Frank26 My Review of the Regatta 15Mar - 10Apr

[Barocl]

Regatta March 15 - April 10

The decor and atmosphere of the Regatta are reminiscent of the
old translantic passenger ships, comfortable and cosy with a
wonderful library. Our stateroom was bright and sunny (#6065 with
veranda) making it a favorite place for us to relax. We appreciated
the use of the terrycloth bathrobes and slippers. Thick towels and
lovely linens which all the women on board raved about. Unfortunately
the no smoking policy wasn't enforced and for the first segment we
continued to have cigarette smoke floating from the next cabin's
veranda to ours.

Terrace Cafe

We had a full ship and the only place that felt a bit crowded
was the Terrace cafe in the area where passengers pick up their
desired items. The quanity and quality were great except for the
warm vegetables.

Waves

Waves had the usual grill fare. Hot dogs, french fries, salads
and hamburgers made to order. An outstanding feature was the daily
fish special prepared according to your wishes.

The Polo Grill

It was much quieter here than in the Grand Dining Room, but I
found the food much the same as in the Grand dining room.

Toscana

This was not a favorite of ours, we only ventured there once.

The Grand dining Room

The meals prepared in the Grand Dining Room receive full marks for
presentation, tho I felt the fare wasn't much different than other cruise
line offerings. Sometimes the service in the dining room was slow and if
a side dish was ordered it didn't always arrive with the main course.

Tea

The sitting and ambiance of the tea, range of goodies and the choices
of different teas and coffee made afternoon tea one of the highlights of the
day. (I especially liked the scones).

Room Service

The 24 hour room service had a varied and extensive menu and they were
prompt whenever we used their services.

The service staff at all the venues were friendly and accommodating.
Cruise director "Chip" and his staff of Diane, Suzanna and John Paul
had a great deal of musical talent. Also the musicians were very good.
It's unusual to have an 11 piece orchestra playing dance music on a
cruise ship now days.

There were activies to keep a guest busy if they wished. Ping pong,
shuffleboard, trivia and the daily quiz provided "Oceania Points" which when
collected could be redeemed for t-shirts, ball caps, tote bags, fanny packs
or bookmarks at the end of the cruise. There was needlepoint, arts and crafts,
bridge, and games in the games room. The computor lab was available 24 hours
a day, and there were classes and open time for all. The library also had two
computors passengers could use.

Tho it didn't affect the enjoyment of my cruise I was disappointed to
see Oceania let their already relaxed dress code slip. There was a couple
dancing in the Regatta Lounge before the evening performance in sweat suits
and various other passengers eating dinner in the Grand Dining Room dressed
in blue jeans and running shoes.

Another disappointment was with the enrichment lectures crossing the
Atlantic. He deal exclusively with the American armed forces. We much
preferred the second guest lecturer that lectured on the Moors and Spain.

Disembarking was great. It's the best I've ever witness in my cruising
days. They were very quick and organized.

In conclucion we were very satisfied with our cruise, and plan to sail
with Oceania again.

[smj]

Thanks for the great review. One of the main reasons we choose Oceania was the smoking policy. Did you notify the staff of the situation? If so what was their response? I really hope this is an isolated insident.

[gillianrose]

Not one of the good things that Oceania might have going for it is enough to get us on board until they prove, by force of action, that they will adhere strictly to their prohibition of smoking in cabins or on verandahs.

[cruzemaven]

Question: Are jeans allowed at dinner in the main dining room? Or did they just fail to enforce the dress code?

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;8;16;18;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]
8/16 Insignia Barcelona to Venice

[ClaudiaF]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cruzemaven:
Question: Are jeans allowed at dinner in the main dining room? Or did they just fail to enforce the dress code?

[url="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;8;16;18;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100"]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;8;16;18;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/url]
8/16 Insignia Barcelona to Venice
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeans are not "supposed " to be worn at dinner along with no tennis shoes, shorts, t-shirts..
guess it wasn't enforced.

Barcelona to Venice on Oceania - "Insignia"
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;5;3;18;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]
Buenos Aires to Rio Oceania - "Insignia"
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2005;2;2;18;00;00&timezone=GMT-0300[/img]

[img]http://www.gifs.net/animate/mermaidswim.gif[/img]
[img]http://jammerbabe.com/images/gifs/icon_treasurebox.gif[/img]

[Barocl]

Yes, I reported the smoking on the veranda next to mine. (To the front desk three times.) No action taken. When the second trip was a few days old I filled out my mid term comment sheet, and mention how nice it was not to have cigarette smoke blowing over my veranda. I had a message on my phoned the next night stating the person in charge of enforcing the smoking policy wasn't informed by the front desk of my complaints. I assume no one has been assigned to enforce the dress code. I never complained to anyone about the lack of enforcement. It was just an observation.