How is the food? Any cutbacks?

[Mrs f.]

5 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Are you saying there is no salsa or hot sauce on The Riviera? We like it on our eggs in the morning. For our upcoming cruise do we need to bring our own? Where did you buy the little packets?

Just off Regatta.  In Terrace Cafe at breakfast  I noticed a small tray with all kinds of condiment bottles. Right next to the person who toasts the bread.  I would assume they all have it. 

[ToxM]

1 hour ago, BigCheese1 said:

Thanks ToxM for the heads up.

I guess they/try ‘A1 steak sauce’ thinking it’ll do as HP?

 

Good to have the tip about the clotted cream rather than any pale (probably literally) substitute. Didn’t really expect proper mushy peas, mind!

looking forward to our March 23 Lima to Miami on Marina.

 

You will have a great time! 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, BigCheese1 said:

Good to have the tip about the clotted cream rather than any pale (probably literally) substitute.

the other option is Whip Cream  so do ask for the  Clotted cream

[Flatbush Flyer]

57 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

Just off Regatta.  In Terrace Cafe at breakfast  I noticed a small tray with all kinds of condiment bottles. Right next to the person who toasts the bread.  I would assume they all have it. 

See my post above. We were talking about hot sauces. Besides the aforementioned Sriracha and Tabasco, all else that you’ll find in Terrace within reach of passengers is ketchup, yellow mustard and mayonnaise plus A1 (or similar) steak sauce. If you ask for any “heat” in the preparation, all they’ve got is chili flakes.

[janecambridge]

Off Marina on 8th January and they definitely had HP sauce. It was original too! 
 

[AMHuntFerry]

We were on Regatta in September and ate almost every meal on the ship (except for San Francisco). All of our meals and snacks were excellent.

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Are you saying there is no salsa or hot sauce on The Riviera? We like it on our eggs in the morning. For our upcoming cruise do we need to bring our own? Where did you buy the little packets?

I have  seen Tabasco on the tray in Terrace

if you want something akin to Puckerbutt  best to bring your own

[kitty9]

7 hours ago, artbcpa said:

Since we haven't sailed on Oceania in nearly 5 years, I can't comment on specific food shortages. As for the general quality, it is nowhere near what it was. We just disembarked from the Insignia, and I would say that the food was among the worst we have eaten on any ship. What was most disappointing was how they labeled their dishes inappropriately. "Shrimp scampi" without garlic in a red sauce; "Classic BLT" served mushed like an egg salad, a "Cuban sandwich", that didn't even approach what a cuban sandwich looks or tastes like. Certainly my worst meal was at Polo Grille of all places, where I was served a veal chop that I could not cut with a steak knife. First the waiter and then the manager came over as they could not believe that veal would be that tough, so I offered to let them try. When they could not cut it, I got a new meal.

The worst for me was their supposed stir fry.  I’ve never, ever seen stir fry in a runny white sauce.  It looked more like soup than stir fry.  This happened twice at lunch when they advertised a stir fry option.

 

My sister also ordered the veal wrapped in pancetta and needed a buzz saw to cut it.  And the filet mignon was so stringy that the steak knife couldn’t cut through it.  O is obviously ordering inferior cuts of meat. 

[mexicobob]

10 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

There’s Tabasco, Sriracha and chili flakes available which, for something like Mexican food, would be far worse than even seeing a Brooklyn kid put ketchup on a hot dog or mayonnaise on a hamburger👀😳

 

Seriously though, O’s onboard authenticity for many attempts at far flung regional ethnic foods has always occasionally fallen short of the mark and not having decent condiments available just makes matters worse. (How an Oceania executive chef can allow his staff to ruin relatively simple items like poutine or aranchini is a real head shaker). That said, some of the best ethnic foods we’ve had on O has been at the Terrace Café when the cooks from a specific world region are allowed to do a special night of their home cooking.

 

As for the Cholula (and a host of other single serving condiment items), we get it online (I think from Amazon).

Thanks for the tip on where to get single serve condiments. They come in handy in other places besides Oceania  restaurants. 

[BigCheese1]

On 1/18/2023 at 9:40 PM, LHT28 said:

the other option is Whip Cream  so do ask for the  Clotted cream

Yuck. No, sorry it has to be clotted with a scone! Yes I will ask then, thank you.

[Astro Flyer]

On 1/18/2023 at 8:05 AM, ToxM said:

I preordered Root Beer for my cabin fridge and that was delivered no problem.

We’re new to O…how do we preorder sodas that we want in our cabin fridge? Another post said ordering needs to be made more than 6 weeks in advance.

 

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

We’re new to O…how do we preorder sodas that we want in our cabin fridge? Another post said ordering needs to be made more than 6 weeks in advance.

 

if you have a TA ask them to place a request  if no TA call O  and ask

 

[Astro Flyer]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

if you have a TA ask them to place a request  if no TA call O  and ask

 

Thanks…will have our TA place our order.

[Redtravel]

In 2022, we cruised on 3 different lines.  There were cutbacks and shortages on all. Sadly even at home, there are items that are unavailable.  It’s crazy times. Be patient.

[Sebbiesgrammy]

On Nautica now for 32 nights and,  as an O first timer, here's what we have observed after 10 days:  

Few offerings are memorable but the veal chop Milanese in Toscana was the best I ever had while the veal wrapped in pancetta in Terrace was too tough to cut. Husband inhaled the osso bucco and will order again.  Likewise, our meal at Polo was very good. My steak perfect  and his prime rib, Queen cut, was so huge he barely made a dent in it. When we asked if anyone ever finished the King cut, the answer was "never".  We are in Africa. They do know that " children are starving....." 🤔

 

Afternoon tea is wonderful and offerings plentiful -- great service all around and accompanied by chamber quartet -- very nice!!! Likewise, happy hour at Horizons with dance music standards live band, also special.

 

Terrace salad station is the worst I have ever experienced and we eat s lot of salads. Offered either Ceasar or mixed greens. Ceaser had the regular ingredients but if you want a mixed salad you have a!most nothing to add to lettuce. No tomatoes, no cucumbers, no egg or bacon bits, no beans or other veg of any kind. You can get black olives, anchovies, capers, pickles -- unusual. If you ask for tomato, they say try another area of the cafe. There is always a long line waiting. People want salads when they've been eating after 3 days at sea😁

 

Oysters Rockefeller starter in the main dining room had me almost burst out loud. Come on, fellas, OYSTERS Rockefeller should have an oyster buried under the spinach any heavy mornay sauce, not a finger nail sized canned oyster bit. Understand provisions might be hard to get so change it out for something else and don't offer it.

 

My other observation about Terrace us the amount if space offered to desserts and bread items while hot food areas are duplicative and crowded.  Maybe take some if the dessert space for a decent salad station??

 

At this point, I have to give the overall food experience a B because of Terrace. As I said, we're new here and keeping an open mind but I've had better on Holland, worse in Norwegian and the others are just a boring blur so I really, really want to love O.  Silversea -- I'll be there soon.

[di T]

6 hours ago, Sebbiesgrammy said:

On Nautica now for 32 nights and,  as an O first timer, here's what we have observed after 10 days:  

Few offerings are memorable but the veal chop Milanese in Toscana was the best I ever had while the veal wrapped in pancetta in Terrace was too tough to cut. Husband inhaled the osso bucco and will order again.  Likewise, our meal at Polo was very good. My steak perfect  and his prime rib, Queen cut, was so huge he barely made a dent in it. When we asked if anyone ever finished the King cut, the answer was "never".  We are in Africa. They do know that " children are starving....." 🤔

 

Afternoon tea is wonderful and offerings plentiful -- great service all around and accompanied by chamber quartet -- very nice!!! Likewise, happy hour at Horizons with dance music standards live band, also special.

 

Terrace salad station is the worst I have ever experienced and we eat s lot of salads. Offered either Ceasar or mixed greens. Ceaser had the regular ingredients but if you want a mixed salad you have a!most nothing to add to lettuce. No tomatoes, no cucumbers, no egg or bacon bits, no beans or other veg of any kind. You can get black olives, anchovies, capers, pickles -- unusual. If you ask for tomato, they say try another area of the cafe. There is always a long line waiting. People want salads when they've been eating after 3 days at sea😁

 

Oysters Rockefeller starter in the main dining room had me almost burst out loud. Come on, fellas, OYSTERS Rockefeller should have an oyster buried under the spinach any heavy mornay sauce, not a finger nail sized canned oyster bit. Understand provisions might be hard to get so change it out for something else and don't offer it.

 

My other observation about Terrace us the amount if space offered to desserts and bread items while hot food areas are duplicative and crowded.  Maybe take some if the dessert space for a decent salad station??

 

At this point, I have to give the overall food experience a B because of Terrace. As I said, we're new here and keeping an open mind but I've had better on Holland, worse in Norwegian and the others are just a boring blur so I really, really want to love O.  Silversea -- I'll be there soon.

We will be on the same ship in June our first Oceania cruise after many cruises with a number of  brands. Really hope the food is good it’s the reason we booked with them! 

[Tyskie]

On 1/18/2023 at 11:46 AM, jonthomas said:

I dont eat seafood, but do eat fish...

 

 

I had to laugh at this statement - no disrespect meant! 🤷‍♀️ 😉

 

I must say I have learned alot on this thread - had to google HP and marmite.  Being from the US, I have never heard of either - I like learning about different customs and tastes. 🙂

[terrydtx]

We are new to Oceania, we recently booked our first cruise on the Marina in January 2025. For the past 12 years we sailed on both Celebrity and HAL primarily in upper end cabins and suites. The last 2 years we sailed with Celebrity in their Retreat class suites for a more premium experience which they delivered. Celebrity has raised their future pricing to the point that many like me are looking at the more premium lines for the future. We booked the Marina for an 18 night cruise of South America after looking at the Celebrity 14 night SA cruise. The 18 nights on the Marina in a Concierge Verandah was $200pp less than the 14 nights on the Equinox in a Sky Suite so we took the plunge to try Oceania. We are also looking at 2 more Oceania itineraries for 2024 and may book soon.

 

After reading this thread, I can see we are making a good choice to try Oceania, the complaints here are so miner compared to what is going on with Celebrity in food cutbacks. Complaining about lack of salsa or artificial sweeteners are nothing like no more Prime rib, or steaks and lobster that us now happening on Celebrity. I sure hope the grass is greener on the other side with Oceania.

[Robjame]

We have been on the Riviera for 34 days and the quality and execution has been for the most part excellent. The MDR has excelled with the couple of misses being at the specialty restaurants.

Jacques Bouillabaisse and Toscana calamari both being very over salted to the point of being inedible. The Toscana maître d’ picked up on us not eating it and tasted and agreed. He said, “Chef must be in love” which I thought was a pretty good quip. These are execution problems. Others have shared their displeasure with the new Bouillabaisse recipe at Jacques.

‘Jacques - I ordered the brill (fish) but the waiter steered me away from it saying that no one has been happy with it. This is the proper way to handle it IMO and is what would happen at our favourite restaurant back home.

‘Toscana - ordered the Veal chop Milanese which is a favourite of mine, too. They had run out of this bone-in product and, unannounced, the chef replaced it with an over-cooked scallopini. This was the one unforgivable miss, IMO. Yes I spoke to the chef.

 

Once again, the few misses are well within the acceptable range considering the number of meals we had onboard. How the waiter handles these is key. The food has been excellent.

[LHT28]

9 hours ago, Sebbiesgrammy said:

On Nautica now for 32 nights and,  as an O first timer, here's what we have observed after 10 days:  

Few offerings are memorable but the veal chop Milanese in Toscana was the best I ever had while the veal wrapped in pancetta in Terrace was too tough to cut. Husband inhaled the osso bucco and will order again.  Likewise, our meal at Polo was very good. My steak perfect  and his prime rib, Queen cut, was so huge he barely made a dent in it. When we asked if anyone ever finished the King cut, the answer was "never".  We are in Africa. They do know that " children are starving....." 🤔

 

Afternoon tea is wonderful and offerings plentiful -- great service all around and accompanied by chamber quartet -- very nice!!! Likewise, happy hour at Horizons with dance music standards live band, also special.

 

Terrace salad station is the worst I have ever experienced and we eat s lot of salads. Offered either Ceasar or mixed greens. Ceaser had the regular ingredients but if you want a mixed salad you have a!most nothing to add to lettuce. No tomatoes, no cucumbers, no egg or bacon bits, no beans or other veg of any kind. You can get black olives, anchovies, capers, pickles -- unusual. If you ask for tomato, they say try another area of the cafe. There is always a long line waiting. People want salads when they've been eating after 3 days at sea😁

 

 

Have you asked to speak to the Exec  Chef  ?

Usually the salad station has all sorts of items to add to the greens

Could be supply issues  but they should be able to have tomatoes/bacon bits/eggs

make  a comment in the mid cruise  survey

[terrydtx]

51 minutes ago, Robjame said:

‘Jacques - I ordered the brill (fish) but the waiter steered me away from it saying that no one has been happy with it. This is the proper way to handle it IMO and is what would happen at our favourite restaurant back home.

What is Brill?  At least it wasn't Tilapia which is becoming a mainline fish in Celebrity MDR's.

[mauibabes]

We have been on Marina for a week and joined friends who had been on board since Miami.  Were all their meals perfect, no but overall they had rave reviews for their first 31 days.  Since we have been on, we have had great meals with the only changes being the size of some entree’s. The RG Sea Bass has been a smaller portion but we were quite content with our meals.  There are lots of First Timers on board and when I talk to many of them and ask what they think, the overwhelming answer is AMAZING. Maybe we who have sailed more frequently on Oceania see some minor changes but definitely nothing alarming.  
They did run out of salmon for the grill in TC and have shifted to Mahi Mahi and those portions are smaller but they automatically ask if we want two pieces of fish.  
 

Everyone has their own tastes and preferences and it is impossible to be consistently PERFECT, I would say all our meals have been outstanding and we have plenty of O cruises to compare them to over the years.  
 

IMHO, IT IS STILL THE BEST CUISINE AT SEA.  

Enjoy, Mauibabes

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

We have been on Marina for a week and joined friends who had been on board since Miami.  Were all their meals perfect, no but overall they had rave reviews for their first 31 days.  Since we have been on, we have had great meals with the only changes being the size of some entree’s. The RG Sea Bass has been a smaller portion but we were quite content with our meals.  There are lots of First Timers on board and when I talk to many of them and ask what they think, the overwhelming answer is AMAZING. Maybe we who have sailed more frequently on Oceania see some minor changes but definitely nothing alarming.  
They did run out of salmon for the grill in TC and have shifted to Mahi Mahi and those portions are smaller but they automatically ask if we want two pieces of fish.  
 

Everyone has their own tastes and preferences and it is impossible to be consistently PERFECT, I would say all our meals have been outstanding and we have plenty of O cruises to compare them to over the years.  
 

IMHO, IT IS STILL THE BEST CUISINE AT SEA.  

Enjoy, Mauibabes

Being new to Oceania, I can appreciate your comments. Running out of Salmon is no big deal when it is replaced by Mahi Mahi and not Tilapia. I booked on Oceania because of the down grading of food on Celebrity. Too much Tilapia is now part of their cuisine in their dining rooms along with outrageous new pricing for Specialty restaurants.

Edited January 26, 2023 by terrydtx

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

Being new to Oceania, I can appreciate your comments. Running out of almon is no big deal when it is replaced by Mahi Mahi and not Tilapia. I booked on Oceania because of the down grading of food on Celebrity. Too much Tilapia is now part of their cuisine in their dining rooms along with outrageous new pricing for Specialty restaurants.

Hopefully by the time you cruise  they will have soured  salmon again

You may even get the pre covid  experience 

Enjoy

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Tyskie said:

 

I had to laugh at this statement - no disrespect meant! 🤷‍♀️ 😉

 

I must say I have learned alot on this thread - had to google HP and marmite.  Being from the US, I have never heard of either - I like learning about different customs and tastes. 🙂

On one of my numerous work trips to the PCR, I occasionally found myself intrigued by what unknown thing was sitting on my dinner plate. At one meal, my local colleague was stymied as well. He then had a long conversation (in Chinese) with the waiter then the Maitre d’ and finally the chef. Even with all that intel, when I asked “what is it?”, his summary response was “some kind of seafood.”