"Must do" Foods on Oceania

[potterhill]

And we loved the GDR! We ate in Tapas a few times because we like to eat out on the deck and DH likes the sushi. And it's nice how they dress it up by slipcovering the chairs. But I have only met one buffet that I thought was good and that was a very small buffet in a ski lodge, not in a large venu. I do love breakfast at the Terrace, out on the deck with great coffee, berries and newfound friends.

 

Mo

[hondorner]

The interesting thing is that much of the food, especially the carving and the side dishes, are the same at the Terrace and in the GDR -- prepared in the same kitchen -- and transported to the Terrace. The only difference I found was in the ambiance. We tend to take cruises with lots of sea days, so we found it much more relaxing to spend a couple of hours in the GDR before going to the shows. We also enjoyed the limited but still somewhat special "dressing up" in the GDR -- it nicely separated the evening from the day. I suppose if we had spent the days rushing from one tourist site to another and coming back exhausted, we might have enjoyed the Tapas buffet more. But, once we discovered that the menus were nearly the same, we spent more time in the GDR (we discovered that by reading the menus just outside the GDR and the Terrace each evening before making our choice). We always met great new folks at shared tables in the GDR and had neat conversations, and never noticed if service was crisp or lackadaisical. In fact, what we really liked was that we were never pressed to hurry the meal, the way we would be if they had to set the dining room for the next sitting. We were almost always in the dining room as it opened, and often among the last to depart.

 

As for consistency in quality at any restaurant venue, the only way they can be absolutely certain that every meal is perfect is to sample every meal as it is served, and I'd just as soon not have bites out of my food when it arrives. :rolleyes:

[ZME66]

GDR - Cheese course

Polo - Veal Oscar

Toscana - Eggplant Rollatini

Terrace - Lamb Stew

[cathi]

got to say that before we sailed on Nautica in April you guys got the juices running!! I didn't think the ship could live up to all the hype but it did for the most part.

Chocolate lasagna sounds way better in print than it did on the ship and I'm a serious choconut! BUT they surpassed every choconut's obession with the warm raspberry center chocolate cake thing they did!!! I can't even remember what it was called but it was yummmy!!!!!!

 

I went onboard a confirmed traditional dining cruiser but I came home a casual eat anytime you want one!!! We loved the GDR. After the first night we found a table for 2 that had the best waitress (Hi Lucie!!) and then most nights we just walked in and sat down! We did try Polo twice and Toscano twice (had my birthday dinner there!) but much preferred the GDR and if we got back late and tired would just go to Tapas for a quick bite. In the 35 days we were on board I did hear a few complaints and I'm not a gourmand by any stretch of the imagination, but I loved the food, the presentation, and the ambiance of Oceania. Now all I have to do is find another cruise that can match up to this one and we'll be off on Oceania in a minute!!

[Da Man 38]

At Toscana the Osso Buco with saffron infused risotto- outstanding, the lobster fradiavlo super the 5 dessert sampler!

 

Polo- Prime rib

 

At breakfast..berries, berries & more wonderful berries.

 

Don't forget the gelato.

 

Main dining room is very good as well as the others.

 

It exceeded all expectations.

[CruiseLiz]

The dessert samplers are the best!! And perfect for someone like me who wants to try everything. I loved the one at the Polo.

This also reminds me that I loved the apple strudel cake that they served. It tasted like a delicious apple pie. I wish I had a piece a la mode right now ;)

[sacway]

Just off the Insignia Jul 1-11:

 

Some fantastic appetizer with caviar on top and salty potatoes below - help, where did I eat this? Toscana? If I had that meal to do over again, I would order three appetizers and no main dish.

 

A made-to-order plate of spaghetti with a puttanesca sauce. All I did was ask if the sauce-of-the-day was puttanesca and the cook hustled around Tapas to gather the ingredients and saute it up. I regret only not writing down his name that evening to offer him a special commendation on my end-of-cruise card.

 

Repeating others, berries. The blueberries were twice the size of my homegrown ones but still quite flavorful. The blackberries (boysenberries?) were also fantastic. I had these with shredded wheat most mornings, which left me more calories for later in the day (ha) without worrying about whether my clothes would fit at end of cruise.

 

Any soup of the day at lunch on the Terrace

 

I had one bad food experience, with a "lobster tail" that turned out to be several rubbery slices of a tail (maybe left over from a science experiment?) laid out on a plate as if it were a real tail. I should have sent it back to the kitchen but was so surprised, as most everything was fantastic, that I just moved on to the next course without comment.

 

Okay, it's not a food, but a person: Anna (I think) was the server at Tapas working the lefthand side of the dessert section each evening. Just listening to her describe each of the nearly dozen possible choices was a treat in itself. The fun and flavor, without the calories. Plus, she would artfully and cheerily serve the exact amount of dessert that interested you no matter how teeny or large.

 

A burger, fries, and slaw after a day in port, washed down with iced tea.

or

Scones with clotted cream after a day in port, washed down with hot tea.

 

I would have enjoyed a range of curry choices, offered more frequently, the one I had was mild but very very tasty.

[ZME66]

Just off the Insignia Jul 1-11:

 

Some fantastic appetizer with caviar on top and salty potatoes below - help, where did I eat this? Toscana? If I had that meal to do over again, I would order three appetizers and no main dish.

 

Hi Cathy (and/or Wayne),

 

I think the caviar appetizer was in the GDR one night.

 

-- Chad

 

ps Thanks for posting the WaPo article on BCN tapas. We really enjoyed Euskal Etxea!

[Ship's Wake]

Thought I would bring this thread back since I'm getting hungry for another cruise!

[sunlover12]

I was on the Regatta in August and had some great meals. I especially enjoyed:

Roasted chicken in Toscana

French Onion soup in Polo

Panini Sandwich in Waves Grill. Great french fries served with it too.

All of the berries for breakfast in the Terrace. Every morning!

 

I don't eat beef, but my DH does, and he really liked the steak in the Polo.

[burm]

Has anyone here sailed with Oceania before? I am considering a 12 day cruise with them in March 2010 on the Regatta. I am writing this as I wait for my TA who has put me on hold. Any last words of wisdom for me before I give him the go ahead? :D

[CintiPam]

Has anyone here sailed with Oceania before? I am considering a 12 day cruise with them in March 2010 on the Regatta. I am writing this as I wait for my TA who has put me on hold. Any last words of wisdom for me before I give him the go ahead? :D

 

Do it!!! Our first-ever cruise on any line was last September on Nautica. Just booked second cruise last Wednesday for June 5, 2009!

 

PS. Thanks for reviving this thread.

[Rickey 88]

Has anyone here sailed with Oceania before? I am considering a 12 day cruise with them in March 2010 on the Regatta. I am writing this as I wait for my TA who has put me on hold. Any last words of wisdom for me before I give him the go ahead? :D

 

There are literally hundreds of us who have sailed with Oceania many times - and without exception, have said simply that it was a exceptional cruising experience. If you are in doubt, scan over the entire Oceania group ....

My advice - go ahead and book! Have a great time!!

[burm]

Has anyone here sailed with Oceania before? I am considering a 12 day cruise with them in March 2010 on the Regatta. I am writing this as I wait for my TA who has put me on hold. Any last words of wisdom for me before I give him the go ahead? :D

 

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to ask that question on the Oceania thread. While I held the phone under my ear waiting for the TA I thought I was still on a different thread talking to my regular CC buddies. :o

 

Anyway, I am really excited to have this cruise to look forward to. I just hope that I won't be disappointed in Princess food this year while dreaming of the incredible food on the Regatta in 2010!

[kippahlady]

anything in the polo grill-especially the rack of lamb, porterhouse steak, veal dish with the blob of lobster on top.

 

chocolate malteds on wave (tell them you want malted not milk shake). It's big enough for 2

 

must miss- short ribs- totally fatty

[divalaw]

lamb chops....especially on the Mediterranean cruises......I'd order them with eggs for breakfast in the Grand Dining room......

[StanandJim]

lamb chops....especially on the Mediterranean cruises......I'd order them with eggs for breakfast in the Grand Dining room......

 

This is a repeat on this thread (but who can read through 116 posts?)

Anyway, try the baby lamb chops at breakfast with the warm figs!

Delectable!

[burm]

Are lamb chops available for breakfast every day on all Oceania cruises? I sure hope so. I love lamb.

[hondorner]

Are lamb chops available for breakfast every day on all Oceania cruises? I sure hope so. I love lamb.

Yes, in the Grand Dining Room. They are breakfast sized, 2 baby lambchops perfectly done, and available to mix and match with whatever other breakfast items you choose. A breakfast steak is also available, but I haven't tried it.

 

We "discovered" the Grand Dining Room for breakfast on our cruise just past; previously we had breakfast almost exclusively at the Terrace buffet, mostly because we liked eating outside on the terrace. It was pretty cold around Cape Horn, and the outside terrace was closed most mornings, making the inside tables pretty crowded -- so we started choosing the GDR, instead. We're hooked, now, partly because of the lamb shops, and mostly because of the relaxed atmosphere and outstanding service.

 

You do need to allow a little more time as your food is cooked to order in the GDR, and that may be difficult on a port-intensive cruise (one of the reasons why we prefer sea days).

[burm]

Yes, in the Grand Dining Room. They are breakfast sized, 2 baby lambchops perfectly done, and available to mix and match with whatever other breakfast items you choose. A breakfast steak is also available, but I haven't tried it.

 

You do need to allow a little more time as your food is cooked to order in the GDR, and that may be difficult on a port-intensive cruise (one of the reasons why we prefer sea days).

 

Yummy. But I can see that time will be a problem for us on our very port intensive Caribbean cruise.

[ShopperfiendTO]

It was posted a while back, but I have to chime in that the Pepin signature roast chicken was probably the worst meal I had on my cruise (12 days). It was salty and dry and I think BBQ chicken take-out at most supermarkets are better. The other dinner meals in GDR were very good to excellent.

 

The lobster pasta in Toscana was absolutely delicious (but it is spicy, which I like). I'd skip the table-made caesar salad for a different appetizer or salad... nothing that special about it other than seeing it made in front of your eyes.

 

I enjoy lamb, but to me the lamb for breakfast in GDR was mediocre at best (tried it 3 separate days to try to prove myself wrong).

[StanandJim]

I enjoy lamb, but to me the lamb for breakfast in GDR was mediocre at best (tried it 3 separate days to try to prove myself wrong).

ShopperfiendTO,

 

We eat the lamb very rare, so of course we always get a new fresh piece of meat......but it really is superb with the figs.......when warmed.

 

Honestly, we find that half of the problem is getting a waiter who knows how to serve it properly

[potterhill]

On our recent TA on Regatta we found the food not to be as good as we had experienced in the past on Insignia. Nothing really wrong with it, but just not as good as it was before. No WOW! meals on this cruise and there were lots before.

 

Mo

[burm]

On our recent TA on Regatta we found the food not to be as good as we had experienced in the past on Insignia. Nothing really wrong with it, but just not as good as it was before. No WOW! meals on this cruise and there were lots before.

 

Mo

 

 

Say it's not so! I booked with Oceania mainly for the food.

[kimiata]

My new favorite thing is the steak Cobb salad at Polo Grill.