Food - Regent and Oceania

[Travelcat2]

I can not see any reason why Regent cannot implement some of the special touches that Oceania has. On the other hand, I still feel strongly that the quality of food in La Veranda is better than in the Terrace Cafe.

 

We plan on having their famous "surf and turf" sandwich at the Pool Grill. However, we will have it without the turf, without the bread and double surf:-) We are waiting for a port day as it is very windy and stormy outside. Note: "turf" is steak and "surf" is lobster".

 

The ship is still swaying, shaking, etc. I would have never believed that this new, beautiful ship could feel worse than what we have felt on the Voyager.

 

I compare our Vista Suite to Regent's Grand Suite. We have done upsells to the Grand Suite and do not like it due to the size of the master bathroom (tiny). This suite is lovely -- again with special touches that Regent does not have but may have with the new ship.

 

I haven't mention NCL. I am quite intuitive and, unfortunately, do not see anything positive with this change in ownership. I simply do not trust what they have said in terms of the future of Regent (or Oceania). It does not help me or anyone reading this thread to buy into the negativity so I will not go into it. It is quite possible that our last Regent cruise will be in 2016. In terms of Oceania, we knew that this would be our last Oceania cruise before we booked it (simply too many benefits on Regent to sail any other cruise lines)

 

Truly hoping that computerworks can start receiving photographs as I am anxious to share them with Regent CC members.

 

 

 

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Edited December 1, 2014 by Travelcat2

[computerworks]

 

Truly hoping that computerworks can start receiving photographs as I am anxious to share them with Regent CC members.

 

Keep sending them... the internet is still working here. :p

[Mjflowers]

I for one enjoy Jackie's posts about their experience on other lines. Both on land and at sea. These boards are not private cruise clubs or forums. First of all they have many cruises on Regent and I believe that Jackie can make a fair comparison as I can on the Crystal board where they are welcomed.

 

If you don't want to read a post, just simply skip over it.

 

Jackie just enjoy your cruise and I hope it meets or exceeds your expectations. Please keep posting along your journey. We are off to Singapore in two weeks for our Asian holiday cruise.

 

Have a great time and happy holidays.

 

Thank you, I will.

[Mjflowers]

Suite travels. Why the animosity towards me. We all, as you say may express our opinions on any board at any time. Crystal, Oceania, Regent etc. Or is this reserved for a certain few? Sometimes it is best to keep opinions to ourselves. Regarding my previous post. I will continue to express my opinions without regard to your feelings on if I may post or not.:)

[JVNYC]

I haven't mention NCL. I am quite intuitive and, unfortunately, do not see anything positive with this change in ownership. I simply do not trust what they have said in terms of the future of Regent (or Oceania). It does not help me or anyone reading this thread to buy into the negativity so I will not go into it. It is quite possible that our last Regent cruise will be in 2016. In terms of Oceania, we knew that this would be our last Oceania cruise before we booked it (simply too many benefits on Regent to sail any other cruise lines) .

 

Hi Jackie. I am surprised to hear you say this because you have always been such a Regent and Oceania cheerleader. You have been the one who has remained most optimistic about the NCL takeover and have always had faith in the cruise line and experience. I would love to know what has changed and so quickly. I have 3 Oceania cruises booked and knowing this info would really help. Appreciate your time on here while on vacation. Thank you!

[Conte Di Savoia]

Note for all of my posts: Unless the internet gets faster, I will not be correcting errors - my apologies in advance.

 

What I do is open up the word processing program they use on board, compose my posting and then spell check it. Read it over and make sure it's the way you want it. Then copy the posting and paste it into CruiseCritic, when you finally get it open. That way you're not wasting valuable time composing and editing. Just a thought. I'm enjoying your commentary and comparison of the two lines. We've never been on board Oceania but it has gotten our attention.

[Travelcat2]

Will definitely try using another method of writing posts and then copying it. The reason that I am not editing much is that the Cruise Critic website is the slowest I have ever encountered. Perhaps they will be making some changes in the new year. CC has become so popular that they can't keep up with the number of people accessing (or trying to access) the website.

 

Nothing has happened yet today. I cannot get over how big the ship is. Perhaps I'm noticing it more because our suite is the first in the front of the ship and the restaurants are aft. Fortunately, despite my knee issue (that I will have reconstructed net month), we are handling it just fine. I suspect that people with mobility issues would be better off in a mid-ship to aft suite to avoid the long walks.

 

In terms of NCL - I'm still digesting information. Might share feelings later on this cruise. There are some passengers that are blissfully unaware that Oceania is owned by NCL. One passenger had lunch with the largest TA in their area (large city) and they did not mention the change in ownership. I have not asked the crew about it but may ask the G.M. who we are having dinner with on the 3rd (he is a friend of a friend).

 

Suite Travels: As always, thank you for your kind words and I hope that you have a wonderful Asian cruise. Perhaps when you return, we can talk (via telephone -- the old fashion method of communication:-).

 

JVNYC: Our experience on this cruise exceeds our experience on our first Oceania cruise (in terms of service). I am not worried about cruises -- at least not within the next few months. Beyond that, ?????? We have our "cancellation deadlines" for our upcoming cruises written down -- just in case.

 

Will check in later.

[rallydave]

I haven't mention NCL. I am quite intuitive and, unfortunately, do not see anything positive with this change in ownership. I simply do not trust what they have said in terms of the future of Regent (or Oceania). It does not help me or anyone reading this thread to buy into the negativity so I will not go into it. It is quite possible that our last Regent cruise will be in 2016. In terms of Oceania, we knew that this would be our last Oceania cruise before we booked it (simply too many benefits on Regent to sail any other cruise lines)

 

 

Guessing the following link explains your sudden change in thoughts regarding Regent. For those not reading the link, the change is effective immediately!!!

 

Wonder what the next shoe to drop will be??

 

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/montague-moves-into-prestige-presidency-as-kamlani-resigns.html

[TrulyBlonde]

Guessing the following link explains your sudden change in thoughts regarding Regent. For those not reading the link, the change is effective immediately!!!

 

Wonder what the next shoe to drop will be??

 

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/montague-moves-into-prestige-presidency-as-kamlani-resigns.html

 

Yes, TC is very intuitive...I have one O in May and one Regent scheduled..this should be interesting :(

[Hambagahle]

Crumbs Jackie! Last time we were on Mariner we had a SS Aft suite and I referred to the walk we had to get to the Observation Lounge end of the ship as the "8 par hole". Next time on Riviera we will again be in the stern. How far in advance of tea time will I have to leave my suite to get to Horizons in time??

 

Can you say who the GM is? And when you have dinner could you ask who will be GM on Riviera for the 1 April TA? And who will (might) be CD?

 

Loosing Mr Kamlani is more than a shock!

[LHT28]

Suite travels. Why the animosity towards me. We all, as you say may express our opinions on any board at any time. Crystal, Oceania, Regent etc. Or is this reserved for a certain few? Sometimes it is best to keep opinions to ourselves. Regarding my previous post. I will continue to express my opinions without regard to your feelings on if I may post or not.:)

 

You can only express your opinions if you are TC or one of her posse

 

Many times she has told others that this board is about Regent (unless it is her posting)

 

 

JMO

[computerworks]

Until TC gets her issues solved... we'll back fill with some 'supporting documentation.' :p

 

The first restaurant mentioned above was Jacque's...

 

 



 

[computerworks]

Next...was the Terrace Cafe (shown here set for breakfast)

 

 



 



 

[Travelcat2]

Thank you computerworks. Cannot even send messages with photos to myself. Will keep trying.

 

Off topic sentence: For anyone who regularly watches Undercover Boss, bring up the NCL episode on the internet and watch the last 10 minutes. It says a lot (unfortunately people that do no see how 99.9% of the episodes will notice nothing).

 

Gerry, tea is on this end of the ship -- just a medium walk to the elevator up to the 15th (or 14th or ???) deck to Horizons. To go to the Terrace Café, it depends upon how fast you walk:-) We had breakfast in the Executive Lounge because I was too lazy to walk the length of the ship for breakfast:-)

 

In terms of who will be the G.M., I will certainly ask. Information on the C.D. is very unreliable right now (and has been for 2-3 months) but will ask. My best source is actually on vacation now. When he is back on an Oceania ship, I'll email him.

[OctoberKat]

I haven't mention NCL. I am quite intuitive and, unfortunately, do not see anything positive with this change in ownership. I simply do not trust what they have said in terms of the future of Regent (or Oceania). It does not help me or anyone reading this thread to buy into the negativity so I will not go into it. It is quite possible that our last Regent cruise will be in 2016. In terms of Oceania, we knew that this would be our last Oceania cruise before we booked it (simply too many benefits on Regent to sail any other cruise lines).

 

About-face.

[dlouise]

The loss of Mr Kamlani says a lot. We have 2 cruises booked on the Riviera in the next six months.......one with all of our children, and I do worry now that things will be changing, and not for the better. His sudden departure is not a good sign in MHO.

[Caroldoll]

and see what happens on the ships. I feel that until things really change, we should think of the positive things that might occur.

 

In life I have found that nothing stays the same.

 

I have cruised on all of them...and there is no other choice at this time. We have four more cruises booked and we are not cancelling them (they are on O) unless there are drastic changes which are not good.

[Travelcat2]

We have been very busy today. No one seems to have been notified of Kamlani's departure. I learned from computerworks and the G.M. onboard learned from reading the internet. My intuition began on Saturday - when I boarded the ship.

 

If anything of interest happens on board, I'll certainly report it. I'm sure that people on Oceania feel it more than on Regent since he has been part of the management team for many years. For whatever reason, some Regent customers seem happy, To each his own. I just wish Kunal and his family health and happiness.

 

Will report on our wonderful cooking class either later tonight or tomorrow. This should be of interest to Regent customers since it is planned for the Explorer.

[OctoberKat]

TC2 writes "No one seems to have been notified of Kamlani's departure. I learned from computerworks and the G.M. onboard learned from reading the internet."

 

It's certain the news has made the rounds, nonetheless. Because, you know, internet, email, etc. I find intuition to be most effective in hindsight.

Edited December 1, 2014 by OctoberKat

[Suite Travels]

These photos look very elegant. So far I am impressed.

[Sunprince]

TC, this is totally off topic from your food theme of this thread and I'm sure you have already researched this topic..but please take necessary precautions against the Chikungunya virus while in the Caribbean, especially while off the ship. Not sure of your itinerary, but I have several friends/colleagues who live or work in Barbados and the Caribbean and virtually all of them have been infected. With your knee problems, you may be more at risk as the virus hits the weakest part of your joints. Make sure to use deet! This virus can be quite nasty and last for months.

[Travelcat2]

TC, this is totally off topic from your food theme of this thread and I'm sure you have already researched this topic..but please take necessary precautions against the Chikungunya virus while in the Caribbean, especially while off the ship. Not sure of your itinerary, but I have several friends/colleagues who live or work in Barbados and the Caribbean and virtually all of them have been infected. With your knee problems, you may be more at risk as the virus hits the weakest part of your joints. Make sure to use deet! This virus can be quite nasty and last for months.

 

Thanks for your coments and concern. I purchased a mosquito repellent with something that sounds like Picarin -- special ingredient for this particular mosquito. Also have repellent with Deet. We are in Columbia today -- the mosquito hasn't reached here yet.

 

In terms of my knee, I have a funny store about our butler. I can walk fine but not in heels (I brought small ones). Since I had to walk from one end of the ship to the other, I took my shoes off -- thinking no one would notice. My butler did and insisted in carrying my shoes. I did not want someone holding my shoes so I handed him my Kindle to carry. Anyway, he ended up carrying my shoes -- his service is quite amazing and goes above and beyond.

 

I won't go into our Le Reserve dinner last night as this is not something that will be on Regent (at least I hope not). I do not think that a restaurant with a cost associated with it fits into the Regent model. The wine pairing meals cost between $100-200/person. The menu last night was new -- first time served on Oceania.

 

Did not have time to test out my Kindle because the connection was too poor. If you think the photos so far are great - wait until you see the Vista Suite (which, IMO, is affordable -- on some itineraries -- for Regent passengers that go for the PH suites). The difficulty is booking them -- they go fast! Our suite even has a small work-out room with two pieces of equipment.

 

In terms of when I knew what. Either people will believe me or they won't. I did not know anything about Mr. Kamlani's departure when I boarded the ship Saturday. In fact, I met a woman in the Executive Lounge yesterday morning who knows all of the Regent/Oceania executives and speaks with them regularly. I may have mentioned this yesterday. She had comments about Mr. Kamlani specifically and most definitely did not know that one hour later we would learn of his resignation. My intuition is what it is. I am a hypnotherapist and reiki master -- all of this fits in with my on again/off again intuition. Prior to the announcement I also posted that I no longer trust what NCL says. I also am surprised by the lack of information that was passed on to the officers onboard this ship.

 

In any event, after two sea days we are going ashore. The temperatures is around 90 degrees so we will not be out longer. Unfortunately, on Oceania, only one person in your suite can be on the internet at the same time. My DH will need some internet time when we return and then I'll work on the Kindle issue. Worst case scenario is that the photos will be posted when we get back (truly hope that this is not the case).

 

computerworks -- if you are reading this, please post more of your lovely photos. Thank you again! Do you have any of Red Ginger or Le Reserve?

[JVNYC]

Prior to the announcement I also posted that I no longer trust what NCL says.

 

Hi Jackie. I'm still curious about what you mean regarding this. If you have time please elaborate. I was most surprised when you said earlier that 2016 may be your last Regent cruise. Would love to know what you know or are sensing. Thanks!

[TrulyBlonde]

Hi TC2.. I was wondering what you think of the Terrace Grill in the evening and the lobster tails, steak, grilled veggies etc? I have to admit my DH and I did a 21 day b2b and never ate in the main Dining Room. We chose Speciality restaurants and when in the Med we love to dine Al Fresco. We also eat very healthy and found that dining on the Terrace after a long touring day was ideal. The grilled items are low fat and low calorie and good for a healthy lifestyle that we aim for. We have never gained weight on a cruise as long as there is a good gym and healthy food. ( and Good Wine) Looking forward to your feedback.

[Ron&Sue]

Hi TC2, is the Vista suite suited for three people? Two full or 1 and 3//4 bath? Who is your butler? Sounds like the helpful butlers trying to carry your shoes. I have to agree with portofinoitaly that we found Terrace Grill to be excellent for most meals. If something wasn't to my liking I just got up and got something else, no problem for me. I have learned that when you have bottles of wine (as in the suites) if you ask when you sit down for lunch or dinner they will have them to you in a very short time. That seemed to speed up the process instead of waiting for the wine steward.