Oceana Cafe Jardin - quick question

[sotong]

Is it possible to get free coffee / tea at cafe jardin or is it just the pay for branded drinks?

our cabin will be the floor above and thought it would be easy way of getting a quick coffee first thing in the morning!

 

Thanks, Gillian.

[Lottie A]

Yes they do tea and coffee and you get the tea in a teapot if you ask for Earl Grey. I am not sure if they do it "to go" though.

 

Cafe Jardin is a little hidden gem for a peaceful and calm breakfast but it does have a limited menu. I really enjoyed the Eggs Royale ....smoked salmon and poached eggs with bearnaise sauce on a toasted English muffin.

 

There is a kettle and tea/coffee in your room if you just want an early morning cuppa though.

[sotong]

Thanks Lottie, I'd forgotten about tea and coffee in room, I'm used to cruising with the American lines that don't have kettles!

Gillian

[john watson]

Cafe Jardin seems to open very early in the morning. I like the waiter served breakfasts in the MDR but if you get up too early for the MDR breakfast to open. Cafe Jardin is very handy to have a cuppa while you wait.

 

Late in the evenings they do a nice selection of sandwiches, very late which you can have with a hot chocolate, malt drink with pastries or cakes on a self serve basis; waiters do the drinks.

 

Regards John

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

Cafe Jardin seems to open very early in the morning. I like the waiter served breakfasts in the MDR but if you get up too early for the MDR breakfast to open. Cafe Jardin is very handy to have a cuppa while you wait.

 

Late in the evenings they do a nice selection of sandwiches, very late which you can have with a hot chocolate, malt drink with pastries or cakes on a self serve basis; waiters do the drinks.

 

Regards John

 

 

Cafe Jardin is the best thing about Oceana.

The menu is limited all right, but the food seems to be prepared to order, which is always a good thing.

 

On port days, sometimes with a late tour back to the ship, it can get busy.

But overall a nice place.

 

 

 

 

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Edited April 22, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn goes commando on occasion

[davecttr]

Just for balance :D

 

Cafe Jardin is the worst thing about Oceana. It blocks access from Winners/Casino to the public toilets which are forward. They do not allow you you walk through which forces you to go down one deck, as a result the toilets down there are insufficient to meet the demand on occassions.

 

They won't fix the problem though as Oceana would have been well on its way to OZ if they had not restricted ship sizes in Venice.

 

Oceana must irritate the P&O bean counters as there is little scope aboard for additional cover charge restaurants etc.

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

Just for balance :D

 

Fair and balanced

 

Cafe Jardin is the worst thing about Oceana. It blocks access from Winners/Casino to the public toilets which are forward. They do not allow you you walk through which forces you to go down one deck, as a result the toilets down there are insufficient to meet the demand on occassions.

 

They won't fix the problem though as Oceana would have been well on its way to OZ if they had not restricted ship sizes in Venice.

 

Oceana must irritate the P&O bean counters as there is little scope aboard for additional cover charge restaurants etc.

 

 

Agreed about the access to the Toilets.

But the cafe itself is a great escape from the masses, and its nice to sit and have a nice light meal with dare I say it, a cup of tea !!

 

WoW I said it, I am a tea drinker.

 

Oceana is a dreadful ship. Built as Ocean princess, its showing its age now.

And yes, the bean counters must not like the limitatons for extra revenue.

The Horizon Grill in the lido is not bad at night.

 

 

 

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Edited April 22, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn loves tea

[tartanexile81]

Just for balance :D

 

Cafe Jardin is the worst thing about Oceana. It blocks access from Winners/Casino to the public toilets which are forward. They do not allow you you walk through which forces you to go down one deck, as a result the toilets down there are insufficient to meet the demand on occasions.

 

 

Oceana is a dreadful ship. Built as Ocean princess, its showing its age now.

And yes, the bean counters must not like the limitatons for extra revenue.

The Horizon Grill in the lido is not bad at night.

 

I thought I was the only one on this site who didn't think much of Oceana. We love the round-trip to the Caribbean and do it most years in January and until recently it has only been Oceana that does this trip (but now we're hoping to do Ventura in 2017 :). The balconies are hopeless, the plumbing and air con are well past their use-by date, the wifi doesn't work in aft cabins and there's not enough cabin storage. Having said that we always go on a cruise to enjoy ourselves so we will have a good time and you can be sure we won't be moaning about it to you if you're on the same cruise :D We've met lots of great people and had lots of laughs and we always enjoy Protocol in Winners. Hope they're there next year.

 

However as regards Café Jardin we like the menus now and eat there on longer cruises for a change from the MDR but we HATE the garden furniture which is so noisy and also the fact it's in such an open, echo-ey space devoid of atmosphere.

[Lottie A]

Well I have to disagree here. I am in no way a P&O fan....in fact I would say it is almost my last cruise line of choice, but I really liked Oceana. I liked the chairs in Cafe Jardin, thought it had a peaceful and unhurried atmosphere as opposed to The Plaza and the MDR. I would say that it is one of the best things about Oceana. I did not have any issues in going down one deck to find a loo either!

 

We did not have any problems with aircon or the plumbing and the wifi in our aft cabin was just fine. Yes the ship is getting on a bit, but she is very nice IMHO. The Atrium is impressive, the entertainment was great and although the MDR food reminds me a bit of school dinners, we coped by eating in Cafe Jardin and the Horizon Grill most nights. I thought the supplements for the speciality restaurants were very reasonable.....compared to $50 each on Celebrity!

We went on the repo cruise for a cheap break, not expecting that much but I was pleasantly surprised. Azamara, Celebrity and Silversea will always be my cruiselines of choice for a "proper cruise" but I would have no hesitation in choosing Oceana for a cheap deal. In fact, we are looking at doing a late deal on her in a few weeks....the price is very good. It is cheaper than a 3 day city break in Barcelona.

[annieuk]

Another vote for Oceana, she and Adonia are our favourite ships. We were on her in March this year and had no problems with plumbing, air con or anything else. Yes she is an older ship but we still think that walking into the atrium of Oceana beats all the others - can't comment on Britannia as we've not been on her.

 

Cafe Jardin was our place of choice for breakfast most mornings and occasionally for lunch too. It's a lovely place first thing in the morning, very often not crowded, especially at the beginning of a cruise as lots of new passengers don't know about it. It's a good place for looking over at the atrium and people watching. There is a reasonable choice of hot dishes to order and a good selection of museli, compotes etc. and lovely fresh fruit and pastries. Good coffee too!

 

I suppose it's like any other ship - some people love it, some people don't like it at all. The only way to find out about a ship is to travel on it.

[janieb1962]

Hi

We are sailing on Oceana next week for the first time.

Just wondering...is there a cover charge for Cafe Jardin breakfast?

sounds like its a nice place to start the day:)

[davecttr]

Hi

We are sailing on Oceana next week for the first time.

Just wondering...is there a cover charge for Cafe Jardin breakfast?

sounds like its a nice place to start the day:)

No, only in the evening.

 

The Plaza buffet is OK too, at least at 7.30 in the morning it is, only a dozen or so passengers! There are 2 seating areas outside as well overlooking the pool so you can have a couple of cuppas while watching the early birds reserving their sun loungers :p There are even 'secret' tea/coffee stations :)

[janieb1962]

No, only in the evening.

 

The Plaza buffet is OK too, at least at 7.30 in the morning it is, only a dozen or so passengers! There are 2 seating areas outside as well overlooking the pool so you can have a couple of cuppas while watching the early birds reserving their sun loungers :p There are even 'secret' tea/coffee stations :)

 

thanks Dave...I'll be giving it a try! Assuming I can find it :confused:

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well we loved the Oceana too. Our first P&O cruise and very impressed. I agree with Dave though about the Cafe Jardin. We couldn't work out how to get through one night as the doors were closed and we went the wrong way up the ship looking for the atrium :rolleyes:

 

Looking at booking the Ventura (I'll start a new thread)

[tartanexile81]

There are even 'secret' tea/coffee stations :)

 

 

Go on then. Whisper it to us. We promise we won't tell anybody :D

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Go on then. Whisper it to us. We promise we won't tell anybody :D

I saw one by the pool bar. Not sure if it is a secret, but I didn't notice it until it was nearly time to come home :o

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

The Plaza buffet is OK too, at least at 7.30 in the morning it is, only a dozen or so passengers!

 

Such a beautiful time of the day, with hardly a soul around.

Enjoying a nice coffee and having a chat with the buffet staff.

Bless them, and their wonderful kind hearts.

They work so so hard to make sure we enjoy ourselves.

 

I have often invited some of them to my cabin for some drinks and sandwiches late at night. Whilst not allowed, they do arrive on time, and like rabbitts in headlights, but then they begin to relax and I have some great conversations with them. They are lovely.

 

They deserve so much more.

 

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Edited April 23, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn loves everybody