An O newby sails Regatta - April 6, 2022. Trans pacific, Papeete to Los Angeles

[jondfk]

That second Taste photo above looks lovely, but isn’t Italy, at least as envisioned on this sailing.  Had Italy a day or two back, it included melon and prosciutto but nothing like the carrots shown.  Second pass at Lebanon today was every bit as good as the first.

 

Tonights dinner menu is a repeat, but still a good one:

 

 

[jondfk]

Temp on deck this morning has a real bite, we’re definitely sailing in cooler waters.  Deck servers started wearing sweaters yesterday, probably jackets tomorrow.  The morning Bloody Mary is a bit less appealing though I soldier on!  Talk has turned to travel home, most, but not all are ready if not eager to start their onward journey.  Dinner last evening in GDR was again exceptional, my simple sounding spaghetti with pancetta and tomato sauce was more tomato than pancetta but excellent just the same.

 

The string quartet didn’t actually return last evening and they are not in the current today, looks like their isolation has been extended.  Pity.

 

Todays excitement for us is deciding whether to do a load of washing to lighten the load at home, or not, we will leave it to the winds of fate, if a washer is available….

Edited April 22, 2022 by jondfk

[Jancruz]

6 minutes ago, jondfk said:

Temp on deck this morning has a real bite, we’re definitely sailing in cooler waters.  Deck servers started wearing sweaters yesterday, probably jackets tomorrow.  The morning Bloody Mary is a bit less appealing though I soldier on!  Talk has turned to travel home, most, but not all are ready if not eager to start their onward journey.  Dinner last evening in GDR was again exceptional, my simple sounding spaghetti with pancetta and tomato sauce was more tomato than pancetta but excellent just the same.

 

The string quartet didn’t actually return last evening and they are not in the current today, looks like their isolation has been extended.  Pity.

 

Todays excitement for us is deciding whether to do a load of washing to lighten the load at home, or not, we will leave it to the winds of fate, if a washer is available….

Sorry I will miss you at the port Sunday by the time I get there at 11:00 am you will be on your way .. ..Have a safe trip home..

Jancruz1

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, Jancruz said:

Sorry I will miss you at the port Sunday by the time I get there at 11:00 am you will be on your way .. ..Have a safe trip home..

Jancruz1

I’m thinking I may have noticed you on the roll call for one of the September coastals, we’re doing both back to back, if you’re aboard too, look forward to meeting then.

 

Luggage tags just arrived,  I thing says end of cruise like luggage tags 😂 

 

jon 

[Jancruz]

47 minutes ago, jondfk said:

I’m thinking I may have noticed you on the roll call for one of the September coastals, we’re doing both back to back, if you’re aboard too, look forward to meeting then.

 

Luggage tags just arrived,  I thing says end of cruise like luggage tags 😂 

 

jon 

Yes I will be on September 9 look on the Roll Call we are doing a dim sum lunch..

Jancruz1

[curtdesilets]

18 hours ago, jondfk said:

Temp on deck this morning has a real bite, we’re definitely sailing in cooler waters.  Deck servers started wearing sweaters yesterday, probably jackets tomorrow.  The morning Bloody Mary is a bit less appealing though I soldier on!  Talk has turned to travel home, most, but not all are ready if not eager to start their onward journey.  Dinner last evening in GDR was again exceptional, my simple sounding spaghetti with pancetta and tomato sauce was more tomato than pancetta but excellent just the same.

 

The string quartet didn’t actually return last evening and they are not in the current today, looks like their isolation has been extended.  Pity.

 

Todays excitement for us is deciding whether to do a load of washing to lighten the load at home, or not, we will leave it to the winds of fate, if a washer is available….

Thanks for all the info.  We sail Regatta this coming Sunday from Los Angeles.  Looking Forward to it! I love the string quartet from previous cruises.  They did some non-traditional songs like the Scorpions "No One Like You" to a classical arrangement.  Amazing!   - Curtis

[Clutj]

I will add something I piped up about on an early day, the singer/pianist in Martini’s is Kelly and she is a marvel.  Great voice, wonderful playing, very deep catalog, will chat with anyone who wants to between sets.  The early ones are full of socializers, but a bunch of us at the late sets were there just to listen to her.  A highlight of the trip, and that’s saying a lot given where we went!  I think she’s staying on for a few months, well into the Alaska legs and maybe all the way through.  Curtis and Jancruz and others… enjoy!

[curtdesilets]

5 hours ago, Clutj said:

I will add something I piped up about on an early day, the singer/pianist in Martini’s is Kelly and she is a marvel.  Great voice, wonderful playing, very deep catalog, will chat with anyone who wants to between sets.  The early ones are full of socializers, but a bunch of us at the late sets were there just to listen to her.  A highlight of the trip, and that’s saying a lot given where we went!  I think she’s staying on for a few months, well into the Alaska legs and maybe all the way through.  Curtis and Jancruz and others… enjoy!

We will DEFINITELY check her out.  Thanks for the tip.  Curtis

 

[slw207693]

At the Crowne Plaza and opened the curtains to see Regatta sailing into San Pedro port.   Welcome back!   See all those onboard at the Meet and Greet

[jondfk]

I’ll second the praise for Kelly and will confess to being one of the social folks early in the evening.  Other notable staff include a bartender named Julian (waves by day, Regatta by night), bar server Mark (actually a longer version of Mark) who was everywhere.
 

Waiting now for groups to be called here’s hoping getting off is 5x easier than getting on was in PPT.

 

here are the menus for the final night.

 

I’ve started a loooong summary to finish this thread, to be cleaned up and posted when we get hom.

[Clutj]

“I’ll second the praise for Kelly and will confess to being one of the social folks early in the evening.“

 

In rereading my post, I didn’t intend to disparage socializers in Martini’s.  There’s room for both!  But we loved her softer slow songs in the late sets. 

[jondfk]

5 hours ago, Clutj said:

“I’ll second the praise for Kelly and will confess to being one of the social folks early in the evening.“

 

In rereading my post, I didn’t intend to disparage socializers in Martini’s.  There’s room for both!  But we loved her softer slow songs in the late sets. 

And I'm sorry if my response sounded as though I were offended, certainly wasn't, probably the haste to write a final post before heading down for debarkation.

 

BTW, I ran into Kelly yet again in the busy stairway area of deck 5 while waiting to depart.  It's amazing that amongst all that chaos, she recognized us and made her way through to say a final goodbye.  A special gal that (not sure that's politically correct these days, but she wouldn't mind the characterization I'm sure).  

 

Debarkation started about 15 minutes late but appeared on schedule to finish by 9:00 (a judgement on my part looking at how much / how little luggage was left when we got off about 8:50).

 

We're home safe and sound in the California central valley.  We'll do self tests tomorrow before we start to mingle with non-sailors.  Safe travels one and all.

[vlthom]

Unfortunately, we both tested positively once we got home.  It wasn't surprising given the number of people onboard who were obviously coughing and/or otherwise compromised.  None of the staff seemed to be afflicted that I observed.  It was passengers who were still mingling amongst others.  I have no idea what the official tally was for the COVID-positive group onboard, but I suggest that it was far higher than what the official numbers indicate.  There were no mandatory tests after April 5th prior to when the earlier segment disembarked.  We were onboard for both sailings and could easily tell the difference between the health of the passengers on the first segments versus that of the second segment. 

 

So, now we are at home having tested positively and needing to self-isolate while there's no food in the house.  Neither of us feel that badly but neither of us feel completely well either.  

 

[mauibabes]

@vlthom

OMG, sorry you are feeling puny but glad you are home.  We have some friends who boarded Regatta yesterday 🤪 and looking forward to a B2B on the Cali coast.

Two things, I will be passing through your Gold River neighborhood this afternoon so if you need a few grocery items, send me an email and list, gerryesker@gmail.com and I will drop them at your door and stand at least 6’ away.

Second, we were on your Riviera Iceland to NYC cruise, small world but a large O family.

 

Get well,

Gerry

 

[vlthom]

26 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

@vlthom

OMG, sorry you are feeling puny but glad you are home.  We have some friends who boarded Regatta yesterday 🤪 and looking forward to a B2B on the Cali coast.

Two things, I will be passing through your Gold River neighborhood this afternoon so if you need a few grocery items, send me an email and list, gerryesker@gmail.com and I will drop them at your door and stand at least 6’ away.

Second, we were on your Riviera Iceland to NYC cruise, small world but a large O family.

 

Get well,

Gerry

 

Gerry.....thank you so very much for your offer.  We're set to pick up groceries from our local store today -- no contact required, so we'll be okay.  I do appreciate your offer, though.  It's interesting that we've been on multiple cruises together.  I wonder if we spoke to one another or not.  Indeed, it's a small world and large O family.  I hope to cruise with you again in the future!

[jondfk]

We weren't on the prior segment but agree with the observation that there were by arrival in Los Angeles  many, many folks with obvious respiratory challenges who, at a minimum, should have sought out a test.  I think O would do themselves a great favor if they described in clear(er) terms what the consequences were should one test positive - lots of folks wouldn't have minded (too much) being confined to their own cabins, which clearly was the practice at least for some.  On the other hand the prospect of being split from spouses and send to "jail" to wait out your "sentence" doubtless kept many from seeking an official ruling, I heard several say as much.  Likewise, the failure to communicate effectively with those who tested positive (as reported on the Roll Call) won't encourage future sailors to do the right thing.

 

I've tested this morning, negative.  DW will test when she's up and about.  I encourage all who were on board to test before interacting with friends and family.  Just takes 15 minutes.

 

A final thought on this point, we aren't the most social folks in the best of times, but we made a special effort to stay away from groups on this sailing.  This, and our wearing of masks in public areas from day zero, made us fairly unique.  We did "break down" and share a meal with a nice couple we met over drinks but other wise sailed a path clear of extended close associations, that included avoiding the roll call that I so treasure attending in more normal times.  

[CruiseLibra]

Thank all of you for your informative posts. We board the Regatta on May 13th for the LA to Vancouver repositioning. This is our THIRD attempt for this cruise. Our 2020 and 2021 cruises were canceled due to Covid. It is heartening to hear that the Regatta seems to be in fine form and delivering the service and cuisine that we all appreciate. It is disheartening to hear about the numerous Covid cases that have been reported on all the Oceania ships. Even though we are fully vaccinated and double boosted we will be semi-quarantining after May 1 to try to avoid any exposure to this very contagious variant prior to boarding. And we will be traveling with an ample supply of KN95 masks which we will be wearing in public spaces. Happy cruising to all and here is hoping that our fellow travelers are cautious in this difficult time.

[jondfk]

Summary.  This is going to be long, so, for those who don’t want to wade through the minutiae I’ll start with our overall impression:  Excellent, truly excellent.  Were there some gaffs, yes certainly, but from a wholistic perspective excellent.

 

Ideally, I would have written this summary in real time, practically though it makes sense to test a few things more than once before committing an opinion to print, that being the case I started writing on day 12 of our 18 night experience.

 

Unfortunately, our greatest disappointment came early, at the pier in Papeete.  The Oceania boarding process in no way resembled the process described in their literature.  Boarding times meant nothing, priority boarding for suites and high status folks was not a reality.  I want to stress that our personal experience was (much) better than most, mainly because we arranged our own air and transfer, other guests who used O air and transfers reported waits in the 95* sun of 1.5 to 2.0 hours, this we confirmed from the terrace cafe.  Some may blame FP authorities but from my perspective it was obvious that the inefficiency was related to the O process.  We will have to wait for September to see whether this was an anomaly or is O reality.    Highly unimpressed with this part of the journey.

 

Things improved immediately upon boarding, first stop Terrace cafe for a light lunch.  DW despises buffets and will never use one if another option is available.  Regatta didn’t change this firmly held opinion, but she did agree this was the best buffet ever, so long as you arrive 30 minutes after opening, people are people after all.  This was the first of many pleasant meals at Terrace.  We never went here for breakfast, preferring the GDR and room service via our butler.

 

PH. rooms were announced as available at 1:00 as advertised, we proceeded to our PH2 room shortly after.  Our butler arrived a bit later and introduced himself, pleasant enough guy, we were unsure exactly how to use him, but developed a comfort after a few days.  We never met our service team and we got off to a poor start when they failed to turndown our room the first night, we needed a couple of toiletries which were delivered after a phone call, oddly our attendant had a day off mid cruise, her replacement went out of his way to introduce himself and did a superior job for the time he had the job.  We asked to have club soda stocked in the mini fridge, this was rebuffed with an offer to deliver bubbly Vero water which would be fine, but the bottles really don’t seal leading to most bottles being quite flat.  Club soda and other canned soft drinks are readily available at several bars most of the day, I took to picking one up every time I walked by, why though couldn’t this be stocked like coke or sprite is a mystery.  The closing mechanism for our shower fell off around midnight the first night waking us, and undoubtedly those in the cabin below.  A good job for the butler I thought, he promised a repair on day two, the thing fell off again trapping DW in the shower, the “fix” was a bit of Elmer’s when what was required was a helicoil to replace the stripped threads, an easy repair I could have accomplished in 5 minutes at home.  The second “fix” was little better and didn’t trap DW but impending failure was apparent, a third terse conversation resulted in a proper repair.  Otherwise, the stateroom was fantastic, beautiful and light, the right amount of furniture, the bed was very good but honestly we think the new Princess beds are even more comfortable we prefer a soft mattress and the O bed is decidedly medium firmness.  We booked a PH knowing that in these Covid times we might spend a bit more time in the room (and we did).  The balcony is large and the furniture very nice, but it got little use with our many sea days, salt spray routinely reached deck 8 making it less than pleasant on sea days.  We did use and enjoy in while in port.  Small requests, most passed via note, were met without fail (aside for club soda which remained impossible).  Aside from the first evening we never found the room unmaid when we expected it would be.

 

The ship.  We never sailed an R ship previously though we paid to do so 4x, Covid.  Every space is lovely, most very bright and clean looking.  Our favorite haunts were, for day, The Patio and by night Martinis service was good in both.  Relationships with the servers and bartenders formed quickly improving service as the days progressed.  The GDR was a frequent part of our day, we truly thought that service here was the best on the ship, every service team but one was was superb.  GDR menus offered a vast array of choices, our long voyage saw some dishes repeated, we very much enjoyed a second chance at a few favorites.  Mid voyage I discovered the “Taste the World” portion of the lunch menu, this quickly became my go to, small bites of regional favorites, the Lebanese was overall best.  We had some great dishes, absolutely none disappointed.  

 

Entertainment.  We frequented Martinis most every evening for a pre dinner drink or few.  A pianist played nightly, a very talented Australian who was very personable socializing with guests between sets.  She played a little of everything satisfying most.  The string quartet performed frequently in the upper hall, quite pleasant - drink service in this area was however hit or miss.

Martinis became increasingly busy as our cruise went along, so much so that we started making a pass by continuing on to Horizons if full.  By the end of the trip we stopped bothering with Martinis (though we prefer it) heading instead directly upstairs.  A trio performed nightly with a nice variety of tunes played at a volume that allowed for conversation.  I did find it odd that the only bar open before noon was the pool bar, no eye openers for those of us heading to the lecture, we’ll not quite true, I made time for a side trip to Waves en route but it was quite a diversion.

 

Terrace Cafe.  As stated prior buffets are not a thing for DW.  Still, they are the primary food option on port days and she agreed this was the best we’ve experienced.  The room itself was hot during our equatorial crossing, too much heat and humidity, too little AC capacity.  The outside terrace became useful to us as we approached Hawaii.  Food quality was excellent, I especially enjoyed the many salad options.  It’s been pointed out to me that Terrace is more than a buffet, fair enough, cooked to order steaks, seafood and other options are available as is a prepared to order selection of pasta, still the heart of Terrace is the buffet which, while limited in scale is exceptional for quality.

 

Butler service.  We had a PH room which included a butler, we really weren’t sure how to use him initially.  Unpacking our bags?  No thanks we prefer know where everything went.  Pressing service / shoe shine?  Let’s say we’re pretty well past worrying about these details.  We did come to rely on him for a light breakfast most mornings, initially about half, but every morning for the final week.  He delivered canapés on request too, but the timing didn’t really suit us, we preferred being out for a cocktail in the 5:00 hour.  The only special request we made was for lime wedges which he delivered 4 or 5 times.  Mr. Butler did take care of a couple failures in the room.  I’m sure there is a lot more we could ask, but we appreciated the service delivered.

 

Covid and other illness.  Let’s get this out of the way up front, Covid is a fact of life these days, no town, office or cruise will be Covid free for very long.  There certainly were cases on our sailing, this even though FP were strict screening to travel.  Mask wearing was pretty much non existent amongst guests, until folks started disappearing into isolation after which time masking increased to about 30% of passengers.  The only onboard testing was one day prior to arrival, it was optional and primarily provided as a courtesy for guests needing results for onward travel.  I feel Oceania could be more transparent regarding cases on board, folks might make better decisions regarding socializing and masking if they were provided with timely information.

 

Overall impression.  There were a few significant gaffs on our sailing.  Embarkation was just flat bad, there is no excuse for failing to follow your own published procedures.  Likewise, there is no excuse for broken cabin equipment or ineffective repairs.    Still these things pale compared to the many positive impressions left.  Oceania fully met the high gastronomic expectations they set.  Our limited special requests were broadly met, with the exception of club soda.  We have to compare Oceania against both our expectations and prior experience on other lines, Oceania well exceeded on both measures.  We has 3 more sailings booked, purchased and FCD and clearly plan to return.

[mauibabes]

@jondfk,

In your long cruise you have definitely learned some of the Oceania ships Ins and outs.  For the Club Soda, make sure your TA or Oceania rep has your club soda desires noted in your profile for future cruises. We like Pepsi over Coke and every sailing the Coke is gone and Pepsi is in its place. 
When we had our first experience with an Oceania Butler we were not sure how to use him but it becomes easier when you get one who you really click with personality wise and who is just experienced and fantastic.  On Riviera in October our Butler Bhavya was outstanding. He was an experienced Butler from luxury hotels in India and actually on his first contract with Oceania but you would never have known it.  He was AWESOME. We got to know him quite well and shared info about our grandsons upcoming nuptials on Friday. He too  was getting married the middle of April so we are expecting to receive photos from his wedding,  one day soon.  We have had a couple Butlers with which we had a bit of a language barrier or who were not as assertive in their abilities to make anything happen for us. Most often they even adopt our friends traveling with us, PH or not. I doubt I can convince my wife to give up her Oceania Butler on any upcoming cruise. 
 

As you shared so much great information while you sailed, you and any other new Oceania cruiser learned how easy it is on these boards to ask any question and get some wonderfully beneficial responses. Glad to hear you learned one of the most important lessons about sailing on O, BOOK TRIPS ON BOARD.  We always book something that really grabs us. When totally undecided, we have just booked the last cruise currently available for sale on board which is usually 18 months plus out and then we do our swap search when new itineraries are released.  That came in handy for our Vista booking and we will have one booking ready to swap when the next Alura class ship itineraries are released, probably in late 2023.  
 

We are so glad you enjoyed your Oceania experience and welcome to the O family. 

Mauibabes, Bonnie and Gerry

[SophieM]

Bonnie, were you two on the Marina in October?

[mauibabes]

No, we were on Riviera from October 16 to December 3. 
Gerry

[SophieM]

Thx!

[ORV]

Jon, thanks for your postings on this cruise. My second Oceania cruise was 10 years ago on Regatta in a PH with about the same itinerary you did with the exception of ending in SF instead of LA. Still one of our favorites, but we had calm seas the whole time. 

[Clutj]

Thanks for sharing all your observations. 
 

That club soda denial is a puzzler. We both had the premier bev pak, so our butler kept Stella and Becks bottles in stock, which has to be more inconvenient than Club Soda.  The shower (non)fix also seems an aberration.  We had a strip on the lower outside of the veranda door hanging down, bad seal, whistling noise.  I was prepared for a half day repair but they did it about 10 minutes; highly competent guy. 

 

Butler ideas: If you like specialty restaurants, most butlers are good at switching your reservations or arranging additional nights, sometimes even with little notice.  PH get priority for those.  We drink a lot of water, and our (or a sub) butler always brought us extra Vero bottles in about 3 minutes.  Our butler also personally talked with the “head of laundry” about how best to clean a couple unfortunate shirt stains that he walked through the process for me. For breakfast, our butler asked if we wanted fresh squeezed orange juice, which I learned you get by asking (it isn’t advertised); it was a great insider tip to get from him.  When our massages the first night ran late, about 8:50 our butler was able to grab GDR dishes for room service right at closing time.  We also stayed in due to the COVID wave the last two nights and got hot dishes from Toscana and then Polo in about 30 minutes.  During those hot early days, either the attendant or butler located a nice, quiet, small rotating fan to put next to the bed.  

[LinnieRed]

2 hours ago, mauibabes said:

ny question and get some wonderfully beneficial responses. Glad to hear you learned one of the most important lessons about sailing on O, BOOK TRIPS ON BOARD.  We always book something that really grabs us. When totally undecided, we have just booked the last cruise currently available for sale on board which is usually 18 months plus out and then we do our swap search when new itineraries are released.  That came in handy for our Vista booking and we will have one booking ready to swap when the next Alura class ship itineraries are released, probably in late 2023.  

Would you be willing to explain the booking trips on board procedure to me and what the benefit is?

 

Kindest regards,

Linnie