Jim_Iain - Live from Oceania Regatta - September 14 Vancouver to Los Angeles

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I believer all classes on Oceania get some free bags (20 items) of laundry I believer we get 4 but will probably not use it.  

 

The turn around time is 3 days vs in an upper suite we usually get next day.   We usually give it to our butler before dinner and he has it back by dinner the next night.

We are booked in a Concierge Class cabin on the Marina and we get 3 bags of laundry for our 18-day cruise.

[JYDCruise]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks --- I didn't know that.   Seems strange it's the same price on the ship.   At least when I looked pre-cruise if you had Simply More you couldn't upgrade online it only gave me the price for a drink package if you didn't have Simply More.    I was told I had to call my agent or call Oceania.

When we sailed ~6 months ago, I saw the same thing online - asking ~$60/day to upgrade to Premium, even though we had SM. I called Oceania, and within 5 minutes had upgraded my beverage package, while leaving my son's as SM.

[FetaCheese]

@RedT

Confirmed - Waves closed at night on Regatta

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I believer all classes on Oceania get some free bags (20 items) of laundry I believer we get 4 but will probably not use it.  

 

Only Concierge and above get 3 bags (20 pieces per bag max) of laundry. I don't know about Vista and Owners suites (Oceania suites on the larger ships).

[FetaCheese]

@Redtravel Confirmed - Waves closed at night on Regatta.  Pizza Trattoria has not made it here.

[cluso]

22 hours ago, bbqoug said:

 

 

What are the last two numbers of your cabin?  I know you are above us, but would like to get together.  I will leave a note on your door.

[bbqoug]

 

52 minutes ago, cluso said:

What are the last two numbers of your cabin?  I know you are above us, but would like to get together.  I will leave a note on your door.

66. We saw 2 whales in the distance from our window today. We have really enjoyed our aft cabin even though the weather hasn't been great.

It would be fun to get together.

[FetaCheese]

Tonight in Regatta Lounge.

 

Bellissimo String Quartet -- Rock show.  

[cluso]

10 hours ago, bbqoug said:

 

66. We saw 2 whales in the distance from our window today. We have really enjoyed our aft cabin even though the weather hasn't been great.

It would be fun to get together.

I will put a note on your door before we head out.  We have been here before, so we will be walking around.  Maybe lunch if we can find a place that isn't maxed out.  Over 8000 extra people in town today.  Your fish and chips looked good the other day, but we were pretty wet by lunchtime so we returned to the ship.

[Jim_Iain]

We ate at Toscana again last night.   Iain had the Dover Sole again.  He said Toscana is his favorite. 
 

 

last tim never noticed the roasted garlic

 

 

I had the lobster.   I asked if Lobster was live and found it is not.   It’s good but not like fresh lobster. 
 

 

 

We both had Tiramisu.   Iain makes the best Tiramisu but he even acknowledges it is better than his.   

[SSFrance69]

11 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

@Redtravel Confirmed - Waves closed at night on Regatta.  Pizza Trattoria has not made it here.

Good to know. I LOVED the pizza at Waves on Riviera and Vista. Hopefully they will add that to Waves at some point on the smaller ships. It requires a special oven there. I wonder if there isn't enough space for it.

[Jim_Iain]

Sunday
 

Arrived Victoria today to a beautiful sunny day.  

 

 

 

[terrydtx]

8 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I had the lobster.   I asked if Lobster was live and found it is not.   It’s good but not like fresh lobster. 

Do they have live lobsters anywhere on the ship?  My sister did a Viking Ocean cruise 2 years ago and they had live lobsters on the ship in cold storage.

[cruisingxpert]

Funny story about the Terrace Grill for dinner.  I have a friend who has been on Oceania a number of times  When we suggested we go to TC for dinner, she said "I don't do buffets" with a sneer.  We finally convinced her to try it one night and now it's the only place she wants to have dinner- she will even cancel specialties if there is something in TC she wants for dinner.

I have always said, I wouldn't go to a buffet on on a cruise line but Terrace Grill is not the buffet most people think of when dismissing buffets.

 

Really enjoying your live, Jim(now that I have figured out that you are not Iain lol}

[Redtravel]

1 hour ago, SSFrance69 said:

Good to know. I LOVED the pizza at Waves on Riviera and Vista. Hopefully they will add that to Waves at some point on the smaller ships. It requires a special oven there. I wonder if there isn't enough space for it.

I also loved the Waves pizza.  I tend to book the larger ships.  Like Vista, Riviera, and Marina.  Terrace is still very nice for dinner.  

[Redtravel]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Do they have live lobsters anywhere on the ship?  My sister did a Viking Ocean cruise 2 years ago and they had live lobsters on the ship in cold storage.

Just did 2 weeks on Viking ocean.  They had lobster.  It was overcooked. Rubber. It was terrible.  

[Redtravel]

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

Funny story about the Terrace Grill for dinner.  I have a friend who has been on Oceania a number of times  When we suggested we go to TC for dinner, she said "I don't do buffets" with a sneer.  We finally convinced her to try it one night and now it's the only place she wants to have dinner- she will even cancel specialties if there is something in TC she wants for dinner.

I have always said, I wouldn't go to a buffet on on a cruise line but Terrace Grill is not the buffet most people think of when dismissing buffets.

 

Really enjoying your live, Jim(now that I have figured out that you are not Iain lol}

You are right.  I am not a fan of buffets. I hate crowds. I hate handling serving utensils.  Terrace is not like that. The servers serve you. You don’t handle anything except your plate. Servers wear gloves.  I just did Viking Ocean.  Their world cafe buffet reminded me what I hate about buffets.  It’s self serve and crowded. 

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

He said Toscana is his favorite. 

I'm with Iain. Toscana is the only speciality restaurant that passes our "holiday restaurant test" - if it was land based and local, would we become regulars. 

 

FWIW, I'm a big fan of tiramisu. It's something I will always order in a new Italian restaurant, just to see if it beats my "top two ever". Best ever was a place near home that we go to regularly (although, there must be a new chef as it's different on our visits in the last couple of years,  and not as good). Second best ever - a place in Burlington, Vermont. 

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

Funny story about the Terrace Grill for dinner.  I have a friend who has been on Oceania a number of times  When we suggested we go to TC for dinner, she said "I don't do buffets" with a sneer.  We finally convinced her to try it one night and now it's the only place she wants to have dinner- she will even cancel specialties if there is something in TC she wants for dinner.

I have always said, I wouldn't go to a buffet on on a cruise line but Terrace Grill is not the buffet most people think of when dismissing buffets.

 

Really enjoying your live, Jim(now that I have figured out that you are not Iain lol}

That is good to know, we are not fans of cruise ship buffets and rarely dine there for dinners. Lunch or breakfasts are OK. Just do not like walking around with a tray looking for an open and cleaned off table. Celebrity has one of the worst cruise ship buffets IMO, food quality is poor more like a Golden Corral, which we never eat at.   

[1985rz1]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

That is good to know, we are not fans of cruise ship buffets and rarely dine there for dinners. Lunch or breakfasts are OK. Just do not like walking around with a tray looking for an open and cleaned off table. Celebrity has one of the worst cruise ship buffets IMO, food quality is poor more like a Golden Corral, which we never eat at.   

Just go in, chose a table, order your drinks, then select the items you want and take them back to your table with or without a server's assistance.  No trays 🙃.

Edited 17 hours ago by 1985rz1

[ORV]

15 hours ago, JYDCruise said:

When we sailed ~6 months ago, I saw the same thing online - asking ~$60/day to upgrade to Premium, even though we had SM. I called Oceania, and within 5 minutes had upgraded my beverage package, while leaving my son's as SM.

Just as I thought, both don't have to upgrade when done before the cruise. I think some people get that confused with the way it used to that if you took the beverage package as your perk for Olife you both had to take it. 

1 hour ago, SSFrance69 said:

Good to know. I LOVED the pizza at Waves on Riviera and Vista. Hopefully they will add that to Waves at some point on the smaller ships. It requires a special oven there. I wonder if there isn't enough space for it.

It is on some of the small ships. I was just on Nautica and it there. Don't know about the other two, but you would think Insignia would have it as it's the ATW ship for now. 

[1985rz1]

28 minutes ago, ORV said:

It is on some of the small ships. I was just on Nautica and it there. Don't know about the other two, but you would think Insignia would have it as it's the ATW ship for now. 

Sirena did not have it.

[LuAnn]

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Interesting find- for some of us how can’t consume alcohol.  Oceania carries a full line of non-alcoholic cordials used in mixed mock tails.  
 

I tried the amaretto and was quite nice.   I once tried a non-alcoholic Gin on celebrity once and almost spewed it across the room. 
 

 

 

 

 

And it truly has ZERO % alcohol!!! 🙂

[LSuzQ]

17 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

@Redtravel@Redtravel

Not sure Waves at night, to which you refer (pizza) is on Regatta.  Will check tonight.

I believe Waves closed at 4:00 pm on our recent Insignia cruise.

 

[Gracie115]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

We ate at Toscana again last night.   Iain had the Dover Sole again.  He said Toscana is his favorite. 

 

 

It was our favorite on Vista too.  

 

If you like Asian I suspect you will like Red Ginger on Vista.