Riviera main dining room

[hondorner]

Are there any nights when the menu in the MDR tends to be better or more extensive than others? For example, is there a special menu on the night of the Captain's Welcoming Party or on an at-sea day?

Personally, I don't know how they could make any specific evening any more special in any of the restaurants. Folks who sail on mainstream lines rhapsodize about "lobster night", and usually get a lobster tail or less -- I've seen lobster stews and such. On a cruise line where you can lobster tails on a sandwich every day for lunch at the pool grill or freshly grilled lobster at the buffet every evening, it's tough to make any menu more "special".

 

The main dining room does have varied menu offerings, many considered "special" (like Beef Wellington), but I don't recall them being any more prevalent on one evening over another. Others may have been more observant than me.

[hypercafe]

As said the things that mass market lines have that are special are available every night one place or another. The only special thing I really looked for in the MDR, which was never offered when I was aboard, is the brunch. They said it was rare and very itinerary

dependent.

 

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[journeyfan]

We've only cruised on Oceania once (last Feb.) and we'll be on the Riviera again this Feb. Last year we booked into the specialty restaurants on our first 4 nights, thinking we could get reservations in some of them again once we were on the ship. No such luck and we ended up dining in the MDR 6 nights straight. The menu appeared to be the same on each of those nights and it did get kind of boring. Is there a secret to getting addition specialty restaurant reservations once on board? Our butler wasn't helpful at securing any for us.

[LHT28]

Unless things have changed we have never had the same menu several nights in a row

They do have a few items "Always Available" but most of the other offerings do change daily

I am not sure what the rotation schedule is whether it is 10 days or more before you get the same menu again

 

As for the Specialties just go & ask every day at the desk for reservations

Sometimes you get lucky ;)

 

 

Lyn

[StanandJim]

We've only cruised on Oceania once (last Feb.) and we'll be on the Riviera again this Feb. Last year we booked into the specialty restaurants on our first 4 nights, thinking we could get reservations in some of them again once we were on the ship. No such luck and we ended up dining in the MDR 6 nights straight. The menu appeared to be the same on each of those nights and it did get kind of boring. Is there a secret to getting addition specialty restaurant reservations once on board? Our butler wasn't helpful at securing any for us.

 

The "secret" to getting into the specialty restaurants is to book longer cruises.

 

Unlike the Grand Dining Room, where the Menu does change every night, the Menus in the Specialties are static (except for the very occasional "nightly special") so demand usually drops off drastically after the second week.

 

You'll sometimes see the Restaurant Captains combing the public rooms, looking for patrons to invite. :)

Edited November 28, 2014 by StanandJim

[JMBobB]

Last November SWMbI and I did a TA on Riviera. Midway... Or thereabouts the crew held a country faire day that was lots of fun. There was a special brunch in the GDR that was as delightful, extensive and delicious as anything we've ever experienced. So many tables loaded with different food offerings - all in exceptional presentation. The food service staff kept the entire GDR immaculate throughout and while doing their darndest to tempt everyone into a diabetic coma...

 

You had to be there.

 

While I accept that everyone has their own taste in dining I still find it difficult at best that even the pickiest aren't' able to find something to enjoy in the GDR. Especially now that diners can order items from the specialty restaurants.

 

JMBobB

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

We've only cruised on Oceania once (last Feb.) and we'll be on the Riviera again this Feb. Last year we booked into the specialty restaurants on our first 4 nights, thinking we could get reservations in some of them again once we were on the ship. No such luck and we ended up dining in the MDR 6 nights straight. The menu appeared to be the same on each of those nights and it did get kind of boring. Is there a secret to getting addition specialty restaurant reservations once on board? Our butler wasn't helpful at securing any for us.

 

 

If you have rugged good looks (for the women) or sparkling personality (for the men) like me, you should have no problem talking whoever is handling the specialty restaurant reservations each morning into fitting you in somewhere. However, for the women staff, you should identify the beautiful spouse standing next to you as a cousin.

 

 

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[journeyfan]

Love it! I'll give that a try and see how it works.

[Mura]

My perspective is that while it's nice to have a butler to do the work, if yours doesn't ... you CAN do it yourself. We've never actually had to do this ourselves -- mostly because when we're on the "R" ships we aren't that wild about Polo and Toscana, so one reservation in each more than satisfies us AND whenever we've had a butler, he's taken care of this for us. But go to the place mentioned above to make a reservation. Just be prepared to be flexible -- by that I mean, share a table with strangers, go earlier or later than you normally would. (We prefer sharing tables anyway -- we think it's a great way to meet fellow passengers.)

 

There are cruises where literally everyone seems to want extra reservations, and on those cruises it can be difficult to get them. But there are cruises where lots of people are like us -- that is, not insistent on going to a specialty restaurant most of the time. (Caveat: we're usually in a suite that permits us to dine in the suite, so we can get the food even if we don't go to the restaurant. But that doesn't mean we order in every night either. Also, a PH on the "R" ships is more convenient for dining in -- in our opinion -- than it is on the "O" ships. And the ability to order in from a specialty restaurant is a relatively recent "perk".)

 

When we order dinner in the suite it's because we are tired after a long day touring and just don't feel like going into a restaurant for a couple of hours.

 

For the record, we love Jacques on Marina/Riviera, don't care for Red Ginger although we'll join another couple or couples who ask us to join them, and generally prefer Polo to Toscana on any of the ships.

 

For the most part getting extra reservations is NOT impossible.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

We've only cruised on Oceania once (last Feb.) and we'll be on the Riviera again this Feb. Last year we booked into the specialty restaurants on our first 4 nights, thinking we could get reservations in some of them again once we were on the ship. No such luck and we ended up dining in the MDR 6 nights straight. The menu appeared to be the same on each of those nights and it did get kind of boring. Is there a secret to getting addition specialty restaurant reservations once on board? Our butler wasn't helpful at securing any for us.

 

If you had a butler then you were in a PH or above.

You had the choice of dining in your suite with a course by course dinner from any specialty restaurant. Why not do that next time if you do not care for the MDR?

[Hambagahle]

We had the best Chateaubriand with sauce Béarnaise that we have ever had anywhere in the world in the MDR on our first Riviera cruise. Very impressive. Service etc was fine - actually a lot better at breakfast than in the similar Compass Rose on the Regent ships. No problem getting a table for two and no wait either. We usually eat dinner at 1900 so maybe that is why.

 

And yes, we can order anything we like from the MDR OR the speciality restaurants in our suite but most nights we want to eat "out" so tend not to do that a huge amount. Also the presentation of the dishes, especially from Red Ginger, is not nearly as nice when served in the suite. You don't get the same china to start with...

[journeyfan]

No, we have no interest in dining in our PH suite as it's too claustrophobic and we also enjoy dining with others. I'm a big fan of chateaubriand but that didn't appear on the MDR menu on any of the 6 nights we ate there.

 

Where on the Riviera is this reservation desk for making specialty restaurant reservations located? I don't recall seeing any such place last year.

[LHT28]

Where on the Riviera is this reservation desk for making specialty restaurant reservations located? I don't recall seeing any such place last year.

 

Deck 5 near Reception

There are 2 desks in the area one is the concierge the other is reservations

You can also phone (number listed in Currents or directory in the cabin) or try the Concierge in the Executive lounge

[journeyfan]

Thanks, LHT28. This year I'll work extra hard at trying to get a second reservation in Jacques.:)

[wristband]

We have had multiple voyages on Riviera, just got off the trans-Atlantic. The food was terrific in the MDR, menu varied each night, interesting offerings, something for everyone - no boring repeats or dud dishes. I way preferred it over meals at Polo & Red Ginger.

 

As for specialty restaurants, our Riviera butlers are useless nailing additional reservations. Either no follow through or crazy last minute calls at 6:25 "there is an opening for two at a table for six for sharing in five minutes." We dine alone, no sharing. PH butlers can't seem to get this one request taken care on our cruises.

 

BUT a $20 cash tip to the gent handling seating works. Gets us a table of two any number of times (separate from our online bookings) during the cruise for Jacques and Toscana.

[turnip eater]

[quote name='wristband']
BUT a $20 cash tip to the gent handling seating works. Gets us a table of two any number of times (separate from our online bookings) during the cruise for Jacques and Toscana.[/QUOTE]

That's not a tip.......It's a BRIBE. Hopefully someone in authority from Oceania reads this and 'speaks' to this crew member.

[LHT28]

[quote name='turnip eater']That's not a tip.......It's a BRIBE. Hopefully someone in authority from Oceania reads this and 'speaks' to this crew member.[/QUOTE]

+1
Bribing may be OK on land based restaurants but very unfair on the ship
Cannot say I am surprised though always some who feel "entitled"

[Toranut97]

+2. I was bugged by that suggestion but thought maybe this was some acceptable behavior with which I was not familiar. What bothers me is that someone else loses the table/spots they had properly reserved in favor of a person who throws money around. Ugh.


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[wristband]

Whoa - why would you assume a passenger was bumped? Have you ever heard of someone with a reservation but refused seating at the specialty restaurants? Nope.

Really, think about what that comment implies - on so many levels.

[Toranut97]

[quote name='wristband']Whoa - why would you assume a passenger was bumped? Have you ever heard of someone with a reservation but refused seating at the specialty restaurants? Nope.

Really, think about what that comment implies - on so many levels.[/QUOTE]

Supply and demand, plain and simple.

The perpetrator of bakshish stated that there were no additional tables available in the desired specialties.

"BUT a $20 cash tip to the gent handling seating works. Gets us a table of two any number of times (separate from our online bookings) during the cruise for Jacques and Toscana."

Ergo, if there were no tables - or if the only seating was, say, at a shared table ---- and then a $20 "tip" got the poster said non-existent table --- then someone else got bumped, or shifted. As in, if they reserved that little table for two, they might well have been told, "Sorry, you will have to share. Unforeseen circumstances, sorry."

So maybe not bumped from the restaurant, but perhaps not given the table they had reserved originally.

I do not doubt that no one is turned away, but I bet people get told to adjust their expectations.

Can you tell me another way that a maitre-d could conjure up a table for two after a person had persistently tried to add a reservation and was told none was available??? Edited December 3, 2014 by Toranut97

[TrulyBlonde]

[quote name='wristband']We have had multiple voyages on Riviera, just got off the trans-Atlantic. The food was terrific in the MDR, menu varied each night, interesting offerings, something for everyone - no boring repeats or dud dishes. I way preferred it over meals at Polo & Red Ginger.

As for specialty restaurants, our Riviera butlers are useless nailing additional reservations. Either no follow through or crazy last minute calls at 6:25 "there is an opening for two at a table for six for sharing in five minutes." We dine alone, no sharing. PH butlers can't seem to get this one request taken care on our cruises.

BUT a $20 cash tip to the gent handling seating works. Gets us a table of two any number of times (separate from our online bookings) during the cruise for Jacques and Toscana.[/QUOTE]

A lot of complaining about your way of getting a table for two. Actually, this has gone on for years and the maitre d' has always made a very good living due to customers such as yourself. Enjoy your dining ;-)

[LHT28]

[quote name='Toranut97']
Can you tell me another way that a maitre-d could conjure up a table for two after a person had persistently tried to add a reservation and was told none was available???[/QUOTE]

They do not book all the tables there are always some left empty

Maybe for suite guests who decide at the last minute to eat in one of the specialties
I have rarely seen all the tables occupied at the same time


Lyn

[Toranut97]

[quote name='LHT28']They do not book all the tables there are always some left empty

Maybe for suite guests who decide at the last minute to eat in one of the specialties
I have rarely seen all the tables occupied at the same time


Lyn[/QUOTE]

I always figured that as dining times are staggered by the half hour, those tables were reserved for the "next wave," so to speak.

Hey, you guys who like to tip/bribe your way along, go ahead. Whatever floats your boat. (And the Maitre-D's)

[LHT28]

[quote name='Toranut97']I always figured that as dining times are staggered by the half hour, those tables were reserved for the "next wave," so to speak.

[/QUOTE]

It is quite possible
That said we have had some long dinners in the specialties & they seem to have empty tables ....not always the same ones
Next time I am in one will pay closer attention

Lyn

[hypercafe]

[quote name='LHT28']It is quite possible
That said we have had some long dinners in the specialties & they seem to have empty tables ....not always the same ones
Next time I am in one will pay closer attention

Lyn[/QUOTE]

I asked about the empty tables and the server said their was not enough servers to do all the tables at once and provide a high level of service. I am really tired of reading about the upper level suites and about throwing around money. Living in NY I an used to being extorted to get a table however I never would think about this on Oceania. To be honest I do not believe it and if it is true the employee should be fired. If I have to tip to get a seat I will eat in the MD or terrace as in fact I never felt the speciality restaurants were that special, just much hype.

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