Terrace Cafe for Dinner?

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, clo said:

If you have a two-top and don't do a ton of courses I wouldn't think it would be terribly long.

Are you just guessing because perhaps you don't have any personal experience? Our actual experience in the GDR is just the opposite. Dinner can drag on and on. I'm fine with up to 90 minutes, but two hours or more is intolerable to me, and two hours or more was typical.

Edited August 6, 2019 by njhorseman

[Nachosdelux]

11 hours ago, clo said:

Did  you only do that venue?  And, if so, why not others?

 

 

we ate in the main dining room once, and it was fine but we prefer the variety at the buffet.

 

we ate in the specialty restaurants once or twice each, and several nights in the buffet.

 

 

[ORV]

3 hours ago, tvmovielover said:

+ 1 on page 1 poster who mentioned how much more crowded the Terrace on the R ship seems at peak hours.  On our first cruise on Marina in the South Pacific, the Terrace was our venue of choice  for most meals.  It was warm and pleasant sitting outside and did not seem overcrowded.  You also were still able to serve yourself which was a little faster-do not jump on me-being served and not having us all touch the food is safer and better which I prefer now (on last mass line cruise-still too many touching food and not enough hand cleaner to avoid problems).  Our next Marina cruise was in Northern Europe and even in summer, outside dining was not always as pleasant.

 

Our last cruise on Nautica was very nice but all venues were crowded at peak dining hours and all venues are smaller so we mostly only ate breakfast on the Terrace to get off the ship faster.  I guess we prefer the GDR when time is not an issue but the Terrace can be delightful and relaxing on the right ship in the right place.

Are you saying there was a time on Marina that the Terrace was self serve? I've been sailing with Oceania since pre-Marina and don't remember that. Am I getting forgetful? Some of you guys that's been cruising with them longer than me help me out here. 

[LHT28]

34 minutes ago, ORV said:

Are you saying there was a time on Marina that the Terrace was self serve? I've been sailing with Oceania since pre-Marina and don't remember that. Am I getting forgetful? Some of you guys that's been cruising with them longer than me help me out here. 

Yes I think at one time you could get some things yourself  like the bread/desserts & salads

no to the hot food

But then NORO struck in a big way so things changed

[tvmovielover]

ORV Maybe hot food at dinner was always served to us but I thought I remember many things were self serve at breakfast and lunch-I could choose my own bread, fruit, cheeses and cold cuts,  etc.  This was in 2014 before the NORO problem as said above. 

 

ANDEE in case you come back here, did all the low salt menus have to come from the MDR or could you get some lower salt things in the specialties too?

Edited August 6, 2019 by tvmovielover
To add another question.

[Hawaiidan]

15 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Do tell - what “better stuff” do they bring out later - what am I missing by eating at 6:30? 😁

Well.... one time they brought out fresh med rare pork crown roast .... or a whole beef tenderloin( way better than prime rib), or escargot en croute  Beef Wellington.....  That sort of stuff...    Special cuts that were not cut into..sort of saved  the best bits  for the officer staff... AND  best of all  the place is empty.   As I dont usualy ever attend a "show", gamble  or play evening trivia in the bar.    I am happy with mu choice.    Too the line cooks are not stressed and are happy to show off their skills to those who are not the chest puffers and fist slammers jockeying for attention..        Everybody is mellow and one big happy....Like  these  guys  in Roanne I ran into.....

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Yes I think at one time you could get some things yourself  like the bread/desserts & salads

no to the hot food

But then NORO struck in a big way so things changed

As I remember from 2014.. I never saw any thing self serve except the bread basket in the main dining room....  Sailed all the ships R and O.......

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Are you just guessing because perhaps you don't have any personal experience? Our actual experience in the GDR is just the opposite. Dinner can drag on and on. I'm fine with up to 90 minutes, but two hours or more is intolerable to me, and two hours or more was typical.

For me dinner is entertainment......2 and 3 hour+ dinners with fine courses paced over the hours  and fine company is  as good as it gets....

[LHT28]

21 minutes ago, tvmovielover said:

ANDEE in case you come back here, did all the low salt menus have to come from the MDR or could you get some lower salt things in the specialties too?

Not ANDEE

but I got menus from the Specialties  the day or 2 before our reservation

[Hawaiidan]

18 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

We were on the Nautica from Capetown to Singapore.  At several ports the ship loaded up on local stuff.  They would have  a large board on a stand announcing specialty  items. Lso listed in the daily Currents. After one South African  stop they grilled game meats. You went to the grill station and asked for what you wanted.  Honestly,  they were overcooked and dry. I've had them in Capetown  before.

LSO.....I havent heard that term  on anything but a carrier.... and on a cruise ship !( Landing Signal Officer)

[tvmovielover]

Thanks, LHT28,  I needed to know that for our next cruise.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, tvmovielover said:

Thanks, LHT28,  I needed to know that for our next cruise.

Just be sure that it is noted in your file that you require the special diet

 

[golfguyhhi]

Hawaiidan,

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - stop telling people how wonderful The Terrace is!!!!!  Let's just keep it our secret.

[maggie.1008]

Too late !

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

Well.... one time they brought out fresh med rare pork crown roast .... or a whole beef tenderloin( way better than prime rib), or escargot en croute  Beef Wellington.....  That sort of stuff...    Special cuts that were not cut into..sort of saved  the best bits  for the officer staff...

I don't know Dan - this concept seems a bit far fetched for me - not the Oceania I have known for 15 years.

Why would they bring out "fresh med rare pork crown roast .... or a whole beef tenderloin( way better than prime rib), or escargot en croute  Beef Wellington" 15 minutes before they close? Why would they deny it for all others that were there earlier? What would they do with left-overs since "the place was empty" and they were closing in 15 minutes?

What sounds more plausible to me is that they had all that stuff before but they finished it and thus had to replenish it with new portions?

In any case, I am not going to wait till closing time to eat there and wait for miracles to happen 😀

[LHT28]

we have gone to the Terrace later in the evening for dessert (after I walk off dinner)

not much left in the hot table  at 8:30pm

Maybe  they brought stuff out knowing HD would show up 😉

[Hawaiidan]

18 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I don't know Dan - this concept seems a bit far fetched for me - not the Oceania I have known for 15 years.

Why would they bring out "fresh med rare pork crown roast .... or a whole beef tenderloin( way better than prime rib), or escargot en croute  Beef Wellington" 15 minutes before they close? Why would they deny it for all others that were there earlier? What would they do with left-overs since "the place was empty" and they were closing in 15 minutes?

What sounds more plausible to me is that they had all that stuff before but they finished it and thus had to replenish it with new portions?

In any case, I am not going to wait till closing time to eat there and wait for miracles to happen 😀

My time  like is from memory....   but it was within less than an hour of closing... I observed one night they ,the officers ,come in late and  that the staff caters to them as family....    You take care of your shipmates your going to be with for months at a time..... Like in many restaurants  frequent customers can get off menu service and may staff requested special stuff  and if your there....well there is enough.

Timing was everything....   once you figure when staff  shows up.... so do you

Edited August 6, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

For me dinner is entertainment......2 and 3 hour+ dinners with fine courses paced over the hours  and fine company is  as good as it gets....

While Oceania's food is very good for a cruise line, in my experience it doesn't compare at all to a really good restaurant. You can't cook for 650 or 1200 passengers and get the same results as a restaurant serving a small fraction of those numbers. 

 

As far as the fine company is concerned...I like most Oceania passengers I've met no more than a mass market line's passengers...for completely different reasons, but every bit as annoying and offensive.

[Mrs f.]

4 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

LSO.....I havent heard that term  on anything but a carrier.... and on a cruise ship !( Landing Signal Officer)

Also....

[Hawaiidan]

Just now, Mrs f. said:

Also....

Also what????   

[Mrs f.]

Also instead of also in my previous  post. The  " A" got dropped

[edgee]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Yes I think at one time you could get some things yourself  like the bread/desserts & salads

no to the hot food

But then NORO struck in a big way so things changed

NORO seems to happen just as often on Oceania ships with all the "precautions" in their non self serve buffet than it does on cruise lines with full self service buffets such as Crystal. Out of 40+ cruises on a number of cruise lines the only NORO we experienced was on Oceania Marina. 

[Paulchili]

14 minutes ago, edgee said:

NORO seems to happen just as often on Oceania ships with all the "precautions" in their non self serve buffet than it does on cruise lines with full self service buffets such as Crystal. Out of 40+ cruises on a number of cruise lines the only NORO we experienced was on Oceania Marina. 

That notwithstanding, I still much prefer Oceania's approach.

There are illnesses other than Noro that can be transmitted by poor hygiene of our fellow passengers (hepatitis, to name one unpleasant one). Not to mention that self-service buffets tend to look a mess after everyone has been rummaging through it to pick their favorite items out of the food tray.

Also, I experienced this on both Viking Ocean and Crystal - some items in the self service buffet are placed so far back as to being next to impossible to reach (at least not possible to reach without touching other items) with nobody in sight to assist.

[edgee]

48 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

That notwithstanding, I still much prefer Oceania's approach.

There are illnesses other than Noro that can be transmitted by poor hygiene of our fellow passengers (hepatitis, to name one unpleasant one). Not to mention that self-service buffets tend to look a mess after everyone has been rummaging through it to pick their favorite items out of the food tray.

Also, I experienced this on both Viking Ocean and Crystal - some items in the self service buffet are placed so far back as to being next to impossible to reach (at least not possible to reach without touching other items) with nobody in sight to assist.

I do not disagree, as I have had trouble reaching food items on Crystal's buffet and I appreciate the neatness of the staff serve areas of Terrace.  However, IMHO the attitude of some frequent Oceania cruisers who tout Terrace's non self serve system as a major factor in having a more sanitary ship is a little over the top.  Indeed there are a number of self serve venues on Oceania such as self serve coffee machines and such self serve food areas in Baristas, Concierge and Executive Lounges and, again, CDC records generally do not indicate that Oceania ships are more sanitary than those of other cruise lines.

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Mrs f. said:

Also instead of also in my previous  post. The  " A" got dropped

Thank you.....I was trying to figure if it was some new language that texting gizmo-ites used.