mango puddin

Luminae has fresh juices during breakfast. 
 

The juice bar has the best options for juices though, as you can pick exactly what fruit/veg you would like. It has limited opening hours though.

we asked our butler to bring us fresh juice every morning and he did, so we just did that as it saved queuing. 

On 4/14/2024 at 12:20 AM, West Windsor girl said:

Great cruise on Sirena. Haven’t been on Oceanea since before Covid.  Nice to see they are better than ever. The crew was terrific and the food was outstanding. We were recently on a Silversea. Cruise and were very disappointed. Oceanes Wins hands down.

May I ask what you didn’t like about Silversea? Thanks

(Silversea was on my list of considerations)

On 4/15/2024 at 5:07 AM, firsttimers68 said:

Just back from a trip on Regent Explorer and I have to say we were disappointed with the food. Breakfast and lunch were limited in choice in buffet restaurants. Dinner was often overcooked. Oceania in my opinion is far superior.

Thanks for your comment.

Have you sailed with Oceania recently? 

I had unlimited laundry and for some items I did request gentle wash/no tumble dry, but I don’t think they read the forms.

i wouldn’t send anything delicate to be washed 

1 hour ago, Stickman1990 said:

Food is such a subjective topic but imho theres no comparison - Explora wins hands down - higher quality ingredients and more consistent preparation and service across the board 

 

I base this on having sailed Explora last September and Regent Explorer last November 

 

Of course you won’t starve on either line but if your making the decision based on dining then Explora wins 

Thank you for the info!

I think we may have been on the same Regent Explorer cruise in November. 

On 3/23/2024 at 11:37 PM, PaulMCO said:

Then again, I am currently on Regent, and Regent beats them both.

 

 Newer ships, no TAs or bloggers, a culture of yes we can, French milled bread, a decent complementary wine list, varying menus ( even the Italian specialty varies), great Illy coffee, good enrichment speakers, caviar Sundays, brunches, and stateroom block parties, 
 

Only negative has been the included excursions and most cruise lines have issues here. 
 

Next sailing is Crystal in June. 

I was considering Explora, maybe I should stick to Regent.

How would you say the food on Explora compares to Regent?

I fully concur with dining in speciality restaurants when in royal suite. I find the speciality restaurants on Celebrity generally offer higher quality than the main dining options (including Luminae)

On Infinity, in room movie choices were quite limited (compare to Regent)

42 minutes ago, sailfar said:

We recently returned from a 4 week trip on each of the ships:  Regent Splendor and Oceania Marina.

 

On Regent you serve yourself at the buffet that is covered.  I personally like the extra protection during possible outbreaks of Covid 19 and norovirus.  Also, several times I found the large serving spoon in a dish like lasagna too heavy and awkward to reach my plate.  I like to be served, especially on a rocking ship.  

 

On Regent, there were more daily choices of where to eat, as one of the specialty restaurants, Prime 7 or Charteuse, were open each day in port in addition to the pool deck restaurant and the buffet.  There was no extra charge for the lunch in the specialty restaurants and the service and venues were fantastic as well as the food.  

 

I found the bread better on Regent than Oceania.  For whatever reason the breads were too dry on Oceania and tasted almost day old.  Regent breads seemed fresher.  However, I missed Oceania's sticky buns when I was on Regent.

 

There were more choices of included wine on Regent than Oceania.  Also if you like to start with a cocktail before dinner, Regent has a bar in each specialty restaurant and fast nearby bar service in their other restaurants.  Cocktails are included on Regent and you pay for all cocktails on Oceania with Simply More. It is difficult to find out what included wines you like the best on each ship.  Regent has an included wine tasting event, but it is a stand up event in the lobby.  When you do find a wine included that you like, make note of it and order it again.  Regent had more wines that we liked, and more varieties.  Oceania needs to expand their list offered with Simply More.

 

I liked the Asian restaurant on Oceania better than Regent.  Also there was wonderful sushi available each night at the Oceania buffet.

 

You can't go wrong with either Regent or Oceania as far as food.  It helps if you know what you like and read cruise critic to find out what items at each venue are best.  Lobster, veal and cuts of steak have varied wildly in quality.  So much of this is caused by supply chains and location.  

 

We sail both Oceania and Regent for the quality of food and the extremely comfortable beds.  We would never go back to Princess, Celebrity of Royal Caribbean.  Happy trails to you!

 

I 

Thanks for your detailed answer! Very helpful to hear from someone who has tried both fairly recently.

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Have you looked at the various threads over time here? To see all the discussions about food and comparisons to other lines, including "family" NCL and Regents.

Yes, I have been reading old threads and using the search function, thanks.

I found penthouse on Explorer to be very comfortable. Could I survive in a smaller cabin with fewer perks? Yes, but I was quite satisfied with penthouse and would have enjoyed my trip slightly less (included laundry etc). 

I preferred Regent to Celebrity (Retreat) overall. 

Can anyone who has tried Regent and Oceania offer any comments?

I've tried Regent and wondered how Oceania compares. 

Primarily interested in the food quality and overall experience.

Currently on Explorer. Each has pros and cons. 

La Veranda: buffet. 
 

Poolside: fresh fruit/veg juices, some self service items. 

Compass Rose: some good options but can be slow. Has items unavailable in La Veranda. Occasionally has a small buffet area (not too exciting). Sunday sea days is brunch, which is quite fun. Staff make a lot of effort and there’s a decent array of food

Coffee Connection: very small self service area. I don’t really eat here, just get coffee. 
 

On 8/23/2023 at 8:52 AM, wineoclock said:

I can’t remember if it’s been mentioned but has anyone been on Cunard and if so how does it compare?

 

I know about the dress code and tbh probably why it puts me off a little, but dh would loves the idea, and wants to cruise Cunard at some point. 
 

Also retreat to grills please thank you! 

Cunard Grill level used to be exceptional food and service. Food quality went downhill a bit, but still better than Celebrity suites. 

I didn't find the dress code onerous, I just put on a slightly nicer dress at dinner time, that's all. 

Preferred Cunard overall.

1 hour ago, keesar said:

 

Only edible?  I thought you would have said 'delicious'. When I have "lobster" on Celebrity,  I need to soak it in a pool of butter.  Then it tastes fine.

it was not bad, but not special

4 hours ago, swigso said:

I am just looking at our cruises in March and neither show Luminae open for lunch on sea days 😱

Luminae was open for lunch on sea days on a recent cruise

Recently stayed in one of these.

- Retreat room service

- Access to Retreat Lounge and Deck areas

- Luminae

- Premium drinks

On 8/29/2023 at 4:25 PM, kwokpot said:

Seems like the revised Luminae entrees are skewing towards Asian influences as we have two examples, a fish with a Japanese Eel Sauce and a Duck with a Chinese Cha Siu BBQ sauce. 

Weirdly enough, cha siu sauce is not normally eaten with duck AFAIK. It seems like a Western take on Asian food.

Millennium - we were asked to leave the suite by 8. We could stay in the Retreat after that

Horizon suite room service menu did not include sea bass or ribeye

Lobster in Luminae was edible

Stayed on a suite in Millennium. I had a good holiday, but I did not find it very premium or luxurious. The price was quite premium, but the experience was not very premium. I don't expect perfection and anyone can make mistakes, but this was not 5 star. 

I read many reviews of Celebrity before embarking and have relatives who've tried their suites several times. They said that Celebrity's standards have declined.

Some staff were excellent and we thanked/tipped them extra. Others were rude/unhelpful.

Some food was very good and some was inedible.

Luminae - mixed experience. Certain dishes were good, but the quality of certain items (esp seafood) was not up to par. Some staff members excellent, others not so much.

Room service suite menu - good enough for room service. Much better than the buffet food.

Buffet - poor. I would have been disappointed if this was my only (included) option besides a main dining room.

Drinks - variable. Staff in Cafe al Baccio were lovely, all really helpful. Coffees were ok. 

Gelato - pleasant enough, but nothing special. The ice creams/sorbets in Luminae were better.

Some amenities were good (Frette robes) and some were below par: stained (large, brown) towels in the retreat, made in China toiletries, instant coffee in the suite.

The main pool/deck areas were overcrowded, loud and stressful. 

Retreat:

Good: plenty of space, not crowded, provided SPF selection and aloe aftersun, blankets, headrests, peaceful environment 

Bad: brown stains on several towels, unhelpful bartender

I don't wish to cruise again with Celebrity.