My thoughts; Crystal versus Oceania

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, AtA said:

Meaning they had egg salad one day in the buffet but it had anchovies, olives and red peppers mixed in. Why not just a plain egg salad? Things like that. 

Why not just ask them for plain egg salad then?

 

 I have never seen a mixture like that on O ...

[AtA]

15 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Why not just ask them for plain egg salad then?

 

 I have never seen a mixture like that on O ...

I have never seen a mixture like that anywhere but they had it on O the first sea day.

 

As for asking for plain egg salad? The first sea day I asked for a grilled cheese sandwich in the grill. That seemed to be a major hurtle for them because according to them, they had to go "downstairs" to find regular bread (all they had was rolls and ciabatta) and 25 minutes later I did get my grilled cheese which was after my son was finished with his ruben. They made it feel like a burden to them, so I didn't ask again the rest of the cruise for anything different at lunch.

[Paulchili]

21 minutes ago, AtA said:

I have never seen a mixture like that anywhere but they had it on O the first sea day.

 

As for asking for plain egg salad? The first sea day I asked for a grilled cheese sandwich in the grill. That seemed to be a major hurtle for them because according to them, they had to go "downstairs" to find regular bread (all they had was rolls and ciabatta) and 25 minutes later I did get my grilled cheese which was after my son was finished with his ruben. They made it feel like a burden to them, so I didn't ask again the rest of the cruise for anything different at lunch.

That would be like me asking for a surf & turf sandwich at a Crystal grill.

They obviously would not have it available and if they even chose to indulge you, it would take some time.

[Clutj]

Can't believe I am getting into this, but...  Waves has rye bread, it has butter, it has cheese for the burgers.  Slap cheese between two slices of rye, butter and grill it like the reuben, and voila.   Now perhaps OP won't eat rye bread, or perhaps he didn't given them a suggestion on how to make it.  If I want something, I just tell them how to make it from what I perceive they have on hand, and they do it, happily.  I ask for the surf & turf on a regular bun (not cibatta) with some of the truffle sauce from the wagyu burger, nothing else on it, and they have no problem making it, and I am happy.    

[Mura]

Off topic for a moment but I just noticed that I had drafted a post recently, then decided just to ignore it.  I wasn't saying anything offensive to ANYBODY but I decided it really wasn't worth posting.  Now, when I just hit "quote" it shows up again .. now it has finally been deleted!  Just thought I'd comment about this because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this!  I guess I should add that I'm not complaining!  Because if I were to come back and decide that I WANT to post that comment, I'd be glad to see it's still there.  Far easier to delete a comment than it is to recreate it!

 

Now, as to asking for "special" treatment for a meal request -- I don't really mean "special", maybe "different"? -- many of us don't think of doing so.  I certainly do not!  But as Clutj said, I'm sure if I did so I would be accommodated unless they just could NOT do so.

 

Many have posted here about their ability to ask for adjustments to a dish, where at Terrace, Waves, or a specialty.  I'm sure that the GDR can accommodate as well.

 

It you have a REAL different request in GDR, you can let them know in advance -- rather than when you are ready to order -- and I am sure they will accommodate you there as well.  If they can provide accommodations to passengers with special dietary requirements (diabetic, vegan, etc.), I'm sure they can accommodate a request for Beef Wellington with proper notice.

 

Not that I have tried ...

 

Mura

 

[AtA]

8 hours ago, Paulchili said:

That would be like me asking for a surf & turf sandwich at a Crystal grill.

They obviously would not have it available and if they even chose to indulge you, it would take some time.

Exactly but they also didn't have it in the buffet or the dining room.

[AtA]

5 hours ago, Clutj said:

Can't believe I am getting into this, but...  Waves has rye bread, it has butter, it has cheese for the burgers.  Slap cheese between two slices of rye, butter and grill it like the reuben, and voila.   Now perhaps OP won't eat rye bread, or perhaps he didn't given them a suggestion on how to make it.  If I want something, I just tell them how to make it from what I perceive they have on hand, and they do it, happily.  I ask for the surf & turf on a regular bun (not cibatta) with some of the truffle sauce from the wagyu burger, nothing else on it, and they have no problem making it, and I am happy.    

I will say that on Marina 3 years ago, they were more choices. Trust me there were a lot less choices on Sirena. And btw: I'm allergic to rye. I had asked for whole wheat bread. 🙂

Edited January 22, 2020 by AtA

[Paulchili]

2 minutes ago, AtA said:

I'm allergic to rye. I had asked for whole wheat bread. 🙂

Bingo! 😊

[AtA]

46 minutes ago, Mura said:

Off topic for a moment but I just noticed that I had drafted a post recently, then decided just to ignore it.  I wasn't saying anything offensive to ANYBODY but I decided it really wasn't worth posting.  Now, when I just hit "quote" it shows up again .. now it has finally been deleted!  Just thought I'd comment about this because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this!  I guess I should add that I'm not complaining!  Because if I were to come back and decide that I WANT to post that comment, I'd be glad to see it's still there.  Far easier to delete a comment than it is to recreate it!

 

Now, as to asking for "special" treatment for a meal request -- I don't really mean "special", maybe "different"? -- many of us don't think of doing so.  I certainly do not!  But as Clutj said, I'm sure if I did so I would be accommodated unless they just could NOT do so.

 

Many have posted here about their ability to ask for adjustments to a dish, where at Terrace, Waves, or a specialty.  I'm sure that the GDR can accommodate as well.

 

It you have a REAL different request in GDR, you can let them know in advance -- rather than when you are ready to order -- and I am sure they will accommodate you there as well.  If they can provide accommodations to passengers with special dietary requirements (diabetic, vegan, etc.), I'm sure they can accommodate a request for Beef Wellington with proper notice.

 

Not that I have tried ...

 

Mura

 

They absolutely did try to accommodate with advance notice. I received the menus at least 24 hours in advance and was able to write any changes on the dinner menus.

Breakfast was never a problem.

[clo]

10 minutes ago, AtA said:

Exactly but they also didn't have it in the buffet or the dining room.

But you ask for it at Waves and they deliver it to you.

[MightyQuinn]

25 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Bingo! 😊

 

Hey Paulchili.  I'm not stalking you ... really I'm not.  But I knew I could find you here!  Congrats on the big win this weekend.  How ya like Sherman now? 😉😛

[Paulchili]

5 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Hey Paulchili.  I'm not stalking you ... really I'm not.  But I knew I could find you here!  Congrats on the big win this weekend.  How ya like Sherman now? 😉😛

MightyQuinn,

Always nice to hear from you - especially on this topic 😀

I like Sherman playing - not so much talking  He is good but not exactly humble. 😊

Safe travels to you.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Paulchili

[MightyQuinn]

17 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I like Sherman playing - not so much talking  He is good but not exactly humble.

 

I love Sherman ... both playing and mouthing off.  He's the best receiver for the opposing team and his lack of humility is almost a virtue!

 

Looking forward to an epic battle between Garpopplo and Mahomes.  Since I can't say "go Hawks" I'll reluctantly say "go Niners".  😂

[Paulchili]

38 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

Since I can't say "go Hawks" I'll reluctantly say "go Niners".  😂

Thank you - we’ll need all the help we can get 😊

[ORV]

On 1/21/2020 at 10:09 PM, Mura said:

Off topic for a moment but I just noticed that I had drafted a post recently, then decided just to ignore it.  I wasn't saying anything offensive to ANYBODY but I decided it really wasn't worth posting.  Now, when I just hit "quote" it shows up again .. now it has finally been deleted!  Just thought I'd comment about this because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this!  I guess I should add that I'm not complaining!  Because if I were to come back and decide that I WANT to post that comment, I'd be glad to see it's still there.  Far easier to delete a comment than it is to recreate it!

Mura

I've had this happen many times. It seems it's one of the "enhancements" since they upgraded the website a few years ago. 

 

[ORV]

On 1/22/2020 at 12:29 AM, Paulchili said:

Thank you - we’ll need all the help we can get 😊

I guess I'll have to cheer for the Chiefs. 

[Classiccruiser777]

On 1/21/2020 at 3:05 PM, Clutj said:

Can't believe I am getting into this, but...  Waves has rye bread, it has butter, it has cheese for the burgers.  Slap cheese between two slices of rye, butter and grill it like the reuben, and voila.   Now perhaps OP won't eat rye bread, or perhaps he didn't given them a suggestion on how to make it.  If I want something, I just tell them how to make it from what I perceive they have on hand, and they do it, happily.  I ask for the surf & turf on a regular bun (not cibatta) with some of the truffle sauce from the wagyu burger, nothing else on it, and they have no problem making it, and I am happy.    

My experience as well.

 

[clo]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I've had this happen many times. It seems it's one of the "enhancements" since they upgraded the website a few years ago. 

 

Ditto. And if I then don't want to complete the post, I just hit refresh and it goes away.

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I guess I'll have to cheer for the Chiefs. 

..and here I thought of you as a kindred spirit 😀

[Hokapontas]

I will say that the napkin-style hand towels in the public restrooms are great - they are flat, not flocked, and cotton, so can be boiled and steam flattened in a machine, ready for the next day with zero germs. Better, in my opinion, to hand towels 🙂

Edited February 1, 2020 by Hokapontas
Inserted a word

[kitty9]

Really, who gives a flip, in the grand scheme of things, what fabric the hand towels are?  Seriously, that impacts a cruise?

 

I’ve taken 18 cruises on Crystal and I can tell you that just as Oceania has gone through many changes, so has Crystal, and not for the better on either line.  Since Genting took over Crystal, the product has suffered.  They no longer have the Grand Gala Buffet, the lunch theme buffets are gone and the regular buffet is greatly lacking.  If you go over to Crystal’s boards you’ll see many complaints about the horrible internet service.  Even long time Crystal super cheerleaders have been quite upset over this.
 

I will concede that entertainment, lectures, enrichment activities are all much better on Crystal. But in reality, I don’t think you can compare Crystal and Oceania in the same light.  They  aren’t in the same territory, especially if you compare the R class ships to Crystal. Historically speaking, Crystal’s cabins can hardly be called spacious, but you really can’t compare a PH on Crystal to a PH on Sirena.  Maybe  an Oceania suite on the O class compares to a PH on Crystal, but not on any R class.

 

From my experience, you can get off-menu items on Crystal, but with 24 hours notice.  It’s the same on O.  I’m not much of a red meat eater, and every specialty restaurant on O has been more than accommodating, and not requiring 24 hour notice.  They’ve gone out of their way to make sure I was happy with the meal.  But here’s one thing I really have to disagree with the OP, and that’s the comments about Tea Time.  I have no idea how they can say that O’s Tea Time is too hoity-toity.  Maybe they didn’t attend Crystal’s Mozart Tea?  Talk about upscale.  As a matter of fact, High Tea on Crystal far surpasses that on O.  But I guess if tuna salad and grilled cheese is what floats your boat, might I suggest any of the kid friendly mass market lines where grilled cheese is haute cuisine. 

[clo]

19 minutes ago, kitty9 said:

But I guess if tuna salad and grilled cheese is what floats your boat, might I suggest any of the kid friendly mass market lines where grilled cheese is haute cuisine. 

Just laughing over this sentence 🙂

[ORV]

On 1/23/2020 at 10:05 AM, Paulchili said:

..and here I thought of you as a kindred spirit 😀

Hi Paul, what a good game. Us fly over States need a victory every once and a while. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, kitty9 said:

 

But here’s one thing I really have to disagree with the OP, and that’s the comments about Tea Time.  I have no idea how they can say that O’s Tea Time is too hoity-toity.  Maybe they didn’t attend Crystal’s Mozart Tea?  Talk about upscale.  As a matter of fact, High Tea on Crystal far surpasses that on O. 

 

The Mozart tea was very nice   but after that  Oceania's was better  in our opinion

We prefer to pick what we want to eat  at Tea time   not be served a whole rack of food  that will be wasted

 

We prefer the fresh Clotted cream On Oceania  compared to Crystal's in a tub  but I guess that is upscale  🙄

[Paulchili]

24 minutes ago, ORV said:

Hi Paul, what a good game. Us fly over States need a victory every once and a while. 

Congrats - maybe next year? 😀