?

[azdrydock]

We are time and destination cruisers.For the most part food and entertainment are not as important as when and where we are going. We expect good food and service and have rarely been disappointed; so yes, we will likely cruise again on Oceania.
We would not necessarily recommend Oceania to our friends who stay at high end resorts and expect to cruise at that same level.

I personally am not offended by some one wearing jeans in the MDR but I am bothered by a cruise line that touts their dress code as being a differentiator that puts them in a class above the others and then fails to adhere to their own standards. If I selected a cruise because of the no jeans or jacket and tie policy shouldn’t I expect it to be enforced? Maybe the policy of “sourcing only premium artisanal ingredients....” can also be taken with a grain of salt. 
In any service industry one small negative usually overwhelms many large positives and this is the case on this cruise

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just now, azdrydock said:

We are time and destination cruisers.For the most part food and entertainment are not as important as when and where we are going. We expect good food and service and have rarely been disappointed; so yes, we will likely cruise again on Oceania.
We would not necessarily recommend Oceania to our friends who stay at high end resorts and expect to cruise at that same level.

I personally am not offended by some one wearing jeans in the MDR but I am bothered by a cruise line that touts their dress code as being a differentiator that puts them in a class above the others and then fails to adhere to their own standards. If I selected a cruise because of the no jeans or jacket and tie policy shouldn’t I expect it to be enforced? Maybe the policy of “sourcing only premium artisanal ingredients....” can also be taken with a grain of salt. 
In any service industry one small negative usually overwhelms many large positives and this is the case on this cruise

You have ID'ed one of my pet peeves, which is the erosion of the "country club casual" dress expectations. Chief among them is the allowance of baseball caps at breakfast/lunch in the GDR!!! That's just bad manners anywhere.

 

It's not that much to ask folks to spare the jeans at dinner. But, because of the variation in enforcement from maitre'd to maitre'd, the best alternative is to mention it to the F&B manager (citing O's own rule) and include it in your mid-cruise and end-cruise review comments.

Am I correct in assuming that you're on a Caribbean itinerary? I ask because it seems that's where the most "violations" happen.

[Paulchili]

6 minutes ago, azdrydock said:

We would not necessarily recommend Oceania to our friends who stay at high end resorts and expect to cruise at that same level.

Out of curiosity, which cruise line(s) would you recommend to these friends?

[azdrydock]

22 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Out of curiosity, which cruise line(s) would you recommend to these friends?

Not being a Luxury Cruiser I can’t recommend from experience. Friends who like formal dress up like Cunard and a tablemates the other night were high on Ponant (sp).

Best bet, as previously mentioned, is a TA that specializes in the Luxury market. They usually get the best unbiased feed back and if they have been around for a while they are more interested in a long term relationship as opposed to the quick buck.

[azdrydock]

44 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You have ID'ed one of my pet peeves, which is the erosion of the "country club casual" dress expectations. Chief among them is the allowance of baseball caps at breakfast/lunch in the GDR!!! That's just bad manners anywhere.

 

It's not that much to ask folks to spare the jeans at dinner....

Am I correct in assuming that you're on a Caribbean itinerary? I ask because it seems that's where the most "violations" happen.

We are on the around South America ...Rio to Santiago... DW just finished mid cruise comments

[BigIslandersFan]

What is the big deal with jeans? I never wear khakis and my $200 jeans look much nicer than whatever khaki pants I have in the closet. We are going on the Sirena and i called and was told I could wear jeans in all restaurants. 

[Tansy Mews]

16 minutes ago, BigIslandersFan said:

What is the big deal with jeans? I never wear khakis and my $200 jeans look much nicer than whatever khaki pants I have in the closet. We are going on the Sirena and i called and was told I could wear jeans in all restaurants. 

 

No problem with nice jeans. Hate ball caps inside though.

 

Food is a combination of good ingredients, well prepared, with a varied menu, opportunity to taste local flavours, service and ambiance. Not just skillful cooking or French styling.  I like the leisurely meal in the GDR, with good conversations. Glad we don't have a separate dining room for those in higher status rooms like on Cunard. 

Hate set dining times and set tables, but I do like a share table in the GDR.

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Tansy Mews

[Flatbush Flyer]

22 minutes ago, BigIslandersFan said:

What is the big deal with jeans? I never wear khakis and my $200 jeans look much nicer than whatever khaki pants I have in the closet. We are going on the Sirena and i called and was told I could wear jeans in all restaurants. 

Though the wording can sometimes change ship to ship or itinerary to itinerary, here (in a recent Currents from this past autumn) is one of the most often published dress code reminder.

[clo]

32 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

one of the most often published dress code reminder.

When I asked the maitre' di at Jacques during our very recently completed cruise he said everything but shorts and flip flops were fine.

[AtA]

On 12/25/2019 at 10:34 AM, ak1004 said:

We found food on O fantastic, way better than HAL or Celebrity, and overall cruise experience is few steps above the mass market lines. But entertainment is better on Celebrity overall (although on our last cruise on Reflection we were not impressed).

 

In terms of food, only Crystal was comparable to O, and we sailed on 10 lines.

Agree 100% on food. I found entertainment on O to be less than stellar. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by AtA

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Though the wording can sometimes change ship to ship or itinerary to itinerary, here (in a recent Currents from this past autumn) is one of the most often published dress code reminder.

 

Curious as to why corporate headquarters would allow this.  How can you establish and enforce corporate-wide standards with such an approach?

 

This effectively says "What we say in our brochures is meaningless".  And by extension, anything else you hear from us.

 

What will be next - menu preparations at the whim of the sous chef?    Or worse?

[Hawaiidan]

I was recently  dining at a Ritz Carlton... and on Christmas   baseball caps backwards, hoodies, jeans ... SAD.  It did not bother those who wore  them !

It was a  real statement  of what it means to feel entitled and lack of adhering  to  even basic manners and consideration of others.....   Simple  lack of caring about others, maybe a byproduct of our internet absorbed society. that live in their own world... Staff included  its not just the patrons..   

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

I was recently  dining at a Ritz Carlton... and on Christmas   baseball caps backwards, hoodies, jeans ... SAD.  It did not bother those who wore  them !

It was a  real statement  of what it means to feel entitled and lack of adhering  to  even basic manners and consideration of others.....   Simple  lack of caring about others, maybe a byproduct of our internet absorbed society. that live in their own world... Staff included  its not just the patrons..   

A couple of days ago we dined at La République - the #2 rated restaurant in LA in the most recent 101 edition. It was very good and cost a pretty penny. The young fellow next to us wore a baseball cap all night.

Sign of times.

[wripro]

Face it, folks...the world has changed and the dress code with it. I think it's a waste of energy to worry about what anyone else is wearing.

[Paulchili]

45 minutes ago, wripro said:

Face it, folks...the world has changed and the dress code with it. I think it's a waste of energy to worry about what anyone else is wearing.

Very true Henry but AFAIK La Republique does not have a dress code as such - Oceania does.

That's the difference IMO.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Paulchili

[Shawnino]

Well, cruisers can't tell other guests to "get off [my] lawn"... so I guess this makes up for the absence of lawns?

[njhorseman]

I remember in the 1950's our parents being aghast about rock and roll music...not mention horrified that Elvis was allowed to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show and swivel his hips in full view of impressionable preteens and teens.

 

Think of how what Elvis did back then appears versus today's music videos and a lot of present day music lyrics, particularly rap. Elvis looks almost old-fashioned now.

 

The world changes, and dress codes change along with everything else. I had to wear a tie in a NY City public high school in the late 50's - early 60"s. Somehow I don't think that's the case today . I had to wear a suit to work every day...in many businesses that went out the window quite some time ago

 

I agree with "wripro"...

[Jay23]

School boys in the UK wear white shirts, ties,  long trousers and Blazers to school.   Girls wear skirts or trousers.  That is school uniform and it is mandatory.    For how much longer................  Who knows.  

[pinotlover]

When in corporate America, we had a different dress code for our Sales team and those that interacted with customers and the general public than we did for those workers in the plants. Even with business casual Friday’s, we were expected to dress appropriate to the occasion if attending a public event.
 

It is becoming highly obvious that Oceania is becoming selective on whether it indeed has a dress code. It will be interesting to see what happens when/ if cruisers fully grasp a “ code” doesn’t exist, only a recommendation. How many will continue to pay Oceania prices if the dining venues give you that Ruby Tuesday’s or TGIF feel with many passengers dressing down to the lowest common denominator. Some cruisers may be excited about that possibility, others will recoil from it. FDR and Company are starting to walk a fine line, imo. An easy one to fall off. 
 

If I want to eat a casual dinner dressed accordingly, the buffet line is always there for that.  I see no purpose in extending that atmosphere to the GDR and Specialties. FDR gets to decide. We will respond with our $$$ either to or fro.

[FlyerTalker]

14 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

If I want to eat a casual dinner dressed accordingly, the buffet line is always there for that.  I see no purpose in extending that atmosphere to the GDR and Specialties. FDR gets to decide. We will respond with our $$$ either to or fro.

 

I am wagering a significant amount of "fro".  At least that's the side mine would be on -- if I wanted "formal night" (or even country-club casual) to become "wear the clean t-shirt", I'd have my next cruises booked on Carnival.

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

The world changes, and dress codes change along with everything else. I had to wear a tie in a NY City public high school in the late 50's - early 60"s. Somehow I don't think that's the case today . I had to wear a suit to work every day...in many businesses that went out the window quite some time ago

I think that you are missing the point here 

Yes - the world and dress codes do change.

That said, while your high school and work had dress codes you did comply with them or else.

Your high school and work may no longer have dress codes so people dress as they wish

However, O does have a dress code so people should comply with it

[ak1004]

To be fair, we have been on 10 lines. The only line that was fully and religiously enforcing the dress code was Cunard.